More than 80% of claims for virus women – especially nurses

Women were more likely to catch Covid-19 disease in the workplace, according to the latest statistics from claims lodged with the Compensation Fund, forcing Labour Minister Thulas Nxesi to call on employers to comply with safety regulations.

The data showed more than 80% of the cases received so far involved women. Even more concerning, Nxesi pointed out, was that most of these were nurses.

“Our figures show nurses are paying the ultimate price so that we get a second chance and survive the pandemic,” said Nxesi.

Cassim Lekhoathi, national administrator of Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa (Denosa), said it was difficult to explain how women had come to bear most of the burden when it came to transmissions in the healthcare sector, but it centred around the use of personal protective equipment (PPE), which workers have complained was in low supply.

“I have heard the quality of the PPE is not of good quality.

“Another contributing factor which our colleagues will not admit is their level of negligence in terms of how they wear their equipment,” said Lekhoathi.

“They could also be getting infections elsewhere, not necessarily in the workplace.

“They could be contracting it when they go outside, for example, when they go home, to the shops and when they interact with people when they attend events and so on.”

Out of 941 claims to date, the highest number came from the Western Cape with 657 claims.

Of that, 533 were women.

In the Eastern Cape, 99 of the 127 claimants were women.

The fund has accepted liability for 26, while three have been repudiated and 98 await adjudication.

Nxesi said he was concerned with the levels of compliance by employers, with compliance levels estimated at about 57% in the private sector and 47% in the public sector.

Since the start of the lockdown in March, the government served 385 prohibition notices, with 2 475 compliance notices served overall. It had since increased the number of on-site labour inspections.

The minister called on workers to refuse to work in an unsafe environment. “Equally, workers should refuse to work under dangerous conditions.

“Just this week, a company that did not adhere to lockdown regulations was found guilty and fined. It was the workers in that company who blew the whistle and both employer and employee have a responsibility for health and safety, albeit with differing roles,” said Nxesi.