May 31, 2022

Seven JBS USA subsidiaries implement pandemic response plans

Subsidiaries of major meatpacker JBS USA have agreed to implement pandemic response plans at seven US plants, following a US congressional study revealing that the meat sector mostly failed to prevent the spread of COVID-19 among workers, Reuters reported.

US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced the agreement. OHSA said the plants will collaborate with teams of outside experts to establish and execute new rules on engineering, ventilation, visitor screening, cleaning, and personal protective equipment.

According to OSHA, the agreement covers factories run by JBS units Swift Beef Co, Swift Pork Co, JBS Souderton Inc, and JBS Green Bay Inc across six states.

JBS USA, the subsidiary of Brazil's JBS SA, said in a statement that the plans it's working on would be based on a "COVID-19 playbook" it's previously implemented, which sets out best practises and gives plant operators guidance.

COVID-19 claimed the lives of seven workers at two JBS factories in Colorado and Wisconsin in 2020, and over 650 people tested positive for the virus.

OHSA said the plants failed to take procedures to protect employees. They were fined US$14,502.

A Reuters examination of public data published in January found that over 90% of JBS and four other large meat businesses' U.S. processing factories reported COVID-19 cases in 2020 and early 2021, and 269 workers died during that time.

John Rainwater, an OSHA official in Dallas, Texas, said the agency will guarantee that the deal with JBS is followed in order to prevent future large outbreaks.

The news comes two weeks after a US House of Representatives investigation found that JBS and other big meat processors had failed to take steps to prevent COVID-19 from spreading.

-      Reuters