4 workers at Smithfield plant died; feds fine company $13,494

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

Source: CBS News

The U.S. Department of Labor on Thursday proposed that Smithfield Foods pay a $13,494 fine for failing to protect employees at a meat processing plant in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, where nearly 1,300 workers contracted COVID-19 and four died.

The penalty, the maximum allowed by law, comes after the agency's Occupational Safety and Health Administration conducted an inspection of the pork processing plant after it closed for several weeks in April and May due to an outbreak of the coronavirus among employees. OSHA cited Smithfield for not providing a workplace free from recognized hazards that can cause death or serious harm.

The agency's guidance details steps employers can take to protect workers during the pandemic, which has killed more than 191,000 Americans. Those include social distancing, physical barriers, face shields and face coverings, along with safety warnings communicated in a language that a company's workers understand.

"Employers must quickly implement appropriate measures to protect their workers' safety and health," OSHA Sioux Falls Area Director Sheila Stanley stated in a news release. "Employers must meet their obligations and take the necessary actions to prevent the spread of coronavirus at their worksite."

Read more: https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/news/4-workers-at-smithfield-plant-died-feds-fine-company-13-494/ar-BB18UE4s?li=BBnbfcN&ocid=DELLDHP

[SamKnause]

1. That fine shows how much they value life.

What a fucking insult.

[rpannier]

2. Wow! A little over 13,000 dollars for for dead people

That will show Smithfield plant

[NotHardly]

7. Honey, a little math will show you that for those over 1,200 workers sickend and 4 dead, it comes ..

to a bit under $ 12.00 per person... think about that

[Mr.Bill]

8. If that was the maximum fine allowed by law,

we have identified the problem.

[CaptYossarian]

11. It's $3,398 per dead person.

I've got that much here somewhere.

Who's pissed me off lately?

I like Mitt's idea that corporations are people. Make that law so we can sue the gun manufacturers and the companies responsible for climate change--just like we can sue individuals.

That wasn't his intent, but we can take advantage of it too.

[progree]

3. A cost of doing business that will be passed on in prices to us consumers, like all other costs of

doing business are.

[pazzyanne]

10. The prices won't be passed on to me.

I stopped buying Smithfield products months ago.

[deurbano]

4. That'll teach them.

[keithbvadu2]

5. GOP Human Capital Stock

GOP Human Capital Stock

[Make7]

6. April 28 - Trump orders meat processing plants to remain open

Trump orders meat processing plants to remain open

April 28, 2020

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump took executive action Tuesday to order meat processing plants to stay open amid concerns over growing coronavirus cases and the impact on the nation’s food supply.

The order uses the Defense Production Act to classify meat processing as critical infrastructure to try to prevent a shortage of chicken, pork and other meat on supermarket shelves. Unions fired back, saying the White House was jeopardizing lives and prioritizing cold cuts over workers’ health.

More than 20 meatpacking plants have closed temporarily under pressure from local authorities and their own workers because of the virus, including two of the nation’s largest, one in Iowa and one in South Dakota. Others have slowed production as workers have fallen ill or stayed home to avoid getting sick.

“Such closures threaten the continued functioning of the national meat and poultry supply chain, undermining critical infrastructure during the national emergency,” the order states.

...

https://apnews.com/67cb4bad7ffe500beabdf8e7e7efea5d

[William Seger]

9. Don't worry; Rs will save them from those horrendous fines

First Look: Business Liability Protection in Senate Republican’s COVID-19 Relief Bill


Wednesday, July 29, 2020

On Monday, Senate Republicans unveiled legislation, the “HEALS Act,” to provide additional coronavirus relief aid as a follow up to the CARES Act passed in March. One of the main focuses of the bill is liability protection for businesses, which has been a debated issue since the passage of the first relief bill.

The legislation, if enacted, would provide a monumental challenge for plaintiffs alleging coronavirus-related injury. In short, it provides businesses, schools and other institutions with favorable presumptions of good faith compliance with safety standards and guidance, and requires plaintiffs to prove gross negligence or willful misconduct (that a defendant acted or failed to act with a “conscious, voluntary [and] reckless disregard” of its legal duties) to establish liability. Some of the details of the bill specifics include:

[crickets]

12. This is why there is no second COVID relief bill.

Mitch won't let the shield law provision go, Dems will never let it pass. The HEROES Act passed by the House has been sitting on Mitch's desk since MAY. He refuses to bring it up for a vote.

[ck4829]

13. Kick