[Information Sharing] Technical Guidelines for Brucellosis Prevention and Control among Workers in Cattle and Sheep Slaughtering

Source: China Animal Disease Prevention and Control Center

To the slaughter technology support agencies of all provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the central government, and to the General Station for Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Work of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps:

　　To effectively prevent brucellosis among personnel at cattle and sheep slaughterhouses, protect the health of workers, and ensure safe production at these facilities, our center has organized the development of the “Technical Guidelines for Brucellosis Prevention among Cattle and Sheep Slaughterhouse Personnel,” which is hereby distributed to you. Please, in light of your specific operational circumstances, strengthen publicity and training efforts and provide guidance to cattle and sheep slaughterhouses on the scientific implementation of preventive measures.

　　China Animal Disease Prevention and Control Center

　　(Slaughter Technology Center of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs)

　　November 21, 2025

Brucellosis among Workers in Cattle and Sheep Slaughtering 
Protective Technology Guide

　To effectively prevent and control brucellosis (hereinafter referred to as “brucellosis”) among personnel employed by cattle and sheep slaughterhouses, protect the health and safety of employees, and ensure safe production at such facilities, this Guidance is formulated in accordance with laws and regulations including the Animal Epidemic Prevention Law of the People’s Republic of China and the Law of the People’s Republic of China on the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases.

I. Strengthen Organizational Management

(1) Establish and improve the work plan and institutional framework for brucellosis prevention and control.

　　Bovine and ovine slaughter enterprises shall develop work plans for brucellosis prevention and control as well as emergency response protocols. Focusing on critical links and key positions, they shall clearly define the responsibilities of designated persons in charge and relevant departments and fulfill their primary responsibility. They shall also establish management systems related to brucellosis prevention and control, covering activities such as screening, daily monitoring and control, provision of protective equipment, disinfection, and effectiveness evaluation, and ensure strict compliance with all requirements.

(2) Establish a health management system for employees upon onboarding

　　1. Cattle and sheep slaughter enterprises shall organize pre-employment health examinations, including brucellosis screening, for slaughter technicians, veterinary hygiene inspectors, and other personnel who may come into contact with cattle and sheep products.

　　2. Health records shall be established for all employees upon hiring to ensure that the health status of enterprise personnel is effectively monitored. At least one annual health examination and brucellosis screening shall be conducted, and employees must obtain a valid health certificate.

　　3. Prior to daily work commencement, a “temperature and symptom” anomaly reporting system shall be implemented; suspected cases must be promptly referred for medical evaluation, and confirmed brucellosis cases must be reported without delay, with the affected individual immediately reassigned from duty and placed under treatment.

(3) Strengthen Publicity and Training

　　1. New employees shall complete pre-job training before commencing work.

　　2. Cattle and sheep slaughter enterprises shall develop a brucellosis prevention and control training plan, conducting annual, regular training for employees—particularly those in high-risk positions—on brucellosis prevention and control knowledge to enhance awareness of protective measures and ensure proper personal protection. The training shall cover such topics as the routes of brucellosis transmission, clinical symptoms, preventive measures, reporting procedures, and the associated health hazards.

II. Strengthening Protective Measures

(1) Environmental Control

　　1. The slaughter production area shall be divided into non-clean and clean zones. The non-clean zone—including the holding pen, quarantine pen, emergency slaughter room, animal disease carcass disposal room, and manure/waste temporary storage room—shall be located downwind and at a lower elevation within the plant premises to prevent the spread of wastewater and contaminants to other areas.

　　2. The slaughterhouse workshop shall be equipped with an effective ventilation system to ensure air circulation and reduce aerosol concentrations.

　　3. Open sewage ditches shall not be provided within the premises where the slaughter and cutting workshops are located.

(2) Source Control

　　1. Cattle and sheep entering slaughterhouses for processing shall be accompanied by valid quarantine certificates, bear livestock and poultry identification marks that comply with national regulations, and pass clinical health inspections.

　　2. Cattle and sheep shall be kept in a resting state in accordance with relevant national regulations prior to slaughter, and health inspections shall be conducted during the holding period.

　　3. Slaughter enterprises for cattle and sheep shall, upon discovering that cattle or sheep are infected with or suspected of being infected with a contagious disease during the holding period or the slaughtering process, immediately report such findings to the local agricultural and rural affairs authority or the animal epidemic prevention and control institution, implement control measures such as suspending slaughter and isolating the animals, and simultaneously notify the official veterinarian stationed at the facility.

(3) Risk Grading for Positions

　　1. High-risk positions: live animal reception, stunning and bleeding, skinning, inspection and quarantine, viscera processing, and the harmless disposal of carcasses of diseased or dead animals and products derived from such animals.

