Labor Department Fines Meatpacker for Not Shielding Employees From COVID-19

A South Dakota meatpacking company has been fined the maximum allowed by federal law after it failed to protect workers from COVID-19, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. The department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited Smithfield Packaged Meats Corp. in Sioux Falls, fining the company $13,494, according to an OSHA news release. Following a COVID-related inspection, OSHA officials cited Smithfield because the company failed to “provide a workplace free from recognized hazards that can cause death or serious harm." Nearly 1,300 Smithfield work...