In the context of the ongoing pandemic, an effective package of measures is needed to increase employee safety and prevent a deeper exclusion of the most marginalized. This is recommended by the Partnership for Development Center (CPD) in a policy brief on the issue, IPN reports.
“With the appearance of new COVID-19 variants, which are still being studied in terms of their spread and effects on the population, including on those who have been vaccinated or have recovered, it is important speed up interventions both as regards continued observance of safety measures at work and the encouragement of vaccination among the employed population”, says the paper.
One recommendation is to create a subsidies program for employers to effectively adapt jobs to safety protocols for preventing the spread of coronavirus. “Given that for increased safety at work during a pandemic it is necessary to continuously offer protective equipment to employees (disinfectants, masks etc.), and sometimes reorganize working hours and arrangements, it is important that each employer can receive support from the government so as to to avoid financial difficulties in protecting staff from contracting COVID-19”.
The paper proposes “targeted and informed risk control of employers for compliance with workplace safety protocols during a pandemic”. This recommendation involves two stages of implementation: “an analysis by the State Labor Inspectorate of pandemic safety procedures / protocols in place” and “intervention by the State Labor Inspectorate to assess the risks of contracting SARS-COV-2 for every type of work and to check how safety protocols provided by the authorities are observed by employers”.
“The more risky / precarious the nature of work in terms of COVID-19 infection, the more the employer must ensure that effective prevention measures are implemented. In this context, employers would be encouraged to promote the need to vaccinate employees, but also to comply with other protection measures regarding infection at work”, says the paper.
