Millions of workers could return to unsafe workplaces without Covid ‘s risk assessments while the vaccines are still being distributed and dangerous changes are circulating.
A study of union safety representatives by the TUC reveals that nearly half of employers have not conducted a Covid risk assessment or have implemented old measures that may not prevent the spread of the accident. virus.
This comes as workers at the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) in Swansea prepare to go on strike over safety concerns following the biggest workplace outbreak of the pandemic. The government and commercial services union (PCS) told the government agency last week that hundreds of staff will be based in Wales’ city offices, where more than 600 employees have tested positive, if the occupancy levels of the buildings do not walk.
The study, the first national poll of safety agents at the time of the pandemic, reveals widespread concerns about lack of protection, with nearly half of representatives warning that social distance will not be compromised. action all the time and a third reporting a lack of PPE is appropriate. More than three-quarters of the 2,100 reps surveyed were dealing with work Covid issues and nearly 60% had witnessed a major workplace disruption.
Nevertheless, only a quarter of companies were visited by a Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspector or environmental health officer during the pandemic, according to the biennial study. Despite more than 4,500 outages from Covid’s workplace, not a single employer was charged with violating Covid’s rules at the time of the pandemic.
This comes as many workers are preparing to return to workplaces under a government roadmap out of lockout. Non-essential businesses including shops, leisure centers and outdoor facilities are expected to open in April.
England’s chief medical officer Chris Whitty warned this month that despite Britain’s impressive vaccination program, modeling shows there would be another wave if locking down was reduced too quickly. Even though 90% of the UK ‘s main organizations get the vaccine, up to a million people are still vulnerable to the disease.
Frances O’Grady, general secretary of the TUC, has called on ministers to order the HSE to arrest bad leaders who are endangering the safety of workers. “British safety representatives are sounding the alarm. Too many workplaces are not secure with Covid. If we want to keep people safe, we need to stop diseases happening again when workplaces reopen, ”she said.
The food industry has been one of the worst hit sectors, with figures obtained by the TUC showing 440 outbreaks in food manufacturing and food circulation since April.
New research, due out this week, claims that there is a “weather of danger and fear” in workplaces where unions are excluded or excluded from risk assessments. . It found that one in four managers in the food sector is unaware of Covid’s risk assessments and that half of non-union food factories do not have enough PPE.
Professor Sian Moore, from the University of Greenwich, who led the research commissioned by the TUC, said: “Our research found a worrying lack of health and safety structures in British workplaces. But we also celebrated the real contribution to workplace safety made by union representatives during the pandemic. ”
Events have been frequent in Covid’s offices, with 687 scheduled between April and February. More than 2,000 employees are currently heading into the DVLA’s Swansea offices, where employees have told the union they are receiving “ongoing calls to separate” from the NHS app, even during the revolution announced in February.
The PCS said the strike was by far the largest outbreak in the pandemic. Mark Serwotka, the union’s general secretary, accused DVLA’s management of playing “fast and loose” for the safety of its workers. “PCS members are willing to go on strike in a unique way demonstrating just how badly DVLA management has failed in its responsibilities to keep workers safe,” he said.
The DVLA said it had introduced a range of safety measures and carried out thousands of late flow tests for those on site. They said only 10 employees were alone after a positive test. “We continue to carry out risk assessments and have exceeded the recommendations made by the Welsh government by sending workers home on full pay,” a spokesman said. He said the strike would adversely affect drivers as restrictions begin to ease.
A government spokesman said: “HSE has taken swift action to make Covid-secure workplaces a priority, carrying out more than 138,000 spot checks – more than 90% of businesses surveyed have the right measures or are willing to make the necessary safety changes without the need for enforcement. ”