• Posted: May 20, 2020
• better construction, Better Technology, Malko Communication Services, Maron Electric, Thomas Pedergnana

When Illinois residents begin to return to work in the weeks and months ahead, businesses will look to keep employees as safe as possible. These precautions could include a shift away from open office floor plans to staggered workdays for employers to minimize the amount of staff in an office at one time. One other guidance that the CDC is recommending includes taking the temperature of individuals as they enter the building.

Powering Chicago member Maron Electric and its technology partner, Malko Communication Services, have been ramping up efforts recently to meet the demands of its customers who are seeking an efficient way to screen employees and guests as they enter buildings. The work started when Maron Electric began installing thermal camera screeners for a top health system in Chicago. To date, the company has installed hundreds of cameras for the healthcare provider. As this work begins to wind down, representatives from Malko are looking at ways to expand the existing work.

“This is a contactless method of identifying elevated temperatures of employees and customers as they enter your facility or venue,” said Thomas Pedergnana, Vice President at Malko Communication Services. “This camera system passively takes the temperature of each person passing through at designated entrances. When a person is known to have a higher temperature, a notification is given, and that individual is then pulled to the side for additional screening.”

The systems that Malko and Maron have installed, with help from other technology providers, can scan up to 30 people per second and has an accuracy of up to .5 degrees Fahrenheit. The customer is then able to set the temperature threshold and once that number is exceeded, it triggers an alert that a person entering the building has an elevated temperature.

“It helps our customers keep their buildings safe,” Pedergnana explained. “It’s part of an emergency pandemic response and is one of many ways people are using technology to keep a business safe, but also to promote normalcy as businesses get back to work.”

The union contactors and electricians of Powering Chicago have been trained in all the latest technology trends and that allows Malko to provide a full turnkey product to its customer. From guided installation, to setup and training, Malko is able to provide all aspects to ensure its customers have what’s needed to effectively use the thermal camera screeners. Malko’s team will also provide commissioning and training so the system can be used long term.

The work by Maron and Malko, as well as other Powering Chicago contractors, will help ensure that when Illinoisans return to work, they’ll do so in as safe a way as possible.