Nearly every country in the world right now has been affected by Coronavirus. The UK has been hit hard as we are a densely populated country with many multi-generational families coupled with London being a major transport hub and the UK population love to travel. Detailed below are some of the measures we have taken to protect both or workforce, our customers, suppliers and business.
We issue a Coronavirus update (issue 7 sent 23-4-2020) which details new customer or site procedures, plus latest guidance and statistics to keep all our stakeholders informed.
We continue to monitor NHS & gov.uk for the latest advice and have regular updates from the FTA, Government and various other sources. The Dixon family have both a senior NHS pharmacist and Doctor in their ranks, so we have been kept well informed.
Measures we have taken include:
- Remote working from home to avoid human contact
- Some management staff are doing alternate days working from home, where we have full system access
- Security staff numbers have been maintained in the depot at all times
- Flexible working arrangements
- Modified shift patterns to reduce overlap & contact time
- Reduced staff in shared office with desk distancing >5m
- Hand washing, hand hygiene, tissue disposal and other facilities as per national recommendations
- Additional hygiene processes – regular multiple office cleans of shared areas, especially door-handles, table surfaces, computer keyboards, computer mice and desk phones, plus office supply of anti-bacterial wipes and hand-gel, ready supply of disposable nitrile gloves available to all
- Advised use of face-visor issued as part of regular driver PPE when having any site face-face contact (such as security, control room, weighbridge, sample, or document checks with operator)
- Have order further additional PPE including option for masks should the advice be changed by the UK government
- Vehicle allocation amended
- Removal of double shift vehicles (at current volumes)
- Removal of night shift driver in day driver vehicle (ditto)
- If cab-sharing returns, each driver aware of cleaning need
- Night drivers issued with own anti-bacterial wipes
- Increased vehicle cleaning programmes
- Including issue of anti-bacterial wipes
- Including issue of cab hand-gel
- Facility to top both of these up when needed
- Measures to reduce face-to-face contact with employees
- Only 1 person in Driver Reception
- Screen in place and social distancing enforced
- Measures to reduce face-to-face contact with customers/suppliers
- Request name of POD signatory and driver to complete this rather than ask for signature
- ALL sites have introduced similar social distancing rules
- Training
- Eliminated Driver Trainer in cab
- Had some medicals carried out for LGV Licence renewal in line with G.P. Surgery guidance rather than delaying these 12 months (which is an option but will cause a backlog)
- Had some drivers sit ADR refresher in Socially Distanced environment with approved provider with reduced attendees allowed
- Had some drivers do CPC refresher training online
- Compulsory paid holidays
- On day where quiet as work peaks and troughs with less flexibility than in the usual working environment
- Furloughed staff
- These were all volunteers
- They include a low number with advice to shield from their G.P., but mainly are due to shielding family members
- We have other drivers who have volunteered to Furlough on a rota basis if reduced numbers are required
- We have thus scaled back operations to match workload, where possible
- We hold a business continuity plan and have updated this as we have found increasingly flexible way of working.
- Emergency communication plan has not been needed but all key members of staff and cabs have mobile communications and many cabs have the ability to remotely receive and print documents
- We have a Sick leave policy dealing with coronavirus and the need to isolate
- We now have access to testing for Coronavirus as transport is categorised as key-worker status