The federal agency that enforces worker safety is investigating working conditions at a meat processing plant in Milan, Missouri, where workers have complained that steps have not been taken to limit the potential spread of COVID-19.
A spokesman for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration agency said OSHA’s investigation is ongoing.
Attorneys for Smithfield Foods, which operates the Farmland Foods plant in Milan, are asking a judge to dismiss a lawsuit filed against the plant over working conditions, saying in light of the investigation that OSHA is tasked with enforcing worker safety issues.
In the lawsuit, the Rural Community Workers Alliance and an anonymous worker asked the court to order Smithfield to implement safety measures such as personal protective equipment, social distancing, hand-washing stations and breaks to use them, tissues, an adjusted sick leave policy and more.
Line workers don’t have time to cover or clean their faces in the case of a cough or sneeze, the lawsuit alleges. The Smithfield employees also reported crowded working conditions and common areas where it has been impossible to socially distance.
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