Chicken plant in California cited over past virus outbreak
May 24, 2021
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LIVINGSTON, Calif. (AP) California has cited and fined a Foster Farms chicken processing plant that saw a deadly coronavirus outbreak last year, saying the company failed to protect its workers.
The state Division of Occupational Health and Safety s penalty of $181,500 is one of the steepest citations issued during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Sacramento Bee reported Monday.
A representative for Foster Farms told the newspaper that the company “does not have a comment” on the citations.
Cal/OSHA alleged Foster Farms failed to “establish, implement and maintain” an effective system for communicating with its employees and contract employees regarding COVID-19 in the workplace.
The company also failed to effectively communicate with its own management about outbreaks, and failed to communicate measures it was taking to prevent exposure to the virus, according to Cal/OSHA.
California's Division of Occupational Health and Safety has cited a Foster Farms plant in Livingston for not protecting its workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.