Personal Protective Equipment, or PPE, is gear that is designed to help our employees perform their work safely. In fact, they should NEVER do the job without it!

Do we charge our employees for PPE? Absolutely not. There’s been a lot of misinformation about our company’s policy when it comes to providing our employees protective equipment that is required for their job.

For most jobs, face masks are not standard PPE. There is a lot of confusion on this issue, so let’s set the record straight. Face masks are not usually required for most jobs working in chicken processing, but the world is now facing a pandemic with COVID-19. All of our facilities are now requiring face masks before entering. Cloth face masks are provided to employees free of charge and can be taken home, washed, and reused. Disposable face masks are available every day, also free of charge. No one is charged for disposable face masks, ever. (A special shout-out to Ocean Waves Quilters Guild for sewing us masks and to Catherine’s Quilting for the supplies!)

 

 

All of our plant employees are provided the necessary PPE to perform their jobs free of charge. On their very first day, a plant employee receives:

  • Coat (Smock)
  • Apron
  • Sleeves
  • Ear plugs
  • Gloves
  • Snood (Full face hair net)
  • Face mask
  • Boots
  • Face shield
  • Thermal gloves
  • Bump cap

 

 

For certain jobs, employees are also provided non-disposable supplies including:

  • Arm guards
  • Cooler suits
  • Whizard (Cut-restraint) gloves
  • Metal mesh gloves
  • Rain suits
  • Safety glasses

 

Daily, or more frequently as needed, these disposable supplies are provided to all plant employees:

  • Coats (Smocks)
  • Apron
  • Sleeves
  • Ear plugs
  • Gloves
  • Hair net
  • Face mask

 

Our company provides these for free and replaces them regularly for normal wear and tear. Employees may purchase additional items if they forget to bring them to work or are not following established company policy.

Safety has always been a priority at Mountaire. Our safety program and mindset, Goal Zero, is a testament to that, and we work hard every day to train that mindset into every facility, department, and individual employee. Keeping our employees safe also means keeping them healthy. That’s why we offer free on-site primary care at our Health & Wellness Centers to employees and their families, and that’s why we continue to look out for each other and use best practices to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

At the end of the day, our President, Phillip Plylar, said it best: “The health and safety of our employees is our number one priority. We’ve worked hard to protect everyone from COVID and we will continue to be vigilant to ensure that our workforce is protected. We ask all of our employees to also continue to be vigilant, and take the necessary steps to stay safe at work and home.”