MHA comes up with new scenario plan for industries on discovering COVID-19 positive cases
A worker is seen through a steel tube at a factory operating in design, manufacture and installation of steel structures. (Representational image)
The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has issued detailed guidelines for restarting industries, manufacturing units after lockdown. The government has issued guidelines on how to restart plants, taking care of units especially involving chemicals units, worker or labours, different department and also procedures if a worker tests positive.
In a communication to all states and union territories, the NDMA said due to several weeks of lockdown and the closure of industrial units, it is possible that some of the operators might not have followed the established standard operating procedures. As a result, some of the manufacturing facilities, pipelines, valves may have residual chemicals, which may pose risk. The same is true for the storage facilities with hazardous chemicals and flammable material, it said.
The NDMA guidelines said while restarting a unit, the first week should be considered as the trial or test run period after ensuring all safety protocols. Companies should not try to achieve high production targets. There should be 24-hour sanitisation of the factory premises, it said.
Guidelines on discovering positive case once industries restart operations
- Factories have to prepare accommodation to isolate workers, if needed.
- HR has to help manage the whole process for individual, all travelling employees also to undergo a mandatory14-day quarantine.
- Presence of skilled workers.
- Workers involved in dealing with hazardous material must be skilled and experienced in the field.
- No compromise on deployment of such workers should be permitted when an industrial unit is opened up.
(With inputs from PTI)
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