Penalties and Consequences of Ignoring HSE Laws
Feb 13, 2026
Coronavirus fears Leads to Shortage of Face Masks
Dentists in the U.K. have indicated that they may have to stop working due to a shortage of face masks amid the outbreak of the deadly new coronavirus COVID-19. The British Dental Association (BDA) said in a statement that the issue caused by the outbreak which has killed over 1,380 people so far, "now poses an imminent risk" of disrupting dental services in the U.K.
A spokesperson for the BDA told Newsweek: "Based on contact with members we believe some larger clinics will have to start reducing clinical time as soon as mid-late next week. We urgently need to see an increase in supply. We are working with the government and industry to this end."
The warning comes after the World Health Organization (WHO) highlighted global supply problems with items used by healthcare workers, known as personal protective equipment (PPE).
"We're sending testing kits, mask, gloves, respirators and gowns to countries in every region. However the world is facing a chronic shortage of personal protective equipment," World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a briefing in Geneva on Friday.
China, where the virus first emerged late last year, is the world's leading maker of sanitary masks, and a number of suppliers have tripled their prices since January, when news began to spread of the outbreak that started in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, Hubei province. As of Monday morning, the number of confirmed cases globally stood at 71,000, with more than 70,000 of those in mainland China. There have been 1,776 deaths, all but five in China.
Across China, the spread of the virus has prompted quarantines, airline cancellations, stores closures and the temporary shut down of factories and other businesses.
The worldwide mask shortage prompted electronics giant Foxconn, the maker of the Apple iPhone, to set up a production line of facial masks at its facility near Shenzhen in southeastern China. The company said on Friday it is applying for product certification and it expects capacity to reach 2 million facial masks per day by the end of February.
"These masks will not only satisfy the maximum needs of company employees for preventing the coronavirus, but could also be used for external support to help with the current coronavirus control," the Taiwanese company said in a statement.
For weeks, it's been impossible to buy any masks on China's e-commerce giants. Even N95 respirators, which are said to be more effective than surgical masks in stopping transmission of the virus, are also out of stock on all major online platforms in China.
In Hong Kong, people have been waiting as long as three hours outside of pharmacies to buy surgical masks. Demand was so high that some pharmacies had to limit the number of masks customers were allowed to buy. Tens of thousands of local street cleaners have also been confronted with an imminent shortage of the face masks – an essential item in their daily work. According to a survey released last Thursday by the Environmental Services Contractors Alliance (Hong Kong), which polled more than 30 cleaning firms, their protective supplies could only last about two weeks.
In the Philippines, the government distributed free surgical masks to high school and college students after its first coronavirus case was confirmed on Febuary 1. Yet there are still mask shortages in medical supply stores in such major cities as Manila, Pagadian City, and Bukidnon.
Thailand on Tuesday curbed mask exports to ensure it has enough for its own citizens, according to multiple reports.
In France, a manufacturer of respiratory masks is ramping up production four or five times higher than normal. Kolmi Hopen typically produces 170 million masks a year at its facility in Angers, about 200 miles southwest of Paris. Now, though, demand for its products has multiplied, said Guillaume Laverdure, COO of parent company Medicom.
The factory has increased production to seven days week, three shifts per day, and is looking to hire 30% more staff. And that's not the only Medicom location to do so; its US facility is moving to three shifts per day, too. "Our target right now is to protect as many people as we can," Laverdure said.
Masks are now hard to come by in the United States, as well.
The National Community Pharmacists Association on Thursday released results of a national survey that said 96% of local pharmacies are experiencing a shortage of surgical masks, and nearly 40% are don't have enough N95 respirators.
"All the masks that we restocked in the morning were gone by the afternoon," a salesperson at a Walgreens pharmacy located near the Hudson Yards of New York City told CNN Business.
Leading US pharmacy chains, such as CVS and Walmart, show few to no medical masks or N95 respirators on their websites.
"We are working with our suppliers to meet customer demand for face masks," Amy Thibault, senior manager of communications at CVS Health, told CNN Business. "We will re-supply those stores [that are out of masks] as quickly as possible."
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"pageCont": "A meeting between senior government officials from Kenya and Uganda resolved to open up the border and end a standoff that has seen a heavy traffic snarl-up that stands at more than 50 kilometers on both sides of the border.
\r\nThis comes after Kenyan truck drivers alleged tough conditions they are going through including; harassment, discrimination and stigmatization from the agitated local community as well as as harassment by Uganda's security forces.
\r\nThe truck drivers have called upon the government of Uganda and that of Kenya to urgently resolve the situation at the Malaba one stop border point before its ensues into a disaster.
\r\nIn a statement, the Kenya transport Association CEO, Denis Ombok said the current situation at the border is unacceptable and poses a very dangerous health and safety risk in the spread of covid-19. According to Ombok, some trucks carry fuel and other dangerous cargo and yet they spend longer hours in traffic jam adding that interactions between the truckers and the community is ongoing which risks the spread of covid-19.
\r\nHe adds that there are no social distancing measures and sanitary conditions are wanting and yet they also have no access to food and water.
\r\nAt the beginning of this month, truck drivers at this border point went on strike protesting against the stringent covid19 guidelines imposed on them.
\r\nGovernment has since kicked off mass testing for all truck drivers at the various border points of entry.
