In the catering trade, in the retail trade, in the hairdressing salon: In times of Corona, employees are obliged to wear a mouth-nose protection at work. Does the employer have to pay for this?
Cologne (dpa / tmn) - After weeks of closings, special hygiene rules now apply to many workplaces. In restaurants or in cosmetic studios, for example, workers must wear a mask. Does the employer then have to pay the costs?
"The employer must ensure that protection against infection is guaranteed at the workplace," explains Nathalie Oberthür, specialist lawyer for labor law from Cologne. In this context, if he obliges employees to wear mouth-nose protection at work, he must also provide them or pay for them. "That is also the experience we have in practice."
When it comes to the question, it is basically a question of whether the mask is part of work clothing or protective clothing. Workers have to pay for work clothes themselves - even if in practice companies often share the costs or employees can deduct the expenses from tax.
The employer must always pay for personal safety equipment such as safety shoes or a helmet. If mouth-nose protection is necessary to prevent infection, it also belongs in this category.
Personal details: Nathalie Oberthür is a specialist lawyer for labor law and a member of the executive committee of the labor law working group of the German Lawyers' Association (DAV).
