COVID-19 Updates
FEBRUARY 12, 2021
Below, please find the updated Peckham guide for COVID-19 Pandemic Preparedness and Response:
october 6, 2020
Lansing, MI – Over the past few days Peckham has experienced an increase in the number of employees who have tested positive for COVID – 19. We have always taken the strictest approach when it comes to ensuring the safety of our employees and the communities we serve; therefore, out of an abundance of caution, we have decided to temporarily suspend operations at our Greenhouse and Airport Warehouse locations at 3510 Capitol City Blvd. Employees will be dismissed this afternoon and have been given a return to work date of Monday, October 12, 2020.
During this time, we will be performing a deep cleaning and disinfecting of all areas within those buildings. As has been the case with prior instances of individuals confirmed positive, Peckham will continue to engage in internal contact tracing working in collaboration with the local health department.
As a federal contractor, Peckham is considered part of the U.S government’s critical infrastructure. The decision to temporarily cease operations underscores how important the health and safety of our workforce is to us. The increase in cases despite the strict safety protocols we have in place also highlights the need to continue to be vigilant and committed to protecting the health of team members. Our organization continues to mandate the use of face covers, encourage frequent hand-washing, and promote physical distancing within our facilities. In accordance with health department ordinances and CDC recommendations, we perform a daily COVID screening through a questionnaire and temperature check for every employee entering our premises.
No other Peckham locations beyond the Greenhouse and Airport Warehouse are included in this temporary closing.
Additional questions should be directed to Lorely Polanco – Managing Marketing Director – at lpolanco@peckham.org
June 26, 2020
Below, please find Peckham's guide for COVID-19 Pandemic Preparedness and Response:
The information contained in this Playbook represents our current practices and recommendations for Peckham operations during the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic.
External Resources:
OSHA’s Guidance on Preparing Workplaces for COVID-19
CDC’s Interim Guidance for Businesses and Employers
CDC About the Virus
CDC Face Coverings
Questions? send an email to info@peckham.org.
May 12, 2020
Peckham’s number one core value is “Compassion”. People Matter to Us. A Whole Lot. During this unprecedented time, this core value rings even more true as we navigate how to ensure the safety and health of our essential staff and team members who remain working to meet the needs of our federal customers. Peckham staff and team members are not only essential to the operations of the federal government, they are essential to us. In addition to the ongoing high level of support we provide to those we serve, we are carefully following guidelines provided by the Ingham County Health Department, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and other state, local and federal authorities in each of the states where Peckham operates (Michigan, Arizona and Kentucky).We have created several additional safety measures to protect the health of our staff and team members which can be found below:
April 30, 2020
Peckham continues to be agile in the deployment of new safety protocols and initiatives to minimize the risk of COVID - 19 spread among our staff and team members. In addition to morning temperature screenings prior to entering our facilities, Peckham is conducting mid-day temperature screenings for all working employees. Those with a temperature of 100.4 or above (as recommended by the CDC) are required to leave work. In compliance with the Ingham County Health Department Executive Order 2020-21, a verbal questionnaire continues to be adminstered to all employees entering the workplace.
Effective immediately, all Peckham employees must wear a face cover while making use of shared and public spaces unless they have a health condition that prevents them from wearing one or when the cover poses a safety hazard.
April 6, 2020
To continue to ensure the safety of our workforce, Peckham will institute a second part to our current screening process through a questionnaire by adding temperature taken via *touchless* thermometers. Our new protocol will begin Monday (4/6/20) in Michigan. We are actively working on developing plans for our other locations as well.
The maximum temperature of 100.4 or above (38 C) is what the CDC and local health organizations recommend as the cutoff for fever.
The questionnaire screenings will continue to be completed while staff are inside their vehicles.
March 28, 2020
The Ingham County Health Department has issued an emergency order requiring all essential service providers and businesses in Ingham County to conduct a brief health screening of workers as they enter their workplace.
All Peckham locations in Ingham County will be in compliance with the order starting with today's shift: employees entering the building will be required to complete and sign a screening form. Once we are able to secure thermometers, we will provide the screening by taking employees' temperatures.
March 24, 2020
With the concern surrounding the outbreak of COVID-19, it is natural for uncertainty to begin to affect our emotional health. For this reason, it is critical that we pay attention to our bodies and minds, making self-care a priority. Below are some recommendations on ways to manage anxiety and build resilience during this time.
March 23, 2020
Today Gov. Whitmer announced a “stay-home, stay-safe” order that begins at midnight and extends for at least the next 3 weeks. The directive allows for critical services to continue operations. Peckham employees, as part of the Defense Industrial Base, are identified as "essential infrastructure workers” during the COVID – 19 emergency response by the Department of Homeland Security. We are expected to continue “normal work schedules” which means we are to report for work as usual. Our plan is to remain open and continue to support our country during this crisis while taking every feasible measure to ensure the safety of our employees. We are extremely proud of our staff and team members who are stepping up to ensure Peckham is able to support critical federal government operations during these difficult and uncertain times.
