A Body Tracking-Based Low-Cost Solution for Monitoring Workers’ Hygiene Best Practices During Pandemics

sensors Article A Body Tracking-Based Low-Cost Solution for Monitoring Workers’ Hygiene Best Practices during Pandemics Vito M. Manghisi 1,* , Michele Fiorentino 1 , Antonio Boccaccio 1 , Michele Gattullo 1 , Giuseppe L. Cascella 2 , Nicola Toschi 3 , Antonio Pietroiusti 3 and Antonio E. Uva 1 1 Department of Mechanics, Mathematics, and Management, Polytechnic University of Bari, via Oraboba 4, 70125 Bari, Italy; michele.fi[email protected] (M.F.); [email protected] (A.B.); [email protected] (M.G.); [email protected] (A.E.U.) 2 Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology, Polytechnic University of Bari, via Oraboba 4, 70125 Bari, Italy; [email protected] 3 Department of Biomedicine and Prevention, University of Rome ‘Tor Vergata’ Facoltà di Medicina e Chirurgia Viale Montpellier, 1, 00133 Rome, Italy; [email protected] (N.T.); [email protected] (A.P.) * Correspondence: [email protected] Received: 10 September 2020; Accepted: 26 October 2020; Published: 29 October 2020 Abstract: Since its beginning at the end of 2019, the pandemic spread of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (Sars-CoV-2) caused more than one million deaths in only nine months. The threat of emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases exists as an imminent threat to human health. It is essential to implement adequate hygiene best practices to break the contagion chain and enhance society preparedness for such critical scenarios and understand the relevance of each disease transmission route. As the unconscious hand–face contact gesture constitutes a potential pathway of contagion, in this paper, the authors present a prototype system based on low-cost depth sensors able to monitor in real-time the attitude towards such a habit. The system records people’s behavior to enhance their awareness by providing real-time warnings, providing for statistical reports for designing proper hygiene solutions, and better understanding the role of such route of contagion. A preliminary validation study measured an overall accuracy of 91%. A Cohen’s Kappa equal to 0.876 supports rejecting the hypothesis that such accuracy is accidental. Low-cost body tracking technologies can effectively support monitoring compliance with hygiene best practices and training people in real-time. By collecting data and analyzing them with respect to people categories and contagion statistics, it could be possible to understand the importance of this contagion pathway and identify for which people category such a behavioral attitude constitutes a significant risk. Keywords: body tracking; azure kinect; occupational safety; safety training; hygiene best practices; pandemics containment 1. Introduction The Risk of Pandemics Following the pandemic spread of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (Sars-CoV-2) and its related disease, COVID-19 [1], the world is experiencing an exceptional threat to public health involving, in only nine months, over 39 million contagions and costing over one million human lives. To contain the virus spread, extraordinary social-distancing measures (also known as lockdown) have been applied worldwide, involving school and workplace closures (Figure1), travel limitations, Sensors 2020, 20, 6149; doi:10.3390/s20216149 www.mdpi.com/journal/sensors Sensors 2020, 20, x FOR PEER REVIEW 2 of 17 Sensors 2020, 20, 6149 2 of 17 lockdown) have been applied worldwide, involving school and workplace closures (Figure 1), travel limitations, and stay-at-home requirements. Though effective, such measures are not sustainable for andan stay-at-homeextended period requirements. and involve Though heavy erepercussions,ffective, such measuresboth social are and not economic sustainable [2,3]. for Unfortunately, an extended periodthe pathogen and involve has high heavy transmissibility repercussions, and both infectivity social and [4,5]. economic The primary [2,3]. Unfortunately, carrier of contagions the pathogen is made hasup highof respiratory transmissibility droplets and that infectivity are directly [4,5]. inhaled The primary or come carrier into contact of contagions with the is oral, made nasal, up of or respiratoryperiocular droplets mucous thatby hand-mediated are directly inhaled transmission or come [6 into,7]. As contact no specific with the therapeutics oral, nasal, and or periocularvaccines are mucousavailable by hand-mediatedfor disease control, transmission the COVID-19 [6,7]. Aspandemic no specific is posing therapeutics a great and threat vaccines to global are availablepublic health. for diseaseSuch control,a critical the scenario COVID-19 is related pandemic to every is posing pan ademic great threatevent, to and global the public threat health. of emerging Such a criticaland re- scenarioemerging is relatedinfectious to every diseases pandemic exists as event, an imminent and the threat threat to of human emerging health and and re-emerging international infectious security diseases[8]. Consequently, exists as an it imminent is of paramount threat to importance human health to implement and international adequate security solutions [8 to]. Consequently,enhance society itpreparedness is of paramount to face importance the insurgence to implement and coexist adequate with solutionssuch events. to enhance society preparedness to face the insurgence and coexist with such events. FigureFigure 1. 