Member Article

Odyssey Systems invests in rapid virus tests to keep staff and clients safe

Odyssey Systems is supplying staff with rapid Covid tests as part of its commitment to keeping both its employees and clients safe.

Andrew Middlemiss, finance director of the Stockton-based communications firm, said the lateral flow tests offer peace of mind for its office-based employees as well as those engineers required to visit clients’ premises.

The tests, purchased from Durham-based Medi-Inn UK, work in a similar fashion to a pregnancy test and detect the presence of Covid-19 within 15 minutes.

This allows employers to identify any contagious staff and ensure they immediately self-isolate, minimising the risk of passing on the virus to colleagues or clients.

The lateral flow test is carried out on-site by taking samples from the nose and throat, with the result then displayed via a portable immunoassay screening cassette.

Staff at Odyssey Systems are asked to take a test once a week, as part of the company’s working procedures.

Andrew Middlemiss said: “As a provider of business-critical systems, our staff work remotely whenever possible, but several roles require a presence in the office or, in the case of installing equipment or delivering world class remote working solutions, our engineers must attend a client’s premises.

“The investment in lateral flow tests further strengthens the strict set of Covid-safe policies that our staff follow.

“Odyssey is dedicated to the health and welfare of its employees and is committed to minimising the risk of anyone falling ill with the virus or becoming contagious.”

Wayne Dobson, director of Medi-Inn, which supplies medical and hygiene consumables, said: “To be able to play a part in helping businesses roll out effective testing programmes to protect their businesses and workforce is something we are really proud of.

“It’s reassuring to see so many businesses being responsible, purchasing PPE and tests to try and keep Covid-19 out of the workplace as much as possible.”

Odyssey has been kept particularly busy during the pandemic, initially working with businesses to ensure employees were able to make the switch to remote working. Since then, it has been supporting clients in maintaining and updating systems that deliver cost-effective and efficient working practices.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by News Gathering .