The main way COVID-19 spreads from person to person is through contact with respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes. The droplets may fall directly onto the person’s eyes, nose or mouth if they are in close contact with the infected person. Airborne transmission of COVID-19 can also occur, with the greatest risk in indoor, crowded and inadequately ventilated spaces. A person may also be infected if they touch a surface contaminated with the COVID-19 virus and then touch their mouth, nose or eyes before washing their hands. Research shows that the COVID-19 virus can survive on some surfaces for prolonged periods of time.

A key way you can protect workers and others from the risk of exposure to COVID-19 is by requiring workers and others to practice good hygiene. Below are measures to ensure good hygiene in your workplace.  

Remember, you must consult with workers and health and safety representatives on health and safety matters relating to COVID-19, including what control measures to put in place in your workplace. 

Worker and attendee hygiene

You must direct your workers, customers and others in the workplace to practice good hygiene while at the workplace. Good hygiene requires everyone to wash their hands regularly with soap and water for at least 20 seconds and dry them completely, preferably with clean, single-use paper towels. If paper towels are unavailable, other methods such as electric hand dryers can be used, however, hands will still need to be dried completely.

Everyone must wash and dry their hands: 

• before and after eating 
• after coughing or sneezing 
• after going to the toilet  
• when changing tasks and after touching potentially contaminated surfaces.  

An alcohol-based hand sanitiser with at least 60% ethanol or 70% isopropanol as the active ingredient must be used as per the manufacturer’s instructions when it is not possible to wash and dry hands. 

Good hygiene also requires everyone in the venue, at all times to: 

• cover their coughs and sneezes with their elbow or a clean tissue (and no spitting) 
• avoid touching their face, eyes, nose and mouth 
• dispose of tissues and cigarette butts hygienically, e.g. in closed bins 
• wash and dry their hands before and after smoking a cigarette  
• wash and dry hands before and after interacting with others
• clean and disinfect shared equipment and plant after use
• wash body, hair (including facial hair) and clothes thoroughly every day 
• have no intentional physical contact, for example, shaking hands and patting backs.

To enhance good hygiene outcomes:  

• develop infection control policies in consultation with your workers, health and safety representatives and others in the workplace including the venue owner/manager, your client or organisation that is hosting or running the conference or event exhibitions or stall owners and their suppliers (e.g. stand/display installers). These policies should outline measures in place to prevent the spread of infectious diseases at the workplace. Communicate these policies to all workers 
• workers should be trained in the importance of washing their hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds and drying them correctly, or using an alcohol-based hand sanitiser, before entering and exiting a common area 
• place posters near handwashing facilities showing how to correctly wash and dry hands and use alcohol-based hand sanitiser
• identify hand washing and alcohol -based hand sanitiser stations on any event map
• provide alcohol-based hand sanitiser in appropriate locations for workers and attendees to use, such as at the entry and exit points of the venue and before and after touching display items
• ensure there is an adequate supply of soaps, paper towels and/or alcohol-based hand sanitiser in amenities, particularly during peak times. Ensure bins are regularly emptied, particularly in peak times
• inform workers of workplace hygiene standards that are expected when utilising common areas (cleaning up after yourself, placing rubbish in bins provided, avoiding putting items such as phones on meal surfaces, etc.)
• if possible, consider having venue entry and exit doors kept open for example with a door stop, being operated by a worker or using automatic doors to prevent doors being frequently touched
• if multiple conferences or events will occur on a given day or there are timed sessions at your event or exhibition, consider alternating the available seats and tables to allow sufficient time for cleaning and increase the time between uses by different attendees
• consider implementing measures to reduce the need for people to touch surfaces or items. For example: 
  • for conferences or events encourage presenters to bring their own laptop to plug into the audio visual system or have them email their presentation to the relevant IT or audio visual teams. Clean microphones and stands after each use
  • at exhibitions or events encourage attendees to only touch items they intend to purchase. Encourage exhibitors or stall holders to minimise the number of items on display to reduce the number of frequently touched objects and to use contactless payment where possible, including for food and drinks.
• high touch point areas must also be cleaned frequently e.g. doors, touchscreens, vending machines and frequently touched display items. See also our information on cleaning and cleaning guide. For conferences and events ensure the presentation space including tables, lecterns and microphones are cleaned after each presenter 
• ask attendees not to handle brochures. Consider providing brochures and other materials for attendees to take with them or provide options to send information electronically 
• inform attendees with signs throughout the venue and notices on your website/social media of workplace hygiene standards that are expected when they come to the conference, event or exhibition reminding them to stay home if they feel unwell. This may include: 
  • washing their hands or using alcohol-based hand sanitiser before arriving
  • encouraging attendees to minimise use of their phone and other personal items as they could unintentionally transfer germs through the venue
  • if reasonably practicable, you could encourage attendees at events and exhibitions to bring their own pen and food to avoid queuing (in line with the venue’s rules about bringing in food)
  • if reasonably practicable, consider temporarily ceasing availability of all self-serve items at your conference, event or exhibition or request that attendees only touch food/items that they intend to purchase
  • advise attendees to stay at home if they feel unwell or are required to self-isolate, and provide refunds or alternative access to the event such as digital access.
• ensure any food provided is selected to minimise hand contact and the risk of expired air droplets contacting the food. For example, packaged meals or covered dishes present a lower risk than open buffet style food. Bowls of unpackaged snacks should not be provided.

