Work Place Health and Safety Guidelines

Mandatory Vaccination for Industrial Workers and Families – Announcement from TN Govt

It is now mandatory for employees as well as their family members to take both doses of Covid-19 vaccine to access workplaces or industries, the Tamil Nadu government has notified today. Notification is issued by TN Health Department (TN DPH).

These guidelines on Covid-appropriate behaviour for workplaces, industries, and factories have mandated many instructions to be followed by businesses at work places.

Key Guidelines :

• All staff and family members must be vaccinated with two doses OF CIVID 19 vaccine

• All workplaces and industries with more than 300 employees or 10,000 sqft space should appoint a qualified health inspector, ‘at their own cost’, for monitoring and to coordinate/implement health activities on the premises. 

• Covid-19 health team must be created on the premises and awareness measures must be held for employees

• Screening process must include asking the employee for any Covid-19 related symptoms, if family members have symptoms, checking body temperature and checking if the staff is quarantined for having symptoms. 

• Guidelines say that mask-wearing is mandatory at all workplaces, and administrations must monitor mask compliance through supervisors and managers, including CCTV monitoring. “Anyone without mask must be sent out of the workplace, guideline says.

• Guidelines insist on maintaining social distancing, hand-washing facilities, and hand sanitation as well to be maintained at work places.

• In canteen and dining area, the workers must be divided into groups and meals and tea timings should be split across the groups.

• In quarters and dorms, Covid appropriate behaviour must be followed .

Download the Guidelines Released by TN DPH from here :

Source :

https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/chennai/2021/jul/25/both-covid-vaccine-doses-must-for-staff-family-members-health-dept-2335008.html

The Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 No. 37 of 2020 announced by Ministry of Labour and Employment has mandated implementation of OSH Code at work places by businesses.

Work Place Health and Safety from now onwards will have more dimension towards Health related focus than the Safety focus that earlier Factories Act had earlier.

Work places should focus on creating Health and Hygiene monitoring teams and more and more employees should be trained towards internalising the practices from now. Businesses should have to focus towards internalising Mental Health Counsellors too slowly and gradually.

All these are interlinked to Work Place Productivity and businesses will have to slowly start addressing multiple challenges that may arise at work place on people related issues.