From the outset, a Crisis Management Team was formed to provide global guidance on preventive measures to be taken by SGS management, in order to avoid the presence of the virus on our premises, protect SGS employees and minimize disruption of operations.

As the situation unfolds, our management and internal protocols are also being adjusted as required. Our actions and management protocols will continue to develop in line with the progression of COVID-19 and based on WHO (World Health Organization) country-specific guidance.

Since the outbreak of the coronavirus our top priority has been the health and safety of our people and our customers, and we have put in place the following preventive measures:

• Travel restrictions and site closures to minimize the spread of the virus
• Supply of protective masks for employees as required by position and/or regional exposure risk
• Heightened control, hygiene and prevention measures

SGS is monitoring official announcements from national and local authorities, International SOS and the World Health Organization for developments, as businesses across the world are increasingly impacted by the spread of the virus.

We are also focused on keeping customers regularly informed about our services to limit any potential disruption to their supply chain. We are also complying with extra measures requested by our customers.

Our commitment to our people and our customers:

To ensure our customers’ business continuity we are proactively monitoring all developments and adapting our resources accordingly to mitigate impact to our service delivery and maintain our usual high standards of customer service.

• SGS provides timely and regular travel alerts to employees to minimize the spread of the virus during travel to work and field operations.
• SGS delivers regular employee communications and internal preventive measures to contain the spread of the virus.
• SGS is operating comprehensive Business Continuity plans which are designed to deal with any type of business disruption. Our plans are continuously enhanced with specific information, such as WHO guidance for Covid-19. Close collaboration between our Operational Integrity, Health and Safety professionals and our global BC teams ensure the latest Covid-19 prevention and response information is available to our network.
• SGS regularly carries out comprehensive risk and impact assessments of its supply chain. Furthermore, we remain in close contact with our critical suppliers.

As SGS is alerted to the spread of the virus in other countries, we are implementing additional controls, hygiene and prevention measures including regular office disinfection throughout the day.

For more information:

SGS continues to monitor closely all developments and provides regular updates to customers via its normal channels. Our customers’ usual SGS points of contact are available to answer any specific customer questions. March 16, 2020