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Qatar

Lulu implements measures for workers' safety

Published: 28 Apr 2020 - 09:38 am | Last Updated: 28 Dec 2021 - 11:39 am
The staff of Lulu on duty wearing face masks.

The staff of Lulu on duty wearing face masks.

Sanaullah Ataullah | The Peninsula

Doha: Lulu Hypermarkets, which has 11 outlets with over 3,500 workforce operating across Qatar, has implemented a number of measures for occupational safety and health of its employees and workers at worksites with the outbreak of COVID-19. 

“The international health and hygiene standards ‘HACCP’, which is also recognised in Qatar,  are in place at all outlets of Lulu Hypermarkets,” Mohamad Althaf (pictured), Director of Lulu Hypermarkets told The Peninsula. He said to avoid food intoxication, Lulu has been following a number of measures for many years for food handlers like washing hands, wearing face masks for food protection and routine medical checkup to detect the infectious diseases which is also helpful in this scenario. 

“This year because of the epidemic of COVID-19, we have extended the safety measures to customers. We issued our safety protocol at the beginning of the outbreak of coronavirus as the customers were suggested to follow the social distancing putting stickers at 1.5 metre distance,” said Althaf.  

He said that Lulu has provided masks to everybody including staff and customers by believing in masking policy as about 70 percent infection could be reduced by doing so.

“Following the universal masking policy, all staff of Lulu have to wear face masks. Compulsory temperature checking is also being conducted for everybody, first it was introduced for staff and later extended to customers,” said Althaf.

He said that in a unique move to ensure the safety of staff and customers, Lulu placed safety barriers between cashier and customer at cash counters to make physical distance following the preventive measures to curb the infection of coronavirus. 

“Every employee of Lulu should wash hands after every 45 minutes. An alert system was installed to remind them,” said Althaf. He said that Lulu is going to introduce pre-packed goods to avoid the crowd of customers at the shelves for example at the sections of fruits, vegetables, bakery and meat.

The Director of Lulu Hypermarket lauded the local authorities for making tremendous efforts to ensure the safety and health of the people at outlets of Lulu.  He said that local authority became very strict in maintaining social distance at the outlets and made wearing face mask and gloves compulsory.

“Health officials are working actively everywhere risking their lives going to the facilities. They hired international companies to sanitise our stores regularly,” said Althaf.

He said that officials with volunteers visit Lulu outlets on a daily basis to help maintain social distance and ensure everybody wearing face masks and gloves.

“Lulu plans to introduce automated sanitiser system making a tunnel for employees to walk through to get full body sanitised automatically,” said Althaf.