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Factsheet for measure DK-2020-44/1601 Updated – measures in Denmark

Systematically test against COVID-19

Systematisk test i kampen mod COVID-19

Country Denmark , applies nationwide
Time period Open ended, started on 26 October 2020
Context COVID-19
Type Company practices
Category Protection of workers, adaptation of workplace
– Occupational health and safety
Author Carsten Jørgensen (FAOS, University of Copenhagen), Anders Randrup (Oxford Research)
Measure added 16 December 2020 (updated 11 November 2021)

Background information

In the wake of new initiatives from the authorities in the fight against COVID-19, Danish Crown decided to launch their own test program where employees are tested systematically. According to the press release, the goal was to keep COVID-19 out of the companies factories in order to secure employees in the best possible way against infection.

Content of measure

Danish Crown's test strategy has three parts. First, 10% of the employees at the production facilities must be tested every week to screen broadly for COVID-19 among the employees. The second part is testing of the employees who return from holiday or have been outside Denmark's borders on weekends. Last, a massive test effort is made if there is a suspicion of an outbreak.

The test program means that some of Danish Crown's employees, when they come to work on Monday morning, will be asked to state in which country and which region they have stayed over the weekend. Normally, an employer does not relate to the leisure time of its employees in this way, but as stated in the press release, the corona situation is quite serious, and therefore Danish Crown has previously been in dialogue with the Food Association NNF.

The tests used in the test program are "quick tests", where there are answers after 15 minutes. If an employee is found to be positive-tested for COVID-19, he or she is sent for testing in the public system, so that it is ensured that infection detection is made by the authorities.

Updates

The following updates to this measure have been made after it came into effect.

01 October 2021

They do not test systematically anymore, as the majority has been fully vaccinated and COVID-19 is no longer a socially critical disease.

Use of measure

There are over 6,000 employees in Denmark working for Danish Crown. It not evident how many that have been tested for COVID-19 as part of the test program.

Contents

  • Health and safety

Target groups

Workers Businesses Citizens
Applies to all workers Sector specific set of companies
Does not apply to citizens

Actors and funding

Actors Funding
Trade unions
Company / Companies
Companies

Social partners

Social partners' role in designing the measure and form of involvement:

Trade unions Employers' organisations
Role Consulted Unknown
Form Direct consultation outside a formal body Not applicable

Social partners' role in the implementation, monitoring and assessment phase:

  • Only trade unions
  • Main level of involvement: Company level

Involvement

As the test program means that the employee will be asked to account for their leisure time to their employer, Danish Crown has been in dialogue with the Food Association NNF.

The level and concrete type of involvement is unknown, just like possible impact of the dialogue with the Food Association NNF has had on the test program is unknown.

Views and reactions

Unknown.

Sectors and occupations

    • Economic area Sector (NACE level 2)
      C - Manufacturing C10 Manufacture of food products

This case is not occupation-specific.

Sources

Citation

Eurofound (2020), Systematically test against COVID-19, measure DK-2020-44/1601 (measures in Denmark), EU PolicyWatch, Dublin, https://static.eurofound.europa.eu/covid19db/cases/DK-2020-44_1601.html

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Disclaimer: This information has not been subject to the full Eurofound evaluation, editorial and publication process.