Four days ago Boeing announced the temporary suspension of production operations in Ridley Township, Pennsylvania. Yesterday the suspension was extended to all the Seattle Area, Puget Sound area and Moses Lake sites, until further notice.
Boeing will temporarily suspend all 787 operations at Boeing South Carolina (BSC) until further notice, starting at the end of second shift on Wednesday, April 8. This impacts the Airport Campus, Emergent Operations, Interiors Responsibility Center South Carolina and Propulsion South Carolina.
“The health and safety of our employees, their families and our communities is our shared priority,”
said Boeing Commercial Airplanes President and CEO Stan Deal
These actions are being taken due to the rapid acceleration of COVID-19 in Washington and Pennsylvania State; these actions are also being taken due to the reliability of the supply chain and additional recommendations from government health authorities.
“We will take this time to continue to listen to our incredible team and assess applicable government direction, the spread of the coronavirus in the community and the reliability of our suppliers to ensure we are ready for a safe and orderly return to operations” said Boeing Commercial Airplanes President and CEO Stan Deal
The manufacturer states that, for both sites, the employees who can work from home should continue to do so, those who are part of the essential operations should continue to report for shifts.
During the suspension, Boeing will implement additional health and safety measures; such as increased physical distancing, more frequent and thorough cleaning of work and common areas as well as staggering shift times, in order to keep employees safe.
Boeing Site in Pennsylvania
In the case of Pennsylvania the suspension of operations started at the end of April 3rd and will last two weeks, returning to work on April 20th. During this time Boeing will conduct additional deep cleaning activities at buildings across the site, also establishing a rigorous criteria for a return to work.
The Pennsylvania site includes manufacturing and production facilities for military rotor craft, including the H-47 Chinook, V-22 Osprey and MH-139A Grey Wolf. Defence and commercial services work and engineering design activities are also performed.
“Suspending operations at our vital military rotorcraft facilities is a serious step. But a necessary one for the health and safety of our employees and their communities,”
said Steve Parker, Vertical Lift vice president and general manager, and Philadelphia site senior executive
Boeing Site in South Carolina
During this time of suspension on the 787 program in Boeing’s South Carolina plant, Boeing will continue to conduct enhanced cleaning activities at the site and monitor the global supply chain as the situation evolves.
About 135 Boeing employees, out of their some 160,000 workers, have tested positive for COVID-19; last month an employer at the Everett facility died with the virus.