For Taylor Corporation and thousands of other companies across North America, the definition of “workplace safety” forever changed in early 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic became a reality. The standard workplace policies regarding employee safety were suddenly rendered obsolete by a mysterious, microscopic particle that could potentially threaten the health of any employee in any company. 

In addition to now-familiar measures like social distancing and heightened sanitation procedures, Taylor began to monitor the health of its employees as another way of arresting the spread of COVID-19 in the workplace. However, the daily symptom surveys and temperature checks were known to be imperfect. Since many individuals infected with the COVID-19 virus do not exhibit a fever and may not be self-aware of other symptoms, how could Taylor more effectively screen its workforce and provide a safe work environment?

The answer came from within

Having heard that a change in the sense of smell was a potential symptom of a COVID-19 infection, a Taylor production facility in Mexico began to conduct scent checks with employees using jars of easily recognized substances like vanilla and cinnamon. Not long after, a Mayo Clinic study found that 95% of patients tested for a sudden loss of smell had the COVID-19 virus. The idea of using this peculiar characteristic of the COVID-19 virus as a new type of screening tool was born. While other symptom checks may be hit or miss, the nose knows.