Sixty-one new COVID-19 cases were reported at Beaver County’s cracker plant this week, bringing the total number since March to 335

December 12, 2020 Stu Turley Downstream
BEAVER COUNTY TIMES: 12 Dec 2020

POTTER TWP. — Coronavirus cases continue to grow at Shell Chemicals’ ethane cracker plant site as COVID-19’s third wave hammers the region.

Sixty-one new virus cases were reported at Beaver County’s petrochemical complex this week, bringing the total number since March to 335. Since mid-November, total cases have tripled.

At least 97 employees are currently positive for the virus among the facility’s approximately 7,950 workforce, company leadership said, down from 101 on Dec. 3. Since March, 238 site employees have recovered and returned to work.

“Most, if not all, have been traced back to contacts and behaviors while away from the job site,” Shell representatives said in a statement.

Company leadership recently expanded COVID-19 testing capabilities at the plant to accommodate workers traveling for the holidays. Managers doubled testing capabilities from 200 daily tests to 400 daily tests in preparation.

Site leadership implemented voluntary testing this week for all on-site workers, too.

With these tests, results are typically available within four to five hours, Shell said. Site safety leaders also recently added rapid-result antigen tests. There will be five antigen testing labs at the plant, and each can test six samples concurrently and return results within 15 minutes.

This new testing will allow managers to double the current capacity to perform approximately 400 antigen tests per day.

Total reported cases among ethane cracker plant workers have surged recently as COVID-19 transmission rates grow in Beaver County and Pennsylvania. The plant has seen 263 new infections since Oct. 30, representing 78.5% of total on-site cases reported since March.

Anyone joining or rejoining the workforce must undergo testing that includes a COVID-19 test with same-day results, and those exposed to the virus are not permitted to return without a negative test result. Workers are required to wear masks, socially distance at lunch and submit to daily temperature screenings. Health professionals are now performing on-site contact tracing.

“We continue to encourage our workers to take steps to protect their health and safety and the health and safety of the community while away from the worksite,” said Hilary Mercer, vice president of Shell Pennsylvania Chemicals. “We believe it is our responsibility to keep ourselves, our loved ones and our communities safe when we leave here.”

Leaders may adapt practices as conditions and guidelines change, but company officials report no plans to suspend construction operations at this time.

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About Stu Turley 3363 Articles
Stuart Turley is President and CEO of Sandstone Group, a top energy data, and finance consultancy working with companies all throughout the energy value chain. Sandstone helps both small and large-cap energy companies to develop customized applications and manage data workflows/integration throughout the entire business. With experience implementing enterprise networks, supercomputers, and cellular tower solutions, Sandstone has become a trusted source and advisor.   He is also the Executive Publisher of www.energynewsbeat.com, the best source for 24/7 energy news coverage, and is the Co-Host of the energy news video and Podcast Energy News Beat. Energy should be used to elevate humanity out of poverty. Let's use all forms of energy with the least impact on the environment while being sustainable without printing money. Stu is also a co-host on the 3 Podcasters Walk into A Bar podcast with David Blackmon, and Rey Trevino. Stuart is guided by over 30 years of business management experience, having successfully built and help sell multiple small and medium businesses while consulting for numerous Fortune 500 companies. He holds a B.A in Business Administration from Oklahoma State and an MBA from Oklahoma City University.

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