– This Post was updated on 12 January 2021
The coronavirus has been an ongoing concern as of late. At Bridge, we take the safety & well being of our employees, customers, suppliers & stakeholders seriously. We have been monitoring the Coronavirus pandemic closely and this is our statement in order to reassure our customers that Bridge as a company plans to do all we can to reduce any potential risks from this, by implementing the points below.
Following on from the announcement of a Full National Lockdown this month :
We would like to state to our customers how Bridge as a company plans on reducing risks of this wide spread virus as much as we possibly can by implementing the below points.
- Every member of staff must sanitise their hands and take their temperature on arrival EVERY day – if the reading is OVER 37.8 THEY MUST GO HOME IMMEDIATELY –
- Covering mouth and nose with a tissue or sleeve (not hands) when coughing or sneezing.
- Putting used tissues in the bin immediately.
- Washing of hands regularly with soap and water (or sanitizer gel where this is not available) for at LEAST 20 seconds especially after coughing, sneezing or blowing your nose, after being in public areas, after using the toilet and before eating.
- Avoidance of close contact with unwell people.
- Avoiding touching eyes, nose or mouth with hands if they are unclean.
- Ensure a 2 metre distance is maintained from anyone who does not share a household – if this is not feasible then additional precautions will be taken such as face masks/screens.
- Where possible risks of transmission should be mitigated by ensuring office/van windows are open when in use to circulate clean air.
- If any of our staff can work from home they are doing so – the government has said that this requirement is for those who can work at home where possible and whose mental health would not be affected by doing so. We are encouraging our office-based staff to make use of the flexible working we have already offered to reduce Covid transmission risks in the workplace.
- We do not presently share workspaces/desks butwe are ensuring that there is no hot desking etc and that equipment is only shared where absolutely necessary.
In addition to this we will also do the following:
- Provide alcohol based (60% min) hand sanitiser in the company vans – this is used before eating, before and after rest breaks and before and after visiting customer sites. Washing with soap & water is more effective at killing the virus so sanitiser should only be used where appropriate hand washing facilities are not available.
- We will ensure more frequent cleaning of commonly used areas in the office – door handles etc, phone handsets, taps, shared equipment etc and we have switched to disposable hand towels also.
- Fitters may be required to wear masks, disposables gloves and/or disposable overalls if required by customer sites – we will provide these if required.
- Reduce contact with residents/persons working on sites we visit where possible.
- We will reduce visitors on site and try to hold meetings online where possible – where visitors need to enter site we will ask them to do a temperature check and ensure we keep a 2m distance from them at all times.
Travelling around the UK and beyond:
The government is updating their guidance regularly so to ensure we stay up to date we review the government surveillance list every Monday to look at all the areas of the UK that are in local lockdown, have enhanced support or are an area of concern. We check this against our schedule to ensure that we are aware if we are travelling to these areas and whether we need to make alternative arrangements or increase hygiene precautions.
It was announced that these measures will last up to Mid-February – depending on the success of the vaccination programme, it is possible they will go on longer.
Should you require any additional safety precautions, we will be happy to accommodate this. Please do not hesitate to let us know no later than 48 hours before installation so we can put these measures in place.
We have consulted the NHS, Public Health England, GOV.UK and WHO websites to ensure we have the most up to date information as well as our Health & Safety consultants Citation. We will be reviewing our response to the Coronavirus risk on a daily basis and will update you further on this post should our practices or policies be updated.
Below is a message from Bridge Contract Interior’s Managing Director on the Covid -19 Situation
As a consequence of this crisis, it’s important to share how we’re fundamentally changing the way our services operate.
To keep our colleagues and customers safe, we will be offering an online meeting proposition for essential meetings. Where possible we ask for installation spaces to be cleared of other people, so our install teams can work in solitude. Essentially, we will be minimising contact with anyone inside and outside of our offices, all within the social distancing rules. And, as you’d expect, we’ll be enforcing a strict two-metre rule and ensuring that our colleagues are either working from home or have the cleaning materials to support hygiene guidelines.
I give you my personal guarantee that we will only operate our mobile services, where we are able to implement these measures fully. We are doing all we can to be accessible to those who need us most at this time. Our hearts go out to those affected, and those selflessly caring. Careful consideration has been given to the ongoing operations, to ensure what we are doing is focussed on those who would be at a loss without us. We are ready and prepared to change should the current situation and advice adjust the light in which our decisions have been made.
I wish you all a safe journey through these troubled times. I am sure we will come through in solidarity and you can rely on Bridge across the torrent of change.
Brendan Pocock
Managing Director
If you have any questions or queries regarding this, please do not hesitate to contact us on 0800 619 6190 or get in contact here
