The job of prevention advisor in corona times

The coronavirus is omnipresent in just about every organization, including Gritt. Not only can you observe this physically, but you also notice that companies are gradually starting up again, even though telework remains the norm. We can therefore conclude that the virus is not behind us yet, which is confirmed by our prevention advisor.

The other side of the coin

Tim Lagaisse, who has worked as a prevention advisor at Gritt for almost a year, lives a busy lifestyle, even in times of corona. In addition to his full-time job as a prevention advisor, he has also been working for the fire brigade for 12 years, of which 7 years as a Paramedic in the emergency service. This allows him to see from the front row how the virus strikes. An advantage? Tim doesn’t dare to call it that way. However it does make him more aware of the seriousness of the situation, which allowed us at Gritt to take decisions very quickly and accurately together with the management.

Still, despite the rapid decision-making by Gritt’s management, he remains very realistic. The situation is far from finished, but he is positive about our approach at Gritt.

Gritt in corona times

Recently we have partially resumed work at our branches. We apply all necessary measures that our prevention advisor has drawn up in consultation with the management. It is a first step towards “the new normal”, although that “new normal” will take a while, fears Tim Lagaisse.

At Gritt, we therefore proceed with caution and transparency. Every week, an online update is given about the current situation, because our company continues to run, even in corona times. In addition, a lot of time was invested in a Return-to-work plan. This forms the foundation of our company in these times.

The prevention advisor and corona

It is clear that it was a real challenge for Tim. The topic of “pandemics and epidemics” does not appear in any training for prevention advisers. Also for him it was therefore a search for a fast and correct approach within Gritt. It was also a huge surprise to him that the corona bomb would hit so quickly. Fortunately, we were able to react quickly together with the management at Gritt.

Since the start of the lockdown, our prevention advisor has also been working from home. That implicates a lot of changes and adjustments, he notices. Suddenly everything goes digitally. Fortunately, he sees the positive aspect in this situation; as a company you now get a time-out, which gives you the opportunity to go through all processes in the company and to improve them where necessary. According to him, our foundation at Gritt is now stronger and wider than ever!

It is beyond dispute that this corona crisis is too great for us as individuals, even for our prevention adviser. But Tim is firmly convinced that we have taken the right path at Gritt. We cannot defeat the virus, but we can protect ourselves against it.

Better safe than sorry.