With the global outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19), safety has taken on a new meaning. Grade Tech is known in the power industry not just for our outstanding work, but for putting the safety of our crews, our business partners and the surrounding communities above all else. We do everything in our power each and every day to provide a safe, accident-free and injury-free work site. In addition to implementing our standard safety procedures, we are employing additional measures in order to manage risk during this difficult time.
As an essential business, our crews are operating at full capacity throughout this pandemic. We are still hiring new employees to ensure continuity for our power clients while also providing gainful employment to experienced workers who may have been furloughed or laid off elsewhere.
To help limit or prevent the spread of the highly-contagious disease amongst our crews and those with whom we work, we have taken precautionary steps at our project sites, while travelling to and from project sites, and with our office personnel.
First and foremost, our crew members have been directed to remain home if they are not feeling well or if they have been exposed to someone with the virus. In addition, all office staff are working remotely from their homes, ensuring full functionality while limiting close contact with their coworkers.
Other precautions implemented in response to the Coronavirus include:
- Social Distancing & All CDC Recommendations– We are keeping a safe distance (6 feet recommended) between crew members and others at all times as well as the other CDC recommendations. By doing our part, we can help end this pandemic.
- Providing Masks – We have provided masks to all our employees to use as they see fit on and off the job as well as their family members.
- Safety Pay – Every employee is receiving a (temporary) $2/hour raise to help protect them and their families as well as alleviate some of their hardships and burdens due to the current issues.
- Sick Pay – Sick pay has been added in the amount of 80 hours to provide a safety net/financial security for anyone who becomes ill.
- Disinfecting of Trucks – Interiors of all of our trucks are being disinfected/sanitized every weekend by a professional cleaning company.
- Office Closure – Our office staff is working remotely while the stay at home orders are in place and we started before the mandates were in place. They are still fully functional and available to serve you.
- Hotel Rooms – In order to ensure the safety of our crews who are required to stay in hotel rooms near a job site, we have reserved rooms for extra weeks so that the rooms remain unoccupied while our crew is away; thus, lessening the risk of infection.
- Carpool Limitations – Our crew will no longer be carpooling to job sites. We will utilize both company and personal vehicles, limited to one person in each, to ensure social distancing and minimize the risk to them.
- Removal of Breathalyzers – We electively install Smart Start breathalyzers for additional safety and risk management. We have temporarily removed them from all of our vehicles as an added precaution.
- We are continuously educating every team member with the latest mandates and guidance from federal, state and local authorities.
When it comes to managing business throughout this coronavirus outbreak, it certainly isn’t “business as usual” at Grade Tech. We have developed a “new normal” that enables us to continue providing our power clients with the same world-class service to which they have become accustomed, while also doing our part to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus. We will continue to update procedures as more information and guidance is released in the coming weeks.
At Grade Tech, we don’t back down when times get tough…we rise to the occasion! And we will continue to operate fully – and safely – in the face of the current and continuous challenges.
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