Dealing with covid-19
27/05/2020 - Commitments
The crisis caused by covid-19 has forced the Group to adapt significantly. All our countries and regions, starting with China - whose feedback on experience has been invaluable - have quickly introduced systems to help employees stay active and supported in this hardship but also united as one. Let's take a look at some key initiatives.
The number one concern of the Group is naturally to protect the health and safety of our teams. All health precautions recommended by the World Health Organization and other public health services within each individual region have been widely shared.
While our operations are maintained by carefully considering the number of people physically on site, including shift changes and adapted start times, teleworking has been applied wherever possible, adopted at a different pace and in various ways depending on the regions involved. Furthermore, employees can take advantage of this quarantine to receive training.
Helping each other
Vallourec in Brazil made the decision to donate 20,000 bottles of hand sanitizer, 11,000 protective visors, 16,000 masks, 150,000 gloves and 6,000 pairs of protective glasses to 21 different healthcare facilities. The company has also supplied tents for use as safety barriers and, through its volunteer program, employees have donated a basic monthly food basket to various social initiatives.
Our Indonesian subisidiary PT Citra Tubindo teamed up with the local company Integrated Industrial Park to distribute food parcels to homes in need.
Special mention goes to the community support efforts of our employees, making masks in their free time using their own resources, particularly in the United States. One of our American coworkers, who manages an RV rental company, has donated the use of two of his vehicles to a hospital in Youngstown.
Already on 10 February, Human Resources in China sent 4,000 medical gloves and eight infrared temperature guns to the Weitang police station in Changzhou on behalf of Vallourec.
3D printing
In the United States, along with printing face shields and "ear savers", is part of an initiative led by America Makes, the leading U.S. collaborative partner in the areas of Additive manufacturing and 3D printing.
This initiative aims to improve the design of face mask and find innovative and creative ways to help address this pandemic.
As part of the Additive Manufacturing booster, we are collaborating with the Vallourec community to organize and roll out both local polymer printing to ALL of our facilities, and to assist in the design and deployment of Vallourec's 3D printing IT platform. And I’m personally involved, using my two personal printers, an FDM model and a model using liquid resin and LED light source, to create face masks.
Peter Sabatino Methods Specialist and Process Owner
Well-being
The regions have launched a number of programs to help employees stay active during quarantine. In Belo Horizonte, stretches and exercises have been developed to boost the collaborators before each remote work session, and the Sidertube Foundation has prepared a complete exercise program for employees to follow. In the United States, the price of subscribing to the Well on Target sports program has been reduced, while medical consultations are being offered via a video conferencing application, along with advice to help people feel less anxious. In Boulogne, sophrology sessions have been held to support everyone’s well-being, again taking place via video conferencing.
The current situation can affect us all, both professionally and personally. That’s why HR teams around the world pay close attention to our collaborators. In France, the HRD has activated a free, anonymous and confidential emotional and well-being support tool, available 24/7 online or via a toll-free number.