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April 23, 2020

Ahead of curve, Glastonbury’s HABCO Industries adopts on-site COVID-19 testing program 

Contributed About three dozen HABCO employees have taken voluntary on-site COVID-19 tests.
By Greg Bordonaro

While many Connecticut essential employers have remained open during the coronavirus pandemic, they are still searching for ways to keep their workers safe, particularly manufacturers that have employees on shop floors.

Glastonbury aerospace manufacturer HABCO Industries has been ahead of the preparation curve, discussing and implementing safety measures since February, according to CEO and President Brian Montanari.

The company now has a 10-plus page document that outlines rules and procedures management and employees must follow, including mandatory temperature checks, strict sanitizing and cleaning protocols and requirements to wear gloves and masks, which have been in place since mid-March.

Most recently, it implemented an on-site voluntary testing program, putting it at the forefront of a preventative measure Connecticut companies will likely need to adopt more widely, before Gov. Ned Lamont agrees to reopen the state’s economy. 

Montanari said HABCO secured COVID-19 test kits from Texas-based MicroGenDX, which received authorization from the Food and Drug Administration to market and sell its product under the COVID-19 Emergency Use Act.  

The test doesn’t require a finger prick or nose swab. Instead, it uses a saliva sample and comes with a high rate of accuracy, Montanari said. 

So far, about three dozen HABCO employees have or will be tested, and none have tested positive for COVID-19, Montanari said, adding the company has spent about $25,000 so far on the program.

Each test kit costs $100; HABCO has bought about 200 of them.

“We have taken every step possible to protect our employees and still meet demand,” Montanari said. “It’s given our workers a sense of comfort.”

HABCO employees on the shop floor are required to wear masks and gloves and maintain social distancing.

HABCO has just under 100 employees, half of which have worked from home since mid-March. Shop-floor workers are staggered between two shifts so they can maintain safe social distancing. 

They’ve also doubled the number of days cleaning crews come to the facility at 172 Oak St.

Montanari even created a Youtube channel to provide employees working on campus and remotely with company updates.

He said after the initial voluntary baseline testing, employees will only be considered for testing if they have a fever or come in contact with someone diagnosed with COVID-19. But he wouldn’t mind if government mandated testing, especially when it’s time to bring back his employees who have been working remotely. 

But it does require some investment. Besides the costs for individual tests, HABCO set up stringent testing processes and contracted with a nurse practitioner to allow it to meet program-participation guidelines.

Employees go to their cars to produce the sample, which is then collected and sent for testing in Texas. So far, results have come back within 24 hours, Montanari said. 

Ahead of the curve

HABCO, which supplies aviation aftermarket products to both the defense and commercial aviation segments, has been a growth company. In fact, it hired 42 employees last year, but it has seen business  slow of late. Many of its commercial customers have pushed orders off until later in the year, but the company is still projecting higher sales in 2020, though it will likely miss its original target, Montanari said.

No employees have been furloughed or let go, and HABCO was approved and received funding under the federal government’s Payroll Protection Program, though Montanari wouldn’t say how much. 

He also declined to disclose company revenues.

Montanari said it’s been a mission of his management team to stay ahead of the pandemic because of the potential harm it could cause his business and employees.

When Lamont issued an executive order April 8, outlining safety measures for essential employers, HABCO was already in compliance with 48 out of 50 measures, he said. 

One thing they didn’t do was remove garbage-can lids in the cafeteria.

“As soon as I saw that I left my office and did it myself,” Montanari said. “I believe our actions have been timely and appropriate allowing us to plan and execute as opposed to react.”        

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