Gurugram: District admin prescribes strict regime for units resuming operations

Gurugram: To prevent the spread of the coronavirus (Covid-19) disease among industrial workers and office staff when commercial activities resume in Gurugram, the

Gurugram: To prevent the spread of the coronavirus (Covid-19) disease among industrial workers and office staff when commercial activities resume in Gurugram, the district administration and the labour department on Wednesday issued a detailed advisory for business units reopening while the lockdown is still in place. The labour department said that since the city has a unique mix of industrial and office workforce, owing to closeness with Delhi and other national Capital region cities, it has been decided to apply more stringent measures in a few domains to prevent the spread of this disease.

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Till Wednesday evening, a total of 10 business units had been permitted to operate by the district administration, including auto major Maruti, said Munish Sharma, additional labour commissioner of NCR, Haryana. “All organisations are expected to align their operations to these guidelines to ensure safe working conditions. In case the companies don’t comply with the standard operating procedures (SOP), their permissions will be withdrawn and criminal proceedings would be initiated against them,” he said.

Sharma said before commencing operations, the firms have to submit detailed plans for housing and safe transport for workers, staggering of shift timings, screening at gates, social distancing on the work floor, provision of food and water, provision of safety equipment and loading and unloading of goods.

Industrialists based in the city, however, were not very enthused by the stringent guidelines prescribed, saying the advisory was one of the reasons many units were not interested in resuming operations. “The government must understand that such strict conditions cannot be implemented in factories. There is a need for flexibility in shaping these rules and no one wants penal action to be initiated against them. We also have opposed the condition of mandatory health insurance as it would be difficult to follow, particularly for smaller units,” said Ashok Kohli, president, Chamber of Industries of Udyog Vihar.

Units based in the industrial township of Manesar were also wary of the advisory, stating that it would be impossible to implement the guidelines under present conditions. “The government needs to be flexible and work with business owners instead of deciding these terms. These aren’t normal times and we must work jointly to ensure safe working conditions. It would be very difficult to resume production with the measures decided by the government,” said Manmohan Gaind, vice president, Manesar Industries’ Welfare Association.

The guidelines to be followed by these companies are:

CCTVs and surprise audits

The district administration should have access to CCTV footage of the work-floor. If there is no sufficient coverage, the firms have to ensure there is before reinitiating operations. Ideally a web-enabled CCTV system will be preferred, but even legacy CCTV systems will be allowed.

Police, administration and labour teams will make surprise checks and audits to check compliance. Any deviation will result in summary stoppage of work and initiation of criminal proceedings.

Transport

Ideally, the employees must be housed within the unit premises. In cases where it is not possible, employees should be made to stay in a nearby accommodation. Between the workplace and the place of lodging, there can be a company-owned transport mode with mandatory nod to social distancing (hence, one employee per row).

Employees can even travel on foot or by their own vehicles (one person per vehicle). In rare circumstances, a driver may be permitted for a car, provided there is an impermeable barrier between the driver and the passenger and the AC is not switched on. Inter-state or inter-district travel of employees is not allowed (except for essential services, where also it is rationed).

Reconfiguration of human resource policies

There must be health cover for all employees before commencing operations.

The district administration has stipulated that employees’ non-adherence with social distancing and hygiene practices should reflect on their annual appraisals; repeated indiscipline, substantiated by the evidence of other employees, must result in their summary removal from the job, in spite of their capability and performance.

Employee mix

The document also recommends that employees with comorbidities such as pulmonary, cardiac or renal issues, diabetes, hypertension or obesity don’t attend work. Also, units should consider allowing parents with children below five years of age to work from home, the advisory adds.

Sanitation

The firms are also expected to ensure all common areas and work areas are sanitised and disinfected in every shift using government-approved chemicals. Roster for maintenance and record of purchase order of chemicals/materials must be maintained.

Posters, helpline and training

Posters with approved guidelines and messages must be displayed. Regular drill and training of employees must be conducted maintaining six feet of distance. Frequent announcements must be made on the floor to remind workers to be mindful of their actions. Contact numbers of government helplines must be displayed.

No overlap of shifts

There should be no overlap of shifts. A minimum time of an hour should be there between two shifts for cleaning to take place.

Doing away with social distancing disruptors

Biometric attendance systems should not be used. The floor of the office should be clearly marked with coloured tape (squares or circles) at every six feet. Employees should be allowed to walk strictly in those squares or circles. There must be a fixed seating plan and workers should not be allowed to roam around. Common resources such as gates, lifts, sanitizers, etc., could be handled by dedicated people.

Stairs should be preferred and with only a minimum number of people at a time. Door knobs and handles should either be removed or handled by dedicated staff. Self-serving should be done away with in cafeterias. Ideally, cafeterias should be discontinued and packed lunches should be made available or employees should be encouraged to carry their own food.

Life at and beyond the workplace, Aarogya Setu app

Daily temperature scans at the workplace must be made. Employees must check their temperature at home, too, and should not turn up for work in case of fever or any other symptoms of flu. Don’t dismiss mild rise in temperature of any employee. Seek professional advice. Ask your employees not to self-medicate, even with over-the-counter drugs such as paracetamol.

It is also mandatory for everyone to use Aarogya Setu app

Use of face mask/hand washing

The use of masks is compulsory and the employees won’t be allowed to remove it in any case. It would augur well if an organisation provides face masks to its employees. Use of recyclable cloth masks should be encouraged.

The firms must make facilities available for washing hands with soaps and sanitisers with adequate ethyl alcohol content.

Gutkha, tobacco, smoke breaks

The use of gutkha and tobacco products has been banned. It is also encouraged that employees get prescription nicotine patches or gums to avoid smoking. Smoking at public places is anyway a punishable offence and if companies have closed smoking rooms then these should be closed.

Remain informed

The companies must remain in touch with the district administration and labour department through offline, online and social media modes to remain updated on the situation.