Operating Safely GUIDE

How restaurants and foodservice operations can adopt safe practices while operating efficiently

Employee Wellness Check Questionnaire for Restaurant and Foodservice Managers and Operators

The data and recommendations below are from The Acheson Group for US Foods^®

The following are questions that can be used to interview employees each day when they report to work and throughout the day if multiple wellness checks are desired. Refer to the “Managing Employee Illness” section of this blueprint if the employee answers “Yes” to any of the general screening questions.

General Screening Questions:

•  Employee’s first name.
•  Is the employee experiencing or showing symptoms in the last 24 hours?
•  Primary symptoms or if the employee has any one of the below:
  •  Fever (CDC defines fever as 100.4°F while the WHO identifies fever as 37.3°C [99.1°F])1
  •  Cough
  •  Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
  •  Chills, including repeated shaking with chills
  •  New anosmia (loss of smell or taste)
  •  Diarrhea – those with diarrhea should always be excluded from food facilities
  •  Sore throat
  •  Muscle or body aches
  •  Fatigue
  •  Headache
  •  Congestion or runny nose (not associated with allergies)
  •  Nausea or vomiting – those with vomiting should always be excluded from food facilities
  •  Oxygen (O2) levels below 90% (measured with a medical-grade oximeter that is disinfected between uses. Those with low O2 levels should seek medical care immediately.
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• Has the employee been exposed to a person (someone in their household, intimate partner, or close-contact) with symptomatic COVID-19 during the period from 48 hours before symptoms onset until meeting the criteria for discontinuing home isolation? This can be a laboratory-confirmed disease or a clinically compatible illness (fever, cough, or shortness of breath) in a state or territory with widespread community transmission. If so, please explain (refer to C below).
• How and when did the exposure happen?

A. If an employee has any of the symptoms listed above:

•  Employee should be sent home immediately.
•  Employee should be instructed to call and consult a medical professional or their healthcare provider and describe their symptoms for evaluation.
•  Ask employee if they have been tested for COVID-19.
•  Do they have their results yet?
•  If so, were the results positive or negative?
•  If positive, determine the employee’s work schedule for at least the 48 hours prior to illness onset. This information can be used to identify employees and customers who may have had “close contact” with the employee while working.
•  “Close contact” means a person worked within 6 feet of that person for more than 10-15 minutes (e.g., passing by each other throughout the day would not constitute close contact, but working next to someone else for an extended period of time - more than 10-15 minutes – would).
•  Identify if other employees have experienced any primary symptoms in the last 14 days. Those individuals should also be sent home immediately and asked to call a medical professional for consultation.
•  If the employee’s healthcare provider determines through a medical examination or through COVID-19 testing using a sensitive PCR test, that the employee is not infected with COVID-19, they may return to work in a timeframe recommended by their healthcare provider.

B. If an asymptomatic (healthy) employee has been exposed to a person (someone in their household, intimate partner, or close-contact) with symptomatic COVID-19 from 48 hours before symptoms onset, this employee should:

•  Stay home until 14 days after last exposure and maintain social distance (at least 6 feet) from others at all times
•  Self-monitor for symptoms
•  Check temperature twice a day
•  Watch for any of the above symptoms
•  Avoid contact with people at higher risk for severe manifestation of COVID-19
•  Follow CDC or applicable health agency guidance if symptoms develop

Learn what to do if an employee gets sick or tests positive for COVID-19.