Tata Steel’s Steps Against COVID: 99% Of Plant Employees In Odisha’s Dhenkanal Fully Vaccinated

Bhubaneswar: In order to combat the third wave of COVID, the Tata Steel has taken a series of measures in its plant located at Narendarpur in Dhenkanal district.

In line with COVID management in first two waves, the company has addressed the challenge this time by providing facilities in health care, safety, access control, transport and administration to contain the spread of the virus.

While 99% of its employees are already fully vaccinated, the company has arranged a 350-bed facility on the plant premises for the employees testing COVID positive. They are kept in isolation and further treatment is provided.

Employees residing in the housing colony are also monitored, tested, prescribed medicine and treated during home isolation. A 50-bed COVID care hospital is being developed to combat the rise in positive cases.

The company has deployed dedicated COVID paramedics and doctors along with an  ambulance besides setting up two 24×7 helplines run by the hospital team.

The leading steel manufacturer of the country has adopted a unique POD concept of  dividing employees into self-contained smaller groups which operate independently. It makes it easier to keep track of positive cases, isolate them and treat them without infecting others.

To stop crowding at canteens, food parcels are provided replacing in-house dining facility. Effective communication on COVID awareness has been deployed through hoardings, posters, LED boards, SMSs, short videos, mass mails. Besides public address systems are also being used to disseminate the message inside the plant and the colony. To reduce the footfall inside the plant, work from home system has resumed.

Staggered entry and exit of employee vehicles at the main gate have been made and regular sanitisation of the vehicles are done. The face recognition-based gate entry system also checks mask and body temperature of employees entering into the plant, a company release stated.