COVID-19 for Workplaces Pack
For the Employer in the My industry isn't here industry

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is an infectious disease that is caused by a newly discovered form of coronavirus.  

COVID-19 is a respiratory infection that was unknown before the outbreak that started in Hubei Province, China, in December 2019. Other known forms of coronaviruses include Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). 

What are the symptoms of COVID-19? 

The most common symptoms of COVID-19 are fever and respiratory symptoms, such as coughing, sore throat and shortness of breath. 

Other symptoms can include runny nose, acute blocked nose (congestion), headache, muscle or joint pains, nausea, diarrhoea, vomiting, loss of sense of smell, altered sense of taste, loss of appetite and fatigue.

Most people infected with COVID-19 will recover without special medical treatment. Some people, such as those with underlying medical problems or disease and older people, are more likely to suffer from more serious symptoms of the diseases. See also our website on  vulnerable workers. 

How is COVID-19 spread? 

The virus that causes COVID-19 can be transmitted through respiratory droplets, smaller particles (aerosols), direct physical contact with an infected individual, and indirectly through contaminated objects and surfaces. People may be infectious for several days before they develop symptoms. 

Respiratory droplets and aerosols that are produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes. Droplets may also come into contact with the person’s eyes, nose or mouth or be inhaled. Airborne transmission of COVID-19 through small particles called aerosols can also occur through coughing, sneezing, breathing and talking, with the greatest risk in indoor, crowded and inadequately ventilated spaces. Aerosols can remain suspended in the air and travel further than 1 metre (longer range). 

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 several hours to a few days, depending on the surface type and environmental conditions. 

More information 

For more information about COVID-19 please see the resources available from the Australian Government Department of Health.  

You can also call the National Coronavirus Help Line on 1800 020 080 if you have questions about COVID-19. It operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week.  

If you require translating or interpreting services, please call 131 450. 

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 own 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 implementing appropriate cleaning and disinfecting measures for 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.
 

How to clean and disinfect

Cleaning means to physically remove germs (bacteria and viruses), dirt and grime from surfaces using a detergent and water solution. A detergent is a surfactant that is designed to break up oil and grease with the use of water. Anything labelled as a detergent will work.

Disinfecting means using chemicals to kill germs on surfaces. It’s important to clean before disinfecting because dirt and grime can reduce the ability of disinfectants to kill germs. The following disinfectants are suitable for use on hard surfaces (that is, surfaces where any spilt liquid pools, and does not soak in): alcohol in a concentration of at least 70%, chlorine bleach in a concentration of 1000 parts per million, oxygen bleach, or wipes and sprays that contain quaternary ammonium compounds. These chemicals will be labelled as ‘disinfectant’ on the packaging and must be diluted or used following the instructions on the packaging to be effective.

Cleaning should start with the cleanest surface first, progressively moving towards the dirtiest surface. When surfaces are cleaned, they should be left as dry as possible to reduce the risk of slips and falls, as well as spreading of viruses and bacteria through droplets.

Before a surface is disinfected, it is important it is cleaned first because dirt and grime can reduce the ability of disinfectants to kill germs. Disinfectant may not kill the virus if the surface has not been cleaned with a detergent first. 

The packaging or manufacturer’s instructions will outline the correct way to use disinfectant. Disinfectants require time to be effective at killing viruses. If no time is specified, the disinfectant should be left for ten minutes before removing.

You should provide your workers with suitable cleaning and disinfecting products and personal protective equipment, and ensure they are trained on how to use them. 

After cleaning, any single-use personal protective equipment (PPE), disposable cloths and covers should be placed in a plastic bag and disposed of in general waste. Any reusable cleaning equipment, including mop heads and reusable cloths, should be laundered and completely dry before re-use.

Our cleaning guide provides more information on cleaning and disinfecting, including for specific surfaces.

What is the difference between cleaning and disinfecting?

Cleaning means to physically remove germs (bacteria and viruses), dirt and grime from surfaces using a detergent and water solution. A detergent is a surfactant that is designed to break up oil and grease with the use of water. 

Disinfecting means using chemicals to kill germs on surfaces. It’s important to clean before disinfecting because dirt and grime can reduce the ability of disinfectants to kill germs. The following disinfectants are suitable for use on hard surfaces (that is, surfaces where any spilt liquid pools, and does not soak in): alcohol in a concentration of at least 70%, chlorine bleach in a concentration of 1000 parts per million, oxygen bleach, or wipes and sprays that contain quaternary ammonium compounds. These chemicals will be labelled as ‘disinfectant’ on the packaging and must be diluted or used following the instructions on the packaging to be effective.

Which areas should be cleaned and disinfected, and how often?

Any surfaces that are frequently touched should be prioritised for cleaning, such as tabletops, counters, door handles, light switches, elevator buttons, desks, toilets, taps, TV remotes, kitchen surfaces and cupboard handles, phones, EFTPOS machines and workplace amenities. . Any surfaces that are visibly dirty, or have a spill, should be cleaned as soon as they are identified, regardless of when they were last cleaned. 

You should regularly clean and disinfect surfaces that many people touch. At a minimum, frequently touched surfaces workplaces should be cleaned and disinfected at least once daily. If your workplace has many customers or others entering each day, more frequent cleaning and disinfection of frequently touched surfaces is recommended. If your workplace is only attended by the same small work crew each day and involves little interaction with other people, routine disinfection in addition to daily cleaning may not be needed.

Which areas should I prioritise for cleaning?

Any surfaces that are frequently touched should be prioritised for cleaning and disinfection. These include tabletops, counters, door handles, light switches, elevator buttons, desks, toilets, taps, TV remotes, kitchen surfaces and cupboard handles, phones, EFTPOS machines and workplace amenities.. You should also prioritise cleaning and disinfecting surfaces which are visibly soiled (dirty) and which are used by multiple people (e.g. trolleys, checkouts, EFTPOS machines).

How often should I do a routine clean?

Regular cleaning is key to minimising the build-up of dust and dirt and allows for effective disinfecting when required.

Cleaning of frequently touched surfaces must be undertaken at least once per day. Cleaning should be more frequent if surfaces become visibly dirty, there is a spill, or if they are touched by a different people (for example, if your workplace has a high volume of workers, customers or visitors that are likely to touch surfaces such as tabletops, counters, door handles, light switches, elevator buttons, desks, toilets, taps, TV remotes, kitchen surfaces and cupboard handles, phones, EFTPOS machines and workplace amenities). If your workplace operates in shifts, it should be cleaned between shifts. If equipment is shared between workers, it may also be cleaned between uses, where practicable.

For more information, refer to our cleaning guide.

Cleaning and disinfecting should also be done after a person with a confirmed or suspected case of COVID 19 has recently been at the workplace, in line with advice from your state or territory’s health authority. For more information, including the contact details for your local health authority please see What to do if a worker has COVID-19.

How often should I do a routine disinfection?

You should regularly clean and disinfect surfaces that many people touch. You should consider disinfecting frequently touched surfaces at least once daily. 

All surfaces should be cleaned with detergent prior to disinfection. Alternatively, you may be able to do a 2-in-1 clean and disinfection by using a combined detergent and disinfectant. 

What’s the difference between frequently touched and infrequently touched surfaces?

A frequently touched surface is a surface that is touched multiple times each day, regardless of whether it is touched by the same person or different people. Door handles and taps are examples of frequently touched surfaces.

An infrequently touched surface is any surface that is not touched more than once each day. If you are unsure, you should treat your surface as if it is frequently touched.

Does every surface need to be cleaned and disinfected?

You don’t need to clean and disinfect every surface. The virus is transmitted by breathing in droplets produced by an infected person coughing or sneezing, or contact with contaminated surfaces, so you only need to clean surfaces that are touched or otherwise contaminated. This is true whether the touching is deliberate (e.g. a door knob) or incidental (e.g. brushing a door when reaching for the door knob). There are some surfaces that are never touched (e.g. ceilings and cracks and crevices in machinery) and these do not need to be cleaned and disinfected.

Do I need to clean and disinfect areas or equipment daily if no one has entered the area or used the equipment recently?

