Improving safety is a core part of Aptiv’s mission – from the technology we develop to the way we work. Now more than ever, keeping our employees, their families, and communities safe is our top priority.
While our sites already had robust safety measures in place, in light of COVID-19, we have exponentially increased our safety protocols to ensure we protect our employees and deliver for our customers. In a recent LinkedIn article by Kevin Clark, president and CEO of Aptiv, he shared that the company has updated its global COVID-19 pandemic plan to ensure we are prepared to safely ramp up production for our customers across our more than 140 sites.
We developed our global COVID-19 pandemic plan based on learnings from our global operations, our experience in China earlier this year, and the 2015 H1N1 outbreak in India. It also includes guidance from leading government agencies and consortia like the World Health Organization (WHO) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
As part of the plan, we have established Safe Operations Protocols that all Aptiv sites must implement as we continue to operate and restart production in the wake COVID-19. Below is a summary of those measures.
POLICY / MANAGEMENT
- Crisis management team established at the executive level, and emergency response teams at all sites
- Daily reporting of site preparedness and confirmed / suspected cases, and high-risk operations
- Regular touchpoints with business units, regions, functions, customers, and suppliers
- Remote evidence-based checks to verify protocols are in place before restart
PRE- SCREENING
- Health and risk screenings for employees and visitors, including daily digital health assessment survey for all employees
- Restricted access for employees with symptoms, exposure to COVID-19 cases, or travel in the last 21 days
- Non-contact thermometer checks upon arrival and limited door entry points
SOCIAL DISTANCING / PPE
- Maintaining six feet of separation for employees, and reinforcing this protocol through signs, posters, markings on the floor
- Staggering shift start times and breaks
- Utilizing physical barriers
- Leveraging work-from-home and limiting in-person meetings
- Employee PPE inventory
CLEANING / DISINFECTING
- Daily cleaning of high-touch areas every three hours; workstations cleaned before and after shifts
- Professional cleaners performing full-site disinfection
- Increased hand washing and sanitizer stations
COMMUNICATION / EDUCATION / TRAINING
- Site-level training and Q&A on all protocols, including hand washing and hygiene best practices and how to correctly wear and dispose of PPE
- Posters communicating general information, physical distancing, safety measures to take at home, etc.
- Regular updates to employees using multiple communication channels
CASE RESPONSE
- Guideline for reporting symptoms, exposure to COVID-19, and suspected cases
- Response plan if an employee reports symptoms at work or tests positive
- Plan for contact tracing / home isolation / quarantine, with follow-up on employee condition
- Clearance to return to work when appropriate
As we scale these best practices and implement the Safe Operations Protocols across our business, we are also sharing our processes and learnings with organizations across the mobility ecosystem in hopes that we can help and learn from others to operate safely in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the past few weeks, Aptiv has provided our draft protocols and initiated discussions with a number of suppliers, customers, and the following key trade organizations:
- Original Equipment Suppliers Association (OESA),
- Motor and Equipment Manufacturers Association (MEMA),
- Mexico’s Maquiladora Assoc. (INDEX),
- MX Employers Confederation of the Mexican Republic (COPARMEX),
- European Association of Automotive Suppliers (CLEPA),
- German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA), and
- China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM).
If your business would like to learn more about Aptiv’s safety protocol and pandemic plan, please download it here. The link also includes a number of editable assets we are making available. We will provide individuals who download the plan with updated documents as we incorporate new learnings and best practices.
Together, we will come out stronger than ever on the other side.