Covid-19
Renewi continues to closely monitor the impact of Covid-19 on our business and supply chains. Our top priority is always the safety of our employees and at all our sites we have implemented additional measures to ensure the health, welfare and safety of our staff, customers and essential visitors. The virus is having an impact on our business, although we are working hard to minimise this where we can, and to continue to provide an essential service to our partners and customers.
Our sites already have in place essential measures to manage the potential hazards associated with the waste we receive, which we have reviewed, updated as required, and communicated to our staff throughout. We have carefully monitored government and industry guidance (WISH), and put in place response plans to ensure we continue to work safely. This includes:
Risk Assessment – we have developed Covid-19 specific risk assessments for all areas of our operations including our sites, HWRC’s, transport and offices which have been communicated to all levels. Our Virus Response Team, consisting of senior representatives from HR, SHEQ, Legal, Operations, Communications, IT and Finance regularly meets to review the situation from a public health and business perspective. The local Senior Management Team also regularly meets (some members are part of the Virus Response Team) to formulate our local response.
Preventing infection – Stringent hygiene regimes are a fundamental part of our daily activities and as such are well understood and embedded within our operations. This includes good hand washing using soap and hot water or the provision of sanitising gels, and when coughing or sneezing, catching this in a crooked elbow or tissue – throwing away and washing hands. The crucial importance of following established hygiene practices has been reiterated to staff, guidance on hand washing and maintaining high standards of hygiene reissued. A systematic review of cleaning operation across the organisation has been undertaken resulting in increased cleaning of busy areas, disinfection of regularly used objects and specific guidance around the sanitisation of restroom facilities.
Anyone displaying symptoms of Covid-19, or if they have people in their household displaying symptoms, have been advised to stay at home and self-isolate in accordance with current government guidelines. Where employees attend work presenting traits symptomatic with Covid-19 advice is given to external advice and return home.
Working from home – we have advised all employees to work from home where possible, providing suitable IT and communications equipment to enable this. All non-essential business travel has been stopped and alternative means of communication are used as a preference to “face to face” meetings. We hold regular virtual updates and meetings to involve our homeworkers and provide a support network to minimise any feelings of isolation.
Maintaining social distancing – Social distancing has been adopted and enforced across the organisation – where this is not practicable, for operationally critical roles only, additional measures resulting from R.A. have been adopted.