NWRA Issues Guidance on Screening Employee Temperatures During COVID-19

NWRA Staff

The National Waste & Recycling Association (NWRA) issued guidance for its members related to screening employee temperatures during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) updated guidance from 2009 that the current COVID-19 health crisis is within the “direct threat” exeception to restrictions on employer medical inquiries and testing.

“Until businesses have access to COVID-19 testing, asymptomatic employees may unknowingly spread the disease to co-workers and the public. The EEOC has stated that employers may take employee temperatures to test for fevers before they enter the workplace, as a means of limiting potentially infected employees’ contact with others,” said NWRA President and CEO Darrell Smith in a statement.

This guidance is not intended to provide legal advice. Qualified legal advice should be sought for how the law applies in any particular situation.