How does the building products industry create a safe work environment amid Covid-19?
The Coronavirus has created a new market dynamic within many industries, and the building products industry is no exception. What does the new landscape look like? In our final installment of our three-part series, we take a closer look at how the building product manufacturers incorporate safe practices in their own workplace.
Covid-19 is an easily transmissible virus that has been rapidly spreading throughout the United States. To help prevent this spread, building product manufacturers have taken steps to keep both customers and employees safe.
Adapting
As we discussed in part one and two of our series, the coronavirus pandemic has shifted all markets, forcing us to adapt in all facets of life, including work. For example, shop floors and assembly lines have been re-engineered to allow for proper social-distancing measures as outlined by the CDC. Furthermore, daily protocols such as temperature checks, disinfection of shared tools, and mask wearing have been implemented. If a worker is feeling sick or has a fever, they are sent home for precautionary reasons. Finally, manufacturers are helping combat the virus by producing various PPE equipment. By shifting sole focus from traditional products to PPE, manufacturers are helping to ease growing supply concerns. The PPE produced can range from masks to sneeze guards, and everything in between.
Superior Creates a Sneeze Guard to help combat Covid-19
More regulations and safety methods are used depending on a manufacturer’s location and personal protocols, with Superior Aluminum no exception. Located in southwest Ohio, Superior follows the guidelines outlined by Responsible Restart Ohio for Manufacturing Distribution & Construction. In these guidelines, measures such as the ones previously mentioned and more are included. Additionally, Superior implements guest and driver rules. Visiting guest must first schedule an appointment, have their temperature taken, and be wearing a mask before they are allowed to enter the facility. Similarly, drivers who are delivering or picking up from Superior must stay within a designated driver area to reduce face to face contact.
Going Digital
While physical assembly of products cannot be done remotely, some companies within the building products industry have gone remote for other tasks. More specifically, allowing office personnel to work from home wither full or part-time has become commonplace. By creating these hybrid work environments, the overall face to face interactions are greatly reduced without sacrificing much in the way of productivity. In conjunction with working remotely, meetings have also gone digital. Instead of members huddling up in a small room together to discuss business, each participant can join from the safety of their home.
For its own part, Superior has embraced the online world. While already in use before Covid-19, Superior uses an online company shared file to easily work on documents together, without the need for face-to-face interactions. Additionally, instant messaging further allows employees to collaborate together on projects, all while staying socially distant. Finally, and as previously mentioned, meetings at Superior are now conducted virtually. These virtual meetings have been an excellent supplement for traditional meetings and has actually saved time and effort for all involved!
What it Means
Unfortunately, at the time of this blog, it seems like the coronavirus will remain a sizable part of our life for months to come. However, because of the hard work and safety habits that are being implemented by both government and employers, work projects are still being completed. By adhering to new CDC guidelines, washing hands, using proper PPE, and completing tasks remotely when possible, together we can keep others and ourselves safe.
