12 Aug Health Department Working with Ticonderoga Mill on Annual Outage Plan
Press Release from Essex County Health Department & International Paper
For More Information:
Andrea Whitmarsh, Public Information Officer, Essex County Health Department
518-873-3546 │andrea.whitmarsh@essexcountyny.gov
Donna Wadsworth, Communications Manager, International Paper – Ticonderoga Mill
Health Department Working with Ticonderoga Mill on Annual Outage Plan
International Paper (IP) has announced an upcoming annual outage of its mill in Ticonderoga to perform necessary inspections and maintenance. It is anticipated that the outage, a coordinated undertaking that has already been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic, will take place this fall.
“Protecting the health and safety of our employees, contractors and community is our most important responsibility,” states Timothy Stocker, Mill Manager. “During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ticonderoga Mill has implemented COVID-19 risk abatement practices in accordance with the Center for Disease Control (CDC), Essex County Department of Health, New York State advisories, orders and regulations, and the International Paper Pandemic Advisory Team. These measures include enhanced personal hygiene and industrial sanitation efforts, social distancing and wearing face coverings. Additional measures in place include daily contact tracing, self-monitoring and documenting, and limiting business travel”, Stocker added.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security designated the forest products industry as an essential industry during the COVID-19 pandemic. To maintain safe and reliable operations, the mill originally scheduled the 2020 outage to take place in the spring, but it was then postponed and rescheduled for August 31- September 22 due to COVID-19.
“With the ongoing COVID-19 situation and travel advisory for people traveling into New York State from restricted states, we have decided to scale back the outage to only include critical work and repairs that cannot be postponed further,” noted Stocker. “This is being done to limit the number of outside contractors and the time they are here. In taking this approach, we estimate a 40-50% reduction in days needed and contractors required to complete the outage”. When the dates for the reduced outage are finalized with the mill team and contractors, Ticonderoga Mill will communicate those details publicly.
“It is my understanding that this annual facility outage is a routine event, critical to sustaining the continuity of their manufacturing processes,” stated Linda Beers, Director of Public Health at the Essex County Health Department (ECHD). “Delaying this work much further is not ideal and we are working closely with the mill to ensure the health and safety of everyone at the mill and in our surrounding communities”.
The nature and scale of the outage requires that IP bring in out-of-state contractors with the necessary skill sets and training to inspect and service machinery to ensure that the equipment remains operational and within standardized specifications. With the New York State travel advisory currently identifying 32 states and Puerto Rico as “hot spots”, this outage has understandably raised questions
Beers is satisfied with how the plans have developed for the outage. “Out of concern for the community and current work force, the mill has significantly reduced the number of contractors they’re bringing into the county,” she explained. “We have been working closely with the plant leadership team, NYS Department of Health, and our Regional Control Room leader and Essex County Board Chairman Shaun Gillilland to develop a comprehensive outage plan that closely monitors these contractors and accounts for all possible scenarios.”
Contractors coming to the mill from states listed on the New York State Travel Advisory list will be required to comply with the Interim Guidance for Quarantine Restrictions on Travelers Arriving in New York State Following Out of State Travel. The mill will:
- Coordinate COVID-19 diagnostic testing for contractors within 24 hours of arrival into NY State.
- Require contractors to register on the Welcome to New York State Traveler’s Health Line, which requires providing pertinent information, including name, purpose of visit, locations where they will be working and staying and contact information. This will trigger 14 days of follow-up monitoring texts that they will be required to respond to. As essential workers, contractors may do work at the mill during this 14-day period.
- Require contractors to self-quarantine (when not at work) at the place where they are staying for a 14 day period. They will have meals delivered or use drive-through or curbside service for the duration of their quarantine.
- Implement a daily health screening questionnaire at the mill for all contractors.
- Require contractor comply with all COVID-19 risk abatement measures at the Ticonderoga Mill.
- Notify the Essex County Health Department if any contracted worker becomes ill or exhibits COVID-19 symptoms.
Stocker is confident in the mill team to carry out a safe and successful outage; “we want to maintain the community’s trust and support and we strive to be as transparent as possible with our plans for this annual undertaking”.