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Meat and dairy processors will be required to have workers tested according to HSE documents seen by the Irish Farmers Journal.
The inclusion of dairy processors in Government testing for COVID-19 is understood to have taken some companies by surprise, as testing was initially proposed for just the meat sector following widespread concern of outbreaks in the meat industry.
A letter from chief clinical officer Dr Colm Henry to processors seen by this newspaper says that all staff should be tested on the same day each week until further guidance is issued by the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET).
Weekly testing will begin for processors with over 50 employees, but could be widened for workers with fewer staff as testing progresses.
Initially, testing will be focused on the three lockdown counties, but will spread nationwide and some meat processors are understood to be making preparations already.
It is not yet clear whether testing for dairy processors will be rolled out nationwide or remain focused on the lockdown area.
Deadline
Processors have been given instructions from the HSE outlining how on-site testing will be conducted.
They are also expected to return a spreadsheet document outlining the name, gender and other contact details, including the address and mobile number of each staff member at the plant by 6pm on Tuesday 18 August – just four days after they were first sent the document by the HSE.
“Providing this information on your employees is compliant with GDPR because processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest,” the letter from Dr Colm Henry states.
It says that workers should give verbal consent to testing, but they have the right to refuse to be tested.
It also says that staff should be informed of testing in advance by management.
Worker information
An information leaflet in English for staff has been attached to the HSE documents and states that workers can expect test results within three days from the point swabs are collected from their workplace.
It adds that workers will be informed by phone or text of their test results, but that “it is sometimes necessary for your test result to be shared with someone senior from your employing facility”.
Previous to this, there was considerable controversy when it was revealed that management in some factories received information on test results ahead of individual workers.
However, the leaflet states that the information is passed to management “in the interests of public health” and that “the HSE will try to make sure that you are informed of your test result first”.
“The HSE will only share the minimum necessary data to undertake safe public health actions within the workplace, and this will be done in compliance with GDPR and Infectious Diseases legislation 1982 as amended,” the leaflet says.
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