Not necessarily. If a surface has not had human contact for several days, it is less likely to be a potential source of infection. You may wish to consider how frequently a particular surface is touched or otherwise comes into human contact when deciding how often an area or equipment needs to be cleaned and disinfected. However care should be taken, as research shows that the COVID-19 virus can survive on some surfaces for prolonged periods of time. If there is any doubt, it is better to clean and disinfect an area rather than risk infection.

You can refer to our cleaning guide for more detailed information on how to clean a range of different surfaces and items, as well as for assistance on how to clean if there is a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19 in your workplace.

What about workers’ personal items?

You should instruct your workers to clean and disinfect personal items used in the workplace such as glasses and phones regularly using disinfectant wipes or sprays.  

What should my workers wear to clean?

In most circumstances, it will not be necessary for workers to wear protective clothing to clean your workplace. However, workers should use personal protective equipment (PPE) that is necessary for the products they are using for cleaning. As a starting point: 

• Gloves are the minimum requirements 
• Gowns and disposable suits/aprons are not required. Clothes that can be washed afterwards are suitable. 
• You need to provide any PPE and train your workers on how to use it safely. 

If you have a suspected or confirmed COVID-19 case in the workplace, surgical masks should be used to cleaning any impacted areas.

See also our information on PPE and masks.

What if there is a case of COVID-19 in my workplace?

If you have a case of COVID-19 in the workplace, your state or territory health authority should provide you with advice on what you need to do in your workplace. Follow their instructions. 

• Using an ISO accredited cleaner is not required. 
• Fogging is not required and is not recommended by the Australian Government Department of Health for routine cleaning against COVID-19 
• Swabbing surfaces following disinfection is not required. 

For more information on what to do if there is a case of COVID-19 see our infographic What to do if a worker has COVID-19. 

What are the best products for cleaning and disinfecting?

When cleaning it is best to use detergent and warm water. This will break down grease and grime so that the surface can be wiped clean. Anything labelled as a detergent will work. Disinfectants should only be used once the surface is fully cleaned.

Disinfectants that are suitable for use on hard surfaces (that is, surfaces where any spilt liquid pools, and does not soak in) include: alcohol in a concentration of at least 70%, chlorine bleach in a concentration of 1000 parts per million, oxygen bleach, or wipes and sprays that contain quaternary ammonium compounds. These chemicals will be labelled as ‘disinfectant’ on the packaging and must be diluted or used following the instructions on the packaging to be effective.

If using a store-bought disinfectant, choose one that has antiviral activity, meaning it can kill viruses. This should be written on its label. Alternately, diluted bleach can be used. If using freshly made bleach solution, follow the manufacturer’s instructions for appropriate dilution and use. It will only be effective when diluted to the appropriate concentration. Note that prediluted bleach solutions lose effectiveness over time and on exposure to sunlight.

More information about disinfectant selection and preparing bleach solutions can be found in the Department of Health’s Coronavirus (COVID-19) Environmental cleaning and disinfection principles for health and residential care facilities. 

Is a sanitiser a disinfectant?

A sanitiser is a chemical that is designed to kill some bacteria and some viruses that can cause disease in humans or animals. These chemicals are not as strong as disinfectants, which makes them safe to use on skin. If you’re disinfecting a hard surface or inanimate object, a disinfectant is the best option.

If everything is sold out, can I make my own disinfectant?

Store-bought disinfectants meet government standards, so you know they will work. However, if you don’t have store bought disinfectant available, you can prepare a disinfecting solution using bleach and water. Do not use products such as vinegar, baking soda, (bicarbonate of soda), essential oil, mouthwash or saline solution – these will not kill COVID-19.

If preparing a disinfecting solution, make sure you handle chemicals carefully, as they can be dangerous. Always read and follow the instructions and safety directions on the label. If the solution is not prepared and used as described in the instructions, it is unlikely to be effective. More information about the preparation of chlorine (bleach) disinfectant solutions can be found on the Department of Health’s website.

Can I use a product that claims to clean and disinfect at the same time?

Yes, some products can be used for both cleaning and disinfecting, which can save time and effort. If using these products, make sure that you read and follow the instructions on the label to ensure they work effectively.

Does heating or freezing kill the virus?

Extreme heat will destroy COVID-19 but is not recommended as a general disinfection method. Steam and boiling water can easily burn workers and should only be used by trained personnel with specialised equipment.

Viruses are generally resistant to the cold and can survive longer if frozen than if left outside at room temperature.

Will an antibacterial product kill COVID-19?

Antibacterial products are designed to kill bacteria. However, COVID-19 is caused by a virus rather than by bacteria, so an antibacterial product may not be effective against COVID-19.

Detergent and warm water are suitable for cleaning surfaces and should be used prior to using a disinfectant.

For cleaning hands, regular soap and warm water is effective.

Should I be using hospital grade disinfectant for normal cleaning in the workplace?

The Department of Health only recommends the use of hospital grade disinfectant when cleaning in a hospital, beauty or allied health care setting where an infectious person has been present.

What is the difference between household grade disinfectant and hospital grade disinfectant?

Hospital grade disinfectants must meet government standards for use in health care, beauty and allied health settings. A household or commercial grade disinfectant must also meet government standards, but the testing is not as comprehensive as it is for hospital grade disinfectants and the standards to be met are lower.

Household or commercial grade disinfectant are suitable for use in workplaces that are not health care, beauty or allied health settings.

Are there any cleaning methods I shouldn’t use?

The best cleaning method is to use warm water and detergent. You should avoid any cleaning methods that may disperse the virus or create droplets, such as using pressurised water, pressurised air (including canned air cleaners), dry cloth and dusters.

Fumigation or wide-area spraying (known as ‘disinfectant fogging’) is not recommended for general use against COVID-19. Additionally, if not done correctly it can expose workers and others to hazardous chemicals.”

I prefer to use environmentally friendly or natural products, do I have to use detergent to clean?

Yes. Using only water and a cloth, or other forms of cleaning agents, such as vinegar and baking soda (bicarbonate of soda), will not be as effective as using detergent.

What is disinfectant fogging, and do I need to do it?

Disinfectant fogging (sometimes called disinfectant fumigation) is a chemical application method where very fine droplets of disinfectant are sprayed throughout a room in a fog. The disinfectant has to reach a certain concentration for a certain length of time to be effective.

Disinfectant fogging is not recommended for general use against COVID-19 and can introduce new work health and safety risks. Physically cleaning surfaces with detergent and warm water, followed by disinfecting with liquid disinfectant, is the best approach. If you are looking for a faster or easier method, consider a combined (2-in-1) cleaning and disinfecting agent.

Note that if you already use fogging as part of your normal business processes (such as in health care or food manufacturing) you should continue to do so.

The chemicals used in fogging solutions also introduce work health and safety risks which must be managed. Chlorine and hydrogen peroxide-based products are highly irritating to the skin and eyes. Alcohol based products are highly flammable, which may lead to fire or explosion if an ignition source is present.

In all cases, sufficient time must be allowed following fogging for the chemicals to disperse to ensure that workers returning to the area to ensure they are not exposed to hazardous chemicals. If fogging is undertaken, it must only be performed by trained persons and using appropriate controls in accordance with the manufacturer’s directions. It should not be undertaken as a response to, or element of a response to contamination of an area with COVID-19. 

How do I clean linen, crockery and cutlery?  

If items can be laundered, launder them in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions using the warmest setting possible. Dry items completely. Do not shake dirty laundry as this may disperse the virus through the air.

Wash crockery and cutlery in a dishwasher on the highest setting possible. If a dishwasher is not available, hand wash in hot soapy water.

More information about how to clean specific items refer to our cleaning guide.

I run a cleaning business, how do I manage the risk of infection to myself and my workers?

You should consult with the business engaging you to clean and with your workers to ensure that that the risks of the job are fully understood and can be managed. For example, you should know if there have been any recent cases of COVID-19 at the workplace and the level of public traffic at the workplace. Once you understand the risks associated with the job, you must put appropriate control measures in place. These may include:

• physical distancing measures, such as cleaning when other workers are not present (e.g. after hours if cleaning an office) to reduce the chance of contact with others
• training workers on the use of good hygiene practices and safe cleaning techniques. This should include information on how COVID-19 is transmitted and how the use of good hygiene and safe cleaning practices reduces the risk of COVID-19 spreading, and instructions for staff to avoid touching their face whilst cleaning
• ensuring that correctly fitting personal protective equipment (PPE) is supplied and that your workers know how to use it. More information about PPE is available on our website, and
• ensuring regular communication with the business that has engaged you so that you are kept up to date on any cases or suspected cases at the workplace.

