We have compiled some points of view and questions from clients asking about whether or not they should be asking visitors and contractors questions when they arrive at your premises. These were extremely helpful in the height of Covid- 19. If you would like to implement these as a precautionary measure, please get in touch.
The key starting point needs to be what use the answer will be, for example, asking someone if they have had Covid 19 might seem like a sensible question to ask, but if you are not going to take any action as a result of this knowledge then you probably shouldn't ask the question. It's important to keep in mind people's right to privacy. Therefore, you need to think about the risks, identify the ones where action will be taken and ask questions to ensure the correct action will be taken.
Questions might include:
Do you live with someone who has either tested positive for COVID-19 or had symptoms of COVID-19 in the last 14 days?
Have you had any loss of taste or sense of smell?
Do you have a persistent cough?
A new, continuous cough means coughing for longer than an hour, or three or more coughing episodes in 24 hours. If a patient usually has a cough, it may be worse than usual.
Do you have or have you had a high temperature in the last 14 days?
Normal temperature is 36.1-37.2 C or 97-99F.
Have you recorded your temperature? Please enter your last known temperature
Do you have any anxieties or concerns about visiting our premises?
Are you shielding?
Action: Anyone shielding should not really be out of their house, they must be here for something extremely important so probably best to highlight this so action can be taken. Our visitor management system allows you to highlight certain answers in the email to the host so they can take action.
Are you isolating?
Action: Anyone isolating will be a lower risk and therefore normal procedures under your Covid 19 processes should be ok. If they are not isolating it might be useful to find out why. If they are immune, they are again low risk but if they are a front-line worker you need to take extra precautions. Our visitor management system allows you to ask certain answers based on previous answers. In this example, if they say they are not isolating, you can ask additional questions to understand the risk and appropriate action.
If they are not isolating, additional questions you could ask are:
Are you a front-line worker?
Are you travelling regularly?
Have you been tested for Covid 19 recently?
Have you been infected with Covid 19?
Would you consider yourself to be a higher risk visitor for any reason?
Would you like us to take any particular precautions to safe guard yourself and anyone you meet during your visit?
There are of course many questions and variations you can ask, I hope these are useful and help you think about the best way to protect your visitors, contractors and staff during an external person's visit to your premises.
Our visitor management system has proven to be highly effective in managing Covid-19 by implementing a crucial feature - asking health-related questions upon the arrival of each guest on site. This simple yet powerful capability ensures that all health and safety requirements are met, mitigating the risk of Covid-19 transmission in the workplace. By systematically screening visitors and ensuring they adhere to current health guidelines, the system acts as a robust first line of defence. It empowers organizations to identify potential risks promptly, enabling immediate actions to prevent the spread of the virus. Through this proactive approach, our visitor management system has played a vital role in safeguarding the well-being of both employees and visitors, creating a secure and healthy work environment.
If you would like to know more about Visitor Management Systems or DigiGreet, don't hesitate to get in touch.