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achrn  
#1 Posted : 08 February 2021 08:17:52(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
achrn

Has anyoen worked out what is being offered with the "government drive to increase workplace testing" being offered at https://www.gov.uk/gover...-rapid-workplace-testing

Apparently now employers with 50 or more staff can sign up for asymptomatic testing for staff, but it doesn't say what you are signing up to - is this just the ability to book tests for asymptomatic staff?  Do they send tests that staff can self-administer and self-interpret? Do you nee to have trained up staff to adminsiter the tests?

Roundtuit  
#2 Posted : 08 February 2021 08:32:08(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
Roundtuit

sounds like they are working out what to do with the stocks of lateral flow tests they won't be using in schools

Roundtuit  
#3 Posted : 08 February 2021 08:32:08(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
Roundtuit

sounds like they are working out what to do with the stocks of lateral flow tests they won't be using in schools

achrn  
#4 Posted : 08 February 2021 08:45:06(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
achrn

Very likely - and thereby avoid questions being asked about purchase of a mountain of unused test kits.

I went to the 'portal' that supposedly has more details.  It asks for company name and number and an email address, so I told it that, and it thanked me for my application to join the scheme! I was only wanting to know what the scheme was. Anyway, I guess I'll find out in due course, even if no-one here knows.

CptBeaky  
#5 Posted : 08 February 2021 12:59:17(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
CptBeaky

We have applied too. It will make things a lot easier for us. We have now been in one of the worst affected areas for since the new year. Stil not overly sure how it will work, but it may help our employees feel a little safer.

thanks 1 user thanked CptBeaky for this useful post.
knotty on 08/02/2021(UTC)
knotty  
#6 Posted : 08 February 2021 15:29:28(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
knotty

Following with interest - Cpt Beaky mentions "feeling safer" ... actually, this is my concern - the test must surely only be valid for the day it is taken? (Please do educate me if not). Are we in danger of instilling a false sense of security by suggesting people are "safe"? Field based evidence (shopping in my local supermarket) suggests people wearing face coverings, or having received a vaccine, do not comply so readily with social distancing requirements. I worry this testing will add another barrier to compliance with the rules.

I'd also be interested to know if being in possession of a negative test enables an employee to work in close proximity, whilst the employer continues to make claims of a "Covid safe" workplace?

CptBeaky  
#7 Posted : 08 February 2021 15:52:28(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
CptBeaky

I think there is a very real risk of that @knotty . But to be honest I would rather deal with reminding people to distance than the current levels of fear and anxiety within my workplace.

It literally only test you for that very minute you test, and even then you may not have developed enough of an infection to register. It is very time specific, in theory you could test positive by the time you receive the negative test result. We intend to rotate the the testing across the factory "lines" so that it is more likely to pick up an outbreak than a once a week, all in effort.

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knotty on 08/02/2021(UTC)
Pembo55  
#8 Posted : 09 February 2021 07:39:15(UTC)
Rank: New forum user
Pembo55

Double edged sword this for a business, after working at a work place where we mass tested and over 100 people come back positive all bar a couple where asymptomatic. Leaving the business closed for two weeks as at the time the two week isolation period was in force. Luckily the business could absorb the lost of business (around 2 million pound lost at the time) but there are many who could not afford a fraction of this especially in the current climate. 

chris.packham  
#9 Posted : 09 February 2021 10:08:31(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
chris.packham

My question for me is what testing of this type will achieve. Firstly, the test requires a sample to be taken. As anyone involved in testing knows, it is the quality of the sample that is key to the reliability of the test. That there is a significant issue of false negatives has been shown to exist, albeit it tends to feature little in the media. Secondly, the test only identifies the virus when it is in the body. The person tested could be a carrier on hands, clothing, objects they are carrying into the workplace, etc. which would not be detected by the test. The viruse could then be transferred to their respiratory system leading to infection, or to other persons or objects. The test also is a snapshot of the situation at that moment. At any time in the future any one (or more) of the workplace could become positive - and possibly a (super)spreader, albeit asymptomatic. The employer would be unaware of this. So how frequently would one need to carry out the testing? Would the uncertainty associated with the information gained justify the expenditure in time and money?

CptBeaky  
#10 Posted : 09 February 2021 10:58:32(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
CptBeaky

I think of it more of a service to the community than the workplace. Where I work is a manufacturing/distribution hub of the UK. I would estimate that well above 60% of the workforce in the local area are still at work in the workplace (and many places are still hiring). Even if these tests only capture half of the asymptomatic people, the ongoing impact of these people being taken out of the transmission line could be huge in an area that is one of the worst in the country for infections.

As long as we are supplied with enough tests to cover our workforce twice a week it could also allow businesses to avoid unnecessary disruptions when someone has no recognised symptoms, but still feels a little rough. Currently we have to isolate these people for 10 days, rather than until they feel better. For example if someone has a sore throat, or a headache. This leads to people keeping quiet about these symptoms (remember sick pay is not a thing in manufacturing roles), rather than taking a test. If the tests are frequent enough the inefficacy of the tests will be reduced, so we need enough supplies to test heavily.

