Research into Covid-19 workplace safety outcomes

Project Description

As yet little is known about the form workplace risk assessment is taking during COVID-19 and its impact on prevention, or its role in a period of organisational change following pandemic and economic recession. It is of particular relevance where there are changes to the location of work (homeworking), working time and workplace ergonomics that may have implications for work intensification and mental health. There are specific issues for the protection of key workers, but also for those on contractual arrangements with no direct relationship with employers, while COVID-19 had been seen to have disproportionate outcomes for BAME groups.

The TUC is seeking an evidence-base to support its calls for a strengthened health and safety agenda in the light of Covid-19. In particular, it wishes to compare workplaces with and without published risk assessments and to identify the role of unions, health and safety reps and committees in ensuring safety and saving lives in the pandemic. Such evidence may support its objective of making it mandatory for risk assessments to be published and giving union safety reps the right to advise in non-unionised workplace. (as introduced through the STUC-Scottish Partnership Agreement and included in sectoral guidelines such as those for contact centres). Research will support new TUC Education resources to organise for these demands.

The proposed research will identify the role that health and safety representatives have played during COVID-19, lessons learned and best practice for future waves or pandemics. It will examine organisational and sectoral mechanisms and processes for worker voice and representation and effective social dialogue and joint regulation on health and safety. It explores the potentially key part health and safety representatives are playing in the return to work and productivity. They are not only essential to independent risk assessment and the provision of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), but also the organisation of work and workplace ergonomics, including the challenges of continued home working. It recognises that they are central to the protection of mental health, ensuring that health and safety measures cover all groups of workers and to the confidence of workers in their organisation’s capacity to keep them safe.