Heroes! Theresa Griffith. Co-Owner of Hands Off Covid Compliance
Green The Bid Crew Heroes is a series that highlights individuals who bring sustainable practices to any area of the production process, and seek to inspire others to do the same. Production can’t happen without all crew-members (both on set and off), and the same is true of their support of Green The Bid.
Green The Bid’s Jessie Nagel spoke with Theresa Griffith of Hands Off ICP about how to tackle Covid compliance without impacting the environment.
J.N. Many people think of COVID compliance as the enemy of sustainability. How is your company handling this?
T.G. There is a great deal of waste and misunderstanding of how and why when to use masks, dishware, flatware and when to wash your hands. Hands Off ICP focuses on the practicality of making donning (putting on) and doffing (taking off) disposable masks realistic. We focus our efforts to provide what is reasonable, so with that in mind, our company, and the members we train focus on the importance of using a disposable mask to one time a day. Unless the disposable mask becomes soiled or damp, there is no need to change it more often. For the use of a cloth mask, the wearer must wash it at the end of the day with hot soapy water and hang to dry. No exceptions. Many companies out there think frequent changing of face masks or wearing a higher grade of face mask like an N95 or a KN95 is stronger prevention. It simply is not accurate in a non-medical environment. Save those types of face masks for healthcare personnel only. We also encourage proper disinfecting of face shields/goggles so that they do not become “one and done” use only. Throwing away these items after every use caused a huge amount of unnecessary waste on sets.
J.N. Can you talk about some of best practices that keep a set safe and healthy in all ways? Myths vs reality?
T.G. One big myth is the use of disposable dishware. There is simply no research out there that states this prevents COVID. It is acceptable to use real dishes and silverware when working with food items. What has come out of this COVID madness is the reduction of self-serve food items such as a buffet or family style service. In fact, COVID is not the concern with food service. Foodborne illness such as Hepatitis A, and a multitude of other highly infectious diseases that can cause people to become very ill, effect food service more than COVID. It is a standard with Hands Off that there is only one person to serve meals to others. Ideally, the food service worker has a food safety certificate, so there is a basic understanding of transmission of foodborne illness and how to prevent them. Then this person can frequently wash hands or use alcohol-based hand sanitizer when serving.
Another myth is that we need to be overly militant with the way we watch and train on set. It is of course important that we are paying attention and helping to point out proper COVID safe behaviors on set, it’s actually a huge disservice to become ‘scary and strict’ when dealing with the folks on set. While on set we encourage education with kindness and respect. It is the salve that soothes us all after so much Covid burnout. We feel that you must meet people where they are and teach through example. We find that crew at times have been exposed to HSM’s or Covid Coordinators that have only taken online classes. They wield the practices they’ve been taught in a very intense way. This intensity never benefits safety on set. Crew is either intimidated to ask a question about safety or they ignore all protocols because they feel disrespected by the process.
Lately because a growing number of folks are vaccinated, they feel that proper handwashing and mask wearing isn’t necessary. That somehow, they are invincible now that they have been vaccinated, but nothing could be further from the truth. There are still important practices in infectious disease prevention that we will need to continue long after the COVID pandemic ends.
The scary thing is that misinformation is rampant now and that most covid protocols have never been updated. Mix in unproven ways to keep people from getting Covid and unproven medications or practices when someone has COVID, it is enough to make someone crazy. We have a lot of misinformation to undo when we are on set.
Please note these are NOT ways to keep yourself from getting COVID: Drinking or cleaning your body with bleach, hydrogen peroxide or hand sanitizer. It sounds wild but we hear it on every set from smart, educated people. Also, spread the word. Hand washing is preferable to hand sanitizing. Let’s save the good bacteria on our hands. Of course, if you can’t hand wash, hand sanitizer is your best friend.
J.N. How did the company come into being and why do you love doing what you do?
T.G. My partner and I have an extensive background in healthcare, specifically people who are at high risk for illness. The two of us have been trained as Infection Control Preventionists and were sent out to conduct actual COVID/Infection Control surveys in Long-Term Care settings and End Stage Renal Disease centers. The people who make up each population in each of these healthcare settings are the most at risk for harm. We had friends and family who were impacted by loss of work in production and wanted to take a leap of faith that we could train anyone to be a Health Safety Manager and be the backup when questions come up while on set. We now have a group of very successful members who are competent to train and keep an eye on things while on set. We stress the importance of being kind with people who may not fully understand infection control practices. We want to provide information that is understandable and encourage others to ask anything they ever wanted to know about practices. I think this has been our strong point to not freak others out and create an atmosphere of mutual respect and to teach when we can.
My partner has her master’s in nursing and is a Registered Nurse. Her background has always been to train others, to do research and assist others in her mission. She is a great human and super smart and kind.
The other half of the Hands Off equation is our Production Experts Angela Griffith and Erin Gillette. They have well over 20 years in Film/TV/Commercial experience as Production Supervisors or Producing each and have continued to be active on set during the pandemic. Early in the pandemic, Angela had COVID and was so sick she couldn’t even think of going back to work. Her firsthand experience with the illness and firsthand knowledge of set practices led her to question how anyone in the industry could be safe and keep sets open. My partner and I realized there was a need to help educate and train folks properly in the entertainment industry so they could continue to work, take care of their families and stay safe.
The friends and family members we have in production was the most important aspect for Hands Off, ICP. We wanted to see the industry go back to work and not be scared. There is so much misinformation on TV and in social media. We want to be a support and not a hindrance to going back to work. We love to address obstacles and consider it a blessing to be able to share our knowledge with other people.
J.N. What was the a-ha moment that inspired you to consider the environmental impact of production?
T.G. Since our team has such extensive backgrounds in production, they have stories going back years about the amount of waste a set can amass. Angela tells of a story about a pastry commercial that had a wall of opened product (well over 1,000 boxes) and there was no one who would come and take it and use it to feed people in need. Erin says that pre-COVID, the number of meals that went uneaten and subsequently thrown away was enough to feed multiple families, multiple meals, if donated properly. Seeing that prompted them in finding different resources for donating open food, donating furniture and clothes, providing recycling stations, hydration stations vs bottled water, and more recently teaching crew members to save their clean masks in a brown lunch bag when they eat and that face shields can be washed and used again. Production folks do what they can but there is so much room for improvement.
J.N. What are the things you have changed in your own life to be more environmentally conscious?
T.G. This is an interesting question. I can say, in my lifetime, this has been a critical issue for me. I have raised three children and my partner has raised two of her own. When my first child was born, we had him in cloth diapers and washed those items ourselves and hired no laundry service. It was amazing the reaction we had when my husband and I took this on. We got a lot of strange looks. I think today, the younger population is recognizing that this needs to continue. In my personal life, we recycle, go to second hands stores, carry reusable grocery bags and are always open to learning better practices of sustainability.
J.N. If you could do any other job, in the industry or otherwise, what would it be and why?
T.G. So far, I am happy with my company and the support that I have with my partner and friends and family who continue to work and to thrive. This is the best part. Not sure what else I could do. I hope that we can continue Hands Off ICP in the future since it is just not COVID out there, there are so many other health issues/infectious diseases that are out there and they impact so many people. Life is fragile and we want to support others.
*** Angela says that she would be a Pathologist or maybe Oprah ☺
----- Are you a crew hero or do you know one? We want to hear from you!
