ON THE RIGHT TRACK: HIGH SPEED RAIL STATIONS BECOME ‘COVID-SECURE’ WITH BUREAU VERITAS

As the country returns to ‘business as usual’ following the lifting of all lockdown restrictions, Bureau Veritas has recently accredited a group of train stations operating on the HS1 line with its SafeGuard COVID-19 certification, to ensure their health, safety and hygiene measures meet best practice standards on managing coronavirus risks.

The three train stations – St Pancras, Stratford and Ebbsfleet – are all international departure stations for UK travellers heading to Europe, therefore sought to prioritise the health and safety of staff and visitors ahead of a predicted uplift in footfall and travel post-lockdown.

As part of its hugely successful ‘Restart Your Business’ service, launched in April 2020, Bureau Veritas partnered with HS1 to audit the service’s health and safety measures. This assessment included access, no-touch devices and cleaning regimes, as well as response plans and space modifications to ensure all of its protocols and spaces met global standards and were deemed ‘COVID-Secure.’

The certification is able to give stakeholders, employees and visitors the confidence and peace of mind to use these international train stations. This has been further reinforced by HS1 partnering with Bureau Veritas, a global leader in healthy, safety and compliance that was able to independently audit and verify their health and safety measures and provide the service with its SafeGuard statement of assurance.

Steve Highwood, UK Building & Infrastructure Market Lead at Bureau Veritas, said: “Usually a consistent hive of activity, train stations have seen a significant decrease in footfall, with rail travel peaking at just 40% of its pre-COVID volume last year and running at as little as 5%.¹ However, with the majority of lockdown restrictions having now been lifted, and with return to offices and travel expected to exponentially rise in the coming months, it's important that key services ensure they maintain their COVID-security. This is especially vital as the Government predict a possible 100,000 cases a day this summer.²

“To achieve this, we’ve been working with a wide variety of businesses, including HS1 to introduce and audit robust health, safety and hygiene standards that protect staff and customers from coronavirus transmission. We’re delighted that we’ve played such a crucial role in helping St Pancras, Stratford and Ebbsfleet international stations in certifying their COVID-secure premises, reassuring visitors and employees that utmost care has been taken to prioritise their safety as they go about their travels.

“We’d invite all businesses and prospective customers, who are interested in validating their COVID-19 response and safety measures, to get in touch with our expert team and make use of this fantastic service.”

Bureau Veritas is a global health and safety leader, with extensive expertise in helping firms meet the local and international standards on managing coronavirus risks in the workplace. These include hygiene, disinfection and cleaning assessment, social distancing best practice, personal protection equipment requirements as well as employee specific risk assessment.

To find out more about Bureau Veritas, call 0345 600 1828 or visit www.bureauveritas.co.uk.