It was in May that Kommunal reported the Swedish Work Environment Authority to have "consumed their trust as an independent and impartial authority". The background is about how the employers' organization SKR called four authorities for a meeting after the Swedish Work Environment Authority had determined that staff at the Serafen housing in Stockholm just before Easter must have both visor and mouth protection in all patient-related work.
SVT was able to reveal how SKR made the authorities act in the form of two statements that clearly downplayed the significance of the decision - and that they also had to be involved in the actual drafting of the texts. In addition, an expert opinion that stated that mouth protection is always needed has been deleted from the Swedish Work Environment Authority's diary.
"Grossly neglected his mission"The Trade Union Council accuses the Work Environment Authority of "grossly neglecting its mission as an expert authority, by erasing and shredding a previously written expert opinion regarding the level of protective equipment", thus violating the constitutional principle of publicity.
The report contains several documents from the authority, including a log from the Swedish Work Environment Authority's diary and e-mail communication between officials at the Swedish Work Environment Authority and the Public Health Authority.
JO now calls on the Swedish Work Environment Authority to report on the events by September 28.