　　2. General-risk positions: carcass cutting, cold storage, packaging, and deep processing, among others.

　　3. Cattle and sheep slaughter enterprises shall establish differentiated protective requirements based on the risk levels of different job positions.

(4) Standards for the Use of Personal Protective Equipment

　　1. Basic Requirements: Personal protective equipment shall be assigned to individual users and used exclusively by them. All personnel entering the production area must wear gloves, medical masks or face shields, work uniforms, work caps, waterproof aprons or smocks, and rubber boots. Prior to donning, all protective equipment must be inspected for integrity.

　　2. Hand protection: Cut- and puncture-resistant rubber or latex gloves shall be worn. If the gloves are damaged, they must be replaced immediately.

　　3. Facial/Respiratory Protection: Personnel in high-risk positions (such as evisceration and harmless treatment) shall wear standard-compliant protective face shields (or protective goggles combined with masks). When performing procedures that may generate aerosols (such as high-pressure washing and bone sawing), N95 or higher-grade respirators shall be worn.

　　4. Donning and doffing procedure: Wash and disinfect hands—put on inner disposable gloves—put on a disposable mask—wear a work cap—put on work attire—put on rubber boots—wear a face shield/protective goggles—put on outer disposable gloves.

　　Upon completion of work, protective equipment shall be removed in the following order: “outside-in.” Begin with hand and footwear disinfection; then remove the work suit (rolling it into a ball with the outer layer enclosing any contaminants); next, remove the rubber boots; followed by the outer gloves; then disinfect the hands; remove the face shield or goggles; take off the work cap; remove the disposable mask; finally, remove the inner gloves. After removal, wash hands using the “seven-step handwashing technique” with running water and soap for at least 20 seconds. During removal, care must be taken to avoid direct skin contact with contaminants on the protective equipment. Disposable protective items should be removed and disposed of in designated areas for centralized treatment in accordance with national regulations, while non-disposable protective items must be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected after use as prescribed.

(5) Safety Operating Procedures

　　1. Production area personnel shall maintain personal hygiene and are strictly prohibited from bringing any non-production-related items into the workshop.

　　2. Eating, smoking, and touching the mouth, nose, or eyes with bare hands are strictly prohibited in the workshop. Work uniforms must not be worn outside the production area, and personnel from different production and processing areas or different job positions are prohibited from crossing over to each other’s workstations.

　　3. Use dedicated tools and follow standardized procedures to prevent sharp-object injuries. Promote the use of tools instead of direct hand contact with animal tissues.

　　4. The handling of diseased tissues and animals suspected of infection shall be conducted in designated areas to prevent the spread of contamination.

　　5. If there are any cuts or wounds on the hands prior to work, they must be tightly covered with a waterproof dressing and double-layered gloves must be worn.

(6) Disinfection

1. Disinfection Principles

　　1.1 Prioritize disinfection methods that cause minimal damage to personnel, live animals, and facilities and equipment.

　　1.2 Select the disinfection method based on the purpose of disinfection and the characteristics of the objects to be disinfected, giving priority to physical disinfection methods. When chemical disinfection is used, choose disinfectants that exhibit strong virucidal or bactericidal activity, leave low residual levels in the environment, and have no adverse impact on the products.

　　1.3 Surfaces in confined spaces, indoor air, and items that should not be wetted shall be disinfected by methods such as ozone treatment, ultraviolet irradiation, or fumigation; fur and bone products, among others, shall be disinfected by fumigation.

　　1.4 Disinfectants shall be replaced and used on a regular schedule to ensure disinfection efficacy.

2. Environmental Disinfection

　　2.1 A regular cleaning and disinfection schedule shall be established. Thorough disinfection shall be carried out on transport vehicles, holding pens, slaughterhouse floors, work surfaces, tools, cold storage facilities, and other relevant areas. Disinfectants effective against Brucella, such as chlorine-based disinfectants and peracetic acid, are recommended.

　　2.2 After cleaning, areas such as the plant premises, main roads, vehicle accessways, parking areas, and unloading platforms shall be disinfected using a 2%–3% sodium hydroxide solution or a chlorine-containing disinfectant with an effective chlorine concentration of 700 mg/L–1,000 mg/L.

　　2.3 After the holding pen has been vacated, the floor, walls, and other surfaces should be thoroughly rinsed with water and then disinfected. Disinfection is recommended using a 2%–3% sodium hydroxide solution or a chlorine-based disinfectant with an effective chlorine concentration of 700 mg/L to 1,000 mg/L.

