SHAH ALAM – Heeding the call to attain Covid-19 herd immunity as a step towards economic recovery, Carlsberg Malaysia has sponsored vaccinations for 600 employees and third-party vendors towards its goal of having 100% of its on-site workforce fully immunised by end-July or early August.
Under the Selangor Vaccine Programme (Selvax), the brewer’s Klang Valley-based employees and contractors received their first Sinovac dose at the Tropicana Gardens Mall in Petaling Jaya last Friday.
This batch of vaccine recipients includes all personnel involved in brewing, production and logistics at the company’s Shah Alam headquarters, and will receive their second dose on July 30, in accordance with the recommended 21-day interval.
Working with vaccination provider Selgate Health Sdn Bhd, the brewer is also arranging for the rest of its employees throughout the peninsula, Sabah and Sarawak to receive their jabs at clinics nationwide starting this month.
Boosted by the company’s vaccination drive, 99% of Carlsberg Malaysia employees across the country are already in line for appointments or have had their first vaccine dose at the minimum via the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme (PICK) and Selvax.
Stefano Clini, managing director of Carlsberg Malaysia, said: “Carlsberg Malaysia has been in full compliance with the suspension of production operations since the full movement control order commenced in June. Our sponsorship and enrolment of employees and contractors to be fully vaccinated by July 31 is a definitive step towards the reopening of our brewery when permitted, focusing on employees essential to normal factory operations and those who have yet to receive vaccination appointments under PICK.
“In our shared fight against the Covid-19 pandemic, we have committed to lead with care, and have put the safety of our people and our immediate communities as our highest priority, which, in turn, affirms our ongoing commitments to product integrity, safe workplaces, and operational readiness to reopen as soon as practically possible.
“Our strict adherence to health and safety protocols and pandemic countermeasures at the brewery has resulted in zero workplace clusters since the start of the pandemic in March 2020.”
As brewing is regulated by the Malaysia Food Act 1983, the firm is appealing for the removal of breweries from the negative list in the National Security Council’s (NSC) pandemic control standard operating procedures, and inclusion in the food and beverages sub-sector’s positive list under manufacturing sectors allowed to operate when Phase 2 of the National Recovery Plan begins.
According to members of the Confederation of Malaysian Brewers Bhd (CMBB), the brewing industry contributed more than RM2 billion in direct and indirect taxes in the 2020 financial year.
Tax contributions fell RM420 million in 2020 from 2019 – a drop of 17% – which stands to decrease further this year with prolonged lockdowns. This does not yet account for losses in revenue or tax contributions by around 35,000 Malaysian businesses that rely on beer as a source of income, according to CMBB estimates.
“We fear that a prolonged suspension will lead to an inevitable shortage for domestic markets and embolden the illicit alcohol trade, posing a public health risk from unregulated contraband,” said Clini.
“As an international brand with a long history in Malaysia, we are also concerned that the ongoing disruption to our export sales could jeopardise national revenue and our competitiveness as an export production hub, especially if our export customers permanently switch to sourcing from neighbouring markets.”
According to CMBB, brewing is a highly automated process with a low number of on-site personnel during each shift, translating to significantly reduced risks of infection transmission.
Carlsberg Malaysia has an average workplace density of 200 sq m per employee, per shift at its brewery.
Since the start of the pandemic, the company has taken further measures beyond NSC’s SOPs to prevent workplace infections, including performing more than 6,000 swab tests on employees, visitors and contractors at the brewery; installing hand sanitiser and hand-washing stations, with one at a minimum for every 20 employees; daily uniform-washing and upgraded locker rooms with showers to reduce the risk of pathogen transmission via bodily surfaces and clothing; and, introducing controlled movement flows and zoning within the brewery. – The Vibes, July 16, 2021
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