The Uganda National Bureau of Standards has instructed all users of the Non-Contact Infrared Thermometers (NCITs), commonly known as temperature guns, to have them calibrated and verified by the regulator, before use.

According to UNBS, calibration is simply a process of validating the temperature gun against the temperature source, a master laboratory thermometer, to ensure that its measurements are accurate.

UNBS Head of Temperature Laboratory, Solomon Rukundo said it is most likely that the temperature readings Ugandans are taking from their non-contact infrared thermometers are wrong since most are not calibrated.

He noted that the guns are also being misused by using them to take the temperature from the hand instead of the forehead, which results in wrong measures.

“Most times I see people putting their hands to be measured, which is wrong. The forehead is the right place for the temperature to be measured,” he said, during a stakeholder engagement with the manufacturers and users.

He said users of the devices should follow strictly, the instructions given by the manufacturers regarding their use, storage, cleaning and disinfecting, and also have them calibrated by the standards regulator.

He said the only way to guarantee accuracy, is having the devices frequently re-calibrated since their effectiveness is affected by a number of factors.

With the outbreak of COVID-19, most public places including hotels, churches, shopping malls, entertainment places and offices were instructed to acquire the gadgets as part of the Standard Operating procedures (SOPs) before being allowed to open.

However, most of the temperature guns were not calibrated, and neither were their users trained on how to use them, as the need for screening suspects quickly grew.

According to the chief executive officer of Measurement Solutions, Simon Rashana, the temperature guns are also affected by the distance and position of the suspect, adding that a long distance from the gun will certainly give the wrong results.

He said, however, that it is extremely important for the users to have the temperature guns calibrated, to get accurate results and safeguard the public against the risks of contracting COVID-19.

“When a thermometer gives measurements that are below the range of temperature it can measure, then it means it has a problem, which could result from overuse, battery charge level or breakage,” he said.