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Irresponsible companies are exploiting looser lockdown regulations to bring thousands of non-essential workers into sometimes busy workplaces, with little chance of enforcement action from the country’s security watchdog.
Analysis by the Observer shows no enforcement notice has been served on companies by Health and Safety Directorate (HSE) inspectors for Covid security breaches since the country entered the last lockdown , although he was contacted 2,945 times on workplace safety issues between January 6 and 14. Overall, only 0.1% of the nearly 97,000 Covid security cases handled by the agency during the pandemic appear to have resulted in a security enhancement or ban, and no companies have been prosecuted. for breaches of security laws related to Covid.
It comes as the latest surveillance data from Public Health England suggests that workplace infections increased when people returned to work in January. The number of coronavirus outbreaks in workplaces increased by almost 70% in the first week of the national lockdown, with 175 clusters of Covid cases reported in English workplaces, not counting nursing homes , hospitals and schools. A new poll by the TUC shows that less than half of workers are in workplaces with Covid-secure risk assessments.
Over the past week, the government has drawn attention to some people breaking social distancing rules, from posting a video of police approaching an individual in a parked car to an ad warning that “having a coffee can kill”. But experts and unions have warned that unsafe workplaces could play a bigger role in fueling the pandemic.
“If the government strengthens enforcement, ministers should start with employers who violate Covid safety rules,” TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said. She called for a sharp increase in resources for the HSE to prevent rogue employers from evading endangering staff.
Non-essential shops are supposed to be closed and most workers are expected to work from home to reduce transmission of the virus, but unlike the first nationwide lockdown, all businesses are allowed to provide click and collect services in England. This contrasts with Scotland, where non-essential retailers were banned on Saturday from allowing customers to collect goods ordered online.
Store assistant Mike Richards, who works at a luxury fashion store in central Birmingham, was put on leave during the first nationwide lockdown in March but ordered to report to work on last week to make sales calls alongside colleagues under the guise of click and collect. “We received an unexpected email saying, ‘You have to go back to the store to sell.’ It’s a luxury fashion brand – how can it be essential? “
Richards (not his real name) had to travel by train to get to work and was told to call customers who had already purchased luxury handbags. “There were eight of us in the store that day. We were masked but there was hardly any social distancing, ”he said. “Every facet of what we do could be done from the comfort of our own home. But we are forced to enter. It is an irresponsible act, in the interest of a little profit for a multibillion pound company.
He added that staff have received letters in case they are stopped by police on their way to work. “He says, ‘We do click and collect and home delivery tasks.’ Nowhere does it say, “This person is in the store selling,” which we actually do. “
Professor Susan Michie, who sits on one of the Sage government subcommittees, said people were needlessly driven to workplaces amid a raging pandemic, which has pushed the NHS to the brink of sinkhole in many parts of the country. “Every day, I am contacted by distraught people who are forced to go to workplaces which they believe are absolutely unsafe. They must choose between the risk of serious illness or death and losing their jobs – not to mention the risk of the virus spreading on the way to work. “
She added that click and pickup services provided transmission routes for Covid. “They should all be shut down unless it’s absolutely essential,” Michie said.
In addition to cracking down on click and collection abuse, Scottish Premier Nicola Sturgeon has also imposed a legal obligation on employers to ensure people can work from home wherever possible. This contrasts with England, where companies only have to make working from home easier.
Administrator Sandra Jackson, who works for a small vehicle supplier in Essex, was ordered to come last week, even though there has been a coronavirus outbreak, with just over a third of the workforce tested positive in December and January.
“I worked from home for a day and then got a message saying, ‘This is not working. We will not allow you to work from home. I am absolutely furious about it.
Traders in England are still allowed to do all types of home work. Electrician Stuart Collins has been ordered to install smart meters in multiple homes every day. “If people had lost the supply or if it was a new connection, I wouldn’t have any problem,” he said. “But replacing existing meters with smart meters is not essential. All we do is help this virus to spread. They put financial gain ahead of people’s lives. “
Professor Stephen Reicher, who advises the UK and Scottish government, called on UK ministers to follow Sturgeon’s lead. “People should have the right to work from home if they can,” he said. “These are not wild, woolly ideas. They occur in Scotland. They could be very easily achieved. But the British government seems to want to keep its head in the sand. “
Michie said more companies are allowed to trade in England and more workers are coming to workplaces because government lockdown rules are so broad that almost any business can claim to be essential. “The government has effectively given employers the responsibility to say whether they are essential or not,” she said.
The HSE said it has stepped up its proactive work to verify, support and advise companies on public health directions. He added that he had made more than 32,000 site visits during the pandemic. “Inspectors continue to move around, putting employers on the job and checking that they are complying with health and safety legislation. Our role in contributing to the national response to reduce Covid-19 transmissions and support economic recovery has been widely recognized, ”said a spokesperson.
A government spokesperson said: “The law clearly states that people can only leave their homes to work if they cannot reasonably work from home. We’ve worked with unions, businesses, and medical experts to produce comprehensive Covid-safe guidance so that businesses allowed to stay open can do so as safe as possible for workers and customers. “
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