Browsing: covid

I’ve been in the welding and gas business for more than 50 years. I truly thought I had seen it all. But this past year and a half has truly been both the best of times and the worst of times in this industry. And, I promise, when I include the best of times in that sentence, I’m not going crazy! But before I get into how it has been the best of times, I think we can all agree that the past year and a half has been pretty bad. We all went through some tough times. But those…

As COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations rise in hotspots such as Florida, member companies of the Compressed Gas Association (CGA) are taking extraordinary measures to respond to surging demand for medical oxygen in those communities. Our members are committed to deploying all available resources to respond to the increased demand for medical oxygen and working collaboratively with health care providers, as we fight this pandemic together. Health care remains a top priority for our industry. Medical oxygen plays a crucial role in treating those who are seriously ill with COVID-19, and the compressed gas industry continues to work diligently to safely…

By Paul Banuski What is the responsibility of a manager when he/she suspects an employee may be struggling with depression, anxiety or other mental health challenges? It’s not an unreasonable question, and it is one that every supervisor should be prepared to answer, considering that 1 in 5 Americans will be diagnosed with a mental or behavioral health issue this year, according to the Center for Disease Control. Whether it’s an anxiety disorder, PTSD, post-partum depression, bipolar or any other number of conditions, mental health issues can be a disruptive part of an employee’s life that can lead to struggles…

The CGA sent a letter to all 50 state governors asking that essential workers be prioritized in vaccine distribution By Rich Gottwald and Steve Guglielmo On December 23, 2020, the Compressed Gas Association sent a letter from CGA President & CEO Rich Gottwald to all 50 U.S. governors and the Mayor of Washington, D.C. urging that portions of the essential medical, food, and industrial gas workforce be included in each state’s Frontline Essential Workers (Phase 1b) prioritization to receive COVID-19 vaccines. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the CGA has been an indispensable resource for the compressed gas industry. Its COVID-19 Industry…

As GAWDA members know, medical oxygen has played an essential role in delivering patient care during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some therapies require large quantities of oxygen or its use in areas of health care facilities not designed for oxygen use, which can create oxygen-enriched atmospheres containing greater than 23.5% oxygen. Although oxygen itself does not burn, in oxygen-enriched atmospheres, materials can be easily ignited by ignition sources such as friction, open flames, heated surgical equipment, or electrical equipment. To avoid incidents involving oxygen and oxygen-enriched atmospheres, it is important that health care personnel handling and using these gases and associated…

By Steve Guglielmo and Brian Beaulieu GAWDA Chief Economist Brian Beaulieu is renowned throughout GAWDA for his clear-eyed forecasting and straightforward presentation. As CEO of ITR Economics, his track record for forecasting our industry is unmatched. At GAWDA Conventions and SMCs, his presentations are widely anticipated and GAWDA members have spoken at length about how they use the reports from ITR Economics in their own company projections. Throughout this year, which will come to be remembered for the havoc that COVID wreaked on our economy, Brian and his team have said at every turn that our businesses would recover quickly.…

By John Campbell and Maura Garvey We all experienced hardship and some real loss during 2020 with COVID-19. However, our industrial gas business pitched in to the treatment of COVID with strenuous efforts by providing significantly increased O2 to hospitals during the surges in cases and hospitalizations. That additional O2 assisted in treatment of the terrible patient breathing affliction with increases in O2 respiratory therapy and with higher volumes softening the very difficult intubation procedures. That O2 service will continue with the second surge well into 2021. In mid-December, the fast development of the first COVD vaccines by Pfizer-bioNTech (Pfizer)…

How a Biden administration will change the regulatory landscape for GAWDA members and how they might handle a COVID vaccine By Tom Badstubner, Marilyn Dempsey, Michael Dodd, Rick Schweitzer, and Steve Guglielmo The First Quarter of 2021 will be marked by two milestone events. The first is a transition of powers within the federal government. And the second is the rollout of a COVID-19 vaccine. GAWDA’s Consultants spoke with Welding & Gases Today about how these two events might impact our industry and the changes that they expect to see as a result of them. Thank you to Tom Bastubner,…

To view the original story from CBS Minnesota, click here. Some Minnesota companies are acting fast to make sure the vaccine gets to all areas of the state quickly. There’s a lot going on at Central McGowan, a family-owned St. Cloud business. Brenden Moffitt is fast at work. “I’m happy to have a job,” Moffitt said. The grateful father and husband knows, amidst COVID-19, many aren’t so lucky. “I know a lot of people who’ve been laid off or lost their jobs entirely,” he said. “I have a lot of friends in the food industry that have been laid off.”…

To view the original story, including the video report, on Pittsburgh’s Action 4 News, click here. Imagine being in a container where the temperature is well below zero degrees. For Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine and others that could come, cold temperatures are necessary for storage. Butler Gas Products Company sells a solution to the cold conundrum: Dry ice. “We’ve gotten a lot of calls recently from all sorts of medical facilities,” said Butler Gas President and COO Abydee Butler Moore. “Everything from local pharmacies to hospital networks throughout the region inquiring about dry ice.” Moore said Butler gas is ready to…