KANSAS CITY, Mo. — As meat-packing plants become a point of concern for the spread of COVID-19 across the country, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have joined forces to give employers and workers guidance.
The agencies on Sunday released recommendations for those involved in processing beef, pork and poultry to reduce the risk of exposure to the novel coronavirus.
OSHA and the CDC said the product the workers handle does not expose them to coronavirus, but being in close contact with coworkers and supervisors could.
As a result, they recommended the following measures:
- Cleaning of shared meat-packing and processing tools;
- Screening employees for the coronavirus before they enter work facilities;
- Managing workers who are showing symptoms of the coronavirus;
- Implementing appropriate engineering, administrative, and work practice controls;
- Using appropriate personal protective equipment, and;
- Practicing social distancing at the workplace.
Meat-packing plants have been hotbeds for COVID-19 in Missouri and Kansas.
In Missouri, state officials said they have no plans to conduct widespread testing in meat-packing plants, but the state’s Department of Health and Senior Services will respond when suspected clusters arise, which most recently happened in Buchanan County.
Additional testing is planned for this week in Moniteau and Saline counties.
In Kansas, officials with the state’s Department of Agriculture are in “regular dialogue” with large meat-processing companies, working on solutions for COVID-19 clusters at plants.
Lyon, Finney, Ford and Seward counties have been areas of particular concern.
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