March 20, 2020
Many of you have questions regarding Peckham's decision to remain open during the COVID - 19 epidemic. Please, know that the safety of our staff and team members is of utmost priority for our organization. However, much like hospital employees, firefighters, supermarket cashiers, and many other workers who are still required to work during this crisis, the Department of Homeland Security deems our operations to be part of their "critical infrastructure"; as such, we have a "special responsibility to maintain normal work schedules" even under these unprecedented circumstances. We take our commitments to the U.S. government seriously; Peckham understands that the services we provide are considered essential to the country and its ability to continue uninterrupted operations in several of its agencies, including the Department of Defense and the U.S Department of Agriculture, among others. We believe that by taking the necessary precautions and closely following CDC recommendations and guidelines, we will be able to continue to support U.S government operations while minimizing the potential risks to our staff. We are all in this together.
Some of the safety measures we have implemented include (but are not limited to):
- Allow for social distancing by separating machines and workstations as much as possible
- More hand sanitizing stations have been provided on the floor for team members to use
- Team members have been provided with disinfecting spray bottles and paper towels so they can wipe out their equipments
- Flyers have been posted on the manufacturing floor to remind team members to use hand sanitizer and tp educate them on proper hand washing
- Production entrance doors have been kept open whenever possible to minimize touching door handles
- The format of the daily 5 minute meetings in the production line has been changed in order to avoid requiring anyone to stand close to each other and instead using a speaker to communicated
- We've increased the number of breaks to decrease the density of employee gathering all at once
- Team members have been encouraged to practice social distancing and avoid gatherings. Employees should eat lunch in their cards whenever feasible
- We continue to share the most up-to-date information with our employees in daily meetings plus on our SharePoint intranet
- An Emergency Pandemic Plan has been implemented with processes in place should any of our staff or team member comes down with symptoms
- We continue to required those with symptoms to stay home or leave work once symptoms have been confirmed by a two-person team
March 16, 2020
Peckham continues to adjust its policies and protocols in the face of the continuous impact of COVID -19. Following the State of Michigan's declaration on the closings of bars and restaurants, except for delivery and carry-out, Peckham has decided to implement changes to the Greenhouse Café to help with social distancing:
- We are encouraging our employees to find different places to eat to spread out including their vehicles, work areas, or other locations within their buildings.
- Effective today, all dining ware in the café will be now a disposable product.
- Effective Tuesday 3/17, we will have reduced the café seating area by 40%.
- Effective Wednesday 3/18, the Greenhouse Café will only be a serving boxed lunched during normally scheduled lunch hours.
All, non-essential, large meetings and congregations (greater than 50 employees) should be conducted virtually, whenever possible. Instructions on how to use Microsoft Teams to conduct virtual meetings have been emailed to all employees.
We are requiring all employees who exhibit COVID - 19 symptons to leave work. A designated isolated space has been identified in each of our locations where employees who come down with symptoms can await transport while separated from the rest of the population.
Emergency Sick Leave procedures have been activated for our locations in AZ and KY.
We aim to follow CDC recommendations when making modifications to existing practices.
March 12, 2020
Peckham is committed to the safety and wellbeing of our staff, clients, partners, and other stakeholders. We are closely monitoring the outbreak of coronavirus, which has spread to a growing number of states, including those in which Peckham has existing operations. We currently have no known cases of coronavirus among our staff or clients and are continuing regular business operations; however, our leadership has activated our Site Emergency plan and we continue to meet regularly to swiftly adjust our response, if necessary, in coordination with state and local health officials.
We are currently in the process of implementing the following precautionary measures within our facilities:
- Placing posters that encourage staying home when sick, cough and sneeze etiquette, and hand hygiene at the entrances of all our facilities and inside our restrooms.
- Providing tissues and no-touch hand sanitizer dispensers in common areas.
- Distributing travel-sized, FDA-approved hand-sanitizers to our staff and clients that contain at least 60% alcohol content.
- Encouraging employees to frequently wash hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
- Performing additional environmental cleaning of commonly touched surfaces including doorknobs, handles, countertops, etc.
- Minimizing staff traveling by air to non-essential work activities.
- Urging employees who present symptoms of acute respiratory illness of any type to stay home.
- Supporting efforts to avoid large gatherings, meetings, and other activities that can be conducted virtually.
- Encouraging employees who are well but who have a sick family member at home with COVID-19 to notify their supervisor and await further instructions.
- Requesting each work area to do their best to accomplish social distancing of 6 feet between employees workstation.
In addition, we are identifying those with compromised immune systems to provide them with individual education and resources. We have also created a section on our SharePoint intranet to provide internal, timely communications to employees with access to coronavirus-related information, changes in policies (if applicable), and resources. A centralized email address for COVID-related matters has also been created and communicated to staff.
Media Inquiries: If you are a non-Peckham employee and have questions related to Peckham’s preventative protocols during the COVID – 19 outbreak, please, contact Lorely Polanco, Marketing Communications Director, via email at lpolanco@peckham.org.
Peckham employees: please, visit Sharepoint for the most up-to-date information regarding our company policies and guidelines related to the COVID -19 virus. For additional questions, please, email health@peckham.org
For more general information regarding COVID – 19, please, visit https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html