Lear Supports Companies and People through the Publication of the SafeWork Playbook and Adds Global Production to Make Protective Face Masks and Face Shields
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Lear Corporation, a global automotive technology leader in Seating and E-Systems, is making available to all organizations its Safe Work Playbook, an interactive guide offering potentially helpful practices for health and safety procedures, cross-functional teamwork, operating discipline and training for employees in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We created this Safe Work Playbook to proactively address the unique challenges of resuming our operations, when it is safe to do so, following an extended work stoppage caused by COVID-19,” said Ray Scott, Lear President and CEO. “Tapping our global Operations, Human
Resources, Employee Health and Safety, Information Technology, and Communications teams, the playbook lays out processes to raise awareness of new health and well-being protocols.”
Utilizing Lear’s global experience in complex and demanding operational environments, the manual covers a wide range of topics, including:
- Step-by-step guides for setting up a pandemic prevention team
- Cleaning and disinfection procedures
- Staggering shifts and lunch breaks and other social distancing strategies
- On-site health screening
- Protocols for isolating employees who become ill at work and for cleaning vehicles used for transporting workers
Additionally, the playbook outlines practices for communicating with teams and robust training plans for employees. The Health and Wellness section offers a carefully-curated signage package aimed at informing and educating employees that may be easily customized for a variety of applications and floorplans.
“This has been a difficult time for everyone, and reestablishing a workplace where employees feel comfortable performing their jobs safely is a multi-faceted challenge,” said Scott. “Our cross-functional team has poured many hours into creating this playbook with one goal in mind – keeping our teams as safe, prepared and informed as possible. It is our hope that by sharing this resource we can help other organizations accomplish the same goals, as everyone adapts to new operating protocols in today’s still challenging conditions.”
Recent mask donations made to local Lear communities
Lear Corporation has added capacity at its AccuMED production facility in the Dominican Republic, which specializes in the manufacturing of medical products, to produce protective masks to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.
Donations of masks were made recently to the Detroit Medical Center, the largest health care provider in southeast Michigan, the City of Detroit, the Dearborn City Firefighters, as well as to a hospital in Juarez, Mexico and the CROC and CTM Unions in Ciudad Juarez, to help protect health professionals, administrative staff and delegates.
In addition to the personal protection equipment donated in Mexico, Lear-produced masks have been delivered to other global locations based on employee and community need. In total, Lear has more than 1,200 workers dedicated to producing and will soon have the capacity to produce 1 million masks per week for both employees and local communities.
“We are proud to support pandemic relief efforts in the communities where we live and work,” said Lear President and CEO Ray Scott. “Protecting hospital staff and public safety officers has never been more important as they continue to go to work every day during this crisis to help others in need.”
In February, Lear’s Mocksville, N.C., facility designed a facemask in response to a shortage of personal protective equipment in China. Lear then added production capacity for masks in less than 72 hours. With cases of COVID-19 rising in other areas of the world, the operation has expanded from three production lines to seven, and now employs 200 people. Total capacity is 25,000 units per day, based on availability of raw materials.
“We are committed to making donations of personal protective equipment until this situation improves,” Scott added.