How Manufacturing Sector Can Overcome The Fear Of COVID-19 With Thermal Scanner

The impact of the pandemic on the manufacturing sector has been massive. The industry had just started to see some good days when COVID-19 happened, and everything went topsy-turvy. Economists expected a steady rise, as the country opened up sometime in June, and people started to get back to work. And it happened too. August witnessed a 1.3% increase in industrial output, even when automobiles and some other sectors experienced a fall of 4%. But in September, it again reduced to 0.6%, about 7.1% below the pre-COVID levels.

So what was the cause behind this fall when everything was opening up and getting better? Of course, it was the virus! What else could it be? 

One should not forget that the virus is still very much there. Until it gets away from our lives for good, or a vaccine comes out, we may not be able to restore normal conditions completely. For the factory workers, the risks are even greater. They have to work amidst the pandemic to keep the economy moving, or else everything can come to a standstill. The fight is still very much on, and there is no question of relaxing the precautionary measures.

At the moment, every industry needs to focus on the health and safety of its workers. If they remain healthy, productivity will improve, and the industrial output will increase automatically. And when it comes to health, one should also work on the widespread fear and stress gripping the minds of these workers, thus affecting their efficiency.

How to Reduce Fear in the Minds of Industrial Workers? 

If there is a constant fear of infection at the back of your mind, will you be able to do your job? You know the answer better. 

Hence, the industries should take extra precautions to ensure the safety of all the people working in the industry.

Yes, you are bored, fed up, and frustrated with the ways things have been for all these months. But you cannot give up so close to the finishing line. Just a few more months, and we will get the vaccine that we have been longing for so long. Hopefully it will help us get back to our old lives, both in the social and professional spheres, and the past few months will seem like a nightmare. But for now, we need to follow all the regulations diligently with no relaxations.

Some of The Regulations to be Followed in The Factories

Social distancing should be followed wherever possible. Sanitization, health checkups, and proper thermal scanning must be implemented before allowing the workers or anyone else to enter the factory premises. The regulations need to be as strict as possible to make sure no infected person enters the factories. It may be easier said than done. So far, we know that it takes about two weeks for the symptoms to appear in any person infected with the Sars-CoV-2 virus. And most of these people do not show any signs or symptoms even after that period but are capable of infecting others.

However, if we leave the asymptomatic carriers aside, fever is one of the main signs of infection, which is followed by sore throat and breathlessness. If proper fever scanning technologies are used, the efficiency of scanning will be improved, thus ensuring the safety of the other workers.

What is Fever Scanning and How is it Done?

Since the beginning of the pandemic, thermal guns have been used extensively throughout the world to detect fever from a distance. The process includes a gun-like device that measures temperature from a distance by aiming at the forehead. The device uses infrared technology to measure temperature elevations that may be a symptom of the infection. Anyone showing signs of fever is refrained from entering public places and workplaces.

Can Forehead Scanning Detect Infections?

According to the experts, this may not be the right way to measure the temperature of all workers, let alone the time is taken for it. The heat radiating from the forehead, hair, makeup, sweat, and other factors, like the time it is held for, and the distance of the gun from the forehead, have greater chances of altering the measurements, which reduces reliability. Such inaccuracies can be dangerous for the workers in the factory. They become more vulnerable to contracting the virus from an infected person, whose temperature has not been measured accurately.

How to Increase the Effectiveness of Fever Scanning Technology

As a factory owner or manager, you need to delve into the details of thermal scanning to find the right solution. It is not only about the accuracy of temperature measurement, but also the time to scan every worker. You need a more efficient and upgraded system to ensure proper scanning without the aforementioned problems.

In the initial days of the pandemic, we were not much aware of the nitty-gritty of precautionary measures. But the protective equipment and technologies have been upgraded since then. We took our time to know the virus, and now we can deal with it more efficiently.

Indeed, there cannot be an alternative to infrared thermal scanners to detect temperature elevations from a distance. But there are many ways to do that besides pointing a thermal gun at the forehead. For example, IoT sensors can be installed at the gates of the factories to scan several workers at the same time. You may also use the fist-forward technology for temperature scanning at the factories and manufacturing outlets to prevent inaccuracies.

In this process, the workers need to keep their fists under the scanner without touching it and observe the signal. If it goes green, s/he may enter the premises. It is faster and more efficient than measuring temperature from the forehead, as external factors, like sweat, hair, or dust will not affect the calculations. As the thermal guns need to be operated with the help of a professional, who needs to be at the gate at all times, the first-forward scanner can be a better self-servicing alternative. And the entire process takes only a few seconds, thus making it easier and less time-consuming.

We have come a long way since the first outbreak of the virus. Through several trials and errors, companies have managed to keep up with the expectations of the government and the citizens by producing advanced protective gear and technologies to fight the pandemic. The fist-forward technology is one such innovation that is FDA-compliant and accurate enough to detect fever. The device also comes with USB and cloud storage to store the temperature data of the workers for future references. If there is an infection in the factory, you may use this data to protect your business from liabilities.

How Does Fist-Forward Technology Work?

When someone has a fever, the elevated body temperature reaches all the arteries and veins through blood circulation. As a result, you may experience the heat at several places in your body, including the surface of your hand, which is exposed to high blood flow. The arteries here are also closer to the wall of your skin, which makes temperature measurements easier.

Further, there is no makeup on the hand, which can interfere with the measurement. Generally, temperature readings from the fist are about +/- 0.5 degrees accurate. One should note here that face coverings can also alter temperature readings from the forehead. As the hands are kept open, such instances are rare.

Comparing Other Forms of Thermal Scanner with The Fist-Forward Device

How FeverWarn Can Help Remove Fear from The Workers’ Minds

As mentioned earlier, one needs to get rid of the fear to increase productivity. It can be done by following the regulations and using an efficient scanner at the entrance to keep infections at bay. People should be fearless while entering their workplaces, and it is the responsibility of the owner/manager to see to that end.

FeverWarn thermal scanner is FDA-compliant and highly-reliable in detecting temperatures. The device comes with in-built and cloud storage, as well as auxiliary units that can be installed at multiple doors and gates. It also enables other services, like sending emails and alerts, to create an all-encompassing protective system for large spaces. 

Its sensor is not affected by the UV rays of the sun and can be installed outside the main door. It can also be used with a Smart lock on the door to prevent infected people from entering the premises. The device is designed and manufactured in the USA so that you can get it at a nominal cost for your manufacturing unit. Check out its extensive features and see if they meet your requirements.

Although it doesn’t aim to protect the workers from asymptomatic carriers, it does help keep the ones with symptoms away. Once your workers are aware of the protective measures you are taking to ensure their safety, they will feel more motivated at work, and productivity will definitely soar.