b'FOGHORNFOCUS: OPERATIONSLifting the COVID-19 FogBy Karen Rainbolt, FOGHORN Managing EditorCOVID-19 stay-at-home order, it created a challenge for Gladding-Hearns management team. We are an essential business and as such, we are expected to keep working and producing vessels, said Gladding-Hearn President Peter Duclos.Thats where the challenge of creating a safe working environment for employees came into play. Realizing the complexity and importance of the situation, Duclos and his team made the decision to send everyone home while a plan was formulated. At the end of March, we shut down and closed up shop for two weeks, Duclos said. After that, we started cleaning.The spaces in a thriving shipyard are vast, so a thorough cleaning job is no small feat. To ensure that all areas, Gladding-Hearn Shipbuildingsurfaces, tools, and vessels under con-encourages the use of masksstruction were free of the potentially with clear signage in highlydeadly COVID-19 virus, Duclos hired visible areas. Photo: Gladding- a professional cleaning service to Hearn Shipbuilding disinfect the buildings. We contracted with a local A s the reality of the novel coronavirus settled in all over the world changingcompany that uses a product that is life as most of us know it, many businesses were forced to close theirrated to kill off a long list of bacteria, doors and send employees home. Some industries, however, were con- viruses, and more, Duclos explained. sidered essential and allowed to continue to operate, albeit somewhat differently than the pre-pandemic era. Within the passenger vessel industry, some members have been considered essential. PVA Vessel members that operate ferries are necessary as they offer lifeline services, particularly those that operate routes to islands that rely on ferry service for travel and the delivery of goods and mail. And, some PVA AssociateWhat Does MDF-500 member companies were allowed to keep working because of the products/ Eliminate?services they offer are necessary for safety, security, health, and wellbeing reasons. Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding is one such member.Since 1955, Gladding-Hearn has built more than 400 vessels. The variety ofMDF-500 chemistry was specifically vessels they build include defense-related fire and police/ patrol boats, pilot boats,designed for the decontamination and tugs, along with passenger vessels. The family-owned and operated shipyard,and mitigation of chemical and which is located on seven acres along the Taunton Rivers deep water, includesbiological pathogens of toxins, several buildings such as a 60,000-square foot shop with fabrication capabilities,parasites, bacteria, and viruses.10,000-sq. foot of storage structures, and a 4,200-sq. ft. office building.Working within these spaces are more than 150 employees, many of them specially trained in the various fields of expertise unique to shipbuilding. This means that a large number of these jobs are hands-on and cannot be performed from home. So, when Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker announced the 14JUNE 2020FOGHORN'