Amendment of Part 3 (Protective and Preventive Measures) of Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 and the implication for employers.
On the 3rd December 2020 The Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (Amendment) Bill 2020 passed through to the Second Stage in the Dail.
The amendment is in the form of an additional insertion to the current Act. This change will require a new approach to the COVID-19 incidences in the workplace.
Under the amendment all confirmed cases of COVID-19 in employees will be considered an occupational illness. Therefore, all occurrences will need to be reported to the Health and Safety Authority.
The Act states:
- Part 3 (Protective and Preventive Measures) of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 is amended by inserting the following section after section (22):
“Proactive health notification and surveillance.
(23) “Every employer and/or workplace, having regard to the immediate, exceptional, and manifest risk posed to human life and public health by the spread of Covid- 19, shall treat Covid-19 as an occupation illness and report any occurrences of Covid-19 amongst worker(s) in the workplace to the Health and Safety Authority.”.
