Teck has reported that 10 of its contractors at the Active Water Treatment Facility and six employees at the adjacent Fording River Operations in the Elk Valley have tested positive for COVID-19.
The workers and contractors took the tests between November 28th and December 11th.
“Contact tracing for all cases has been completed, and anyone identified as a close contact has been directed to self-isolate and be tested for COVID-19 if they experience symptoms,” said Teck.
The mining company said it is working with public health authorities and taking steps to manage the risk of transmission.
This includes contact tracing, disinfecting work areas, and directing all workers and contractors to self-monitor for symptoms and self-isolate if needed.
Teck said it has implemented or is advancing enhanced protocols and preventative measures in response to these 16 cases, which includes:
- Increased respiratory protection in the form of required use of C95 and KN95 respirators for all employees, contractors and visitors.
- On-site review conducted by Interior Health, which confirmed the right response protocols and preventative measures are in place.
- Temporarily reducing the workforce at the Active Water Treatment facility construction site to allow for the implementation of additional measures.
- Rapid testing to more quickly identify positive cases of COVID-19 Contact tracing technology for faster identification of close contacts.
- Enhanced and increased screening of all individuals arriving at the site to reflect current provincial health restrictions.
- Proactive self-tracking of interactions and close contacts by all employees and contractors.
“We continue to focus on safeguarding the health and safety of workers and communities and have put in place comprehensive prevention measures across our sites aligned with guidance from public health agencies,” said Teck.