Coronavirus has many in Texas working from home. Those who can’t worry about safety
Charlie Harmon simply can’t do his job from home.
He tows cars, and that’s a job he has to get out in the field to do, no matter how much the coronavirus spreads or the number of people infected with it continues to grow.
“We deal with everything from car wrecks to just a normal broke down tow,” the 31-year-old operator for Sargent’s Wrecker Service in Weatherford said. “Working with the public is hard no matter the day, but adding in COVID-19 has just made it harder for everyone.”
He said he and fellow workers have always been careful.
But now they are taking extra steps — washing hands much more than in the past and frequently using hand sanitizer.
“A person’s vehicle is where they ... cough, sneeze, or whatever they want. So it’s filled with germs,” Harmon said. “I know personally it’s hard just getting in a car to tow it because you don’t know where that person has been or what they have done, specially in times like these.
“Then possibly having to ride with (that) person to the destination of where they want to take their vehicle to be worked on or even home, you could be in the truck with them for 10 minutes or four hours. I’ve always been cautious but right now I feel like being overly cautious could still not be enough.”
Workers like Harmon who can’t do their job from home are are worried about their working conditions, their safety and their health as the new coronavirus spreads. Some are afraid to let their names be used in news articles, or even name the companies where they work, because they could lose their jobs for speaking out publicly about their concerns.
And at a time where layoffs are happening right and left, and some jobs are becoming more scarce by the day, many are going to work as requested or required.
On Saturday, Tarrant County ordered the closure of non-essential businesses, which includes malls, spas, tanning salons, gyms, tattoo shops and hair and nail salons.
One worker at a health care support center in Fort Worth, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said she hasn’t heard about plans for deep cleaning at her workplace.
“There aren’t any measures being put in place,” she said. “They recently said we can work from home, but they want us to come into the office some. ... They want to stagger bodies.
“But there’s nothing to reassure the employees coming in that it’s safe.”
Deep cleaning, alternate arrangements
Officials at some businesses that remain open say deep cleaning efforts are underway and they are trying to create alternative work arrangements when they can.
At Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, for instance, managers are offering “flexible work schedules, secure telework and alternative arrangements where possible,” according to a company statement. “When circumstances warrant, we deep clean work areas and common spaces in any facility with elevated exposure to COVID-19 and regularly share exposure-prevention protocols to reinforce healthy behaviors.”
Any employee who may have been exposed to coronavirus is required to self-quarantine and work remotely, the statement noted.
Managers at Bell, an aerospace and defense contractor, sent a note last week to employees.
“Since warfighters, first responders and medical professionals rely on us to deliver aircraft that help protect and save lives, that remains our mission,” the memo said. It also noted that the company was reducing “people density,” establishing social distancing and putting in other precautions — such as deep cleaning some areas and limiting internal meetings and gatherings to 10 people — to protect workers.
At John Peter Smith Hospital, new protocols such as limiting one visitor per patient, barring visitors under the age of 18 and preventing visitors in the Emergency Department recently were put in place.
Now JPS workers themselves are being screened before they can go to work. Screening procedures include taking temperatures and asking employees about recent travel outside the Fort Worth-Dallas metroplex, possible symptoms and whether they were exposed to anyone at risk.
Protections in place?
Some companies may have safety protocols in place, but not all do, some workers say.
“There’s nothing like an unknown situation and there’s nothing in place to protect you,” said a worker at DB Schenker Logistics in Wilmer. “They told us we are on the ‘front lines” and have to be at work.
“We did not sign up for the Army,” the worker said, speaking on the condition of anonymity . “We did not sign up to put our lives in jeopardy.”
A spokeswoman for the company, in response to questions from the Star-Telegram, said that “the health and safety of our employees and their families has the utmost priority to DB Schenker.”
“We understand that the current spread of the Coronavirus creates uncertainty among our workforce and we are incredibly proud of our employees who keep the supply chain in these challenging times,” Daphne Robboy, senior marketing and communication manager for DB Schenker Americas, wrote in an email.
Robboy said the company has scheduled cleaning times several times a day. Also, soap is refilled in washing stations and hand sanitizer and sanitizing wipes “are consistently going on the site to ensure we keep the workplace safe and healthy.”
“So far, none of our employees on this site or on any other site in the US has been infected,” Robboy said.
This story was originally published March 23, 2020 at 1:12 PM.
