NHS test and trace- workplace guidance

In England on 15 June "non-essential" retail was allowed to reopen and it became compulsory to wear a mask or face covering in order to travel on public transport.

In the predictable focus on newly busy high streets and station concourses employers may have missed the amended NHS Track and Test guidance. First published on 28 May it has now been amended by adding the following:-

"Multiple outbreaks in the workplace

If there is more than one case of COVID-19 associated with a workplace, employers should contact their local health protection team to report the suspected outbreak.The heath protection team will:

• undertake a risk assessment
• provide public health advice
• where necessary, establish a multi-agency incident management team to manage the outbreak"

This guidance does not change what has to be reported to the HSE or local authority under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR) which still apply if there is "reasonable evidence" that a COVID-19 case originated in the workplace ("occupational exposure"). The revised Test and Trace guidance now suggests that if there is more than a single case "associated" with a workplace the local public health authority will expect to become involved. The guidance does not confirm that "associated with" means an occupational exposure as opposed to two employees becoming ill from exposures unrelated to the workplace.