The Scientific Council calls for better application of the health protocol in the workplace. In company restaurants, new measures will be put in place.
- Many cases of people infected but still present in the workplace explain contamination in the workplace
- The health protocols put in place in the workplace, including for lunches, must be better respected
“An unsatisfactory situation in the workplace“from a health point of view, says the Scientific Council in a notice of March 11. According to theComCor studyconducted by the Institut Pasteur, “46% of people who are sources of infection in the workplace were symptomatic at the time of the infectious contact and had therefore gone to their workplace knowing they were symptomatic“. Despite these risky behaviors, the company is not the main place of contamination: it is in third position after the home and the extended family. In general, the Institut Pasteur notes that symptomatic people are waiting for the results. test before self-isolating, when they should do so at the first sign of symptoms.
Professions most at risk
According to data from ComCor, when the person at the origin of the contamination is known, it is in 15% of cases a professional source. “The highest positions in the civil service and in business are associated with an increased risk of infection: civil service managers, engineers and company technical managers, administrative and commercial company managers , and company directors with 10 employees“, specifies the document. The intermediate professions of health and social work as well as the drivers are also exposed to a higher risk of being contaminated. Conversely, the intermediate administrative professions, and the employees of the public and the have a reduced risk of infection. According to the data collected, teleworking is an effective protective measure: when it is partial, the risk of contamination is reduced by 24%, and by 30% when it is total. , in comparison to equivalent non-teleworking positions. If in some cases teleworking is impossible, the Scientific Council considers that a reinforcement of protective measures is necessary. “Although employers seem to be experiencing practical difficulties in enforcing health protocols in the workplace, despite the responsibility incumbent on them in terms of health, hygiene and safety, the situation nevertheless requires, given its impact on the crisis, an attempt to tighten these health protocols, and the means dedicated to their respect and their effective control“, reads its press release.
New measures concerning company canteens?
“Meals, both in private and professional settings, are the circumstances most frequently reported at the origin of these transmissions.“, estimates the Institut Pasteur. The question of catering in companies is at the heart of the concerns of the government. On Tuesday, March 23, new measures were announced concerning company canteens.Employees are now asked to have lunch alone, at their desk or, when this is not possible, in the company restaurant, respecting the 2 meter distance.“, declared the Secretary of State in charge of pensions and occupational health, Laurent Pietraszewski, to BFM TV. According to European 1, the government recommends in particular the provision of meal trays, consumed at the workstation, rather than in professional canteens. According to the Secretary of State, 7 to 8% of contaminations are linked to companies.
The rules applicable to companies are changing to strengthen the fight against the risk of Covid-19 at work.
Employees are now asked to have lunch alone, at their desk or, when this is not possible, in the company restaurant, respecting the 2m distance. pic.twitter.com/GAxDujwPbq— Laurent Pietraszewski (@pietraszewski_l) March 23, 2021
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