77 Workers (in one aluminium plant) test positive....

The economic impact our aluminium plants have on surrounding communities is without an argument. Maybe only till now has the impact of what happens in our plants in terms of safety have direct effect on not only our workers but the surrounding communities. Here is a recent story emphasizing the hazard of COVID-19 transmission within our plants.

Local and (name omitted) state public health authorities blame a recent uptick in the number of COVID-19 positive tests in the (name omitted) Valley and neighboring County on an outbreak at an aluminum products factory in (nearby county), (local) County, where many employees live in the (mid size city name) area.

Thirty-seven cases of COVID-19 were found among employees at the plant last week, the governor’s staff announced. The cases were found by health authorities who were tracing an outbreak at an apple processing plant in (neighboring) County.

(local) County identified the facility as that of an aluminium company.

(local) County government posted on Facebook recently that 573 of the factory’s 681 employees have been tested, with 77 positive cases found so far and 108 awaiting results. Eight of the people with positive tests are (local) County residents.

Twenty-five employees live in (neighboring) County, and their cases were among 36 identified Sunday in (neighboring)  County, according to the County Executive.

On Monday, the county executive said in all, 53 plant employees who live in (neighboring) County have tested positive, and that more may be added to the county’s COVID case totals in coming days. Those who test positive must remain in quarantine, usually at home, for 14 days or until they test negative.

(Neighboring) County’s Health Department began tracking cases from the site and, with the state and (local) County health departments, began targeting testing of the plant’s employees. All the plant’s employees, about 500 people in all, have now been tested, county executive said.

The plant has been closed, county executive added.

The governor of the state last week mentioned a possible outbreak in the (regional name) Valley but at the time did not identify the site. On Monday, he mentioned it, along with a similar outbreak at an apple-processing facility in (neighboring) County, and an outbreak linked to a high school graduation party in another County.

The local County outbreak is apparently behind a recent uptick in the (regional name) Valley region’s rate of newly identified cases and diagnostic tests that turn out positive for COVID-19.

After updating Monday, the state’s early-warning COVID-19 metrics online dashboard put the region’s rate at 7.24 per 100,000 in population, by far the state’s highest, after weeks remaining much more typical of the rest of the state. The next highest as of Monday was the state largest city at 3.74. 

We pray that the infected workers as well as anyone infected with COVID-19 recover fully. Our industry plays an important role in promoting safety within our factory gates and outside our factory gates. Coronavirus transmission inside the workplace can be mitigated. Companies are requiring their workers to wear face masks and maintain social distancing while at work. We pray that the employees understand why they are required to wear masks and maintain social distancing. We also pray that the workers take what they learn within our industry and practice outside from work too.

A news media articles stated that the vast majority of workers who tested positive worked on the same shift. The news article also stated that the workers had a tendency to meet socially after work. That is not unusual. We just hope that workers will understand the importance of social distancing when they are away from home. The companies that we admire in our industry believe that safety does not end at the factory gate upon leaving the workplace. It is these companies that all companies should strive to emulate.

 

We chose not to name the company nor location because our sincere belief is that by bringing awareness to this incident that we can prevent recurrence. The COVID-19 pandemic is unique where the hazard can be brought into the workplace. It is the workplace that has to take the preventive measures to prevent transmission.

 

Please comment.