April.29.2020
When starting to take steps to return to a new normal where business continues, even as outbreaks may flare up, employee health and safety certainly are top of mind. Since many EU member states are loosening up COVID-19 lockdowns, employers need to know how to ensure a safe environment for their employees when they come back to the workplace.
The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) has now released new guidelines for keeping employees safe.
The key points of the EU-OSHA's protocol employers should observe are summarized below:
Although the EU-OSHA guidelines are non-binding, companies should comply with these recommendations in order to limit exposure.
Employers are generally responsible to protect their employees' health at the workplace why they are obliged to carry out a risk assessment based on the individual circumstances to determine individual health and safety rules for their company. Compliance with EU-guidelines as well as with the health and safety standards introduced by the German government which we summarized here will not only help avoiding risks when it comes to claims for damages by employees. A solid risk management is also in favor of the company and will lead to successful workflows during the crisis.
Please feel free to reach out to our Employment Team in Germany or your usual contact at Orrick to find out more or if you need any help.