Minnesota DOH: Nearly 800 workers tested positive for COVID-19 on Enbridge’s Line 3 project

UPDATE: July 8, 2021: This tale has been current to include Enbridge’s opinions, which were erroneously left out from its initial publication, although an Enbridge spokesperson did respond to Design Dive prior to deadline.

Enbridge assessments workers on the very first and seventh working day of employment, then conducts bi-weekly checks following that, and demands wearing masks onsite, social distancing and day by day temperature checks, spokesperson Juli Kellner advised Building Dive. The company mentioned it is also encouraging personnel to get vaccinated. 

“We have incentivized immunization and are setting up to provide vaccines to the building internet sites by cell clinics throughout the five development get the job done zones,” Kellner reported. The updated overall rate of positive check results all through summertime construction has been much less than .6%, she explained.

Dive Transient:

• As lots of as 788 personnel have analyzed positive for COVID-19 on the $2.9 billion Enbridge Line 3 pipeline undertaking in Minnesota due to the fact November, according to the data from the state’s department of overall health shared with Construction Dive.
• The Minnesota Office of Health performed an investigation to garner facts about an enhance in situations in Thief River Falls, Minnesota, that commenced in January. Wellbeing officers saw clusters of instances in several options and had concerns about compliance with primary mitigation suggestions between group customers.
• The division tried using to mitigate the unfold by escalating tests availability and opening vaccination clinics for the local community. Of the 788 workers on Enbridge 3 who have tested positive, a few have been hospitalized and none died.

Dive Insight:

The Line 3 project is replacing a 1,097-mile-very long crude oil pipeline that operates from Edmonton, Canada, to Remarkable, Wisconsin. Segments of the undertaking in Wisconsin and North Dakota were being concluded prior to the 337 miles of function that is underway with the Line 3 substitute in Minnesota, which utilized about 4,500 people today for the duration of the wintertime surge in situations, according to Al Jazeera.

Calgary, Canada-based Enbridge started job work in northern Minnesota in December of 2020, shortly in advance of a winter season surge of COVID-19 scenarios began in the region. Environmental and neighborhood activists lifted concerns that the job could heighten coronavirus dangers in the communities alongside the pipeline route. 

Even with the pushback, union leaders lauded the news, expressing it would carry countless numbers of a great deal-essential employment to the region.

Companies in Minnesota are responsible for office make contact with tracing because they are the most equipped to establish place of work contacts through schedules, supervisor observations and online video, the MDH assertion claimed. While Enbridge’s security office shared findings from its get in touch with tracing, the overall health office said it could not pinpoint the supply of most of the infections.

“With an infectious illness that spreads via shut get in touch with, ongoing local community unfold, and a significant workforce coming and going that is created up of people from within Minnesota and from other states, there is no way to tease out the supply of most bacterial infections,” the statement mentioned.

Quite a few of the circumstances were from roommates and right after-hrs social contacts, the assertion said.

“There are several factors at enjoy, such as Line 3 personnel, other institutions, industries and occupations, community spread, etcetera.,” it examine.

Even though Enbridge did not reply to Construction Dive’s request for remark, Enbridge Executive Vice President and President of Liquid Pipelines Vern Yu claimed in a push statement late previous year that the enterprise would put into practice a demanding COVID-19 administration system. During the spike in cases, Enbridge increased surveillance testing of workers from biweekly to weekly, the MDH assertion claimed.

On other the latest electricity jobs, Enbridge has instituted COVID-19 testing and screening protocols for workers, like repeated screening and day-to-day overall health and temperature screenings, as very well as essential tactics like carrying masks, observing demanding actual physical distancing and on a regular basis sanitizing get the job done parts.