Sarah Newton, who became chair of the Health & Safety Executive in August 2020, has highlighted some of HSE’s actions during the lockdown.
HSE, working with public heath bodies and local authorities, has been at the centre of the Government response to COVID-19 in Great Britain.
Ms Newton said “Our people have worked tirelessly and selflessly to ensure workplaces are doing all they can to provide a COVID-secure working environment.
“Over the past year, we’ve repeatedly demonstrated that making workplaces COVID-secure is an organisational priority.”
Ms Newton said that in the last year, HSE has:
- Completed over 165,700 COVID-19 spot checks and responded to over 210,000 concerns;
- Carried out around 2,000 workplace checks a day this week, and the number is rising;
- Supported public health bodies on 646 reported outbreaks;
- Begun leading a COVID-19 national core study funded by Government on the transmission of COVID-19 in the environment, which includes in workplaces, transport and other public settings and will look to answer essential policy and operational questions about the coronavirus pandemic.
Ms Newton added: “All of the above, and more, has taken place against a backdrop of HSE continuing to regulate traditional, non-COVID related occupational health and safety in a multitude of industries.”