May 2020 Update – Covid-19 restrictions & safety measures at FPInnovations
FPInnovations has taken the following measures to ensure the safety of its employees, visitors, and contractors:
- Restricted access to FPInnovations facilities and prohibiting access to anyone with flu-like symptoms, to anyone who has recently returned from travel, to anyone who’s been in close contact with an infected person or a potentially infected person, or to anyone that is deemed high-risk for severe illness from COVID-19.
- Additional safety and hygiene measures: 2-metre social distancing at all times, increased hand washing and usage of hand sanitizer, and increased disinfection of all areas, equipment, and surfaces.
- Decreased occupancy of workplaces such labs, pilot plants, cafeterias, and restrooms to ensure 2-metre distancing.
- Encouraging telework and virtual meetings whenever possible.
- Provision of special authorization process for essential access to FPInnovations facilities, to members sites, and to field operations.
- Guarantee the safety of our field employees by ensuring that the COVID-19 procedures of their hosts are at least equivalent to FPInnovations’.
- Thorough investigation of any cases of infections or potential infections of COVID-19.
- Request for medical certificate for any employees, visitors, or contractors that had been diagnosed with the COVID-19 illness in the past and then recovered.
- Availability of disposable N95 masks and surgical masks of classes I to IV at all our facilities for individuals who develop symptoms while at work or for first aid response.
- Provision of special travel measures to ensure the safety of our employees and our field employees.
For details on the measures of essential work activities at FPInnovations, please consult this document.
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April 1 Update – Our employees remain reachable through videoconferencing, email and telephone
Since keeping our employees and partners safe remains our main priority, we have been proactive in asking the majority of our employees to work from home, as of March 16. We have also quickly responded and respected the directives of the public health authorities in Quebec and in Ontario. This resulted in the closing of our offices and laboratories. While similar orders have not been announced in British Columbia, the public health officer for B. C. stated that all employees should work from home when at all possible. Out of a sense of caution for the health and safety of our employees and understanding of the seriousness of the situation, we chose to apply our work-from-home policy to B. C. employees as well.
FPInnovations is actively monitoring the COVID-19 situation and its impact across our organization and our industry. Our number one priority remains our employees’ and partners’ safety.
Our second priority is service to our Members. We have therefore taken special measures to ensure that our research and services remain available to you while respecting any measures you may have implemented at your operations.
Research Information Sharing and Feedback (RISF) and Strategic and Tactical Advisory Committee (STAC) Meeting Presentations will continue as planned, however, they will be hosted via videoconferencing.
For any questions or service requests, do not hesitate to contact us by email, to speak directly with your usual contact at FPInnovations, or to contact your Industry Sector Leader:
Bioproducts and Bioenergy: Doug Singbeil (604) 839-3254
Forest Operations: Mathieu Blouin (514) 882-3556
Pulp and Paper: Stéphan Larivière (514) 264-0776
Wood Products: Dalibor Houdek (780) 446-1020
Indigenous Forestry: Christoph Schilling (604) 225-5205
Please visit our web site or read our blog articles to continue to stay updated on our projects.