Through his involvement in an international organization, Karl Wadensten knew what global manufacturers were doing to try to keep COVID-19 out of their workplaces.
Before Rhode Island had experienced community spread, he made changes at his company, Richmond-based VIBCO Inc. He took apart the company kitchen, replacing it with stainless steel cabinets for individual lunches. Another change: for the first hour of each workday, everyone in the company, including Wadensten, cleans the offices, bathrooms and production areas.
Two employees were furloughed, with pay and benefits, after he learned they had health conditions that put them at risk. People who told him they had family members who may have had exposure were sent home, too, and tested if they became symptomatic.
So far, no one has contracted the virus at the 100-employee company, Wadensten said.
The company created a pledge describing how the employees will help one another. “At the top of the pledge we said, if you knowingly come in here and have been exposed to COVID or think you have been exposed to COVID, and you come to work, you’ll be fired,” Wadensten said.
Manufacturers in Rhode Island have remained open since the pandemic arrived in March, which put its managers and owners at the forefront of what many more employers will now be experiencing as they reopen their businesses. How do you keep a viral disease out of the workplace?
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CHIEF EXECUTIVE CLEANER: Karl Wadensten, CEO and president of VIBCO Inc., steam-cleans an office chair, part of the daily process of keeping the coronavirus out of the Richmond factory. / COURTESY VIBCO INC.[/caption]
Early on, Wadensten and David Chenevert, executive director of the Rhode Island Manufacturers Association, worked on a detailed document intended to have manufacturers follow best practices in keeping their workplaces safe.
More than 200 executives have signed the document, which Wadensten said was presented to Gov. Gina M. Raimondo as she decided whether to keep manufacturing open as the pandemic appeared.
The pledge recommended screening employees for symptoms, and other measures, such as separating people and prohibiting delivery personnel from entering facilities.
But even those steps, when followed, haven’t been foolproof.
Several Rhode Island manufacturers have reported outbreaks. The R.I. Department of Health said it is required to be notified if any workplace has two or more people who contract the virus. Health officials have disclosed infections at numerous companies where at least 25 people tested positive for the new coronavirus. They included Daniele International LLC, in Burrillville, which had 80 people diagnosed with the virus, and Taylor Farms New England Inc., in North Kingstown’s Quonset Business Park, which had 100 people test positive.
None of the factories were closed by the state. One manufacturer, Hope Global, which had two employees sickened, voluntarily shut down for two weeks.
At least one prominent public health official said he thinks the state should be taking a tougher stance on work sites. Dr. Michael Fine, the public health liaison for Pawtucket and Central Falls, and a former director of the R.I. Department of Health, said any company that has had two or more employees test positive for the new coronavirus within a two-week period should be shut for three weeks.
“It is not happening,” Fine said, including at manufacturers. “I think that’s a huge error.”
Manufacturers, including those impacted by infection, have said they do not think shutting down a company is the solution because of the potential disruption to the supply chains. Wadensten said his company provides industrial vibrators for companies that manufacture drugs, food and sanitary products such as Lysol and Purell.
All of the protocols put in place by companies will only work if people follow them, Chenevert said.
“In many instances, when a situation breaks out, it’s because the employees failed to follow the guidelines that were established,” he said. “They’re sick, not feeling well, but they need the money and still go into work.”
WaterRower Inc., a manufacturer of wooden rowing machines, has a 200-person factory in Warren. It had about 30 infections this year, an outbreak that its executive said likely started among employees who were carpooling.
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DAILY CHECK UP: David Bragonier, VIBCO machinist and value stream manager, has his temperature measured by CEO and President Karl Wadensten as Bragonier enters the factory. At left, production manager John Goodwin holds a box of hand sanitizer. When this photo was taken, facemasks were not yet required. / COURTESY VIBCO INC.[/caption]
“It happened quite quickly,” said Peter King, CEO and president. It started with one employee, who became ill and was tested over a weekend in April.
In early May, an employee died of COVID-19, King said. Another employee was hospitalized with the disease, he said.
Even now, King is not sure whether companies can really stop the virus from reaching into a workplace.
Before the infections were reported, King had employees getting morning check-ins, with temperature screenings and the health questionnaire recommended by health officials. He’s continuing to do that, but in 3½ months, only two people failed a temperature check for fever. And that was after they passed the screening in the morning. At the time of the outbreak, King estimated that at least 80% of his workers were wearing masks. Now, he thinks everyone should wear them.
He wanted to have all of his workers tested, but he said he was told by the R.I. Commerce Corp. that it wasn’t possible and it wasn’t going to necessarily protect a workplace.
“The answer is that you don’t know how accurate it would be,” King said. “We did all the health checks. Did all the social separation. And we still had infections.”
King now advises other business owners to be ready to adapt. “We’ve lived through this,” he said. “You’ve got to be thinking on your feet because you won’t know where this stuff is coming from.”
Mary MacDonald is a PBN staff writer. Contact her at Macdonald@PBN.com.
It would be nice if RI had a group buying program for PPE. Hundreds of small businesses trying to purchase the same products only drives up the price.
Thanks,
Teri
Atlas Biomechanics
https://www.atlasbiomechanics.com