Meat Plant Cleared by Agency Under Fire for Lax Virus Policing

The U.S. workplace safety regulator decided against fines or sanctions for a Pennsylvania meat packing plant where employees say as many as half the workers have come down with Covid-19 due to unsafe conditions.

In a letter Tuesday, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration informed Maid-Rite Specialty Foods LLC that it wouldn’t issue any citations, but recommended the facility reconfigure its workspaces and install physical barriers to ensure social distancing.

OSHA’s decision follows a report last month by the Labor Department’s inspector general that was critical of the agency’s efforts on policing pandemic safety.

In July, three workers at ...