Top 5 Considerations When Implementing Temperature Screening Technology

Human Temperature Screening solutions will be critical in outlining a new normal to keep people safe and reduce business risk and liabilities.

• By Rich Mellot
• Sep 18, 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic has posed ongoing challenges for various industries, but it has also kindled an incredible amount of innovation. Existing security technologies have been modified to help mitigate the exposure of symptomatic individuals in the workplace, while others have been developed to help organizations rethink workplace safety and security altogether. Demand for one such technology has exploded in recent months, quickly becoming one of the most talked-about security solutions: human temperature screening (HTS).

While these devices are becoming increasingly critical in helping organizations create safer, healthier environments, they come with various compliance considerations and regulatory requirements that leave many businesses wondering where human temperature screening fits into their overall integrated security strategy.

To properly approach this concern, business leaders must consider HTS from a comprehensive perspective, focused on five key considerations: installation environment, policies, accuracy, long-term maintenance and compliance.

Factors from the surrounding environment

Human temperature screening devices are highly sensitive to their surroundings. Due to their imaging sensors and internal processes, the accuracy level can be significantly affected by the installation environment.

The International Standards Organization (ISO) has laid out recommendations for using thermographic cameras and defined best practices for installing this technology. We’ve summarized many of those recommendations in this article, but organizations should review ISO/TR 13154:2017 before investing in or implementing HTS devices.

One of the many misconceptions about this technology is that it can be used for mass surveillance. The ISO, however, details that HTS devices are not intended for mass surveillance but instead within a controlled environment with limited distance to subjects. Device accuracy is based on the distance to subjects, surrounding temperature and visibility of the face, forehead and inner eye (canthus).