Nova Scotia’s top doctor delivered a shot across the bow of Irving Shipbuilding on Wednesday.
Dr. Robert Strang said at a COVID-19 update that it’s important for businesses to communicate with workers if they are bringing specialized isolation-exempt employees into the workplace.
“It was a communication issue,” said Strang.
“If they are bringing these type of workers in it is important that every worker in that worksite knows and understands the protocols that are going to be followed to keep everybody safe.”
Strang’s comment came after approximately 90 workers at the Irving Halifax Shipyard refused to work in protest of a contractor from Quebec being brought in last week.
The contractor was granted an exemption from the province’s 14-day self-isolation period — a procedure brought in to limit the spread of COVID-19 — as they were deemed an essential worker.
Strang said an exemption still requires the worker to follow a specific protocol.
“That protocol really consists of maintaining as much distance as possible from anybody in the worksite, so we call that work isolation, and if they can’t maintain distancing, very strict protocols around masking, handwashing,” Strang said on Wednesday.
He added that if the essential worker is not at work, they are supposed to be under strict isolation conditions.
Exemptions not uncommon
Exemptions to the isolation rule are not uncommon in Nova Scotia as numbers released to Global News earlier this year showed.
Between March 28 and July 31, the province granted approximately three-quarters — or 901 — of the 1,249 requests it received.
In that time period, 186 people with 89 businesses were granted exemptions.
Businesses responsibility to communicate
The news that the contractor had been brought in and was not self-isolating was not disclosed to workers at the Halifax shipyard until Tuesday, which is when the job action began.
Workers at the Irving Halifax Shipyard felt that it was not healthy or safe for them to be there, resulting in them walking off the job.
Strang confirmed that occupational health and safety inspectors responded to the site in order to investigate the concerns.
“Clearly, our expectation as part of this is that a business is communicating within their worksite. That’s their responsibility,” Strang said.
“That has been made very clear with the followup of the inspection (Tuesday) to Irving.”
There have been no confirmed cases of COVID-19 tied to exempted workers, Strang said.
Irving did not respond to a request for comment on Wednesday.
Strang said he saw no reason to revoke the worker’s isolation exemption, although he does have the power to do so.
He’s only done that one time since the pandemic began, removing exemptions granted to three Irving Shipbuilding executives in July.
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