Industrial Operators Share Practices on Vaccines, Masks and More
TRSA’s Industrial Virtual Roundtable on Aug. 25 portrayed U.S. uniform and facility services coping with the latest COVID-19 challenges by taking safety precautions, encouraging employees to get vaccinated and addressing labor shortages. The Zoom discussion enabled participants to share their individual strategies contending with these matters as well as cast secret-ballot answers to poll questions about their companies’ practices.
Of the 29 respondents to the multiple-choice question about masks, the most popular answer (13) was that all employees are required to wear masks indoors, regardless of their vaccination status. But more respondents chose one of the other answer options: only unvaccinated employees required (8), no requirement for anyone (6), and no requirement – but this would likely be reconsidered if infection rates rise locally (2).
Regarding requiring employees to be vaccinated, some 65% of respondents said they are not doing so; of the rest of the respondents, two of three said they don’t have this requirement yet, but plan to do so. This left about 12% who said they currently have such a requirement.
On formal procedures for vaccination management, half said their human resources team or other designees are tracking vaccine data with spreadsheets and other homegrown tools; the other half indicated no such tracking. None have involved third-party tracking.
Participants learned about links and documents recently added to TRSA’s Coronavirus Resource Center at www.trsa.org/covid19 to guide their safety efforts:
- Takeaways compiled by leading labor counsel Fisher Phillips from OSHA’s Aug. 13 revision of its COVID-19 workplace guidance, aligning with U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines on masks and vaccination
- Sample mandatory vaccination policy
- Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) article on how the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) full approval of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine may impact workplace vaccination requirements
- Ogletree-Deakins’ state-by-state report on face coverings’ orders and guidance
- McKinsey & Co. guide to employers’ role in encouraging vaccination
Given choices to cite multiple guidance authorities for setting their policies and practices on COVID-19 safety, CDC guidelines were most popular, at 72% of poll respondents. Cited almost as often (67%) were mandated requirements from federal, state or local authorities; and recommendations from state or local authorities.
The roundtable also covered ongoing labor shortages, with more than 8 in 10 poll respondents indicating they were staffed at 80% or more of their pre-pandemic levels. Two thirds of these respondents reported at least 90% staffing. Of those who said their staffing is below 80%, half reported between 70% and 80% and the other half, 60% to 70%.
Industrial-market-specific subjects covered included a discussion of whether proponents of flame-resistant (FR) garment direct sale are likely to erode the rental share of the FR market. An overwhelming majority (69%) of poll respondents on this matter opined that the rental share is now twice as large as the direct sale piece. Much confidence was expressed that this domination would continue.
Roundtable hosts were Joseph Ricci, TRSA president and CEO, who updated the group on TRSA networking activities; Kevin Schwalb, government relations VP, who discussed advocacy issues specific to the industrial sector, including looming wastewater discharge regulation; and Ken Koepper, membership and industry relations director, who moderated the polls and issue discussion.