Labour urges employers to improve hygiene controls

THE Department of Labour has appealed to employers to conduct risk assessments and improve hygiene control measures in the workplace to combat the spread of the coronavirus.

With rising infections in the country, labour has urged those who have not prepared for pandemic events to ‘prepare themselves and their workers as much as possible’.

‘For employers who have already planned for influenza outbreaks, planning for the coronavirus threat may involve updating plans to address specific exposure risks, sources of exposure, routes of transmission and other unique characteristics of respiratory infections,’ said departmental spokesperson, Teboho Thejane.

The department has developed Covid-19 guidelines based on traditional infection prevention and occupational hygiene practices.

‘It focuses on the need for employers to implement work practice controls and personal protective equipment (PPE).

‘Employers and workers should use this planning guidance to help identify risks in workplace settings and to determine any appropriate control measures to implement,’ Thejane said.