Brooks Law Digest: Worker Safety

A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit brought by a nonprofit workers group and an unidentified worker at a Smithfield processing facility in Missouri alleging that the company failed to institute measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The judge ruled that the workers need to ask the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration about workplace protections.

The nonprofit workers group the Rural Community Workers Alliance and an unidentified worker at a Smithfield processing facility in Missouri have filed suit against the company, alleging it failed to institute measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19, such as maintaining distance between workers, providing personal protective equipment, and allowing time for handwashing. The complaint also alleges that workers often do not even have sufficient time to cover their mouths when they cough or sneeze. The plaintiffs are seeking changes in working conditions, but no money damages.