As many countries brace themselves for what has been dubbed as the “second wave” of the virus, those in industrial sectors looking to avoid a potential outbreak have been exploring technology that can help their work environments be better protected against an outbreak.
Temperature kiosks for the industrial sector could play an important role in avoiding a resurgence in ‘key worker’ industries such as logistics and FMCG. But what exactly are these devices and how are they being adopted in industrial work environments such as factories and warehouses?
How do temperature kiosks work?
These self-service devices have been helping companies operating on the frontlines and within key industrial industries to identify if staff members have a fever. These non-contact, fully-automated kiosks for industrial companies use facial-recognition technology and thermal sensors to determine the temperature of each employee and visitor.
Employees simply stand in front of the automated temperature-reading kiosk for less than a second, and the device will detect and record their temperature. If their temperature is higher than the threshold set, the kiosk will sound an alarm, deny entry to the premises (via gate, turnstile or door integration), and advise the employee to isolate to protect those around them.
The kiosks can also be utilised as a reminder to wear a mask when entering the premises. If an individual tries to enter without a mask on, it will present a notification instructing the individual to wear a mask, and they will need to re-scan.
Contact tracing
Full logs including date and time of entry and temperature reading can be stored which enables fast and effective contact tracing. Companies can easily implement track and trace, finding out and notifying those who have been in the facilities on a certain day should an individual test positive for COVID-19.
Can automated temperature-reading kiosks detect COVID-19?
No, they cannot. The kiosks are not medical devices and cannot detect COVID-19. However, leading health authorities such as the WHO, have widely disseminated that fever is the most common symptom of the virus. Therefore, detecting an abnormal temperature could signify that an individual has an illness. If they are asked to isolate or work from home, this could prevent illnesses being spread in the workplace.
Thus, by using temperature-reading kiosks to deny entry to individuals with high temperatures (fevers), business owners can protect their working environment and potentially minimise the chance of employees carrying and spreading the virus.
Why are temperature checks vital in the industrial sector?
Recent events have shown that the virus is incredibly contagious, with just one employee having the ability infect almost 100 other colleagues. When outbreaks of this nature occur (be it COVID-19 or otherwise), it forces the factory, warehouse, or plant to close down while deep cleaning takes place and employees isolate and seek medical care.
Not only does that result in lost revenue for the business in question, but outlays may have to be made on deep cleaning services and sick pay.
Therefore businesses operating in the industrial sector may wish to invest in body-temperature-checking automated kiosks to protect themselves from the eventualities highlighted above in the case of a COVID-19 outbreak.
It’s a good tool to introduce for the future regardless, especially in food-based manufacturing environments, since the spread of any virus could impact your operations.
How are the kiosks being implemented?
Just like airports, industrial facilities such as warehouses are high traffic environments. Only one person carrying COVID-19 can infect up to 406 others, according to recent research. This presents a problem for workplace environments such as factories and warehouses that have personnel operating in close proximity to each other in normal circumstances.
While PPE is also crucial, industrial companies have invested in specialist automated temperature-checking kiosks for their warehouses, plants, and factories to prevent anyone coming to work that may even have a slight chance of carrying the virus.
For instance, for logistics warehouses, drivers can be asked to report to a temperature kiosk before loading up for the day and carrying out their driving duties. By contrast, in factory settings, kiosks have been integrated into access control systems to prevent those that register a high body temperature from entering the factory floor.
These kiosks are a cost-effective investment, doing away with the need for another employee to hold a handheld thermometer and potentially become infected themselves.
Finally, speed is an issue for fast-paced environments such as warehouses. But with the self-service kiosk reading a temperature within a second, it’s proving to have no adverse effects on productivity or employee performance.
While the effort to limit the spread of the virus continues, temperature kiosks for the industrial sector are proving to play a key role in running operations safely. With temperature sensor and facial recognition technology, employees can have their temperature read within a second, ensuring minimal disruption to operations and continued employee safety.
If you would like to learn more about our temperature kiosks for the industrial sector, don’t hesitate to get in touch with a member of our team to discuss your requirements today.
