Upton Sinclair's novel, "The Jungle," in what conditions did employees work or interact with the meat? The employees mostly worked in ignorance of the horrible conditions of the rest of the industry.
The employees worked in pretty bad conditions, working with spoiled meat, but they did not understand that these practices were hazards.

The employees worked in poor conditions, but this was largely due to their own inability to keep themselves and their workplaces clean.

The employees worked in squalid conditions, working among disease and rats and lacking the facilities to even wash their hands.