Strategies and Tactics for OHS Management to Confront the Pandemic Crisis in the Hospitality Industry: The Case of Countries in Europe

Introduction

A global survey of the International Labor Organization presented in 2020 states that “[t]he COVID-19 crisis has shocked the global economy, putting the world on the edge of a major economic recession. Countries, companies, organizations and citizens around the world are experiencing a period of acute unpredictability and instability. Businesses are faced with overwhelming and competing challenges as they navigate the multiple impacts of the pandemic” (ILO, 2020). Since the beginning of the pandemic crisis in 2020, tourism has been one of the most negatively affected industries throughout the world (Davahili et al, 2020; Nicas et al., 2021; Diaz-Carrion et al., 2020; Pillai et al., 2021). The tourism sector is most affected by the ever-changing epidemiological situation in different countries, travel restrictions, anti-epidemic measures imposed by governments, and the uncertainty of the future. Therefore, and because of the importance of the hospitality industry for all countries in the world, represented as a share of GDP, it is of interest to study it, especially in times of a pandemic. Tourism in Bulgaria, as well as in other countries in Europe and worldwide, is experiencing an unprecedented crisis and decline.

The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work categorizes viruses to which workers could be exposed in their workplaces as biological agents. Accordingly, the minimum legal requirements are laid out in Directive 2000/54/EC, which refers to biological agents at work and complements the general requirements of Directive 89/391/EEC, known as the Framework Directive. What is specific about that Directive is that all Member Countries have implemented it in their national legislation, but as it specifies only the minimum standards, Member Countries are well within their right to impose stricter regulations. Directive 2000/54/EC classifies biological agents according to their level of risk of causing human disease, the severity of that disease, its potential to spread to the community, and the availability of effective prevention or treatment. According to the description of the four risk groups, COVID-19 belongs to Risk Group 4, which refers to biological agents that cause severe human disease and are a serious hazard to workers; they pose a high risk of spreading to the community, and usually there is no effective prophylaxis or treatment available.