Registration, check in, ticket services or other behind the counter activities

For workers working registration, check in, ticket services or behind a counter (such as food and beverage service, exhibitors or stall holders and the cloaking desk), in addition to the hygiene measures outlined above:

• reduce the need for workers to handle tickets by introducing pre-payment options and self-scanning technology for contactless entry and exit if possible. 
• if workers must be present for registration purposes implement measures to minimise contact such as:
  • providing workers with scanning devices or require them to sight tickets 
  • eliminating the need for workers to hand over bags or information to the attendee
  • consider appropriate personal protective equipment.
• for conferences and events, eliminate the need for the attendee to physically sign in and write their own name tags. Instead attendees could provide their name to a worker to mark off and a prepared name tag provided. Alternatively, attendees could sign in online where possible. 
• you will also need to consider physical distancing measures in these circumstances such as a partition between the worker and attendees and providing signage, floor decals and bollards to indicate distancing requirements wherever queuing might occur.
• consult with exhibitors and stall holders about allocating one cash register and EFTPOS machine per worker per shift if reasonably practicable. At the end of the shift, all equipment should be cleaned and disinfected with a suitable product. 
  • If not reasonably practicable to allocate one cash register and EFTPOS machine per worker per shift, disinfectant wipes should be provided for the equipment to be wiped down before use by a different worker.
• consult with exhibitors and stall holders about implementing measures to achieve contactless exchange of goods. For example, place item on the counter and step back behind an appropriate marking on the floor. The item can then be picked up by the other party. This will minimise the chance of incidental contact between peoples’ hands when exchanging items.

Pre-screening of attendees

You should implement processes to ensure attendees do not to enter the venue if they: 

• are experiencing symptoms linked to COVID-19 such as fever, cough or shortness of breath or are in any way unwell
• have been in close contact with someone who is confirmed as having COVID-19 or is experiencing symptoms linked to COVID-19
• have recently attended a hotspot or breakout area with a high risk of potential exposure
• have been directed to isolate/quarantine.

Inform attendees of these requirements when booking tickets. If attendees are booking over the phone, have a template written out for workers to read to the attendees. If booking online, add additional text to the booking confirmation setting out your expectations. Consider setting out your refund policy on your website or place of ticket purchase for circumstances where people cannot not attend because they are unwell.

You could also send a text message and/or email to attendees a few days before the conference event or exhibition and display signs at entry points to the venue asking attendees not enter if they or a close contact is unwell. 

You could consider monitoring the health of your attendees through administering temperature checks, as a preventative measure in managing a COVID-19 outbreak in your event. See information on health monitoring.

Consider setting up isolation areas away from queues in case an attendee fails pre-screening or presents with COVID-19 symptoms during the conference, event or exhibition. See information on COVID-19 in your workplace.

You should put processes in place to regularly monitor and review the implementation of hygiene measures to ensure they are being followed and remain effective.  

Hygiene facilities

You must ensure there are adequate and accessible facilities to achieve good hygiene and that they are in good working order, are clean and are otherwise safe.  

