*article written by the CEO of Peacock Construction, a Safe Site Check In customer.
Smartphone apps can help workers manage their own personal health information.
Kyle Peacock
NOV 17, 2020|
Companies that employ essential workers, including union members, have come up with various ways to manage onsite health screenings. Almost everybody does a temperature check on arrival. For the next step, which is asking COVID-19-related health questions, some companies assign administrators to interview employees and record their answers on a sheet that’s later input into an HR system. This holds up productivity while employees wait in line trying to keep six feet apart. Other companies ask employees to complete their own health screenings and submit their answers on a .pdf that gets emailed to their supervisor and HR.
Managing those records is next to impossible. Sorting through the files, cross-checking them with employee time sheets, and expecting to sufficiently identify and alert employees to potential exposure to COVID-19 in a timely way is unrealistic, not to mention the potential HIPAA violations.
Employers, and smart technology companies, quickly realized the frailties in these approaches. That’s why there’s been an uptick in digital check-in apps apps for COVID-19. These apps streamline the health screening process by having employees log in via their smartphones to answer questions based on CDC guidelines and local mandates. And they’re simple to use. Essentially, an employee walks up to a designated check-in area, points their smartphone at a QR-coded poster to check in, and answers questions for the health screening. They get instant notification on whether they’re allowed to enter their site. Their boss and HR also get real-time alerts.
The digital check in process minimizes all of the issues associated with an admin interview at the start of the shift, including the potential for human error. It also enables employers to keep a secure digital record of employees who have been denied access to a site so they can take action and, if necessary, do contact tracing.
Read the full story on EHS Today
David Brian Ward is a CEO and Founder of Safe Site Check In LLC, a digital jobsite management platform launched in 2020 for the Construction industry. With over 40 years of experience in the technology industry, having launched and grown several successful companies. Mr. Ward is a now a SaaS entrepreneur and innovation leader in the Construction industry.