Eurofins SAFER@WORK™ programmes deliver 1-2-3 punch against COVID-19 outbreaks on its own laboratory site

Eurofins Steins Laboratory was able to detect the presence of SARS-CoV-2 one week before infected occupants even experience symptoms, enabling leadership to immediately isolate and remove infected persons, and continue operations.

Eurofins Steins Laboratorium, Vejen, Denmark

Eurofins Steins Laboratory is the leading food testing laboratory in Denmark, with six buildings — 30,000ft² in total — and 350 on-site employees. Its services include nutrition, contaminant, residue, and microbiology testing. As the entire country depends on Steins for safe, traceable food from the country’s primary dairies and slaughterhouses, any laboratory disruption during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic would be catastrophic.

SAFER@WORK: Surface Testing for Early Detection

June 2020: Steins deploys the first line of Eurofins’ COVID-19 action plan on site: surface testing. The Steins site had already intensified their daily cleaning of high-touch surfaces during the COVID-19 crisis (for example, door handles were disinfected three times each day) and used surface testing to demonstrate that the disease would not spread among staff via such surfaces.

Using Eurofins’ ready-to-use SARS-CoV-2 surface sampling kits every two to three days, Steins tested the most frequently touched surfaces in all buildings, including canteen/kitchen areas, restrooms, elevators and other high-touch interiors. Eurofins SAFER@WORK surface testing can even detect SARS-CoV-2 in areas where the virus is no longer contagious, further empowering teams to monitor less-tracked areas.

Although the Eurofins Steins lab has experts on-site, no special training is required to execute surface testing, and Steins received same-day results, enabling teams to swiftly address hot spots.

Surface contamination was detected in only a single case in Autumn 2020, and the Steins site immediately audited and enhanced its cleaning/disinfecting protocols.

Download Eurofins’ case study to find out more.

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