You may need to provide additional washing facilities, change rooms and dining facilities. You must also consider whether there are an adequate number of hand washing stations, in convenient locations, to sustain the increase in workers and attendees practicing good hygiene. You may need to provide alcohol-based hand sanitiser in appropriate locations, such as entry and exits, if there are limited hand washing facilities available. 

Washroom facilities must be properly stocked and have adequate supplies of toilet paper, soap, water, and drying facilities (paper towels) and lidded bins. They must also be kept clean and in good working order by frequent inspection, cleaning and restocking based on usage. 

When determining what facilities you need, consider the number of workers and attendees on site, the shift arrangements and when access to these facilities is required. If you have temporarily down-sized worker numbers in response to COVID-19 and these will now be increased, you must take this into account to determine the facilities you need with increased numbers. 

If creating a new eating or worker common area to enable physical distancing, you must ensure these areas are accessible from the workplace and adequately equipped (e.g. drinking water, rubbish bins), and protected from the elements, contaminants and hazards.  

You should also consider opening windows or adjusting air-conditioning for more ventilation in common areas and limiting or reducing recirculated air-conditioning where possible. For more information see our guidance on Heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems.

For further information on providing adequate and accessible facilities, including providing facilities for a temporary, mobile or remote workplace see the Model Code of Practice: Managing the work environment and facilities.
 
 

The main way COVID-19 spreads from person to person is through contact with respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes. The droplets may fall directly onto the person’s eyes, nose or mouth if they are in close contact with the infected person. Airborne transmission of COVID-19 can also occur, with the greatest risk in indoor, crowded and inadequately ventilated spaces. A person may also be infected if they touch a surface contaminated with the COVID-19 virus and then touch their mouth, nose or eyes before washing their hands. Research shows that the COVID-19 virus can survive on some surfaces for prolonged periods of time.

A key way you can protect workers and others from the risk of exposure to COVID-19 is by requiring workers and others to practice good hygiene. Below are measures to ensure good hygiene in your workplace.  

Remember, you must consult with workers and health and safety representatives on health and safety matters relating to COVID-19, including what control measures to put in place in your workplace. 

Worker and attendee hygiene

You must direct your workers, customers and others in the workplace to practice good hygiene while at the workplace. Good hygiene requires everyone to wash their hands regularly with soap and water for at least 20 seconds and dry them completely, preferably with clean, single-use paper towels. If paper towels are unavailable, other methods such as electric hand dryers can be used, however, hands will still need to be dried completely.

Everyone must wash and dry their hands: 

• before and after eating 
• after coughing or sneezing 
• after going to the toilet  
• when changing tasks and after touching potentially contaminated surfaces.  

An alcohol-based hand sanitiser with at least 60% ethanol or 70% isopropanol as the active ingredient must be used as per the manufacturer’s instructions when it is not possible to wash and dry hands. 

Good hygiene also requires everyone in the venue, at all times to: 

• cover their coughs and sneezes with their elbow or a clean tissue (and no spitting) 
• avoid touching their face, eyes, nose and mouth 
• dispose of tissues and cigarette butts hygienically, e.g. in closed bins 
• wash and dry their hands before and after smoking a cigarette  
• wash and dry hands before and after interacting with others
• clean and disinfect shared equipment and plant after use
• wash body, hair (including facial hair) and clothes thoroughly every day 
• have no intentional physical contact, for example, shaking hands and patting backs.

To enhance good hygiene outcomes:  