Finally, as I stated before, this is about mental health of our employees. Whilst we all recognise the limitations of these tests, it is still a relief to find out that you are less likely to be taking the disease home with you and infecting the loved ones in your household. As long as we don't allow our standards to slip, this can only be a good thing.

This isn't, or shouldn't be, about workplace transmission. It is about stopping the spread in the wider community. Workplace controls should be mitagating workplace spread, whether people are positive or not. Therefore, I reiterate, this is not a replacement for "hands-face-space", in the same way that manual handling training is not a substitute for MHE.

thanks 1 user thanked CptBeaky for this useful post.
Alan Haynes on 09/02/2021(UTC)
achrn  
#11 Posted : 09 February 2021 11:13:36(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
achrn

Originally Posted by: CptBeaky Go to Quoted Post

Currently we have to isolate these people for 10 days, rather than until they feel better.

Whilst we all recognise the limitations of these tests, it is still a relief to find out that you are less likely to be taking the disease home with you and infecting the loved ones in your household.

I think these statements are contradictory.  If you understand the limitations of the test , you aren't reassured by a negative result.

At least some investigations have concluded that while a positive result might have some significance, a negative result tells you nothing useful.  That is, the test is OK at telling you that you do have Covid, but is actually useless at telling you that you don't have it.

Effectively this test has three possible results: 'invalid', 'infected' and 'dunno'.  Interpreting a 'dunno' as a 'no' would be a mistake.  I believe this is at least part of the reason why they weren't adopted for testing in schools.

It does do harm to tell half the people that have Covid they don't have it - because then they don't isolate properly.

https://www.bmj.com/content/371/bmj.m4469

thanks 4 users thanked achrn for this useful post.
CptBeaky on 09/02/2021(UTC), knotty on 09/02/2021(UTC), weldmar on 09/02/2021(UTC), SammyK on 10/02/2021(UTC)
SammyK  
#12 Posted : 10 February 2021 11:34:49(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
SammyK

Can I also stress that LFDs are not testing for COVID, it says this in their instruction manuals it is checking to see whether there is a virus in your system at the time of test.

My workplace has just started LFD testing and if you produce a positive test this is when you leave work and have an NHS COVID test.

We have signed up for the government lead LFD testing application, also if you work in the Warehouse/Transport environment the DFT are asking people to sign up for test kits from them too.

We have so far tested 157 people- 1 of those have been asymptomatic, I'd rather carry on doing those tests and find asymptomatic people rather than having another huge outbreak in the workplace.

thanks 1 user thanked SammyK for this useful post.
Alan Haynes on 10/02/2021(UTC)
achrn  
#13 Posted : 10 February 2021 16:31:06(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
achrn

FWIW, having filled in details on the government system before 08:30 on Monday, and been promised they would respond within two working days ... by 16:30 on Wednesday I've heard nothing.

CptBeaky  
#14 Posted : 11 February 2021 09:19:17(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
CptBeaky

I got my email at 9:30pm last night. I registered around the same time as you.

The documentation is "large" to say the least, and some of it seems cobbled together from earlier tries, as the dates are not quite right (references to distribution starting in January)

Allan Smith  
#15 Posted : 12 February 2021 13:18:06(UTC)
Rank: New forum user
Allan Smith

Some councils are partnering with the DHSC to provide test kits for workplaces where there are those who cannot work from home, independant of the GOV.UK application, so this may be an option for those with less than 50 workers looking to introduce workplace testing

achrn  
#16 Posted : 18 February 2021 10:43:35(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
achrn

I've got my response from government now - sent 20:34 last night, so that's only ten days to respond (when they promised within two working days). 

I haven't been through the bumf yet - it seems I have to sign up to a secure platform (specifically a "Human Layer Security platform that empowers your people to remain secure while being highly productive.  Using patented contextual machine learning ... to prevent human error and protect against malicious or reckless behaviour on email") with its own raft of legalese before getting to any actual information about the testing scheme.

CptBeaky  
#17 Posted : 23 February 2021 11:30:41(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
CptBeaky

I am still waiting for our test kits to arrive. Anybody have any luck yet?

Roundtuit  
#18 Posted : 23 February 2021 12:10:49(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
Roundtuit

Did see that a large quantity of UK Gov test kits have appeared on a certain internet auction site - coincidence?

Roundtuit  
#19 Posted : 23 February 2021 12:10:49(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
Roundtuit

Did see that a large quantity of UK Gov test kits have appeared on a certain internet auction site - coincidence?

John Murray  
#20 Posted : 24 February 2021 00:14:40(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
John Murray

The same site that supplied the VitD supplements the govt sent to CEV persons? (Yes, even though the NHS has tons)
Ajolie19  
#21 Posted : 24 February 2021 14:16:09(UTC)
Rank: New forum user
Ajolie19

We have signed up to this and ordered several hundred kits for testing people at work (those who cannot work at home) on a regular basis.  We then have a log in to report the results.

All of this is provided free of charge.

I hope that helps

CptBeaky  
#22 Posted : 25 February 2021 09:02:09(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
CptBeaky

Mine are finally turning up today. It seems that the testing has now been extended from ending on March 31st to June 30th

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