Workers on processing line at a Tyson Foods Inc. poultry plant.
Tyson Foods Inc. announced Thursday that it is launching a new, industry-leading COVID-19 monitoring program and expanding its occupational health services team.
The company has created a chief medical officer position and plans to add almost 200 nurses and administrative support personnel to supplement the more than 400 people that are on its health services team. The additional nurses will conduct on-site testing and assist with case management, coordinating treatment for employees who contract the virus.
In addition, the new monitoring strategy was designed with the assistance of Scottsdale, Arizona-based Matrix Medical Network.
“What we’re adopting is a strategic, ongoing approach to combating COVID-19,” said Donnie King, Tyson Foods group president and chief administrative officer, in a news release. “It involves weekly testing of team members at our facilities to monitor for the presence of the virus. By using data science to test a statistically sound sample of team members, we have a better chance of staying ahead of any potential virus spread and protecting our teams and communities.”
Dr. Daniel Castillo, chief medical officer for Matrix Medical Network, added, “The new monitoring program we helped Tyson create is a science-first approach that’s really on the cutting edge of how workplaces can best mitigate the risk of the virus. You’ll likely see many others adopt a similar approach in the coming months because it’s a process that looks both at people showing symptoms as well as those who do not.”
Under the new program:
- Employees who have no symptoms may be selected for testing based on an algorithm-based selection process (The number tested each week will be dynamic and adjusted based on factors that include the number of positive cases involving plant workers as well as people in the community);
- Employees will be given daily health screenings as they arrive for work, and those found to have symptoms will be tested using CDC guidance; and
- Employees who have come into close contact with co-workers (or non-Tyson personnel in the workplace) who have symptoms or have tested positive for the virus will be tested according to CDC guidance.
King said Tyson had piloted this program at several of its facilities and found it to be successful.
He continued, “While the protective measures we’ve implemented in our facilities are working well, we remain vigilant about keeping our team members safe and are always evaluating ways to do more.
“We believe launching a new, strategic approach to monitoring and adding the health staff to support it will help further our efforts to go on the offensive against the virus,” he said. “Adding more resources and technologies reinforces our commitment to protecting our team members, their families and plant communities.”
United Food and Commercial Workers International Union President Marc Perrone, in the release, called the measures an “important step by Tyson Foods, which demonstrates the leadership needed to strengthen COVID monitoring across the industry.”
He encouraged all companies in the industry to follow the company’s lead. “Together, we will continue to look for new and better ways to protect the health and safety of the brave frontline workers who are so important to the nation’s food production system,” Perrone said.
Tyson Foods has already tested nearly a third of its 12,000-strong workforce and plans to test thousands of workers every week across all of its facilities.
The company said less than 1% of its workforce have the virus right now and that it is continually tracking active COVID-19 cases involving its employees, as well as case levels in communities where it operates.
Sign up for Daily E-news
