Temperature Checks Pose Logistical ‘Minefield’ for Employers

Businesses will face a host of logistical challenges if they decide to check workers for fevers in an effort to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus, attorneys told Bloomberg Law.

Walmart Inc., the nation’s largest private employer, will soon start temperature checks of its warehouse and retail employees. Ohio’s governor urged the state’s businesses to implement the measure, which also has been adopted by first responders in some localities.

Before the Covid-19 crisis, employers could check workers’ body temperatures only in limited circumstances without violating a federal disability law. But the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission last week said employers ...