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"pageTitle": "ILO issues guidance for safe, healthy, return to work during COVID-19",
"pageSlug": "ilo-issues-guidance-for-safe-healthy-return-to-work-during-covid-19",
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"pageCont": "GENEVA (ILO News) - Two guidance documents for creating safe and effective return-to-work conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic have been issued by the International Labour Organization (ILO).
\r\nThe Guidance Note says that return to work policies need to be informed by a human-centred approach that puts peoples' rights at the heart of economic, social and environmental policies. Social dialogue bringing together governments, workers and employers organizations will be critical in creating the effective policies and trust needed for a safe return to work.
\r\nThe note draws on specialist ILO guidance documents and International Labour Standards, which provide a normative framework for creating a safe return to work. The document stresses that policy guidance should be embedded into national Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) systems, as these create the basis for safe workplace environments. The guidance can therefore contribute to a culture of continuous, country-level improvement, in administration, institutions, laws and regulations, labour inspections, information gathering, and other areas.
\r\nWorkers must feel safe at their workplaces, both from risks directly related to COVID-19, and indirect risks, including psychosocial issues and ergonomic risks related to working in awkward positions or with poor facilities when working from home, the guidelines say. They should have the right to remove themselves from any situation \"which they have reasonable justification to believe presents an imminent and serious danger to their life or health,\" and \"shall be protected from any undue consequences\".
\r\nThe document proposes that each specific work setting, job or group of jobs should be assessed before returning to work and that preventive measures should be implemented to ensure the safety and health of all workers according to a hierarchy of controls. For workers staying at home, the risk of infection in a work context can be eliminated; for all workers returning to workplaces, priority should be given to options that substitute hazardous situations for less hazardous ones, such as organizing virtual instead of physical meetings. When this is not possible a mix of engineering and organizational control measures will usually be required to prevent contagion, The specific measures to implement are specific to each workplace, but may consist of installing physical barriers such as clear plastic sneeze guards, improving ventilation, or adopting flexible working hours, in addition to cleaning and hygiene practices. The guidelines also recall that the use of appropriate personal protective equipment may be required to complement other measures, in particular for the most hazardous occupations, and that this equipment should be provided without cost to workers.
\r\nThe needs of workers at higher risk of severe illness should be taken into account; including older workers, pregnant workers, those with pre-existing medical conditions, refugees, migrants and those in the informal sector. Special attention will be needed to ensure that return to work policies do not create discrimination related to gender, health status, or other factors.
\r\n\"Unsafe work practices anywhere are a threat to both health and sustainable business, everywhere. So, before returning to work, workers must be confident that they will not be exposed to undue risks,\" said Deborah Greenfield, ILO's Deputy Director-General for Policy. \"And, to help enterprises and economies get going as soon as possible, workers will need to cooperate with these new measures. This means that social dialogue will be particularly important because it is the most effective way to feed information and views into policies and actions, so creating the best chance for a swift and balanced recovery.\"
\r\nThe Guidance Note, A safe and healthy return to work during the COVID-19 pandemic , is accompanied by a 10-point, Practical Guidance action checklist for employers, workers and their representatives. This tool is intended to compliment and not replace national occupational safety and health regulations and guidance, to help establish the practical details of a safe return to work.
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"pageTitle": "Safety Association to offer free awareness training to schools in the wake of Covid 19",
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"pageCont": "The Workplace Safety Professionals Association in Kenya has pledged to provide free awareness training to learning institutions to build the capacity of teachers and other staff in handling occupational hazards including pandemics.
\r\nThe association which brings together experts in occupational safety and health from across the country also recommends that all the learning institutions should be inspected by non-governmental institutions and issued with a certificate of hygiene and safety before the schools can reopen.
\r\nIn the recommendations sent to the Covid-19 School Reopening Task force, the association notes that the schools are workplaces with employees, learners and visitors likely to interact hence the need to strike a balance between mitigating the spread of COVID-19 and providing the service of education in these institutions.
\r\nOther recommendations by the association include staggered reopening of the schools with grade 6-8 and Form 3-4 resuming in July to October and the rest of the classes resuming in November to February 2021 with a break in December. The Class 8 and Form 4 examinations would be scheduled for end of October and intake of Form 1 be delayed to March 2021 to allow the other classes complete the final term.
\r\nMasks used by day scholars as they come to school should be removed and stored / disposed at the school entrance. The association however suggests that usage of masks during lessons may have negative effects and should be evaluated. Students will be required to maintain at least one-meter sitting distance in the classrooms.
\r\nTo facilitate the day scholars who rely on public transport to get to school, the association recommends that that government vehicles including those of National Youth Service, Kenya Prisons and other government institutions be used to ferry the students where possible.
\r\nWSPA proposes that boarding schools should accommodate non-teaching staff, limit visitors and ban any events that would attract visitors into the schools. All boarding facilities and classrooms are to be fumigated daily and washrooms disinfected. In addition, all boarding facilities should have a dedicated matron/nurse.
\r\nNoting the financial implications of implementing the recommended measures, the association proposes that the government should subsidize the essential commodities such as disinfectants.
\r\n\r\nThe Covid-19 Education Response Committee chaired by Kenya Institute for Curriculum Development Chairperson Sarah Ruto has been receiving written memoranda from education stakeholders on ways to restore normalcy in the basic education sector’s academic calendar.
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