Manufacturing firm in Northampton moves to reassure workers after concerns over rise in coronavirus cases

A manufacturing firm in Northampton has paid tribute to a member of staff who died after contracting coronavirus and moved to allay concerns from staff about an increase in the number of cases at the site.

KAB Seating, based on Round Spinney Industrial Estate, currently has around 50 members of staff off work, either due directly to Covid-19, self-isolating or shielding, or annual leave or sickness.

In a statement to the Chronicle & Echo, the company paid its respects to the worker who had died.

A spokeswoman said: "We have sadly lost one of our longer serving employees to this hideous virus, he had not been at site for over three weeks and had tested negative for the virus on his last working day. Our thoughts are very much with the family he leaves behind and his colleagues who mourn the loss of a friend and valued team member."

The company said, as of February 1, there were five employees who had tested positive. The spokesperson said "These are reported to Public health England, who assessed the risk and have advised us that this does not constitute an Outbreak. These cases have not been traced to originating at our Northampton site."

It is understood the firm employs 350 people at the site, although some are working remotely. About 250 are working in the factory across two shift patterns.

The Chron was contacted this week by members of staff at KAB concerned about the increase in the number of cases and raised issues with some of the working practices. A newsletter sent to staff described it as "a significant increase".

One member of staff said he did not feel safe going into work due to the number of employees on site and the different agency temps that are used.

They called on the company to put more members of staff on furlough to act as a "circuit breaker" and help reduce the potential for infection.

In response, the company said it had "responded and followed the Government guidelines for the manufacturing industry sector to take all reasonable steps to safe guard employees".

"In line with the national lockdown rules, our employees are permitted to continue to work at our manufacturing site where it is not possible for them to work effectively at home. We take our duty of care towards our employees extremely seriously and have implemented measures to ensure that the risks to those that remain on site are appropriately managed.

"Extra consideration has been given to those people at higher risk. Our procedures and site has been audited by the local Health and Safety Executive inspector and considered to be meeting the relevant safety guidelines.

"We are also in contact with Public Health England, to ensure that what is in place is appropriate and meets the Government guidelines.

"We remain committed to meeting our customer’s orders within the parameters of the lockdown guidelines, thus securing our employee’s livelihoods for the longer term.

"We, like many other employers across the world, have had isolated cases within our workforce, which has led to others needing to self-isolate as a precautionary measure. We are also taking the precautionary measure of advising anyone that feels unwell regardless of the symptoms to remain at home.

"We are continuously reviewing any guidance the Government release on Covid and update our Covid Risk Assessments on a regular basis, as well as providing regular updates to our colleagues via work and personal emails."

According to KAB, the onsite health and safety team have implemented a number of measures, as a result of their findings, which are reviewed regularly. This included staggering break times, one-way systems in corridors, restricting numbers in rest and meeting rooms and providing staff with PPE.

A Covid committee has also been set up to review concerns and Covid symptom checks are carried out on new and returning employees.