Even in the pandemic, plumbers and electricians answer emergency calls for broken toilets, furnaces

• Ivey DeJesus/PennLive
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  Enterprise and public advocacy reporter at PennLive.com.

The coronavirus commands global attention, but when you are quarantined at home with the family and your commode stops flushing, that too rises to the level of a crisis.

A large part of the workforce has been idle for weeks amid a shutdown due to the pandemic. But legions of plumbers, electricians and other home contractors have continued to answer service calls to homes that need hot water heaters, furnaces and roofs repaired.

To ensure the health and safety of technicians and homeowners alike amid the highly contagious virus outbreak, companies are taking a multi-tiered approach.

Handyside Plumbing in Fairview Township, for instance, requires that all technicians wear gloves, protective facemasks and booties. They’ve also provided technicians with plenty of hand sanitizer.

“They’ve been greeting customers with a wave not handshake,” said Carley Lorditch, the office manager. “Just imagine if you had one commode in your house and it was clogged. Trades people are more critical now than ever to ensure central operations in your home are working.”

Contractors have been instructed to wash their hands frequently even when they just pop out to their vans. They have also been told to maintain a safe distance from homeowners.

“We’ve had customers give special instructions for the technician to enter the house while they seclude themselves in a certain area of the house,” Lorditch said.

At least 240 people have died due to coronavirus in Pennsylvania, including 78 new deaths reported Tuesday, according to the state Department of Health. Statewide, 14,559 patients have been diagnosed with the coronavirus; 1,579 new cases were reported today.

The majority of firms have gone paperless, doing away entirely with paper-and-ink signatures deferring instead to online sign offs.

Many companies have also rolled out virtual diagnostics and consultations.

Handyside is using remote consultation.

“Its’ allowing us to meet through Zoom but not in person so we don’t have to step into their homes,” Lorditch said. “That makes people feel comfortable that they have that option.”

Haller Enterprises rolled out a remote assist program that allows homeowners to speak with an expert via phone or video chat to diagnose a problem without the need of a home visit.

“If we think it could be something we may be able to handle over the phone or the homeowner can handle themselves, we’ll have the service technician in the office basically walk them through it,” said Aaron Becker, president at Haller Enterprises. “Basically it’s Facetiming with the homeowner and walking them through to see if we can fix the equipment from our office so we don’t have to come out.”

Homeowners are also taking advantage of online consultations to give the technician a virtual tour of the swiftest, least trafficked passage in their house to get to the equipment.

“It also allows us to know what kind of equipment they have so we are able to come out with the right equipment and limit the times we have to go in and out of the house,” Becker said.

The Harrisburg-based Plumbers, Pipefitters and HVACR Technicians Local Union 520 has posted extensive guidelines for tradespeople on its website, covering extensive issues that can impact the safety of technicians.

The union, for instance, points out that according to the Centers for Disease Control, the coronavirus can survive in human feces, although it is unclear for how long. Virus outbreaks have also been traced to sanitary drains and “open” vent systems.

“…As long as the pandemic is still active, it should be assumed by anyone working on a sanitary drainage system that the virus is present,” the union statement reads. “All plumbers and HVAC service technicians working on these systems are strongly recommended to wear personal protective equipment including a full face shield worn over safety goggles, impermeable gloves, and protective clothing, because of the potential to come into contact with water and aerosols that contain the coronavirus when working on sanitary systems or sewers. Assume that everything inside that system is contagious.”

The union also recommends that any tradesperson working near plumbing vents and rooftop HVAC equipment, specifically exhaust fans, be provided proper personal protective equipment. The union also recommends that in addition to washing hands, technicians should wash their arms and face with soap and water for 20 seconds immediately after removing PPE.

Becker said his company is screening service calls to determine if anyone in the household has tested positive or has been sickened by COVID-19.

“It doesn’t mean we are not going to do the service but we’ll add added safety precautions with elevated facemasks and protective suits,” he said. “We want to make sure we take care of everyone.”

Haller in March rolled out company-wide safety protocol, including contactless delivery to warehouses. The company is also tracking employee travel in order to have a record of personal interactions in case anyone should test positive or get sick.

Becker said homeowners have been pleased with the safety protocol.

“For everyone, there’s so many unknowns,” Becker said. “It’s not just one person coming into my house or one employee going in. With the heightened awareness around this virus we need to take extra precaution. All the customers we’ve had interactions with are really appreciative.”

Some business owners have turned their attention to the Legislature.

Fred Fortino, owner of Rl Snyder Electric Inc. in Harrisburg, is among a cadre of contractors appealing to the Legislature to lift restrictions on the construction industry.

“Most guys at a construction site are not on top of each other. They have more than 6-foot separation with our guys working outside and all,” said Fortino, whose business is typically majority commercial, but has, amid the pandemic, taken on more residential emergency service calls.

The General Assembly this week continued to consider appeals from industry sectors seeking exemption from the list of businesses that must remain closed due the COVID-19 crisis. On Monday, two measures advanced in a House committee; the bills seek to roll back portions of Gov. Tom Wolf’s business closure order. The measures are now in the pipeline for full House consideration.

Wolf on March 19 ordered all non-life-sustaining businesses to close but provided for a waiver process for those businesses to seek an exemption from the closure order.

Fortino said he is confident that his technicians as well as homeowners are protected due to the fact that all technicians wear masks, booties and gloves on the job – and all have hand sanitizers in their trucks. He is, however, not as optimistic about his industry sector.

“It’s hampered our industry tremendously,” Fortino said. “A lot of companies are not going to come back from this.”

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