Public service union, UNISON, has called on the HSE to update their guidelines and encourage employers to improve Covid measures to keep staff safe. With the increasing number of Covid virus variants that are emerging around the world, this in an issue that shows no sign of going away soon.
Disabled, Black and other vulnerable workers with underlying health conditions that are in roles where they have to attend a workplace may be at a higher risk from the new variants.
UNISON Assistant General Secretary, Christina McAnea has pointed out in her letter to the HSE that employers need to do more to safeguard employees that are at risk. She suggests one way of doing this is to review risk assessments and the safety measures that are in place.
At Riskex, we have been striving to spread this exact message since the start of the crisis in 2020. Every Government body we approached, including the HSE, rejected our offer to help. Our Covid-19 health monitoring platform, Safe2Day has been in use by organisations across the spectrum, keeping front-line workers safe, as well as monitoring the health and wellbeing of people working from home or on furlough. Updates have kept pace with changing needs, from lockdown to return to work, and lockdown again.
With vaccinations at last in full-swing, employers have another data management hurdle to overcome – maintaining accurate records to determine who is vulnerable in their workforce. Without employers using a digital platform, with real-time data and BI analytics, UNISON’s call for improved safety measures may be in vain.
