Employee Health Screening Rules

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and local health districts are recommending employers screen individuals entering their facilities for COVID-19 symptoms to prevent the spread of the virus. As a result, our Incident Management Team has developed a policy covering employee and contractor health screening. The latest version of the policy can be found here and is another administrative control we're adding to our COVID-19 toolbox to help keep our employees and contractors safe. 

The highlights of the policy are as follows:

1. Employees and contractors must report any COVID-19 primary or secondary exposure they have experienced to their supervisor or District representative (link provides reporting instructions).
2. Employees and contractors reporting to a District facility must take their temperature before reporting to that facility; if their temperature exceeds 100.4 degrees F, the employee or contractor must notify their supervisor or District representative.
3. Any employee or contractor who exhibits a cough or shortness of breath that cannot be attributed to another health condition must notify their supervisor or District representative.
4. Employees must notify their supervisor if experiencing two or more of the following symptoms that can't be attributed to another health condition: chills, repeated shaking with chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, and new loss of taste or smell.
5. Employees and contractors must monitor themselves for COVID-19 symptoms (temperature >100.4 degrees F, cough, shortness of breath) while at work. If they exhibit any of these symptoms, they must notify their supervisor or District representative.
6. Any employee who has experienced a primary or secondary exposure, has been diagnosed with COVID-19, or is experiencing COVID-19 symptoms will be placed on paid leave.

The effective date of the new COVID-19 Health Screening policy is April 12. District representatives overseeing contractors must ensure the contractors receive a copy of the policy and understand what is required of their employees who report to, or work in, a District facility.

Finally, the Health Screening policy requires that each employee and contractor take their temperature before reporting to a District facility. If an employee or contractor doesn't take their temperature before reporting, the District is providing no-touch thermometers at the sign-in location of each District facility. Unfortunately, due to supply chain interruptions, we have not been able to secure thermometers for each of our 30+ locations. This spreadsheet shows the District facilities that will have thermometers starting Monday and those that will not. If you report to a location that will not have a thermometer starting Monday, please be sure to take your temperature at home before reporting to work. Employees who do not have a thermometer at home should do their best to obtain one prior to reporting to work. We are working hard to get thermometers for the remaining locations and will distribute them to the remaining facilities as soon as they arrive.

Thanks to each of you for doing your part to keep yourself and your co-workers safe and healthy during these challenging times.

Rich Wallen

Chief Operations Officer