nonessential businesses or not

[slimslob]

Re: nonessential businesses or not

What can you do if a hospital finds it an essential bit of kit?
Someone needs to go fix it. Here is where proper PPE would be a necessary.
Working on a machine in a hazmed suite would be an experience.

I don't know what the situation is there in South Africa where you are, but here in California visitors are no longer allowed in hospitals. I have a sister-in-law in ICU after having had a tumor removed from the right side of her brain. No one is allowed to visit her. Not even my brother. He has to sit by the phone and wait for the medical professionals to call him with updates.

I would say that if you had to go to service a piece of equipment at a hospital, you would be given full PPE more to protect them than to protect you.

[allan]

Re: nonessential businesses or not

I don't know what the situation is there in South Africa where you are, but here in California visitors are no longer allowed in hospitals. I have a sister-in-law in ICU after having had a tumor removed from the right side of her brain. No one is allowed to visit her. Not even my brother. He has to sit by the phone and wait for the medical professionals to call him with updates.

I would say that if you had to go to service a piece of equipment at a hospital, you would be given full PPE more to protect them than to protect you.

We are only entering lock-down now so yea guess visiting the hospital would be off limits. Hope she recovers soon, must be a very lonely experience.
No more travel and no business that are not essential are allowed. 21 days the entire country.
The hospitals were already over run years ago. The county is overpopulated for some of the infrastructure.
Not sure if the military or police would not be able to deal with the possible looting that could occur.

[Rickster]

Re: nonessential businesses or not

I don't know what the situation is there in South Africa where you are, but here in California visitors are no longer allowed in hospitals. I have a sister-in-law in ICU after having had a tumor removed from the right side of her brain. No one is allowed to visit her. Not even my brother. He has to sit by the phone and wait for the medical professionals to call him with updates.

I would say that if you had to go to service a piece of equipment at a hospital, you would be given full PPE more to protect them than to protect you.

I wish! Though, so far, my calls have been in office environments rather than patient wards. They do screen all who enter at the ONLY entrance. I do wish I had a N95 when I ride the elevator etc, but the real health care professions don't have enough for their crucial work. I'm just a copier guy. ;>)

[slimslob]

Re: nonessential businesses or not

I wish! Though, so far, my calls have been in office environments rather than patient wards. They do screen all who enter at the ONLY entrance. I do wish I had a N95 when I ride the elevator etc, but the real health care professions don't have enough for their crucial work. I'm just a copier guy. ;>)

I kind of figured that with most if not all medical professionals now being required to use iPad, Microsoft Touch or similar pad type computers, the need for printing devices a wards and treatment areas had been eliminated. Most equipment in patient areas has for sometime been swapped out ansd taken elsewhere for repair. Thought this year there are some critical items that are becoming in short supply.

[Rickster]

Re: nonessential businesses or not

I kind of figured that with most if not all medical professionals now being required to use iPad, Microsoft Touch or similar pad type computers, the need for printing devices a wards and treatment areas had been eliminated. Most equipment in patient areas has for sometime been swapped out ansd taken elsewhere for repair. Thought this year there are some critical items that are becoming in short supply.

That has not exactly been my experience ... at leat at the facility I am responsible for. MFPs typically at the nurses station and a dictate room for most wards/departments. Also in the admin and support offices. This system is particularly paperwork driven. I suspect you'd be right about the more modern private healthcare systems. Though, here in the US, every patient gets a nice big packet of disclosures and summaries thanks to HIPAA. The fact is that healthcare is one of the few growing segments of our industry. We are all going to need a job when this is over. Who am I to decide what is essential?

[slimslob]

Re: nonessential businesses or not

That has not exactly been my experience ... at leat at the facility I am responsible for. MFPs typically at the nurses station and a dictate room for most wards/departments. Also in the admin and support offices. This system is particularly paperwork driven. I suspect you'd be right about the more modern private healthcare systems. Though, here in the US, every patient gets a nice big packet of disclosures and summaries thanks to HIPAA. The fact is that healthcare is one of the few growing segments of our industry. We are all going to need a job when this is over. Who am I to decide what is essential?

