Coronavirus: danger at work

Nearly 600 people in Scotland are thought to have caught coronavirus at their place of work, new figures show. The data includes eight people who died from the virus since April.

Care home workers account for nearly two thirds of the suspected occupational exposures, according to Health and Safety Executive (HSE) data, but many other groups – hairdressers, funeral directors, beauty therapists and NHS workers among them – are also believed to have been exposed to the virus at work.

STUC General Secretary Roz Foyer said: “These figures confirm our view that undervalued key workers in care and the NHS have borne the brunt of workplace transmission of the virus with some, tragically, dying as a consequence.

“These figures are almost certainly the tip of the ice-berg. We suspect that there has been significant under-reporting, not to mention a significant incidence of transmission from workers without symptoms.

“Even taken at face value these figures shine a light on the failures we have witnessed in the delivery of adequate PPE and the slow response to the provision of testing for suspected Covid infection.

“Now, more than ever, government and every employer have the responsibility to get things right. Workplaces have been at the centre of localised outbreaks. We need the utmost vigilance, full engagement with unions and an open door for union roving health and safety reps in non-recognised workplaces.”

Gary Smith, secretary of the GMB Scotland union, said there is likely to be significant under-reporting of the suspected workplace coronavirus cases. He said: “The events of the last six months simply do not give any confidence in these figures.

“In sectors which predominately employ women, such as social care and food manufacturing, we are talking about industries notorious for the under-reporting of workplace incident and injury pre-Covid.

“We now know that many of the workers in these industries have been failed on basic health and safety issues, from the delay in the delivery of proper PPE provision to the ability to access testing for suspected Covid infection.”