My job involves going into other persons’ homes. Do I need to clean and disinfect all of my equipment and personal effects after each visit? 

It is generally not necessary to clean and disinfect all equipment before or after each visit.

You should consider cleaning and disinfecting your equipment:

• before entering the home of a vulnerable or at-risk person, such an elderly person or a person with a pre-existing medical condition
• before and after sharing equipment with the resident of the home or with other people.

Regardless, you should still practice good hygiene and ensure that your equipment and effects are kept clean. More information about working in other persons homes can be found in the In-house services: Minimising the risk of exposure to COVID-19 fact sheet.

What else can I do?

• Minimise touching of surfaces; put up signs and support your workers in reminding customers 
• Reduce the number of touch points for workers 
• Provide hand washing facilities or hand sanitiser at entry and exit points if possible. 
• Dispose of used paper towel in a waste bin that is regularly emptied to keep the area clean, tidy and safe. See our hygiene information for further advice on hand washing and paper towel. 
• Ensure used PPE is disposed of appropriately. Unless contaminated, masks can be disposed of with the general waste, preferably in a closed bin. Contaminated PPE items should be disposed of into a closed bin with two bin liners or be double bagged separately. Refer to our PPE and masks information for detailed advice on correct disposal.

Is there someone I can talk to for more information about Coronavirus?

The Department of Health runs the National Coronavirus Hotline - 1800 020 080.

You can call this line if you are seeking information on coronavirus. The line operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week. 

You can find more contact options for the Department of Health on their website.

What about information published by other organisations?

• Department of Health: Coronavirus (COVID-19) Physical distancing for coronavirus (COVID-19)
• Department of Health: Coronavirus (COVID-19) Information about routine environmental cleaning and disinfection in the community
• Department of Health: Coronavirus (COVID-19) Environmental cleaning and disinfection principles for health and residential care facilities
• Therapeutic Goods Administration: Disinfectants for use against COVID-19 in the ARTG for legal supply in Australia 
• Food Standards Australia New Zealand: Novel Coronavirus and food safety
• Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry: COVID-19 Business support 
• Australian Industry Group: Coronavirus COVID-19 Advice and resources 
• Australian Council of Trade Unions: Coronavirus updates - Workers' rights, tools & resources for dealing with COVID-19 

You must consult with your workers on health and safety matters relating to COVID-19. This means you must consult when: 

• assessing the risk COVID-19 presents to the health and safety of workers 
• deciding on control measures to eliminate or minimise the risk of exposure to COVID-19 
• deciding on the adequacy of facilities for the welfare of workers (e.g. hand washing facilities), and 
• proposing other changes to the workplace as a result of COVID-19 which may affect health and safety. 

If you and your workers have agreed to procedures for consultation, the consultation must be in accordance with those procedures. If workers are represented by Health and Safety Representatives (HSRs) you must include them in the consultation process. 

You must allow workers to raise and express their views on work health and safety issues that may arise directly or indirectly because of COVID-19. You must genuinely take the views of workers into account when making decisions and advise them of your decision.  

Do I still have to consult with workers if I am following advice from health authorities?

Yes. You must consult with workers about all the things you are doing to identify and manage the risks to keep workers safe during the pandemic. Workers are most likely to know about the risks of their work, including new risks introduced as a result of COVID-19 control measures. Involving them will help build commitment to this process and any changes you make at the workplace. 

Consultation does not require consensus or agreement but you must allow your workers to be part of the decision making process. You must genuinely take into account their views.  

Some or all of my workers are working from home, does consultation have to be face to face?

No. When you or your workers are working from home you may not be able to consult with them face to face. You must find other ways of consulting with them such as emails, video conferences or calling workers individually to discuss their concerns. 

Make sure you update your consultation policies and procedures to reflect the new arrangements you need to put in place. 

What else do I need to consider?

You must consult with your workers in accordance with any agreed procedures, including involving any HSRs. However, if working arrangements have changed (e.g. workers working from home, doing shifts or changing work groups) you may need to review and update these procedures to suit the current pandemic conditions. This may mean electing new HSRs for different work groups or changing procedures to allow for consultation through electronic communications. 

What do my workers need to know?

You must provide workers with clear direction and guidance about what is expected including:  

• when to stay away from the workplace  
• what action to take if they become unwell 
• what symptoms to be concerned about, and 
• that workers have a duty to take reasonable care for their own health and safety and to not adversely affect the health and safety of others. 

What other information should I share with my workers?

You must share relevant information with workers about health and safety issues, such as any COVID-19 WHS policies you’ve put in place or updated to taken account of the pandemic conditions (e.g. how to report any incidents) and any changes to emergency plans.  

You must provide this as early as possible and ensure that it can be easily understood by your workers. 

You should also remind workers about contacts to discuss their concerns such as HSRs, and access to support services, including employee assistance programs. 

Is there anyone else I should be talking to?

Yes. You must also consult, cooperate and coordinate with other businesses you work with, or share premises with, about how they will discharge their WHS duties when they interact with your workers. To do this you should:  

• exchange information to find out who is doing what. For example: 
  • talk to your suppliers about how to safely manage deliveries 
  • talk to other businesses that share your worksite or premises about how to manage shared areas such as lifts, bathroom and kitchen facilities 
  • talk to other businesses that share your worksite or premises about what you will do if there is a case, or suspected case, of COVID-19 at the worksite or premises, and 
  • talk to other businesses you interact with, for example, the onsite food van or the contract cleaner.  
• work together in a cooperative and coordinated way so risks are eliminated or minimised so far as is reasonably practicable (e.g. how to manage shared areas such as lifts, bathroom facilities) 

The model Code of Practice: Work health and safety consultation, cooperation and coordination provides more information about your duties to consult. 

Anyone who is unwell should not be at a workplace. If anyone develops symptoms at work such as fever, cough, sore throat or shortness of breath, you should ask them to seek medical advice. 

It is important to remember that if a person becomes sick with these symptoms at work they may be suffering from a cold, the flu or other respiratory illness and not COVID-19. 

If, after seeking medical advice your worker is confirmed as having COVID-19 your state and territory public health unit will trace and contact the people the infected worker was in close contact with and provide them with instructions to quarantine.  

What action should I take if I suspect someone at my workplace has the virus or has been exposed? 

You are not expected, and should not try, to diagnose workers. However, you have a work health and safety duty to minimise the risk of workers and others in the workplace being exposed to COVID-19 so far as reasonably practicable. 

If you reasonably suspect someone has the virus, or has been exposed, this creates a health risk at your workplace, and you will need to follow the steps below. Do not wait until confirmation that a worker has COVID-19. You must act promptly to take reasonable steps to manage the risks.  

This information is provided to assist you in the workplace. However, you must always follow the advice of your state and territory public health unit and WHS regulator, even if it is different to this guidance.  

Steps to take when the person you are concerned about is at the workplace now 

If someone is confirmed as having COVID-19 or is getting tested for COVID-19, they should already be at home. However, there may be circumstances where a person in your workplace is displaying COVID-like symptoms or shares information (e.g. they have been in close contact with someone that has the virus) that causes you to have reasonable concerns about their health and the health of others in your workplace.  

The person could be a worker, a client, customer or other visitor to your premises. Where this occurs: 

1. Isolate the person 

If the person has serious symptoms such as difficulty breathing, call 000 for urgent medical help. Otherwise, you must take steps to prevent the person from potentially spreading the virus by isolating them from others. You must also provide appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) to the affected person, such as disposable surgical mask, and hand sanitiser and tissues, if available. Also provide protection to anyone assisting the person. 

2. Seek advice and assess the risks 

Next, to determine if it is reasonable to suspect the person may have COVID-19, talk to the person about your concerns and see what they say.  

