VANCOUVER, Wash. (AP) - The CEO of a Vancouver, Washington, fruit processor connected to 85 coronavirus cases says his company could have done more to protect employees.
Firestone Pacific Foods CEO Josh Hinerfeld said Wednesday the company began implementing new safety policies and educating employees about the disease in March, but that it struggled to implement and enforce physical distancing measures on the production line and in a break room, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported.
“We could have done better,” Hinerfeld said. “Through this process, we learned that we didn’t do enough. I sure hope through our experience, which obviously has been very painful for many, that others will learn from it.”
Firestone suspended production and closed its office May 18 due to the outbreak. Washington state health officials have also suspended Clark County’s application to move to phase two of its reopening.
Hinerfeld said that the company implemented daily health screenings for employees starting March 20 and required employees to wear masks on April 29. But, he said, some employees were still working in close proximity on the production line and it was difficult to enforce mask rule when employees went on break. The company set up a canopy outside in May to give workers more space during breaks.
“I say with great humility, we thought we had a good plan in place here to keep people safe,” Hinerfeld said.
Since the outbreak, Clark County’s public health department and Washington’s Department of Labor and Industries have been working with Firestone to help develop measures to safely resume operations. Hinerfeld said the company now has a 50-point plan in place.
Firestone officials installed dividers between staff areas on the production line, rearranged furniture and put markings on the floor in the break room to ensure distancing. They also hired two medical technicians to screen employees before they begin work and implemented enhanced sanitization measures.
Hinerfeld said the company would work in collaboration with the county to determine when it could reopen, but was hopeful that the facility could resume operations as early as this week.
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