Following an inquest at Pontypridd Coroner’s Court, the deaths of two nurses who had contracted COVID-19 while at work has been recorded as ‘death by industrial disease’, indicating for the first time that a link has been recognised between the workplace and the virus.
The Health and Safety Executive reported that between 2021 to 2022, around 123,000 workers who had contracted COVID-19 believed that they had done so after being exposed to the virus while at work and that an additional 585,000 workers felt that the virus had caused or worsened their work-related illnesses.
Despite these figures, the prospect of more workers bringing successful claims remains distinct as anyone pursuing claims on behalf of workers exposed to the virus would have to prove that either the Public Health Guidance in force was negligent or that it had simply not been followed at work.
