Lateral flow COVID testing underway at Briggs Equipment’s Cannock site
Briggs Equipment has launched a regular Lateral Flow Test (LFT) programme at its Orbital 7 site in Cannock. Alongside Staffordshire County Council, Briggs has completed a training programme for staff volunteers who will administer the tests and the first round of testing was completed last week.
The initiative is part of the council’s plans to encourage businesses with employees who cannot work from home due to the nature of their job, to provide regular testing of their staff. This gives confidence to the community and staff and is an opportunity to identify more cases and isolate contacts more quickly.
Scott McGready, Briggs Equipment’s Group Head of SHEQ, commented: “At Briggs we have an engrained culture of Safety First, and since the start of the pandemic we have implemented a wide range of measures to ensure we keep our employees, customers and their families safe. Currently, a large proportion of our workforce are carrying out their roles from home, but we do still have a number of essential on-site staff at Orbital 7 and it’s crucial that we do everything we can to proactively identify and trace any COVID-19 cases to keep the occupants of our site safe and prevent the virus spreading.
“I’d like to thank Staffordshire County Council for their support in setting up the testing and also our colleagues who have volunteered to administer the tests and continue to abide by our stringent infection control procedures.”
Dr Johnny McMahon, Staffordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Health, Care and Wellbeing said:
“It’s great to see Briggs Equipment joining Staffordshire’s community testing programme. As everyone who cannot work from home should be getting tested regularly.
“Positive cases, in the working age population especially, are still very high in many areas across the county. Regular at-work testing can avoid large outbreaks happening and all the disruption that can bring.
“I would encourage more businesses to come forward. Getting involved is a simple process and an important way to protect your business and staff.”