Workers to be paid for donning and doffing PPE

Are your employees on the clock when they don their safety gear? On Nov. 8, the Supreme Court ruled that the time spent donning and doffing safety gear is an “integral and indispensable part of [employees] principal activities,” so it’s compensable under the Fair Labor Standards Act.

The unanimous ruling pertained to two cases involving workers in meat packing and poultry processing plants who wear hard hats, face shields and other specialized protective gear while they work. The only time not compensable is when employees are waiting to don their gear, because it occurs before the work day starts, the court ruled.

The decision, the first issued by the Court under new Chief Justice John Roberts, has been called a “defeat for business.” The American Meat Institute called the decision “disappointing” and Tyson Foods, which owns IBP, a party in one of the suits, said, “We will now analyze what impact, if any, these rulings will have on the company.”