The Pipe Line Contractors Association (PLCA)

were exploring different response plans. I sat as part of a task force covering a wide industry coalition that worked on putting together a model pandemic response plan that we then shared with PLCA members and a number of different organizations throughout the industry. We helped people get the resources they needed to keep working safely. I think we were fortunate that it didn’t wreak nearly as much havoc as it did in other industries, but I think we’re still waiting to see the long-term impact.” The pandemic also encouraged the association to change the way it communicates with its stakeholders. “A move to digital-first communication was already underway before the pandemic,” Worrell says. “It was part of a larger strategic upgrade that we were looking at making but COVID-19 certainly accelerated it. For example, instead of an in-person two-day conference, we had a virtual-only conference. We’ve also hosted several webinars, conducted more meetings via Zoom, and we also recently relaunched our website, which has given us another tool to communicate.” “Our members were able to adapt their projects to continue working in a safe and healthy way. Like everyone, we were bracing for impact at the beginning of the pandemic, not really knowing how it would change things.” As Worrell notes, keeping its members safe was a key priority as the novel coronavirus began its spread. It was a task that required everyone to pull together. “We have a very collaborative relationship with our union partners that made sure all our member companies were able to take the right steps in the field: screening, temperature checking, distancing people, requiring masks and other PPE. We were all moving in the same direction. Then, after we made it through the initial wave of the pandemic, it was just about what we could do to support individuals when unique situations arose in the field or when companies Kelly Osborn, President of the PLCA