UK Lockdown: What are my rights to leave work if I don’t feel safe? – Dan Hobbs features in The Independent

Dan Hobbs features in The Independent to discuss employee rights following Boris Johnson's speech regarding lockdown restrictions. Among the new guidelines, the prime minister unveiled a change to the advice being given to workers across the nation.

"Dan Hobbs, an employment barrister at 5 Essex Chambers, said: “Employees may be rightly concerned for their own health and safety as well as that of their co-workers and others in their household.

“Accordingly, if an employee walks out of the workplace or refuses to return to the workplace in circumstances of danger which the employee reasonably believes to be serious and imminent, the employee cannot be subjected to a detriment by his employer as a result.”

How does someone leave work if they feel unsafe?

According to Mr Hobbs, if you feel unsafe because the conditions at work pose a serious and imminent danger, then you have the right to walk out and not be subjected to a detriment.

However, he adds that it would be wise to raise the issue of concern with their employer in the first instance.

“If measures are not put in place to remove the serious and imminent danger, then the employee may elect to walk out and cannot be subjected to a detriment for doing so thereafter.”' 

Click here to read the full article 

Dan specialises in employment law, personal injury law, coroner’s inquests and police law. He has nearly 20 years experience in bringing and defending employment cases in the employment tribunal. His practice also incorporates high court litigation concerning employee competition, restraint of trade and misuse of confidential information. 

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Authors

Daniel Hobbs

Call 1998

Related areas

Employment

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