ST. JOSEPH, MO.– Employees from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently visited the Triumph Foods facility in St. Joseph, Mo. to learn more about its successful worker safety programs.

The company and the United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW) Local 2 led the group from the US Department of Labor. According to a release from Triumph, OSHA and UFCW selected this plant because of the safety record and continual improvement of worker safety with the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“Triumph’s team members operate in a deep-safety culture, and we strive to set a high safety standard for our industry,” said Triumph Foods President and Chief Executive Officer, Matt England. “We were happy to share our story about the success of our practices and the dedicated team who works to make sure Triumph continues as a safety leader.”

The 800,000-square-foot plant employs 2,500 workers and processes 21,000 hogs daily. The product is featured under the Prairie Fresh label along with other pork processes. 

“We’re working with all stakeholders, workers, employers, unions, worker centers and other community groups, to learn from their experiences in order to provide further assistance and guidance for this industry,” said Jim Frederick, deputy secretary for OSHA, who was part of the team that visited the facility. Speaking of what unknown future challenges may bring, Frederick said the agency wants to understand experiences of workers in the industry to inform and improve policy discussions. 

Last year, Triumph received the North American Meat Institute Worker Safety Recognition Award. It also previously accepted NAMI’s Award of Merit and Safety Verified Certification through Matrix Clinical Solutions. That program, which was developed with Cleveland Clinic, demonstrates Triumph’s commitment to limit the impact of COVID-19 on its facility.