In the face of unprecedented disaster, even elaborate safety measures can seem absurd and insufficient. For instance, to clear radioactive debris from the roof of the molten Chernobyl nuclear reactor, Soviet authorities resorted to using what they called “bio-robots.” About 4,000 human men were handed gas masks, gloves, and lead-lined boots and instructed to fling the radioactive graphite over the roof’s edge. To keep their radiation exposure relatively low, each worker would spend only a few minutes shoveling. Then the next bio-robot would take his place.
I was reminded of the Chernobyl cleanup crew’s intricate safety dance when I was on the phone with someone in a typically much tamer profession: government contracting. The contractor in question—who asked to go by James, his middle name, to avoid professional repercussions—had been working from home in Ohio since the state’s stay-at-home order went into effect in mid-March. But the order was lifted in May, and on June 22, James says, his whole office was asked to return, even though coronavirus cases were rising worryingly in the state.
Like the bio-robots, James and his co-workers are supposed to follow rules to minimize their risk in this obviously risky situation. At the beginning of the day, everyone gets their temperature taken. They are supposed to use hand sanitizer frequently and wear masks in common areas, such as the conference room and the kitchen. But James told me that almost no one wears a mask in the conference rooms, and some people leave their nose uncovered as they mosey about the office.
