Case Study
Milarex is a fast-growing international seafood company servicing significant markets both in Europe and overseas. The company has a state-of-the-art production facility in Poland with almost 2000 workers. It sources and processes safe and sustainable salmon products for demanding seafood consumers.
Milarex believes that COVID-19 will impact life and work for some time. The wellbeing and protection of employees and community are the highest priority. Adherence by all personnel to procedures like social distancing and hygiene is critical for success. Milarex has adopted oursafety.info as the first corporate user, with the information and education campaign tailored to its operations.
As a reaction to the COVID-19 outbreak, Milarex established a crisis management group together with operational groups for implementation.
Thomas Farstad, CEO of Milarex stated “Early implementation and documentation of procedures secured a minimum of people quarantined and trust in the dialog with local health authorities.” The steps summarized below helped Milarex maintain production after experiencing two factory employees test positive for COVID-19:
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Procedures are shared here to help others in this challenging situation:
- Transferred communication online
- Information and education campaign introduced for employees and their families
- New information signs
- Division of the factory into three separate zones
- Actions to maintain recommended safe distances:
- Change over between production shifts separated by 2 hours
- Entry and exit groups into the factory set at certain times to minimize cross-contact
- Personnel living in the same household transferred to the same department and production shift
- Breakfast breaks limited to small groups
- Seating in canteens designated and marked
- Individual standing points assigned in smoking rooms
- Transparent plastic partitions installed on production lines to reduce face to face contact where not possible to maintain 1m distancing
- Number of buses transporting employees increased from 6 to 16
- Contact between bus drivers and passengers minimized
- Implemented rules for distancing inside and outside while on the premises of the plant
- Introduced obligation to disinfect hands at entrance and exit of the premises
- Disinfection of personal footwear at the entry to the plant
- Regular disinfection of external walkways
- More frequent disinfection of contact surfaces
- Ozonation of buses
- Increased disinfection using UV lamps and ozonation of social areas (e.g., changing rooms, canteens)
- Surface disinfection of tables and chairs in canteens introduced after each group
- Mechanical dishwashing only of crockery, glassware and utensils
- Frequency for replacement and disinfection of air filters in air ventilation units increased
- Security staff equipped with personal protective equipment with extraordinary measures and rules of conduct introduced
- Additional security staff engaged in coordinating the movement of people at the plant gate
- All unnecessary visitors banned from visiting the plant. External visitors limited to the supply/collection of goods and services necessary for operation.
- Guidelines and rules of conduct for drivers visiting the plant introduced
- Employees equipped with reusable masks
- Employees posted to work remotely where possible
- Extraordinary procedures introduced for in-house laundry
- Ongoing audit using CCTV of compliance with the requirements for maintaining a safe distance, use of personal protective equipment and disinfection
All procedures and processes implemented are compliant with recommendations of the WHO and the Ministry of Health in Poland.
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