Electricity Distribution Sector Announces Coronavirus Measures

The Electricity Distribution Sector announced the measures they have taken against the Covid-19 virus. ELDER Chairman Serhat Çeçen emphasized that action plans are ready to provide uninterrupted electricity to citizens in case of a possible crisis.

ANKARA - TURKEY ELDER – Electricity Distribution Services Association Chairman Serhat Çeçen announced a series of measures taken by electricity distribution companies to reduce the effects of the Covid-19 (Corona virus) virus. Reminding that all public institutions and organizations have taken high-level measures strictly since the beginning of the process, Çeçen said that 21 electricity distribution companies across Turkey have urgently implemented some measures in general and in particular from the first day in order to provide uninterrupted energy to citizens.

"We have taken all precautions to be prepared for the Covid-19 virus, which is spreading around the world and threatening our country. As a sector, we have postponed all meetings and trainings until the end of April in the first place.We hung 14 Rules posters prepared by the Ministry of Health in our service buildings and service points and provided information. With the awareness that we are in the service sector, we will continue our understanding of providing uninterrupted and high quality electricity to our citizens without risking any of our employees. In this process, it is important that our consumers minimize social contact by choosing online channels for subscription or invoice transactions."

ACTION PLAN FOR THE CONTINUITY OF ENERGY SUPPLY

Stating that they have created an action plan for the continuity of energy supply, Chechen announced that they have ensured the establishment of the systematics of teams and equipment to intervene in malfunctions during the epidemic process. "By identifying limited and broad effective scenarios, we put our business recovery processes on the table," Chechen said.

INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL SUSPENDED

Listing the measures they have taken for employees, Chechen said: "We have stopped international travel and started a 14-day quarantine for all traveling personnel. We have made our consumer units aware of working with masks and gloves. Disposable services were switched to dining halls and meal times were extended to avoid congestion. Infrastructure preparations have also been started for our employees to work from home, except for our field personnel.

In addition, we aim to ensure the control of both our citizens and employees by installing thermal cameras at the company entrances of some of our General Directorate and Regional Directorate units. Their safety is more valuable to us than anything else."

"OUR EMPLOYEES HAVE BEEN INFORMED"

The Chechen continued:

"We have taken additional measures for staff who are in the high-risk group (pregnant, chronic diseases (sugar-blood pressure-heart patients, etc.), cancer, liver, kidney failure, lung patients, etc.). Informative seminars were held by workplace physicians to employees in locations other than small districts about ways to protect themselves from the corona virus. An informative e-mail was sent to the contractors about the coronavirus, they were asked to inform their employees about the measures in question and to inform the distribution company when suspicious cases were seen in their employees.

Regular announcements were made to our employees in particular and throughout our companies, and measures such as travel and personal hygiene were conveyed and the e-mail address where they would report in case of suspicious cases in themselves or their family members was announced. Response plans are being prepared in the event of a suspicious case in our employees or one of our employees' family members or contractor company personnel (cleaning the building, identifying the people contacted, removing them from the workplace, ensuring a return to normalcy, etc.)."

SERVICE PLACES ARE DISINFECTED

Serhat Çeçen pointed out that all entrances and exits in the service units are regularly disinfected within the scope of the measures taken by the electricity distribution sector against the Covid-19 virus and gave the following information: "Electricity distribution companies throughout Turkey have also installed hand disinfectant units at the company entrances and exits and on all floors. In addition, employees within the company are regularly informed about virus protection methods through internal communication work. Elevators are cleaned with disinfectant 3 times a day. All commonly used company vehicles were disinfected and disinfectant was put on the vehicles; drivers disinfect the vehicle when they pick it up and deliver it."