Daily Health Screens In Vera Suite Inspections

Covid Daily Health Screening – Using Vera Suite Inspections

Below are the recommended options for performing daily health assessments using the Vera Suite Inspection tool.

 

Who can do this?

• Vera EHS Administrators
  • Can edit, assign and perform any inspection as well as view the issues generated from all inspections performed from their access list of locations.
• Vera EHS Client Users
  • Will have the ability to perform inspections that are assigned to them as well as perform inspections from the template page that are not assigned to them. These users will also be able to see all issues generated from inspections performed from their access list of locations.
• Vera EHS Training Users
  • Will have the ability to only complete inspections that are assigned to them. They will not be able to perform inspections that are not assigned to them or see any issues that are created.

 

Instructions

 

 Option A – Keep all employees as Training Users

• If employees are to remain with the permission of Training User the Daily Health Screening will need to be assigned to that user each day.

 

• Click on the down arrow  next to Inspections. Select Inspections. 
• Click Assign Inspection.

 

• You will begin your assignment by selecting the inspection template title from the list. Start typing the name of the inspection title you would like to assign to filter the list.

 

• Choose a Due Date of the inspection being the next day.

 

• The inspection can then be assigned to either an individual employee(s) or location(s). Click Employee(s).

 

• When selecting an employee, you will see a grid list of all employees in the system (limited to your access list) regardless of their Vera Suite permissions. All employees and users’ types can be assigned inspections to complete.

 

• Use the check boxes to select multiple or a single employee to assign the inspection to. Each check-mark will create an individual inspection assignment.

Note: 

You want to set up recurrences for these Inspections types. Please view Setting Inspection Recurrence for details on how to set up inspection recurrence. 

 

Option B – Make employees Client Users

• By changing the employee’s system permission to be a Client User the employee will be able to take the Daily Health Screening without the inspection being assigned to them.
• They will need to be instructed to perform this inspection on a daily basis as the inspection will not be assigned. Below are the instructions from the Mobile application as well as the Desktop version.
  • Mobile
    • Select Self-Inspection from the main menu
    • Search for the Daily Health Screening that is intended for use within your organization.
    • Complete the inspection.
  • Desktop
    • Click on the down arrow  next to Inspections. Select Templates. 
    • Search for the Daily Health Screening that is intended for use within your organization.
    • Once you have found the inspection you would like to start click the Actions menu  to the right of the inspection title and click Start Inspection.
  • Client Users will see all issues generated from inspections performed from their access list of locations which will be available from the Issue section of the main menu.

Note: 

You want to set up recurrences for these Inspections types. Please view Setting Inspection Recurrence for details on how to set up inspection recurrence. 

 

Discussion About HIPAA, ADA, and Privacy

 

Generally, collecting employee health information by using the COVID Daily Health Screening should not implicate the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act’s (“HIPAA”) privacy restrictions.  HIPAA’s requirements to safeguard protected health information apply only to “covered entities,” such as medical providers or employer-sponsored group health plans, and their “business associates,” who perform functions or activities on behalf of covered entities and have access to protected health information. Generally, HIPAA does not apply to most businesses outside the health care industry. 

 

Nevertheless, disclosure of employee medical information should be made only to authorized personnel, and employers should always take the utmost care when collecting and/or disclosing such information. If a business is unsure about how and to whom it can disclose such information, the business should seek advice of competent legal counsel before any disclosure is made. It is also highly recommended that any health information collected from employees be treated as sensitive personal information that should be kept private and secure.

 

In this connection, should an employee test positive for COVID-19, the business can inform fellow employees of their potential exposure to the virus, but cannot reveal the infected employee’s identity and must take steps to maintain employee confidentiality as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”).  Similarly, although usually an impermissible medical examination under the ADA, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) has confirmed that measuring employees’ temperatures is permissible given the current circumstances. The COVID Health Assessment allows the employee to self-report temperature, which limits the disclosure of health information to other employees and further eases concern regarding conducting a medical examination.

 

Clients should be aware that there are various state-specific privacy laws that potentially play a role in the collection, storage, and/or disclosure of employee medical information. Accordingly, KPA recommends that clients seek advice of qualified counsel in this regard and to determine the appropriate use of KPA software and services.