MANUFACTURING/FACILITIES – CORONAVIRUS
Fortunately, system and
technology developers also began to
adapt and design products – both during
and after lockdown – to help businesses
across industry keep employees safe
with additional mitigation measures.
Thermal imaging camera manufacturers,
for example, began to o er their
products for fever screening purposes.
There was also a push on the social
distancing front.
Asset tracking specialist Path ndr
developed a wearable personal safety
device (pictured above and p38 centre)
to assist workplaces in meeting
social distancing protocols. Following
testing with UK manufacturers, the
Safe Distancing Assistant has been
Detailed within the social distancing
section of the factories, plants and
warehouses guidance are additional
steps covering: coming to work
and leaving work; moving around
buildings and worksites; workplaces
and workstations; meetings;
common areas; and
accidents, security and
other incidents.
“You must
maintain social
distancing in
the workplace
wherever
possible,” the
guidance says.
“Where the social
distancing guidelines
cannot be followed
in full in relation to a
particular activity, businesses
should consider whether that activity
needs to continue for the business to
operate, and, if so, they should take
all the mitigating actions possible
to reduce the risk of transmission
between their staff.”
Mitigating actions that may be
used when social distancing cannot be
followed in full may include:
Further increasing the frequency of
hand washing and surface cleaning
Keeping activity time involved as
short as possible
Using screens or barriers to separate
people from each other
Using back-to-back or side-to-side
working (rather than face-to-face)
whenever possible
Reducing the number of people each
person has contact with by using xed
teams or partnering.
“Social distancing applies to all parts
of a business, not just the place where
people spend most of their time, but
also entrances and exits, break rooms
and canteens and similar settings. These
are often the most challenging areas to
maintain social distancing, and workers
should be speci cally reminded,” the
guidance adds.
The Health and Safety Executive
(HSE) also o ers guidance across its
website, including information for the
manufacturing sector on returning to
work during Covid-19, which
covers risk assessments,
machinery and
building safety
and protecting
people (www.
is.gd/izexot).
Social
distancing in the
workplace is also
covered (www.is.gd/
iwizuj). HSE says
that it is constantly
reviewing the fastmoving
situation.
WEARABLES
Of course, many factory, plant and
warehouse operations have already
been carrying out these measures as
they continued to operate throughout
the lockdown to help ght against the
Coronavirus crisis (www.is.gd/rihofe),
as well as supply, feed and keep the
nation healthy. More are now set to join
them in adhering to the recommended
precautions as lockdown eases.
“Social
distancing applies
to all parts of a
business, not just
the place where
people spend most
of their time”
Autumn 2020 www.operationsengineer.org.uk 37
/
/rihofe)
/www.operationsengineer.org.uk