The SGS Group is following the COVID-19 situation very closely and has taken immediate action to manage potential health and business risks within our international operations.
At the start of the problem, we formed a Crisis Management Team to provide global guidance on what preventive measures are to be taken, in order to avoid the presence of the virus on our premises, protect SGS employees, visitors and minimize disruption of our operations.
Since the outbreak of the coronavirus, our primary focus has been the health and safety of our people, their families, and our customers and their families.
We have put into place the following preventive measures:
- Travel restrictions to minimize the spread of the virus
- Prioritize virtual communication methods to minimize direct contact: online clients updates, webinars, online internal and external meetings, etc.
- Supply employees with protective masks, hand sanitizers, onsite first emergency measures, etc.
- Heightened hygiene controls and prevention measures
To ensure SGS continues to offer a safe and efficient service to our customers, we are monitoring official announcements from national and local authorities, International SOS, and the World Health Organization for developments. As we become alerted to the spread of the virus into a country, we are implementing additional hygiene and prevention controls to protect our employees and clients. This includes regular office disinfections throughout the day.
We are providing all stakeholders with regular updates on our services to limit any disruption to supply chains and are glad to discuss and implement with additional extra safety measures requested by our customers.
As the situation progresses, our management will be adjusting internal protocols to ensure clients and staff are protected and our client's supply chains remain open. Please be assured SGS will keep all stakeholders informed as the situation develops and new protocols are introduced.
All our responses to COVID-19 are being developed in line with the spread of the disease and are based on WHO (World Health Organization) country-specific guidance.
