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Worksite Temperature Screening for COVID-19.
Gregg M Stave1, Sharon E Smith, Pamela A Hymel
1Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina (Dr Stave); Prudential, Newark, New Jersey (Dr Smith); The Walt Disney Company, Anaheim, California (Dr Hymel); BP plc, London, England, UK (Dr Heron).
Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
|April 28, 2021
Summary
Workplace temperature screening for SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) is ineffective. Over 15 million screenings detected few cases, missing approximately 2000 infected workers, making it an unreliable method for reducing workplace transmission.
Area of Science:
- Occupational Health
- Infectious Disease Epidemiology
- Public Health Surveillance
Background:
- The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated rapid implementation of workplace safety measures.
- Temperature screening was widely adopted as a potential tool to mitigate SARS-CoV-2 transmission in occupational settings.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effectiveness of worksite temperature screening in identifying and reducing SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) transmission.
- To assess the utility of fever detection as a screening method for COVID-19 in a large-scale industrial workforce.
Main Methods:
- A survey was conducted among medical directors of multinational corporations across various industries.
- Data were collected on over 15 million temperature screenings performed by 14 participating companies.
Main Results:
- Fewer than 700 episodes of fever were identified across 15 million screenings.
- Only approximately 53 cases of COVID-19 were detected through temperature screening.
- An estimated 2000 workers with diagnosed COVID-19 were present in the workplace but not identified by screening.
Conclusions:
- Worksite temperature screening identified one case of COVID-19 for every 40 missed cases.
- Temperature screening was found to be ineffective in detecting workers with COVID-19.
- The study does not recommend worksite temperature screening as a viable strategy for controlling workplace SARS-CoV-2 transmission.
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