The requirement of rigorous daily screening is an added challenge for businesses reopening their doors.
The Department of Labour (DOL) has strict regulations for daily symptom screening, prior to granting personnel or visitors access on-site. With the number of Covid-19 infections on the rise in South Africa, the need for innovative solutions is becoming increasingly evident as failure to comply with stringent screening requirements could result in heavy penalties for employers.
“It is essential that businesses adhere to the DOL’s Covid-19 workplace regulations to both minimise the spread of the virus but also to ensure their return to work is problem free,” says WizzPass Executive Director Ulrich Stark. “While no employer wants their staff to be exposed to the disease, if there is evidence that a worker contracted Covid-19 as a result of occupational exposure they could also be held financially responsible in terms of the Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act.”
Speaking at last week’s CHRO Community Conversation, Mecerdes-Benz executive director for HR Abey Kgotle said they had introduced home screening protocols through which employees screened themselves and completed a checklist of possible symptoms in a document – something that has been very new to employees "and does take some getting used to".
Perhaps, the provision of a self-screening system, in which employees can fill out a pre-screening Covid-19 questionnaire easily accessed via their mobile phone, laptop or PC, is the way to go to enable employees to self-report their health status before their arrival at work, saving check-in time and allowing for automatic record keeping.
Contact can also be further minimised through a variety of contactless check-in methods, including a handheld scanner, a check-in tablet or a touchless reception dashboard. All of these options allow for contactless identity verification, by scanning the QR code on an employee’s digital access card, as well as automatically recording their responses to the Covid-19 assessment, marking their adherence to PPE requirements, and recording their temperature reading.
This can all be done quickly and efficiently at the relevant access point, prior to granting them access onto the premises.
