Public health officials across the country continue to recommend stringent measures for businesses to help contain and reduce the transmission of COVID-19. For many businesses, daily health screenings for all employees play a major role in maintaining the health of their staff.
Many businesses require all employees to complete these COVID screenings prior to the start of every shift, and they can look similar to the processes used in screening visitors. While no health screening is foolproof, they can cut down on your company’s potential exposure — keeping employees, customers, and their families healthy and safe. Here are the basic elements for effective COVID health screenings to include for your employees.
Ask Pre-Screening Questions
Pre-screening questions are often the first step in the employee screening process. However, a lot of companies rely on in-person paper-and-pen checklists that require sanitization after each employee, which can make a front desk a high-touch hotspot if they’re not careful. A visitor management system streamlines this process, and it allows employees to complete a pre-screening form before getting to the office. This digital solution helps reduce the risk of transmission and creates a reference log for potential contact tracing. Here are some examples of pre-screening questions:
- Do you have any of the symptoms not caused by another condition?
- Fever or chills
- Cough
- Recent loss of taste and/or smell
- Sore throat
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- Fatigue
- Muscle aches
- Headache
- Congestion
- Nausea or vomiting
- Diarrhea or upset stomach
- Within the last 14 days, have you been within 6 feet of anyone who tested positive for COVID-19?
- Within the last 14 days, have you been within 6 feet of anyone experiencing the above symptoms?
- Have you had a positive COVID-19 test in the past 14 days?
- Within the previous 14 days, has a public health or medical professional told you to self-isolate, monitor or quarantine because of potential COVID-19 infection?
Include a Temperature Check
If the employee passes the pre-screening questionnaire, the next step would involve a temperature screening. Whether your business opts for a handheld thermometer or a thermal scanner, your employees’ temperatures should be lower than 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit. According to CDC guidelines, anything higher could indicate a fever and potential presence of illness.
Next Steps for Employee Screening
Screening your employees for signs of COVID is only the first step to maintaining the health of a business. Employers should have next steps ready should an employee either have a temperature above 100.4 or fail the pre-screening questionnaire. These plans could involve a more flexible remote work policy or extended paid time off. Consult both company leadership and employees to create a COVID policy that’s reasonable for everyone.
Your employees are the backbone of your company, and keeping them safe should be a high priority for any business. Having the right systems in place helps keep everyone within your company safe. Talk with one of our representatives today about how Veristream can help your office pre-screen employees. Call 1-888-718-0807 or schedule a demo online to see how our software can be customized to fit your needs.
