- Four members of the team at the Northeast automobile factory are deaf
Nissan UK has confirmed that its assembly line team working at its Sunderland car factory have learned sign language to communicate with their deaf colleagues.
The staff in the production area of the vehicle plant, which employs 6,000 people in total, have learned to use sign language to facilitate communication. It takes constant communication and interaction to build a car almost every two minutes.
The site, which is the largest automobile producer in the country, currently has four deaf members on its team.
Following a review by site operators, the department endorsed a proposal to learn sign language to improve work efficiency, safety and inclusion.
Pictured: The entire Nissan production team, who learned to sign to support four deaf colleagues working at the Sunderland car plant.
Peter Haydon, senior paint shop supervisor at the plant, said: ‘Four members of our team are deaf, which made communication a challenge for our supervisors and our team on the production line.
‘More than anything, we want all of our people to feel included and part of the team, so we did a complete overhaul and one thing everyone wanted to do was learn how to sign.’
Initially, ten team members, including Peter, attended an eleven-week course to learn the basics.
Peter, who leads the team in the bumper painting area, added: ‘Learning sign language wasn’t easy… It was difficult to learn at first and you really need to stay focused.
‘But the whole team wanted to learn and threw themselves into training and said that by the sixth week they started to understand it.
“It’s been really inspiring to see the team members who attended the course teach others in the store how to sign.”
In addition to teaching sign language, the area was also renovated to accommodate visual aids in activities such as training, meetings and briefings. And while the team is still developing its capabilities, sign language interpreters are also brought to the site on a regular basis.
Micheal Connolly, one of the deaf operators at the Sunderland plant, said: ‘In the past there have been communication breakdowns due to a language barrier, part of the barrier has now been removed.
‘Team morale has improved a lot and it’s been great to see the team so excited about learning sign language.’
Michael Jude, the plant’s HR director, said: ‘We have had deaf operators before and have of course made adjustments to make their workspaces safe and practical.
“But this team is made up of four deaf people and as a group they wanted to go one step further. It’s a fantastic example of how our people come together and go the extra mile to support each other.”