COVID-19 Employee Information

Information for Vigor families on COVID-19 vaccinations can be found here.

(Note: Requirements and policies for Suppliers working on Vigor properties can be found here.)

Employee COVID-19 Related Illness/Positive Test Result/Close Contact form can be found here.

Vigor has no greater priority than the health and safety of our employees, their families and our communities. The Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security have designated the work we do at Vigor as Essential Critical Infrastructure. That means we are expected to keep our operations open and operational during this difficult time. We can only do that if we all work together to keep each other healthy and safe.

This page outlines our shared responsibilities and guidelines. We will update it as new information is available. Our purpose is protection of Vigor employees and to minimize spread of the Coronavirus within our families and communities. Adherence is of utmost importance.

What Vigor is doing

  • Enforced work from home rules for all employees who can do their jobs remotely.
  • Prohibited all work-related travel unless approved by the CEO.
  • Enforcing social distancing protocols (6 feet of distance between people), including installing visual cues to help people visualize safe distances, for employees who are not vaccinated, in accordance with local health and workplace directives.
  • Increased cleaning frequency of common areas (break rooms, bathrooms, etc.)
  • Installed additional hand sanitizing stations and handwashing areas.
  • Asked all individuals entering the facilities to do a daily self-assessment.
  • Developed a detailed Outbreak Mitigation Plan and Incident Response Team.
  • Instituted best practices regarding containment of any known exposures and following public health guidance for employees who may test positive and have recently worked on site, including identifying and notifying close contact employees/others, asking them to self-quarantine, and isolating and disinfecting the affected area(s) in accordance with public health standards before reopening them.
  • Continually adopting and enhancing our policies and protocols as we receive new information and guidance from federal, state and local authorities.
  • Adjusting mask policies in accordance with state-level directives.

What you can do

  • Get the COVID-19 vaccine.
  • Take your temperature before you come to work and stay home if it’s 100.4 or higher.
  • Stay home if you are sick (see symptoms below under “When to stay home”).
  • Wash your hands frequently and thoroughly.
  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose, mouth and ears.
  • Practice social distancing (6 feet of distance between people) if you are unvaccinated. If specific work assignments require unvaccinated employees to be within 6 feet, additional protective mitigation measures will be instituted. If you are unsure as to these mitigation measures, please contact your supervisor immediately.
  • Wear a face covering upon entry to and at all times in a Vigor facility.

When to stay home

  • If you had close personal contact with anyone who has been diagnosed with COVID 19 (lab or clinical diagnosis) and you are not vaccinated and/or experiencing symptoms. Close personal contact means: 1) within 6 feet for a cumulative period of 15 minutes or more over a 24 hour period; 2) in a confined space; or 3) have been coughed or sneezed on.
  • If you currently have any of the following symptoms: fever, chills, cough, sore throat, shortness of breath, body aches.

If any of the above applies to you, do not come to work and contact your healthcare provider. If you are a production employee call into the absence line at 1-844-660-0089. If you are a Salaried or Corporate Hourly employee call into your supervisor.

What to do if you start feeling sick at work

  • Limit your contact with coworkers. Notify your supervisor immediately and return home or consult with an offsite medical provider for further evaluation.
  • DO NOT go to our onsite medical facilities in the Portland or Seattle yards. The medical clinics are not equipped to safely diagnose or treat those experiencing these symptoms.

Current public health Stay-at-Home guidelines Vigor is following

  • If an employee is confirmed to have COVID-19, employers should immediately work with the employee to identify and notify those who are determined to have been in close contact with the diagnosed individual, while maintaining confidentiality as required by federal law (HIPPA).
  • If an employee has been diagnosed with COVID-19, the employee should immediately enter home isolation and remain under home isolation precautions until after 10 days have passed since you had a positive test AND it has been 24 hours after fever is gone without use of fever reducing medications AND symptoms resolve; or as advised by a health care provider or public health official, whichever is longer.
  • If an unvaccinated employee/individual has had close contact with any person diagnosed with COVID-19, or a vaccinated employee is experiencing symptoms after close contact, that employee/individual should begin home self-quarantine immediately, and remain under home quarantine for 14 days following last contact with the positively person. That employee should also monitor their health for fever, cough, or shortness of breath for 14 days following last contact with the ill person.
  • If an employee is sick with fever or respiratory symptoms but has had no known exposures to someone with COVID-19, that employee should stay home and away from others until 24 hours after the fever is gone without use of fever reducing medications, and all other symptoms have resolved. They should talk with their doctor about whether testing is needed based on their symptoms. Employees who are sick should stay home. If you are a production employee call into the absence line at 1-844-660-0089. If you are a Salaried or Corporate Hourly employee call into your supervisor.
  • If a member of an unvaccinated employee’s immediate household has been diagnosed with COVID-19, or a vaccinated employee experiences symptoms, the employee should stay home. Public health advises that then all household members should self-quarantine.

For all employees staying home

Employees staying home due to sickness, close contact with a diagnosed or confirmed COVID-19 case, travel, or for other reasons should notify the company of your absence as follows:

  • Production employee - call into the absence line at 1-844-660-0089.
  • Salaried or Corporate Hourly employee - call your supervisor.

Resources on Employee Benefits

Different employee groups at Vigor are enrolled in different benefit plans based on their company/division and/or union affiliation. Posted here are benefit overviews for salaried, corporate hourly, and hourly production employees, as well as contact information employees may need.

The majority of Vigor employees are covered by benefit plans through their unions. For those plans, while we are providing overview information in the linked documents in order to assist employees, Vigor does not administer those plans. Contact information for employees is provided in each document that directs employees to the proper plan contacts.

If you have questions about the benefits overview that applies to you, please email Benefits@vigor.net.

Deepest thanks to our employees

Again, our purpose is to protect Vigor employees and to minimize spread of the Coronavirus within their families and our communities while also continuing to perform essential work as has been described by US Homeland Security and the Department of Defense. We can do this if we all work together. Adherence is of utmost importance. We deeply appreciate the work of employees during these unprecedented times, both those working from home and those required to work on site every day.