Ministers should urgently classify Covid-19 as an occupational disease to encourage employers to reduce the risk of exposure and help workers access key benefits, the TUC has said.
The UK is out of step with other major countries that have recognized Covid as a disease that people can contract in the course of their work, particularly in certain sectors, he says.
The umbrella body for UK trade unions is urging the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to use its powers to ‘prescribe’ Covid. If the DWP agrees, Covid would be treated in the same way as, for example, a disease related to workplace exposure, such as asbestos-related cancer, which is a known risk to people who have worked in construction or firefighting.
Frances O’Grady, the general secretary of the TUC, accused ministers of “shocking negligence” for failing to prescribe Covid, given the considerable evidence of people getting it at work.
“If you become ill because of your work, with life-changing consequences, you should receive adequate support. But ministers still haven’t added Covid to the list of occupational diseases,” he said. “Two years after this pandemic that is shocking negligence. And it leaves workers unfairly exposed.”
In a report, the TUC states: “At least 20,000 people die prematurely each year from occupational disease as a result of occupational disease. There are more than 70 prescribed “occupational” diseases known to be a risk in certain workplaces. These diseases arise as a result of work that requires close contact with a dangerous substance or circumstance.”
Someone whose diagnosis has been linked to their work can claim financial support.
Research by the International Labor Organization has shown that many other nations, including Australia, Canada and China, already recognize Covid as an occupational disease, subject to testing for infection through a work role. In France it is automatically treated as such for healthcare workers, although the latter must have been affected by a severe form of coronavirus.
At least 20 of the 50 US states boast that many of the first responders and key workers who have Covid, including paramedics and firefighters, have had it while on the job.
In Britain, ministers can designate an illness as an occupational disease on the guidance of the Industrial Injuries Advisory Council, an independent body, which assesses the evidence. However, in March last year it published a review which showed that some people had double the risk of catching Covid if they worked in areas such as nursing, social care, driving buses or taxis , food processing, retail or security.
Employers are obliged to report cases of any prescribed illness to the Health and Safety Executive and to their town hall. Employees can then access benefits and compensation through the work injury scheme to help them cope with their illness and disability.
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The British Medical Association and the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on coronavirus, which is made up of MPs and peers, already support the designation of Covid as an occupational hazard. Layla Moran, the Liberal Democrat MP who chairs the APPG, urged swift progress. “Ministers cannot continue to bury their heads in the sand,” he said.
A government spokesman highlighted the benefits that are already available to people whose ability to work is hampered by having Covid or prolonged Covid.
“For anyone with a disability or long-term health condition, including long-term Covid, there is a strong financial safety net, including Statutory Sick Pay, Esa and Universal Credit,” they said .
“Pip is also available to those who have had daily living and/or mobility needs for three months, and are expected to have at least a further nine months. Pip assessments are carried out by trained healthcare professionals, who carefully consider how disability or a person’s long-term health condition affects their day-to-day life.”