12 Diablo Canyon workers have tested positive for COVID-19. Here’s what PG&E is doing
A dozen Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant workers have tested positive for coronavirus since the start of the global pandemic, but it’s still business as usual at the PG&E plant, a representative says.
“Things are still going really well,” PG&E spokeswoman Suzanne Hosn told The Tribune on Friday. “Safety and compliance remain our top priority.”
Hosn declined to disclose details of what jobs those employees who have tested positive for COVID-19 perform, citing medical privacy laws.
In spite of the infected workers, Hosn said the plant near Avila Beach is running as normal, and an incident management team is continuing to monitor daily operations to ensure both facility and worker safety.
“The focus of all those efforts is to ensure that we have the required staffing to safely operate the plant,” she said. “Were we are at right now, we’ve not encountered any challenges to our business operations.”
Hosn did note that PG&E has taken a number of steps since the start of the pandemic to slow the spread of coronavirus among its workers, especially given the sensitive nature of operating a nuclear power plant.
The majority of Diablo Canyon’s office workers are performing their jobs remotely, and will continue to do so for the near future, Hosn said. It’s likely this will continue until at least December, she said.
Those who have to perform their jobs on site are required to self-screen for the virus before work each day using an app, she said.
If the worker’s temperature is 100 degrees Fahrenheit or higher, or if they are not feeling well, “we’re being really clear, ‘Don’t come into work,’ ” Hosn said.
At work, employees are required to wear personal protective gear like masks and are reminded to socially distance.
“One of the great things is that we’ve seen that many of those protective measures have been really very effective,” Hosn said. “We have seen that that has been very effective to protect the health and safety of our workforce. We’re continuing to maintain this protective posture, and will do so for the forseeable future.”
Meanwhile, coronavirus has not stopped the ongoing decommissioning of the nuclear power plant, which is scheduled to go offline this decade.
Hosn said PG&E recently closed the application period for new members to get a seat on the Diablo Canyon Decommissioning Engagement Panel. The panel explores issues surrounding the plant’s decommissioning process and garners public feedback.
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