Protect You, Employees and Site Visitors at the Workplace

The Australian Government Department of Health website has information on how to protect you and your workers and practices you should be implementing to promote good hygiene practices to protect against infection and prevent the virus spreading.

Generally, you should provide hand washing facilities or alcohol-based hand sanitiser, tissues and cleaning supplies and promote good hygiene practices.

• Further information is available here on how to protect you and others 

 Australian Workplace Laws

The Fair Work Australia website provides details on workplace entitlements and obligations if you and/or your business is affected by the outbreak of Coronavirus.

• When can employers direct employees to stay away from their usual workplace under workplace health and safety laws?
• When can employees be stood down without pay?
• What if an employee cannot attend work because their child’s school has closed due to concerns about coronavirus?
• What happens if an employee or their family member is sick with coronavirus?
• What if an employee is stuck overseas or is required to be quarantined or to self-isolate?
• What if an employee wants to stay home as a precaution?
• What if an employer wants their employees to stay home as a precaution?
• When can employees work from home?
• What about casual employees and independent contractors?
• Can an employer change an employee's regular roster or hours of work?
• What if an employer needs to let employees go?
• Can employees be directed not to travel?

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Workplace Risk Management

The World Health Organisation have issued a useful factsheet on getting your workplace ready for COVID 19.

Federal

• Safe Work Australia  is the statutory agency leading the development of national policy to improve work health and safety and workers' compensation arrangements across Australia. 

States

Each state and territory has a local workplace health and safety body, which regulates and investigates breaches of laws about workplace health and safety and also Covid-19.

• Australian Capital Territory: Work Safe ACT 
• New South Wales: SafeWork NSW  - Coronavirus
• Northern Territory: NT WorkSafe   - NT Worksafe - Getting your workplace ready for COVID-19 (Coronavirus)
• Queensland: Workplace Health and Safety Queensland  - WorkCover QLD- Coronavirus (COVID-19) workplace risk management 
•  South Australia: SafeWork SA  - SafeWork SA - Coronavirus (COVID-19) workplace information
• Tasmania: WorkSafe Tasmania  - WorkSafe Tasmania - Novel coronavirus (COVID-19)
• Victoria: WorkSafe Victoria  - WorkSafe Victoria - Exposure to coronavirus in workplaces
• Western Australia: WorkSafe WA  - Coronavirus - What can be done to prepare for the possibility of a viral outbreak in the workplace

Staff Working from Home

There are a number of issues to consider and address when your office-based staff work from home. An agreement needs to be made that addresses:

• what hours / days of the week the work will be performed at home
• what equipment is required to perform the work safely and productively
• communication methods
• work performance and expectations.

Employers obligations

• An employer has the primary duty of care and must do what is reasonably practicable to ensure the health and safety of their workers whilst working at home
• Have your staff assess their home-based work area using this checklist to formalise the agreement

Workers obligations

A worker has an obligation to take care of their own health and safety and follow health and safety policies, procedures and instructions put in place by their employer. This may include:

• following procedures about how the work is performed
• following instruction on how to use the equipment provided by the workplace
• maintaining a safe work environment (for example moving furniture to allow adequate workspace and providing adequate lighting, repairing broken steps)
• keeping their equipment safe, well maintained and in good order
• looking after their own in-home safety (for example maintaining electrical equipment and installing and maintaining smoke alarms)
• reporting changes that may affect their health and safety when working from home.