“Management continues to spread misinformation about social distancing,” the letter said, “including telling employees that a person is not at risk of exposure unless they stood within an individual who tested positive for more than 15 minutes.”
“We also audit all these processes and ask employees for feedback, then use that information to try and continuously improve,” the blog post read. “And we take compliance seriously—if an employee repeatedly or intentionally violates our safety procedures, we’ll move quickly to address it and terminate them if necessary.”
Expanded virus mitigation measures were implemented at the Romulus facility, according to The Detroit News. Employees must undergo a temperature scan and health screening before being allowed to start their shift. Social distancing assistants scan the work floor to determine when employees are too close to each other. Functioning somewhat like traffic lights, the social distancing assistants use video monitors which show a green light around employees maintaining proper distance. Red lights appear around workers who are too close together.
Director of Operations at the Romulus Plant Shawn Westlund said in an August interview that the coronavirus precautions have taken a toll on the facility’s production.
“We’re much less efficient than we were before and that’s okay,” Westlund said. “If we have to be less efficient, we will be less efficient to keep our associates safe.”
