JLR introduces on site Covid-19 testing for employees
On site Covid-19 testing for has been made available for all Jaguar Land Rover UK employees at its sites in Solihull and Halewood manufacturing plants.
Staff from the JLR Engine Manufacturing Centre at the i54, Wolverhampton, are able to travel there to be tested.
There are currently 95 employees across JLR's UK sites, which employ 32,000, who have tested positive for Covid-19.
The tests meet approved NHS standards and have been introduced in consultation with Public Health England and the NHS.
JLR is one of the first businesses in the UK to introduce on site Covid-19 testing as a further move to safeguard the health of its employees during the ongoing global pandemic.
It is working with its occupational health provider Health Partners to deliver the testing at the manufacturing sites.
JLR employees and staff from on site supplier partners, who have displayed symptoms of the virus and who are unable to access NHS tests in a timely manner, will be offered tests.
From last week affected employees have been able to book an appointment on site. The test is then processed at a private laboratory and the result is sent to the individuals usually within 24 hours.
Dr Steve Iley, JLR's chief medical officer, said: “At Jaguar Land Rover, the health and wellbeing of our employees continues to be our primary concern. We have already introduced significant measures to safeguard our team whilst they are at work and onsite testing is the next step in this approach.
“We, like the rest of the country, are seeing some isolated cases of Covid-19 at our plants. Onsite testing will allow us to safeguard our workforce and local communities, as well as keep our industry going, during these unprecedented times.”
The tests meet the same standards as those conducted by the NHS and have been introduced in consultation with Public Health England and the NHS. Initially, Jaguar Land Rover has commissioned 160 tests per week for the next 16 weeks to supplement the NHS testing capacity locally in the West Midlands and Merseyside."
Employees’ health and wellbeing continue to be at the centre of the company’s phased return to production.
Robust protocol and guidelines to ensure effective social distancing, hygiene and health monitoring measures are in place at all JLR sites.
the company is continuing to monitor the Covid-19 situation and follow the guidance of all relevant authorities in the markets in which it operates.
