Alpine Supply Chain Solutions hosts Covid-19 preparedness training—Covid-19 roundup for April 27

Material handling systems integrator Alpine Supply Chain Solutions will host a free webinar this week with tips to help warehousing and logistics companies navigate the maze of information related to employee safety during the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Companies overwhelmed by the volume of safety information, best practices, and government guidelines can tune in this Wednesday, April 29 at 2 p.m. EST for the firm’s Covid-19 Preparedness and Response webinar that will offer: 

• General training.
• An overview of CDC/OSHA guidelines.
• Communication tools.
• An introduction to Alpine’s easy-to-use electronic checklist.

“Alpine Supply Chain Solutions has collaborated with industry partners, researched the impacts, and documented best practices, so that you don’t have to,” the company said in a statement announcing the webinar.

In other pandemic-related news, industry trade groups and logistics firms are taking steps to help companies and employees navigate the changing business environment: 

• Last week, the International Foodservice Distributors Association (IFDA), voiced its support for bi-partisan legislation adding $351 billion in funding for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), but noted that more must be done to help its members. The group says foodservice distributors will lose an estimated $24 billion in revenue by mid-June because of restaurant and school closures nationwide and said it continues efforts to lobby congress on members’ behalf. “Congressional leaders will need to consider the big-picture impact of the pandemic as well as financial solutions for the recovery of the foodservice industry as a whole,” IFDA said.
• Transportation and logistics company XPO Logistics rolled out an “appreciation pay program” for nearly 40,000 employees in the United States and Canada whose responsibilities “require them to work on the front lines during the Covid-19 crisis,” the company said. The program aims to recognize the work of XPO workers who don’t have the option of working from home. Under the program: hourly employees in its distribution centers will receive $2 per hour on top of their regular hourly rate for all hours worked during the week; salaried employees in these sites will receive weekly lump-sum payments ranging from $100 to $250, depending on position. Employees who are participating in an existing pandemic special incentive plan will be placed in the plan that provides the greater benefit to them, the company also said. Field employees working in service centers within the company’s LTL business unit will instead receive a one-time bonus of $500 for all full-time employees, and $250 for all part-time employees, XPO said.

To see further coverage of the coronavirus crisis and how it's affecting the logistics industry, check out our Covid-19 landing page. And click here for our compilation of virus-focused websites and resource pages from around the supply chain sector.