Neighbor to neighbor: Universal Plastics provides face shields for ISO-NE

While most ISO employees are working from home, we have several dozen co-workers who must continue to work at the office. Keeping those staff safe from infection is just as important as the job itself, and supplying employees with their own personal protection equipment is key. That is where it helps having a good neighbor to lend a helping hand.

Universal Plastics, ISO New England’s next-door neighbor in Holyoke, is doing its part in the fight against the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. The custom plastic products manufacturer, which specializes in custom thermoforming, is making plastic face shields from polyethylene terephthalate. ISO New England has acquired some of these shields for our control room staff, network operations center staff who enter into the control room, all vendors and repair personnel, and the EMT’s who are screening staff when they arrive on site.

Jim Marceno, ISO-NE Lead Information Services Technician, wears mask provided by Universal Plastics while working to support control room operations.“I feel more protected using it than if I didn’t, but I feel most protected wearing the shield along with an N-95 mask,” said Jim Marceno, Lead Information Services Technician. “It does take some getting used to. I initially had some issues with the shield fogging up slightly while troubleshooting a problem in the control room, but I was able to manage okay.”

While the control room staff each have their own face shield to use, the shield is reusable and can be worn by multiple employees, as long as it is disinfected according to proper procedure, which Universal Plastics provided.

Learn more about how Universal Plastics has pivoted its manufacturing to making products for the Covid-19 pandemic.