Federal Resources
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Federal Financial Resources
OSHA Highlights
Food Safety and COVID-19
EPA Highlights
Additional Resources
Federal Financial Resources
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP)
- Paycheck Protection Program Guidelines Shortcut to the SBA website for all of the information needed to apply for a small business loan under the CARES Act.
Essential Business Member Resource Letters
- Letter for PLASTICS members to request that your business be identified as "essential." Update the letter with information specific to your business.
- Toolkit with a form for employees as they travel to and from work, as well as templates for businesses to use for their employees and supply chains.
OSHA Highlights
- April: U.S. Chamber of Commerce Summary of OSHA's Response, including OSHA’s enforcement approach and priorities
- March: Guidance on Preparing Workplaces for COVID-19
- Standards and recording workplace exposures to COVID-19
- COVID-19 OSHA main page
Have questions about operational changes that members of the plastics industry have undertaken to respond to COVID-19? Please contact us here: covid-19@plasticsindustry.org.
Food Safety and COVID-19
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has posted resources available to industry members and consumers on Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and food safety on its website. FDA provides (1) a way to contact the Agency by submitting questions online, (2) industry guidance, which communicates FDA’s intention to temporarily suspend supplier verification onsite audit requirements under the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), and (3) FDA addresses questions regarding food safety in the questions and answers section. Further, an audio recording of an FDA briefing for Foods Stakeholders on COVID-19 is available on FDA’s website. The Agency has consistently stated that there is no evidence that food or food packaging is associated with transmission of COVID-19. Additional Information is available here.
In addition, read the memorandum from Keller and Heckman LLP setting forth their legal opinion that all workers engaged in the manufacture of items along the food and drug packaging supply chain are essential critical infrastructure workers.
Foodservice Packaging FAQ’s Concern around the COVID-19 pandemic has led to many questions about foodservice packaging and its safety. The Foodservice Packaging Institute (FPI) has published a document of frequently asked questions regarding the use and safety of take-out packaging that FDCPMC and PLASTICS members may find useful.
EPA Highlights
- April: Joint Guidance from CDC and EPA on Cleaning and Disinfecting
- Disinfectant Use and Coronavirus (COVID-19)
- March: COVID-19 Implications for EPA's Enforcement and Compliance Assurance Program; clarifications (be sure to check state/local enforcement guidance or policies)
- Coronavirus (COVID-19): EPA main page
Additional Resources
U.S. Chamber of Commerce Summary of OSHA's Response
This five-page summary covers employer obligations to protect employees, recordkeeping requirements, and OSHA’s enforcement approach and priorities.
Department of Transportation (DOT)
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) issued an expanded national emergency declaration to provide hours-of-service regulatory relief to commercial vehicle drivers transporting emergency relief in response to the nationwide coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.
Read the press release here.
Read the text of the expanded emergency relief declaration here.
Notice of Enforcement Discretion On April 2, a temporary policy for the transportation of certain alcohol-based hand Sanitizer products were put in place.
COVID-19 Workforce Virtual Toolkit
Department of Health and Human Services Resources for Healthcare Decision-Makers Responding to COVID-19 Workforce Concerns. View Here.
Actions By Plastics
On March 18 and March 19, PLASTICS sent two letters to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and to the White House:
1.) Letter to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) regarding the need for single-use plastic products.
2.) Letter to the White House and our nation's Governors to raise awareness about the essential nature of our industry.
CDC Issues New Interim Guidance for Critical Infrastructure Workers
April 8, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued new interim guidance for critical infrastructure workers who have faced a potential exposure to COVID-19 through a household contact or have had close contact with a confirmed or suspected case. The CDC advises “critical infrastructure workers may be permitted to return to work following potential exposure to COVID-19 provided they remain asymptomatic and additional precautions are implemented to protect them and the community.” The CDC’s guidance lays out several important practices that must be managed prior, during and after the work shift as well as other considerations for an employee’s participation in the workplace. The interim guidance pertains to personnel in 16 different sectors, including manufacturing, and can be found here.
State Department Covid-19 Response
The State Department has created a central point of contact for companies facing issues overseas that affect the import of goods critical to addressing the COVID-19 pandemic. The State Department plans to coordinate among offices and agencies and with overseas missions to provide an initial response within one business day. If your company is facing these global supply chain challenges, you can contact the State Department resource here. You can also contact the NAM’s Trade and Supply Chain team with questions or to share information about global issues related to the COVID-19 response.
Department of Homeland Security Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (DHS-CISA) Tier-1 Critical Infrastructure
The Department of Homeland Security Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (DHS-CISA) published their list of 16 critical infrastructure sectors. As municipalities and states consider “shelter in place” or other restrictions on movement, federal lists are a useful tool in ensuring harmonization. In addition to their critical role in the food and public health sectors, the DHS-CISA list includes the chemical sector, specifically plastics used to produce single-use plastics.