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The government’s plan to reopen workplaces will be mandatory, and the Health and Safety Authority may close businesses that do not comply.
Speaking about the plan’s launch, Business Minister Heather Humphreys said the protocol will apply to all workplaces across the country, and will be the minimum required before they can reopen, but said specific sectors may need additional measures.
She said that each workplace will have a representative of the main workers to ensure that the measures are strictly followed.
Employers will also need to interview employees, provide induction training on their return to the workplace, and have a plan to deal with a Covid-19 case.
Business Minister Heather Humphreys says each workplace will designate a primary representative, who will work with the employer to ensure Covid-19 measures are followed | More: https://t.co/5vx7BPEDWc pic.twitter.com/Idrf4IzFEx
– RTÉ News (@ belongws) May 9, 2020
He also said that measurements will vary from place to place, adding that “what is practical in a small store will be different from what is needed in a large factory.”
He also said that the protocol is a living document that is subject to change.
Ms Humpheys said that many sectors have developed measures that capture most, if not all, of the protocol’s measures and that many essential companies are operating with safeguards.
Also speaking at the briefing, Secretary-General of the Irish Trade Union Congress, Patricia King, said the protocol was the “most important document ever produced” regarding the workplace and that everyone has an interest in it.
Ms. King said it was not discretionary, that everyone should adhere to the rules to stay safe and protect others, and described it as an “essential weapon in the battle against Covid-19”.
She said that ICTU strongly supports the representative role of workers in the protocols and said that this was the first time that there was an agreement to have this type of infrastructure in the workplace.
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“The price of negligence is too high, there can be no shortcuts, no unsubscription, Covid -19 does not discriminate,” he said.
ICTU Secretary General Patricia King says the Return to Work Protocol is an “essential weapon” in the fight against Covid-19 | More: https://t.co/5vx7BPEDWc pic.twitter.com/tomFiU07ui
– RTÉ News (@ belongws) May 9, 2020
Danny McCoy of IBEC also appreciated the measures, while Ian Talbot, CEO of Chambers Ireland, said they will provide confidence to customers.
Talbot also said that since it was created at “extraordinary speed,” there will be what he described as “anomalies,” but he urged employers to draw his attention, saying they would be addressed.
He also said that there will be costs, but that the support that the Minister was presenting would be a vital component.
Construction Industry Federation chief Tom Parlon said his own industry would be what he described as “guinea pigs” for the new measures.
He said that CIF’s plans to return to work would be modified to reflect the protocol.
Parlon said there will be cultural challenges and that he appreciated the HSA’s participation saying that “the carrot is fine, but a little stick is no harm either.”
He said some construction sites would need substantial work to allow them to reopen under the new rules.
Dr. Sharon McGuiness, CEO of the Health and Safety Authority, said critical businesses, such as supermarkets that currently operate, will need to review and adopt these measures, but said that much of what they have been doing will already be covered.
Ms Humphreys also said that it is important that companies are not scared by the financial implications, and said many of the measures were common sense with no costs involved.
However, he said a restart of the grants will be available and details will be announced later this week.
She said companies should be preparing now for their reopening and that there is already online training that staff could take.
Ms Humphreys also said that she was satisfied that the large number of Covid-19 cases recorded in her home county of Cavan was not due to the border with Northern Ireland.
She said she believed it was due to some outbreaks at the hospital involving people living in shared accommodation and the fact that there were problems at four large nursing homes in the area.
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