December 2020 Monthly Blog – Can employers do more to protect the vulnerable from COVID-19?
Deja vu
Arinite wrote its first monthly blog about Coronavirus in April, when countries around the world were grappling to come to terms with this strange new affliction.
We asked then whether the virus might return with a vengeance – and here we are emerging from the UK’s second lockdown as this blog is being posted.
In November 2020, the UK became the first European country to record more than 50,000 deaths from COVID-19: admittedly far from the half million deaths postulated by some experts earlier in the year, however enough to place us fourth in the world league per 100,000 population.
Only the prospect of some promising new vaccines seems to lighten the news, however, it’s unlikely that the majority of the population will have been vaccinated until the winter flu season is well past us. That is, assuming sufficient supplies can arrive from the Continent after Brexit comes into effect on 1st January 2021.
Mind the gap
Some interesting insights have emerged about how the virus has spread amongst our population:
- The death rate in the most deprived parts of the UK is 2.2 times higher than the wealthiest areas.
- People living in the poorest 10% of England and Wales died at a rate of 128 per 100,000 population, compared with 59 per 100,000 in the wealthiest 10%.
- Obesity raises the risk of dying from COVID-19 by 49% (the UK being Europe’s most obese country after Malta).
- Pre-existing heart disease – more prevalent amongst south Asians – also exacerbates the risk of dying from COVID-19, especially in those older than 60.
- Those in the lowest economic strata are not only more likely to catch COVID-19 but to die from it too.
- Before COVID-19 there was a gap of almost ten years in life expectancy between the most and least deprived communities. COVID deaths have continued the trend.
The reasons for the disparities are mostly straightforward
Whereas higher-paid professionals are often able to meet socially in, and work from, relatively spacious homes and gardens, lower-paid workers are forced to live in more densely-crowded households. They maintain their earnings by travelling to factories, hospitals, care homes, shops, etc via public transport. This, and the nature of the work, often brings them into much closer contact with other people, from whom they might catch the coronavirus.
Can employers help close the gap?
Arinite has been helping many clients with workplace COVID risk assessments. The questions to ask on these risk assessments are:
- Have you identified workers who may be more vulnerable, as above?
- Is there any additional support you can give to help them stay safe?
- Have you looked at what your employees are doing and really checked that the measures you have in place are being rigorously applied – e.g. PPE worn all the time, social distancing respected, hand sanitiser used, everyone able to be traced?
You are not without help!
Arinite continues to update its COVID-19 webpage regularly updating the page with FAQ’s, advice and guidance such as:
- Covid news
- Reopening business – step by step guides by sector
- Up to date advice and guidance on dealing with Covid-19
- Travelling to work safety
- Great ideas for adapting your working practices
- Frequently Asked Questions
Contact us
Arinite clients appreciate we provide practical, no-nonsense advice about what you need to do to establish and maintain a safe and healthy working environment. Our team of health and safety consultants take pride in keeping health and safety simple.
If you need to call upon our expert assistance, or just for an informal chat, please call our office 0207 947 9581, or type an enquiry to: https://www.arinite.com/contact-us/.
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