TR Miller Heating & Cooling: Employee Memo
March 16, 2020
To: All Employees

Team,

As the CDC continues to report on the status of the Coronavirus (COVID-19), we are closely monitoring updates and recommended precautions. A top priority is to ensure we are maintaining a safe environment for our employees and the customers we serve. Please take a moment to review the guidelines and precautions below.

  • If you are sick, PLEASE stay home. Contact your manager if you do become ill.
  • If you have been in contact with someone who has been exposed to COVID-19, or you have been knowingly exposed to the virus, please self-quarantine and speak to your manager.
  • If you are immunocompromised, please take extra precautions.
  • We will be providing latex gloves and will be distributing hand sanitizer to technicians as it becomes available.
  • Our office will have extra cleaning products and hand sanitizer available for your use as well.
  • We encourage you to follow CDC’s guidelines (see below).

For your personal protection, we recommend the following:

On every call:

  • Wear fresh protective, disposable gloves
  • Wear safety glasses
  • Wear fresh shoe covers
  • Avoid touching your face, nose, eyes
  • Avoid shaking hands with customers right now, a polite nod is appropriate
  • While sometimes symptoms are not detectable, be aware of individuals who exhibit a fever or dry cough

Before and after every call:

  • Wash your hands for 20 seconds (sing happy birthday twice).
  • If unable to wash your hands, use hand sanitizer.
  • Use disinfectant wipes for your trucks (steering wheel, door handles, etc) and tools.
    Clean your safety glasses.
  • Throw out any of your disposable items used on a job (gloves, shoe covers).
  • Use common sense as it relates to your personal protection equipment. Throw out disposable items after each call and sanitize regularly used items and surface areas.
  • Symptoms include fever, dry cough, and shortness of breath and may appear 2-14 days after exposure.

For our customers:

  • Be responsible communicators — bring comfort, not fear. Speak to what we know, emphasize common sense practices for keeping customers’ homes clean, and use a calm tone.
  • Right now, there is no 100% guaranteed way to protect a home from the virus — do not claim that we can prevent the spread of Coronavirus with our products, but reassure the customer we have products that are good every day, and especially during times like these.
  • For those customers who are interested, offer HVAC indoor air quality products, but do not take this as an opportunity to capitalize on sales
  • Additional talking points: Advise that others are suggesting 1) there are benefits related to sterilizing the air with UV products and 2) increased air filtration is always a good idea and we recommend it year round anyway (so we don’t appear to only be trying to capitalize on a sales opportunity and are acting as a trusted advisor to our customers)
  • One of our responsibilities is to take care of friends, neighbors, and community — one way we do this is by being up to date on indoor air quality

CDC’s recommended actions:

  • Wash your hands frequently with warm water and soap – the CDC recommends washing for at least 10-20 seconds (a tip: sing Happy Birthday to yourself twice).
  • Use hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol content routinely, especially when you can’t immediately wash your hands (e.g. if you’re at the gas station).
  • Avoid touching your face / nose / mouth.
  • If you need to sneeze or cough, do so into a disposable tissue and immediately throw that tissue away. Only sneeze or cough into your elbow or shoulder as a last resort. Do not sneeze or cough into your hands.
  • Avoid shaking hands in general or touching strangers.

Please use common sense as you navigate customers’ homes, job sites, shared spaces, assess your own health, and take preventative measures. As a reminder, extended hand washing, covering your coughs and sneezes, and disinfecting frequently touched objects and spaces are the leading ways to prevent the spread of viruses. While there is no guaranteed way to stop all viruses and bacteria, we are taking every precaution to keep our work environment clean and safe — as always, please look after one another.

Please reach out to your manager or directly to HR with any questions or concerns.

Thank you,
The TR Miller Heating & Cooling Human Resources Team