Michigan prison cited for violating coronavirus workplace safety rules
LANSING — Workplace safety compliance officers cited the Michigan Department of Corrections for violating coronavirus safety rules at a prison after a string of corrections officers tested contracted COVID-19.
The Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration fined the department $6,300 for violations at the Gus Harrison Correctional Facility in Adrian, a Friday press release states.
Specifically, investigators found the department failed to:
- Develop an adequate infectious disease preparedness and response plan.
- Identify close contacts for employees who tested positive for COVID-19.
- Apply social distancing strategies when employees ate lunch.
- Ensure employees wore face coverings and practiced social distancing.
- Provide training for the facility's contact tracing team.
- Clean and disinfect the facility after a positive COVID-19 cases were identified.
The Michigan Department of Corrections has appealed the citation, spokesperson Chris Gautz said in an email.
The department doesn't have to pay the fine or abate the citation while in the appeals process, Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity spokesperson Camara Lewis said. The MDOC citation is the first coronavirus-related violation reported against a state department or agency.
The workplace safety violations MIOSHA investigators found were serious, they wrote in a Jan. 15 citation report. They detailed a string of infections in April and May that occurred among five corrections officers who regularly ate lunch together.
A copy of the citation is available here.
"None of these employees were identified as close contacts after Corrections Officer A reported a positive test result for COVID-19," MIOSHA investigators wrote. "Since they were not identified as close contacts, they were not required to self-quarantine at home for 14 days, thus potentially exposing employees to SARS-CoV-2 virus."
Although the department provided masks and required employees to wear them, facility video footage showed employees were not wearing them or practicing social distancing. Although the department learned of this in April, it did not act to ensure employees followed those safety measures.
MIOSHA inspected the facility between July and December "in response to a COVID-19 related fatality," according to the press release.
Corrections officials disagree with MIOSHA investigators' findings, Gautz said. He said the department has asked for "more specific information" but not yet received a response from MIOSHA.
"Until the department is provided with the specific details, it cannot properly and fully respond," he wrote. "The department intends to exhaust all appellate options available in order to defend against these unfounded claims."
He said the department has been proactive about protecting people from the coronavirus and followed state and federal guidelines. This is the only workplace safety violation issued regarding a Michigan prison.
"MIOSHA has inspected several MDOC facilities over the past year regarding MDOC's response to the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic and has never had any issues like the allegations announced today," Gautz wrote.
The coronavirus has run rampant in Michigan correctional facilities. As of Thursday, 25,202 prisoners have tested positive for the coronavirus and 138 have died, according to the department's latest coronavirus case numbers. The state's prison population averaged 35,760 people last year.
Gus Harrison Correctional Facility was among the hardest hit. Of the 1,954 prisoners tested, 1,465 tested positive. There are two active cases in the facility. Seven prisoners have died.
Despite criminal justice advocates' concerns about the dangers of coronavirus spreading in Michigan prisons, incarcerated people are not prioritized for COVID-19 vaccines.
More:COVID-19 spread fast in Michigan prisons. Advocates say they should be prioritized for vaccine
Contact Carol Thompson at ckthompson@lsj.com. Follow her on Twitter @thompsoncarolk.