Peters: Back to Normal Through COVID-19 Testing

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Tilman Sehlen is satisfied with the voluntary COVID-19 rapid test offer on Peters’ premises. As a member of the COVID-19 steering group, he estimates that the team of the pharmacist Karl Bedau has carried out around 1000 free rapid tests for Peters employees within just less than three months. "Every week, the Löwen pharmacy carried out between 80 and 90 rapid tests on our premises," says work safety specialist Tilman Sehlen. According to the graduate engineer, the employees of the Peters Group have taken up this offer well, which also allows clarity for themselves.

In fact, there is a high acceptance among the employees. "Only very few do not take advantage of this offer, some of them because they are regularly tested elsewhere for private reasons," explains Tilman Sehlen. Among those working on site, about 90 percent made use of the employer's offer of a rapid test. One of the reasons for the high acceptance is the excellent cooperation with the Löwen pharmacy: "Thanks to good preparations we were able to ensure a smooth process without large queues," reports the work safety expert. The friendly staff of the pharmacy carried out the testing "correctly and gently".

The rapid testing was a decisive contribution to the fact that the coronavirus hardly had a chance at Peters. At the beginning of the campaign, two employees suffering from asymptomatic COVID-19 were sent to home isolation immediately after their positive test result. "In these two cases, the result was confirmed with the subsequent PCR test," reports Tilman Sehlen. Fortunately, since the employees followed the hands, face, space rules as close as possible, there was no outbreak in the company.

Peters Managing Director Ralf Schwartz is pleased with the overall positive assessment of the work safety specialist. “By implementing this campaign, we have fulfilled our mandate as an employer to contribute to work safety and promote health in the company." From the positive progress and the continuous decrease of the incidence values, there is hope at Peters towards loosening the Corona thumbscrews by late summer at the latest. Since the procedures have been well established, the Covid-19 steering group has already been able to reduce the testing times to some extent. 

"Our COVID-19 protection concept which implies the separation of redundant functions and areas has proven itself, even though it has made processes more complex," says Tilman Sehlen. He is also optimistic about the progress in vaccinating the staff, saying that a return to normality in everyday work is at least in sight. Tilman Sehlen emphasises that the vaccinations were organised by the employees themselves or administered by the company doctor. Tilman Sehlen and Ralf Schwartz assume that the company will keep up this free and voluntary test offer until all those willing to receive the vaccine have been vaccinated twice and two more weeks have passed.