COVID & workplace safety: How does your company stack up?
A new report examines the mixed feelings employers and employees have about the safety of their workplace.
As reports of a COVID-19 vaccine dominate the news, businesses face ongoing challenges in providing a safe workplace at a time when employees are still at risk, a new report from Stericycle finds. The report draws on a survey of 1,000 employees who go into a physical workplace at a company with 100 or more employees; it also surveyed 450 business leaders of companies with 100 or more employees.
The report indicates that both employers and employees have mixed feelings about the safety of their workplace, with employers having concerns that they are not doing enough, even as they spend significant amounts of money on personal protective equipment (PPE) and other safety measures.
Related: Billions in employer COVID-19 safety spending isn’t buying worker confidence, study says
“While many companies have been proactive in putting safety guidelines and protocols in place, this survey exemplifies a clear need for enhanced policies and training to curb concern for contracting COVID-19 in the workplace,” the report said.
Companies are investing in safety, but issues remain
The report found that 28% of companies had spent up to $50,000 on COVID-19 safety measures such as providing PPE. “A majority of businesses surveyed (except for health care and social assistance) plan to dedicate 2%-10% of their 2021 annual budget to COVID-19 safety,” the report said. This investment comes while companies are suffering under the economic downtown that has accompanied the pandemic—22% of businesses in the survey said they had experienced a decrease in profitability.
There are mixed perceptions about the safety measures that companies have put in place. Although 95% of employees say their employer has put safety protocols in place to protect against COVID-19, nearly one in four (23%) said their employer does not offer workplace training around COVID-19 safety guidelines.
Compliance is another issue: 44% of workers said they thought that their fellow employees will not follow safety guidelines; that number goes up to 51% among business leaders. And while 87% of workers said their company requires them to follow safety guidelines, 41% of business leaders said they cannot enforce those guidelines. Another 37% of business leaders said they cannot provide enough PPE and safety measures.
The survey also underscored the controversial issue of liability, which is one question that has tied up further relief from Congress for Americans who are struggling during the economic downturn. Nearly half of business leaders—47%—said they are concerned that employees could take legal action against the company if they contract the virus while working.
Training, safe disposal, and prevention are areas for improvement
The report concluded that there are several areas where companies can find improvements in workplace safety during the pandemic. The report recommended five areas of focus:
- Investment in providing protections to mitigate the risks to employees and their concerns about workplace safety.
- Protocols and training to create a safe work environment. “Businesses must prioritize training programs to ensure employees follow the set guidelines to mitigate the risk of COVID-19 infection in the workplace,” the report said.
- Compliance and enforcement as a way to prevent the spread of the disease.
- PPE disposal has been overlooked by some companies, but the report stressed the importance of designating PPE disposal areas, which can help mitigate the risk of spreading COVID-19.
- Prevention—although the new vaccines being brought to market may not be available for weeks or months to many Americans, public acceptance of the vaccine may grow if its effectiveness lives up to early reports. The Stericycle survey found that 53% of employees would not feel comfortable working alongside coworkers if they did not receive the COVID-19 vaccine. However, some work remains to be done in the area of public acceptance: more employees said they did not plan to receive a COVID-19 vaccine (33%) than said they did not plan to receive a flu vaccine (29%).
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