In recent months, the effects of the COVID- 19 pandemic have rippled throughout industry and transformed business practices worldwide. BIC Alliance member companies have stepped up to assist their workforce and communities by contributing to the global response efforts to address this unprecedented health crisis.
Since the outbreak, Aegion Energy Services (Brinderson, Schultz, P2S ServTech, AllSafe Services) has partnered with oil refiners to protect personnel health and maintain operations. Aegion established an internal pandemic planning committee to develop a pandemic response plan.
In response to personnel health, Aegion commenced performing new services such as screening personnel and surface disinfection. The screening includes questioning and temperature monitoring. Aegion also prepared for the buildup of site personnel, suspended construction and deferred turnarounds. The company has developed training programs that address new methods including virtual site visits, restricted gatherings and video conferencing.
AMECO developed a sanitizing tunnel that eliminates 99 percent of viruses and bacteria on objects and people that pass through it. The device protects workers and the surrounding community. AMECO is preparing sanitizing tunnels for distribution in North America.
AMECO worked with its global network of suppliers to provide PPE, temporary shelters, logistical support and custom solutions for clients to keep essential employees safe on the job. For example, more than 77,000 masks, gloves, face shields and other critical PPE were distributed to Bon Secours Mercy Health for use at more than 54 hospitals in the U.S. Additionally, within 48 hours of receiving the request, AMECO sourced and delivered more than 1,000 masks for workers returning to the LNG Canada project in British Columbia.
Apache Industrial Services rolled out two new, innovative products in response to the COVID-19 pandemic to help the U.S. get back to work: the Mass Fever Screening System (MFSS) and the Tomahawk UV-C germicidal lamp. The MFSS scans and identifies feverish people in areas of significant human traffic, including airports, hospitals and schools. The portable system yields immediate results with high accuracy and no contact, and can process 5,000 employees in 30 minutes.
The Tomahawk germicidal lamp uses UV-C sterilization to safely destroy viruses and pathogens in the air and on hard surfaces. UV-C light penetrates through cell walls, breaking down DNA and killing dangerous microorganisms. The system is purposed for the fast decontamination of industrial facilities, offices, hospitals, schools and more.
Seeing the great need first responders and community members have for PPE and accessories, BakerRisk's Akansha Khandelwal and John Moosemiller of the company's Houston office eagerly searched for opportunities to help. Discovering they could quickly produce mask relief bands with BakerRisk's 3-D printer, Khandelwal and Moosemiller immediately teamed up to start production and delivery of the bands. The mask relief bands are designed to alleviate uncomfortable and even painful pressure to the ears from wearing face masks for medical professionals who have already sacrificed so much. At press time, 500 relief bands had been donated.
BHI Energy's Specialty Services Group in Lawrenceville, Georgia, wanted to be part of the solution when COVID-19 left many jobless and without funds to buy food. The group organized a fundraiser in support of the Atlanta Community Food Bank and set a goal to raise $500. When the fundraiser concluded, the team had collected $1,300 in donations to provide food to families, children and seniors in need during this difficult time. BHI thanks Lawrenceville employees for their generosity.
Bollé Safety has been helping the everyday heroes on the front lines protect themselves with safety eyewear donations worldwide. Compared to the dedication and sacrifice of health care professionals, this is only a small gesture, but Bollé's team believes that, as members of their communities, it is their responsibility to use the company's expertise in PPE to provide first responders and doctors with the right eyewear to ensure their safety. Bollé has also taken it as its duty to increase production capacity and develop a specific range of products that are both economical and multipurpose to protect the millions of anonymous people who save lives and care for those who need it most.
Bradley Corp. provided products to a number of critical trades and industries that were fighting COVID-19. Chicago's McCormick Place was recently transformed into a COVID-19 hospital. Designers selected Bradley's durable, solid-plastic Lenox® Lockers to safely store personal property for front-line medical personnel. One reason the lockers were selected is they could be easily sanitized. Bradley supplied more than 150 Lenox Lockers.
Also, hospitals needing sterilization of surgical instruments relied on Bradley's Keltech® Tankless Electric Water Heaters to provide precisely heated, on-demand hot water. Keltech assisted hospitals such as Riverwoods Surgical Center in Provo, Utah, and Prince George's Hospital in Maryland, among others, to sterilize equipment before it was used in surgery.
BrandSafway has taken extra measures to ensure safety, health and wellness remain the top values and priorities during this pandemic by implementing a COVID- 19 plan, which includes social distancing, self-identification risk questionnaires, sanitizing protocols and noncontact temperature screenings, where appropriate. In addition, BrandSafway is providing customers with cleaning services to sanitize gathering areas and high-contact surfaces, using approved disinfectants per CDC and EPA guidelines. BrandSafway has also been responding to an increased need for temporary structures. Relying on its experience in disaster relief, BrandSafway has been building tents and other temporary structures to support public health and essential workers in areas heavily affected by COVID-19.