• develop infection control policies in consultation with your workers, health and safety representatives and others in the workplace including the venue owner/manager, your client or organisation that is hosting or running the conference or event exhibitions or stall owners and their suppliers (e.g. stand/display installers). These policies should outline measures in place to prevent the spread of infectious diseases at the workplace. Communicate these policies to all workers 
• workers should be trained in the importance of washing their hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds and drying them correctly, or using an alcohol-based hand sanitiser, before entering and exiting a common area 
• place posters near handwashing facilities showing how to correctly wash and dry hands and use alcohol-based hand sanitiser
• identify hand washing and alcohol -based hand sanitiser stations on any event map
• provide alcohol-based hand sanitiser in appropriate locations for workers and attendees to use, such as at the entry and exit points of the venue and before and after touching display items
• ensure there is an adequate supply of soaps, paper towels and/or alcohol-based hand sanitiser in amenities, particularly during peak times. Ensure bins are regularly emptied, particularly in peak times
• inform workers of workplace hygiene standards that are expected when utilising common areas (cleaning up after yourself, placing rubbish in bins provided, avoiding putting items such as phones on meal surfaces, etc.)
• if possible, consider having venue entry and exit doors kept open for example with a door stop, being operated by a worker or using automatic doors to prevent doors being frequently touched
• if multiple conferences or events will occur on a given day or there are timed sessions at your event or exhibition, consider alternating the available seats and tables to allow sufficient time for cleaning and increase the time between uses by different attendees
• consider implementing measures to reduce the need for people to touch surfaces or items. For example: 
  • for conferences or events encourage presenters to bring their own laptop to plug into the audio visual system or have them email their presentation to the relevant IT or audio visual teams. Clean microphones and stands after each use
  • at exhibitions or events encourage attendees to only touch items they intend to purchase. Encourage exhibitors or stall holders to minimise the number of items on display to reduce the number of frequently touched objects and to use contactless payment where possible, including for food and drinks.
• high touch point areas must also be cleaned frequently e.g. doors, touchscreens, vending machines and frequently touched display items. See also our information on cleaning and cleaning guide. For conferences and events ensure the presentation space including tables, lecterns and microphones are cleaned after each presenter 
• ask attendees not to handle brochures. Consider providing brochures and other materials for attendees to take with them or provide options to send information electronically 
• inform attendees with signs throughout the venue and notices on your website/social media of workplace hygiene standards that are expected when they come to the conference, event or exhibition reminding them to stay home if they feel unwell. This may include: 
  • washing their hands or using alcohol-based hand sanitiser before arriving
  • encouraging attendees to minimise use of their phone and other personal items as they could unintentionally transfer germs through the venue
  • if reasonably practicable, you could encourage attendees at events and exhibitions to bring their own pen and food to avoid queuing (in line with the venue’s rules about bringing in food)
  • if reasonably practicable, consider temporarily ceasing availability of all self-serve items at your conference, event or exhibition or request that attendees only touch food/items that they intend to purchase
  • advise attendees to stay at home if they feel unwell or are required to self-isolate, and provide refunds or alternative access to the event such as digital access.
• ensure any food provided is selected to minimise hand contact and the risk of expired air droplets contacting the food. For example, packaged meals or covered dishes present a lower risk than open buffet style food. Bowls of unpackaged snacks should not be provided.

Registration, check in, ticket services or other behind the counter activities

• reduce the need for workers to handle tickets by introducing pre-payment options and self-scanning technology for contactless entry and exit if possible. 
• if workers must be present for registration purposes implement measures to minimise contact such as:
  • providing workers with scanning devices or require them to sight tickets 
  • eliminating the need for workers to hand over bags or information to the attendee
  • consider appropriate personal protective equipment.
• for conferences and events, eliminate the need for the attendee to physically sign in and write their own name tags. Instead attendees could provide their name to a worker to mark off and a prepared name tag provided. Alternatively, attendees could sign in online where possible. 
• you will also need to consider physical distancing measures in these circumstances such as a partition between the worker and attendees and providing signage, floor decals and bollards to indicate distancing requirements wherever queuing might occur.
• consult with exhibitors and stall holders about allocating one cash register and EFTPOS machine per worker per shift if reasonably practicable. At the end of the shift, all equipment should be cleaned and disinfected with a suitable product. 
  • If not reasonably practicable to allocate one cash register and EFTPOS machine per worker per shift, disinfectant wipes should be provided for the equipment to be wiped down before use by a different worker.
• consult with exhibitors and stall holders about implementing measures to achieve contactless exchange of goods. For example, place item on the counter and step back behind an appropriate marking on the floor. The item can then be picked up by the other party. This will minimise the chance of incidental contact between peoples’ hands when exchanging items.

Pre-screening of attendees

You should implement processes to ensure attendees do not to enter the venue if they: 

• are experiencing symptoms linked to COVID-19 such as fever, cough or shortness of breath or are in any way unwell
• have been in close contact with someone who is confirmed as having COVID-19 or is experiencing symptoms linked to COVID-19
• have recently attended a hotspot or breakout area with a high risk of potential exposure
• have been directed to isolate/quarantine.

