Have A Small Business? FAQs About Thermal Scanning For Covid-19

17 September 2021
 Categories: Health & Medical , Blog


While your state's laws may not require thermal scanning for Covid-19, you may want to incorporate this preventative measure for your business if you have a lot of employees and customers coming in and out of your building. Read on to find answers to your questions about thermal scanning.

How Do They Work?

Instead of measuring the absolute temperature of an object, thermal scanners measure the difference in energy emitted between objects. While every product is different, thermal scanners are mainly used across the forehead area. The temporal artery is in the forehead and is a fairly good indicator of a person's base body temperature.

What are the Advantages of Thermal Scanners?

While thermal scanners, cameras, or kiosks may have more upfront costs than other temperature measuring devices, they have lots of benefits too. For example, thermal scanners take less time to use than other infrared thermometers, so you won't have to deal with a bottleneck of people coming and going from your business. Temperature kiosks are extremely advantageous because they don't require extensive training to use and they are non-contact, which minimizes the possible spread of Covid.

Do They Need Regular Recalibrations?

Although thermal scanners are easy to operate, that doesn't mean that you can use the device without regular re-calibrations. For example, you might find that baseline temperatures vary from cold morning shifts to warmer shifts in the afternoon. If an employee or customer does detect a higher-than-normal temperature, then that person may need a second verification with a medical-grade thermometer.

Are Thermal Screenings Enough for Your Business?

Thermal screenings are a good place to start to improve the safety of your business, but they should work hand in hand with other preventative measures. For example, you can have employees and customers run through a quick survey of whether or not they've been traveling, whether they've experienced symptoms lately, or whether they've been around other people with Covid-19 recently. While a higher-than-normal temperature can indicate Covid-19, some people with the virus may not present with this symptom, which is why thermal screenings should just be one tool in your preventative toolbox.

How Can Thermal Screenings Protect Your Employees?

If a customer does have a fever, you'll have a record of the incidence so that your employees have documented evidence if they need to turn someone away. Plus, your employees will be more protected since they won't have to solely rely on the honor system of other individuals. With mask mandates being a hot button issue, some customers and employees may be more inclined to participate in thermal screenings. Obviously, you want to maintain customer loyalty, so if a person does have a fever, then your business could offer these people other options, like curbside or contactless pickup/delivery.

These are just a few answers to the questions you might have about temperature scanning systems and how to incorporate them into your place of business. Reach out to a health and medical provider in your area for more information.


Share