The Brock Group began making face masks at one of its thermal blanket manufacturing facilities to donate to those in need. Medical facilities asked local communities to make protective gear for staff and patients due to the increased demand. Brock employees found a way to assemble face masks alongside thermal blanket production at the Sulphur, Louisiana, manufacturing facility.
"We have a talented group of fabricators; we just needed some additional supplies for the masks," said Ty Rose, vice president of operations, U.S. East, The Brock Group.
Once the supplies arrived, the masks were added to production. Within a week, Brock had enough to make a donation to the Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. At press time, Brock had produced and donated over 1,000 masks to local hospitals and medical facilities.
Carboline's Green Bay, Wisconsin, manufacturing facility made 300 gallons of sanitizer and distributed it to all Carboline U.S. locations to assist in COVID-19 pandemic relief efforts. Research was done to identify the best combination of ingredients to use and the best containers in which to distribute the sanitizer, with more planned to be made once the initial run of products has been depleted. Carboline Executive Vice President of USA Sales Darrin Andrews has also helped out with food pantry deliveries through the North Valley Food Bank, which has been delivering food to people at high risk and in need.
Clifford Power Systems provided temporary generators to power several COVID- 19 triage and testing tents, including a testing facility and open-air clinic in Fort Worth, Texas. Remedy Applications LLC, an urgent-care provider, opened drive-thru testing tents to provide a safe and convenient way for those suspected of infection to get tested without the added risk of stepping into a facility with other potentially infected patients. Similar generators were dispatched for drive-thru testing facilities in Houston, Austin and San Antonio, Texas, to provide power to the tents during operating hours.
The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted everyone, but it didn't restrain the spirit of the CLIMAX engineering team, especially Senior Mechanical Engineer Sydnee Hammond. Working from home, Hammond had the idea to utilize CLIMAX's 3-D printing capabilities to print face shield frames and then attach plastic shields to them. Making protective face shields is dramatically different from everything else CLIMAX does, but its engineering and manufacturing teams stepped up to answer the call.
With split shifts, CLIMAX began making these frames 24/7. The first batch of face shields were delivered by CLIMAX Customer Service Representative Jacob Secor to first responders at the West Valley Fire District in Oregon. The communities of Willamina, Grand Ronde, Sheridan and Southwestern Polk, Oregon, had a hard time securing plastic face shields due to shortages. CLIMAX was proud to play a role in supporting these communities.
Hancock Whitney Bank committed $2.5 million for investments in communities to help people in some of the Gulf South's most vulnerable neighborhoods during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The investments provided much-needed financial support for the following priorities in local communities across Hancock Whitney's banking footprint: approximately $1 million for stocking local food pantries; $600,000 for supplies in some of the hardest- hit and low-to-moderate-income communities and for first responders; $800,000 for housing relief and $100,000 for the Hancock Whitney Associate Assistance Fund. The bank also partnered with local restaurants across its footprint to provide more than 8,000 meals to health care professionals caring for COVID-19 patients.
Heritage Environmental offers several services to help combat COVID-19. For customers in need of immediate assistance with a confirmed or presumed case, emergency response teams are ready to help. For those looking for ongoing, proactive assurance and support, Heritage can help develop business continuity plans and provide routine disinfection services on a weekly or bi-weekly basis.
Beyond its services, Heritage has continued to support the community. The company has supported local restaurants and essential employees still reporting to work with catered meals, donated $125,000 across 25 food banks in 18 states, delivered meals to hospital staff at 41 medical facilities and donated PPE to medical centers near Heritage's three largest facilities.
InEight Inc. donated $10,000 to the Phoenix Children's Hospital's Virtual Visits initiative to help keep patients and their families connected during the COVID-19 crisis.
The Virtual Visits program uses camera systems in patient rooms to allow family members and patients to see each other safely. Users can connect through smartphones, laptops and tablets, helping to minimize potential infections and further spread of the disease while also adhering to distancing rules.
"[InEight's] generous donation will allow families to connect in a meaningful way while they keep a safe distance and [will] help foster continued innovation within the hospital," said Kim Ho, corporate development officer of Phoenix Children's Hospital.
Industrial Scientific has issued a guide on how to safely adapt gas detection programs to COVID-19. To assist companies that are using chlorine dioxide as a cleansing agent, Industrial Scientific has also implemented a special rental program in which the company provides fresh monitors on a monthly basis so workers can stay safe without learning special chlorine dioxide calibration practices.
Industrial Scientific's Pittsburgh team also donated N95 respirators to local first responders and hospitals that have been chronically short of this important PPE. Human Resources Business Partner Amy Palko delivered masks to a local police chief, who was grateful to be able to protect first responders.
