Story by Mike Christen – The Daily Herald
Click here to read the full article
Nearly two months after shutting down its Spring Hill manufacturing facility, the General Motors Co. welcomed its first contingent of workers back to its Middle Tennessee plant on Monday.
Before entering the facility, employees waited in line, keeping their distance from one another, using markers taped onto the concrete entrances to the plant in northern Maury County.
The returning team members were instructed to practice strict social distancing guidelines and take additional sanitary precautions as they had their temperature recorded before they could begin the work day.
“Now, more than ever, our priority remains keeping our employees, their families and our community safe and healthy,” said Jeff Lamarche, the plant’s executive director in a statement made to The Daily Herald. “For weeks we have been preparing our safety protocols in preparation for a return. These are the same protocols that have been very effective in our Kokomo, Indiana and Warren, Michigan facilities and I feel confident that this approach will keep our employees safe.”
Company-wide precautions include the implementation of a six-foot distance between as many workstations as possible, keeping fresh air circulating through work spaces and the requirement that all employees wear masks and face guards while on the manufacturing floor.
These and other measures will remain in place in the weeks to come as the local plant and others across the country reopen in phases, company leaders said during a conference call with journalists on Monday.