The North American Meat Institute and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration have signed a two-year agreement to provide institute members, the public, and other stakeholders with information, guidance, and access to training resources to help protect workers.
“Through this alliance, we look forward to working with OSHA to continue our work to protect the health and safety of the men and women who work in meat and poultry facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic and thereafter,” said NAMI President and Chief Executive Officer Julie Anna Potts. “These workers are essential to making food for our nation and are a critical part of our rural economies.”
“The security of America’s food supply relies on meat processing facilities continuing to operate with a healthy workforce,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Loren Sweatt. “Together, OSHA and the North American Meat Institute can help ensure that employers in this critical industry have the tools and information they need to protect workers from the risk of the coronavirus.”
During the two-year alliance, participants intend to work together on the following goals:
- Share information among OSHA personnel and industry safety and health professionals regarding potential exposure to COVID-19 and the challenges for exposure control in meat packing and processing facilities.
- Develop information on the recognition of COVID-19 transmission risks and best practices on preventing such transmission and disseminate these resources to employers and workers in the industry.
- Conduct outreach through joint forums, roundtable discussions, stakeholder meetings, webinars, or other formats on OSHA guidance and NAMI’s good practices or effective approaches for preventing COVID-19 transmission in meat packing and processing facilities.
- Speak, exhibit, or appear at OSHA and NAMI conferences, local meetings, and other events regarding good practices and available resources for preventing COVID-19 transmission.
- Encourage NAMI members and other industry stakeholders to build relationships with OSHA's Regional and Area Offices and State Plans, and to utilize OSHA's On-Site Consultation Program to improve health and safety and prevent COVID-19 transmission in meat packing and processing facilities.