COVID-19 Response

Dear Valued Client:

Thank you for your continued trust in SPS.

SPS is a mission-based company. We exist to help New England condominium homeowners. Delivering building envelope solutions for this market is all that we do. We have a vested interest in maintaining your trust. We are here for the long-term – not a transaction.

There are many thousand New England condominium homes, but we are all part of a small, inter-connected community. And the interconnected nature of each condominium community reminds us that diligence is required to prevent the spread of viruses such as COVID-19. During our work we sometimes come in contact with homeowners. In anticipation of that occurrence, it is imperative that we have and follow strict safety guidelines.

Personal habits take time to build. There are several theories on how long – twenty-one days, thirty days or several months. We have had the time to build our COVID-19 safety habits and we are proud of our peoples’ commitment to meeting and exceeding the standards we have adopted. It is better to be 100% committed than 99% or 98%. If we allow one or two small deviations, we will allow more. We need to maintain our commitment without exception.

Building a culture takes longer than individual habits; typically years. We have been committed to our ‘safety first’ culture for over twenty years. And, we continue to strive for improvement. We are not satisfied with our six + years without a lost-day accident. Our goal is simple – that everyone including workers, vendors and residents go home safely each and every night.

Our strong safety culture allowed us to quickly adopt the COVID-19 safety standards and make them part of our daily processes. Beyond the safety of our people and the residents of the communities in which we work, we have a responsibility to the broader world to prevent the spread of the virus. We are embracing that challenge.

With this note I am hoping to share our commitment and to let you know it is ongoing. The standards we have in place to protect our people and clients from COVID-19 will continue well into 2021; perhaps beyond. We are committed to continuing those efforts as long as needed. We are also committed to adapting and improving our approach as needed when new or better approaches are understood. Our safety-first culture and our commitment to the well-being of New England condominium homeowners has made it relatively easy to add these safety habits and to continue with firm resolve.

We are proud of our peoples’ commitment to the protocols. We appreciate the positive feedback from our clients – that our attention to safety makes them more comfortable.

We will continue to work to deserve the trust you have placed in us.

Sincerely,
Fred Schernecker
CEO

May 26, 2020 – Massachusetts Condominium Construction Regulations: COVID-19 Safety Officer

Per Governor Baker’s phased reopening plan of Massachusetts on May 18th, we will adopt one additional protocol as indicated by the Phase I regulations relating to construction and condominium communities.

A COVID-19 Safety Officer will be identified for projects with more than five workers. This Officer will record the below checklist daily:

Posting

This checklist, the screening questions and the SPS protocol for entering homes shall be laminated and posted on the jobsite.

Social Distancing

Workers wear masks and remain 6’ apart to prevent cross-contamination
Workers are wearing cut-resistant gloves or the equivalent
Large gatherings have been eliminated and replaced with options to promote distancing
Multi-person activities have been limited where feasible (e.g. two people lifting, etc.)

Hygiene Protocols

Workers wash hands often with soap for 20 seconds or use hand sanitizer
Workers avoid touching eyes, nose, and mouth
Restroom facilities and handwashing stations are cleaned and well stocked
Hand sanitizer is available on the jobsite and in the portable toilets
Workers bring food from home with their own water bottle, dishes and utensils

Staffing & Operations

A COVID-19 Officer is on site (for projects with at least 5 workers)
Employees have self-certified and completed the screening sheet
Workers entering a home follow the SPS protocol for entering homes
Any worker showing or complaining of symptoms has been removed from the site
Any exposures on the site have been handled according to the guidelines

Cleaning & Disinfecting

High-contact common areas – toilets, office trailer, etc. – are sanitized daily
Vehicle door handles and interior are disinfected at each entry
High-contact surfaces (desks, laptops, etc.) have been cleaned twice a day
Common areas were sanitized if a worker with COVID-19 symptoms was on the jobsite
Areas identified for cleaning and sanitizing after possible contact by a worker with COVID-19 symptoms were isolated from workers until the sanitation process was completed and area was deemed safe for use

For jobsites with fewer than five workers

Communicate remotely with workers to ensure COVID-19 compliance
Ensure high-contact surfaces are sanitized once or twice daily
Log communications and activities

May 11, 2020 – Protocol for Entering Homes: Door and Window Replacement

As we prepare for the potential lifting of any government enforced restrictions, SPS has developed the following protocol for entering homes.

Before entering a home, SPS will require that the Property approves this protocol with a signature. For each home SPS will require that the homeowner / resident (‘resident’) approves this protocol by signing a similar document. This protocol is provided to each resident in addition to being posted here.

The number of workers in a home will be limited to one where possible and a maximum of two. The same worker(s) will be in the home at any subsequent entry. Workers will endeavor to limit their path within the home. Workers will cover their walking area and path with drop cloths or plastic.

