COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Outbreak

A new coronavirus (COVID-19) is causing an outbreak of respiratory illness, similar symptoms to pneumonia or the flu.

Barry-Wehmiller is continuing to monitor the situation and will provide regular updates to our guidelines and travel restrictions based on the latest information from the U.S. Department of State, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), World Health Organization (WHO), as well as government-released guidelines and statistics from countries where the outbreak has occurred.

Your health is our priority. Our objective is to have a measured response with the right level of caution and take steps in order to protect everyone within our span of care.

Therefore, until further notice, Barry-Wehmiller is enacting these social distancing measures:

• If you and your leader together decide that your job can be performed at home, we are asking you to work from home. If your leadership team already has work-from-home arrangements in place, please defer to your location’s plans.   
  • Fewer people in our facilities is necessary in certain situations to safeguard those who must be in our plants and offices to do their jobs.
  • If you have IT needs relative to working from home, refer to the IT work-from-home resources above or contact C3 Support or your local IT Support Team.
  • Working from home during these times may be distracting. Please make sure to remain productive and connected for the health and vitality of our company. 

• For those who will continue to work inside our facilities, please follow all safety protocol detailed below under COVID-19 Safe Workplace Guidelines and any site-specific instructions your local leadership teams have implemented. If you have any questions about your location’s safety practices, please reach out to your local CPD representative for more information.
  • If you continue to work onsite, please do not come to work and contact your local CPD if you are experiencing any cold or flu symptoms, including but not limited to:
    • Temperature of 100.4⁰ F (38⁰ C) or above
    • Chills
    • Cough
    • Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
    • Fatigue
    • Muscle or body aches
    • Headache
    • New loss of taste or smell
    • Sore throat
    • Congestion or runny nose
    • Nausea or vomiting
    • Diarrhea

• For those working at client locations or on project sites, we deeply appreciate the role you play in supporting our clients and our company. 
  • Follow all clients’ site-specific protocols; if unsure about or concerned with client guidelines, follow BW guidelines first and contact your leader or local CPD.  
  • Do not report to a client location or job site if you are feeling sick. 
  • If you travel regularly to client sites, please work with your local CPD and leader on when it is appropriate for you to return to Barry-Wehmiller facilities, to safeguard our teams and sites as much as possible.

• For everyone, 
  • Continue to avoid physical contact (shaking hands, high fives, fist bumps, etc.) and practice social distancing.
  • Continue to follow precautionary hygiene measures and follow BW guidelines.
  • Stay connected to your team members – social distancing may isolate us, but we are not alone! There’s no better time to show your appreciation or care for a team member than through a recognition message or personal note.  
  • Amplify the positive! Let’s combat the negative news by shining a light on those team members who have gone out of their way to help a fellow team member or the business in unusual ways. We want to share these stories so send a short note or a photo showing who and what they did to mary.rudder@barry-wehmiller.com. 

To protect our team members (and their families) and avoid the risk of team members being trapped in areas that become quarantined and unable to return home, Barry-Wehmiller is restricting travel as follows:

• Only CRITICAL customer-facing (e.g., field service with a willing technician and willing customer, Design Group client work) and business-critical travel with President approval is permitted until further notice.
• For any non-critical travel, no bookings should be made and existing bookings should be canceled (unless return-bound flight).

We want to avoid health threats as well as potential inconveniences. Local governments may restrict travel to/from a city/region at any time, as outbreaks occur, and we hope to reduce the risk of team members being adversely affected by these sudden quarantines/travel restrictions and unable to reach their worksite or return home from work. 

Before booking President-approved business-critical travel:

Please contact one of the travel leaders listed below for detailed reports of assessed risk in the area you are looking to make travel arrangements. This will ensure you have the most up-to-date information on:

• Current COVID-19 status for the area
• Country/state requirements on test results prior to entering region
• Country/state requirements on quarantine upon entry
• Other local requirements or guidance regarding COVID-19

Before travelling, please take the following steps to help reduce your risk of contracting COVID-19 and ensure you are following all local restrictions:

• Review the CDC’s site on travelling during the COVID-19 pandemic
• Contact your Travel Leader listed above in section 1 for a report on any requirements for travel to your destination and upon arrival home.
• Contact your local CPD upon arrival home to follow any local protocols for self-quarantine before arriving back onsite at a BW facility.

If at any point you become symptomatic or are exposed to someone who has tested positive or suspects they are positive, self-quarantine immediately and contact your healthcare provider and local CPD before returning to a BW facility.

If anyone in your organization has a known or suspected exposure to someone with COVID-19 or is currently experiencing symptoms in line with COVID-19, the individual should begin self-quarantine immediately and take the following precautions:

1. Contact their healthcare provider to seek testing for the virus and alert their leader/CPD.
2. CPD to complete contact tracing and begin the process of identifying and notifying team members and visitors who have been in close, prolonged contact (defined as within 6ft for longer than 3-5 minutes) with the individual who has potentially been exposed or is symptomatic.
   • All team members who have been in close, prolonged contact with the individual currently being evaluated will be sent home immediately and asked to self-quarantine until further details are provided.
3. CPD to complete the COVID-19 Exposure/Symptomatic Team Member Questionnaire Intake Form, as soon as possible.
4. Team members with risk of exposure begin 7-10 days of self-quarantine (based on the following criteria):
   • 7 days, if the team member asked to self-quarantine, receives a negative test within 48 hours of the final day of quarantine (tests administered on days 5 or 6 of quarantine are accepted)
     OR
   • 10 days if they choose not to be tested

5. If an individual tests positive or is presumed positive for COVID-19:
   • If the individual tested positive or is presumed positive for COVID-19 and had symptoms, they should remain self-quarantined until:
     1. At least 10 days since symptoms first appeared and
     2. At least 24 hours with no fever without fever-reducing medication and
     3. Symptoms have improved
   • If the individual tested positive for COVID-19 but never showed symptoms, they will remain in self-quarantine until 10 days have passed since their positive test was administered.
6. If an individual does not have access to testing but is presumed positive by their doctors, the CDC recommends they self-quarantine until it’s been 10 days since their symptoms first appeared and 72 hours since their symptoms resolved.