Seek government health advice by calling your state or territory helpline. Follow the advice of your state and territory public health unit. You can also contact the National Coronavirus Helpline on 1800 020 080, which operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The National Helpline can provide advice on when and how to seek medical help or about how to get tested for COVID-19. 

Ensure that you have current contact details for the person and make a note about the areas they have been in the workplace, who they have been in close contact with in the workplace and for how long. This will inform you about risks to others and areas to clean and disinfect. This information may also assist your state and territory public health unit if they need to follow up with you at a later time.  

Your state or territory WHS regulator may also be able to provide specific WHS advice on your situation.  

3. Transport 

Ensure the person has transport home, to a location they can isolate, or to a medical facility if necessary.  

Wherever possible, if a person is unwell or travelling to a location for mandatory  
isolation, they should use a personal mode of transport to minimise exposure to others. They should not use public transport unless there is no other option.  

If the person needs to use a taxi or ride share service (or public transport) then the person should avoid contact with others including the driver to the extent possible. This includes: 

• wearing a surgical mask, if available 
• avoiding direct contact with the driver, including sitting in the back seat to achieve as much separation as is reasonably possible  
• practising good hand hygiene and cough/sneeze hygiene, and 
• paying by card. 

4. Clean and disinfect 

Close off the affected areas and do not let others use or enter them until they have been cleaned and disinfected. Open outside doors and windows if possible to increase air flow. 

All areas, for example offices, bathrooms, kitchens and common areas and equipment or PPE that were used by the person concerned must then be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected. 

Further information on how to clean and disinfect can be found in our Cleaning to prevent the spread of COVID-19 guide and also the Cleaning information for your industry. 

Cleaners must wear appropriate PPE, for example disposable gloves or gloves appropriate to the cleaning chemicals being used, and safety eyewear to protect against chemical splashes. If there is visible contamination with respiratory secretions or other body fluids in the area, the cleaners should also wear a disposable apron. 

Your state and territory public health unit may also provide you with further information about how and where to clean. You must follow those instructions. 

5. Identify and tell close contacts 

The state or territory public health unit will identify close contacts of a confirmed COVID-19 case and provide them with instructions, for example, in relation to quarantine requirements.  

In the meantime, for the purposes of undertaking a workplace risk assessment and to assist your state and territory public health unit, consider who the affected person may have had recent close contact with. If instructed by health officials, tell close contacts that they may have been exposed to COVID-19 and the requirements for quarantine. You must maintain the privacy of all individuals involved.  

Seek information about the areas that close contacts have been in the workplace, who they have been in close contact with in the workplace and for how long. This will inform you about possible risks to others, and additional areas that may also need to be cleaned and disinfected. 

6. Review risk management controls  

Review your COVID-19 risk management controls, in consultation with your workers and their representatives, and assess and decide whether any changes or additional control measures are required.  

You must continue to meet your WHS duties at all times. This may mean taking steps above and beyond public health requirements to eliminate or minimise, so far as is reasonably practicable, the risk of workers and others in the workplace (such as customers) contracting COVID-19.  

See also our information for managing COVID-19 risks in your industry. This information provides practical guidance on managing risks in your workplace. 

Steps to take when the person you are concerned about has recently been at your workplace 

A person who has recently been at your workplace such as a worker, client or customer may inform you they have, or may potentially have, COVID-19. Depending on the circumstances (e.g. how recently the person was at your workplace and how closely they were in contact with others) you may have reasonable concerns about the health of others in your workplace.  

You must continue to meet your WHS duties at all times. This may mean taking steps above and beyond public health requirements to eliminate or minimise, so far as is reasonably practicable, the risk of workers and others in your workplace (such as customers) contracting COVID-19.  

1. Seek advice and assess the risks 

To determine if it is reasonable to suspect the person may have COVID-19, talk to the person about your concerns and see what they say. You do not have to do this if the person has already informed you that they have or may potentially have COVID-19 

Seek government health advice by calling your state or territory helpline. Follow the advice of your state and territory public health unit. You can also contact the National Coronavirus Helpline on 1800 020 080, which operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The National Helpline can provide advice on when and how to seek medical help or about how to get tested for COVID-19. 

Ensure that you have current contact details for the person and make a note about the areas they had been in the workplace, who they had been in close contact with in the workplace and for how long. This will inform you about risks to others and areas to clean and disinfect. This information may also assist your state and territory public health unit if they need to follow up with you at a later time.  

Your state or territory WHS regulator may also be able to provide specific WHS advice on your situation.  

2. Identify and tell close contacts 

The state or territory public health unit will identify close contacts of a confirmed COVID-19 case and provide them with instructions, for example, in relation to quarantine requirements.  

In the meantime, for the purposes of undertaking a workplace risk assessment and to assist your state and territory public health unit, consider who the affected person may have had recent close contact with. If instructed by health officials, tell close contacts that they may have been exposed to COVID-19 and the requirements for quarantine. You must maintain the privacy of all individuals involved.  

Seek information about the areas that close contacts have been in the workplace, who they have been in close contact with in the workplace and for how long. This will inform you about possible risks to others, and additional areas that may also need to be cleaned and disinfected. 

3. Clean and disinfect 

Close off the affected areas and do not let others use or enter them until they have been cleaned and disinfected. Open outside doors and windows if possible to increase air flow. 

All areas, for example offices, bathrooms, kitchens and common areas as well as equipment or PPE that were used by the person concerned must then be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected. 

Further information on how to clean and disinfect can be found in our Cleaning to prevent the spread of COVID-19 guide and also the Cleaning information for your industry. 

Cleaners must wear appropriate PPE, for example disposable gloves or gloves appropriate to the cleaning chemicals being used, and safety eyewear to protect against chemical splashes. If there is visible contamination with respiratory secretions or other body fluids in the area, the cleaners should also wear a disposable apron. 

Your state and territory public health unit may also provide you with further information about how and where to clean. You must follow those instructions. 

4. Review risk management controls 

Review your COVID-19 risk management controls, in consultation with your workers and their representatives, and assess and decide whether any changes or additional control measures are required.  

You must continue to meet your WHS duties at all times. This may mean taking steps above and beyond public health requirements to eliminate or minimise, so far as is reasonably practicable, the risk of workers and others in the workplace (such as customers) contracting COVID-19.  

See also our information for managing COVID-19 risks in your industry. This information is provides practical guidance on managing risks in your workplace. 

Do I need to close my workplace for cleaning? 

There is no automatic requirement to close an entire workplace following a suspect or confirmed case of COVID-19. It may be unnecessary if the person has only visited parts of your workplace or if government health officials advise you the risk of others being exposed are low.  

Whether you need to suspend operations in your workplace will depend on factors such as the size of the workplace, nature of work, number of people and suspected areas of contamination in your workplace.  

See also our information about Cleaning to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

When can workers return to work following recovery from COVID-19? 

Workers who have been isolated after having tested positive for COVID-19 can return to work when they have fully recovered and have met the criteria for clearance from isolation.  

The criteria may vary depending on circumstances of the workplace and states and territories may manage clearance from isolation differently. Clearance may be by the public health authority or the persons treating clinician.  

There are specific criteria for clearance which apply to health care workers and aged care workers. As these may change, these workers should check with a medical practitioner or the public health authority as to whether the criteria for clearance from isolation has been met before they return to work.  

Contact your state or territory helpline for further advice.   

When can workers return to work following quarantine? 

Workers who have completed a 14-day quarantine period (either after returning from travel or because they were a close contact with a confirmed case), and who did not develop symptoms during quarantine, do not need a medical clearance to return to work.  

You should not ask these workers to be tested for COVID-19 in order to return to work.  

Is my worker’s case of COVID-19 a notifiable incident? 

If someone at your workplace is confirmed to have COVID-19, you may also need to notify your state or territory WHS regulator – see our Incident Notification fact sheet for further information. 

What are the state and territory helplines?

