The union representing workers at the Cargill plant 20km south of Okotoks is calling for better measures following the plant’s most recent COVID-19 outbreak.
At a press conference held near the plant on Feb. 10, UFCW Local 401 president Thomas Hesse said he is concerned that focus on production speed will result in a larger spread, such as the one in 2020 that became Canada’s largest COVID-19 outbreak, shutting down the plant.
The latest outbreak, which was first reported in December 2020 after crossing the five-case threshold, is now up to 17 cases as of Feb. 12.
“Certainly, things have improved, we're seeing, you know, PPE, we're seeing some measure of distancing installation of Plexiglas,” Hesse said.
“But if you take your eye off the concerns about health and safety during the pandemic, things are gonna start to fall through the cracks."
He told media he was informed the outbreak had initially been isolated in an automated packaging area of the plant, but had begun to spread to workers in other areas of the complex.
“You can only have so much social distancing in a meat-packing plant with workers working shoulder to shoulder in damp cold conditions trying to keep up with the line speed," Hesse said.
“This is very much a case of hamburgers versus humanity.”
He’s calling for reduced production to allow workers to space out.
“Line speeds need to be reduced; you simply should be trying to use at the same level as you were before the pandemic, because if you do, workers will crowd together.”
Approximately 4,500 head of cattle are processed at the plant daily, accounting for nearly one third of the nation’s beef supply.
It employs approximately 2,000 workers.
In a Feb. 6 tweet, NDP opposition leader Rachel Notley said she is “deeply concerned” about the new outbreak.
“Cargill claims they have new safety measures in place,” Notley said. “If those don’t hold, this plant must be shut down before we have hundreds upon hundreds of workers infected with a deadly virus again.”
Alberta Health spokesperson Tom McMillan said in a statement issued on Feb. 12 there were 17 cases linked to the outbreak, 12 of which were active and 5 recovered.
“We take every outbreak very seriously,” he said.
“As with any outbreak, health officials are working closely to prevent future spread.
“Proven processes are being implemented to limit the spread of COVID-19 and protect the health of everyone involved. This includes conducting contact tracing and making sure that anyone at risk of exposure is contacted, isolated and tested.”
As of press time, Cargill did not respond to a request for comment.
