At Bureau Veritas, we are carefully following the guidelines of relevant authorities in every country in which we operate, as well as the recommendations of the World Health Organization. We are also actively monitoring the health crisis and its consequences with the utmost attention and have implemented crisis management committees at all levels of the Group.
For several weeks now, the COVID-19 pandemic has been affecting the lives of our employees around the world, their families, clients, partners, suppliers, and society at large. The entire Bureau Veritas network – across all our businesses, countries and subsidiaries – has been mobilized to implement the appropriate measures – at both local and global levels – to protect everyone’s health and safety and ensure business continuity.
In many sectors, our services contribute to maintaining operational activities that are critical to ensuring people’s health and safety. Bureau Veritas teams are working – both in the field and via remote technological channels – to ensure the safety of industrial facilities, hospitals, power grids and transportation infrastructure, and to conduct the testing required to uphold the quality of essential products and the operation of critical equipment.
HEALTH AND SAFETY: OUR TOP PRIORITY
#STAYSAFE
The health and safety of our employees, their families and our clients is our number one priority, whatever the circumstances, and all the more so during the ongoing health crisis. Bureau Veritas has implemented a number of measures to ensure the continuity of our operations, while protecting the safety of our employees and clients in all affected areas. The main measures are as follows:
- Hygiene & Health:
- Repeated reminders to use barrier precautions and practice social distancing at all times
- Recommendations on what to do in case of symptoms
- Strict compliance with the policies in force in each country at the initiative of local authorities
- Quarantine measures for employees who have tested positive for COVID-19 or have demonstrated symptoms or live with someone who has tested positive
- Travel:
- Domestic travel is limited to providing essential client services, and to supervising the safety of our employees
- All business-related international travel has been suspended unless authorized by a member of the Group Executive Committee
- Teleworking:
- Implementation of teleworking
- Dissemination of information on best practices for working from home
- Reinforced remote management of teams, and active remote collaboration using the Group’s digital work tools
- Business premises:
- Enhanced hygiene and social distancing measures, of office and laboratory spaces for optimal safety
- Disinfection of business premises
- Displays advising preventative measures, including barrier precautions
- Access to our premises is severely restricted or prohibited to visitors
- Provision of personal protective equipment whenever necessary
In support of these measures, and to continue to meet our clients’ needs, Bureau Veritas has reinforced its IT infrastructure and developed business continuity plans for all of its operations. Furthermore, emergency procedures, have been reviewed; the head of each site is empowered to make emergency decisions.
BUSINESS CONTINUITY
Throughout the world, and across the many sectors in which we operate, Bureau Veritas is making every effort to ensure the continuity of its business to the highest standards of excellence, and in full compliance with local regulations, in the service of our clients, and in the interest of their clients, and society at large.
Bureau Veritas has launched specialized digital tools for a variety of sectors to support remote operations. Teleworking, remote inspections and certification audits are enabling the continuity of our business activities, minimizing the risk of operational disruption for our clients.
All of these services are based on two of Bureau Veritas’ core commitments, which are critical to secure the trust of our clients and stakeholders:
- protecting the health and safety of the people involved in the delivery of our services
- meeting all technical requirements, using highly rigorous processes and procedures.
Furthermore, our employees working at our clients' premises strictly comply with their specific health and safety policies, including precautionary rules relating to COVID-19.
Access Covid-19 information provided by the TIC Council (international trade association for the testing, inspection and certification industry)