Arco Publishes Whitepaper on Emerging Disease Preparedness

• Calls on Government to improve regulation and guidance for procurement of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
• A robust PPE stockpile should be created to mitigate supply chain risk
• The Government should develop the ability to source additional PPE at scale and improve domestic production of PPE

The UK Government's National Risk Register has assessed another pandemic as the most significant risk to the UK's safety, security and prosperity, with a 5 COVID-19 25% possibility of another pandemic striking over the next five years. Responding to the Government enquiry into emerging diseases, Arco, the UK's leading provider of safety products and services has published a whitepaper: Pandemic Preparedness and Business Continuity: Preparing effectively for emerging diseases with a set of recommendations to build resilience for the future.

Arco has been at the forefront of responding to global health emergencies and crises such as Foot and Mouth Disease, swine and Ebola, COVID-19 and most recently, avian flu.

Thomas Martin, Arco Chairman said:

"As the UK's leading safety expert, Arco has a right and responsibility to share our experiences and make recommendations for future preparedness. We've been vocal about improving pandemic preparedness for some time now, and we felt a responsibility to share our experiences and expertise to improve the UK's response to emerging disease threats."

The company is now urging the Government to act and enhance preparedness for future PPE challenges posed by the spread of new diseases with pandemic potential.

The six key areas with recommendations are:

1. Improve national guidance and procurement of PPE.
2. Develop national healthcare guidelines for recommended methods and frequency of face fit testing for respiratory protection, and training of testers.
3. Ensure guidance and practical training is provided for all PPE.
4. All PPE should be sourced from an ethical supply chain.
5. Create a transparent and robust PPE stockpile.
6. Establish a resilient supply chain ensuring continuity of manufacture and supply of PPE.

Guy Bruce, CEO of Arco, said:

"This whitepaper establishes our experience in responding to global crises and includes our evidence and recommendations for the future.

"These focus on the key areas of pandemic planning, guidance on respiratory face fit testing, PPE compliance, ethical sourcing, PPE stockpiling and building a resilient supply chain. Whilst the recommendations are made to government, they include actions that are relevant to all industry to ensure resilience and business continuity, should another pandemic occur. We urge the Government, Healthcare leaders, critical infrastructure and industries plus businesses generally to act on our recommendations to ensure we can all be better prepared for any future emergencies and help make our world a safer place."

To read the full paper, visit: https://www.arco.co.uk/shaping-the-safety-agenda/pandemic-preparedness