The online retailer Amazon has researched by NDR, WDR and “SZ” employees in a plant in northern Germany forbidden to wear FFP2 masks during working hours. The reason is apparently more frequent breaks.
By Johannes Edelhoff, Sebastian Friedrich, Markus Grill and Johannes Jolmes NDR, WDR The notice in the Amazon warehouse in Winsen an der Luhe was clear: A green tick was attached to the surgical mask, while the FFP2 mask was crossed out in red. In February, Amazon informed the employees with this notice that only medical disposable masks, also known as “surgical masks”, were allowed to be worn. Research by NDR , WDR and “Süddeutscher Zeitung” point out that nothing has changed in this practice. The ARD magazine Panorama there is another similar notice from April, as well as statements from affected employees. In fact, this practice has not yet violated any applicable regulations or laws, as surgical masks are also allowed. Ivonne Hasch worked at Amazon in Winsen, a good 30 kilometers south of Hamburg, until mid-April. “I would have preferred to wear an FFP2 mask because it offers more protection than a surgical mask,” she says. Hasch spoke to her supervisor about FFP2 masks. He said that these were forbidden so that employees would not have to be given an additional break. In fact, according to a recommendation by the German Social Accident Insurance, FFP2 masks should be worn for a maximum of 75 minutes to two hours at a time, depending on the severity of the work, followed by a 30-minute mask-free time. In the case of light physical activity, it can also be worn for three hours. Amazon does not want to comment specifically on the ban. On request, the group would like to point out that only medical masks are available. Amazon emphasizes, however, that all employees are provided with surgical masks that are “of high quality” free of charge. In addition, Amazon allows “occasional exceptions when employees apply for them”.
Frequent breaks – higher costs
In the Leipzig logistics center, Amazon does at least allow employees to wear FFP2 masks that they have brought with them. For both these and the surgical masks, the management offers employees a half-hour mask-free break after two hours of work – albeit unpaid, as Thomas Rigol, chairman of the works council at Amazon’s Leipzig location, in panorama reported. “The hours are deducted from the overtime account.” Because this leads to considerable negative hours in the long run, the employees hardly use this break. Amazon also confirms the 30-minute unpaid break. “For the type of masks that are offered by Amazon, no additional breaks are necessary, according to the reliable findings of occupational physicians and the publications of the German statutory accident insurance,” said Amazon. The research shows that in other sectors – such as retail or industry – the FFP2 mask is only reluctantly used on a large scale. Apparently because compliance with the mask-free time would lead to higher costs. This was confirmed by several union and retail representatives. In principle, employees in companies are not entitled to higher quality FFP2 masks. Minister Hubertus Heil’s occupational health and safety ordinance provides for a mask requirement in companies under certain conditions – surgical masks are currently sufficient to meet these requirements. A mask is currently required if less than ten square meters are available per employee, the minimum distance of 1.5 meters is not maintained and the room is poorly ventilated. If all of this is not the case, one can work in offices without a mask at all. Heil did not want to answer questions on this topic in front of a camera due to lack of time. Upon request, a spokeswoman said that the Ministry of Labor currently sees no reason for a general FFP2 obligation in the workplace. The current rules have only just been expanded.
Amazon is one of the beneficiaries of the pandemic
The SPD health expert Karl Lauterbach condemns the practice of Amazon as “unjustifiable” and “unethical”. Lauterbach asks in an interview with panorama an FFP2 obligation in companies if aerosol transmission is likely. These regulations are also a much better alternative for the companies, because maybe one day we will get to the point “where we will have to close the companies for a while”. Professor Klaus Dörre describes Amazon’s handling of health protection as scandalous. The work and industrial sociologist from the University of Jena has dealt intensively with the company and its employment model. Amazon only considers Dörre to be the tip of the iceberg. “Overall, we have a lot of carelessness in the company.” In fact, after the first wave in manufacturing companies, business simply continued. This has led to a two-tier society among employees, said Dörre. “Some sit in the home office and others are forced to be present on a daily basis. And one would expect at least those to enjoy the best possible protection.”
How well do FFP2 masks actually protect?
How much higher the protective effect of the FFP2 masks is compared to the surgical masks has not been conclusively clarified. Professor Holger Schünemann also refers to this. The epidemiologist at McMaster University in Canada is director of the WHO “Collaborating Center for Infectious Diseases, Research Methods and Recommendations”. He says that FFP2 masks can protect twice as well as surgical masks, but it always depends on how many infected people there are. “If the risk of infection in a company without a mask is ten percent on a day, then – according to the conservative assumption – surgical masks would reduce that to perhaps seven percent. An FFP2 mask might reduce the risk to four percent. ” If there is a high risk of infection in the company, wearing FFP2 masks could make sense. The German Society for Hospital Hygiene, on the other hand, is skeptical of the FFP2 masks. An FFP2 mask that doesn’t fit properly, i.e. where you breathe out from the side, does not provide any better protection than a surgical mask. SPD health expert Lauterbach does not convince this position. It does not correspond to what international professional societies present.
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