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Dunmore meatpacking plant failed to protect employees from coronavirus, claims OSHA lawsuit

Workers at Maid-Rite Specialty Foods estimate as many as half of employees have contracted COVID-19.

DUNMORE, Pa. — Employees at a meatpacking plant in Dunmore say they've been working in an unsafe environment throughout the course of the pandemic.

That's according to a lawsuit filed by a workers' rights organization based in Philadelphia.

Three people who work at Maid-Rite Speciality Foods say as many as half of the employees have contracted COVID-19 at some point and claim the company's failure to protect its workers is the reason for a large number of cases.

The lawsuit reads, in part:

"These practices include failing to provide cloth face coverings, configuring the production line in such a way that workers cannot social distance, failing to arrange for social distancing in other areas of the plant, failing to provide 3 adequate handwashing opportunities, creating incentives for workers to attend work sick, failing to inform workers of potential exposures to COVID-19, and rotating-in workers from other facilities in a way that increases the risk of spreading the virus."

The lawsuit is against OSHA, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and alleges that the agency knew about workers' complaints for more than 3 months.

The lawsuit states that another worker filed a similar complaint about unsafe working conditions back in April.

The suit calls on the agency to inspect the plant immediately.

A spokesperson for Maid-Rite tells Newswatch 16 in a statement:

"The story which appeared in print was both unfair and misleading, missing the mark on the real story, which is that special interest groups are seeking to apply pressure nationwide to government agencies like OSHA to follow their own agendas. Sadly, we were collateral damage. In the 60-years we have operated this company, the health of our employees, and the safety of our entire operation has always been and remains our highest priority."

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