diff --git a/packages/transformers/image/package.json b/packages/transformers/image/package.json
index 987b4800ac6..e9cefdb7381 100644
--- a/packages/transformers/image/package.json
+++ b/packages/transformers/image/package.json
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@
   },
   "dependencies": {
     "@parcel/plugin": "2.0.0-rc.0",
+    "@parcel/workers": "2.0.0-rc.0",
     "nullthrows": "^1.1.1"
   },
   "devDependencies": {
diff --git a/packages/transformers/image/src/ImageTransformer.js b/packages/transformers/image/src/ImageTransformer.js
index be04989e578..eac4100cf3a 100644
--- a/packages/transformers/image/src/ImageTransformer.js
+++ b/packages/transformers/image/src/ImageTransformer.js
@@ -2,6 +2,8 @@
 import {validateConfig} from './validateConfig';
 import {Transformer} from '@parcel/plugin';
 import nullthrows from 'nullthrows';
+import WorkerFarm from '@parcel/workers';
+import loadSharp from './loadSharp';
 
 // from https://github.com/lovell/sharp/blob/df7b8ba73808fc494be413e88cfb621b6279218c/lib/output.js#L6-L17
 const FORMATS = new Map([
@@ -16,7 +18,7 @@ const FORMATS = new Map([
   ['heif', 'heif'],
 ]);
 
-const SHARP_RANGE = '^0.29.1';
+let isSharpLoadedOnMainThread = false;
 
 export default (new Transformer({
   async loadConfig({config}) {
@@ -61,14 +63,28 @@ export default (new Transformer({
     const outputOptions = config[format];
 
     if (width || height || quality || targetFormat || outputOptions) {
+      // Sharp must be required from the main thread as well to prevent errors when workers exit
+      // See https://sharp.pixelplumbing.com/install#worker-threads and https://github.com/lovell/sharp/issues/2263
+      if (WorkerFarm.isWorker() && !isSharpLoadedOnMainThread) {
+        let api = WorkerFarm.getWorkerApi();
+        await api.callMaster({
+          location: __dirname + '/loadSharp.js',
+          args: [
+            options.packageManager,
+            asset.filePath,
+            options.shouldAutoInstall,
+          ],
+        });
+
+        isSharpLoadedOnMainThread = true;
+      }
+
       let inputBuffer = await asset.getBuffer();
-      let sharp = await options.packageManager.require(
-        'sharp',
+      let sharp = await loadSharp(
+        options.packageManager,
         asset.filePath,
-        {
-          range: SHARP_RANGE,
-          shouldAutoInstall: options.shouldAutoInstall,
-        },
+        options.shouldAutoInstall,
+        true,
       );
 
       let imagePipeline = sharp(inputBuffer);
diff --git a/packages/transformers/image/src/loadSharp.js b/packages/transformers/image/src/loadSharp.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..52e598cbf26
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/transformers/image/src/loadSharp.js
@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+// @flow
+import type {PackageManager} from '@parcel/package-manager';
+import type {FilePath} from '@parcel/types';
+
+const SHARP_RANGE = '^0.29.1';
+
+// This is used to load sharp on the main thread, which prevents errors when worker threads exit
+// See https://sharp.pixelplumbing.com/install#worker-threads and https://github.com/lovell/sharp/issues/2263
+module.exports = async (
+  packageManager: PackageManager,
+  filePath: FilePath,
+  shouldAutoInstall: boolean,
+  shouldReturn: boolean,
+): Promise<any> => {
+  let sharp = await packageManager.require('sharp', filePath, {
+    range: SHARP_RANGE,
+    shouldAutoInstall: shouldAutoInstall,
+  });
+
+  if (shouldReturn) {
+    return sharp;
+  }
+};