Return to Work, COVID-19 Safety Message

April 23, 2020

To: Ford Manufacturing Employees

Subject: Return to Work, COVID-19 Safety Message

We extend our deepest thoughts and prayers to those who have been impacted by the pandemic in our workplaces and in our communities.

It is our hope that you and your families are well. We are continuing to assess public health conditions, government guidelines and supplier readiness to determine when the time is right to resume production in our U.S. plants. We’ll share details when we make that decision. When we return to our facilities and offices following an extended shut down, you may be anxious, uncertain and apprehensive. The purpose of this message is to share with you the steps that have been taken and the steps that we will take together in the fight against COVID-19. Let's start with a thank you to all the men and women who were in our facilities cleaning and preparing our work areas for this very day. Thank you!

Secondly, please know that the changes we have implemented in our facilities and work stations are the result of hours of collaboration and discussions between the UAW, Manufacturing Operations, Corporate Medical, Corporate Safety, Corporate Industrial Hygiene, Purchasing, Ford Land, Labor Affairs, and many others.

Cleaning and Disinfecting

During the first weeks of the shut-down, our local personnel and third-party cleaning companies got to work to ensure that all of you return to a clean and disinfected work environment. Cleaning personnel used a combination of CDC approved detergents and surface cleaners followed by a mixture of bleach and water to thoroughly disinfect the facility. The following is a list of areas that were targeted for cleaning and disinfecting:

All common areas including team rooms, rest rooms, break areas and cafeterias
- Turnstiles, entrances, stair handrails, guard railing, cafeterias / mini-marts, locker rooms, doors and door handles, counters, conference rooms, desks, tables, ice machines, water coolers / drinking fountains, eye wash stations, trash bins
- All work station including tools, work platforms, ergo pads, PMHV, line side racks, tables, cabinets, lockers, computer stations and phones, (refrigerators, microwaves, lockers and tables), offices, and skilled trades areas

UAW and Ford Motor Company Doing the Right Thing Together:

The cleanliness of your work environment will be noticeable, and you will see and experience other changes as well. As we adjust to our current circumstances, we must all work together to make changes in our daily habits. Two things we can start right now are washing our hands more frequently and coughing into our elbow instead of our hand when a tissue is not available. The CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) recommends regular handwashing as one of the best ways to remove germs, avoid getting sick, and prevent the spread of germs to others.

Hand washing recommendations by the CDC are:

Wet your hands with clean, running water (warm or cold), turn off the tap, and apply soap
Lather both sides of your hands by rubbing them together with the soap including between your fingers, and under your nails
Scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds. Need a timer? Hum the “Happy Birthday” song from beginning to end twice
Rinse your hands well under clean, running water
Dry your hands using a clean towel or air dry them, consider using a towel to turn off the faucet
If soap and water are not available, hand sanitizer is a recommended alternative. Hand sanitizer will be provided and located in key areas of the facility.
Before returning to work and daily thereafter, you are requested to complete the Online Self-Certification questionnaire which will help you determine if there are any important symptoms that would prevent you from returning to work. You can find the questionnaire at https://www.covid19survey.ford.com/ and https://www.hronline.ford.com. For more information on COVID-19 Testing visit https://my.castlighthealth.com/corona-virus-testing-sites/
Temperature Scanning: The latest technology in temperature scanning will be set up at designated entrances to your facility to identify people who have elevated body temperatures (a fever). Out of an abundance of caution, you will not be permitted to enter the facility if the scan indicates that your temperature is above the normal threshold.
Everyone entering a Ford Motor Company location will be required to wear a face mask. Ford employees will be provided a mask upon entry. This policy will remain in effect until COVID-19 is no longer a critical risk to our employees.
Social Distancing: Social distancing has been shown as an effective means of slowing the spread of the COVID-19 in any given community. Within our manufacturing facilities the following strategies are being taken to support your safe return to work.
- There are ongoing design updates and re-engineering taking place where possible within workstations to help expand social distancing. Your ideas are critical in helping to meet the 6’ social distancing guidelines. We ask that you share your ideas with your process coaches and team leaders.
- When social distancing is not feasible a face shield may be the best alternative. Face shields are used to protect others when you cough or sneeze by reducing the spread of microscopic water droplets that could contain viruses into the air around you. In collaboration with the UAW, Corporate Industrial Hygiene has issued guidelines for our facilities to supplement social distancing.
- Break areas, lunch rooms, and restrooms may be a particular challenge due to our social nature. Because of this, we have to make a conscious effort to maintain our distance from our friends and colleagues. Measures that you should take include leaving open seats between you and others while sitting at tables. Don't sit directly in front of someone who is eating or talking. Where possible, consider having everyone sit on the same side of the table. Microwaves and refrigerators are common use items and must be used with extra care. Wash your hands before use and avoid touching your face to avoid spreading of germs.
- Deep cleaning and disinfecting have taken place throughout the facilities.
- We all need to do our part to ensure that it stays clean during our shift.
- Break areas, restrooms and other common areas will be cleaned and disinfected more frequently by cleaning personnel.
- Upon your return to work, process coaches will be working with their teams to ensure that workstations, including tools and related equipment, are appropriately cleaned at the beginning and end of each shift.
- Process Coach Start-Up Checklists have been updated to ensure that adequate supplies of disinfecting products are available

Daily and Continued Cleaning

A global challenge of this magnitude requires each of us to do our part to help combat COVID-19. It is a job we all must accept at work, at home, and in our communities. We are committed to providing ongoing communications, implementation of best practices, and improved protections for all employees. The UAW and Ford will work together to provide a workplace that is safe, while paying close attention to the evolving understanding of COVID-19 from medical experts and regulatory agencies helping and guiding mitigation efforts. In the coming weeks we will be closely monitoring our facilities and communicating regularly to you through our communications channels found below.

Thank you for your contributions and help as we navigate these uncertain and unprecedented times.

In Solidarity,

Gerald Kariem
Vice President and Director
UAW / Ford Department

Sincerely,

John Savona
Vice President, North America Manufacturing
Ford Motor Company

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