Page 44 - OHS, June 2021

EMPLOYEE TESTING
How to Keep
Employees
Safe in 2021
Precautions against the pandemic are step one in the workplace. BY JACKIE PIRONE
It’s 2021, and we are still in the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic. As more and more businesses reopen and some companies transition from remote to on-site workplaces, it’s natural for many people to feel concern about encountering
the coronavirus at work. As such, COVID-19 safe practices for the workplace are probably here to stay, at least for the foreseeable future. Vaccines are helping, but the CDC continues to recommend that people “Take precautions in public like wearing a well-fitted mask and physical distancing.”1
Reports also indicate that substance abuse, which increased significantly between 2018 and 2019, rose dramatically during the pandemic.2
“According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as of June 2020, 13 percent of Americans reported starting or increasing substance use as a way of coping with stress or emotions related to COVID-19. Overdoses have also spiked since the onset of the pandemic.”3
Workplace safety has always been a top priority for employers, but with concerns about COVID-19 on everyone’s minds, it is now more complicated than ever before. Testing, vaccinations and return-to-work/stay-at-work policies now go hand-in-hand with workplace drug and alcohol testing as essential components of an overall comprehensive, effective and legally defensible
safety program. Understanding each of these components is of paramount importance.
Understanding COVID-19 Testing
There are three primary types of COVID-19 tests—PCR (reverse transcription-polymerase)/NAAT (nucleic acid amplification tests), antigen and antibody.
PCR tests, which can be either lab-based or instant tests, detect genetic material that accompanies the virus. In other words, a positive PCR test means the person is currently infected by the virus or else that genetic material would not be present. A PCR test is considered the most reliable test, especially for early detection. Collection methods include a nasopharyngeal swab, nasal swab, oropharyngeal (throat) swab or oral fluid.
Antigen tests, which also indicate a current infection, can be conducted at a lab or with a POCT device. Antigen tests detect an outer core protein. This makes it somewhat less reliable than PCR testing, especially for early detection. It is, by comparison, relatively inexpensive. Methods include a nasopharyngeal swab, nasal swab, oropharyngeal (throat) swab or oral fluid.
Antibody tests detect a prior infection rather than a current, live infection. Antibodies are detectable within one to three weeks after an infection. Again, this test can be lab-based or instant, but
40 Occupational Health & Safety | JUNE 2021
www.ohsonline.com
stockmatic/Shutterstock.com