Putting safety first: Univar puts measures in place to reduce potential effects of Swine Flu (H1N1)
- Categories: SHEQ, Univar Europe News, Corporate
- 20 August 2009
Univar has been closely monitoring the developments in the recent outbreak of H1N1, commonly known as Swine Flu. Health experts around the world are predicting that the number of people being affected by the Swine Flu virus will increase during the next few months and into the winter period, and that there is a likelihood that this situation will lead to a number of people not being able to attend work for a week or longer.
At this moment in time, it is difficult to predict if, when, where or which people may be affected by the virus and unable to attend work. As there is so much uncertainty surrounding the impact of swine flu, it is extremely difficult to predict the consequential effect on our business processes and how our ability to process orders (sales and purchase) including delivery of product to our customers will be impacted.
Univar’s Incident Response Teams have taken all measures possible to try to 1) ensure the health of our employees and business partners, and 2) to continue to provide you with the high standard of service you are accustomed to, when dealing with Univar. For example,
- Our robust Business Continuity Plan can be activated, should there be any loss of operational functionality, be it people, sites, utilities or systems. The plan covers a number of scenarios where business is interrupted in the short, medium or long term.
- If restrictions on movements are imposed, and products are “quarantined”, Univar will seek to source products from alternative sites outside of the restricted zone. Alternative supply routes are reviewed regularly as part of Univar’s contingency plans. These include:
a. Sourcing from alternative Univar sites (over 50 in Europe),
b. Sourcing from existing 3rd party warehouses,
c. Establishing new 3rd party supply routes, using approved warehouses and quality procedures.
All supply routes will comply with Univar’s Quality requirements. - If Swine Flu affects a significant number of employees, we have established contingency plans for hiring new employees and putting them through induction training, to include quality and safety procedures.
- As part of Univar’s contingency plans, all affected customers will be immediately contacted to alert them of the situation and then regularly kept up-to-date with developments.
- There are a number of bio hazard protection kits available at all Univar locations.
- Ongoing employee communications and education provide information on measures to take to reduce the risk of infection and spread of the virus.
Whether the forecast regarding Swine Flu is correct or not, we are aware of the need to make sure we are well prepared for a reduction in the number of people at work, so that we can minimise its effects internally and on our services to customers.
Serious about Safety
