Sustainably using PPE to keep people safe down the line

As government guidelines change and we start returning more people to work and shops, and children back to school, it is increasingly important to look at our services and supply chain models to ensure that we are doing as much as we possibly can to reduce cross contamination.

At Johnsons Workwear, we are continually looking at advances in fabric technology and developing wash processes to help prevent contaminants entering controlled environments. This also applies to our use of (Personal Protective Equipment) PPE and the additional processes that we have put in place to ensure that our own employees are kept safe and the highest possible standards of hygiene are maintained all the way through the service line – from our drivers to our service centres.

Some of our food units are classed as “High Care” and here you will see Johnsons Workwear colleagues wearing hair nets, nitrile gloves, overshoes and long coats. These are replaced each time an employee or visitor enters and leaves the area. This ensures that there is no contamination and foreign body activity and that we comply to the requirements set out by our customers.

Our industrial units operate on a less critical level, yet we operate with caution and often involve the use of similar items of PPE.

Our PPE use is continually updated during the coronavirus pandemic

With Covid-19 high on all our customers’ agendas, our business is committed to a regular review of procedures and processes that, first and foremost, keep our colleagues well protected and which stay in line with local risks.

To both reaffirm our support for frontline NHS workers and create a sustainable product that lowers the risk of virus transmission, our Procurement Manager sourced a launderable face mask to move away from the disposable ones we are all familiar with. And, for where

some of our production processes mean we cannot always maintain a two metre working distance, we have developed a visor with our sign manufacturers so as not to divert essential supplies from the frontline.

We have supplemented the use of face coverings with consultation and training for our staff and have issued clear instruction on their safe use, storage and disposal.

From drivers to vehicles and production we aim to keep everyone as safe as possible

All other Respiratory Protective Equipment (RPE) that is issued on a regular basis is also subject to training, instruction and pre-use inspection before it is put into operation.

With Tight fitting Respiratory Protective Equipment (RPE), it is important that we carry out a qualitative face fit test, in line with HSE guidelines.

Our transport and logistics teams are issued with the correct PPE/RPE training and instruction while all of our delivery/company vehicles are sanitised.

You can rest assured that we are doing our very best our staff and for you and your customers

In line with our Johnsons Operating Plant Pandemic Procedures, we consistently and continuously support Safe Systems of Work, and Risk and COSHH assessment to ensure that people and places are kept as safe as they can possibly be and that our staff and customers and your staff and customers can rest assured.