This story has been updated with a statement from DHL Supply Chain.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — MLGW President Doug McGowen is assuring customers they are working around the clock to get water services restored. But that’s creating more questions about how other businesses should treat their employees.
A worker at the DHL warehouse in the Airport Area says the water has been off since last Friday when they left for the holiday. On Tuesday, she says they can’t use toilets, sinks, or water fountains.
“We came in today and the building smells like sewage because water doesn’t work so we have no running water,” she said.
DHL brought in port-a-potties and hand sanitizer but she says it’s not safe.
“We need something to drink,” she said. “We also need to be washing our hands.”
This warehouse is not the only business affected. The Health Department issued this guidance on Saturday for the boil water advisory. However, they haven’t put out advice for businesses as people head back to work from the holiday.
“They should have us at home until they can get this together. This is very unsanitary. They should not be breathing in this sewage,” said the DHL employee.
She said some people went home at lunch but she can’t afford that and lose precious time off.
In a statement, a spokesperson for DHL Supply Chain told us employees were provided port-a-potties and bottled water due to low water pressure at three of their facilities.
“Due to the recent inclement weather, three DHL Supply Chain facilities located at on Tchulatech Drive, Memphis TN, have been experiencing low water pressure.
Since Saturday, Dec. 24, the site in question has been equipped with port-a-potties and bottled water. We hope to have all our facilities return to normalcy soon and will continue to ensure a safe working environment for our employees. We encourage our employees to always reach out to management on-site who are open to hearing concerns and facilitating the most appropriate solutions.”
We also reached out to the Shelby County Health Department to see if they have any response. We will let you know when we hear back.