During mid-May, officials from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC] visited the Salisbury, MD.; Accomac, VA.; and Milford, DE facilities of Perdue Farms to review procedures implemented to limit introduction and spread of COVID-19.
Perdue Farms has been proactive in introducing preventive measures including suggestions and recommendations made by OSHA and the CDC.
Best practices in plants include:
- Checking temperatures of workers on entry to facilities
- Wearing masks
- Maintaining social distancing, especially in restaurants, locker rooms, break rooms, and offices
- Installation of partitions between workers on production lines
- Placing dispensers for hand-sanitizer throughout facilities for ease of use
- Installing foot-operated faucets for hand washing
- Introducing dedicated staff to clean and sanitize contact surfaces during both shifts
- Ensuring thorough decontamination of plants over weekends and at night
In addition to processing facilities and procedures Perdue has implemented:
- Distribution of educational materials on COVID-19 in English, Spanish, and Haitain Creole
- Amplifying CDC recommendations on TV monitors
- Arranging webinars at all production operations to allow workers to interact with health professionals.
Perdue Farms has established outreach to local community leaders to encourage hand washing, social distancing, wearing masks, and to make the community aware of the symptoms of COVID-19 and the response to infection.
Perdue Farms has been transparent in reporting incidence rates of COVID-19. Extensive testing in plants has shown a prevalence rate of approximately four percent, which is lower than in the counties where Perdue operates.
Additional suggestions provided by CDC included:-
- Removal of all fans from processing floors
- Establishing single-file movement for workers through facilities, especially at entrances and during shift changes
- Emphasizing hand hygiene
- Ongoing training and assistance to management on infection control