World Day for Safety and Health At Work 2021 – COVID-19’s legacy?

The 28th of April marks World Day for Safety and Health At Work. It is an international campaign led by the International Labour Organisation (“ILO”) focussed on promoting safe, healthy, and decent work around the globe. The ILO recognises the monumental impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the world of work, including shifts to new forms of working arrangements including homeworking, hybrid-working and how to allow employees to return to workspaces in a COVID-safe way.

Some may say that a key effect of the COVID-19 pandemic will be the impact it has had on the way we work, including the hours, location and use of technology. Many businesses now have the opportunity to learn from the pandemic and to ‘build back better’ in terms of creating and managing a new generation of workplaces. These workplaces can offer businesses, their employees, and customers ways to work safely, flexibly, collaboratively and productively offering a positive impact on business and individuals.

We have previously written about returning to the office safely and how to approach any legal issues involving the rollout of the vaccine to help businesses understand their legal obligations when it comes to returning to the office.

We are starting to see reports of the Health and Safety Executive questioning businesses and organisations in response to employees who have sadly died due to COVID-19, including the DVLA and Burnley College. These examples are a poignant reminder of the paramount importance of setting, implementing and managing robust COVID-19 Safety protocols.

There are also many safety issues to consider when employees permanently work from home and/or are hybrid-workers, including Display Screen Equipment, managing wellbeing and lone working without supervision. We will shortly be sharing a free list of these issues for businesses to consider. Keep an eye on your inbox or sign up below.