Some employees may be more susceptible to getting infections or experiencing them more severely because of reduced immunity caused by pre-existing illnesses, due to medications or medical treatment, or due to personal characteristics such as ethnicity. In addition, special consideration should be given to pregnant staff.
Steps you can take include:
- As part of staff induction, discuss any health needs with new employees and complete a risk assessment if necessary.
- Put in place reasonable adjustments to prevent the spread of infections and reduce harm to vulnerable employees where applicable, e.g. allow them to work from home some or all of the time, limit certain activities or exposures.
- As required by law, adopt an individualised approach for pregnant workers through undertaking an occupational risk assessment.