Bloomberg Law has reviewed complaints filed by Intel workers that paint a picture of a company that cares more about maintaining the high chip output it has always had instead of protecting its workers from getting sick from COVID-19.
Apparently, workers have not been isolated despite having worked closely with others that were tested positive at the Intel plant in the Arizona factory, and others who were high-risk were not tested. Managers are being accused of not caring about complaints in regards to not keeping a safe distance.
Government agencies have also received grievances over these issues, with Intel responding that it had issued new policies to keep the workers safe, but also keep production high as the products are seen as essential:
"We completely understand that people would be concerned, we have a strong safety culture.
We've provided a means for people to escalate issues. We welcome that," said Darcy Ortiz, VP and GM of corporate services at Intel's manufacturing division.
Oregon Occupational Safety and Health division has noted +40 COVID-19 related complaints in connection with the Intel factories in the state over the course of a month. The complaints pertain to a lack of distancing and the lack of personal protection such as masks and even letting people return to work despite no documentation of a negative COVID-19 test.