Identification of Workers at Increased Risk of Infection During a COVID-19 Outbreak in a Meat Processing Plant, France, May 2020

Abstract

On 13 May 2020, a COVID-19 cluster was detected in a French processing plant. Infected workers were described. The associations between the SARS-CoV-2 infection and the socio-demographic and occupational characteristics were assessed in order to implement risk management measures targeting workers at increased risk of contamination. Workers were tested by RT-PCR from samples taken during screening campaigns. Workers who tested positive were isolated and their contacts were quarantined. Workers were described and associations with the SARS-CoV-2 infection were assessed through risk ratios using multivariable Poisson regression. Of the 1347 workers, 87.5% were tested: 140 cases were identified; 4 were hospitalised, including 2 admitted to intensive care. In the company, the cluster remained limited to deboning and cutting activities. The attack rate was 11.9% in the company, reaching 16.6% in the cutting department. Being an employee of a subcontractor significantly increased the risk of infection by 2.98 [1.81–4.99]. In the cutting department, an association with virus infection was found for a group of non-French speaking workers from the same Eastern European country (RR = 2.67 [1.76–4.05]). They shared accommodation or carpooled more frequently than the other cases. The outbreak investigation revealed a significantly increased risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection for workers of subcontractors and some foreign-born workers. There are many such populations in meat processing plants; the observed associations and the ways in which these workers are contaminated need to be confirmed by further work. Prevention campaigns should now target these workers. Environmental risk factors in the workplace setting remain to be clarified.

A Comprehensive Sampling Study on SARS-CoV-2 Contamination of Air and Surfaces in a Large Meat Processing Plant Experiencing COVID-19 Clusters in June 2020

“…In several countries worldwide, [9][10][11][12]27,46 meat processing plants have been researched typically by outbreak investigations involving questionnaires and sampling of workers. The reported COVID-19 policies of the meat processing plants [9][10][11][12]27,46 were a combination of measures directed at mitigating direct transmission and transmission via air and fomites. Quantifying the risk (absolute and relative) of each transmission route remains elusive especially as it will differ between facilities (eg, due to differences in layout, ventilation system, and airflow) and also will be varying over time per facility (eg, due to differences in measures implemented, human behavior, and viral strains involved).…”

“…In several countries worldwide, [9][10][11][12]27,46 meat processing plants have been researched typically by outbreak investigations involving questionnaires and sampling of workers. The reported COVID-19 policies of the meat processing plants [9][10][11][12]27,46 were a combination of measures directed at mitigating direct transmission and transmission via air and fomites.…”

Temporal Variation of SARS-CoV-2 Levels in Wastewater from a Meat Processing Plant

“…Meat processing plants are critical infrastructure that have been identified as one of the hotspots for COVID-19 outbreaks [ 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 ]. A group of researchers conducted a retrospective investigation on a plant with 111 confirmed asymptomatic cases with an attack rate of 38% during a five-week period after the first case and showed that the area with the highest infection rate, the boning hall, had poor ventilation and a favorable environment for viral aerosol transmission [ 13 ].…”

“…Fabreau et al [ 14 ] used meat processing plants as a model to study the COVID-19 risk among migrant populations and concluded that meat processing plants are at high risks for COVID-19 transmission due to the noisy and confined workspaces where workers are often physically demanded and require shouting for communication, thus increasing the number of aerosolized droplets and pathogen transmission risk. Mallet et al [ 15 ] also identified the deboning and cutting area of a French meat processing plant as highly vulnerable to COVID-19 outbreaks and revealed an increased risk of infection for foreign-born workers who were more likely to share accommodation and carpooling. Other studies performed in meat processing plants found a correlation between infection risk and indoor climate conditions, indoor ventilation, outdoor air flow rate, high density of workers, and prolonged contact in the facility [ 16 , 17 , 18 ].…”

First Responders and the COVID-19 Pandemic: How Organizational Strategies Can Promote Workforce Retention

“…In the broader literature on the pandemic, more attention has been paid to other “essential” workers who were unable to work from home and were disproportionately impacted by the pandemic, including hospital medical workers (e.g., doctors and nurses), grocery store employees, and meat plant employees (e.g., Bandyopadhyay et al, 2020; Galbraith et al, 2020; Li & Tang, 2022; Mallet et al, 2021). Despite the well-documented adverse work-related effects on first responders (Alshahrani et al, 2022; Haugen et al, 2012), the emerging public administration literature on public health crises has paid limited attention to these street-level bureaucrats, specifically to the factors that might lead them to abandon their shift or consider exiting their career all together (Trainor & Barsky, 2011).…”