AS politicians consider an exit strategy from the Covid-19 lockdown and how the country returns to work, we urge all employers to consider how they will protect their returning employees.

Tomorrow is the World Day for Safety and Health at Work. At 11am, many of us will pause and remember the scores of UK healthcare workers who have died during the pandemic, deaths that could have been avoided.

If the country is to avoid a surge of deaths as we return to work, it is essential that employers carry out risk assessments and provide measures to reduce harm to employees’ health.

This isn’t just about providing PPE. It is about a structured system of care for workers that prevents infection, using a hierarchy of controls, from design of the workplace through to not exposing vulnerable workers unnecessarily.

Nick Pahl

Society of Occupational Medicine CEO