Congress Set to Investigate Meatpacking Plant COVID-19 Actions

Leaders of the House of Representatives Coronavirus Subcommittee announced Monday they’re taking up an investigation into the steps the nation’s largest meatpacking companies took in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, namely ensuring the health and safety of plant workers. While industry members say public records indicating failures to protect workers are inaccurate or conflicting, government officials say they’re working with the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) to document further its efforts to enforce worker safety rules, according to a report Monday. Large meatpackers say they’ve invested hundreds of millions of dollars in protective measures like on-site COVID-19 testing, physical barriers inside facilities and protective equipment for workers. But documents show OSHA inspections at packing plants declined by 44% in most of 2020. See more on this developing story.