UniFirst Corporation 68 Jonspin Road Wilmington, MA 01887 Phone: 978.658.8888 Fax: 978.988.1305
March 17, 2020
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update UniFirst is closely monitoring the evolving coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak as it continues to have an increased impact locally, nationally, and internationally. The health and safety of our customers, our employee Team Partners, and the communities in which we serve are our top priority. Accordingly, we feel it is important to share with you some of the measures we are taking to help minimize the risks of exposure at our locations and to our stakeholders, measures intended to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. We provide vital products and services to many businesses that are critical to supporting our local communities during these challenging times. Based on the current state and our own preparedness, our facilities are staffed and operational – UniFirst remains open for business. However, we have implemented many staff and customer protocols recommended for the ongoing health and safety of the public-at-large. Below is UniFirst’s latest coronavirus-related information regarding: 1. Facilities/Staff 2. Customer Wash Processes 3. Supply Chain and Product Availability 4. Contact Facilities/Staff
All UniFirst employee Team Partners who have direct contact with soiled laundry, including customer delivery staff, must wear protective gloves and any other Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) that applies. All UniFirst locations are applying extra cleaning measures throughout their facilities and all Team Partners are being instructed to disinfect all common area surfaces, including counters, door handles, computers, etc. All UniFirst Team Partners are being encouraged to practice good hygiene at all times. This includes washing hands often following recommended CDC handwashing procedures and/or utilizing effective hand sanitizers; avoiding touching eyes, nose, and mouth; covering mouth with a tissue or inner elbow when coughing or sneezing. Any Team Partner exhibiting symptoms of viral or bacterial illness, or who has recently returned from Europe or Asia, will be directed to stay home (except to seek medical care). 1
Customer Wash Processes
Our industrial laundry operations follow documented laundering techniques to help ensure that all garments and textiles are hygienically clean after they have undergone the UniFirst cleaning process. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) rank microorganisms with respect to their tolerance to chemical disinfectants. Of the various types of viruses, enveloped viruses (such as COVID-19) have historically been proven to be the most easily neutralized and deemed non-infective with many standard cleaning techniques – techniques such as proper hand hygiene, hard surface disinfecting, and laundry practices (including high temperature and/or proper chemicals). UniFirst’s routine handling of customer laundry includes washing garments/textiles/fabrics with proper detergents/chemicals in water at 160°F or greater. When we wash products with lower temperature wash cycles, we use detergents/chemicals proven as suitable for low temperature washing at proper concentrations for effective disinfection. Enveloped viruses, such as COVID-19, are typically sensitive to a broad range of neutralizing mechanisms, including temperature, oxidation, pH level, detergency, mechanical action, water exchanges, and finishing/drying. High temperature drying and finishing of textiles/fabrics (our pressing or steam tunnel processes) also significantly minimize related risk factors.
As a result of the measures outlined above, we are confident that UniFirst’s standard operating procedures (SOPs) for the processing of customer garments/textiles/fabrics, as well as the extra precautions being taken by our employee Team Partners, are effective in minimizing the potential risks of spreading the coronavirus. Supply Chain and Product Availability
We are continually working with our suppliers to ensure we are alerted in advance of any potential current or future supply-based risks. At this stage, we are not being adversely affected by the ongoing situation. However, given the breadth of our products and services, we remain in close communication with our suppliers, including those that provide raw materials, to maintain our ongoing risk assessments.
UniFirst will continue to monitor the situation and actively explore all options to help mitigate any longer-term risks that may arise.
Contact For any questions or more information on how the coronavirus is affecting UniFirst, its employee Team Partners, or its customers, please contact your local UniFirst location (number at the top of customer invoice). IMPORTANT: if any customer has a uniform-wearing employee with the coronavirus, please contact your local UniFirst servicing facility immediately for guidance (reference the phone number at the top of UniFirst invoice). 2