Only a quarter of employers in Wales following government advice on risk assessments

• Only 23% of those surveyed said their employer had consulted staff on a risk assessment, in line with Welsh Government advice
• Fewer than half of workers (46%) were aware that their employer had carried out a covid risk assessment at all
• Wales TUC calls on all employers in Wales to fulfil their legal duty on covid risk assessments and for Welsh Government guidance to be reviewed and strengthened in response to new strain

Shocking findings show that just under a quarter of employers in Wales have carried out a covid risk assessment in consultation with staff, new research by the Wales TUC reveals.

Welsh Government guidance clearly states that employers “must carry out an appropriate COVID-19 risk assessment, just as you would for other Health and Safety related hazards. This risk assessment must be done in consultation with the recognised trade union or, if there isn’t one, a representative chosen by workers.”

The latest findings show that fewer than one in four bosses are complying with the guidance in full. It raises concerns that employers are not doing enough to protect their staff, and that more needs to be done to compel them to comply with guidance and regulations.

Wales TUC General Secretary Shavanah Taj said: “These findings are shocking and deeply worrying. It is now clear that the majority of employers in Wales don’t appear to be complying with even the basic steps of managing the covid risk in the workplace, with those in lower-paid jobs less likely to be protected. This adds to the ongoing concerns we’ve heard from particular groups of workers who cannot do their jobs from home, like those working in distribution centres and food processing”

The trade union body is also calling for Welsh Government guidance to be reviewed and strengthened in response to high virus rates and the new, more contagious strain.

Shavanah Taj said: “The new strain means we have to consider where action needs to go further – this means clear rules about ventilation in the workplace, where face coverings should be worn, the quality of PPE, and the number of people permitted to be in a particular space and for how long. It also means we need a far stronger message to employers that they have a duty to facilitate home working, as no one should still be going out to work if it’s possible to work from home.”

“And crucially, employers must adopt this new advice. Regulation will be the quickest way to ensure this and protect the largest number of workers. Welsh Government led the way on protecting workers with the two metre law, and now they need to do so again by regulating for other minimum standards to protect workers from covid.”

Wales TUC is calling for the following measures to become mandatory in workplaces in to help stop the spread of coronavirus:

• a safety threshold for ventilation of indoor workplaces with outside air
• face coverings to be mandatory in all indoor workplaces, except for those workers who are exempt
• updated guidance on workplace face coverings to the WHO standard of three protective layers
• expand the number of jobs where workers should use FFP3 face masks, removing 99 per cent of particles
• a reduction in the number of people permitted in a space at any one time, to aid ventilation and social distancing.
• any work activity that can be completed safely outside to be conducted outside