Can my employer tell me to turn off track and trace while in work

Takmon

MattMattMattUK said:

I do not specifically ask my staff to do so, but we generally agreed to do so. We are in shared offices and the app is simple, it does not take account of walls or floors, so despite us not being in the same room as those other people the app is unable to account for that. Today there is only me and one other in the office (staff can mostly work from home, so are free to when it works) and I have just had a look and because of people in offices to the side and above and below if I search with Bluetooth I can currently see eight other devices (although I can not be sure how many are phones, it looks like 5 possibly are), so yes it makes sense to turn it off in a workplace, especially if phones are left in lockers etc. 

Actually it does take into account of walls and floor because they will cause a noticeable reduction in the Bluetooth signal strength. So just because you can see other phones when searching Bluetooth the app won't register you as being in contact with them because the signal strength will be lower than when you are close to someone in the same room as you. 

britishboy said:

As above, we've all been told to 'turn off track and trace' due to the simple technology it uses while in work in case it triggers a false alert, eg our phone left in our locker and someone walking past it and it registering a contact

Is this right, or have you heard of it before?

Well i hope people who use the app and have some common sense would turn off the Bluetooth if their phone is in their locker and not even on their person.

es5595

The police had been advised they are ok to use this app on personal phones - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-54337768

It has been advised (and surely it is self-explanatory) that if you’ve not got your phone on you and are leaving it in a locker (such as going to the gym, or teachers leaving phones in staff room lockers) then it should be turned off. 

If you’re concerned walls etc wouldn’t stop the Bluetooth tracing facility, then why aren’t all the tower blocks getting locked down when one person tests positive? Because it doesn’t work like that. 

If your workplace is truly “covid secure”, as in, you’re in full PPE anytime someone is closer than 2m, then you’re ok. Otherwise, I’d have it on, and if they made a fuss explain the steps they need to make it actually covid secure, at which point you are happy to turn it off. 

unforeseen

If your workplace is truly “covid secure”, as in, you’re in full PPE anytime someone is closer than 2m

That is not what Covid Secure means

CKhalvashi

We have requested this, with the proviso that if anyone tests positive the office will be closed. The reasoning in our case is largely due to sharing office space with another company and being in close proximity to other buildings, which may lead to false positives as data is transmitted through walls.

longwalks1

Thanks all, theres loads of posters up saying we are 'Covid safe' and 'Covid secure', but in reality, the first part of the site is all one way pedestrianised walkways to look good for anyone looking in, yet in the centre of site, and internally, you still have to squeeze past a group of 7 or 8 managers stood blocking a walkway on most days

[Deleted User]

Legal minefield for the employer. If there was an outbreak at work employees could cite the fact that they were told to turn the app off as evidence of failing to properly look after their health.

The app doesn't flag up people walking past you or anything like that. To register contact it has to record several minutes of being in close proximity.

Dr_Crypto

Bit hard to argue that when the NHS instruct staff to do it. 

Dr_Crypto

This is what my employer says:

Should healthcare workers use the NHS COVID-19 app? 

Healthcare workers, like everyone else across England and Wales, are encouraged to use the NHS Covid-19 app to help reduce the spread of transmission. However, Healthcare workers should pause contact tracing on the NHS COVID-19 app while they are working in healthcare buildings, including hospitals and GP surgeries. In most of these situations, you're already protected, so it is highly unlikely that you would catch the virus. How do certain healthcare workers pause contact tracing in the app? Healthcare workers can pause contact tracing within the app by moving the contact tracing toggle on the home screen. You can see this toggle at the bottom of the app screenshot below:

Do visitors need to pause the app when they are wearing masks on the wards?
No. Visitors should not pause contact tracing in the app when they are wearing masks on the wards.
The pause function only applies when you;
• store your phone in a locker while you're working or are involved in a leisure activity, like swimming
• are already protected by a Perspex (or equivalent) screen
• are a healthcare worker working in a healthcare building such as a hospital or GP surgery
• a worker in social care and are wearing medical grade PPE such as a surgical mask

Takmon

CKhalvashi said:

We have requested this, with the proviso that if anyone tests positive the office will be closed. The reasoning in our case is largely due to sharing office space with another company and being in close proximity to other buildings, which may lead to false positives as data is transmitted through walls.

The app works by measuring the duration of the contact and the distance of the contact depending on the Bluetooth signal strength. There is a noticeable reduction in signal strength when going through walls and the app will not consider these as contacts.

Kim_kim

MattMattMattUK said:

I do not specifically ask my staff to do so, but we generally agreed to do so. We are in shared offices and the app is simple, it does not take account of walls or floors, so despite us not being in the same room as those other people the app is unable to account for that. Today there is only me and one other in the office (staff can mostly work from home, so are free to when it works) and I have just had a look and because of people in offices to the side and above and below if I search with Bluetooth I can currently see eight other devices (although I can not be sure how many are phones, it looks like 5 possibly are), so yes it makes sense to turn it off in a workplace, especially if phones are left in lockers etc. 

I did wonder about walls & floors.  

So my neighbour and I have an 8 foot hedge between us, I rarely see them.  But we share a party wall.
If they tested positive & our phones were a few feet apart (either side of the wall) would that trigger an alert?