EDITOR ’ S CHOICE A RETURN TO PRODUCTION
BENTLEY
Bentley extends covid safety and wellbeing colleague measures – increases community support programme
Bentley Motors today welcomes a return to production following an extended winter shutdown and a comprehensive review and extension of the luxury marque ’ s stringent COVID-19 health and safety measures . In parallel , Bentley ’ s critical role providing support to the local community continues with colleagues requested to help with the vaccine deployment within Cheshire and local care programmes plus the donation of laptops to schools .
To enable a safe return for its 1,800 manufacturing workforce , Bentley has increased its rapid antigen testing programme four-fold to ensure all colleagues returning to site are tested and COVID-safe before full production resumes .
This means administering 1,800 tests within a two day period , taking the total number of antigen tests provided by Bentley to nearly 15,000 since May last year . Just 272 mostly asymptomatic colleagues have returned positive COVID-19 tests in that time , approximately 5 per cent , with those affected then undertaking full selfisolation periods , regularly checked upon by Bentley ’ s Occupational Health team . As a mark of the success of Bentley ’ s testing programme , there have been no proven cases of on-site transmission yet recorded .
But to be sure its Crewe site is a safe as it can be , Bentley sought external validation at the beginning of this year from Imperial College London and also independent occupational health specialists , Optima Health . They confirmed that Bentley ’ s 250 comprehensive and wide-ranging hygiene and social distancing measures introduced last year will remain in order to maximise the safety of production colleagues . This includes compulsory facemasks on site , enhanced cleaning routines and one-way movement and traffic flows throughout .
Furthermore , a new site risk assessment app for all colleagues , designed , developed and deployed by Bentley ’ s own digital
The health , safety and wellbeing of our colleagues , their families and our communities will always be our number one priority .
team , has been launched . This encourages extra vigilance especially in light of new COVID variants , details the thorough safety measures , including home self-assessment before the working day starts , and acts as a two-way dialogue between colleagues and health and safety representatives to heighten wellbeing around site .
12 PECM Issue 49