Figures published by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) reveal that 446 workers may have died as a result of being exposed to COVID-19 in the workplace.
The latest figures for the total suspected occupational COVID-19 reports, which cover the period 10 April 2020 to 5 February 2022, also indicate that there were 42,059 disease notifications.
Employers who are notified that a worker has been diagnosed as having COVID-19 and have reasonable evidence to suggest that the infection was caused by occupational exposure must report the case to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) or local authorities under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 (RIDDOR).
However, the figures are ‘as-reported’ by employers so there is a potential for some error in some of the reported data items, says the HSE. In particular, there is potential for some non-fatal COVID-19 cases to have been reported as fatal and vice versa.
The HSE adds that the data is intended to provide an indicator of the numbers being reported to the enforcing authorities and how this changes over time rather than an accurate count of the absolute number of occupational COVID-19 cases. The safety regulator notes that many of the reports made reflect historic cases, sometimes from up to several months ago.
The latest data offers an insight into Covid’s impact on the workforce during the pandemic. Although the number of reports reached a peak of 5,710 in January 2021 and then dropped to its lowest in May last year, the data indicates there was a slight and steady rise throughout the second half of last year.
A striking feature of the data is that it indicates that the number of reports received by month has continued to increase since December last year, with 2,624 reports received in January 2022, around double the number received the previous month.
The number of reports received increased week-on-week throughout December and early January. In the week ending 22 January, the data indicates that just over 700 reports were received, the highest weekly number since February 2021. The HSE points out that, although the number of reports in the most recent two weeks have fallen, they remain markedly higher than in early December when weekly numbers started increasing.
The figures come as the government ended the legal requirement for people who test positive for Covid in England to self-isolate yesterday (24 February). The government’s decision has been widely criticised by unions who argue the move will inevitably lead to a spread of infections in the workplace.
‘As the situation remains changeable, we advise employers to keep risk assessment and control strategies under review and proportionate for their own risks'
The lifting of the self-isolation rules also coincides with the publication of a survey of 250 business owners, CEOs and senior managers, which suggests that many British employers won’t require staff who test positive for Covid to self-isolate at home once the remaining legal restrictions are lifted.
At the moment, individuals who test positive will still be advised to stay at home for at least five days. However, from 1 April, this guidance will also end.
Research undertaken by HR software provider CIPHR, found that 31% of employers openly admit that, once the legal duty to self-isolate is removed, they won’t be expecting their workers to do so. One in seven of those polled – around 15% of these – claim that they can’t afford to continue keeping their staff at home.
The findings also reveal that only 48% are planning to keep staff with Covid at home and away from the workplace.
According to the survey responses, employers with a predominantly desk-based workforce are more likely to keep their self-isolation policies in place, compared to their non-desk counterparts. The findings show 58% compared to 37% say they will continue to require staff who test positive for Covid to self-isolate at home.
Claire Williams, chief people officer at CIPHR, said: ‘It’s really interesting to see the different stance employers are taking on this one, and there are clearly several factors to consider – specifically the working environment and the level of risk that it presents to other employees, customers, patients, children, and so on.’
She added that the difficulties would come where employers enforce self-isolation in roles that are unable to be completed from home, and how this will impact people’s pay, especially when employees may be well enough to work.
‘Careful consideration will need to be given to the legalities of policies and procedures that are introduced to cater for those situations, and any impact of new policies on the wider organisation that could affect areas such as staff turnover,’ she says.
Ruth Wilkinson, head of health and safety for IOSH, told IOSH magazine: ‘Cases of COVID-19 remain high across England and workplaces can still be places of transmission if the right prevention and mitigation measures are not in place, so now is not the time to forget everything we have learnt to prevent, mitigate and manage COVID-19 risks at work.
‘Good risk management remains essential for protecting workers and others from risks within the workplace. This must include consideration for those employees who are at a greater risk from Covid-19, good ventilation and hygiene practices, arrangements for symptomatic employees (with Covid-19 or other communicable diseases) and tackling presenteeism.
'Now is not the time to forget everything we have learnt to prevent, mitigate and manage COVID-19 risks at work'
‘As the situation remains changeable, we advise employers to keep risk assessment and control strategies under review and proportionate for their own risks, and in line with any changes from government, public health and regulators.’
UNISON, the UK’s largest union, warned earlier this month that infections were still rife in schools and that the decision to end self-isolation requirements was ‘going too far, way too soon’.
General secretary Christina McAnea said: ‘Large numbers of pupils and staff are off. Allowing a premature return could lead to a further jump in infections and disrupt learning for thousands more children and young people’.
The UK’s fifth biggest union, the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers (Usdaw), raised similar concerns in the retail sector and warned that lifting the self-isolation restrictions would put key workers in transport, distribution and food manufacturing among others at risk.
Paddy Lillis, Usdaw’s general secretary, said the easing of restrictions would inevitably lead to more Covid infected people circulating in public and entering shops. This coupled with an end to mandatory face coverings in stores, would leave shop workers at greater risk.
‘Even without the legal requirement to isolate, more people catching Covid will mean more sickness absence, reduced staff levels and disruption in workplaces,’ he said.
‘Being ill has a huge financial impact on low-paid workers, as too many are forced to live on statutory sick pay of just £96.35 per week. Thanks to trade unions, statutory sick pay has been paid from day one during the pandemic. This must continue and the level of sick pay should be increased.’
