The agreed national guidance on preventing the spread of Covid-19 in workplaces has been upgraded. The updated work safety protocol, which was the result of close consultation with trade unions and employers, includes revised advice on the management and control of Covid outbreaks, the selection of hand sanitizers, wearing of masks, and ventilation.

ICTU general secretary Patricia King said the revised protocol outlined important worker protection and safety-enforcement measures. “It is vital that it is fully complied with, and also crucial that workers can have full confidence that workplaces are Covid safe. I commend the appointment of lead worker representatives, who will play a central role ensuring that standards are complied with,” she said.

The protocol was first introduced last May, following trade union pressure for better advice and enforcement of Covid-related worker-safety measures. Both the original document and the revised version were overseen by the Labour Employer Economic Forum (LEEF), which brings together senior representatives of government, unions and employers, including Fórsa general secretary Kevin Callinan.

At the unions’ insistence, its safety and enforcement guarantees include a requirement for employers to recognise at least one Covid-19 lead worker safety representative, with more in larger employments.

Shortly after the first publication of the protocol, Fórsa also won confirmation that civil and public service employers must abide by its measures, and that it would apply equally to employees who remained in their workplace throughout the first lockdown.

The union raised these issues with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER) after its initial guidance suggested that parts of the public service might take a different approach

The Health and Safety Authority (HSA) remains the lead agency coordinating compliance with the protocol. Nearly 20,000 Covid-19 compliance inspections have been carried out since May 2020.

On foot of union pressure, the Government allocated an extra €4 million to the HSA for 2021, to allow the agency employ extra staff and establish a new occupational health division to manage and prevent the spread of the virus in workplaces.

HSA chief executive Sharon McGuinness said cooperation and communication between employers and workers was the key to success.

“This protocol provides clear guidelines and measures to employers and workers, and is supplemented by a range of templates and online resources available from our website. The prevention and control measures have not changed, and the importance of adhering to hand hygiene, respiratory hygiene and physical distancing continues to be emphasized,” she said.

Read the protocol and related material HERE. 

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