　　2.4 At the end of each day’s operations in the slaughter and cutting workshop, the premises shall first be rinsed with warm water at a temperature of no less than 40°C, followed by disinfection of different areas of the workshop, with a contact time of at least 0.5 hours. The surfaces must then be thoroughly rinsed with water. The specific disinfection methods for each area are as follows:

　　a. Floors, walls, passageways, and frequently used or touched surfaces shall be disinfected with chlorine-containing disinfectants containing 300–500 mg/L of available chlorine, among other methods;

　　b. The bleeding area and the surrounding floor and walls shall be disinfected with a chlorine-containing disinfectant having an effective chlorine concentration of 700 mg/L to 1,000 mg/L;

　　c. The sewage ditch shall be disinfected using a chlorine-containing disinfectant with an effective chlorine concentration of at least 100 mg/L.

　　2.5 For the pre-cooling room and the 0°C–4°C product storage facility, each time the inventory is emptied, disinfection shall be carried out using a chlorine-containing disinfectant with an effective chlorine concentration of 300 mg/L to 500 mg/L.

　　Cold storage facilities shall undergo thorough disinfection at least once annually. Prior to disinfection, all items within the facility must be removed, the temperature raised, and surface contaminants and frost on floors, walls, and ceilings mechanically cleared. Areas where mold has grown must be carefully scraped or brushed clean. Disinfection may be carried out by fumigation using low-toxicity, high-safety, and environmentally friendly disinfectants such as a 0.5% peracetic acid solution, or by ozone disinfection; the use of highly toxic or strongly odorous disinfectants is prohibited. Following disinfection, adequate ventilation must be ensured to dissipate any residual disinfectant odor.

　　2.6 The changing room shall be disinfected once daily with a chlorine-containing disinfectant having an effective chlorine concentration of 200–300 mg/L, and after work hours it shall be disinfected with ultraviolet light for a minimum duration of 2 hours.

3. Equipment Disinfection

　　Cutting tools, trays, hooks, and other equipment shall be disinfected in hot water at a temperature of no less than 82°C, with each item disinfected individually. After disinfection, cutting tools shall be rotated for use. Cutting tools used for portioning shall be disinfected in hot water at a temperature of no less than 82°C after each batch of use.

　　Surface areas of equipment in slaughter and cutting workshops shall, at the end of each shift, first be rinsed with warm water at a temperature of no less than 40°C, then disinfected with a chlorine-containing disinfectant having an effective chlorine concentration of 200–300 mg/L, and finally thoroughly rinsed with warm water at a temperature of no less than 40°C.

4. Personnel Disinfection

　　Wash your hands frequently and properly. After handling animals or animal products, after removing personal protective equipment, and before eating, be sure to follow the “seven-step handwashing technique” for thorough hand cleaning and disinfection.

　　Upon completion of production, tools and equipment shall be returned to the designated storage area, hands must be washed and disinfected, and work uniforms, caps, and footwear must be changed before leaving the production area.

5. Disinfection of Protective Equipment

　　After washing, work uniforms and caps shall be soaked and disinfected in a sodium hypochlorite solution at a concentration of 200–300 mg/L or a 0.5% peracetic acid solution. Rubber items such as rubber boots and aprons shall, at the end of each shift, first be washed and then disinfected with a chlorine-containing disinfectant having an available chlorine content of 600–700 mg/L.

6. Evaluation of Disinfection Effectiveness

　　Slaughter enterprises shall, at least once per quarter, collect post-disinfection environmental samples from high-risk areas such as the holding pens, blood collection tanks, offal processing areas, and vehicle entry/exit points, and conduct an assessment of disinfection efficacy. If the disinfection efficacy fails to meet the required standards, the disinfection procedures and methods shall be optimized.

III. Emergency Response Following Exposure

(1) Emergency Response Procedure

　　Upon exposure, personnel shall immediately cease work and follow the procedures below:

　　1. Skin contact: Immediately flush with plenty of water and soap.

　　2. Mucosal exposure (eyes, mouth, and nose): Immediately flush repeatedly with copious amounts of normal saline or clean water.

　　3. Sharp-object injuries: Immediately apply gentle, proximal-to-distal compression adjacent to the wound to express as much blood from the injury site as possible, then rinse thoroughly with soap and running water; local squeezing of the wound is prohibited. Following rinsing, disinfect the area with 75% alcohol or 0.5% povidone-iodine.

(2) Reporting and Medical Assessment

　　1. All exposure incidents shall be reported immediately to the enterprise’s quality and safety officer and the on-site official veterinarian, the exposure details shall be documented, and the exposed individual shall be promptly arranged to undergo occupational exposure assessment and medical observation at a designated medical institution.

　　2. Slaughter enterprises that detect brucellosis infections among their personnel shall, in accordance with regulations, promptly report such cases to the county-level disease prevention and control agency and simultaneously to the competent agricultural and rural affairs authority.

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