Toyota Georgetown bringing employees back to work next month with a big change
Toyota in Georgetown, one of Kentucky’s largest manufacturing employers, announced on Thursday that the car maker plans to bring employees back to work next month.
Employees will wear face masks and must pass health screenings.
Beginning the week of May 4, North American manufacturing and support facilities will begin to ramp up,Toyota said in a statement.
“This ramp up depends on government policies in the areas in which we operate, as well as the ability of our supply chain to meet demand,” according to the statement. “As our federal and state governments have deemed transportation and critical manufacturing as essential business, Toyota North America made the decision to resume production in North America. Many global companies such as Boeing, Mercedes, VW, and Hyundai, have started their return to work.”
Toyota said that the company has implemented new safety practices “to ensure we are doing our part in preventing transmission at work.”
In Kentucky, that means the first week will focus on “re-orientation” on new protocols. The additional measures include:
▪ Completion of a required Return to Work Preparedness Survey prior to coming onsite;
▪ New entry to work protocols, including health screenings/taking temperatures, at gates;
▪ Staggered start/stop times to aid with the health screenings and social distancing guidelines;
▪ New social distancing protocols in processes and common areas;
▪ New sanitizing protocols;
▪ New requirements, including face coverings; and
▪ Work conditioning ramp up to return team members back to work safely.
Toyota and other automakers closed plants last month because of the coronavirus pandemic reduced demand for vehicles. About 10,000 workers in Kentucky’s Toyota plant have been idled since March 23 after a worker at a plant in Canada tested positive for COVID-19.
