Health and Safety directives have been updated to now include the matter of vaccinations, and whether or not Employers are to make vaccines mandatory.
An Employer will need to take into account what the operational requirements are withing their industry and workplace to determine if vaccines should be mandatory or not. If the Employer chooses to make the make vaccination mandatory the Employer will need to take the following factors into consideration:
Risk Factors
Age
Co-Morbidity
Employers will also be required to develop a plan outlining the protective measures in place for the phased return of workers, and the measures it plans to implement to ensure that workers are vaccinated.
Other issues which should be included in the plan are:
The date the workplace will open and the hours it will be opening;
A list of employees permitted to work and those who are required to work from home;
The plan and timetable for the phased return of employees;
The employees who have been identified as vulnerable;
Ways of minimising workers in the workplace;
The measures for the daily screening of employees, clients, contractors and visitors;
Procedures for employees who refuse to work due to fear of exposure to Covid-19.
Employers do still need to note that according to the new directives, Employees still do have the right to refuse the vaccine on medical or constitutional grounds.
If refusal takes place, the Employer should:
Counsel the employee, and if requested, allow the employee to seek guidance from a health, worker or trade representative;
Refer for medical evaluation should there be a be medical contraindication for vaccination;
If necessary, takes steps to reasonably accommodate an employee in a position that does not require them to be vaccinated.
The directive states that this ‘accommodation’ means any reasonable change that would allow an employee to keep their job, such as working offsite or from home, or in isolation at the workplace.
Source Article: https://businesstech.co.za/news/business/498109/new-lockdown-rules-for-workers-in-south-africa-what-you-should-know/?utm_source=everlytic&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=businesstech
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