Managed by Nhood Polska, Galeria Bronowice in Krakow received the international SafeGuard certificate confirming that the facility meets the sanitary requirements related to preventing the spread of the Covid-19 epidemic. The marking was preceded by a detailed audit carried out by Bureau Veritas, a global leader in the certification market. The process of verification of epidemic safety standards continues in another six commercial facilities managed by Nhood Polska.
Galeria Bronowice is the first facility managed by Nhood Polska to receive the international SafeGuard certificate. The award is the result of a detailed verification process carried out by an independent certification body – Bureau Veritas.
– In the spring of last year, our experts developed the SafeGuard evaluation system, which in the time of a pandemic is to confirm high procedural and sanitary standards in commercial, hotel and catering facilities. The solution was initiated by an international project of cooperation between Bureau Veritas and a global hotel brand and it met with great interest – thousands of hotels, shopping centers and office buildings in dozens of countries were assessed by Bureau Veritas – says Witold Dżugan, Certification Director of Bureau Veritas Polska. – So far, Bureau Veritas Polska has already completed the verification of 85 facilities throughout the country. We are very pleased to welcome Galeria Bronowice in this group. Certification – fully transparent, because each outlet can be verified on the digital platform Restart Your Business with BV – confirms that the owner and manager of the Gallery treat the safety of customers and employees as a priority. The strategy undertaken reduces the risk of spreading infection through contact and builds trust in the brand in the new reality – adds Witold Dżugan.
The auditor assessed the compliance of the solutions used in the facility with sanitary and legal requirements related to the prevention of the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. In-depth verification by Bureau Veritas included the assessment of operating procedures, an independent audit at the facility in the form of inspection, as well as laboratory tests for the presence of traces of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The assessment focused on 6 main areas and 15 important subcategories and a total of 41 control points.
– From the moment the state authorities announced the state of epidemic threat, we have introduced procedures in the facilities we manage to ensure the security of our customers’ purchases. We carefully monitored the changes in the applicable regulations and implemented appropriate solutions. I am glad that these activities have been appreciated by independent auditors and Galeria Bronowice, as the first of the facilities managed by Nhood, can use the SafeGuard designation – says Aleksandra Dubrawska, Property Management Director at Nhood Polska.
In the facilities managed by Nhood Polska, shortly after the announcement of the epidemic threat in Poland, a number of activities and processes were implemented to ensure customers’ safety during purchases. All of them were adapted to the guidelines of the Ministry of Health and the Chief Sanitary Inspector. In addition, Nhood Polska carried out an educational campaign called “Safe Shopping” in all managed facilities, which was aimed at providing reliable and up-to-date information on the principles of functioning of facilities and tenants, building awareness that shopping centers and malls managed by the company are places of safe shopping, as well as shaping the habits of safe shopping. The campaign was included in the nationwide report “CSR in Poland. Good Practices 2020 ”prepared by the Responsible Business Forum.
Obtaining the SafeGuard certificate by the facility allows for the placement of special markings on the entrance door, which confirm that the facilities meet the highest hygiene standards and have undergone laboratory tests, confirming the absence of signs of coronavirus on selected surfaces. In addition, each facility that received the SafeGuard certificate was described on a dedicated Internet platform RestartYourBusiness. Everyone can check which facilities have already been checked in terms of sanitary procedures and are SafeGuard certified, and which are under verification.
In the near future, SafeGuard certification will be granted to another six facilities managed by Nhood all over Poland.
