March 17, 2020

Dear Accord Employees and Temporary Workers:

As COVID-19 (Coronavirus) continues to run its course in the USA, Accord Carton is committed to providing a safe and healthy environment for our employees, customers, our partners and the greater community. While Illinois continues to be a low infection state at this time, we feel that some extraordinary precautionary measures, for the safety of all our employees, are called for here. We want to take this opportunity to inform you of what our plan of action will entail as the situation unfolds, as well as provide certain reminders:

As an SQF 8.1 (Safe Quality Food) certified company, Accord ALREADY practices, every day, the highest level of hygiene in our plant, with respect to employee and food safety. We will continue to do so long after the Flu season passes. We already have a trained work force on the importance of proper personal hygiene, and how to properly wash hands to prevent the transmission of infectious diseases. If we all do what we have been taught over the years, your risk of contracting and/or spreading COVID-19 at work or home will be greatly reduced. I strongly encourage everyone to continue to practice proper hand washing techniques. Also, keep in mind the following Do’s and Don’ts of good personal hygiene:

Do’s

  • Wash your hands for 20 seconds whenever you:
    • Enter the plant environment
    • BEFORE you take a break and eat/drink food
    • Wash your hands when you arrive home
  • Sterilize door handles
  • Use Hand sanitizer

Don’ts

  • Touch your face with your hands
  • Bite your Nails
  • Put objects in your mouth
    • i.e. pens, pencils, etc.
  • Share anything eating utensils, straws, cups, etc.
  • DO NOT COME TO WORK IF YOU FEEL SICK.

In light of the evolving situation, here is a summary of the policies we have enacted:

  • All visitors to our offices will be required to complete a health assessment form before entering the premises.
  • We are restricting plant visitors to essential persons only. 
  • Any employee who has recently travelled outside of North America (and/or to any identified COVID-19 hot zones) or has been in close contact with someone who has, is subject to a mandatory 14-day isolation program.
  • Non-essential business travel has been restricted for all employees. For clients which have requested any on-site meetings, trainings or other scheduled work, we will be reaching out to you to discuss alternate/remote options.
  • Open food sources, such as candy jars, donut boxes, community food offerings are prohibited until further notice, unless it is in individually wrapped packages.
  • We will be distributing sterilizing agents to each work center to clean workstations and we encourage all employees to sanitize their work area at the beginning of their shift.
  • Within the next few days, will be adding pages to our website that will provide the latest up to date information for our employees, customers and vendors. 

Essential Employee Letter

In addition to the above policies, we have also activated our internal business continuity protocols to ensure we maintain the level of service our customers rely on. We possess and have already implemented the necessary tools which allow us to provide certain services in a virtual capacity in order to maintain these support levels moving forward. 

As we move forward, Accord Carton will continue to monitor current events and follow the recommendations of the CDC (Center for Disease Control) and the WHO (World Health Organization). 

Finally, we strongly believe in keeping our families safe, and as members of the Accord Carton Family, we are all in this together. These are unprecedented times and remaining calm, flexible, understanding and safe is what will get us all through the coming weeks. 

Sincerely,

Robert Codo 
President 
Accord Carton Co.