Vauxhall has announced that enhanced safety preparations at its Ellesmere Port site are underway to help it restart vehicle production. 

Despite closing its doors on March 17, the Ellesmere Port site in the UK has remained ‘active’ and has implemented a variety of new safety measures.

Ellesmere Port’s management team has now invited union Unite to make a final review of the new safety protocols before any manufacturing activity can begin again.

No restart date has yet been confirmed, though Vauxhall says that it is assessing this on a ‘week-by-week’ basis. 

More than 100 measures have been implemented, including checking employee’s temperatures in addition to their self-monitoring of symptoms. Mandatory safety glasses are being supplemented by a daily supply of masks, while proper social distancing procedures are also being enforced.

Break areas now include markings on the floor to show correct spacing, while doors (apart from fire doors) are being kept open to avoid contact with handles. Tools and work surfaces are being frequently cleaned, too. 

Ellesmere Port is home to Vauxhall’s Astra and produced more than 60,000 examples of the hatchback last year.