News
CORONAVIRUS UPDATE
18th March 2020
Dear Customer and Suppliers
Coronavirus update
Following the further escalation in the Coronavirus outbreak, our Business Continuity Team (BCT) has reviewed and amended our procedures to take extra precautionary measures to safeguard our employees and communities.
Please see below the measures we are putting in place. As the situation is quite dynamic, we will continue to update you periodically. Our BCT currently meets twice weekly to cover issues across the whole Flamingo and Afriflora Group.
Medical Guidelines
- If you have a fever, cough, or flu like symptoms please self-isolate and contact your local medical service if required. There is now a period of self-isolation for up to 14 days even if a member of the household is unwell. Please do not come to work but advise local HR office who will advise on procedures and return to work policy.
Travel
- There will be a temporary ban on all non-essential international travel.
- Travel within your country is permitted at this stage, but please we advise to reduce non-essential social interactions.
- All customer / supplier and intercompany meetings are to be conducted virtually via MS Teams or Skype, rather than in person.
Visitors
- There will be temporary restrictions on non-essential visitors to our sites. All employees are asked to reconsider any visitors and meetings that are scheduled, with aim to replace with alternative methods such as Skype, MS Teams, VC, Telephone
- All essential visitors will be asked questions relating to their current health and recent travel (in line with the latest government advice). We will do this directly through the visitors’ portal at our UK sites and review procedures at other sites to see how we might incorporate it into our visitor sign-in process.
- We will also be minimising access for all essential visitors where possible i.e. by minimising access to our sites for all external visitors any prohibiting drivers who have visited a high-risk area in the last 14 days from entering site.
Employees – temporary staff
- All employees are asked to inform us if they have travelled to any of the countries currently identified as having Coronavirus outbreaks.
- Anyone returning to work following absence including when returning from holiday, will be asked to complete a Return to Work – Coronavirus declaration form.
- Any new employees will be asked to complete an additional Coronavirus Pre-Employment Medical Declaration.
Site Hygiene
The core advice from both the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the UK government for prevention of the escalation of this virus is still ensuring that you maintain good hygiene standards.
- All sites are to detail the hand washing and hygiene practices that must be adopted (using either national government picture guides or using the materials provided by the NHS in the UK if required). If hand sanitizer availability becomes a restriction additional had wash facilities will be provided on site.
- All European sites will be provided with hand sanitisers for employee’s personal use.
- All sites will aim to establish washing or sanitising at entry points as soon as possible, including:
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- Four hourly wiping of all communal contact points i.e. door handles, doors, hand swipes, visitor’s portal
- All clock-in/out machines to have sanitisers located for use prior to clocking-in.
- Entry points to all buses, packhouses, canteens and toilets.
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Site Scenario Planning
The Business Continuity team have now mapped all possible risk-based scenarios to be able to action per site in the event of any outbreaks within our business or local community. This includes critical staff zone working program and a work from home program.
In the event of a forced site closure we would instigate an immediate clean down and where necessary allocate volumes other sites as we are operating on a multi-site structure to cover customer requirements where and if necessary, especially when leading into a high demand period.
Please do note that the situation remains dynamic and as we lead up to this busy period with additional staff, we will be reviewing our business continuity plans routinely. We will keep you and our colleagues informed with any updates.
If you have any questions or require further clarification, then please contact me at ian.michell@flamingo.net or Zeri James (Group HR Director) at zeri.james@flamingo.net.
Ian Michell
Group Technical Director