HIPAA, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, has nothing to do with the "nice big packet of disclosures and summaries."

[emujo2]

Re: nonessential businesses or not

I just got my letter "I'm Essential" yea!!!Now to convince my wife and kids...

[slimslob]

Re: nonessential businesses or not

I just got my letter "I'm Essential" yea!!!Now to convince my wife and kids...

I still say we need a laugh button to go with the Like and Thank buttons.

[SalesServiceGuy]

Re: nonessential businesses or not

A copier technician is not in the Armed Services nor the Police so they cannot be ordered to do anything that they personally feel unsafe to do.

Nor should they be expected to provide or be suited up with hospital grade protective clothing... besides there is a global shortage of such clothing.

A lot of techs are 60+ years old so this puts them in a risk group as well.

If a healthcare facility is on lock down, deliver a rental copier to their door, input the IP/Subnet/Gateway that the IT Manager wants and then work with him remotely via TeamViewer to complete the task.

Or have the equipment requiring repair rolled down to a loading dock and work on it there. Sanitize the copier heavily before touching with hospital grade disinfectant. The hospital should be able to supply this.

[SalesServiceGuy]

Re: nonessential businesses or not

There is the risk that a copier technician who can not be expected to know all of the details about how to properly protect himself in a healthcare facility, could unknowingly infect himself or his clothing, return to his place of business and unknowingly infect his co-workers.

Many dealers are now dividing their copier technicians into two or more teams who work independently of each other at all times taking care to disinfect any work surface or equipment that they might come in contact with.

[emujo2]

Re: nonessential businesses or not

I'm 100% in "the cure is worse than the disease camp" sorry if you don't agree with this, and I'm nearly 60..I will do everything I can to try and keep my job. It's much too late for me to find work doing what I do and getting paid the same. If I die then my wife gets the extra life insurance. Getting laid off would be catastrophic for me and my family so I will continue to go in and work as needed. This BS about closing "non essential businesses" is terrible..and will destroy millions of lives..much more than this f-ing virus can ever do..Mother nature wins in the end..let it run its course..E

[RandyW]

Re: nonessential businesses or not

Maybe some machines can be moved to a less "contaminated" area? Probably not always feasible. When I first started here we had a Sharp copier at the Chinese Embassy in DC. We delivered it to their lobby and they took it from there. The time or 2 we worked on it they would wheel it out there. It was a SF7800 or 7850 so not really a big one.


Traffic has been nice. Restaurants are really getting hurt. Heck, just about every field or job sector is getting creamed. Amazing how fast that took place.

[slimslob]

Re: nonessential businesses or not

I have heard that in order to reduce the potential spread of infections are having their technicians dispatch from home. Social distancing between the outside techs and the office staff.

[SalesServiceGuy]

Re: nonessential businesses or not

I'm 100% in "the cure is worse than the disease camp" sorry if you don't agree with this, and I'm nearly 60..I will do everything I can to try and keep my job. It's much too late for me to find work doing what I do and getting paid the same. If I die then my wife gets the extra life insurance. Getting laid off would be catastrophic for me and my family so I will continue to go in and work as needed. This BS about closing "non essential businesses" is terrible..and will destroy millions of lives..much more than this f-ing virus can ever do..Mother nature wins in the end..let it run its course..E

You are entitled to your own opinion but you have no right to unintentionally/unknowingly infect all of the people you come in contact with each day.

[emujo2]

Re: nonessential businesses or not

You are entitled to your own opinion but you have no right to unintentionally/unknowingly infect all of the people you come in contact with each day.

I would say that I should't "knowingly/intentionally" go to work sick, (and I don't), but by your standards no one should ever leave their house..how do you know if you have something before symptoms are showing..This isn't Ebola, or the Plague..My kid and his girlfriend just lost both jobs, not because anyone at the office was sick, but because the gov has said they're non essential. They will lose everything in a few short weeks WHY?? to prevent a miniscule percentage of those that get the virus from dying???? We will be seeing the percentage of homeless follow Al Gore's Global warming curve. You can bet your ass that the percentage of deaths in this part of the population will far outpace the Covid19 virus. But hey..gas prices are down..I guess that makes it all worth it..