Kate

As the lockdown starts to ease many employees will be concerned about returning to work. They may be anxious about their journey to work or worried about their working conditions once they return. Workers in some industries are used to wearing personal protective equipment, but many are not. A considerable number of employees work in offices and other environments where they would have never envisaged any need to wear personal protective equipment in their daily working lives.

What about the future?

All employers have always owed their employees a duty of care and this extends to the provision of personal protective equipment. The level of any duty will depend upon the risk of injury and the seriousness of the injury which may result.

We are of course still in the middle of a pandemic, the like of which we have never seen before. Some employers were taken by surprise initially, but all have now had sufficient time to consider the risks inherent in their individual working environments and what steps they will have to take to ensure the safety of all employees. Guidance has been produced and a reasonable and prudent employer should at all times follow the guidance produced in this particular instance by the Government.

There are also specific statutory regulations which employers need to consider. The Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992 state that every employer shall ensure that suitable personal protective equipment is provided to its employees who may be exposed to a risk to their health or safety while at work. In addition, every self-employed person is owed the same duty.

All employers have access to government advice. A number of guidelines, strategies and procedures have been produced and in addition there are draft risk assessments for a number of working environments to consider.

Returning to work is going to be difficult for employers and employees. We must of course remind ourselves that all employees must take reasonable care of their own health and safety and they should not put themselves at risk of harm. However, if you find yourself returning to work and are being asked in particular to carry out a public facing role without reasonable personal protective equipment and you succumb to the virus then you may well have a claim against your employers.

For more information, please contact me via kate.oldfield@dbf-law.co.uk or call 0161 832 3304.

Testimonials

Read what our clients have to say...

View All

Excellent experience start to finish – always very responsive to any queries and the turnaround on the property I was buying was very quick, even in the busy time leading up to stamp duty deadline. Jenny was always very helpful and went above and beyond to close on a short timescale.

Ben Armitage

“Very approachable, practical solutions to problems, but most of all very responsive which I personally think is very important because if you need help, you need it quickly, or at least to know someone is looking at it for you”.

Joanne Rowe, Finance Director, Greater Manchester Chamber

“Always able to contact, very approachable, friendly and professional”

Nives Feely, JAM Recruitment

“I believe I have been able to establish a professional working relationship with everyone I have come into contact. Importantly, I sense the relationships which have been established give me the confidence that I can make contact with Davis Blank Furniss at any time and on any matter. I would also like to express my thanks to the very impressive “gatekeepers” who work in reception, not only for making me very welcome, but also for their professionalism”

Bill Pryke, CEO, Chartered Institution of Civil Engineering Surveyors

“Thank you for your efficient and friendly help throughout this process. We have had it easy but your approach has been part of that”.

Robert Amsbury (Conveyancing Client)

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank you personally for the ongoing support and assistance the firm has offered to our parents over the years. I hope also that we may be able to call on you if necessary in the future.”

Valerie Fisher (Probate Client)

“Jo always provides great service, understands our needs and delivers on her promises. Our needs are relatively simple but the complexity arises out of the volume of work and short time frames, Jo always delivers.”

Peter Fernandez, Corporate Director at Royal Bank of Scotland

“A big thank you to all who dealt with my wife’s claim… We would not hesitate to recommend Davis Blank Furniss to anyone that may be in a situation like we have been…”

Anon (Personal Injury client)

“Before putting my case in Kirsty (Morbey)’s capable hands I’ve met a couple of other solicitors. None of them listen to me as intently as Kirsty and showed me as much empathy and understanding as she did. Simultaneously she was able to look at my case from legal perspective, explain all the options and follow each of our meetings with written summary of the discussed matters (in timely manner). Her advice was invaluable and led me to successfully ending the case matter (hopeful for good). I’m forever grateful for he work and would definitely recommend her to anyone looking for reliable, knowledgeable and committed solicitor”.

Anon (Family client)
5 star service

Our Manchester office is rated 5 stars on Google