(Last Updated June 3, 2020 at 11:00am)
Ward 3 Manufacturers are encouraged to also look at the Financial Programs Page as many of these will apply to your business. Below are some helpful information to assist you during this tough time.
- Legal Opinion for Ohio Manufacturer’s Association on Essential Business.
- Information on how to retool the shop to make personal protective equipment from the Ohio Manufacturer’s Association.
- America Makes partnered with the Food and Drug Administration to help the manufacturing community meet the needs of first responders and health care workers. Learn more here.
- Not sure what kinds of supplies might be in demand? Reference this document.
- The Manufacturing Advocacy and Growth Network (MAGNET) has put together a variety of resources including this document.
- The Ohio Manufacturer’s Association also has a list of resources on Covid-19.
- A recording of a call (3/23/2020) on Ohio’s Stay atHome Order and the impact on manufacturers throughout the state is available here.
- The Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has released a documenton how businesses can plan to prevent the spread of the Coronavirus in the workplace basedon traditional infection prevention and industrial hygiene practices as well as a website on the virus full of resources.
- Businesses that are interested in learning more about the products that meet the EPA’s criteria for use against the Coronavirus may reference the publication List N. There is limited supplies of hand sanitizer, etc. available but perhaps you can find a good work around with other materials listed.
- Center for Disease Control’s Q&A on Manufacturing Facility Protocols for Covid-19
- FEMA Pandemic Influenza Continuity of Operations Annex Template Instructions
- You may also wish to review if your business interruption coverage or if the Corona Virus damage to property can be covered by your insurance policy.
- If you are looking for employees, or you are a current job seeker looking for work at an essential visit, please visit this site to post and search for job opportunities: https://jobsearch.ohio.gov/wps/portal/gov/jobsearch
- Ohio PPE Retooling and Reshoring Grant Program. During the pandemic, I have shared information about the need for Personal Protective Equipment or PPE. Both the Ohio Manufacturing Alliance and MAGNET were heavily involved with the effort to have manufacturers pivot their operations to create PPE. To further these efforts, the State of Ohio has created PPE Retooling and Reshoring Grant Program to provide grant funds to help businesses innovate and create solutions to the PPE shortage. Small and medium-sized manufacturers that retool existing facilities to make PPE or reshore PPE production to Ohio are eligible. The funding provides up to $500,000 per facility. In demand PPE Includes:
- Surgical masks,
- Gowns,
- Gloves,
- Community masks,
- Face shields,
- Thermometers,
- Hand sanitizer,
- Cleaning and sanitizing products,
- Other products and solutions.
Guidance on eligibility details go to coronavirus.ohio.gov/businesshelp
Ohio manufacturing companies are doing a variety of practices to keep their facilities clean but ensuring that their employees remain safe is a top concern. Here is what some of them are doing that you may be able to implement at your plant:
- Some companies are adding shifts or weekend hours so everyone can still collect a paycheck, ensure social distancing and not affect product delivery.
- Another company split plant into 2 work teams to promote social distancing, each working for 7 days 12 hour shifts (with additional breaks).
- Some have created a built in break time for employees to clean and disinfect with checklists on what has to be done.
- Take temperature checks at the door before someone enters the facility. This way if someone has a high temperature they are not in the building potentially causing contamination or causing some employees with reasons to worry.
- Stagger breaks and start times so 6’ distance can be maintained and not a mad rush for the same limited areas. If you have some employees who need structure and hate to deviate from routines you can try to incorporate this into your planning too.
- Some have withdrawn attendance and points policies, including leeway for employees with children affected by school closures.
- If not a fire door, consider propping it open to avoid a lot of people touching the same thing over and over throughout the day.
- Some companies that have been forced to implement a layoff are still paying their employees benefits. The hope is that they will have an easier time getting these great employees back when the economy ramps back up. All health insurers have been required by the Ohio Department of Insurance to allow employers to defer their insurance premium payments for up to two months.
- Keep your staff informed but not with in-person meetings. Use your bulletin boards and emails to keep everyone in the same loop.-One company has a dedicated person watching the daily Governor’s updates and sending out communication the following day after they see what the media is saying to ensure that they are getting the right message to communicate.
- Other have a communication response team made up of a cross section of department managers who can each see how to better plan for the outbreak with minimal disruptions.
- If someone from your company has a LinkedIn account have them search for OMA’s Covid-19 Information Exchange or www.linkedin.com/groups/12385229/ to stay up-to-date on other best practices