29 March 2024, 12:45
By Furniture News Feb 19, 2021

Furniture Village rolls out Covid-19 staff testing

Furniture Village is to implement company-wide lateral flow testing in a bid to help combat Covid-19.

Working in partnership with the Department of Health and Social Care, Furniture Village is among the first UK businesses to adopt testing at scale, with rapid antigen tests helping to bolster the efforts of NHS Test and Trace, as well as providing added protection for staff and customers.

Following a four-week trial, every member of Furniture Village staff, from the warehouse to head office, will now be tested before entering the workplace or undertaking a delivery, amounting to approximately 500 tests per week. The positive results will feed into the national database, helping to expand testing across the UK.

Lateral flow testing is a fast and simple way to identify people who do not have symptoms of Covid-19, but who may inadvertently spread the virus. Around one in three people with Covid-19 do not have symptoms, so the 30-minute test is a useful tool for tackling these hidden cases.

Sue Browne, head of compliance at Furniture Village, comments: “We feel privileged to be working with the Department of Health and Social Care to roll out lateral flow testing for the entire Furniture Village workforce. Not only are we helping to tackle the disease by potentially identifying symptomless cases, but we’re able to provide another level of protection and reassurance for staff who are unable to work from home, as well as our customers who are receiving deliveries.”

Charlie Harrison, commercial director, adds: “We took the decision to fund a trial phase of testing, which proved so successful that accelerating the programme with the support of the DHSC was the next logical step. Testing our people at pace and at scale feels like a very real step towards suppressing the spread of Covid-19.”

The antigen tests join additional safety measures already in place at Furniture Village premises including temperature checks, PPE, hand-sanitation stations and protective screens.

All Furniture Village stores are currently closed, but the online store is open and contactless deliveries are still taking place, with all drivers following strict safety protocols.

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