The PA Secretary of Agriculture Redding provides guidance on COVID-19 Workplace Protection live webinar is an open forum for growers and farmers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Secretary Russell Redding, Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, and Sheri Morris, assistant director in the Bureau of Food Safety and Laboratory Services, will lead this forum on PDA’s guidance and support for workplace protection during COVID-19.

Secretary Russell Redding, Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, and Sheri Morris, assistant director in the Bureau of Food Safety and Laboratory Services will discuss how, from the early days of COVID-19, the Department of Agriculture has worked in partnership with the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Centers for Disease Control, and United States Department of Agriculture to ensure the ag/food industry is designated as life sustaining, continues to operate, and people are fed.

The business and worker protection guidance proved to be critical to keep commerce flowing and ag/food employers and their employees safe. They will review how the department has incorporated a review of worker protection practices and mitigation measures during routine inspections and has offered recommendations for improvements based on best practices.

The discussion will also include worker housing. As part of the Bureau of Food Safety’s permitting and inspection responsibilities of all Pennsylvania housing for agricultural workers, they worked in cooperation with the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry to communicate worker guidance requirements. Brook Duer, Penn State Agricultural Law staff attorney will be an additional Q&A panelist.