Warehousing has proven more critical than ever during the COVID-19 pandemic, with teams like ours responsible for delivering essential goods to healthcare facilities, businesses and individuals. While many other businesses are closed or have the bulk of their employees working from home, warehouses like ours have gone into overdrive. Keeping the supply chain moving is important, but it’s also imperative that we keep our Cleveland warehousing workers safe.

On Time Delivery & Warehouse has taken numerous measures to assure our warehouse facility personnel can do their jobs safely and that we’ve minimized the risk of infection. We’ve adopted a range of actions from implementing strict social distancing guidelines to taking worker temperatures to ensuring our facilities are frequently cleaned and sanitized. Meal breaks and shifts may be staggered. Meetings are held over the phone or via video conferencing where possible.

Keeping our valued warehouse workers healthy our top priority, and it also helps protect our customers and ensures we can meet their dynamic and rising needs.

Warehousing Workers Deemed “Essential” by Ohio Governor

Ohio’s first stay-at-home order went into effect March 23rd. It was later extended until at least May 1st, and further extensions appear likely. From the beginning, Gov. Mike DeWine’s office indicated transportation and logistics operations like ours were deemed essential.

Specifically included in that order were:

• Truckers whose work supports critical infrastructure, capabilities and functions;
• Warehouse workers;
• Shipping workers;
• Logistics and warehouse operators and distributors of medical equipment, medicines, cleaning supplies and tissue/paper towel products;
• Workers at operations centers necessary to maintain other essential functions. 

Our Cleveland warehousing managers take our responsibility to both our employees and our clients very seriously. We are committed to following all U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention directives for workplace health and safety in the midst of this pandemic. 

CDC Guidelines for Cleveland Warehousing Workplace Safety

As an employer, we’ve prepared our warehouse facility and tailored our practices to reduce transmission among employees. That means maintaining both healthy business operations and work environments.

With regard to employees:

• Workers who have symptoms such as fever, cough or shortness of breath are to immediately notify their supervisor and go or stay home.
• Workers who live with someone who is ill should notify their supervisor promptly and follow CDC-recommended precautions.
• We’ve implemented strict social distancing guidelines on site, offered staggered shifts options and extended telework options where possible.
• Workers are educated about ways they can reduce the spread of COVID-19, protecting themselves both at work and at home. This includes thorough sanitation of workstations, keyboards, phones, handrails and doorknobs, wearing personal protective equipment such as face masks, frequent hand washing and avoiding touching one’s nose, mouth or eyes with unwashed hands. Warehouse workers are also instructed to clean and disinfect shared tools and equipment before and after use.

We are prepared to alter our business practices where necessary to maintain critical operations. We’ve also identified alternate supply chains for critical goods and services where existing sources have been affected. We also have plans in place for how to operate if absenteeism spikes, including some cross-training of essential functions, though it is our hope it won’t be necessary to implement this measure.

Our customers have come to rely on us in many times of uncertainty over the years, and we want them – and our employees – to know that we are committed to continued, safe and efficient operation and service.

If you have questions about our Cleveland warehousing services, contact On Time Delivery & Warehouse by calling (440) 826-4630 or send us an email.

Additional Resources:

Interim Guidance for Businesses and Employers to Plan and Respond to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), March 21, 2020, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

More Blog Entries:

Our Cleveland Warehouse Prepared to Weather Coronavirus, March 17, 2020, Cleveland Warehousing Blog