COVID-19 Business Status Update
Following the outbreak of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Brewster Bros has implemented several precautionary measures to prioritise the welfare of our stakeholders.
In line with government’s COVID-19 guidelines, we are doing everything we can to keep our staff safe, business functioning and customer service levels at a high standard. As an essential waste management service, only our recycling facility at Drumshoreland Bing, Livingston, remains open for business in order to maintain the supply chain for our construction customers who are involved in essential construction works on Critical National Infrastructure. Our administration office and HGV operating centre are closed.
What are we doing?
We are continually reviewing advice from the Scottish and UK Government, NHS and Health Protection Scotland in relation to the Coronavirus pandemic to ensure we are assessing all risks and taking all appropriate actions. We will work with our customers if potential situations arise to minimise the risk, as well as the impact on trade between us generally. The Construction Leadership Council has produced a set of Site Operating Procedures which are also relevant to waste sites and facilities and can be found here. The following precautions have been put in place in our business as a result of specific COVID-19 risk assessments:
- All staff have been trained in how to perform high levels of hygiene best practice.
- Reporting and isolating procedures for those displaying symptoms, or who have come into contact with those that have, have been issued.
- Office-based staff have been asked to work from home.
- Vulnerable staff with underlying health conditions that would put them at high risk should they contract the disease have been asked to stay at home.
- All site staff have been asked to stagger their start and break times, perform social-distancing and avoid congregating.
- All site communication has been moved to two-way radios.
- Plant operators have received additional PPE and cleaning equipment/materials for surfaces they come into contact within their working environment (vehicle/plant steering wheels, levers, touch-screens etc).
- We are closely communicating with our staff (remotely) to ensure that business disruption and the impact on customer service levels is minimised.
- Drivers should remain in their vehicles if their load will allow. ‘NoTouch Signature Capture’ has been employed on all proofs of collection/delivery.
NoTouch Signature Capture
The main point of face-to-face contact between our staff and our customers’ is at the point of collection/delivery on their/our site. Currently, we use digital Waste Transfer Notes and Proof of Collections/Deliveries that customer drivers / site foremen sign on a tablet to confirm collection/receipt. This practice obvious presents the risk of close proximity (<2m) and surface contamination, so we have now adopted ‘NoTouch Signature Capture’ on our job management software to stop the spread of COVID-19. This will result in a link to remotely sign-off the proof of collection/delivery being sent to your site foreman by SMS. There is no need to vary our sales terms and conditions as result.
In addition to this, all our trucks are tracked by GPS and have their PTO activation monitored (ie we know when they have tipped). Our drivers also have the ability to take time, date and geo-coordinate stamped photos as an alternative method of proving collection/delivery resulting in irrefutable evidence of job completion.
Please contact us on 01506 431 321 should you wish to discuss how we’re handling the COVID-19 pandemic.