COVID-19 Response
Hill Laboratories response to COVID-19
COVID19 UPDATE - TUESDAY 16th FEBRUARY 2022
As we all navigate the uncertainties around Covid and the disruption it causes to our personal and professional lives, and our businesses, we at Hill Labs want to assure you of our continued commitment to the level of service that you have come to expect of us.
We have business continuity plans in place to minimise the impact of the disruption that will be caused when Covid finds its way into our business. We have budgeted to carry higher staffing levels than normal in preparation for the anticipated increase in staff absenteeism. We are substantially increasing the amount of inventory that we hold due to the likely continued disruption to supply chains, and we’re leveraging our in-house COVID saliva testing operations to carry out surveillance testing of our staff with more targeted testing as and when required. Thankfully, we have been approved by MBIE as doing critical work, so we will be able to employ the ‘test-to-work’ tactic in those parts of the business where critical work is occurring.
However, in anticipation of at least some level of disruption, we need to bring the following to your attention:
Turnaround Time (TAT)
Due to the impact of increased staff absenteeism on our operations, our ability to report results within our stated TAT may be impacted in different areas of our business at different times. We will ensure that you are kept informed of any changes/delays as the situation develops (please note that as per our standard procedure all urgent testing needs to be pre arranged with the laboratory).
Courier Services
It is expected that courier delays will continue for the foreseeable future and be exacerbated by staff absenteeism in that sector. We are continually working with our courier providers but this is to a large extent outside our control. For our customers in Auckland, please note that we have a dedicated daily courier service operating Mondays to Fridays from our Auckland to Hamilton lab. Samples that are dropped off at our lab in Auckland before 6pm will be couriered directly to the Hamilton lab that same evening. Auckland Lab address: 28 Heather Street, Parnell.
Supplied Items
Because of persisting courier delays, please consider ordering your supplied items well ahead of time, as well as holding a small amount of additional stock.
If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact our friendly Client Services Team.
We are all in this together, and as a 100% Kiwi owned and operated business we want to assure you of our ongoing commitment to providing New Zealand with world class analytical testing and customer service.
COVID19 UPDATE - THURSDAY 27TH JANUARY 2022
With New Zealand now in Red under the Traffic Light System, our testing services are available and operating as usual. However, we are taking increased precautions to keep our clients, staff and the wider communities safe. These precautions include:
- Requiring staff members to work from home if they are able to do so.
- Encouraging staff to wear masks on site.
- Maintaining social distancing.
- Postponing or cancelling large meetings.
- Postponing or cancelling non-essential travel.
- Only essential visitors are allowed on site. They must be vaccinated and masked.
- Contactless delivery is required for couriers and other deliveries.
- Testing of staff.
We have a detailed management plan in place should we find a positive Covid-19 case within our business. If you would like a copy of this management plan, or have any related queries, please get in contact with us.
COVID19 UPDATE - MONDAY 4TH OCTOBER 2021
Our Duke St Hamilton laboratory continues to operate under Alert Level 3. Sample drop off remains ‘contactless’. If you have any client queries, please don't hesitate to get in contact with us.
COVID19 UPDATE - TUESDAY 7TH SEPTEMBER 2021
With the move to Alert Level 2, all of our testing services (with the exception of our Auckland Laboratory which remains closed throughout Alert Level 4) are back to business as usual. If you have any client queries, please don't hesitate to get in contact with us.
We encourage you to use the courier network to send samples into our laboratories when you can. If dropping samples off, please wear a mask and maintain social distancing.
COVID19 UPDATE - MONDAY 30TH AUGUST 2021
With the government’s announcement Friday afternoon that we will be transitioning from lockdown into Level 3 (with the exception of Auckland), we are pleased to confirm that all of our services will be operating again from Wednesday 1st September. We are anticipating resuming our usual turnaround times and our excellent customer service with you all. Please note our Auckland laboratory will remain closed throughout the Alert Level 4 period*.
We continue to ensure that our workplace is safe for our staff to operate in, particularly allowing them to maintain appropriate levels of physical distancing while in our laboratories. We will also be asking any of our staff who can do so to continue working remotely from home, to further improve physical distancing among our staff.
*Our Auckland lab remains available on an on-call basis for ‘essential services’ clients. All samples currently in Auckland will be sent to and analysed by the other labs during Level 4.
COVID19 UPDATE - WEDNESDAY 25TH AUGUST 2021
Our laboratory testing services continue for clients whose operations are considered to be ‘essential services’ only. Client Services and Support remain available, contact details are listed in the table below. We hope you are all keeping safe during this uncertain time.
COVID19 UPDATE - WEDNESDAY 18TH AUGUST 2021
Following the government's announcement yesterday, we have implemented a range of mitigations that will help to slow down the spread of COVID-19 to protect our staff, clients and the wider community, and we will continue to introduce new measures as and when required.
Please see a summary below of our current response plan.
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TESTING SERVICES |
At the current alert level 4 our laboratory testing services will continue for clients whose operations are considered to be ‘essential services’ only. Please contact us if you are unsure if your testing needs are deemed as ‘essential’. |
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LABORATORY OPENING HOURS |
Our Hamilton, Christchurch and Blenheim laboratories are currently operating over the alert level four shutdown. Our Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch Asbestos laboratories are currently closed but remain available on an on-call basis for ‘essential services’ clients. Please contact env.csm@hill-labs.co.nz to arrange testing. |
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CLIENT SERVICES AND SUPPORT |
Client Services and Support remain available during the shutdown. Please endeavor to contact the most appropriate team based on your 'essential services' testing needs. FREE PHONE: 0508 HILL LAB
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SAMPLE DROP OFF |
We encourage you to use the courier network to send samples into our open laboratories. Our open laboratories are now operating ‘contactless’ sample drop-offs and the specific protocols for each site are outlined at their drop off points. Please make sure you follow these and help us to keep our staff and clients safe. For safety, our gates at Duke Street, Hamilton will remain closed to unauthorised visitors and you will be required to ring the buzzer at the gate for entry. Our Blenheim lab is still able to courier samples to Hamilton and Christchurch for testing as needed. If samples require sending on, please ensure they are at the lab prior to 4 pm for the courier service. |
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SAMPLING SUPPLIES |
All pre-scheduled orders for sampling supplies (bottles and containers, etc) will not be dispatched and are not available for collection. If you require any pre-scheduled or ad-hoc sampling items for essential sampling, please contact us on env.csm@hill-labs.co.nz and we will arrange for the required items to be sent. |
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BUSINESS CONTINUITY |
We will be doing our best to manage our way through these challenging times, and we will continue to send regular email updates as the situation evolves. We encourage you to keep an eye on our website and Facebook/LinkedIn pages for updates on our response, as well as our regular news and updates. |