This is the latest news from NZAS on COVID-19
NZAS was granted an exemption to keep operating in recognition of how long an aluminium smelter takes to restart once shut down.
To support the health and safety of our employees and in accordance with government directives in relation to containing the spread of Covid-19, we have implemented a number of new controls. Operational employees are the only ones working on site at NZAS. Employees with underlying health issues are self-isolating and our non-operational employees are working from home.
Given the health and safety measures we have implemented and the current climate, we also needed to stabilise our operation by reducing load. To do this, we have reduced the 50MW of electricity that supports Line 4. The Line 4 team of 35 people are now supporting production on the other three full reduction lines.
We have implemented a number of controls to segregate our employees and keep them safe on site:
A dedicated team has been established to co-ordinate the supply and distribution of hygiene products to site to ensure a continual supply is available. This includes monitoring consumption and availability of hand sanitiser, mediwipes, soap, disinfectant, gloves and paper towels. In addition, wall-mounted hand sanitiser dispensers are being installed around the plant, and people are self-cleaning their respirators.
Thanks to our innovative team at NZAS, hand sanitiser is being produced on site following the World Health Organisation guidelines.
We are using well-established communication channels that are essential to keep our people informed including: