WASHINGTON — On Monday (Feb.1), Rep. James E. Clyburn, Chairman of the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis, announced an investigation into Covid-19 outbreaks at meatpacking plants Tyson Foods, Smithfield Foods and JBS USA has started.
Clyburn has sent a letter to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) about more than 250 deaths due to Covid-19 at three of the nation's largest meatpacking companies.
He claims the Trump Administration and OSHA failed to adequately enforce worker safety laws at the country's meatpacking plants.
“It is imperative that the previous Administration’s shortcomings are swiftly identified and rectified to save lives in the months before coronavirus vaccinations are available for all Americans," Clyburn wrote to OSHA.
The Select Subcommittee reports that nearly 54,000 workers at 569 meatpacking plants in the U.S. have tested positive for Covid-19.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has labeled meatpacking plants as a source for "rapid transmission" of Covid-19.
According to Clyburn, the Trump Administration and OSHA issued eight citations and less than $80,000 in penalties for Covid-19 violations at meatpacking companies.
According to Clyburn, Tyson Foods has had over 12,000 workers contract Covid-19, and 38 workers die from the virus.
“Public reports indicate that meatpacking companies … have refused to take basic precautions to protect their workers, many of whom earn extremely low wages and lack adequate paid leave, and have shown a callous disregard for workers’ health," Clyburn said. "These actions appear to have resulted in thousands of meatpacking workers getting infected with the virus and hundreds dying. Outbreaks at meatpacking plants have also spread to surrounding communities, killing many more Americans.”
The Select Subcommittee is seeking documents from OSHA and each of the three meatpacking companies detailing Covid-19 infections and deaths at their plants and the enforcement of worker protections by the Trump Administration.
Tyson Foods says their top priority during the Covid-19 pandemic has been keeping their workers safe.
"Our top priority will always be the health and safety of our people, and we look forward to working with the congressional committee to share what we’ve done and continue to do to protect our team members from the coronavirus. We’ve invested more than half a billion dollars during the pandemic to transform our U.S. facilities with protective measures, from walk-through TEMPERATURE SCANNERS and workstation dividers to SOCIAL DISTANCE MONITORS and additional team member pay and benefits. In addition, we’ve added a Chief Medical Officer to help us safeguard and improve the health of our workforce. We’re also using random testing as a tool to find the virus, testing thousands of workers a week, both symptomatic and asymptomatic. This strategy has enabled us to move from defense to offense in our efforts to fight the virus."
JBS USA told 5NEWS they are happy to work with the Select Subcommittee on the investigation.
We welcome the opportunity to provide members of the Select Subcommittee with information regarding our response to the global pandemic and our efforts to protect our workforce. Since the onset of the pandemic, JBS USA has invested more than $200 million in health and safety interventions, more than $160 million in bonuses and permanent increased pay, and donated more than $50 million to support our local communities.
We have implemented hundreds of safety measures including offering unlimited PPE, constructing permanent physical barriers, establishing physical distancing protocols, and installing hospital-grade ventilation systems in all of our facilities. JBS USA provides immediate testing to all symptomatic team members and close contacts, and has conducted more than 45,000 surveillance tests of asymptomatic team members to date. In addition to the hundreds of safety measures implemented in our facilities, we have voluntarily removed vulnerable population groups with full pay and benefits, covered 100% of all COVID-19 related health expenses for our team members and family members enrolled in our health plan, and offered a $100 incentive bonus for any U.S. team member willing to get vaccinated.
Smithfield Foods said in a press release that they have invested $700 million in critical measures to protect their employees during the pandemic.
As a critical food producer, we have taken seriously our responsibility to protect the health and safety of employees while continuing to provide food for our nation. From early in the pandemic, we have taken extraordinary measures to protect our team members from the virus and we have met or exceeded the prevailing federal, state and local health and safety guidance, including with personal protective equipment.