Tyson Foods Provides Tour of Plant Facilities to Arkansas Department of Health and Marshall Islands Consulate
April 27 2020 - 9:39AM
Tyson Foods, Inc. (NYSE: TSN) provided tours of two production
plants in Northwest Arkansas on Friday, April 24 to state and
federal health officials to outline the safety measures and social
distancing efforts in place at Tyson facilities.
Plant managers led extensive tours of the company’s
Berry Street plant in Springdale, Ark., and Chick-N-Quick plant in
Rogers, Ark.
Attending the tours were:
- Dr. Richard McMullen, state environmental health director and
associate director for science, Center for Local Public Health,
Arkansas Department of Health
- Dr. Allison James, epidemic intelligence service officer with
the CDC
- Pansy James, RN and administrator, Dr. Bates Outreach Clinic,
Arkansas Department of Health
- Eldon J. Alik, consul general for the Marshall Islands
Consulate General Office of Arkansas
- A private primary care physician from Northwest Arkansas
Officials on the tour observed numerous health and
safety measures the company implemented to combat the spread of
COVID-19, including widespread use of hand sanitizer stations and
employees’ temperatures being taken prior to entering the facility
via thermal scanners.
Also highlighted were social distancing measures
that Tyson has put in place, including the designation of social
distancing monitors (individual employees whose responsibility is
to prompt compliance with recommended distancing), dividers between
workstations on the plant floor and at breakroom tables, and tents
for additional breakroom space outside.
All Tyson employees are required to wear surgical
masks. The company provides each employee with a new mask at the
start of his or her shift. The company started an intense effort to
secure an ample supply of face coverings even before the CDC
recommended their use, even chartering a cargo plane from China to
obtain the masks.
“Tyson is taking measures to protect its team
members, and anywhere people were in close proximity they have
barriers between workers, and they were well spaced,” said Dr.
Richard McMullen, state environmental health director, Arkansas
Department of Health. “Everyone was wearing masks and it was very
well done. Tyson is an industry leader and these measures are an
opportunity for others to learn best practices to keep employees
safe.”
“I want to thank Tyson for the opportunity to visit
their plant and am glad to see Tyson Foods taking a leading role to
keep employees safe. I was impressed with all the measures they’re
taking to make sure COVID-19 isn’t spread in their plant and the
ways they’re taking care of their employees,” said Eldon J. Alik,
consul general for the Marshall Islands Consulate General Office of
Arkansas. “More measures were being taken than I expected.”
“We are a culture where people want to get together
and visit each other, so it’s a matter of educating our community
on the importance of social distancing and how to be safe at home
to prevent community spread,” Alik said.
“The intent of this tour was to showcase safety
measures Tyson Foods has in place to protect our team members and
offer best practices to other industry leaders,” said Tom Brower,
senior vice-president, Health and Safety, Tyson Foods. “While we
take our responsibility to feed the nation seriously, we’re focused
on keeping our team members safe because their health is our top
priority.”
Tyson Foods formed a coronavirus task force in
January and has implemented numerous measures to protect workers.
The company’s efforts have included:
- Taking worker temperatures and installing more than 150
infrared walkthrough temperature scanners in its
facilities.
- Securing a supply of face coverings before the CDC recommended
their use and now requiring use in company facilities.
- Conducting additional deep cleaning and sanitizing in all
company facilities, including break areas, cafeterias and
restrooms.
- Implementing social distancing measures, such as installing
workstation dividers, providing more breakroom space, erecting
outdoor tents for additional space for breaks, and staggering start
times to avoid large gathers as team members enter the
facility.
- Relaxing its attendance policy to encourage workers to stay at
home when they’re sick and eliminating the waiting period for
eligibility on short-term disability benefits, so workers can
receive pay while they’re sick with the flu or COVID-19.
Photos and b-roll of the tour are available for
download.
About Tyson FoodsTyson Foods, Inc.
is one of the world’s largest food companies and a recognized
leader in protein. Founded in 1935 by John W. Tyson and grown under
three generations of family leadership, the company has a broad
portfolio of products and brands like Tyson®, Jimmy Dean®,
Hillshire Farm®, Ball Park®, Wright®, Aidells®, ibp® and State
Fair®. Tyson Foods innovates continually to make protein more
sustainable, tailor food for everywhere it’s available and raise
the world’s expectations for how much good food can do.
Headquartered in Springdale, Arkansas, the company has 141,000 team
members. Through its Core Values, Tyson Foods strives to operate
with integrity, create value for its shareholders, customers,
communities and team members and serve as a steward of the animals,
land and environment entrusted to it. Visit www.tysonfoods.com.
Contact: Derek
Burleson – 479-290-6466 or Derek.Burleson@Tyson.com
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