Coronavirus cases could rebound if workplaces are not Covid-secure, union leaders are warning.
The TUC said the vaccine rollout and testing in workplaces should not be used as an excuse for relaxing safety rules affecting workers.
The union organisation urged employers to update their risk assessments to take account of the importance of ventilation, and said any activity which can be conducted outside should be allowed.
A TUC survey of more than 2,000 union safety representatives published this week showed that one in four were unaware of a risk assessment taking place in their workplace in the last two years.
Officials added that companies should try to persuade staff to get the vaccine, but not make it a condition of employment.
The TUC also urged the Government to take a harder stance with companies flouting health and safety rules.
General secretary Frances O’Grady said: “We all want this lockdown to be the last, but if we get workplace safety wrong, the virus could rebound.
“Ministers must send out a strong message to employers – act now on workplace safety.
“The Government has imposed big fines on individuals who break lockdown rules, but not a single employer has been prosecuted and fined for putting workers or the public at risk. It’s time for the Health and Safety Executive to crack down on bad bosses.
“Over a year into the pandemic, it beggars belief that ministers have not fixed sick pay. Sick pay is too little to live on. No wonder too many are not self-isolating when they need to.”
A spokesman for the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) said: “The Health and Safety Executive takes Covid-19 safety at work very seriously and it is playing a critical role in the national response to the pandemic.
“The Government has provided additional funding of £14million to HSE to strengthen its capacity to tackle Covid-19.
“Since the start of the pandemic HSE has carried out over 180,000 Covid-19 spot checks and responded to over 20,000 concerns.
“Workplace checks daily averages have risen from 700 in November 2020 to now over 2,000 checks a day and the number is rising constantly. Spot checks have been targeted in those industries where workers are most likely to be vulnerable to transmission risks.
“HSE is also keen to ensure that workplaces remain safe as they reopen. Our data from the 180,000 spot checks suggests that most employers are doing the right thing.”
