Keeping Britain moving by supplying fuel during a pandemic has been vital, a vast amount of PPE was and still is being distributed, key workers needed to get to their jobs to help save lives and essential deliveries needed to increase so each shielding household was taken care of. Petrol station staff were, and still are central to keeping the country on the road, we take a look at what changes and precautions were made to keep staff and customers safe during the initial lockdown stage and into the future months.
An employee at Morrisons Petrol Station explains what it is like was like to work during the initial stages of the pandemic:
“Me and my team had to adapt quickly to a situation that was changing daily. Adjustments were made to how we operated that were essential to help protect the health and safety of our customers and ourselves, including limiting the number of customers into our kiosk and working alone for longer periods of time to reduce contact with each other. Knowing that we were playing a vital role in keeping the nation’s key workers moving kept us motivated and lifted our spirits during a worrying and difficult time.” Calum, Morrisons Burton
PPE and Keeping Clean
One of the vital changes made to petrol stations during the pandemic in order to stop the spread of coronavirus was the increase in cleaning and staff wearing personal protective equipment. Hand sanitiser was provided for customers to use at the payment area and cleaning of all surfaces that were touched on a regular basis was increased. This meant staff regularly sanitising door handles, kiosk areas and other touch points. Screens were also put in place in front of the tills to protect staff and customers by providing a clear solid barrier, with the wearing of PPE being optional.
Keeping Your Distance
Keeping people from getting too close is one of the key measures to stop the spread of Covid-19. Petrol stations adapted by setting up queuing systems that kept people at a distance from one another whilst waiting to pay for their fuel. They also limited the number of people that were allowed to go into the petrol station at one time. With less people requiring fuel during lockdown this was a fairly easy transition, as the demand for fuel is increasing these systems will be key in making sure customers keep their distance from one another as more people use the petrol filling stations.
Keeping Safe
The measures put in place by petrol stations and the staff are there to keep everyone safe and prevent further spread of Covid-19. We urge all customers to please follow the rules and guidelines set when filling up your vehicle. We also suggest you keep your distance from other customers and where possible wear a face mask and regularly clean and sanitise your hands.
Thank you
We’d like to say a big thank you to all of the petrol station workers and all other frontline staff for helping Britain keep moving and fighting Covid-19. We really appreciate all the hard work, effort and extra precautions you have taken to keep keyworkers on the move. And thank you to all of our customers for sticking to the guidelines and continuing to use fuelGenie.
