Her Majesty's Government, following the classification of (1) all people aged over
70, and (2) all pregnant women, as ‘clinically vulnerable’ to COVID-19, whether (a)
employers are entitled to deny such people the same chance to work as others, regardless
of their health, and (b) voluntary organisations are entitled to ban such people from
volunteering during the COVID-19 pandemic. [T]
<p>It is against the law to discriminate against someone because of their age or because
of being pregnant or on maternity leave.</p><p> </p><p>Under Health and Safety legislation,
employers have a legal responsibility to protect workers and others from risk to their
health and safety. They should do everything reasonably practicable to minimise the
risks. Clinically vulnerable individuals, who are at higher risk of severe illness,
have been asked to take extra care in observing social distancing and should be helped
to work from home, either in their current role or in an alternative role.</p><p>
</p><p>If clinically vulnerable individuals cannot work from home, they should be
offered the option of the safest available on site roles, enabling them to stay 2m
away from others. The Health and Safety risk assessment should reflect this.</p><p>
</p><p>The Health and Safety Executive has guidance for business on how to manage
risk and risk assessment at work along with specific advice to help control the risk
of coronavirus in workplaces.</p>
