Quarter of employers fail on Covid-19 response plan — HSA
Health and Safety Authority has carried out approximately 1,000 inspections since the economy began to reopen a fortnight ago, writes
A QUARTER of employers inspected by the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) since the reopening of the economy during the first phase, beginning on May 18, did not have an appropriate Covid response plan in place, according to initial findings.
A Covid-19 response plan is required under the Government’s return to work safely protocol, published on May 9.
According to McCann Fitzgerald, a Dublin-based law firm, a response plan should address the risks arising from Covid-19 which are specific to the workplace and set out appropriate preventative and protective measures which can be put in place to minimise those risks. It should also provide for contingency measures to address issues such as increased absenteeism and actions necessary to reduce the spread of Covid-19.
The result is an initial finding from the HSA, Ireland’s statutory body with responsibility for ensuring workers are protected from work-related injury and ill-health, after it confirmed it had carried out almost 1,000 inspections in the two weeks since the economy reopened under the first phase. The HSA said it would typically only carry out around 400 inspections in a similar time frame.
According to the HSA, based on an initial analysis of the inspections, compliance with the return to work safely protocol is high and employers are generally taking a responsible and proactive approach.
Initial indicators highlight that approximately three-quarters of employers have a Covid response plan in place and almost nine in 10 employers have completed employee induction training, as required by the protocol.
Where issues have been identified, inspectors have been engaging with the employer and providing verbal and written advice and direction.
Mark Cullen, the chief inspector with the HSA, said inspections will “continue throughout the coming weeks and months in line with the Government’s reopening roadmap and will be prioritised on a risk basis”.
The return to work safely protocol is designed to support employers and workers to put measures in place that will prevent the spread of Covid-19 in the workplace as the economy begins to open up in line with the reopening roadmap. It is a ‘living’ document and will change as government policy and guidelines evolve.
It is a collaborative effort by the HSA and state bodies with the close involvement of stakeholders including Ibec and Chambers Ireland.