Bangkok, Thailand-based food giant Charoen Pokphand Foods (CP Foods) has implemented a protocol called the “Bubble and Seal measure” to ensure both the safety of its employees and the continuation of production during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The “Bubble and Seal measure” being employed by CP Foods is an initiative launched by Thailand’s Ministry of Health to safeguard workers at industrial plants and surrounding communities during the pandemic. The measure is designed to help companies and the government minimize the impact of COVID-19 in industrial plants with a large number of workers.
Under the protocol, infected employees will be sent to field hospitals for treatment, while relevant workers with negative test results will be separated to avoid any potential infection to other groups. Those with negative test results can continue their work, but they will be housed at separate prepared accommodations, will not be allowed to participate in any cross-group work, and are not permitted to go out of their workplaces or provided accommodations.
The measure has helped ensure uninterrupted production at the plants where new infected cases are discovered and has received support from several companies and organizations in Thailand, according to CP Foods.
In a recent visit to CP Foods processing factory in Rayong Province, Thailand Deputy Minister of Public Health Sathit Pitutecha praised CP Foods for successfully implementing the Bubble and Seal measure.
Although all of the company’s workers are fully vaccinated, CP Foods has continued to implement strict measures to control any infection at its processing factories. All of its workers are tested for COVID-19 before entering the workplace. Those with temperature of more than 37.3 degrees Celsius or showing any symptoms are immediately sent to quarantine areas. CP Foods also carries out cleaning and disinfection at its production lines in line with the government’s guidance, it said.
Other safety measures, including communicating regularly with workers about the importance of cleaning and disinfection, and doing regular swab tests on surfaces at the factories, have also been implemented, CP Foods said.
“We are doing everything to protect both our workers and nearby communities as well as all consumers,” CP Foods CEO Prasit Boondoungprasert said.
CP Foods reported earlier this month its net profit over the six months spanning January to June was THB 11.7 billion (USD 350 million, EUR 296.6 million), down 4 percent from a year ago. The company’s sales revenue in the period dropped 12 percent year-on-year to THB 249 billion (USD 7.5 billion, EUR 6.3 billion) after the status of its subsidiary Chia Tai Investments Co., Ltd. (CTI) was changed to an affiliated company in December 2020.
Photo courtesy of Charoen Pokphand Foods