For those asked to self-quarantine at home because of possible exposure to COVID-19, please take the following precaution measures (following the WHO/CDC’s guidelines):

• Measure your temperature twice a day to check for fever (temperature of 100.4⁰ F (38⁰ C) or above).
• Avoid contact with others, especially older adults or anyone with underlying health issues.
• Household members should stay in another room or be separated as much as possible – use a separate bedroom and bathroom, if available.
• You and any family members living in your home should frequently wash your hands throughout the day with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Avoid Aspirin, Tylenol, Motrin and Aleve-like products, as they can mask symptoms we want you to be tracking unless otherwise prescribed by your doctor.
• If you start to experience any cold or flu-like symptoms, please contact your healthcare provider. Prior to visiting your doctor’s office, clinic, or hospital, please call ahead to alert them to your potential exposure.
• Contact your local CPD to alert them to a change in your status so they can best support you during this time.

• Re-schedule any non-essential in-person meetings with visitors to our offices and plants.
• Leverage technology via virtual meetings, rather than hosting in-person meetings.
• All visitors will be required to fill out a health screening form before arrival.
  • We will not allow visitors with cold or flu-like symptoms (temperature of 100.4⁰ F (38⁰ C) or above, cough, and/or shortness of breath), arriving from or who have traveled to a highly concentrated area of COVID-19, and/or who have potentially come into contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19.
  • Visitors are defined as:
    • Any third-party who is not a Barry-Wehmiller company team member (i.e. customers, vendors, etc.)
    • Individuals who are scheduled to make daily/weekly/periodic deliveries inside the building and beyond the reception area (i.e. cleaning staff, individuals making deliveries to the interior of the building, etc.)
    • A Barry-Wehmiller team member who is visiting from a site in a different city (i.e. PCMC Green Bay team members do not have to complete this process when moving from the Ashland facility to the Glory Rd facility but BWIS team members visiting the Romeoville facility from the Loveland facility would need to complete this form.)
    • A Barry-Wehmiller team member who is returning to work following travel to a high-risk area.
  • The health screening form and visitor process are linked below at the bottom of the site under “Resources”.

The health and safety of our team members is our priority. During this time, we must take additional safety measures to reduce the risk of community spread for those that continue to come onsite and provide a safe financial future for the organization. Please incorporate and follow the practices listed below.

Personal Safety Precautions

• Practice social distancing by keeping at least 6ft/2m from others and limit opportunities for close contact.
• Wear a face covering whenever you leave your work area or have the opportunity to come within close proximity of someone.
• Wash your hands frequently for at least 20 seconds.

• Monitor your symptoms and temperature before you arrive to the office and do not go to work if you are experiencing any cold or flu symptoms, including but not limited to:
  • Temperature of 100.4⁰ F (38⁰ C) or above
  • Chills
  • Cough
  • Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
  • Fatigue
  • Muscle or body aches
  • Headache
  • New loss of taste or smell
  • Sore throat
  • Congestion or runny nose
  • Nausea or vomiting
  • Diarrhea
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Sneeze and cough inside the elbow instead of hands.
• Avoid carpooling with any team members who do not share a home with you.

Food/Beverage Precautions

• Bring your own food and beverages from home.
• Use disposable coffee cups.
• Don’t bring in food to share with team members.
• Avoid using water fountains.

Workplace Sanitation and Safety

• Re-schedule any non-essential in-person meetings with visitors to our offices and plants. Prior to an essential visitor coming onsite, provide health screening form and follow onsite visitor guidelines instructions.
• Disinfect shared areas/equipment after each use.
• As appropriate, wear personal protective equipment (i.e. gloves for those receiving deliveries, etc)
• Limit touching shared surfaces with bare hands – wear gloves, use paper towels, and prop open doors (where fire codes allow).
• When possible, don’t use other team member’s phones, keyboards, desks, pens, workstations, tools, equipment, etc.

Additional Precautionary Measures for Leadership Teams

• Provide water bottles and snacks for onsite team members.
• Use staggered work shifts and or alternate days if possible.
• Disinfect shared workspaces between shifts.
• Ensure instructions around proper handwashing, social distancing, etc. are displayed in restrooms/communal areas.
  • Resources for printing: CDC posters, WHO posters
  • Short, informational videos you can share with your team members: CDC videos, WHO video

For live, up-to-date statistics on the Coronavirus Outbreak, see the Worldometer Coronavirus Outbreak site.

Health professionals are still learning about the virus, so not all the details about prevention, illness, and treatment are known. It is thought that once exposed to the virus, you may not experience symptoms for 14 days but could still be contagious. The source of the virus and the rate of transmission are still unknown.

For updated information, guidance and travel alerts, visit the State Department, World Health Organization (WHO) and the CDC’s coronavirus pages at the links below.