As Ford resumes operations worldwide, it has made it clear that the safety of its workers, customers and partners is its No. 1 priority.
The company has outlined additional standards and precautions for workers in China, where work has resumed, and in the United States, where workers have been producing medical equipment, the company said in a press release on its website.
“The people building those medical supplies have stayed safe and healthy by wearing face masks, face shields and other personal protection equipment, and maintaining at least 6 feet of space from other Ford people wherever possible,” the website reads. “Ford already has started educating its global workforce to seamlessly integrate and follow these guidelines, all captured in a safety playbook that will be available for employees, along with personal protection and hygiene items, like masks and sanitizer."
“We are taking extensive measures that apply best practices from around the world to make sure all of our facilities and workplaces will be safe, clean and secure for when we return to work onsite,” said Kiersten Robinson, Ford’s chief human resources officer, according to Ford's website.
Newly introduced safety protocols include daily online health self-certifications, no-touch temperature scans, required face masks for workers, social-distancing guidelines and frequent sanitation procedures.
Ford is using all available information regarding health in making sure that it is safe to resume operations.
May 18 is the date Ford, GM and Fiat Chrysler were expected to resume some production in the United States, according to Fox Business.
“Science and data are driving Ford’s return to work, including close collaboration with experts in the field of infectious disease and epidemiology, to set safety standards we are confident will protect employees as they return to work,” said Dr. Walter Talamonti, Ford’s corporate medical director, on its website.
Jim Farley, Ford’s chief operating officer, emphasized the importance, from a macroeconomic perspective, of the company resuming operations.
“Getting back to work isn’t just good news for Ford employees. It’s also good news for our suppliers, car dealers and the ecosystems that provide services around them, like restaurants, shops and stores. This economic multiplier effect is going to help reboot communities around the globe,” Farley said on Ford's website.
The auto industry makes up 6% of the United States’ gross domestic product, and more than 7 million jobs in the United States are dependent upon the automakers, dealers and suppliers, according to Ford's website.
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