An employee at the Amazon Fulfillment Centre in East Balzac has tested positive for COVID-19.
“We are supporting the individual who is recovering,” read a statement from Amazon spokesperson Alyssa Bronikowski. “We are following guidelines from health officials and medical experts, and are taking extreme measures to ensure the safety of employees at our site.”
Amazon did not disclose when the employee tested positive or what area of the facility they worked in. More than 1,000 people work at the 600,000-square-foot warehouse, which is located in the Nose Creek Business Park, near CrossIron Mills.
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An emailed statement from the Seattle-based e-commerce giant stated the company has implemented several new health and safety protocols at its distribution centres to help limit the spread of coronavirus.
Measures include alerting all employees after a worker tested positive for COVID-19, and requiring any co-workers who came into close contact with that person to self-quarantine for 14 days, while receiving full pay to do so.
“This additional pay while away from work is to ensure employees have the time they need to return to good health without the worry of lost income,” read the email. “This is in addition to unlimited unpaid time off for all hourly employees through the end of April.”
To help enforce social distancing among employees, the company is also staggering work shifts, spacing out chairs and tables in break rooms, posting signage around work areas and not holding stand-up meetings.
“All business essential information will be shared via boards near main areas and through conversations with managers, or human resource team members,” the email read.
Employees are asked to clean and sanitize their workstations at the beginning and end of each shift, according to the email, and workers are asked to follow proper hygiene instructions, such as washing hands, often and thoroughly, for at least 20 seconds. Workers who are feeling unwell are asked to stay home and seek medical attention if necessary.
Masks are also available for employees, according to the email.
“We’ve implemented daily temperature screenings and are now temperature checking more than 100,000 employees per day,” the email read. “Anyone registering a temperature over the CDC-recommended 100.4 [degrees Fahrenheit] will be asked to return home and will be paid up to five hours of their scheduled shift that day.”
The Amazon Fulfillment Centre in East Balzac opened in 2018. The warehouse is where items purchased online through Amazon are packaged before being shipped across western Canada.
The facility falls under the Alberta Government’s designation of an “essential service,” under the industrial subcategory. The designation allows businesses to stay in operation during the pandemic, without needing to adhere to the government's ban on gatherings of 15 or more people.
Scott Strasser, AirdrieToday.com
Follow me on Twitter @scottstrasser19
