A Canadian facility of National Steel Car, a rail parts and freight car manufacturer, has been temporarily closed because of an outbreak of COVID-19.
A release last week said National Steel Car, in consultation with the public health department in Hamilton, Ontario, decided to extend a suspension of manufacturing operations for another week. The company now plans to resume operations on May 17.
“National Steel Car is continually monitoring the evolving COVID-19 pandemic and related developments. Our top priority remains the health and safety of our people, customers, suppliers and partners. … As we navigate this situation together, we will keep you updated with any new developments as events continue to evolve,” the company said last week.
Hamilton had issued a health promotion and protection Section 22 class order to National Steel Car, effective last Tuesday, because of COVID-19 cases on site. The order called for a full closure, which applies to the entire workplace premises, according to the city. The city issues the order to “break the chain of transmission within local workplaces where COVID-19 or its variants are determined to be spreading.”
The order also enables city public health services to close workplaces with five or more confirmed COVID-19 cases within a 14-day period in situations in which cases could reasonably have been acquired through infection in the workplace.
The city’s website lists National Steel Car as having 40 confirmed cases of COVID-19 since April 21.
According to the order, National Steel Car must provide Hamilton Public Health Services a list of essential employees needed to maintain and secure the facility, and the company must conduct active screening of those employees as well as ensure that they are complying with mask and social distancing requirements. National Steel Car must also ensure appropriate cleaning and disinfection of the workplace, provide and maintain appropriate cleaning and hospital-grade disinfection products and provide hand-cleaning products, the order said.
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