USDA plan would pay slaughterhouse inspectors overtime for donning, doffing safety gear

U.S. Department of Agriculture inspectors at livestock and poultry slaughterhouses stand to gain about 15 minutes of overtime pay per eight-hour shift under a new proposal from USDA to comply with a Supreme Court ruling about "donning and doffing." The Food Safety and Inspection Service "is proposing to amend these regulations to provide that the eight hours of inspection service includes the necessary time for inspection program personnel to put on required gear and walk to a work station and the necessary time for inspection program personnel to return from a work station and remove required gear. Any time over those eight hours is overtime charged to an establishment," USDA writes in the official Federal Register notice. The proposal is open for public comment until Sept. 8.

Slaughterhouses would have the option of paying the overtime fees or shortening production time to avoid the added cost, though most are expected to pay the overtime, Rita Jane Gabbett of Meatingplace reports. "Slaughter facilities cannot start operations until FSIS inspection personnel are at on-line inspection work stations, except for very small slaughter establishments where there are no donning and doffing activities for inspectors," Gabbett writes. "Meat and poultry processing facilities that do not slaughter can begin operations without inspectors at their work stations." USDA estimates the overtime would cost about $4,345 annually per online inspector at fiscal 2011 rates, and since the industry reported annual revenue of almost $67.2 billion in 2009 the cost would be "insignificant." (Read more, subscription required) But the change could spur efforts by employees to press for payment for for "donning and doffing."