Carl Lomas reflects on IOC actions during COVID

Last mile – Key worker critical infrastructure

During COVID, the IOC has supported government and operators to keep delivering for Britain - food, meds, work at home kits and parcels of every shape and size. A peak we never planned for, a peak to door, reaching two hundred per cent volumes as we have become continuous, equal days, seven-day weeks. Almost everyone at home, almost no returns, almost no traffic. Working with government the IOC mapped the sector, identifying, understanding and aligning resources to need. ‘Our sector has never been so highly recognised for its actions.’

IOC are proud that we see our key worker status for last mile delivery move into Critical Infrastructure recognition. IOC began COVID with an Express courier key worker identity template, backed up with driver challenge codes. Getting drivers' children 'key worker access' to school. The challenge codes changed weekly with historic transport numbers including the flying Scotsman and Boeing 747 numbers.

Next from IOC came a campaign, ‘Mark your door and keep safe our drivers delivering at the doorstep.’ Then a code of values for COVID delivery, recognising symptoms, handling packages, dealing with proof of delivery, all the way to van cleaning.

Putting it all in one place, IOC created a COVID Bubble on the web, a one-stop shop of all sector knowledge during COVID - MOT exemption to furlough - and through it all, working closer with the national police than ever before, bringing government briefing updates to fellows on security.

The IOC Sunday email, for COVID has been ten thousand words a week. Bumper full, packed with government signposts and best practice. For owner-drivers, front page for the last week of May was DVSA detail on further MOT exemption that will help both our drivers and those who commute by car to sortation DC or depot in final mile.

Tracey Worth - Institute of Couriers' Covid best-practice policy

Doing the right thing during the COVID-19 pandemic for express courier delivery

 ‘Stay at home, protect the NHS’. IOC chief exec, Tracey Worth launched the Express courier COVID-19 best practice code for Easter weekend, a focus on actions during the COVID-19 crisis from express office through sortation to delivery at the door.

The code complements the existing IOC code of values for best practice in the sector and can be found in the headline bubble space of the IOC web.

The code was put together from online meetings and consultation from nationals, regional and local operator members and fellows of the IOC in the express final mile business. It’s a step to measure best practice during the crisis.

Tracey Worth comments,

This is a code of best practice values for express courier final mile during the COVID-19 crisis, it complements the IOC campaign to the public to sign and mark the door for safe delivery at the doorstep.

Tracey Worth IOC launches COVID-19 code of values for express courier

IOC Code of Values - Doing the right thing during the COVID-19 pandemic

Covid Pledge – Values of best practice during the COVID19 crisis.

Doing the right thing during the COVID pandemic.

1. Health and safety, compliance and behaviour

• Provide key information to all our people about how to spot symptoms:
Detail what they must do if they think they have become infected.
• Implement the government-recommended, sector-specific social distancing in the workplace measures for all our people:
Communicate procedures for staying 2 metres apart during briefings and for all operational procedures such as loading and unloading vehicles. Consider operating a delivery program which staggers driver start times in waves, to reduce the number of drivers on site at the same time and to minimise the contact between people.
• Prepare remote and distance space policies based on:
Policy in sortation – space around team, working within one cohort
Policy for office staff – remote or working from home
• Provide virus PPE to all our people who need it:
In the office and in the van.
Provide hand sanitising gel, anti-bacterial hand-wipes.
Tissues (Use it and Bin It) disposal bags. Gloves & Face masks.
Identify workers of clinical or cultural vulnerability.

2. Responsibility to consumers and clients.

• Provide a procedure for enhanced cleaning:
Sanitising the office. Ensure good ventilation or use of fresh air-conditioner
Sanitising the parcel space of the delivery vehicle, ventilate or use fresh air-con in the vehicle
Internal wipe-down of driver space in the vehicle interior at driver exchange.
Sanitising in sortation. Procedures for wipe down of shared equipment such as cages and containers.
• Provide a policy for the delivery point which covers:
Protocol for proof of delivery.
Need for customer signature.
Leave-safe procedure.
Dealing with PDA contact or signature collection systems.
• Revers logistics. Inform consumers on returns procedures matching driver at door policies.

3. Engagement status

• Provide information on engagement and income to team members:
Provide furlough advice to PAYE team members.
Provide information on procedures for working with others during furlow.
Provide self-employment income subsidy detail where appropriate to worker status.

It's all in the Bubble - Compliance during COVID-19

The new code of COVID-19 delivery – Express courier key worker ID – Campaign at the door for driver safety.

IOC putting Covid-19 in the bubble at instituteofcouriers.com/covid

MOT exemption, Driver CPC, driver hours and more can be found in the bubble.

IOC continue to update the dedicated web space bubble for Express courier covid detail at instituteofcouriers.com/covid From the new one-stop govt business address to the best practice at doorstep policy for COVID. It is updated daily for fellows and members of the IOC and circulated wider to networks including NCDA during COVID.