In all federal states, the economy is being cautiously restarted over the past few weeks. Many companies and employees are breathing a sigh of relief and trying to return to a regular working routine. At the same time, companies across the country are required to introduce health standards so that the number of infections does not skyrocket again and the pandemic gets out of control. This makes occupational health and safety measures in companies all the more important in these special times.
May employers take a temperature before entering the company?
Every employer has a duty of care towards their employees. Therefore, suitable health and safety measures must be taken before employees return from working from home - for example, disinfectants must be provided, distancing and hygiene rules must be established and technical options must be made available as an alternative to face-to-face meetings. Taking a temperature before entering the company premises can also be a sensible measure to protect the health of employees under certain conditions. But is taking the temperature of employees legally permitted at all?
In the case of persons from outside the company, the employer can make use of his domiciliary rights and refuse access to the premises if the visitor does not take a temperature. The situation is different for employees who come to the company on a daily basis. Here, the general personal rights of employees must be observed. Whether a general obligation to take a temperature can therefore be ordered in a pandemic situation always depends on the individual case. Are there already suspected cases in the company? Was an employee in a risk area or is the company located in a region where there are particularly high numbers of infected people? These can be good arguments for checking employees for fever before they enter the company. However, the further development of the epidemic should also be monitored here. It is important that the measurement data from a fever measurement may not be saved. An existing works council should also be involved in the introduction and implementation of fever measurement. Which clinical thermometers are suitable for fever measurement in companies?
Non-contact infrared forehead thermometers
Infrared forehead thermometers have proven to be very good clinical thermometers in companies: They measure the temperature via the temporal vein. The advantage of using them is that no touching is necessary. The current body temperature is determined in a few seconds by the emitted infrared radiation, which is transmitted to a sensor, and shown on the display.
During the measurement, the forehead thermometer is pointed at the centre of the patient's forehead and guided along the eyebrow to the temple. The measurement should be taken in a flowing, slow movement towards the forehead. Before use, make sure that the forehead is free of sweat and dirt. Only then is it guaranteed that the infrared thermometer will deliver perfect measurement results.
At the beginning of a viral illness, there is vasoconstriction in the body. The immune system tries to regulate the temperature and cool the skin, which can result in different temperature readings. It is recommended to measure the body temperature again after 15 minutes and check the values.
Advantages and disadvantages of infrared forehead thermometers?
Infrared forehead thermometers, such as the CEM DT-8806H forehead infrared thermometer, measure the body temperature quickly and reliably without body contact. These two properties make infrared forehead thermometers ideal for use in businesses and companies. They are also hygienic due to their non-contact use and do not need to be disinfected after use. The measuring accuracy of branded thermometers is ±0.2 °C to ±0.3 °C when used correctly. The disadvantage is the longer acclimatisation phase: the infrared thermometer usually has to be in the room in which the measurement is taken for 30 minutes in order to obtain accurate measurement data. If many employees in a company need to be checked for fever, forehead thermometers, such as the silicone crystal forehead thermometer, are also suitable. Here, employees can take the thermometer themselves, press it onto their forehead and determine the current body temperature. This also avoids direct contact with the body.
What to look out for when buying
The measuring accuracy should be specified by the manufacturer and should not exceed ±0.3 °C üC. The infrared thermometer should have an easy-to-read display, an illumination function and a button to switch it off. A memory function for the last measured temperatures can be useful, but a piece of paper will also do. An automatic switch-off function ensures a long service life.