Inform attendees of these requirements when booking tickets. If attendees are booking over the phone, have a template written out for workers to read to the attendees. If booking online, add additional text to the booking confirmation setting out your expectations. Consider setting out your refund policy on your website or place of ticket purchase for circumstances where people cannot not attend because they are unwell.

You could also send a text message and/or email to attendees a few days before the conference event or exhibition and display signs at entry points to the venue asking attendees not enter if they or a close contact is unwell. 

You could consider monitoring the health of your attendees through administering temperature checks, as a preventative measure in managing a COVID-19 outbreak in your event. See information on health monitoring.

Consider setting up isolation areas away from queues in case an attendee fails pre-screening or presents with COVID-19 symptoms during the conference, event or exhibition. See information on COVID-19 in your workplace.

You should put processes in place to regularly monitor and review the implementation of hygiene measures to ensure they are being followed and remain effective.  

Hygiene facilities

You must ensure there are adequate and accessible facilities to achieve good hygiene and that they are in good working order, are clean and are otherwise safe.  

You may need to provide additional washing facilities, change rooms and dining facilities. You must also consider whether there are an adequate number of hand washing stations, in convenient locations, to sustain the increase in workers and attendees practicing good hygiene. You may need to provide alcohol-based hand sanitiser in appropriate locations, such as entry and exits, if there are limited hand washing facilities available. 

Washroom facilities must be properly stocked and have adequate supplies of toilet paper, soap, water, and drying facilities (paper towels) and lidded bins. They must also be kept clean and in good working order by frequent inspection, cleaning and restocking based on usage. 

When determining what facilities you need, consider the number of workers and attendees on site, the shift arrangements and when access to these facilities is required. If you have temporarily down-sized worker numbers in response to COVID-19 and these will now be increased, you must take this into account to determine the facilities you need with increased numbers. 

If creating a new eating or worker common area to enable physical distancing, you must ensure these areas are accessible from the workplace and adequately equipped (e.g. drinking water, rubbish bins), and protected from the elements, contaminants and hazards.  

You should also consider opening windows or adjusting air-conditioning for more ventilation in common areas and limiting or reducing recirculated air-conditioning where possible. For more information see our guidance on Heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems.

For further information on providing adequate and accessible facilities, including providing facilities for a temporary, mobile or remote workplace see the Model Code of Practice: Managing the work environment and facilities.

The main way COVID-19 spreads from person to person is through contact with respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes. The droplets may fall directly onto the person’s eyes, nose or mouth if they are in close contact with the infected person. Airborne transmission of COVID-19 can also occur, with the greatest risk in indoor, crowded and inadequately ventilated spaces. A person may also be infected if they touch a surface contaminated with the COVID-19 virus and then touch their mouth, nose or eyes before washing their hands. Research shows that the COVID-19 virus can survive on some surfaces for prolonged periods of time.

A key way you can protect workers yourself and others from the risk of exposure to COVID-19 is by practicing good hygiene. Below are measures to ensure good hygiene in your workplace.  

Good hygiene requires washing your hands regularly with soap and water for at least 20 seconds and drying them completely, preferably with clean, single-use paper towels. If paper towels are unavailable, other methods such as electric hand dryers can be used, however, hands will still need to be dried completely.

You must wash and dry your hands: 

• before and after eating 
• after coughing or sneezing 
• after going to the toilet 
• when changing tasks and after touching potentially contaminated surfaces.  

When it is not possible to wash hands, an alcohol-based hand sanitiser with at least 60% ethanol or 70% isopropanol as the active ingredient must be used as per the manufacturer’s instructions.

Good hygiene also requires you to, at all times: 

• cover coughs and sneezes with your elbow or a clean tissue (and no spitting) 
• avoid touching your face, eyes, nose and mouth 
• dispose of tissues and cigarette butts hygienically, e.g. in closed bins 
• wash and dry your hands completely before and after smoking a cigarette  
• clean and disinfect shared equipment and plant after use 
• wash body, hair (including facial hair) and clothes thoroughly every day 
• have no intentional physical contact, for example, shaking hands and patting backs.