We are taking every precaution to ensure that our products remain as safe as ever
- Our employees are instructed not to attend their workplace if they are exhibiting any symptoms of COVID-19 or otherwise feeling unwell. In addition to this, our employees are asked about any symptoms or ill health upon arrival at their workplace.
- Our employees working from one of our fixed locations, i.e. warehouses and head office, adhere to rigorous hygiene regimes, which includes thorough and regular handwashing. Our packing teams are provided with appropriate PPE for their roles, which include gloves and face masks.
- Our warehouses are sufficiently spacious and flexible to enable all work activities to occur with appropriate social distancing, i.e. employees remaining at least two metres apart. Our packers have always worked independently (i.e. packers have responsibility for packing whole boxes rather than one packer placing bananas in the boxes, another placing apples in the same boxes etc). This approach also means that they stay in their own work area rather than sharing this with other packers, meaning that social distancing occurs by default.
- In addition to the work areas within our fixed locations, rest areas are also relatively spacious. Break times have always been staggered to avoid those facilities becoming crowded but regardless, employees are aware of the need to maintain social distancing at all times and, therefore, avoid these areas where they are nearing capacity.
- Bearing in mind our drivers mostly start work in the early hours of the morning and many do not have their own transport, we have always felt it most appropriate that they take our company vans home to enable them to easily commute to and from their work for us. This policy is even more relevant now in that it avoids them needing to utilise public transport and therefore minimises the risk of them coming into contact with others.
- Our drivers are provided with appropriate PPE, including hand sanitiser, gloves and face masks. They have been instructed to comply with any specific COVID-19 delivery protocols as required by our customers, including social distancing.
- Drivers have responsibility for maintaining the internal cleanliness of their vehicles and this is checked regularly. As our vehicles remain with the same driver, the risk of cross contamination is minimised.