International Cooling Tower USA Inc. (ICT) donated 1,500 KN95 masks to front-line medical professionals at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. ICT wanted to help the hospital support its ongoing mission of providing the best possible care to patients. ICT knew there was a strain on the medical supply industry because of COVID-19, so the company jumped at the opportunity to donate masks.
OverNite Software Inc. (OSI) created and provided free access to its Coronavirus Awareness course. The valuable course was based on the CDC guidelines for awareness and prevention of COVID-19. The course described the disease, discussed who is at risk, and summarized ways to prevent COVID-19 from spreading in the workplace and community.
Amid the realization of a global pandemic, OSI also offered free access to its Pandemic Awareness course. The course covered how to recognize and prevent disease outbreaks and listed common precautions everyone can take to reduce the spread of disease-carrying germs. Because preparedness is key to pandemic disaster prevention, the course covered how everyone, especially employers, can prepare for local pandemic outbreaks.
PCL Industrial Construction Co. in Houston donated 750 N95 respirators to a pair of medical facilities in South Texas to fight the spread of COVID-19. The PCL team met with Dr. John McNeill, the leading physician in charge of the city's emergency response team, and donated 500 masks to the city of Victoria, Texas. Dr. McNeill assured PCL the masks would help front-line staff save lives (and in turn, help save their lives) and personally thanked PCL for the donation during his daily news briefing, where he and other doctors gave community updates.
An additional 250 masks were donated to the Memorial Medical Center in Port Lavaca, Texas, where Chief Nursing Officer Erin Clevenger expressed her gratitude, telling PCL about the pressure her facility was under to find proper PPE during the shortage.
PPG and the PPG Foundation contributed more than $1.5 million to organizations supporting immediate community relief efforts and emerging recovery needs amid the impacts of the COVID-19 crisis. PPG also increased its employee-matching donations program in the U.S. and Canada. When PPG employees made personal financial contributions to benefit nonprofit organizations supporting communities impacted by the COVID-19 crisis, the PPG Foundation committed up to $250,000 to double its standard match donation.
In addition to financial contributions, PPG committed a variety of in-kind supply donations, including paint and masks, totaling more than $500,000. As part of these donations, PPG provided 80,000 masks to hospitals in Pittsburgh, New York, Cleveland, Detroit and Huntsville, Alabama, in support of COVID-19 relief efforts. The company also donated more than 290 gallons of MASTER'S MARK⢠antibacterial interior latex coatings to the Shanghai Tongren Hospital.
Pure Safety Group's (PSG's) Checkmate brand team in the U.K. produced a nonmedical barrier face mask called the CheckMask. PSG Chief Innovation Officer Oliver Auston said the company was able to quickly ramp up production, given it already had product designers, sewing machines and manufacturing capabilities from making its core products, such as safety harnesses and other gear that keep people safe at height. Masks were made in accordance with AFNOR spec S76-001 and will be distributed in the U.K. by MakeMasksUK.org. The organization helps protect essential workers in food manufacturing and distribution, food retail, delivery services and the community at large.
RedGuard has been continually providing service and support to customers in the petrochemical industry and was prepared to help when urgent needs became apparent in health care, government and other sectors impacted by COVID-19. Some of the company's offshore accommodation modules have been delivered to provide beds for those dealing with the novel coronavirus. These modules can be set up with negative air pressure. RedGuard's LeaseFleet buildings have been used as isolated work areas for asymptomatic people who have recently traveled but need to continue working. Ground-level climate-controlled offices have been used to increase office space where temporary workers have been added. They've also been used for testing/screening sites and patient intake.
Reef Industries Inc. worked with longtime distributor, The Blast Bag Co., to create PPE for medical personnel by providing clear plastic for face shields.
Under normal circumstances, Blast Bag uses lasers to cut containment materials, but the company has repurposed the equipment to produce face shields in support of COVID- 19 relief efforts. Face shields, along with other protective equipment, help reduce the risk of medical personnel becoming infected with the virus.
"This opportunity is unique, and we feel as though we are called to fulfill our duties toward our fellow Americans. We take great pride in knowing that we are doing our part to help with relief efforts," said Dennis Olheiser, vice president of Reef Industries.
San Jacinto College, Houston Community College, University of Houston at Sugar Land, Fort Bend County Judge's Office, TX/RX Labs, Alief Independent School District (ISD) and Houston ISD have joined efforts to help address PPE shortages for local area medical professionals and first responders in the fight against COVID-19. The collaborative effort, known as "H-Force," is a comprehensive community partnership platform bringing together members' resources, technologies and expertise to address the Houston area's growing needs amidst this global crisis. H-Force members are supporting a number of initiatives across the city, including the project initiated by TX/RX Labs to utilize 3-D printers to produce face shields and assist health care workers at Memorial Hermann Health System, MD Anderson Cancer Center and Baylor College of Medicine.
