Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will take steps to ensure that employees will not treated unfairly for raising concerns about safety in their workplace during the covid-19 outbreak.

This guidance forms part of employers’ normal health and safety practice.

Employers should consult with unions and employees when carrying out their risk assessment to make sure their concerns can be taken into account. If an employee continues to have concerns, they can raise them with any union safety representatives, or ultimately with the organisation responsibility for enforcement in their workplace, either the Health and Safety Executive or the local authority.

Where the HSE identifies employers who are not taking action to comply with the relevant legislation and guidance to control public health risks, they will consider taking a range of enforcement actions.

The Government would encourage employers to engage constructively with employees and their representatives and try to find solutions that are agreeable to all.