GSK, the first pharmaceutical company in Spain certified by AENOR against COVID-19

• This seal certifies that the plans implemented by the company at its headquarters and at its R&D centre in Tres Cantos (Madrid), as well as those implemented for its activities with its customers, ensure that the work done by its employees at these centres is safe and adheres to the criteria and recommendations of health authorities.
  

• Priority has been given to providing information to employees, and organisational measures have been put in place, such as restricting occupancy in common areas, providing PPE to employees, improving ventilation systems, and more.
  

16 February 2021. AENOR has certified GSK for the protocols it has implemented anti-COVID-19 certification thus becoming the first pharmaceutical company in Spain to obtain this recognition.

These protocols have been implemented in its headquarters and at its R&D centre in Tres Cantos (Madrid), and have also been implemented for employees who interact with customers. Around 1,200 employees can thus carry out their daily activities, knowing that the plans developed by the company to make GSK a safe place to work are endorsed by this seal.

AENOR's "COVID-19 Protocols" certification is an external endorsement that the safety measures implemented by the company are effective, and that they also comply with the guidelines established by the Ministry of Health on matters of COVID-19 prevention and hygiene. Once the mark has been granted it is valid for a year, but must be monitored every three months.

Specifically, GSK has launched a complete set of preventive health and safety measures for its employees, most notably: improvements to ventilation systems; the implementation of preventive and corrective cleaning and disinfection protocols; the daily completion of a health survey through an app; daily temperature checks before entering the centre; training and information for employees and collaborators; access control to the work centre and common areas; social distancing; waste management; individual protective measures for employees and a robust plan to monitor and control the health of employees and collaborators, including PCR tests, to which end the Health Department of the Community of Madrid has authorised the company to use one of the laboratories in its R&D centre. This means that, right from the onset of the health crisis, GSK implemented multiple initiatives with one fundamental goal: to keep providing a safe work environment to its employees.

"In the face of this pandemic, our company's mission to work so that people can do more, feel better and live longer is more pressing and important than ever. Which is why at GSK Spain, we have taken all the steps needed to protect the health and safety of our employees. In this regard, the AENOR certificate represents an important recognition of the efforts we have been making in recent months to continue offering safe working environments. Because taking care of our employees' health is one of our top priorities", says Cristina Henríquez de Luna, president and CEO of GSK España.

For his part, Rafael García Meiro, CEO of AENOR, stated that "companies and society are facing a major challenge that requires companies to get involved in order to calm and reassure society. In this respect, a rigorous accreditation assessed by an independent third party serves to verify the serious and thorough efforts made by GSK. This endorsement translates into a message of credibility and transparency to the company's customers and staff thanks to its solvent and now certified protocols."

The assessment carried out by AENOR to award of this certification confirms the company's compliance in a wide range of aspects, such as risk management, occupational health and safety, training, information and communication; organisational and protection measures (use of PPE), as well as good cleaning and hygiene practices.