Virus risk at crowded worker lodgings bothers tea and garments sectors
Despite the rapidly spreading coronavirus and the curfew, major export industries such as tea and apparel, have resumed work under health recommendations. But they fear virus outbreaks if employees are infected at their residences or temporary lodgings.
“Plantations employees have begun work, from tea plucking to processing. There are about 580 tea factories in the country. The distance is maintained as much as possible especially at collection points and inside factories. Face masks is compulsory. Tea plucking is usually done keeping a distance. At the entrance of factories, hand washing facilities are available and the temperature of all employees is monitored,” said Chaminda Wickremasinghe, chairman of the Sri Lanka Tea Factory Owners Association.
However, Roshan Rajadurai, spokesman of the Planter’s Association of Ceylon, said despite safety measures at factories, the massive inflow of people coming back to their homes from urban areas can pose a risk to estate employees.
“Tea pluckers come to collection points in groups, we have discouraged it and asked them to maintain at least a 5 metre distance. Though face masks cannot be provided to all, some employees stitch their own masks. All basic health protocols are followed. Health authorities in these areas should make sure surrounding neighbourhoods are safe and continuous awareness programmes are conducted,” he said adding that the estate sector population is about one million and an outbreak in the estate community can have a drastic impact on the industry.
Free Trade Zones and General Services Employees Union, joint secretary, Anton Marcus, told the Sunday Times, that apparel factories have begun work.
Handwashing facilities have been set up and temperature checks are done within factory premises. But there are no measures to ensure health and safety at temporary lodgings. Some of these premises accommodate 50 to 100 workers and have limited sanitation facilities.
“Our association has pointed out this issue to the Minister of Labour, Commissioner of Labour as well as the Board of Investment at Presidential Task Force meetings. Some factories have only called for employees residing in nearby areas, but once garment workers start coming from distant places, they will stay in these overcrowded boarding houses,” he said.
About 400,000 are directly employed in the garments sector.
“All employers are advised to develop a COVID- 19 preparedness plan; considering the occupational exposure level of employees, the individual risk factors and other recommended good practices. This will not only enable the prevention/ control of the spread of infection but will also prevent panic situations in the event of detecting a suspected case,” Health Ministry’s Directorate of Environmental health, Occupational health and Food safety, said in its guidelines.
The Department of Labour and Health Ministry have also set guidelines.
Anyone entering the workplace/ factory premises should wash their hands with soap and water before entering. Wash basins should be located one metre apart (foot operated tap is the best for the wash basin). Alternatively hand rubbing with alcohol based hand rub ( 75% to 85% v/v alcohol) also can be adopted.
The temperature of all the staff should be checked at the time of entrance to the workplace and any person recording a temperature above 98.4 Fahrenheit, or 37 degrees Celsius should be sent back home.
One metre distance between workers should be maintained at all times (while working, meetings, canteens etc.)
All workers shall wear masks while on duty and once used to be discarded in closed bins.
The guidelines discourage workers from using workers’ mobile phones, pens as well as common telephones, fax machines, desks, or other work tools and equipment, whenever possible.
The guidelines suggest lunch breaks and tea breaks in batches to prevent crowding the canteen and restricting large gatherings.
Door knobs/ handles should be cleaned and disinfected every three hours, while floors and machines must be cleaned with disinfectant twice a day, or after every shift in places where there are shift duties, the guidelines recommend.
All basic health protocols are followed. Health authorities in these areas should make sure surrounding neighbourhoods are safe and continuous awareness programmes are conducted