Trade Unions Calling on European Commission to Take More Action to Secure Workers’ Safety in Regards to COVID-19

Many companies are concerned that COVID-19 is not only a public-health issue but becoming an occupational health issue, as the workplace provides fertile ground for high transmission rates of the virus. If the European Union (EU) fails to guarantee workers’ health and safety, it will be more challenging to recover from the crisis. Trade unions are calling on the European Commission to formally recognize COVID-19 as an occupational disease. 

The European Trade Union Institute has provided evidence that the EU government is not doing enough to counter workplace risks from the pandemic, failing to provide adequate protective equipment for high-risk, front-line carers or implementing full safety measures for workers in healthcare, transport, retail, and other sectors. A survey on European Working Conditions found that people working from home are twice as likely to work 48 hours or more and six times more likely to work in their free time than others, which puts workers at a higher risk for anxiety to affect their mental health. About three in every five workers in the European Union report musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), based on data from the sixth European Working Conditions Survey.  This has led the EU-OSHA to launch a campaign to offer tools and resources to help employers tackle MSDs effectively at any workplace in Europe. The campaign highlights three priority areas focusing on MSDs prevention, facts and figures, and chronic conditions, which all cover a specific topic related to MSDs. 

The deputy general secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation states that a new updated EU strategic framework should address many mobile and migrant workers’ living and working conditions in Europe. This will also ensure that employers fulfill their obligations to provide safe, hygienic workplaces and accommodations, with the EU-OSHA and the European Labour Authority. 

Can Businesses and Companies Require a COVID-19 Vaccine In The Workspace? What EEOC and OSHA Recommends

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has received two major applications from several pharmaceutical companies for emergency use authorization of a COVID-19 vaccine. The vaccine testing process includes:

• Preclinical testing

• Phase 1 safety trials

• Phase 2 expanded trials

• Phase 3 efficacy trials

• Early or limited approval

• Approval

Many companies are getting approved for emergency use authorization in different countries and are in their final testing phase, such as the New York-based Pfizer and German company BioNTech. On December 8th, the FDA released that their specific vaccine has an efficacy rate of 95%, and these preliminary results have led to authorizations across the world. The United Kingdom became the first Western country to approve the coronavirus vaccine for emergency use with injections beginning on December 8th and December 9th for Canada. 

As Pfizer, Moderna, and AstraZeneca are all finishing up testing in their final phases, employers will need to decide whether they can direct employees to get a vaccine as a requirement before returning to work. While the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has not provided official guidelines for the COVID-19 vaccine yet, they have updated their Pandemic Preparedness for the Workplace guidance, issued in 2009 in response to the H1N1 outbreak. The update suggests employers and employees follow guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and state/local public health authorities to slow the spread of the disease and protect workers, clients, and the public. In addition, the EEOC has declared that COVID-19 meets the ADA’s “direct threat standard,” which permits employers to engage in broader procedures than generally allowed under the ADA. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has also not released official guidelines related to the COVID-19 vaccine, but in a 2009 letter of interpretation of flu vaccines, the agency said employers could require the vaccine, with the exception of medical reasons. OSHA also published a fact sheet in 2014 that states that employers can mandate vaccines to reduce infection risk in the workplace. Both the EEOC and OSHA will issue new guidance after a vaccine has received approval by the FDA. 

What can employers do to prepare? 

The CDC and the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) has updated several guidelines in response to the COVID-19 vaccine, which gives information about the upcoming vaccine, and who should receive it. Even though it may be months until the vaccine is available to the general public, employers must start preparing. Here is how employers can start based on guidance from a recent Mercer webinar: 

Plan

• Create a committee to plan and develop a vaccination strategy for your company. 

• Determine how you will support employees in getting the vaccine. 

Connect

• Talk to your insurance carrier and learn about their plans and potential resources in supporting the COVID-19 vaccinations. 

• Check with the local public health department, wellness vendors, and vaccination providers to see what resources are available to support your vaccination plan.

Support

• Share information and set expectations with your employees

• Encourage employees to receive the vaccine when it is available. It is not too early to start communicating. 

• Continue to support virtual work and employee wellbeing through 2021. 

European OSHA Launches Free Online Risk Assessment Tool (OiRA) to Identify and Manage Risks

The European OSHA has updated their free online interactive risk assessment tool (OiRA) to help identify and manage risks that could contribute to safety and health hazard to workers in small and micro enterprises (SME) to protect their workers. The website lists several different tools for industries such as construction, butchers, bakeries, road transport, and tools for understanding and limiting the spread of COVID-19. 

Because manufacturing has a wide range of occupational safety and health risks, due to heavy machinery, exposure to substances, and ergonomic factors, the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work along with the National Research and Safety Institute in France developed the OiRA tool to help businesses in the industry to follow health and safety guidelines required by legislation. The Belgian focal point held a successful introductory seminar on November 25th, 2020. The speakers discussed the risks present in the workspace and how to identify and manage them using OiRA. The Greek focal point, along with the Athens Chamber of Commerce and Industry (EBEA), will be hosting another seminar on December 8th in Athens to bring more awareness to OiRA and basic training about using the tools. 

OHSA Presents New COVID-19 Guidelines and Restrictions Addressing Workplace Ventilation and Safety for Employers

Throughout the pandemic this year, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has been criticized for lax regulations in several industries including meatpacking. Since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic through October 29th, 2020, OSHA has issued citations from 179 inspections for violations of work safety, and penalties totaling $2,496,768. Some of the violations include failure to: 

implement a written respiratory protection program, report an injury, illness, or fatality, provide medical evaluation, and training on the correct use of personal protective equipment. 

A complaint was filed in April describing the insufficient precautions at a Maid-Rite meatpacking plant in Dunmore, PA. The company failed to notify workers about the potential exposure to COVID, and OSHA designated that meatpacking facilities to be only “medium risk” and would not rush to conduct a formal inspection. Because of this OSHA has come under intense criticism this year, and a lawsuit from Maid-Rite was filed in July. 

In response to this, OSHA has issued guidance and a one-page document to help employers understand which regulations are cited most during coronavirus-related inspections. The guidance includes a description of the violations and available resources to better ensure that employers are adequately protecting workers. 

OSHA also published new guidance on ventilation in the workspace, which recommends that employers work with heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) professionals to improve ventilation in a building to lower the potential risk of COVID-19 exposure.  Some of the tips to improve ventilation that OSHA recommends includes:

• Encourage workers to stay home if they are sick

• Remove personal fans to prevent blowing air from one person to another worker 

• Open windows or other sources of fresh air if possible 

• Increase the HVAC outdoor air intake 

• Ensure exhaust fans in restrooms are fully functional and set to always remain on.

Abbott: Coronavirus Test Results in 5 minutes

On Friday, Abbott announced it received approval for a test that is capable of delivering positive results of the coronavirus in as little as five minutes. Abbott will begin making the tests available to health care providers next week. 

The Food and Drug Administration issued emergency use authorization for the point-of-care test on Friday. The test can detect negative results in 13 minutes. The company said it plans to ramp up manufacturing so it can deliver 50,000 tests per day. 

READ THE FULL STORY: Abbott Receives Approval for 5 Minute Test.