SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) workplace temperature screening: Seasonal concerns for thermal detection in northern regions
Author: Dr. Katie Goggins, Emily Tetzlaff, Wesley Young, Dr. Alison Godwin
Year: 2022
Full Citation:
Abstract: Workplace temperature screening has become standard practice during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. The objective was to determine the consistency of four temperature devices during exposure to simulated and actual environmental conditions reflective of a workplace. An infrared (IR) digital thermometer (accuracy(A)±0.2), IR laser thermometer (A±1), and thermal imaging camera (A±0.3) were used to measure forehead and tympanic (digital only) temperatures. The first experiment was conducted in a controlled simulated environment (â20 to 20 °C) with three participants (32-YOF, 27-YOM, 20-YOF). The second experiment used actual outdoor conditions (â0.48 to 45.6 °C) with two participants (32-YOF, 27-YOM). The tympanic measurement was the least impacted by environmental temperature (mean(±SD)): simulated (36.8(±0.18) °C) and actual (36.9(±0.16) °C). The thermal imaging camera had the lowest RMSE values (0.81â0.97 °C), with outdoor temperatures ranging from 0 to 45 °C. Environmental temperature influenced forehead temperature readings and required a resting period in a thermoneutral environment (5â9 min (â20 to â10 °C) to immediate (15â20 °C)).
Keywords:
Screening protocols, Environmental temperature, Infrared camera, Infrared thermometer, Forehead temperature