A thick, smokey haze combined with intense heat ranging from 88 to 100 degrees lingered inside Ford Motor’s Michigan Assembly plant in Wayne throughout the night and into the morning of July 16, sending several dozen assembly line workers to the medical unit. Then some were taken out on stretchers by ambulance to area hospitals, according to several union members at the facility.
Similar conditions persisted at Ford’s Dearborn Truck Plant, according to a union member familiar with that location. All of these people at Michigan Assembly and Dearborn Truck who spoke to the Detroit Free Press asked to not be named because they are not authorized to speak to the media and fear losing their jobs if they do.
The miserable plant conditions are due to wildfires in northern Minnesota and Ontario, Canada, that caused much of southeast Michigan to wake up to hazy conditions and the smell of burning wood. The factories, which regularly open and close the loading docks and doors to take in deliveries and drive out vehicles, have been filling with the smokey air and intense humidity in the facilities that are not air-conditioned.
Ford, General Motors and Stellantis have issued statements saying they are closely monitoring the situation to keep their employees healthy, but all Detroit automakers’ plants remain operational. Many workers in Ford’s plants describe burning eyes and difficulty breathing.
“We have safety protocols where if you’re showing signs of heat stroke or, in this case, breathing issues, we’re allowed to stop what we’re doing, sit down and have a drink of water, which a lot of us were doing throughout the night,” Brendan Fluker, a Michigan Assembly Plant employee who works overnight in the stamping press area, told the Detroit Free Press. “I suspect throughout today it may get worse than it was this morning.”
When asked about the conditions including the hospital runs, Ford spokesman Dave Tovar told the Detroit Free Press that the health and safety of employees is Ford’s top priority, adding: “All facilities remain open and we are monitoring the situation very closely.”
By late afternoon, one UAW member who works at Michigan Assembly said the haze inside the facility had greatly cleared out compared to earlier in the day. Ford spokesperson Jess Enoch sent the Detroit Free Press an update on plant conditions.
“All air quality readings taken inside Ford facilities are well below OSHA permissible exposure limits,” Enoch said in a text message. “Optional masks are available for employees and non-critical outdoor work is stopped at every Ford facility in southeast Michigan, northeast Ohio and Windsor, Canada.”
Unprecedented challenge
The hazardous air quality is an unprecedented challenge that the automakers and the UAW face.
The companies and union have had bad weather conditions in the past that forced plant closures, so there is “act of God” language in the UAW contract — which outlines, when a plant closes due to a natural disaster, how the workers will be paid, which is they receive a reduced amount. The act of God language in the contract specifies employees get paid if the circumstance that forced a plant closure are due to natural causes exclusively and not a result of human acts.
But if employees leave the plant on their own due to the poor working conditions, they could receive three days off without pay.
In a statement sent to the Detroit Free Press from UAW President Shawn Fain, the union said it treats the health and safety of all workers with the utmost importance and has made this a “high-alert” situation.
“We urge all employers to do the same,” Fain said. “Our International Health and Safety Department has provided detailed, relevant information on wildfire smoke and air quality to union representatives across the country to aid and support local unions and regions in addressing inquiries related to this matter. Additionally, our Health and Safety Department is on high alert and ready to provide further assistance.”
Fain urged members who have questions or are experiencing issues to contact their local union representatives.
“Many UAW workers are already subjected to working in extreme heat where doors at their worksite cannot be closed,” Fain said. “This compounded with hazardous air quality creates an unsafe work environment. We call on employers to put health and safety of all workers first; including shutting down work if hazardous air quality cannot be mitigated with HVAC systems and (personal protective equipment).”
Fain cited the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s guidelines on air quality, saying the union expects UAW employers to abide by these standards and the union’s contract language.
Ford put out a statement to its workforce midmorning on July 16, that it shared with the Detroit Free Press, advising employees on what to do to get through this scenario.