• New South Wales - 1300 066 055 
• Queensland - 13 432 584 
• Victoria - 1800 675 398 
• South Australia – 1800 253 787 
• Tasmania - 1800 671 738 
• Western Australia – 13 26843 
• Australian Capital Territory - (02) 6207 7244 
• Northern Territory - (08) 8922 8044 

The model Work Health and Safety (WHS) laws require you to take care of the health, safety and welfare of your workers, including yourself and other staff, contractors and volunteers, and others (clients, customers, visitors) at your workplace.

This includes:

• providing and maintaining a work environment that is without risk to health and safety
• providing adequate and accessible facilities for the welfare of workers to carry out their work, and
• monitoring the health of workers and the conditions of the workplace for the purpose of preventing illness or injury.

The model WHS laws have been implemented in all jurisdictions except Victoria. 

For information on WHS duties in Victoria, refer to WorkSafe Victoria –  Occupational health and safety – your legal duties.

Duty to workers

You must do what you can to ensure the health and safety of your workers. You must eliminate the risk of exposure to COVID-19 if reasonably practicable.   

If you are not able to eliminate the risk of exposure to COVID-19, you must minimise that risk, as far as is reasonably practicable.  

Protect workers from the risk of exposure to COVID-19 by, for example: 

• considering working from home arrangements 
• requiring workers to practice physical distancing  
• requiring workers to practice good hygiene (e.g., through workplace policies and ensuring access to adequate and well stocked hygiene facilities)
• requiring workers to stay home when sick, and 
• cleaning the workplace regularly and thoroughly. 

Duty to other people in the workplace

You must ensure the work of your business or undertaking does not put the health and safety of other persons (such as customers, clients and visitors) at risk of contracting COVID-19.  

Protect others from the risk of exposure to COVID-19 by, for example: 

• requiring them to practice physical distancing, including through contactless deliveries and payments  
• requiring them to practice good hygiene, and 
• requiring others to stay away from the workplace, unless essential, e.g., such as family, friends and visitors.  

Duty to maintain the workplace and facilities

You must maintain your workplace to ensure the work environment does not put workers and others at risk of contracting COVID-19. 

Maintain a safe work environment by, for example: 

• cleaning the workplace regularly and thoroughly 
• restructuring the layout of the workplace to allow for physical distancing, and 
• limiting the number of people in the workplace at any given time. 

You must also provide adequate facilities in your workplace to protect your workers from contracting COVID-19.  

Facilities that are required include: 

• washroom facilities including adequate supply of soap, water and paper towel 
• hand sanitiser, where it is not possible for workers to wash their hands, and 
• staff rooms that are regularly cleaned and allow for physical distancing. 

Provide workers with regular breaks to use these facilities, particularly to allow workers to wash their hands.

Duty to provide information, training, instruction and supervision

You must provide your workers with any information or training that is necessary to protect them from the risk of exposure to COVID-19 arising from their work.

Information and training may include: 

• providing guidance on how to properly wash hands 
• training workers in how to fit and use any necessary personal protective equipment (PPE) 
• training workers to exercise adequate cleaning practices throughout the day 
• providing workers with instructions on how to set up a safe home workplace, and 
• providing workers with instructions on staying home from work if sick. 

Duty to consult

You must consult with workers on health and safety matters relating to COVID-19. When consulting, you must give workers the opportunity to express their views and raise WHS concerns. You must take the views of workers into account and advise workers of the outcome of consultation.  

Consult with workers:

• when you conduct a risk assessment 
• when you make decisions on control measures to use to manage the risk of exposure to COVID-19 (e.g. decisions on working from home arrangements, or restricting the workplace to allow for physical distancing) 
• when you make decisions about the adequacy of the workplace facilities to allow for control measures such as physical distancing and hygiene 
• when you propose other changes that may affect the health and safety of workers, and 
• when you change any procedures that have an impact on the WHS of workers.  

If you and the workers have agreed to procedures for consultation, consultation must be in accordance with those procedures. 

You must allow workers to express their views and raise WHS issues that may arise directly or indirectly because of COVID-19. You must take the views of workers into account when making decisions and advise workers of your decision.  

Workers are most likely to know about the risks of their work. Involving them will help build commitment to your processes and any changes you implement. 

Consultation does not require consensus or agreement but you must allow your workers to be part of the decision making process.  

If workers are represented by health and safety representatives you must include them in the consultation process. 

The model Code of Practice: Work health and safety consultation, cooperation and coordination can provide more information about your duties to consult. 

All businesses must have an emergency plan. Where working operations have changed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, emergency plans must be reviewed and, if necessary, updated.

You should think about how you would deal with a case of COVID-19 in your workplace and how the changes to your business practices may affect your existing procedures and other information included in your plan. 

What is an emergency plan?

Businesses must prepare an emergency plan.  

An emergency plan is a written plan that sets out requirements and instructions for workers and others in the case of an emergency.  

An emergency plan must include the following: 

• emergency procedures, including: 
  • an effective response to an emergency  
  • evacuation procedures  
  • notifying emergency service organisations at the earliest opportunity  
  • medical treatment and assistance, and  
  • effective communication between the person authorised to coordinate the emergency response and all people at the workplace
• testing of the emergency procedures—including the frequency of testing, and  
• information, training and instruction to relevant workers in relation to implementing the emergency procedures.  

See the Emergency plans fact sheet for more information on emergency plans. 

Will COVID-19 affect my emergency plan? 

You must ensure emergency plans are maintained to continue to capture the business or undertaking’s circumstances.  

Where working operations have changed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, emergency plans must be reviewed and, if necessary, updated.  

Emergency plans must provide for workers who work at multiple workplaces, including at home. 

You must consider a range of factors when reviewing your emergency plan. You should think about how you would deal with a case of COVID-19 in your workplace and how the changes to your business practices may affect your existing procedures and other information included in your plan.  

What new information should be included in an emergency plan?

If you have workers working away from their usual workplace (i.e. working from home), then you will need to consider how this affects your plans and procedures.  

Communication practices may also need to be considered, even when you are still working from your usual workplace, if physical distancing or other measures mean that you are operating differently to when you prepared your plan.  

When reviewing and revising your plan you should also consider the application of all relevant laws, including public health laws (for example, workplaces that are also public places) and state or territory disaster plans. 

Think about practical information that your workers may need. For example, you may need to update: 

• emergency contact details for key personnel who have specific roles or responsibilities under the emergency plan, for example fire wardens, floor wardens and first aid officers  
• contact details for COVID-19 information lines 
• a description of the mechanisms for alerting people to an emergency or possible emergency – this may be affected by remote working 
• any changes to evacuation procedures or assembly points 
• the post-incident follow-up process, including who must be notified. (This may include the process for notifying the business if a worker experiences an emergency while working from home.) 

You should also consider including triggers and processes for advising neighbouring businesses about emergencies, such as a diagnosis of COVID-19 where you share facilities with that business.  

Procedures for testing the emergency plan, including the frequency of testing must be included. 

Access to the emergency plan

Emergency plans, or a summary of key elements of emergency plans, should be readily accessible by workers.  

If some or all of your workers are working from home, you should make sure they still have access.  

Make sure emergency contact details are kept up to date.  

Training in emergency procedures

Workers must be adequately informed and trained in emergency procedures. Arrangements for informing and training workers must be set out in the emergency plan itself.  

If your emergency procedures as a result of changes to business practices from COVID-19, then workers may require additional information or training. 

For instance, if you have fewer workers on site as a result of physical distancing or working from home measures, you may need to provide additional information or training to ensure that key roles are capable of being performed and that all workers understand their responsibilities in an emergency. 

Shared workplaces

In shared workplaces, you must consult, cooperate and coordinate activities with all other persons who have a work health or safety duty in relation to the same matter, so far as is reasonably practicable. This includes when reviewing and revising emergency plans.  

In shared workplaces (such as shopping centres, construction sites or office buildings) where there are multiple businesses, you may have a master emergency plan in place that all relevant duty holders use.  

Template

We have developed a template to help you prepare your emergency plan. 

Family and domestic violence can become more frequent and severe during periods of emergency. Public health measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19, such as self-isolation and working from home arrangements, may increase workers’ exposure to family and domestic violence. Financial pressures, increased stress and disconnection from support networks can also exacerbate the underlying conditions that lead to violence. 

What are my WHS duties?

