Michigan executive order sets meat, poultry plant rules

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on July 9 signed Executive Order 2020-145, which sets forth 17 rules for meat and poultry plants to follow in an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

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Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed an executive order that establishes rules for meat and poultry plants to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. (Office of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer)
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed an executive order that establishes rules for meat and poultry plants to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. (Office of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer)

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on July 9 signed Executive Order 2020-145, which sets forth 17 rules for meat and poultry plants to follow in an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

According to the order, all meat and poultry plants in the state must:

  1. Conduct a daily entry screening protocol for employees, contractors, suppliers, and any other individuals entering the facility, including a questionnaire covering symptoms and suspected or confirmed exposure to people with possible COVID-19, together with temperature screening.
  2. Create at least one dedicated entry point at every facility for daily screening and ensure physical barriers are in place to prevent anyone from bypassing the screening.
  3. Configure communal work environments so that employees are spaced at least six feet apart in all directions
  4. Require employees to wear a face covering whenever present at the facility, except when removal is necessary to eat or drink.
  5. Provide clean cloth face coverings (or disposable mask options) for employees to use when the coverings become wet, soiled, or otherwise visibly contaminated over the course of a workday.
  6. Use face shields in addition to face coverings as necessary when engineering and administrative controls are difficult to maintain and there may be exposure to other workplace hazards, such as splashes or sprays of liquids on processing lines
  7. Install physical barriers, such as strip curtains, plexiglass, or other impermeable dividers or partitions, to separate meat and poultry processing employees from each other.
  8. Take measures to ensure adequate ventilation in work areas to help minimize employees’ potential exposures.
  9. Encourage single-file movement with a six-foot distance between each employee through the facility.
  10. Stagger employees’ arrival, departure, break, and lunch times to avoid congregations of employees in parking areas, locker rooms, lunch areas, and near time clocks.
  11. Provide visual cues such as floor markings or signs as a reminder to employees to maintain social distancing.
  12. Designate employees to monitor and facilitate social distancing on the processing floor.
  13. Reduce processing capacity or modify the processing or production lines and/or stagger workers across shifts to minimize the number of employees in the facility at any one time.
  14. Adopt sick leave policies that discourage employees from entering the workplace while sick and modify any incentive programs that penalize employees for taking sick leave.
  15. Group employees together in cohorts, if feasible, in a manner that allows a group of employees to be assigned to the same shifts with the same coworkers to minimize contacts between employees in each cohort.
  16. If an employee becomes or reports being sick, disinfect the workstation used and any tools handled by the employee.
  17. Provide personal protective equipment that is disposable (preferred) or, if reusable equipment is provided, ensure proper disinfection and storage in a clean location when not in use.

The executive order also sets forth rules impacting retail stores, libraries, museums, offices, restaurants, bars, outpatient healthcare facilities, veterinary clinics, businesses that provide in-home services, barbershops and beauty salons, tattoo parlors, sports and entertainment venues, gymnasiums and fitness centers, construction businesses, manufacturing facilities and research laboratories.

Whitmer, a Democrat, took office in 2019. Prior to her election as governor, she served in the Michigan State House of Representatives and Michigan Senate, as well as a stint as the Ingham County Prosecutor.

View our continuing coverage of the coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic.

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