Bentley Motors first in UK to publish COVID-19 risk assessment

South Cheshire-based Bentley Motors has published its COVID-19 risk assessment, thought to be the first UK automotive manufacturer to do so.

It identifies all control measures in place to manage and control the risk of the virus.

The report has been issued to all Bentley employees at the Crewe plant.

It is also published on the Bentley corporate website alongside a Government issued poster marking the achievement.

This follows Government direction that all employers with more than 50 employees will need to publish their own COVID-19 risk assessment.

On Monday, Bentley resumed production with more than 1,700 colleagues following the 250 hygiene and social distancing guidelines implemented, all determined from the risk assessment.

Dr Astrid Fontaine, Member of the Board for People, Digitalisation and IT, said: “Our objective, from the very beginning, was to make Bentley the safest place any colleague could be.

“We walked every inch of the site, looking for areas to improve and new methods to introduce.

“The result was 250 safety measures implemented covering all of our areas, and helping to protect every one of our colleagues, their families and our customers.

“Importantly, this Government recognition gives us assurance that we have made positive steps to protect our colleagues, come back stronger, and resume our extraordinary journey.”

The Government condition falls into five categories:
– requiring a respective risk assessment, with the results communicated
– clear cleaning, handwashing and hygiene procedures in place
– facilitating home working where feasible
– maintaining social distancing on site
– management plan to mitigate the transmission risk

The risk assessment resulted in a redesign of the manufacturing facility, the company said.

This allows two-metre distance between workers and one-way movement paths and traffic flows.

Washrooms across site have been reconfigured to reduce numbers being able to use them.

Next week, the Continental GT and Flying Spur line will resume production and join the Bentayga and Mulsanne lines in operation.

Across all lines, production will run at around 50% for several weeks as the takt time of each car – the average start time from one manufacturing stage to the next – has doubled.

Face masks are now compulsory in all factory and office areas.

And Bentley says it will maintain a work from home policy for those who are able to.

In relevant office areas and catering facilities where distancing is more challenging, plastic partitions – designed and manufactured by Bentley workers – now segregate colleagues.

(Pic, top, courtesy of Jonathan White)