You must ensure workers and others are not exposed to risks to their health and safety, including from family and domestic violence in the workplace. This includes where the workplace is a worker’s home. You must take a systematic approach to managing risk with the aim of eliminating the risk, or if this is not possible, minimising the risk so far as is reasonably practicable. In the event that it is not possible for the worker to be safe at home, an alternative work environment must be provided, so far as reasonably practicable. 

You have a duty to do what is reasonably practicable to ensure workers and others are not exposed to risks to their health and safety while undertaking work from home. You need to do what is reasonably practicable to identify the risks, such as providing a safe environment for disclosure, assuring confidentiality and not requiring workers to provide unnecessary personal details. But some risks might be outside your control, such as where a worker chooses not to disclose a risk of family or domestic violence or does not tell you that they cannot work safely at home. Workers and others at the workplace also have a duty to take reasonable care of their own health and safety, and not adversely affect the health and safety of themselves or others. This includes following any reasonable instruction given to comply with a health and safety duty. 

You need to identify hazards, assess the risks and control the risks.  

You must consult workers on physical and psychological hazards and risks in the workplace and on how to manage them before you make decisions in relation to your control measures. They will be best placed to know what the issues are and have ideas about how to manage them.  

Review how you are managing the risks to check your controls are working.  

How do I communicate with my workers about family and domestic violence?

Encourage workers to discuss with you any concerns they may have about their health and safety, as they may have important information that ought to be considered before work arrangements change (e.g. if they are working from home). Continued communication is crucial when your workers are working from home.  

Workers should be assured that any information will be treated confidentially and securely, to the extent possible and as required by law. 

If through these conversations a worker discloses to you they are experiencing violence, or you suspect they may not be safe at work, you can contact 1800 RESPECT, the national counselling service for family and domestic violence for advice. The Our Watch website also has a workplace guide for responding to disclosures of violence. 

If a worker or anyone at your workplace is in immediate danger, call 000.

What if my workers witness family and domestic violence?

 If your workers witness or see signs of family and domestic violence while undertaking work, you should contact 1800 RESPECT for advice.

Managing the risk of family and domestic violence in the workplace

Sometimes family and domestic violence will be a WHS issue. Family and domestic violence presents a work-related hazard if the perpetrator makes threats or carries out violence on a family member while they are at work, including if a worker’s workplace is their home.   

Workplaces can play an important role in preventing and responding to family violence by providing a safe and supportive working environment for all workers. This involves: 

• Communicate family and domestic violence as a workplace issue and develop workplace policies and procedures to address it. The Australian Human Rights Commission provides guidance on how you can do this. If you already have policies and procedures in place, they should be reviewed to ensure they are applicable in the current COVID-19 situation, particularly where workers are not in their usual workplace (such as working from home). 
• Consult workers about work arrangements and managing risks to health and safety. Consider holding one-on-one discussions to ensure their needs, experiences and individual circumstances are considered and information is treated as sensitive and confidential.   
• Assure workers of their right to confidentiality and support if they choose to disclose family and domestic violence. 
• Communicate support which is available to workers, including Health and Safety Representatives and employee assistance programs. 
• Provide all workers with education and training to raise their awareness of family and domestic violence, its potential effects in the workplace and how to manage risks.  
• Communicate the availability of entitlements such as paid/unpaid family and domestic violence leave, flexible work arrangements and other entitlements which support workers experiencing family and domestic violence. 
• Provide information about counselling, legal, health, financial and other family and domestic violence support services.  
• Ensure workers supporting those who are experiencing family and domestic violence are aware of the support options available to them, including employee assistance programs.   
• Provide a safe, secure and accessible reporting mechanism, including properly trained contact people within the workplace. 

Ensure workers are safe at work (when the workplace is not a person’s home)

• If possible, ensure the building or workplace is secure and entry is controlled, e.g. through swipe card or pin code access. 
• Visitors should be clearly identified to avoid accidentally allowing a person known to use violence to enter the workplace. 
• Where possible, separate workers from the public. 
• Consider flexible working arrangements, such as adjustments to working hours or work locations. 
• Ensure communication and duress alarm systems are in place, where needed. 
• Consider contact information screening, e.g. email, phone numbers, devices, internet profile. 
• Develop and put in place procedures for an emergency response to instances of family and domestic violence in the workplace, including when to involve police. 
• Ensure those in the workplace have a safe, secure place to retreat to in the event of an incident. 
• Change work email addresses or phone numbers if instances of family and domestic violence have occurred through electronic or telephone contact. 

If a worker or people at your workplace are in immediate danger, call 000. 

If an incident occurs at the workplace, you should: 

• ensure that everyone is safe 
• provide first aid or urgent medical attention where necessary 
• provide support where required, including psychological support to the victim and other workers 
• depending in the circumstances, you may need to report what happened to Police on 131 444. 

You may also need to notify your state or territory WHS regulator if the incident is a ‘notifiable incident’ (see the Incident Notification fact sheet for more information). 

Working from home

Workplaces can be a place of refuge for workers experiencing family and domestic violence and a crucial source of social and economic support.  

The model WHS laws still apply if workers work somewhere other than their usual workplace, which includes working from home. Workers experiencing family and domestic violence may be placed at greater risk because of working from home arrangements. 

When starting working from home arrangements, you must identify and manage the risks. Consulting your workers will be essential in identifying and managing risks given you may have limited knowledge of your workers’ home environment. Encourage workers to discuss with you any specific or individual concerns they may have with respect to their health and safety, or the impact any proposed control measures may have on them. This is particularly important for workers experiencing family and domestic violence because they will know the most about their personal circumstances and may have important information that ought to be considered before work arrangements change.   

If the worker has disclosed family and domestic violence, consider developing or adjusting their safety plan for working from home in consultation with their treating medical practitioner or health professional (if available). For more information on safety planning, contact 1800 Respect.  

What you can do to minimise risks at a worker's home will be different to what you can do at the usual workplace. You should: 

• Maintain regular communication with workers. Avoid directly asking about the worker experiencing family and domestic violence about the violence as this may unintentionally place the worker at risk of serious harm. It is common for perpetrators of family and domestic violence to monitor their partner’s communication including emails, text messages and phone calls. 
• Agree on a course of action if you are not able to contact the worker for a defined period.
• Appoint a contact person in the business that workers can talk to about any concerns.  
• Provide work phones and laptops to enhance autonomy and digital security.
• Provide continued access to an employee assistance program or other support programs. 

If working from home isn’t a safe option for the worker, an alternative work environment must be provided, so far as is reasonably practicable. For example, allowing the worker to work from an alternative location or allowing them to work from the office.
 

Family and domestic violence leave

Under national workplace laws, workers dealing with of family and domestic violence can: 

• take unpaid family and domestic violence leave 
• request flexible working arrangements 
• take paid or unpaid sick or carer’s leave, in certain circumstances. 

Some workplaces may also offer paid leave for workers experiencing family and domestic violence. 

You can find information about supporting workers experiencing family and domestic violence in the Fair Work Ombudsman Employer Guide to Family and Domestic Violence. 

What about confidentiality? 

It is important that workplaces develop supportive environments in which workers feel safe to discuss family and domestic violence issues.  

All workers should be made aware of any mandatory reporting obligations that you have as the employer, either under state and territory laws or as part of the worker’s employment contract, that may limit confidentiality. For example, this may include where there is a reasonable belief that child abuse is occurring.

To create an environment where workers feel confident to talk about their experience of family and domestic violence, you should be able to demonstrate that such information will be kept private and confidential. Confidentiality is important because workers may not be willing to talk about their experience without knowing it is confidential. 

Any information about a worker’s experience of family and domestic violence is sensitive and confidential. Workplaces should take all reasonable steps to ensure any information disclosed by workers regarding family and domestic violence is kept confidential and secure. Consider how you will sensitively treat personal information to protect a person’s right to privacy and implement mechanisms to protect their privacy e.g. privacy settings on hazard and incident reporting systems. Discuss with your workers how this information will be handled.
 
Disclosure should be on a need to know basis and only to maintain safety. Keep in mind that any mishandling of information may place the worker at an increased risk of violence by the perpetrator. Disclosure may have serious consequences for the worker’s safety. Where possible, disclosure should only occur with the express consent of the worker. 