In its guidance to employees, Ford said: “Ford Safety, Medical and Ford Land are closely monitoring air quality information for our U.S. and Canadian locations to help ensure the health and safety of our team is not adversely affected by smoke from the wildfires in Canada. The health and safety of our employees remains our top priority.”
It advises those who are sensitive to environmental pollutants and those with respiratory conditions to use face masks, which are available at each facility. It said that the “elevated concentrations of environmental pollutants” at various locations are expected to diminish in the next few days, based on the weather forecasts; but proactive actions are being taken such as keeping exterior doors closed and ventilation systems running to improve the indoor air quality.
“Employees who work outdoors, and anyone with medical conditions that may put them at increased risk, should promptly report any symptoms of adverse health effects to their People Leader, Team Leader or Production Supervisor, and seek assistance from Medical as a precaution,” the statement said. “We will continue to monitor air quality metrics at Ford facilities in the region and review the latest EPA guidance to make additional changes as necessary.”
GM and Stellantis issue guidance
Stellantis has eight manufacturing plants scattered across southeast Michigan in regions of the state that are currently listed as “hazardous” or “very unhealthy,” according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Spokesperson Ann Marie Fortunate said Stellantis is aware of concerns regarding air quality and the company is actively monitoring air quality at all locations.
Fortunate said that air quality test results at Stellantis plants are below limits put in place by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Nonetheless, Stellantis has taken safety precautions for workers in its plants such as using air ventilation and filtering systems, keeping overhead and perimeter doors closed and giving N95 respiratory masks to employees, should they want to use them.
GM spokesman Kevin Kelly told the Detroit Free Press: “We are concerned about the impact the wildfires and resulting poor air quality are having on communities in all affected areas. The health and safety of our employees remains top of mind, and we’re closely monitoring conditions and any potential impacts to our people and facilities. We’re taking steps to support safe operations, including replacing air filters, limiting outdoor work when needed, keeping doors and docks closed, and providing masks to employees upon request. We encourage employees to follow local public health guidance and speak with their manager about any specific concerns.”
Kelly confirmed that GM is still operating all of its factories in Michigan.
Eyes burning, coughing and hard to breathe
Back at Michigan Assembly Plant, where Ford builds the Bronco SUV and the Ranger pickup, Fluker said during the midnight shift he worked the conditions were miserable.
“Eyes were burning, there was coughing too and getting out of breath easily,” Fluker told the Detroit Free Press. “It was hot as well and just super humid working.”
Another rank-and-file member inside that plant on the day shift said the smoke inside the plant was so bad people’s eyes and throats hurt. The assembly line halted because many workers were signing out to go to medical for help, resulting in at least 10 medical runs to the hospital. The Wayne dispatch would not confirm that figure without the Detroit Free Press filing a Freedom of Information Act request, but two union supervisors confirmed it. They did not know the conditions of the people taken for treatment.
The plant is behind in production due to stoppages as people sought medical relief, several employees at the plant told the Detroit Free Press, again on the condition of they not be named because they are not authorized to speak to the media.
At Dearborn Truck Plant, where Ford builds the F-150 pickup, there were about a dozen hospital runs this morning, said a union member familiar with the operations there who asked to not be named because they are not authorized to speak to the media. The person did not know the conditions of those taken from the plants to the hospitals.
Still, the person said, Ford is not sending people home and likely will not.
“We’ve never had anything like this before that’s shut us down,” the person said.
(This story has been updated to include new information.)
Free Press staff writer Liam Rappleye contributed to this article.
Jamie L. LaReau is the senior autos writer at USA TODAY Co. who covers Ford Motor Co. for the Detroit Free Press. Contact Jamie at jlareau@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @jlareauan. To sign up for our autos newsletter. Become a subscriber.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Wildfire smoke hits auto plants, sending some workers to hospitals
Reporting by Jamie L. LaReau, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Jamie L. LaReau, Detroit Free Press | USA TODAY Network
