Impact Washington Back to Work Measures and Controls for Manufacturing

May 19, 2020
Graphic for Covid-19 Manufacturing Recovery & Preparedness Webinar

Thank you to all of our presenters on the call.

Questions directed to Impact Washington Staff

Q: Do you have a timeframe of when you expect the Governor to lift the stay at home order?     

  • A: The Governor has mentioned during several press briefings that restarting the economy Is akin to turning a dial NOT a switch. Just yesterday his office released the Phase 2 Manufacturing Facility COVID-19 Requirements.  There is a link to it on our website or you can go to the www.governor.wa.gov website to find it.  We’ve seen several sectors present a plan to the Governor allowing them to re-open early. We encourage you to work with your trade associations to show that you can manage restarting safely. Having this 3rd party review should go a long way towards convincing others that you are prepared. If they are ever to enact a “certification” or standard you have to meet, my guess Is that this review will prepare you to meet those requirements.

Q: Have you Implemented this process with local manufacturers?   

  • A: Impact Washington is now opening this up to the eastern region.  They have had around 40 assessments statewide, and it has been well received by companies.

Q: What should we do to prepare for the assessment?

  • A: Gather your procedures, job occupations, etc.

Q: What does a consultant meeting look like?

  • A: Impact Washington will schedule a virtual tour of your company through Teams Meeting.  The resource provider will have a lengthy list of questions and topics to discuss, and you will sit down with the provider to complete those questions during that session.  The first session usually lasts around 2 ½ hours. Next will be a follow-up meeting, either that afternoon or the next morning, to go over the report the resource provider has written up based on your answers.

 Q: Could you share an example of the changes that have been Implemented as a result of speaking with your consultants? 

  • A: Some examples of changes include separating different risk groups such as outside truckers, delivery personnel, office staff, and manufacturing floor staff. The most recent assessment that Richard sat through highlighted around 14 different areas the 3rd party pointed out that the client hadn’t thought about.  Impact Washington leans heavily on the expertise of the 3rd party resource providers they bring in.   

Q: Do you forward the assessment report to the state or any other groups? 

  • A: Impact Washington does not share the information with anyone.  Impact Washington is willing to sign NDA’s if the business would prefer that.  

Q: Are there strings attached to the grant that covers this consultant work? Is it really free?

  • A: Yes, there is one string attached. First off, recovery projects (training, new processes, etc.) will require an application to decide if it fits in the grant.  The only string attached is that businesses must agree to perform a survey that will come from a third party after the assessment has been completedThis survey will act as an evaluation tool for Congress to gauge the effectiveness of the program and the money.

Q: It was mentioned on the call that employees can choose to wear a mask, but we have heard that facial coverings are required for employees unless working alone.  Can you provide some clarification?  

  • A: First of all, working alone is not well defined by the state. It is a vague guideline, and when Impact Washington has asked the state to clarify, their response has been, “do the right thing.” With that guidance, Impact Washington is recommending that employers make masks available to all employees. Impact Washington would also like to note that the assessment will include all of the latest information that they have been given the state.

Additional Links Referenced on the Call

Checklist for Manufactures for Phase 2

Chamber
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