The Corona Commission's harsh criticism of the Swedish Work Environment Authority: "A betrayal"

"It is difficult to see the Swedish Work Environment Authority's actions as anything other than a betrayal of all the workers who in an acute shortage situation had to perform care and care without adequate protective equipment," the Corona Commission writes in its new report.

The Commission believes that both the Swedish Work Environment Authority and the Swedish Public Health Agency should have clearly stated what measures could be taken to reduce the risk of infection for staff and care recipients when there was a lack of protective equipment in the spring of 2020. 

- It is of course a serious criticism and we take it very seriously.

I have not read the report and we naturally need to do so in order to be able to comment in more detail, says Erna Zelmin, Director General of the Swedish Work Environment Authority. 

The requirements for mouth guards were toned down 

Last year, SVT revealed how the municipalities' organization SKR made the Swedish Work Environment Authority tone down and back down in terms of the requirements for mouth protection in elderly care.

Externally, the Swedish Work Environment Authority was behind the Public Health Agency's guidelines for protective equipment, which was also repeated in response to the Ombudsman in the investigation that led to the Swedish Work Environment Authority avoiding criticism of how it acted on the high-profile issue of oral protection at the Serafen nursing home.

The oral protection business: The Swedish Work Environment Authority escapes JO criticism |

SVT News  

"Gave the appearance of sharing FHM's opinion" 

However, material that the Commission has now received shows that the Swedish Work Environment Authority questioned the guidelines as early as March 2020 and that in the Serafen case it was in fact considered that the Swedish Public Health Agency's guidelines did not provide the employee with adequate protection against infection.

SVT News. 

"Despite the fact that the Swedish Work Environment Authority thus de facto had a different view of the adequate protection against infection, the agency gave the impression of sharing the Public Health Agency's view until the spring of 2021."

writes the Commission in its report.

- In light of what we said then, how the situation was then, how things have developed during the time between different statements - it is clear that they could have expressed themselves differently, but I can not comment on it further today, says Erna Zelmin, Director General of the Swedish Work Environment Authority.