As multiple state and government agencies have limited travel and ordered people to shelter in their place of residence, essential businesses like Greenheck Group are addressing new challenges resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Greenheck Group, a pioneer in the engineering and manufacture of HVAC equipment and headquartered in Schofield, Wisconsin, continues to support ongoing building construction around the world, especially in needed industries such as healthcare and digital infrastructure.
Creating safe environments for healthcare workers
“As an essential business, we are committed to stay open for business, operating our manufacturing facilities throughout the country under CDC and CISA government guidelines to mitigate the risk to our team members while supporting the urgent needs of our customers,” stated Jim McIntyre, President and CEO of Greenheck Group.
We have implemented comprehensive procedures to ensure their wellbeing and reduce the risk of infection"
“Our first concern is the health and safety of our team members, their families and the communities in which we operate. We have implemented comprehensive procedures to ensure their wellbeing and reduce the risk of infection. In addition, all equipment orders supporting healthcare receive the highest urgency.”
Greenheck Group manufactures a wide variety of commercial air movement, control, and conditioning equipment, including ventilation, exhaust, and damper products that are necessary to create safe environments for healthcare workers and patients in hospitals, surgical suites, laboratories, and senior care centers.
Building more patient isolation rooms
Hospitals across the U.S. are asking contractors to build more patient isolation rooms and testing facilities to accommodate the increasing number of COVID-19 patients. In March, urgent orders for Greenheck Group products have been received from around the country, and the company responded quickly. Some examples include:
- Greenheck was engaged by hospitals in California and Virginia to provide Vektor and FumeJet lab exhaust equipment for new patient isolation rooms. Typically, this equipment requires weeks to manufacture and ship. Greenheck expedited the orders for 10-day shipping.
- A south Florida hospital is converting a patient space into a COVID-19 ICU. Airflow is critically important. Greenheck’s Kentucky plant manufactured a vital louver product in one day and airfreighted it to the job site.
- A medical supply company is retrofitting a facility for production of hand sanitizer in response to COVID-19. The company placed an order for a Greenheck damper ansd it was manufactured at Greenheck’s Wisconsin operations, and was shipped promptly.
- A major web service provider requested assurances that Greenheck Group would remain open as an essential business. Data centers provide essential infrastructure to healthcare, government, telecommunication, and emergency services. Greenheck Group’s equipment and services are necessary to support ongoing operations in digital warehouses.
Comprehensive set of social distancing
Greenheck Group expanded its existing absence policies by creating the ‘Emergency Absence System’ (EAS)
To keep team members, families and communities safe at all its manufacturing facilities, Greenheck Group has implemented a comprehensive set of social distancing, workplace hygiene, and illness response protocols. Greenheck Group also formed a COVID-19 Response Team, which implemented policies based on CDC guidelines:
- Inbound and outbound travel was stopped
- Time gap was created between shift changes to prevent exposure
- Sanitization of workspaces and common areas before and after each shift
- Removal of all shared vending, coffee, and water from facilities
- Developed a remote worker program
- Expanded employee absence guidelines
Expanding its existing absence policies
In addition, Greenheck Group expanded its existing absence policies by creating the ‘Emergency Absence System’ (EAS). A support line was launched, and team members were given the ability to stay home without fear of it hurting their employment status, including:
- Personal illness or family illness
- Concern about the risk of illness
- Childcare needs
- Providing care to others at risk
“These times require much from us personally and from our nation’s corporations,” McIntyre said. “This is an opportunity for us to care for each other, our customers, our healthcare professionals, and our country by doing all we can to contribute and stay safe. Our hope at Greenheck Group is that we make decisions and act in ways that live up to our values and the commitments we make to the communities where we operate.”
