Laying down the protocol for site safety at COVID-19 drive through facilities

As part of its strategy to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic, the government has opened a series of regional drive-through sites across the UK providing coronavirus testing facilities for essential workers.

Two of these testing stations are located at Cardiff City Stadium in Leckwith and at Twickenham rugby stadium in Surrey. Plant and welfare specialists Garic have joined forces with safety specialists SafeSite Facilities to establish a protocol for the way in which vehicle and pedestrian traffic should be safely managed at these sites, and others.

At the centres in Leckwith and Twickenham, almost a kilometre of SafeSite WonderWall Barriers, as well as self-weighted traffic cones, zebra crossings and speed bumps have been installed to control traffic flow.

The WonderWall safety barriers combine endurance with ease of use, and are portable so they can be quickly reconfigured. They are being used to create traffic lanes in and out of each testing point, and to mark out safe washing and change zones for nurses working at the site.

The traffic cones, which are being used at various points around the testing facilities, are helping to make people on foot aware of any trip hazards and to ensure social distancing.

Commenting on the company’s role in the two installations, Andy Archer, Sales Manager, SafeSite Facilities said: “We’re incredibly proud to have played a part in helping to set up these critical COVID-19 testing facilities, and that our safety configuration and choice of barrier system has since become the benchmark for how other NHS testing sites are being set up. Like all businesses, we’ve had to take measures to protect our staff and customers from coronavirus yet, despite these challenges, within 24 hours of receiving the initial enquiry, we had an eight-man team mobilised and on-site installing the traffic management systems in Cardiff and Twickenham. With portable testing likely to be rolled out wider over the coming weeks, we would like to reassure our existing customers, and new ones, that we are well stocked and ready to support this crucial public health demand.”

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