Family and domestic violence in the workplace is a complex issue and you may wish to seek further advice from your employer organisation or other work health and safety and employment law professionals.  
 

Other resources

• Information sheet: Family and domestic violence at the workplace
• Fair Work Ombudsman - Employer Guide to Family and Domestic Violence 
• Australian Human Rights Commission – Domestic Violence Policy and Procedures
• 1800 RESPECT 
• DV Work Aware 
• Our Watch 
• White Ribbon Australia 
• Men’s Referral Service 
• Kids Helpline 
• Queensland Government: Individual Risk Assessment and Safety Management Plan & Workplace Risk Management Guide for Domestic and Family Violence  
• Privacy – Office of the Australian Information Commissioner  

Practising physical distancing and maintaining good hygiene is the best defence against the spread of COVID-19 and will usually be a better control measure than wearing gloves.

While gloves (such as disposable or multi-use) should still be used for some practices (such as food handling, cleaning, gardening and trades), washing hands with soap and water is one of the best defences to prevent the spread of COVID-19.  

Washing your hands frequently for at least 20 seconds with soap and water or using alcohol-based hand sanitiser with at least 60% ethanol or 70% isopropanol as the active ingredient can help to minimise the spread of germs.  

If gloves are not used appropriately, they can pose a risk of spreading germs, putting workers and others at risk. When a person wears gloves, they may come into contact with germs which can then be transferred to other objects or their face. Gloves are not a substitute for frequent hand washing.  

Gloves should be replaced regularly. Multi-use gloves should be washed and stored according to the manufacturer’s instructions or workplace policy. Disposable gloves should not be re-used and multi-use gloves should not be shared between workers. 

It is important that you keep up to date with recommendations and directions about the wearing of personal protective equipment (PPE) that apply nationally, and in your state or territory, and ensure that these are followed at your workplace. This may include instruction about the wearing of gloves in specific circumstances.

Who should wear gloves to protect against COVID-19?

You should consider whether using gloves or hand washing is the best measure for preventing the spread of germs in your workplace. This involves thinking about what workers will touch, how long the task will take, who workers may come into contact with and the practicality of using gloves for a task. It may be more practical to require workers to wash their hands with soap and water or use alcohol-based hand sanitiser than to wear gloves. 

Importantly, not all gloves are appropriate for all tasks. A risk assessment with appropriate consultation must be conducted to help inform what gloves are appropriate for your workplace.  See also our information on risk assessment and consultation.

It is important that you keep up to date with recommendations and directions about the wearing of PPE that apply nationally , and in your state or territory, and ensure that these are followed at your workplace. This may include instruction about the wearing of gloves in specific circumstances.

If workers will be required to wear disposable gloves, be aware that wearing gloves may result in new WHS risks. For example, wearing disposable gloves could cause skin irritation, contact dermatitis or other sensitivities in some workers. 

For some industries, gloves are used to protect against other (non-COVID-19) hazards. You should consider whether you need to review or modify this practice as a result of COVID-19 to ensure adequate hygiene is maintained. In all workplaces, workers must ensure they are complying with good hygiene practices, including hand washing. 

If you are going to supply or use gloves in your workplace, make sure the gloves are suitable for the work of your business or undertaking. For example, gloves made of PVC, rubber, nitrile or neoprene are recommended for protection against exposure to ‘biological hazards’. 

Medical gloves form part of the PPE for those who work in health care and patients to protect them from the spread of infection. Medical gloves protect the wearer and the patient. Not all gloves are medical grade. Disposable, non-sterile gloves that are not medical grade are also available. 

Medical gloves include: 

• examination gloves (sterile and non-sterile) 
• surgical gloves, and 
• chemotherapy gloves. 

Medical gloves can be made of latex, vinyl, synthetic polymer or nitrile. Use of medical grade gloves should be restricted to health care settings . 

Information on wearing gloves in health care settings can be found at the Australian Government Department of Health website. 

Do I need to provide gloves?

Depending on your workplace (type of work, the workers and others who come into the workplace), gloves can be provided as PPE. However, gloves won’t be necessary in many workplaces. 

A risk assessment and appropriate consultation must be conducted to help inform what gloves, if any, are appropriate for your workplace. 

It is also important that you keep up to date with recommendations and directions about the wearing of PPE that apply nationally, and in your state or territory, and ensure that these are followed at your workplace. This may include instruction about the wearing of gloves in specific circumstances.

If you are going to supply or use gloves, you should make sure the gloves are suitable for the work; not all gloves are appropriate for all work or workplaces. For example, medical gloves  are commonly made of natural rubber latex or other synthetic materials (e.g. nitrile) and are effective to protect against exposure to ‘biological hazards’. 

Be aware that wearing gloves may result in new WHS risks. For example, wearing disposable gloves could cause skin irritation, contact dermatitis or other sensitivities in some workers.

When providing gloves, workers must be trained in how to put on, use, remove and dispose of gloves. You must provide the appropriate facilities to use gloves properly including a hand washing area, with adequate soap, water and paper towels and a closed bin for disposal. See below for information about on how to put on and take off gloves, and how to dispose of gloves correctly. 

Even if your workers wear gloves in your workplace, you should ensure that they have good hygiene practices including washing hands frequently.

See also our information on hygiene.

How to put on and take off gloves

If a worker is wearing gloves, either disposable or multi-use, they should be instructed to follow the steps below to prevent the spread of germs: 

1. Before starting (and after finishing a task), wash your hands with soap and water or if not available, with alcohol-based hand sanitiser.

• Wash your hands before touching a pair of gloves.  
• When putting the gloves on try to only touch the top edge of the glove at the wrist.

2. During the task: maintain good hygiene by not touching your face and coughing or sneezing into your elbow. Monitor what you touch and replace your gloves frequently. 

• Replace your gloves every time you would wash or sanitise your hands. 

3. After completing the task, think about what you’ve touched and consider whether there is a risk of spreading the germs from your gloves if you start a new task. Your work task may not vary much but could involve touching different objects or attending to different customers or people. Consider whether using a new pair of disposable gloves or hand washing or using hand sanitiser is the best measure for the next task.

4. Taking off gloves: 

• Carefully remove the first glove by gripping at the wrist edge without touching the skin and pull downwards away from the wrist, turning the glove inside out.  
• With the ungloved hand, slide your fingers into the glove and peel the glove downwards away from the wrist, turning the glove inside out.   
• If you are wearing disposable gloves dispose of them in a closed bin (refer below for information on disposal).  
• If you are wearing multi-use gloves clean and store them according to the manufacturer’s instructions or your workplace policy. 
• Wash your hands with soap and water (for at least 20 seconds), or if not available, with alcohol-based hand sanitiser. 

There is an infographic for putting and removing gloves on the Australian Government Department of Health website. 

How to dispose of gloves

Unless contaminated, disposable gloves can be disposed of with the general waste, preferably a closed bin. A closed bin is a bin with a fitted lid. 

Where the gloves are contaminated, they should be disposed of in a closed bin, preferably one that does not need to be touched to place contaminated gloves inside. A bin with a foot pedal or other hands-free mechanism to open the lid would be appropriate. 

The bin for contaminated gloves should contain two bin liners to ensure the waste is double bagged. Double bagging minimises any exposure to the person disposing of the waste.

Gloves would be considered contaminated if:

• they have been worn by a symptomatic worker or visitor to the workplace, or
• they have been worn by a close contact of a confirmed COVID case, or 
• the wearer has touched a potentially contaminated surface.

Where a closed bin is not available, the contaminated gloves should be placed in a sealed bag before disposal into the bin. The sealed bag and a single bin liner are considered equivalent to double bagging.

It is important to follow good hand hygiene after removing and disposing of your gloves. Hands should be cleaned thoroughly with soap and water (for a minimum of 20 seconds) or hand sanitiser. 

If you have a case of COVID-19 in the workplace, your state or territory health authority should provide you with advice on what you need to do in your workplace. Follow their instructions. 

For information about the disposal of gloves in health care settings, you will need to refer to the Australian Government Department of Health and state and territory health authorities.
 

