COVID Challenges in Manufacturing

Even though the economy is opening back up and we are slowly returning to some form of “normal,” it’s still too early to say that the pandemic is over. The post-COVID workplace presents unique challenges for manufacturing environments. Worldwide businesses and consumers alike rely on a strong supply chain and timely delivery of essential materials. 

The question is, how can manufacturers remain open and be productive while still focusing on employee safety? 

Since the post-COVID precautions aren’t going away anytime soon, here is what the manufacturing sector is doing to keep employee health and safety a top priority:

• Provide protective products. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends cleaning all shared or public surfaces before each use including workstations, breakrooms, and restrooms. Per CDC guidelines, manufacturing facilities must keep these essentials on hand:

• Disposable masks and gloves

• Disinfecting wipes

• Hand sanitizer with 60% alcohol or greater

• Tissues and paper towels

• Automate cleaning tasks. Investing in automated cleaning robots for flooring frees up maintenance teams to focus on high-touch surfaces, suchs as common areas and shared equipment. Keeping a more vigilant schedule with respect to basic cleaning, treatment, and maintenance for manufacturing facilities helps reduce costs and keeps equipment in good condition.

• Observe appropriate distancing. Manufacturing and distribution facilities are large, but there is still plenty of activity. Here are some ways to keep employees safe without impacting their productivity:

• New traffic flow with signage to indicate one-way traffic in and out of certain areas. 

• Plexiglass shields between workstations.

• Reconfigured workstations so line employees can perform their functions and exchange materials with limited contact. 

• Using AGVs (automated guided vehicles) to move materials between workstations. 

• Stagger start times. While these CDC recommendations were originally created for meat processing plants, the practice of staggered shift start times can be applied throughout the manufacturing industry. Implementing this practice decreases congestion at entrances and time clocks, and thus limits prevents close exposure to other workers. 

• Pre-shift screening. According to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), pre-shift screening for COVID-19 symptoms is a lawful precaution to take. Screening involves asking workers if they have experienced any symptoms in the past 24 hours and taking their temperature. While this system is not perfect, it gets employees in the habit of being mindful of their own bodies and screening themselves for illness - especially if there is a spike in cases at a later date. 

• Paid sick leave. After pre-shift screening (and potential self-isolation), paid sick leave is a hot topic in human resources. COVID-19 has renewed interest in establishing more universal guidelines for paid sick leave in the United States. The economic fallout of COVID-19 disproportionately affected low-income, some middle-income, and minority wage earners - some of whom are still suffering a year later. Paid sick leave would allow workers to focus on getting well rather than worrying about how to pay for basic needs. 

• Create a transition team and a plan. For operations to continue as they were pre-pandemic, manufacturing facilities need to seek out leaders familiar with processes to assist with the transition. The team will devise, test, and implement procedural changes and answer employee questions including:

• What are the new procedures?

• What is the timeline for rolling out these changes?

• Who is responsible for implementing these changes?

• Is there a process in place for maintaining confidentiality in employee health matters? 

By following these steps, manufacturing facilities are able to keep up with supply and demand while still focusing on their employees' health and well-being. 

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Sources

https://safetyequipment.org/publichealth-covid19/ 

https://www.osha.gov/coronavirus/control-prevention 

https://www.fema.gov/fact-sheet/addressing-ppe-needs-non-healthcare-setting 

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2764031