JJS Manufacturing has closely monitored the COVID-19 pandemic since the outbreak and has always followed guidelines issued by the UK and Czech Government.
Our priorities during this challenging time have been to protect our staff and the wider business. As a contract electronics manufacturer, servicing a range of sectors including Infrastructure, Food and Drink, Packaging, Pharmaceuticals, Transportation, Online Grocery, and Life Sciences, we have remained operational throughout this time to support the changing needs of our clients.
It is clear, however, that business has been far from normal. Like many others, our staff, processes, and procedures have had to adapt and evolve at a rapid pace. At the time of writing, life as we knew it does not look set to return for quite some time. Therefore, we thought it would be useful to share the changes we have implemented with you and outline what our new ‘normal’ currently looks like.
Any employee displaying COVID-19 symptoms must stay at home and self-isolate.
On-site customer and supplier visits have been put on hold and we are using Microsoft Teams to keep in touch.
Mandatory hand washing by all employees is required upon entering the buildings and we have placed visual hygiene reminders throughout. The standard anti-bacterial cleanser has been replaced with a combined anti-bacterial and anti-viral disinfectant and this is being used by our cleaning contractors too. Anti-bacterial wipes and alcohol-based hand sanitiser is available to all staff when they need it and twice a day, additional cleansing of all touch ‘hot spots’ (stairs/rails/handles etc) is completed by the H&S teams. Automated hand sanitiser units have been installed throughout the sites. Mandatory cleaning of workstations and all communal tooling is also in place at the end of each shift.
Social distancing measures have been put in place with production benches and workstations moved (where practicable) to segregate staff and reduce density. Social distancing markers have been installed next to time and attendance machines to reduce congestion at break times and social distancing tape has been applied around the corner-edge of all office desks as a visual reminder. Perspex divides have been installed within the offices between desks. Where social distancing measures posed a challenge, for example within narrow corridors, we have introduced one-way systems to help manage footfall.
We are removing a number of desks in the offices to reduce the density and 'pinch points'.
Additional canteen rest areas have been created to ensure segregation during all breaks and any smaller kitchenettes that service offices have been restricted to 1 person at a time. Staff in factory areas now operate staggered break times (when necessary) to also help reduce interactions between break times.
Those staff that can work from home and have requested to do so (Customer Service, Purchasing and IT) have the hardware required to operate efficiently and Microsoft Teams/video conferencing is used daily to keep in touch with each other.
Additional Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) has been secured, along with face coverings, and these have been issued to all staff. We have adopted a 'Masks On Movement' policy internally which means staff must wear a face covering when entering or exiting the building or when leaving a COVID-19 Secure workspace.
And finally, to ensure staff are provided with the latest advice and to avoid misinformation, COVID-19 updates are sent out regularly on behalf of the Senior Leadership Team, along with updates on the measures and controls we have implemented internally.
