Which companies can request the vaccination rate within their company?
Which companies will be able to conduct on-site vaccinations?
Can workers be obliged to take the vaccine?
When the covid-19 vaccination campaign was launched in Belgium, its second phase was intended to take place at company premises as well as in vaccination centres. This second phase has now been set in motion so that, under certain conditions depending on the region, employers can organise vaccinations in the workplace using occupational doctors. Moreover, it is now possible for certain employers to request the occupational doctor to disclose the vaccination rate within their company. However, this will not be available to all employers.
Which companies can request the vaccination rate within their company?
Companies in Belgium with at least 50 workers have the option of asking the occupational doctor for the vaccination rate within their company. The occupational doctor can check this rate through a so-called "collectivity tool", which is a tool developed by the government where staff lists can be matched anonymously with vaccine data in the government's official database. The tool can only be used by the occupational doctor and not by the employer directly.
Which companies will be able to conduct on-site vaccinations?
The conditions for employers to be able to organise vaccinations in the workplace depend upon the region in which they are located.
In the Flemish region, vaccinations in the workplace will be possible only in companies that have:
- at least 100 workers; and
- an employee vaccination rate of less than 70%. The vaccination rate of the company will be checked by the occupational doctor through the collectivity tool.
In the Brussels-Capital region, vaccination in the workplace is only possible in companies that have at least 10 candidates for vaccination.
In the Walloon region:
- small companies can arrange for vaccination time slots for their workers in a vaccination centre in the vicinity of the company; and
- medium and large companies can organise vaccinations in the workplace through the occupational doctor.
Can workers be obliged to take the vaccine?
Vaccination can take place only on a voluntary basis.
The employer must first discuss the organisation of vaccinations in the workplace with the Committee for Prevention and Protection at Work and then inform the workers and invite them to register. The workers are free to choose whether to take up the offer.
For further information on this topic please contact Phillipe De Wulf or Esther Soetens at ALTIUS by telephone (+32 2 426 1414) or email ([email protected] or [email protected]). The ALTIUS website can be accessed at www.altius.com.