Employer

Worker, student and visitor hygiene

You must direct your workers, students and visitors to the campus, to practice good hygiene while on campus or at student accommodation facilities and residential colleges. Good hygiene requires everyone to wash their hands regularly with soap and water for at least 20 seconds and dry them with clean paper towel. Everyone must wash their hands: 

  • before and after eating 
  • after coughing or sneezing 
  • after going to the toilet, and  
  • 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 hands. 

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

  • 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 their hands before and after smoking a cigarette 
  • wash their hands before and after and training sessions 
  • 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. These policies should outline measures in place to prevent the spread of infectious diseases at the workplace. Communicate these policies to workers 
  • train workers on 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 clean hands with sanitiser, and 
  • inform workers and students 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.) and when sharing equipment in tutorials, workshops or laboratories (e.g. cleaning microscopes after use, washing hands before and after touching items)
  • provide alcohol-based hand sanitiser in appropriate locations for workers and students to use, such as at the entry and exit points of buildings, lecture theatres, libraries, computer labs, other common areas and accommodation facilities.
  • if campus health services are provided for workers and students, follow infection prevention and control measures for COVID-19 as advised by state or territory health authorities
  • inform workers and students with signs throughout the campus (including accommodation facilities), and notices by email or on your website/social media, of hygiene standards that are expected of people attending the campus. This may include:
    • washing hands or using alcohol-based hand sanitiser regularly and not touching your face
    • minimising the number of items they bring to the campus and times they touch their phone and other personal items as they could unintentionally transfer germs 
    • staying at home if they feel unwell or directed by health authorities to self-quarantine or self-isolate.

Good hygiene measures should also be supported by increased cleaning measures - see also our information on cleaning.

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.

Small Business

Worker, student and visitor hygiene

You must direct your workers, students and visitors to the campus, to practice good hygiene while on campus or at student accommodation facilities and residential colleges. Good hygiene requires everyone to wash their hands regularly with soap and water for at least 20 seconds and dry them with clean paper towel. Everyone must wash their hands: 

  • before and after eating 
  • after coughing or sneezing 
  • after going to the toilet, and  
  • 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 hands. 

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

  • 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 their hands before and after smoking a cigarette 
  • wash their hands before and after and training sessions 
  • 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. These policies should outline measures in place to prevent the spread of infectious diseases at the workplace. Communicate these policies to workers 
  • train workers on 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 clean hands with sanitiser, and 
  • inform workers and students 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.) and when sharing equipment in tutorials, workshops or laboratories (e.g. cleaning microscopes after use, washing hands before and after touching items)
  • provide alcohol-based hand sanitiser in appropriate locations for workers and students to use, such as at the entry and exit points of buildings, lecture theatres, libraries, computer labs, other common areas and accommodation facilities.
  • if campus health services are provided for workers and students, follow infection prevention and control measures for COVID-19 as advised by state or territory health authorities
  • inform workers and students with signs throughout the campus (including accommodation facilities), and notices by email or on your website/social media, of hygiene standards that are expected of people attending the campus. This may include:
    • washing hands or using alcohol-based hand sanitiser regularly and not touching your face
    • minimising the number of items they bring to the campus and times they touch their phone and other personal items as they could unintentionally transfer germs 
    • staying at home if they feel unwell or directed by health authorities to self-quarantine or self-isolate.

Good hygiene measures should also be supported by increased cleaning measures - see also our information on cleaning.

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.

Worker

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.  

A combination of cleaning and disinfection will be most effective in removing the COVID-19 virus.

Workplaces must be cleaned at least daily. Cleaning with detergent and water is usually sufficient.  Once clean, surfaces can be disinfected. When and how often your workplace should be disinfected will depend on the likelihood of contaminated material being present. You should prioritise cleaning and disinfecting surfaces that many people touch.

Alternatively, you may be able to do a 2-in-1 clean and disinfection by using a combined detergent and disinfectant.

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, and  
  • 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, and 
  • have no intentional physical contact, for example, shaking hands and patting backs. 

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Employer
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