1.Workplace Workplace closuresclosures duringduring the COVID-19 pa pandemicndemic on on 2 2April April 2020. 2020. There There may may be besub- sub-nationalnational or orregional regional differences differences in inpolicies policies on onwo workplacerkplace closures. closures. The The policy policy categories categories shown shown may maynot not apply apply at atall all sub-national sub-national levels. levels. A A country country is is coded coded as “required“required closures”closures” if if some some sub-national sub-national regionsregions have have required required closures closures (source (source [2 ]).[2]). DigitalDigital technologies technologies are are a crucial a crucial asset asset in the in fight the againstfight against pandemics. pandemics. In the initialIn the spreading initial spreading phase, theyphase, are usedthey toare model used viralto model activity viral and activity forecast and the forecast virus outbreak the virus [ 9outbreak,10], to collect [9,10], and to collect access real-timeand access datareal-time monitoring data themonitoring spread of the contagion spread [of11 –contagion13], to boost [11–13], the research to boost for the early research illness diagnosesfor early illness [14], virusdiagnoses genome [14], sequencing, virus genome and acceleratedsequencing, drugsand accelerated and vaccine drugs development and vaccine [15 development–20], and to fill[15–20], the communicationand to fill the gap communication induced by the gap social induced distancing by measures—thethe social distancing so-called measures—the “Infodemic” [21 so-called]. “Infodemic”In the recovery [21]. process, innovative technological solutions have a high potential to safeguard peoples’In healththe recovery by enhancing process, theinnovative capability technologica to breakl the solutions chain ofhave contagion. a high potential The World to safeguard Health Organizationpeoples’ health (WHO) by guidelinesenhancing providethe capability specific hygieneto break best the practiceschain of forcontagion. implementation The World to prevent Health contagionOrganization [22]. Such(WHO) practices guidelines provide provide for: specific hygiene best practices for implementation to preventEnvironment contagion decontamination [22]. Such practices based provide on periodic for: sanitation and ventilation and the use of specific • • airEnvironment conditioning decontamination filters; based on periodic sanitation and ventilation and the use of Usespecific of Personal air conditioning Protection filters; Equipment (PPE) such as gloves, masks, face shields, and gowns • • (FigureUse of2); Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) such as gloves, masks, face shields, and gowns Strict(Figure compliance 2); with Behavioral Protection Practices (hereinafter BPPs), both in interpersonal • • relationshipsStrict compliance and at thewith workplace. Behavioral BPPs Protection provide Practi for: avoidingces (hereinafter crowding BPPs), conditions, both in maintaininginterpersonal atrelationships least a 1-m distance and at between the workplace. individuals, BPPs using pr PPEovide correctly, for: avoiding frequently crowding washing hands,conditions, and avoiding hand–face contacts [23]. Sensors 2020, 20, x FOR PEER REVIEW 3 of 17 Sensorsmaintaining2020, 20, 6149 at least a 1-m distance between individuals, using PPE correctly, frequently3 of 17 washing hands, and avoiding hand–face contacts [23]. Figure 2.2. Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) used in the industrial scenario at one LamborghiniLamborghini facility in ItalyItaly convertedconverted intointo PPEPPE productionproduction afterafter thethe COVID-19COVID-19 outbreak.outbreak. (Gentle permission of Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A.).S.p.A.). Avoiding hand–facehand–face contacts is also essential for individuals using PPE. Wearing masksmasks could increase hand–face contacts due to frequentfrequent movingmoving of thethe mask,mask, unconsciousunconscious “fidgeting,”“fidgeting,” or skinskin discomfort generated in the perioral area. Furtherm Furthermore,ore, there is a need for furtherfurther investigationinvestigation on this topic,

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