Women worst hit by virus at work, Compensation Fund claims

WOMEN seem to be bearing the biggest brunt of contracting Covid-19 at work, according to claims lodged with the Compensation Fund.

The Department of Labour and Employment said claims showed that more than 80% of cases received countrywide involved women.

As Covid-19 continues to make its devastating presence felt, the department said it found itself at the centre of not only having to support workers through relief payments, but also now dealing with a rising number of claims as people get sick at work.

The Compensation Fund has received 941 claims, with the highest number from the Western Cape, 657 claims.

Of that total, 533 claimants were women. The fund has accepted liability for 356, repudiated 69 and 233 were pending adjudication.

KwaZulu-Natal has seen 98 claims, 92 from women, of which 67 have been accepted, five repudiated and 26 were awaiting adjudication.

Gauteng recorded 54 claims of which 46 were women, 31 have been accepted, seven repudiated and 16 were pending adjudication.

To date, the fund has paid R202 172 in medical aid costs.

Other claims have been received through Rand Mutual, which has recorded 474 claims, while Federated Employers have 20 claims.

“We are aware that our front line workers like nurses and other medical staff have been affected by the pandemic,” Employment and Labour Minister Thulas Nxesi said.

“We would like to send the appeal for employers to ensure that workers are adequately protected and are given the necessary protective gear to do their jobs. Our figures show that most affected employees are nurses who are paying the ultimate price so that we get a second chance and survive the pandemic.”

Nxesi added that Inspection and Enforcement Services of the department had increased their in loco inspections to ensure that workers were protected and Covid-19 safety regulations were followed.

“Unfortunately, we continue to see low levels of adherence with compliance rates, hovering at 57% for the private sector and 47% for the public sector. Since the start of the lockdown, we have served 385 prohibition notices and overall, 2 475 notices were served,” Nxesi said.

Nxesi said workers should refuse to work under dangerous conditions.