As a world leader in the provision of clinical diagnostics, forensic, pharmaceutical, food and environmental laboratory testing services, Eurofins has been able to draw on its scientific experience to develop a range of SARS-CoV-2 tests in response to the Coronavirus pandemic.

As we look to getting back to work, or continuing business as usual, proactive solutions to contribute to the safety of our staff, our customers and indirectly their families are a top priority for all businesses. The Eurofins Safer@Work program is designed to help you to set up advanced risk management protocols to contribute to limiting the impact of COVID-19 on your workplace:


Safer@Work Solutions

Our solutions include:

  • design and audit of sampling and testing protocols
  • testing potentially infected environmental surfaces or your site's waste water
  • testing your employees (with a range of modalities: PCR, Serology, etc…)
  • an array of other solutions ranging from consultative services, relevant product testing, and self-assessment tools

A combination of these services will enable you to have robust plans in place to detect COVID-19 earlier in your workplace, which can help you reduce contamination risk of other staff members and customers and, as a result, reinforce the safety of your staff at work and customers, in a cost effective and realistic (in terms of "ability to implement") way.

Each situation requires slightly different approaches and that’s why we also offer these services individually to ensure Eurofins is providing you with the exact testing services, and associated solutions customized to your needs, to help you be Safer@Work.

 

 

Test for the presence of the virus

The PCR test will detect the virus before it has been cleared by the immune system. Essentially, it tests whether someone has the virus in his/her nasopharygeal tract at the time of sampling. The laboratory test detects the genetic material (called RNA) of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. A sample is collected by an approved health care professional from the deep nasal area (or in some cases the throat) using a swab. The swab is sent to the laboratory to confirm the presence of the virus.

PCR testing is today the laboratory analysis of choice as it is the most sensitive way to detect the virus during the active phase of infection, whether the person is symptomatic or not. Several studies show that the proportion of asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic cases is significant in any given COVID-19 infected group.1

Through PCR testing of members of your workforce, you can determine (subject to the sensitivity of the clinically approved sampling and testing methods used and the time of sampling during the course of the illness) whether an employee is contaminated or not, likely to be infectious, and whether it is preferable for this individual to remain at home.

  

Test for the presence of antibodies to the virus

The antibody test (also called serological test) will detect infections after the immune system has produced antibodies which recognize the virus. These antibodies (IgA, IgG or IgM) will generally remain in the bloodstream long after the patient has recovered from the virus.

Through antibody testing, we can help health care professionals to support your company to determine if some of your employees are currently fighting COVID-19 or have been exposed to COVID-19. This knowledge may help a health care professional based on national and state recommendations and the patient’s medical history as well as results of PCR testing, to determine if it is acceptable for an employee to return to work.
     
 

Environmental surfaces PCR testing

Testing for SARS-Cov-2 on high touch points and surfaces in your workplace will provide:

  • An indicator of the presence of the virus at your workplace, which may trigger additional measures listed in your risk management program (eg: testing of team members working in the workspace that day)
  • The confidence that cleaning and decontamination methods used in your working environment are effective.

Eurofins’ environmental surface testing services provide you with both a screening Coronavirus test that does not specifically detect SARS-CoV-2 and, if required, a SARS-CoV-2 identification test by PCR.

This testing service provides a unique opportunity to assess the presence of the virus in the workplace, and the need for cleaning and documentation as to whether cleaning has been performed adequately.

  

Wastewater testing

A number of studies have now demonstrated that the presence of the virus in waste water can be a strong indicator of the presence of the virus in a given place or community, before any indication of symptoms in infected people.

Through regular waste water testing and on-going monitoring of your facility, you can add another indicator related to the potential presence of the virus within your teams and environment and tailor your additional testing programs.
     
 

Product testing, certification and inspection

Eurofins has been providing testing, inspection and regulatory services focused on medical and protective equipment (masks, gloves, gowns, drapes, respiratory protective devices and equipment), as well as disinfectants and hand sanitizers to clients serving the healthcare sector since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, and continues expanding capabilities and capacity to serve all other industries, as employees are gradually going back to work.

Each sample is thoroughly tested in our labs and certified when applicable (against international and local regulations), thereby contributing to the safety and health of the end user, while our on-site inspections in sourcing locations help ensure that imported products meet the benchmarked quality standards.

  

Additional consultative services

Our consulting teams and our consulting partners can offer you a number of additional services customized to your needs:

  • They can help you design the most appropriate Safer@Work sampling and testing protocols, according to your specific needs, combining the various services described above and according to local regulations and contexts.
  • They can advise your company on sampling procedures and sampling plan design, sampling techniques, site list selections, corrective action plans and adverse result investigations. That way, you can ensure that you are focusing on the most cost-effective and targeted measures when it comes to your surface monitoring programs.
  • In some geographies, the Eurofins Assurance teams have established the “COVID-19 prevention in workplace” standard to support organizations in their assessment of their level of preparedness to avoid the spread of the SARS-CoV 2 virus and ensure business continuity, while protecting workers. E-learning modules, self-assessment tools and on-site assessment services, designed and built against the WHO, ASHO and other relevant organizations’ guidelines promoting best hygiene practices at the workplace are available.

More Eurofins laboratories are adding this service to their offering every week. If you do not find a contact close to you in the list above, just be in touch with your usual Eurofins contact person who will direct you to the right laboratory.
     

 

1 Warish A., Angel N., Edson J., Bibby K., Bivins A., O’Brien J.W., Choi P.M., Kitajima M., Simpson S.L., Li J., Tscharke B., Verhagen R., Smith W.J.M., Zaugg J., Dierens L., Hugenholtz P., Thomas K.V. and Mueller J.F. (2020). First confirmed detection of SARS-CoV-2 in untreated wastewater in Australia: A proof of concept for the wastewater surveillance of COVID-19 in the community. Science of the Total Environment 728, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.138764.

Medema G., Heijnen L., Elsinga G., Italiaander R. and Brouwer A. (2020). Presence of SARS-Coronavirus-2 in sewage. Preprint available at: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.03.29.20045880.

Wu F., Xiao A., Zhang J., Xiaoqiong G., Wie L.L., Kauffman, K. Hanage W., Matus M., Ghaeli N., Endo N., Duvallet C., Moniz K., Erickson T., Chai P., Thompson J. and Alm E. (2020). SARS-CoV-2 titers in wastewater are higher than expected from clinically confirmed cases. Preprint available at: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.04.05.20051540.

Wurtzer S., Marechal V., Mouchel J.M., Maday Y., Teyssou R., Richard E., Almayrac J.L. and Moulin L. (2020). Evaluation of lockdown impact on SARS-CoV-2 dynamics through viral genome quantification in Paris wastewaters. Preprint available at: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.04.12.20062679.