Manufacturing giant Vauxhall has said enhanced safety preparations at its Ellesmere Port site are underway to help it restart vehicle production.
Although the factory closed on March 17 due to the coronavirus outbreak, the firm said it has remained ‘active’ and has implemented a variety of new safety measures, PA reports.
Unite the union has now been invited by the Cheshire plant's management team to make a final review of the new safety protocols before any manufacturing activity can begin again.
No restart date has yet been confirmed, though Vauxhall says that it is assessing this on a ‘week-by-week’ basis.
More than 100 measures have been implemented, including checking employee’s temperatures in addition to their self-monitoring of symptoms.
Mandatory safety glasses are being supplemented by a daily supply of masks, while proper social distancing procedures are also being enforced.
Break areas now include markings on the floor to show correct spacing, while doors (apart from fire doors) are being kept open to avoid contact with handles. Tools and work surfaces are being frequently cleaned, too.
Ellesmere Port is home to Vauxhall’s Astra and produced more than 60,000 examples of the hatchback last year.
