As the COVID 19 situation evolves, it’s vital to ensure the continuity of the UK’s critical telecommunications and broadband network infrastructure, and to maintain essential broadband and telecommunications services to local and national government, schools, hospitals, emergency services, banks, retailers, transport infrastructure and the general population, including vulnerable customers and all those currently having to work from home and self-isolating.

Openreach owns and operates a UK wide telecommunications network and provides essential broadband and telecommunications services over it.

British Cables Company Ltd is a key partner to Openreach, designated as providing essential services in supporting the build and maintenance of Openreach’s critical telecommunications infrastructure across the UK.

This designation therefore ensures that British Cables Company Ltd can continue to provide its products and services to all its customers.

British Cables Company Ltd is ensuring that government guidelines are implemented.

How is the Company managing this situation?

Currently we are holding:

• Regular conference calls with our customers
• Daily senior management meeting to update on:
  • Absences
  • previous day’s government announcements
  • Impact on production
  • Priority products and volumes
• Site briefs – to avoid large gatherings we are printing off copies of the brief for display on our notice boards, in addition to sending a copy to all staff with work email address and also asking Team Leaders to either print copies of the brief for their staff or to let them know about the brief.

Risk to employees

When considering this, we have:

Issued the instruction that those employees who can carry out their duties effectively at home that they need to do so.

• Issued the instruction that any colleagues in a defined vulnerable group should remain at home provided they have had that confirmed from their GP
• Made ample provision of soap and hand sanitiser
• Put in place a rigorous cleaning protocol
• Restricted site access
• Provided all necessary PPE (facemasks and gloves)
• Ensured adherence to social distancing guidelines
• Made it clear that colleagues who experience even mild symptoms should follow medical advice and self-isolate for 7 days (or isolate for 14 days if a member of their household experiences symptoms)

Changes to working practices/shifts

Currently we have no plans to change the working practices or shifts however it is appreciated that the situation is changing on a daily, or even hourly, basis either due to further announcements or absences which impact on our ability to manufacture.

PPE

Facemasks have been provided for close contact workers i.e. twinners and sheathers.
Gloves have been provided however the advice is that adequate handwashing with soap and water at regular intervals is recommended and employees would still have to wash gloved hands.