Iceberg Enterprises Takes Steps to Protect Employees

Friday May 15, 2020

As businesses in Michigan have continued to provide critically needed supplies for our economy during the COVID-19 crisis,they have also put plans in place to protect their workers.

Throughout the crisis, as the knowledge of the virus has grown, businesses have adapted and updated processes. One business in our area, Iceberg Enterprises, shares their experience with COVID-19 and what they have done to adapt.

It was May 6th and management at Iceberg received information of a number of employees testing positive for COVID-19. With this information, the business invoked their procedure to evacuate the facility and initiate a deep cleaning/aeration procedure. Iceberg worked closely with the Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency (BHSJCHA) to ensure protective measures in written plans were up-to-date and determined that closing their facilities through Wednesday, May 13th was the most protective course of action for their employeesand the community.

Now that they have reopened, after testing all of their onsite workers for COVID-19, Iceberg has further enhanced and instituted the following requirements to protect their workers and the community.•Face masks or face shields are required to be worn by workers•Gloves are available to workers

• A daily health screening for every employee that includes a temperature check is required before entering the facility

• Handwashing requirements in the facility include washing hands before each shift, at each break, and every time starting or returning to a station

• If there are further positive test results for a worker, the deep cleaning procedure is invoked every time

• Workers who have been exposed to a COVID-19 case are quarantined for a period defined by BHSJCHA

• Any worker who tests positive with COVID-19 may not return to work until they have satisfied the criteria outlined by BHSJCHA

“Iceberg Enterprises has focused on the health of our workers and the community since early March,” states Jamie Robinson, Human Resources. “We are working closely with the local health department in order to do things in the best interest of all. We continue to do everything possible to ensure the safety of our employees and the continuity of our business. This includes following the guidance of the Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) regarding the COVID-19 virus.”

“The local health department appreciates the many efforts that Iceberg Enterprises and other businesses in our community have taken and continue to take to ensure that their workers can continue to work safely and still supply our economy,” shared Rebecca Burns, Health Officer for the tri-county health department. “Working together, we can all help to ensure a safe reopening of Michigan.”