Meat and Poultry Industry in Need of Pandemic Safety Standards

WASHINGTON — A sharp increase in reports of illness among meat and poultry workers during the COVID-19 pandemic is a sign that safety and health regulations did not go far enough to ensure their well-being during the crisis, according to a new report from the Government Accountability Office.

The groundwork for the study was actually laid prior to the pandemic, having been undertaken in recognition that meat and poultry workers already faced a number of occupational hazards.

During its analysis, the GAO looked at enforcement actions undertaken by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration; actions that OSHA and the Food Safety and Inspection Service took collaboratively to ensure worker safety; and steps employers took to provide safe and healthful workplaces for their employees.

As part of their inquiry, which lasted from February 2018 through June 2022, investigators spoke to meat and poultry processing workers from nine states, and also interviewed a number of federal officials.

In response to the GAO’s initial findings, OSHA increased the frequency of its plant inspections, but also discovered a weakness — despite the fact these individuals work in close proximity to one another, making them more susceptible to COVID-19, there were no specific, COVID-related safety standards for the agency to enforce.

OSHA is currently engaged in developing a new infectious disease standard for health care workers post-COVID, but the GAO believes that effort should be expanded to include meat and poultry workers as well.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a sharp increase in reports of illness among meat and poultry workers. These jobs require working in crowded plants, putting workers at greater risk of disease.

In response to these concerns, OSHA increased plant inspections. But OSHA’s safety standards didn’t include COVID-19 related hazards — like requiring workers to be in close proximity — and as a result, OSHA had few enforcement options.

Instead, the agency was forced to rely on voluntary efforts by the meat and poultry producers themselves. 

According to the GAO, most of the 15 companies that responded to the GAO’s survey said they encouraged distancing in communal areas, installed barriers and required masks. However, studies, federal inspections and worker interviews suggest that meat and poultry workers continued to face a high risk of infection in the first year of the pandemic. 

For example, in 2020, OSHA found that COVID-19 risk to workers at one large meat plant was more than 70 times higher than to the state’s general population.

OSHA and Food Safety and Inspection Service officials met regularly during the pandemic, but did not provide documentation on whether they addressed worker safety. 

The agencies reported little field-level collaboration among staff with direct knowledge of plant conditions.

In August 2022, the agencies updated their 1994 memorandum of understanding, which states that the FSIS should report hazards to OSHA, including infectious diseases. 

“The agencies did not follow some leading collaboration practices, such as defining outcomes and including key participants. By following these practices, OSHA and FSIS could better collaborate on meat and poultry worker safety,” the GAO report said.

OSHA said it would respond to the report in writing. FSIS has already agreed with the recommendation to bolster collaboration between the two agencies.

Dan can be reached at [email protected] and @DanMcCue