Safety authority advises on vaccine decliners
by Niall Shanahan and Bernard Harbor
 
The union’s head of health, Éamonn Donnelly, said uptake of the vaccine among health workers was going to be very high.
The union’s head of health, Éamonn Donnelly, said uptake of the vaccine among health workers was going to be very high.

The Health and Safety Authority (HSA) has said that employers of workers who refuse Covid-19 vaccinations should undertake a risk assessment in cases where the staff member could be exposed to Covid-19 in the workplace.

 

In new guidance, the agency also said employers may have “no option” but to redeploy unvaccinated staff if they are “not safe to perform certain work tasks.”

 

Existing health and safety regulations require employers to offer vaccinations, if they’re available,  when there is a risk to employees from working with a biological agent. The HSA has now updated this guidance to include Covid-19, which is defined as a biological agent.

 

It came as HSE chief Paul Reid said health staff who declined a vaccine would have to be redeployed if they posed a risk to patients.

 

But Fórsa officials say such instances are likely to be extremely rare, and that an agreed and reasonable approach is available off the shelf.

 

The union’s head of health, Éamonn Donnelly, said uptake of the vaccine among health workers was going to be very high. And he said the union would draw on its experience of the flu vaccine in developing an agreed approach to the issue.

 

Last year, it was agreed that health staff who declined the flu jab would be subject to a risk assessment, although complications arose over the appropriate people to carry them out.

 

Éamonn said there was an acceptance among the workforce that it was unsustainable for people to work in front-line Covid roles if they hadn’t had the jab.

 

“I think the same will apply with the Covid-19 vaccinations. But we will need to ensure that risk assessments are conducted properly, and by qualified people, and we expect an open door for dialogue about any staff reassignments that might arise,” he said.

 

Fórsa official Dessie Robinson – a former HSA board member who is currently part of a National Economic and Social Council team examining the psychological impact of Covid – agrees.

 

“For the most part, particularly in the health service, vaccine take-up is going to be strong because workers want to protect their health and their families’ health. There’s been a very high take-up of flu vaccination this season, which shows the heightened sense of awareness and responsibility of healthcare staff.

 

“Prior to the pandemic, there wasn’t anything like the same level of take-up of the flu vaccines, despite a major push every year by the HSE, which was supported by the unions,” he said.

 

Dessie also pointed to robust existing health and safety regulation in the area.

 

“The safety, health and welfare at work regulations require employers to make effective vaccines available if a biological agent gives rise to a risk.

 

They also say vaccinations should be provided for free, and that the employee must be informed of the benefits and drawbacks,” he said.

 

But Dessie added that the regulations don’t explicitly state that an employee who refuses vaccination must be risk assessed and potentially redeployed.

 

“That’s why the HSA recommends the application of health and safety principles of risk assessment and avoidance of risk. Under the law, employers must provide a safe place to work ‘as far as is practicable.’ This means they must take all measures within their control to ensure the safety of the workplace.

 

“If an employee refuses vaccination, that decision increases the risk to them and their That would be very difficult to defend, especially considering the exceptional circumstances of this pandemic,” he said.

 

Read Niall Shanahan’s blog HERE.

 

It’s never been more important – or easier – to get the protections and benefits of union membership. Join Fórsa HERE or contact us HERE. 

LikeLike (1) | Facebook Twitter