"Don't Disturb Other Employees" Coupang's Negligent Response That Promoted Group Infection

Working as Coupangmen in Various Occupations
Effectively Roaming All Floors Due to Complex Work Structure

As Workers Demand Disclosure of Movement Paths,
Company Refuses, Saying "Do Not Cause Unrest"

Large Logistics Warehouses Have Similar Work Methods,
Many Short-Term Workers Make Efficient Quarantine Difficult

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Byung-don] Circumstantial evidence is emerging that the cluster infection of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) originating from Coupang stemmed from the failure to manage risk factors in advance. Our investigation also confirmed that Coupang ignored employees' demands to disclose the movements of confirmed cases. This suggests that the company's complacent response immediately after the first confirmed case exacerbated the situation.

◆'A melting pot workplace with everyone except government officials'... management was haphazard= Listening to the recorded file of the meeting held just before the closure of Coupang Bucheon Logistics Center (afternoon of the 25th) secured by our outlet, it shows that the company, upon recognizing the confirmed case on the morning of the 24th, had no idea what measures to take to prevent further spread.

During the meeting, the company refused to disclose the movements of confirmed cases despite requests. When an employee asked, "Does this mean we can go to work at other locations?" a management staff evaded the question, saying, "I’m not sure about that." When asked about the specific areas where the confirmed cases had worked, the only response was, "We have submitted the information to the health authorities." Coupang fully closed the center on the afternoon of the 25th, right after the meeting.

The demand for disclosure of confirmed cases’ movements was especially strong because many workers hold 'two jobs.' Also important is the work pattern inside the center, where employees move across multiple floors in a kind of 'dispatch' style without floor distinctions. Even if a particular person did not work in the packaging area on the 2nd floor where confirmed cases were found, their paths could overlap due to this structure.

In a KakaoTalk group chat including many employees, questions about the confirmed cases’ movements, working hours, and additional confirmed cases flooded in. One manager dismissed these concerns, saying, "Because of a few people, other employees are getting more agitated. Contact the Safety and Health Team and the HR Team for measures." Coupang’s refusal to disclose confirmed cases’ movements to employees may have triggered internal outbreaks and external transmission.

A (32), who has experience working at the Bucheon Logistics Center, said, "The logistics center is a place where everyone except government officials can come into contact with each other," adding, "There were Taekwondo instructors who work with children, bank security guards, airport duty-free shop employees, and flight attendants who see tens of thousands of visitors daily." The company could have sufficiently anticipated the high possibility of external spread if confirmed cases appeared in such a workplace.

◆Although confirmed cases emerged on the 2nd floor... employees worked without floor distinctions= The complex work system of the logistics center also worsened the situation. Coupang Bucheon Logistics Center is divided into six floors. Most confirmed cases were found on the 2nd floor, where product packaging takes place. However, to reduce labor costs recently, employees from the 3rd to 6th floors were frequently dispatched to the 2nd floor. When the 2nd floor was busy, workers from other floors came to help and then returned to their original floors. Since hundreds of people work simultaneously, only the floor of work is recorded, and without personal verification, it is impossible to know exactly where on the floor and what tasks were performed.

Kim, who was confirmed positive, was found to have worked at multiple locations such as the multi-packaging station and the egg packaging station, coming into contact with various workers. This is why employees were obsessed with tracking the confirmed case’s movements. However, Coupang only ordered some packaging workers who worked with the confirmed case to self-quarantine, while the rest were instructed to continue working normally. As a result, many afternoon shift workers worked until the normal end time of 2 a.m. the next day, and one of them was confirmed positive on the 25th.

The handheld devices (PDAs) used by workers during their tasks may also have been a transmission route. These PDAs operate via touchscreen, but the cotton gloves provided to workers do not register well on the screen. Therefore, most workers either remove their cotton gloves to operate the PDA or cut off the fingertips of the gloves to wear them. Additionally, after meal times, PDAs often get mixed up and are used by different workers. Coupang stated that they are cooperating with health authorities’ investigations regarding compliance with quarantine rules and cannot provide further explanations.

◆Work methods in large logistics warehouses are similar... comprehensive inspection needed= Following the Coupang logistics center, confirmed cases have also appeared at the Market Kurly logistics center, raising concerns among health authorities. According to workers with logistics center experience, environments where many people work in one space provide favorable conditions for infectious disease transmission.

The need to hand over goods to each other makes social distancing difficult to practice. Moreover, the nature of workplaces frequently visited by unspecified large numbers of people and the high number of short-term workers holding other jobs also hinder effective quarantine measures.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.