Pirelli is preparing for a gradual return to activity on May 4th with a plan aimed at ensuring the maximum protection of employees’ health and workplace safety, which has been the company’s priority from the beginning of the Covid-19 emergency.
In order to guarantee adequate protection from the risk of Covid-19 infection, Pirelli is collaborating with the Università degli Studi of Milan – L. Sacco Department of Biomedical Sciences and Clinics, directed by Professor Massimo Galli, to validate, with scientific criteria, the operating procedures adopted and to define a healthcare protocol with serological screening examinations, for preventative purposes, for its employees.
The recommencement of industrial activities from May 4th will happen gradually: at the Settimo Torinese plant production levels will be reduced in light of lower demand. At the Bollate location – the plant that will focus on the Velo business – only essential activities will recommence in May with a very small number of employees present. In addition, Bollate will subsequently begin the production of facemasks, exclusively for employees and their families, thus enabling the company to eliminate the potential risk of shortages from third party suppliers and consequent suspension of industrial activities.
The plan and safety measures
The re-entry plan entails rigorous (Health, Safety and Environment) procedures:
- constant sanitization of all areas in the factories, obligatory use of facemasks, automatic body temperature readings (also through thermal scanners), reduced number of workers per shift and adequate management of distancing for people entering/exiting and of communal areas (canteen, break areas, changing rooms, etc.). Risk analysis of each workstation and the various types of tasks in order to identify the need for additional protective equipment (PPE). In all locations, there will be special emergency procedures in place to activate in the case of suspected Covid-19 cases;
- At the Headquarters in Milan, and in offices generally, as well as the application of the measures described above, the company will encourage the continuation of homeworking to ensure that fewer employees are present, in addition to introducing shifts. For employees working from home, the company has already developed a set of rules and recommendations for effective homeworking and the better use of the available digital platforms.
In Italy, in particular, the guidelines of the plan have already been shared with unions and add to, and reinforce, the various measures defined in the national Protocols undersigned by union organizations and employers’ associations.
Information and training
The plan entails a detailed information and training program: all employees will receive, in addition to protection kits, information material containing the behavioral and hygiene-sanitary rules to follow at work. Further, all personnel will be required to do obligatory training for risk awareness and for the measures, procedures and behaviors to adopt.
Psychophysical wellbeing and support for parents
To facilitate the employees’ return and contribute to their psychophysical well-being, among the various welfare services already available, Pirelli has also introduced an innovative offering of Mindfulness courses, also in digital form, in part already provided during the lockdown period through conferences with specialists in the field. This accompanies the offering of lessons in yoga, meditation and healthcare advice from the specialist doctors at the in-house clinic at the company’s headquarters. As part of its welfare and HSE services, Pirelli in recent weeks delivered sets of facemasks to all employees in Italy to enhance their safety as they carry out their daily activities.
For employees’ school-aged children (kindergarten and elementary school), there will be daily “edutainment” activities to provide moments of education and quality entertainment, to allow parents to carry out their homeworking activities with greater calm.
