ILO publishes guidance for a safe and healthy return to work

‘The determining factors in any decision to return to work must be considerations of life and health and the anticipation and mitigation of risks. For the reactivation of economies to be sustainable, workers need to feel safe at their workplaces and reassured that they will not be exposed to unnecessary risks directly related to the new coronavirus,’ emphasizes the ILO’s Guidance Note on a Safe and Healthy Return to Work issued on 22 May. The international organization continues stating, ‘Social dialogue is critical to ensuring effective policy design and creating the trust needed to facilitate a safe return to work. Effective national responses on the return to work depend on dialogue and the involvement of the most representative employers’ and workers’ organizations to develop an adequate legal and regulatory framework and ensure that all relevant policies and measures respond to the needs of sectors and all workers.’ Based on these principles and on its full set of standards and references, the guidance note recalls the role of each party – governments and representatives from employers and workers- and it sets out guidelines for assessing risks in the workplace and implementing preventive and protective measures.