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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Public Health
Sec. Occupational Health and Safety
Volume 12 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1432332

Mitigating COVID-19 in meat processing plants. What have we learned from cluster investigations?

Provisionally accepted
Pauline KOOH Pauline KOOH 1*Yvonnick Guillois Yvonnick Guillois 2Michel Federighi Michel Federighi 3,4Mathilde Pivette Mathilde Pivette 5Anne-Laure Maillard Anne-Laure Maillard 5Ngoc-Du Martin Luong Ngoc-Du Martin Luong 1Estelle Chaix Estelle Chaix 1
  • 1 Risk Assessment Department, Agence Nationale de Sécurité Sanitaire de l’Alimentation, de l’Environnement et du Travail (ANSES), Maisons-Alfort, France
  • 2 Santé publique France, Direction des régions, Bretagne, Saint-Maurice, France
  • 3 HQSA, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d'Alfort (ENVA), Maisons-Alfort, France
  • 4 UMR INRAE 1014 SECALIM, Oniris, Nantes, France
  • 5 Direction des régions, Bretagne, Santé Publique France, Saint-Maurice, France

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Several COVID-19 outbreaks have been reported in meat processing plants in different countries. The aim of this study was to assess the environmental and socio-economic risk factors favouring the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in meat processing plants and to describe the prevention measures implemented.Data from epidemiological investigations of COVID-19 clusters in France, the scientific literature, structured interviews and site visits were collected and summarised to investigate the main risk factors for SARS-CoV-2 infection in meat processing plants, including determinants within and outside the workplace.An increased risk of infection was identified among workers with unfavourable socio-economic status (temporary/non-permanent workers, migrants, ethnic minorities, etc.), possibly related to community activities (house-sharing, car-sharing, social activities). Working conditions (proximity between workers) and environmental factors (low temperatures and inadequate ventilation) also appear to be important risk factors. These environmental conditions are particularly prevalent in cutting and boning plants, where the majority of reported cases are concentrated.Preventive measures applied included screening for COVID-19 symptoms, testing, wearing masks, increased hygiene and sanitation, physical and temporal distancing, control of ventilation. Certain food safety hygiene measures were compatible with protecting workers from SARS-CoV-2. The hygiene culture of agri-food workers made it easier to implement preventive measures after adaptation. This study made it possible to identify the environmental and socio-economic factors conducive to the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in meat processing plants. The knowledge gained from this work was used in simulations to understand the transmission of the virus in the plants.

    Keywords: COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, Meat processing plant, Risk factors, mitigation measures, Occupational Health

    Received: 13 May 2024; Accepted: 07 Aug 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 KOOH, Guillois, Federighi, Pivette, Maillard, Luong and Chaix. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Pauline KOOH, Risk Assessment Department, Agence Nationale de Sécurité Sanitaire de l’Alimentation, de l’Environnement et du Travail (ANSES), Maisons-Alfort, France

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.