Abstract
Since May 2020, several COVID-19 outbreaks have occurred in the German meat industry despite various protective measures, and temperature and ventilation conditions were considered as possible high-risk factors. This cross-sectional study examined meat and poultry plants to assess possible risk factors. Companies completed a self-administered questionnaire on the work environment and protective measures taken to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection. Multivariable logistic regression analysis adjusted for the possibility to distance at least 1.5 meters, break rules, and employment status was performed to identify risk factors associated with COVID-19 cases. Twenty-two meat and poultry plants with 19,072 employees participated. The prevalence of COVID-19 in the seven plants with more than 10 cases was 12.1% and was highest in the deboning and meat cutting area with 16.1%. A subsample analysis where information on maximal ventilation rate per employee was available revealed an association with the ventilation rate (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 0.996, 95% CI 0.993-0.999). When including temperature as an interaction term in the working area, the association with the ventilation rate did not change. When room temperatures increased, the chance of testing positive for COVID-19 (AOR 0.90 95% CI 0.82-0.99) decreased, and the chance for testing positive for COVID-19for the interaction term (AOR 1.001, 95% CI 1.000-1.003) increased. Employees who work where a minimum distance of less than 1.5 m between workers was the norm had a higher chance of testing positive (AOR 3.61; 95% CI 2.83-4.6). Our results further indicate that climate conditions and low outdoor air flow are factors that can promote the spread of SARS-CoV-2 aerosols. A possible requirement for pandemic mitigation strategies in industrial workplace settings is to increase the ventilation rate.
Highlights
Numerous COVID-19 outbreaks, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), in several meat processing plants around the globe have been described [1,2,3]
In Germany alone, the media reported approximately 3,654 positive SARS-CoV-2 tests in meat processing plants, and public health authorities reported 2,819 positive cases tested among employees from meat processing plants to the Berufsgenossenschaft Nahrungsmittel und Gastgewerbe (BGN; English: German Social Accident Insurance Institution for the foodstuff and catering industry; current as of 28.8.2020)
In a cross-sectional study, twenty-six companies were contacted by BGN Prevention Management with a cover letter containing information on the study and a request to complete a questionnaire about protective measures against new infections caused by SARS-CoV-2. 17 companies had known infections and 9 had none in the period from the end of June to the beginning of September 2020
Summary
Numerous COVID-19 outbreaks, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), in several meat processing plants around the globe have been described [1,2,3]. On 16 April 2020, the German Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs issued a recommendation for working during the pandemic. This SARS-CoV-2 occupational safety standard made clear COVID-19 prevention recommendations on distance, face coverings, personal protective equipment, cleaning, and hand hygiene measures. There have still been at least 16 outbreaks so far in which at least 10 workers per meat processing plant tested positive in a meat processing company. Employee accommodation (temporary housing for these primarily temporary and contract workers) in the meat industry were suspected as a possible distribution factor for SARS-CoV-2 [5] and seem to correlate positively with the infection figures [6]. Living together and going to work together does not seem to be the sole explanation, which is why working conditions have increasingly been considered as a relevant risk factor
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
