At Upstage we want nothing more than to be able to take care of our customers and employees during this pandemic. In order to do so, Upstage Companies has implemented the following Pandemic Protocols, Policies and Procedures. These Include - Workplace safety, Return to work procedures, Communications policies, and Business continuity plans. If you have any questions - Please do not hesitate to give us a call at - 801.779.3030
Upstage Crew Services, Upstage Rentals, Pro Show Logisitics
1. Workplace safety.
Upstage Crew Services is dedicated to keeping the safety of every employee, client, and member of the public it’s top priority. Employees and clients alike may have fears of returning to business as usual; preparing for and communicating how safety is a top priority will allay fears and increase brand loyalty. As we are implementing these health procedures, we must acknowledge, and convey that they are designed to mitigate contractual risk of the COVID-19 and other future viruses/diseases.
Safety measures might include:
Upstage will be screening every employee with non-contact infrared thermostats.
Upstage has developed an exposure-response plan that addresses our action following confirmed contractual infection of COVID-19 and other viruses/diseases:
Isolation for 14 days, containment from others, and contact tracking procedures to include review of other employees they may have been in contact with.
Stay-at-home requirements are varied, 7 days minimum (if A symptomatic), and shall not exceed 14 days.
Exposure communications to affected staff will include our weekly safety protocol checklist to be filled out, even if the checklist has been filed by that employee within 7 days.
Employees are required to provide personal protective equipment (PPE) such as:
Masks, gloves, face shields, etc.
Personal hand sanitizer.
Upstage will provide extra masks for employees that don’t have one.
Upstage will provide PPE for employees to purchase on site; washable masks, gloves, face shields, etc.
Detailing cleaning procedures and procuring ongoing supplies:
Wear disposable gloves to clean and disinfect.
Clean surfaces using soap and water, then use disinfectant.
Cleaning with soap and water reduces number of germs, dirt and impurities on the surface. Disinfecting kills germs on surfaces.
Practice routine cleaning of frequently touched surfaces.
More frequent cleaning and disinfection may be required based on level of use.
Surfaces and objects in communal areas; such as trussing, road cases, and break benches. All surfaces that are touched without PPE warn should be cleaned and disinfected.
High touch surfaces include:
Trussing, road cases, e-track straps, load bars, countertops, handles, forklifts, phones, ladders, railing, rigging rope, harness, etc.
Establishing physical distancing measures within the workplace (when possible):
Staggered shifts and lunch/rest breaks.
Management to utilize remote tools for sales, meetings, and communication with employees and clients.
Moving 6 feet apart to mitigate contraction using separation distance.
Implementing one-way traffic patterns throughout venues; at the Morrison Center, employees will enter double doors next to loading dock, then exit the building at the loading docks.
Restricting business travel:
Travel only while if you’re willing to abide by all PPE standards.
Research local, state, and federal government guidance to ease restrictions over time.
Defining employee, client and/or public contact protocols such as:
Safe directing public traffic through workplace; festivals.
Limiting the number of employees in any area at one time.
No handshake greetings, remain 3-6 ft. apart.
Using video or telephone conferencing instead of in-person client meetings.
Understanding and complying with Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) record-keeping and reporting obligations:
Identify all positions with the potential for occupational exposure to the COVID-19.
Review OSHA regulation 29 CFR 1904 to determine work-relatedness of illnesses.
2. Return to work procedures.
Upstage Crew Services has implemented a plan or an organized and controlled approach to returning to work. All employees returning on the same day at the same time could be overwhelming and possibly unsafe.
Things to consider include:
Phasing-in employees returning to work:
Upstage will use departments; stagehands, pushers, loaders, riggers or other nondiscriminatory factors for selection.
Upstage will allow employees that live together to work alongside each other.
Upstage will schedule employee communal groups to provide the greatest protection to workers, through small herd immunity.
Upstage has created a plan for employees in high-risk categories for infection to return to work. This will ensure non-discriminatory, and equal employment:
Upstage will allow immune compromised employees to work in singular roles; runner, cable page, spot op, fork op, etc.
Immune compromised employees will have increased measures to protect them when working onsite, including isolated sanitation stations, additional PPE as requested, etc.
Upstage will be notifying the state unemployment agency of employees returning to work. This is a state requirement and will help save on unemployment taxes for those who choose not to return to work.
3. Communications.
Upstage has established a clear communication plan that will allow employees to understand how the company plans to reopen or reestablish industry processes.
Topics to cover may include:
How staying home if sick and physical distancing policies are being used to protect other workers, clients, and the general public.
Upstage has established training on new workplace safety and disinfection protocols have been implemented.
Have exposure-response communications ready to go to any affected employees, and clients.
Have media communications ready to release on topics such as return-to-work protocols, safety protections in place, and how else the company is supporting workers and clients. Upstage will notify other employees of exposure through Nowsta.
4. Business continuity plans.
Upstage will have learned valuable lessons regarding their crewing continuity plans, or lack thereof, during the months to come. The coming months will give us the proper time to review and revise the plan to prepare for future emergencies.
Implement a business continuity plan, including infectious disease control, if a plan did not exist prior to the COVID-19 crisis.
Amend existing plans to include the latest emergency information, such as updates on epidemics and workplace considerations or changes in protocols for responding to global disasters.
Update plan resources and contact information to ensure accuracy.
Establish a pandemic awareness meeting with management to continuously monitor external and internal data and implement appropriate protocols. Recognize the possibility of additional closings during this current pandemic as COVID-19 infections may rise and fall again, triggering more stay-at-home orders and supply chain disruptions
Revised emergency plans to make sure employees know what to do and to find any missing parts that need to be addressed before another emergency situation occurs.