Harrisburg, PA — A bill aimed at strengthening protections for meatpacking and food processing workers has advanced out of the Pennsylvania House.
H.B. 1923, sponsored by Rep. Jim Haddock (D-Luzerne/Lackawanna), would:
- Require processing facilities to establish health and safety committees.
- Mandate that employers provide training in all languages that at least 5% of workers speak.
- Require employers to pay out-of-pocket costs for emergency medical transport when workplace injuries can’t be treated onsite.
- Outline duties for the state Department of Labor and Industry and allow the department to investigate.
- Impose administrative penalties for violations.
The House approved the bill with a 122-76 vote on Feb. 4, sending it to the Senate Labor and Industry Committee.
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In a press release, Haddock said “many aspects of this bill … will help businesses that are in meatpacking become safer, operate more efficiently and stop downtime from happening.”
The release states that similar legislation introduced by Haddock passed the House in the 2023-24 session but wasn’t considered by the Senate committee.