In Cincinnati, Satellite Shelters provided mobile office trailers for several projects throughout the city so employees providing essential services could continue to do so while following social distancing rules during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ten of Satellite Shelters' mobile office trailers, sized 8 feet by 24 feet, equipped 20 of Cincinnati's essential employees with a safe work environment. By utilizing mobile offices, the city of Cincinnati could continue providing essential utilities to over 300,000 residents. Satellite Shelters also provided structures and assistance to facilitate mobile testing facilities, emergency equipment storage and drive-up testing sites for hospitals across the U.S.
StoneAge donated $20,000 to purchase protective medical gear for local hospitals in the areas surrounding the company's headquarters in Durango, Colorado. StoneAge CEO Kerry Siggins worked with dealers in China to source N95 masks, goggles, gloves, face shields and other much-needed equipment. Siggins also launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise an additional $20,000 to match the company's contribution. Several shipments of the PPE acquired by StoneAge were distributed to front-line medical staff.
Superior Glove has put its engineering and creative talents to work in the fight against COVID-19. In addition to donating tens of thousands of disposable gloves to local businesses in need, including hospitals and long-term care facilities, Superior Glove retooled its manufacturing infrastructure to produce much-needed PPE for workers on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic. The company's efforts include manufacturing face shields and hand sanitizer, as well as several other projects planned for the future. As a proud community supporter, Superior Glove is donating the initial production run of its face shields and hand sanitizer to local community organizations that need it most.
Thompson Industrial Services is offering disinfecting/sanitizing services per CDC guidelines to help your organization keep employees and visitors as safe and protected as possible. Thompson's fully trained response team is prepared to combat and slow the COVID-19 threat through proper disinfecting/sanitizing, decontamination and cleaning services wherever needed, 24/7. The company can also assist with disposal of any related biohazardous material.
Thompson uses EPA-registered disinfectant products that have been qualified for use against COVID-19. The product can be fogged, misted, foamed or sprayed, and even control rooms can be safely disinfected while in operation. This environmental disinfection process includes specific disinfection/ sanitizing procedures that should only be performed by trained professionals.
When COVID-19 broke out, Tyndale anticipated the demand for masks and adjusted its manufacturing to produce protective FR surgical-style face masks. Tyndale understands the urgency to execute during unprecedented times and has delivered hundreds of thousands of FR masks to essential utility companies nationwide. By adjusting shift schedules and adding new manufacturing facilities, Tyndale leveraged two distribution facilities and strategic partnerships with leading FR brands to ensure workers received the safety supplies necessary in a timely manner. Furthermore, Tyndale has published multiple blog posts, from "How to Disinfect PPE" and "How to Care for an FR Face Mask" to "Why Soap Works." Tyndale is ready to assist in answering any questions pertaining to FR clothing and PPE related to COVID-19.
United Safety is supporting crisis response efforts with its TeQ Shield Tracker and Aware technologies. TeQ Shield Aware adds a thermal camera to United Safety's e-CSE technology to screen individuals for high temperatures in seconds, eliminating long lines and improving efficiency. Processing 10-20 people a minute with +/-0.6-degree accuracy makes TeQ Shield Aware a cost-effective solution for entryways.
TeQ Shield Tracker is a real-time location services solution that tracks assets to +/- 6-foot accuracy. Used to enhance productivity and safety, United Safety is providing TeQ Shield Tracker to clients to support social distancing and provide accurate contact tracing. United Safety's tracker can determine if people are closer than 6 feet apart for 14 days or a client-specified duration.
US Ecology is offering an ongoing cleaning solutions package: the COVID- 19 Safe Operations Program. The multifaceted program supports businesses' needs to safely resume operations and keep employees safe by offering decontamination, proactive preventive cleaning and secure waste disposal. Businesses receive customized recommendations of frequency of service necessary to prevent a second wave of contamination. Sourcing assistance for PPE and other supplies necessary to protect workforces is optional. All services are performed by highly trained, certified crews complying with regulatory guidelines. Customers receive pricing transparency, predictability, volume discounts and comprehensive management of programs from one trusted environmental solutions partner with over 65 years of experience.
WaterFleet created a new customer education program designed to focus on the importance of worker safety, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"We proactively reached out to our customers to highlight how simple basics like hygiene and water can dramatically impact worker health and safety," said Walter Friend, business development director for WaterFleet. "It's crucial to have clean, safe water for your people to drink. Also, make it as easy as possible for them to wash their hands frequently. WaterFleet will continue to help customers on all kinds of jobsites with these two important objectives."
Worth Service Supply Inc., a sister company of Northern Safety & Industrial, made donations of critical PPE to Franciscan Health Indianapolis, the hospital a few miles from Worth's Greenwood, Indiana, headquarters. Worth sent skids full of gloves, glasses and gowns to help protect health care workers on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic.