The resident is to move all personal belongings out of the work area prior to worker entry. Workers will not move any personal belongings. Any furniture or belongings left in the work area will be covered by single-use plastic.

Residents are to maintain physical distancing of 6′ from the workers whenever possible. The work zone will be delineated by ‘danger’ / ‘caution’ tape. Residents are encouraged to wear a mask at all times when in the home with workers.

Personal Protective Equipment and Health Guidelines

The 6-question screening process will be completed daily for each worker.
Workers’ temperature shall be below 100 degrees prior to entering the home.
Workers shall wash and/or sanitize their hands prior to entry and after finish.
Workers shall wear glasses, masks, gloves and boot covers at all times when in the home.
Upon moving from one home to a different home, workers will use new and/or cleaned boot covers, gloves and masks.

When the work is complete, the workers will clean the work area using disinfectant wipes. Surfaces to be cleaned are those within 3′ of the work area that were touched by the workers such as windows, doors, door handles, stair railings, trim, etc. Wipes and plastic shall be disposed in a trash bag which is then disposed in the project dumpster.

April 13, 2020 – Update to Job Site Safety Measures

SPS’ focus remains on our guiding principle of Safety First. After evaluating each project, many were able to re-start. We are continuing to monitor the rapidly changing environment for new guidelines to protect the health and safety of our people and clients. Below is an update to our approach.

Basic Protective Measures

Workers on SPS projects will be required to adhere to the following items:

*UPDATE* Wear a face mask during commute and while working.
*UPDATE* Wear construction gloves while working.
If you see something, say something – don’t allow sick workers to remain onsite.
Wash your hands frequently with soap or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
Maintain social distancing of six feet.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
Practice respiratory hygiene: cover your mouth and nose with bent elbow or tissue when you cough or sneeze.
Stay home if you feel unwell.

Job Site Screenings

At the beginning of each day workers are screened to keep anyone that might be infected off the job site. If anyone answers YES to the following 6 questions, they need to leave the job site:

“Have you . . .

been informed by a public health officer that you were exposed to COVID-19?”
had contact with anyone confirmed COVID-19 in the past 14 days?”
had a fever greater than 100 in the past 14 days?”
had difficulty breathing in the past 14 days?”
had a constant cough in the past 14 days?”
had a sore throat in the past 14 days?”

*UPDATE* Individual responses are recorded daily.

Thank You

Thank you for your ongoing trust in SPS. We are better together and hope to see our combined efforts prevail with brighter days soon to follow.

Sincerely,
Fred Schernecker
CEO

SPS’ work is considered essential and is exempt from the Massachusetts Stay at Home Advisory. However, out of an abundance of caution and to ensure we first implement appropriate safety precautions, we elected a “pause of work”. Our guiding principle continues to be Safety First for our people and our clients.

Below please find a summary of our approach during this challenging time.

Work Re-Start & Client Communication (as of 03/30/20)

During our pause, we are evaluating each project to determine if work should re-start.

Work requiring entrance into occupied homes or direct contact with residents is suspended until further notice.

Much of our work is performed outdoors and can be performed following the social distancing guidelines. If work can be performed without entry into occupied homes or direct resident contact, work may continue as long as it meets the following criteria:

The Owner requests in writing that the work continue. If the Owner would like to postpone the work until the end of the Stay at Home Advisory, SPS will collaborate and plan that approach.
The Owner communicates with residents to reinforce the need for social distancing.
Project meetings will take place via SPS’ online meeting platform (RingCentral), outdoors or in spaces that allow a minimum of 6′ social distancing.
Each project will adopt the safety measures outlined below in the “Basic Protective Measures“, “Job Site Screenings” and “Additional Guidelines“.

Basic Protective Measures

Workers on SPS projects will be required to adhere to the following items:

If you see something, say something – don’t allow sick workers to remain onsite.
Wash your hands frequently with soap or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
Maintain social distancing of six feet.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
Practice respiratory hygiene: cover your mouth and nose with bent elbow or tissue when you cough or sneeze.
Stay home if you feel unwell.

Job Site Screenings

Workers are screened each day to keep workers that might be infected off the job site. If anyone answers YES to the following 6 questions, they need to leave the job site:

“Have you . . .

been informed by a public health officer that you were exposed to COVID-19?”
had contact with anyone confirmed COVID-19 in the past 14 days?”
had a fever greater than 100 in the past 14 days?”
had difficulty breathing in the past 14 days?”
had a constant cough in the past 14 days?”
had a sore throat in the past 14 days?”

Additional Guidelines

The State has issued guidelines for Public (Government) Projects and have encouraged cities and towns to adopt the same guidelines for private projects. While these guidelines do not directly apply to SPS projects, we are taking the steps to implement them.

