“We Were on Our Own”: Animal Slaughtering and Processing Industry Workers’ Perspectives on Workplace Health and Safety During the COVID-19 Pandemic in North Carolina

Abstract

Workers in the animal slaughtering and processing industry have been disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Our mixed methods study aimed to describe worker experiences during the pandemic, focusing on workplace health and safety. We surveyed 69 animal slaughtering and processing workers in North Carolina between April 2021 and July 2022 and conducted in-depth interviews with 9 workers between July 2022 and April 2023. Nearly all survey participants reported their employers provided (94%) and required (90%) face masks, but fewer reported engineering or administrative controls. Interviewed participants described production as management's priority, over health and safety; difficulty taking time off when ill; inadequate communication from management; and an overall sense that “we were on our own” in maintaining health and safety at work, especially later during the pandemic. Though unlikely under the current administration, an enforceable Occupational Safety and Health Administration infectious disease standard, including appropriate policies for isolation and paid time off, could help protect worker health.