BASF Dispersions, Resins Business Update on COVID-19

BASF's Dispersions & Resins business offered the following statement:

We hope that you, your family and your loved ones are all well.

The novel coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic is changing the world as we know it. People’s health and wellbeing are at the forefront of this crisis. This is why our paramount priority is to protect our colleagues, contractors, visitors and the communities in which we operate. We are doing our best to get through this unprecedented health crisis by taking the necessary precautions to care for our colleagues and customers around the world.

BASF’s global, regional, country and site crisis management teams are meeting daily to further monitor the outbreak of COVID-19 and recommend the necessary mitigation measures. Our teams are all working hard to ensure business continuity and minimize the overall impact on business operations. We would like to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of them for their outstanding work and dedication during these exceptional circumstances – and we would also like to genuinely thank all our customers for their understanding and cooperation during these times.

As of March 30, 2020, we have no indications of a significant impact on North America operations and supply chain for our dispersions, resins and additives due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The status of our operations included in this webpage will be updated in the event of relevant changes.

Actions taken to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on our operations:

Contingency measures

• Compliance with preventive and hygienic measures for our own employees as well as external visitors, including additional rules at the respective sites and access points;
• Close contact with our logistics service providers to find practical solutions and protect the supply chains;
• Continuously introducing measures at our production sites to interrupt potential chains of infection, depending on local conditions;
• Official orders by local authorities and additional instructions from country and site crisis teams may be mandatory and will be strictly followed.

Additional recommendations and preventive measures include, among others

• Business trips to risk areas are prohibited;
• All travel must be limited to business-critical activities;
• Precise instructions apply when employees return from risk areas on business or private trips, including domestic quarantine measures as recommended by the health authorities;
• Non-business-critical meetings should not be conducted in person, but alternatives, e.g., virtual meetings, should be used;
• Employees who can work from home should do so in consultation with their supervisors;
• Employees in production are organized in strictly separate teams;
• Physical contacts are reduced to the necessary minimum.

General hygiene measures
In order to avoid spreading the virus, employees, customers and logistic service providers are asked to adhere to the following hygiene and behavioral measures based on WHO recommendations: 

• Wash your hands frequently: Regularly and thoroughly clean your hands with an alcohol-based hand rub or wash them with soap and water;
• Maintain social distancing. Maintain at least 1-2 meters (3-6 feet) distance between yourself and others, especially when they are coughing or sneezing;
• Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth;
• Practice respiratory hygiene: Make sure you, and the people around you, follow good respiratory hygiene. This means covering your mouth and nose with your bent elbow or tissue when you cough or sneeze. Then dispose of the used tissue immediately;
• Stay home if you feel unwell. If you have a fever, cough and difficulty breathing, seek medical attention.