Pinewood Atlanta Studios upgrade facilities to meet Covid-19 challenge

Pinewood Atlanta Studios in Fayetteville on June 25 announced a new technology-led health and safety effort to mitigate and eliminate Covid-19 transmission.

Pinewood said it has invested millions on its new protocols, such as upgrading its air quality, health testing, sanitation, badging systems and even how individuals open the door.

The investment included bringing on board leading medical testing company BioIQ to protect and monitor the wellness of entrants, as well as Synexis LLC, a biodefense company using its patented Dry Hydrogen Peroxide (DHP) technology to reduce viruses, bacteria and mold in the air and on surfaces to uplevel the air quality within its 1 million sq. ft. of indoor studio and office space.

“We’re committed to making Pinewood Atlanta Studios the cleanest and most secure production facility in the world,” said Pinewood Atlanta President and CEO Frank Patterson. “We meticulously examined our systems and the way in which people interact on our lot to solve for every point of transmission we could uncover. When production restarts, we want all crew members to know that their health and safety is our top priority.”

The studio said its goal is to ensure that everyone entering its facilities is healthy and remains so.

BioIQ will provide source test kits, oversee the testing processes and lab access for the thousands of individuals coming onto the lot every day including directors, producers, talent, crew and security personnel. The biomedical company has been trusted for over 15 years and has been responsible for the wellness of over 170 million individuals for daily monitoring, testing and risk management, according to Pinewood Atlanta.

Synexis Biodefense Systems created a custom plan for Pinewood Atlanta, harnessing its DHP technology. Invented with occupied space in mind, DHP technology reduces the microbial burden in the air and on surfaces throughout the entire facility including hard to reach or remote areas not typically addressed in intermittent cleaning.

Synexis technology actively deploys DHP into the environment to reduce viruses and other airborne germs instantly – decreasing contamination to less than a third within six hours and consistently untraceable levels after continued use. This technology has been implemented by hospitals, retail shops, restaurants chains, government institutions, as well as the food industry. When a Major League Baseball team engaged Synexis, it resulted in a 95 percent season-to-season decrease in absences due to sickness, Pinewood Atlanta said.

“The Synexis biodefense system supplies continuous protection without disturbing normal work operations or workflow. Once installed it is always working,” said Synexis CEO Eric Schlote. “We optimized our system for how Pinewood works taking into account the studio layout, the number of people and the interaction filmmaking requires.”

In addition to testing and filtration, Pinewood will offer PPE (personal protective equipment) and top-of-the-line handwashing systems made available throughout the more than 700 acres of the lot.

The facility has also consulted with veteran crew members and experts in crew, costume and design to determine the safest protocols for the best way these individuals can interact, move and eat on set, Pinewood said.