Keeping employees safe through COVID-19
At Brave, we are proud of our essential designation that allows us to continue to deliver our custom automation solutions and services to our manufacturing customers, many of whom are critically vital to our economy and supply chain. We are equally committed to ensuring we are doing our utmost everyday to ensure the safety of our employees and our community.
As we are continually growing even through this pandemic, we wanted to highlight some of the safety precautions we have undertaken to keep our employees safe in the office and onsite at our customer’s facilities.
Safely Crossing the Canada/US Border
Our company is situated and headquartered in Windsor, Ontario, the Automation Capital of Canada, because it ideally situates us to be able to provide custom automation solutions to manufacturing customers in both Canada and the US.
Our leadership team consulted with BOTH the American and Canadian border services, our local, provincial and federal governments resources, as well as immigration law experts in order to be absolutely certain of our company’s ‘essential’ designation before any of our employees attempted to cross the border. In addition to our regular border crossing procedures, we prepped all employees on their rights to cross the border to provide our services to support our critical infrastructure customers. We also added in a letter expressly stating and citing the government regulations that permit us to cross the border and return without being subject to the 14 day isolation period mandated for all international travelers under the Quarantine Act.
Our friends at Automate Canada, Canadian Association of MoldMakers Inc. and WindsorEssex Economic Development Corporation have been working hard these last few months to put together a guide book, “Cross-Border Tips for Manufacturing Sector Employees During COVID-19” for all local manufacturers and essential industry sector workers in the community who rely on and engage in cross border travel and trade. The guidebook will help us to continuously improve our own border crossing procedures as we move through this period.
Ensuring Employee Safety Onsite
During the spring shutdown our team demonstrated their deep commitment to keeping our critical industry customers supported despite the overwhelming uncertainties surrounding the spread of COVID-19. We consulted each of our engineering team members to make sure they would be comfortable travelling to and working at our customer’s facilities. We made sure to outline and update them on the proper safety measures that would be in place such as:
Brave will provide any needed personal safety to workers such as masks and gloves.
Brave will provide ample documentation of customer specific site safety protocols that are necessary as part of each customer facility’s response to COVID-19.
Brave will strive to ensure that all travelling employees will travel in separate vehicles whenever possible OR will provide masks to wear in ride sharing scenarios and direct riders to sat as far apart as the vehicle will allow.
Due to the latency period of COVID-19, there is a requirement for Brave to be able to track where employees have worked and who they have been in contact with. Brave will handle all contact tracing requirements as needed, keeping a detailed record of dates, times, and facilities where our employees have visited.
While each customer’s facility and job site is different, there are instances where workers may need share certain tools (ie. Robot teach pendant, HMI). Brave has educated and our project management will ensure that all shared tools will be:
Identified and set separate from personal use tools if possible.
Instructions will be provided in shared tool location for proper tool cleaning procedures.
Educate and encourage all employees to clean shared tools before and after use.
These measures are put in place by Brave IN ADDITION to the customer facility protocols surround shared tools.
There is no easier to social distance than in the center of a properly locked out manufacturing cell that positions and welds 9000lb modular chassis using 4 of the largest robots ABB provides.
We acknowledge and respect the right that all of our employees have refuse to work in unsafe conditions. We are proud that all of our employees have been comfortable and confident with the safety measures we have put in place to protect them, that they have had no issues working onsite at customer facilities.
For our employees who have crossed the border and have unfortunately been or will be subject to a mandatory 14-day isolation period, we transition them to remote work where they are still able to contribute to our client’s solution and our overall success as a company.
As the situation is ever evolving and changing, we are remain focused and ready to change and adapt to whatever comes our way. We remain committed to serving our customers with quality engineering and automation solutions and keeping our employees and community safe and thriving.
WE'RE HIRING
We are looking for creative and exceptional Controls & Robotics specialists to join our rapidly expanding team! Check out our current openings and be sure to share your own Quarantine Chronicle story when you apply!
