As BMW is set to reopen SC plant, it’s taking safety measures for returning employees
On Tuesday, BMW officials told The State it plans to reopen its South Carolina manufacturing plant in the first week of May after temporarily shutting down during the coronavirus pandemic.
A day later, the automotive company provided specifics on the safety protocols it’s putting into place to keep employees safe and to limit the spread of COVID-19 when they return on Monday.
About 11,000 people work at the Spartanburg plant that was shut down March 29. Those workers will be greeted by a variety of deep cleaning and safety measures that BMW implemented during the shutdown.
While the facilities doors were shuttered, equipment across the plant was disinfected, workstations were sanitized, layouts were remodeled to enhance social distancing, and preventative maintenance was completed on equipment, officials said in a news release.
It’s part of the steps BMW is taking to follow safety recommendations from the CDC.
Temperature checks will also be added to protect employees from the spread of COVID-19, according to the release.
Other efforts being taken to improve workplace safety include modified seating for the cafeteria and offices, staggered lunch schedules, and expanded cleaning practices, officials said.
Additionally, any employee unable to maintain the 6-foot social distancing mandate will be required to wear a mask, according to the release.
“BMW has taken many precautionary measures to provide a safe workplace for our associates,” BMW Manufacturing president and CEO Knudt Flor said in the release. “We return to Plant Spartanburg focused on taking care of each other and taking care of our customers.”
Health concerns were not the only factor in temporarily closing the BMW facility.
“The economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has been far reaching, and customer demand for our product has declined considerably,” officials said in an April 6 news release. “Stay at home orders are still active throughout the country and Mexico, which is adversely affecting our supply chain.”
That remains an issue for the South Carolina plant, which has produced nearly 5 million vehicles since opening in 1994.
“BMW will carefully ramp up production as we continue to monitor the supply chain and customer demand around the world,” officials said when they announced the plant was reopening.
Questions about possible employee furloughs and layoffs were not immediately answered. BMW officials previously said the shutdown forced it to adjust its production volume and workforce structure, and more changes were possible.
There have been 262 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Spartanburg County, sixth most in South Carolina behind Richland (840), Greenville (649), Charleston (435), Lexington (334), and Florence (268) counties, according to the Department of Health and Environmental Control. Nine coronavirus-related deaths have been reported in Spartanburg County, health officials said.
On Wednesday, 130 new cases of the coronavirus were reported in South Carolina, bringing the statewide total to 5,881 confirmed COVID-19 cases in all 46 counties, according to DHEC.
DHEC also announced that 40 more people died after testing positive for the coronavirus, raising that total to 232. State health officials described 192 of the people as elderly, 40 patients were middle-aged.
“There is currently no cure or vaccine,” the South Carolina Emergency Management Division said.
There have been 48,336 combined negative tests at DHEC’s public health laboratory and at private labs.
Symptoms of coronavirus can include a fever, coughing, and difficulty breathing, according to the CDC. Other symptoms that could be signs are chills, repeated shaking with chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, and new loss of taste or smell, according to DHEC.
Among the emergency warning signs of COVID-19 is trouble breathing, persistent pain or pressure in the chest, and blueish lips or face, the CDC said.
As of Thursday morning, 3,209,984 people worldwide have been diagnosed with coronavirus and 228,057 people have died, while 985,957 have recovered, according to Johns Hopkins University. The United States leads the world with 1,040,488 people who have been diagnosed with the novel virus. In the U.S. 60,999 deaths have been reported, including 18,076 in New York City, according to Johns Hopkins.
