Top Glove clarifies pictures, social distancing claims

We refer to FMT’s report on April 19, quoting a worker who made some allegations against Top Glove.

We are disappointed to note that the information provided by the factory worker is highly inaccurate, specifically with regard to the following:

1. Allegation of workers being in close quarters at the packing department, hostel and on factory buses

As mentioned in our earlier responses, social distancing is being practised at all Top Glove premises, including the factory and worker hostels.

Daily spot checks are also conducted by the human resources team to ensure all Covid-19 preventive measures are strictly being complied with and any non-conformances are rectified immediately.

The photo of workers at the rest area featured in the article was taken in our Factory 38 in Kulim, and is unlikely to be a recent photo. As recent as last week, the authorities visited the said factory and our rest area was found to be in compliance with social distancing requirements.

We do take note that the bus transporting our workers between the hostel and factory may be full at times and this has been rectified where the frequency of trips will be doubled, thereby halving the number of workers in the bus at any one time.

2. The worker who spoke to FMT said: “We are working in the same conditions as before Covid-19. The work place is crowded. The company tells us to follow social distancing but I don’t see that being implemented. Buses are also not being sanitised.”

This is entirely untrue. A plethora of measures including social distancing, have been implemented in light of Covid-19, which have substantially changed the way we work at the factory, as highlighted in our responses earlier and again below.

The buses and company vans are also sanitised before they are used to transport our workers, as depicted in the photos attached.

3. “Local workers return home every day and we don’t know where they go and who they meet. Getting infected by them is our biggest fear.”

Our local workers are required to abide by the MCO requirements on staying at home, as with other citizens and residents in Malaysia.

During this period, all local and foreign workers have their temperature screened before entering the factory and anyone with a temperature of 37.5°C and above will not be allowed to enter the premises and immediately sent to our in-house medical centre for examination and treatment.

The supervisors and factory heads remain vigilant throughout shifts and any workers exhibiting symptoms of Covid-19 will be sent for quarantine in our isolation hostel. These workers will only be permitted to resume work after being cleared by a doctor. This minimises the chances of workers getting infected and cross-infecting other workers.

4. He said temperature checks were now mandatory but other measures such as screening for symptoms of Covid-19 and sanitising workers’ transport, was not being taken.

Temperature screening is conducted in tandem with other measures such as isolation of workers who exhibit Covid-19 symptoms and regular sanitising of transport and premises.

We would also like to draw your attention to the following measures which have been put in place to ensure our people are well protected during the Covid-19 pandemic:

1. Daily temperature check before entering work premises
   • Employees with a temperature of 37.5°C and above will be disallowed from entering the  premises and immediately sent to our in-house medical centre namely Top Glove Global Doctors (TGGD) which is an ambulatory centre and super-clinic, for further examination / treatment.
2. Intensive disinfecting of all premises
   • We have intensified disinfecting of all premises including hostels, factories and building exteriors.
   • Disinfection of buses (worker transportation) is also conducted on a daily basis.
   • We have also converted our fire-fighting trucks so as to more effectively disinfect our factories.
3. Disinfection upon entering hostel
   • Automated sprays/sprinklers have been installed at hostel entrances to ensure all workers are also disinfected prior to entering.
4. Social distancing practices
   • Social distancing is being implemented at all our premises which include canteens, rest areas, factories as well as assembly areas.
   • Dining tables at our factory canteens are also barricaded to ensure social distancing during meal times. We have also converted other premises into dining areas for workers, to ensure social distancing is observed.
5. Provision of facemasks and other PPE
   • Workers are provided with the necessary PPE, including facemasks and gloves.
   • Hand sanitisers are also made available at the guardhouse, canteen and other common areas.
6. Designated an isolation hostel for workers
   • If workers are found to have Covid-19 symptoms or come in close contact with positive/suspected Covid-19 cases, they will be sent to an isolation hostel for their protection and the protection of other workers.
   • During the isolation period, all meals will be provided and workers continue to receive their full salary.
7. Continuous education & awareness training on Covid-19 preventive measures and factory SOPP
   • Continuous education and awareness training during morning briefings is conducted to instill in workers the importance of observing the preventive measures implemented.
   • Continuously highlighting to workers the importance of being disciplined and observing SOPPs at the factory for their own safety.
   • Daily inspections are also conducted to ensure all measures are strictly adhered to and any non-compliances are immediately rectified.

We wish to reiterate that employee health and wellbeing has always been of utmost importance to Top Glove, all the more during this critical time.

We continue to improve the measures implemented and review them at every phase of the MCO extension, towards closing any gaps identified so as to ensure our employees’ health is always well-taken care of.

The allegations made in the report have undermined the many good initiatives that we have introduced. - FMT