Red Dog, Alaska – Teck announced today that Red Dog Operations has implemented significant changes to the Operation’s travel policies to safeguard the health of employees and communities. We will continue to adapt our response as necessary as this situation continues to evolve.
Effective immediately, the following temporary changes have been implemented:
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To protect workers and local communities from the spread of COVID-19, Teck and NANA have made the difficult decision to suspend all outbound regional travel from Red Dog temporarily.
- All outbound employee travel will be through Anchorage
- Regional personnel impacted by this change will be required to self-isolate with options to either stay with extended family in the Anchorage area or utilize Teck provided accommodations during their time off
- All personnel remaining onsite at Red Dog will be given the option to extend their current and future rotations or to go on leave to minimize employee travel to and from the site.
- Red Dog is requiring all workers who live or have traveled out of state to self-isolate for 14 days in Alaska before the start of their next scheduled shift. By self-isolating, we mean that people not travel outside of Alaska and comply with all measures issued by the State of Alaska.
- All visitors to Red Dog are required to declare their travel history to ensure they have remained in Alaska for the prescribed 14 day duration before travel to site is allowed.
- Mandatory screening has been required for all employees flying into Red Dog from Anchorage since March 16. Screening is conducted by Beacon, a third party Occupational Health and Safety Services provider. The screening includes a no touch temperature check and a series of questions regarding travel history and presence of any symptoms such as coughing or headaches. If Beacon assesses the person is fit for travel, a travelers clearance card is issued to be presented when boarding the plane.
- Any employees showing symptoms consistent with COVID- 19, including a fever, or having traveled overseas within the previous 14 days will not be allowed to return to site until they have been issued a medical clearance.
- All personnel with the capability to work remotely are working from home.
- All Anchorage based employees are working from home unless otherwise required.
- Red Dog has temporarily expanded its current coverage of sick leave benefits for regular employees.
While there are no confirmed cases of COVID-19 at Red Dog to date, these measures are part of Teck’s focus on ensuring the health and safety of our employees and communities. These changes are necessary to protect one another and greatly reduce the risk of transmission of COVID-19. The willingness of our employees to adapt is key to Red Dog’s success during these challenging times.
Media Contact:
Wayne Hall
Manager, Community and Public Relation
907-754-5259
Wayne.Hall@teck.com
