The General Secretary of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation has expressed concerned that the Health and Safety Authority is not inspecting hospitals in relation to impact of Covid-19 on workers there.
Phil Ní Sheaghdha told RTÉ's News at One, that "we believe that is the central role of the Health and Safety Authority and that it's missing from the pitch".
She said the INMO is "really disappointed" that they are still awaiting a response concerning the Health and Safety Authority's role in this.
Ms Ní Sheaghdha said as a result of their work, their members are now becoming unwell, with a very serious infection, which has very serious long-term consequences for them.
She said "just because it's a healthcare environment, that does not mean, in our view, that the employer is the sole determinant of what is safe and what is not".
The INMO say they want routine testing for healthcare workers in acute hospitals.
Ms Ní Sheaghdha said testing has improved significantly in private and long-term care facilities and the same is needed in acute hospitals.
She said 34% of all healthcare workers who have been infected with Covid-19 are nurses.
She said it is taking nurses on average 16-17 weeks to recover and there is not enough known about the long-term effects of having the virus.
She said they know from the World Health Organization’s information that when you are fatigued at work wearing PPE, you are more likely to become infected yourself.
A shortage of staff would lead to fatigue in nurses, midwives and other healthcare workers she said, as they are going to have to work longer hours and the breaks that they need are not going to be available to them.
She said her members are very keen that they are not forgotten in the whole area of providing care, particularly in terms of staffing numbers.
