LONDON, May 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — 

• Health, Safety and Wellbeing in the workplace, in public transportation, public spaces and at home is now the number one concern for business leaders, employees and consumers*
• Given its unrivalled expertise in Total Quality Assurance, operating in 100+ countries, with 1000+ labs and 46,000 Experts, Intertek is uniquely positioned to provide its clients with end-to-end Health, Safety and Wellbeing Assurance to protect their employees and their customers
• Intertek Protek is the world’s first industry-agnostic, end-to-end Health, Safety and Wellbeing Assurance programme for people, workplaces and public spaces, and includes:
  – State of the art training and certification programmes for employees, reflecting learnings from the current pandemic
  – Audit of hygiene and sanitation processes and systems to ensure spaces, materials and surfaces are safe for employees and customers in the workplace and public spaces
  – Total Assurance for all types of facilities, from hotels, restaurants and retail outlets where consumers will look for visible signs of safety verification at the places in which they stay or pass through, to schools and education sites, transportation hubs and manufacturing plants 

Watch our video here: www.intertek.com/protek

Over the years and as part of its systemic approach to Total Quality Assurance (TQA), Intertek has been researching and developing innovative Health, Safety and Wellbeing solutions for its clients. Covid-19 has magnified the increased focus from all stakeholders on Health, Safety and Wellbeing in workplaces and in public spaces and, given the Company’s industry-leading subject-matter expertise, it is now launching the world’s first end-to-end solution in this category.

As the world adjusts to a ‘new normal’, many in-quarantine traits will become generally accepted standards as consumers and employees fundamentally re-think their approach to everyday health, safety and wellbeing. Whether at work, shopping, eating out or using public transport, people will look to corporations and brands for trust, assurance and peace of mind*

As companies prepare for a return to work, employees are concerned about their health and safety* and as consumers think about returning to visit public spaces, they are now increasingly looking to brands to provide trust and visible reassurance*.

Recent Intertek research shows that people do not feel safe returning to their workplace once restrictions have been lifted with over 70% not wanting to return unless authenticated health and safety practices are in place. Moreover, 91% of respondents agree that their employer should take extra measures to protect employees. Yet just over half (54%) of managers believe that they will struggle to provide an acceptable health and safety standard for employees when they do return to the workplace.

Across the consumer industries landscape, only 24% of respondents feel confident about visiting a bar or restaurant once restrictions are lifted and only 27% feel confident about visiting hotels. 56% do not trust cinema and theatre operators to have sufficient health and safety practices in place to prevent the spread of Covid-19, with this figure rising to 57% for airlines and 59% for public transport. At the same time, 84% of consumers now expect larger companies to contribute more to society and to have a social purpose.

Based on Intertek’s unique, systemic approach to quality assurance, Protek is a comprehensive service offering, providing audits, training and service solutions across People, Systems & Processes, Facilities, Materials & Surfaces and Products. A key part of this innovative new service offering is Protek People Assurance, which will provide an on-demand, e-Learning and certification programme that empowers companies to deliver essential employee training on key health and safety topics.  

Protek provides audits, training and occupational health & safety solutions for companies wishing to provide peace of mind for their employees. Specific learning and certification solutions range from Covid-19 related programmes to modules on how to use face masks, gloves and PPE, and courses on food safety, hygiene, cleaning and prevention of the spread of infection.

The programme provides systemic risk-based quality assurance and verification for all sectors, from food safety and hygiene control services to dedicated audit solutions for the prevention of the spread of infection in all facilities and all sectors. This includes hotels, restaurants and retail outlets where consumers will look for visible safety verification of the places in which they stay or pass through. Protek offers turnkey solutions, from facility health assessment, cleaning and disinfecting process oversight and post-cleaning verification, to compliance reporting and certification across schools and education sites, transportation hubs and manufacturing plants.  

Protek helps businesses obtain independent assurance that they are fulfilling their duty of care and provides their employees and customers with the confidence they need, everywhere, every day. 

With over 46,000 TQA experts in over one hundred countries, Intertek is uniquely placed to give businesses the reassurance of a global solution with unrivalled local knowledge and expertise. No other company has the network, tools and processes to deliver Total Health, Safety and Wellbeing solutions to help people feel safe to return to work, to travel, to eat out and to adjust to the new normal.

André Lacroix, CEO of Intertek, said:

“On behalf of everyone at Intertek, I salute healthcare and frontline workers around the world for their magnificent response to the challenge presented by the global pandemic we are witnessing.  At Intertek, it is our duty to help corporations to ensure the health, safety and wellbeing of their employees in the workplace and their consumers in public spaces.

Indeed, as a purpose-led company, Intertek’s mission is to make the world a better and safer place. Never has our core purpose been more relevant than now. This is the moment where our mission-critical role in society truly comes to life, across all sectors and all business lines as we bring solutions the world needs now, everywhere, every day.

It is clear that health, safety and wellbeing for employees returning to their workplaces through to consumers returning to public spaces – and the public transport used to get there – is now the greatest concern for the entire world.

Building on our leading Quality Assurance expertise across all sectors of the economy globally, Protek offers our clients the world’s first independent Health, Safety and Wellbeing Assurance programme for people, workplaces and public spaces.”

About the Research:

This research was conducted online by an independent research consultant company from 29 – 30 April 2020 with n=2,201 respondents, representative of the UK adult general population (aged 18+ years old). Respondents were weighted in terms of age, gender, location and voting behaviour to reflect the known UK general population.

Intertek is a leading Total Quality Assurance provider to industries worldwide.

Our network of more than 1,000 laboratories and offices and over 46,000 people in more than 100 countries, delivers innovative and bespoke Assurance, Testing, Inspection and Certification solutions for our customers’ operations and supply chains.

Intertek Total Quality Assurance expertise, delivered consistently, with precision, pace and passion, enabling our customers to power ahead safely.

intertek.com

*Intertek research April 2020

Contacts

For further information, please contact:

Denis Moreau, Investor Relations
Telephone: +44 (0) 20-7396-3415   
investor@intertek.com

Jonathon Brill, FTI Consulting
Telephone: +44 (0) 20-3727-1000   
SCintertek@fticonsulting.com