by Brianna Crandall — May 6, 2020 — Teknion Corporation, an international designer, manufacturer and marketer of innovative workplace interiors, is supporting safe workplaces and healthcare and remote workers during the COVID-19 crisis and return to the workplace.
Teknion operates 15 manufacturing facilities across North America, focused on office furniture. The company is continuing operations in order to supply critical needs, but office employees who can work from home are doing so, and manufacturing facility employees have numerous safety and cleaning guidelines in place for protection.
Cleaning guidelines for furniture materials
Teknion’s Fabrics & Finishes: Cleaning Guidelines webpage provides recommended cleaning guidelines for furniture surface materials. According to CDC and Health Canada Guidelines, proper safety precautions and proper cleaning methods are the best defense against the spread of viruses.
Teknion recommends disinfecting furniture and high-touch surfaces in order to kill the coronavirus, and offers general cleaning and maintenance guidelines for laminates, paint, wood, solid surfaces, seating plastics, seating mesh, glass elements, textiles and more.
Remote workers
In support of those who are working remotely during this time, many of the commercial office products available in the Teknion Store are suited for use in the home office environment.
Recent blog posts encouraging healthy ergonomics while working include:
- Discover the Benefits of Using a Sit-Stand Desk
- Monitor Arms — What You Should Know and Why You Should Use Them
Many of the configurations can also work in the home environment.
Healthcare workers
To assist in the safety of healthcare workers, Teknion has taken the initiative to use its equipment to make personal protective equipment, as highlighted below.
Medical accessories
As Teknion explains in its “The Power of One: Taking Initiative to Help Health Care Workers” article, one person’s initiative can have a far-reaching impact. Dan Ting, a supervisor in Teknion’s Design Model Shop, realized that front-line workers such as those in healthcare (including his wife) face specific challenges that the company’s new 3D printer could help ameliorate.
Supervisor Dan Ting is using the company’s new 3D printer to create accessories that make life a little easier for healthcare workers. Image courtesy Teknion
After consulting local healthcare workers, Ting is printing the following accessories:
- Surgical mask ear reliefs (to stop the face mask straps from digging into the back of the ears)
- Door opener/elevator button presser (to avoid contact with germs)
Isolation gowns
Company leadership also reached out to local and federal government agencies and medical associations to see how Teknion could support efforts to combat the spread of the coronavirus. It was determined that the company’s fabric processing, sewing and upholstery skills could be mobilized to supply scarce items to support medical workers.
Teknion has been converting manufacturing space to assemble isolation gowns, as well as to prepare fabric to be sent to other companies that will also assemble isolation gowns. Photo courtesy Teknion
Teknion consulted with a leading manufacturer of re-useable surgical products to help the company switch gears and convert manufacturing space to assemble isolation gowns and to prepare fabric to be sent to other companies that will also assemble isolation gowns.
To read more about Teknion’s efforts initiatives during the pandemic, see the company’s COVID-19: Our Response webpage.
For more FM-specific information on Teknion’s product offerings, see the company’s FMLink page. Teknion provides a versatile and integrated portfolio of office furnishings, seating, ergonomic accessories and architectural products that support workplace wellness.