Vehicle Travel – “Social distancing” is difficult to accomplish while traveling in a vehicle with other people. Precautions can minimize exposure of the occupants. When traveling we recommend each vehicle occupant wear a respirator. Given the current shortage, we will investigate alternatives.
Wash Stations – A hand-washing station and/or sanitizing station is required on every site. Since no running-water hand wash stations are available, we are building our own. We have also ordered sanitizing towers for each site.
Gloves – All individuals on site are required to wear construction gloves while working.

Thank You

We hope that you are staying safe and healthy during this time.

Thank you for your ongoing trust in our commitment to the health and safety of all.

Sincerely,
Fred Schernecker
CEO

Dear Valued Client:

Governor Baker issued a Stay at Home Advisory for the state of Massachusetts effective Tuesday March 24th at noon through April 7th. We have confirmed that SPS performs an essential service and we are exempt from this advisory.

SPS and our people are guided by our mission statement including our commitment to “Safety First”. As such we are committed to the health and safety of our people and the residents on the projects on which we are working.

We Have Decided to Pause

To prioritize safety and health, we have decided to pause and process information as it comes in. That means that today and tomorrow we will clean and secure each job site. We will take the time needed to make the property clean, safe and weather-tight. We will use the remainder of the week to evaluate the best approach overall and with each property to determine the best approach to continue work. The situation is changing rapidly and we feel it is prudent to take additional decision-making time.

Additional Safety Guidelines

Additionally, for when work is back underway . . . Last week I shared the COVID-19 safety guidelines we are following. We have enacted the following additional safety guidelines on each project:

All workers are being screened each day to keep workers that might be infected off the job site.
We have ordered hand sanitizing stations to be available for all workers.
We will not be entering occupied homes until further notice. This includes inspections, replacing windows or doors, etc. If the home is unoccupied, the work can take place.

Thank You

I am hopeful that the additional steps we are all taking will lead to a speedy resolution to this pandemic.
Thank you.

Sincerely,
Fred Schernecker
CEO

Dear Valued Client:

We are closely monitoring COVID-19 and working to proactively address concerns of our employees and our clients.

We are a mission-based company. Our reason for existing is the long-term well-being of our clients — homeowners and residents of multi-family properties. Additionally, our first strategic anchor is “safety first”. These ideas guide our decision making during this challenging time. We will do our part to limit the spread of COVID-19.

Our Approach

Since the risk is primarily to the elderly and those with compromised immune systems, our job is to avoid being “vectors” resulting in the infection of others.

In our office, we are taking the precautions you would expect. While we are “open for business”, we are limiting meetings and have begun “remote work”.

We have established the below guidelines for our workers on each job site:

If you see something, say something – don’t allow sick co-workers to remain onsite.
Wash your hands frequently with soap or an alcohol-based hand rub.
Maintain social distancing of at least 3 feet between yourself and others.
Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth.
Practice respiratory hygiene by covering your mouth and nose with your bent below or tissue when you cough or sneeze.
Stay home if you feel unwell.

If the work on a property includes entering a residence, we will take additional precautions. If the resident and/or our workers are not comfortable with us entering, we will postpone the work in that area.

We are currently working on additional precautions such as screening all workers and testing hand-washing stations and will have more information on those initiatives in the coming days.

Thank You

Thank you for your trust in us.

Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any additional concerns or suggestions.

Sincerely,
Fred Schernecker
CEO

Communication is always a priority for us. We’ll do our best to answer any questions you may have about your project.

COVID-19 Response

May 26, 2020 – Massachusetts Condominium Construction Regulations: COVID-19 Safety Officer

May 26, 2020 – Massachusetts Condominium Construction Regulations: COVID-19 Safety Officer

Posting

Social Distancing

Hygiene Protocols

Staffing & Operations

Cleaning & Disinfecting

For jobsites with fewer than five workers

May 11, 2020 – Protocol for Entering Homes: Door and Window Replacement

May 11, 2020 – Protocol for Entering Homes: Door and Window Replacement

Personal Protective Equipment and Health Guidelines

April 13, 2020 – Update to Job Site Safety Measures

April 13, 2020 – Update to Job Site Safety Measures

Basic Protective Measures

Job Site Screenings

Thank You

March 30, 2020 – Summary of Job Site Safety Measures

Work Re-Start & Client Communication (as of 03/30/20)

Basic Protective Measures

Job Site Screenings

Additional Guidelines

Thank You

March 23, 2020 – COVID-19 Update

Dear Valued Client:

We Have Decided to Pause

Additional Safety Guidelines

Thank You

March 16, 2020 – Our Response to COVID-19

Dear Valued Client:

Our Approach

Thank You

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