In consultation with your workers, you must put in place policies and procedures relating to COVID-19, including what workers must do if they are diagnosed or suspect they may have COVID-19.  

You must monitor your workers for key symptoms of COVID-19. The most common symptoms of COVID-19 are fever and cough. 

Other symptoms include headache, sore throat, fatigue, shortness of breath, aches and pains, loss of smell, altered sense of taste, runny nose, chills and vomiting. 

What do I need to monitor?

You must require workers to report to you as soon as possible, including if they are working from home: 

• if they are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19  
• if they have been, or have potentially been, exposed to a person who has been diagnosed with COVID-19 or is suspected to have COVID-19 (even if the person who is suspected to have COVID-19 has not yet been tested), or 
• if they have undertaken, or are planning to undertake, any travel. 

Suspected or confirmed COVID-19 in the workplace

You must require workers to leave the workplace if they are displaying symptoms of COVID-19. Follow the information in our Suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19 at work infographic and see also our information on COVID-19 in the workplace. 

If a worker has, or is suspected to have, COVID-19 you must allow them to continue to access available entitlements, including leave according to relevant workplace laws (e.g. Fair Work Act 2009 Cth) and the worker’s relevant industrial instrument such as an enterprise agreement, award, contract of employment or associated workplace policy.  

For information about workplace entitlements and obligations: 

• go to the Fair Work Ombudsman webpage Coronavirus and Australian workplace laws 
• call the Fair Work Ombudsman on 13 13 94 - select the prompt for the Coronavirus hotline 

You must not allow workers who have been isolated after having been tested positive for COVID-19 to return to the workplace (that is not their home) until they are cleared of the virus and have received any necessary clearances from the state or territory health authorities.

Workers who have completed a specified quarantine period and who did not develop symptoms during quarantine do not need a medical clearance to return to work. 

Can a worker work from home while they are in isolation?

Yes, if your worker is fit for work and this is consistent with advice from their treating clinician. Asymptomatic workers can work from home during the isolation period, with appropriate measures in place for household members, subject to the direction or advice of their treating clinician. 

If your worker is unfit for work you must allow them to continue to access available entitlements, including leave according to relevant workplace laws (e.g. Fair Work Act 2009 Cth) and the worker’s relevant industrial instrument. For information about workplace entitlements and obligations: 

• go to the Fair Work Ombudsman webpage Coronavirus and Australian workplace laws 
• call the Fair Work Ombudsman on 13 13 94 - select the prompt for the Coronavirus hotline 

Can I conduct temperature checks on workers or others?

You may want to monitor the health of your workers through administering temperature checks, as a preventative measure in managing a COVID-19 outbreak in your workplace. There may be times where this is required or reasonable. For example, 

• where workers live together in accommodation such as FIFO or agricultural workers 
• in workplaces where vulnerable people are present, such as hospitals and aged care facilities, or  
• if directed or recommended by a state or territory (e.g. under public health orders).

Some states and territories may issue directions for temperature checks to be conducted in specific industries based on the local situation. It is important that you keep up to date with recommendations and directions that apply nationally, and in your state or territory, and ensure that these are followed at your workplace.

It is important to understand that temperature checks alone will not tell you whether a person has COVID-19. It will only identify symptoms. It is possible that a person may be asymptomatic or be on medication that reduces their temperature. It is also possible that the person may have a temperature for another reason unrelated to COVID-19.  

It is therefore essential that you should implement known controls, such as good hygiene measures, physical distancing (keeping everyone at the workplace at least 1.5 metres physically apart), workplace cleaning and personal protective equipment (PPE) rather than only relying on temperature checks. You should also require workers to tell you if they are feeling unwell, including if they have a fever, and require them to go home when they do. 

Before administering temperature checks: 

• seek the advice of your public health authority on the appropriate method of temperature checking, equipment, PPE and control measures required to ensure safe testing 
• consult with your workers, and their health and safety representatives, and take their views into account 
• provide instruction to all workers on the process for temperature checks, including emphasising the importance of maintaining the other control measures 
• provide information, training, instruction and supervision, as well appropriate PPE for workers conducting temperature checks, and 
• get advice on leave/stand down arrangements for employees who register high temperatures. 

How do I know when a worker is cleared to return to the workplace after having COVID-19 or being subject to quarantine requirements?

Workers who have been isolated after having been tested positive for COVID-19 can return to their workplace (when not working from home) when they have fully recovered and have met the criteria for clearance from isolation. The criteria may vary depending on circumstances of the workplace and states and territories may manage clearance from isolation differently. Clearance may need to be given by the state or territory public health authority or the person’s treating clinician.  

Workers who have completed a specified quarantine period (either after returning from travel or because of close contact with a confirmed case), and who did not develop symptoms during quarantine, do not need a medical clearance to return to the workplace. You should not ask these workers to be tested for COVID-19 in order to return to work. However, workers should closely follow the instructions provided by the state or territory public health authority, which in some cases may include being tested for COVID-19.

Drug and alcohol testing

Drug and alcohol testing is most commonly carried out in the transport, construction and mining industries, as part of a suite of controls to manage drug and alcohol risks in the workplace.

Drug and alcohol testing poses an additional risk of COVID-19 transmission and infection, and additional safety considerations are required.

Employers must ensure that appropriate risk assessments are carried out to identify and control the risks arising from drug and alcohol testing during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Can I continue drug and alcohol testing during the COVID-19 pandemic?

The decision to continue drug and alcohol testing poses an additional risk of transmission and COVID-19 infection, and additional health and safety measures are required. When considering how to manage the risk of COVID-19, you must review and amend drug and alcohol related policies and procedures. This includes making the necessary changes to the testing methods, systems of work and control measures in place in your workplace, to ensure testing can be carried out safely and does not result in the transmission of COVID-19.

The three most commonly used testing methods are:

• Breath testing – tests an individual’s breath for alcohol intoxication, delivering immediate results using either a handheld, portable device or a wall mounted unit. There is a good correlation between the level of alcohol in a person’s breath and their blood alcohol level.
• Urine testing – tests an individual’s urine for the metabolites of drugs and alcohol. Substances may be detected after consumption depending on the substance’s elimination half-life.
• Saliva testing – the least invasive method to detect drugs and alcohol in an individual’s saliva.

When considering how to manage the risk of COVID-19, you must review and amend drug and alcohol related policies and procedures. Testing workers for alcohol and illicit substances may assist in maintaining a safe and healthy work environment for some businesses, and it is required by law in some industries. However, you must ensure that appropriate risk assessments are carried out to identify and control the risks arising from drug and alcohol testing.

If the risks of COVID-19 cannot be appropriately managed, alternative systems or approaches are needed.

You must also consult with your workers about how to manage the risk of COVID-19 and provide them with detailed information on how testing will be undertaken safely. If workers are represented by Health and Safety Representatives (HSRs) you must include them in the consultation process. 

How do I safely carry out drug and alcohol testing?

Undertaking workplace drug and alcohol testing poses risks to workers due to the potential for COVID-19 to be transmitted through the testing process. Additional safety considerations are therefore required to ensure testing does not result in the transmission of COVID-19. You must consider the testing methods, systems of work and control measures in place in your workplace, to ensure testing can be carried out safely. All testing arrangements must be designed to ensure physical distancing as much as possible and minimise face to face contact for example, through positioning workers when undertaking testing.

If a worker is unwell or displaying symptoms of COVID-19 they should not be tested while they are unwell. If a worker is feeling unwell, including if they have a fever, you should require them to go home. 

You might want to consider getting expert advice about how to conduct drug and alcohol testing including testing methods and cleaning. For example, getting advice from the manufacturer of your testing equipment. If you use a third party to conduct your testing, you should talk to them about whether they are providing testing during the pandemic and what measures they have in place to provide safe testing.

For breath and saliva testing

To ensure testing is performed safely, employers must:

• consult with workers to identify risks, concerns and possible solutions
• carry out testing in a well-ventilated, open-air or outdoor environment
• provide all staff with suitable personal protective equipment (PPE) and ensure it is worn correctly
• ensure all staff thoroughly wash their hands before and after each test is performed
• ensure that testing is carried out or supervised by a person who is appropriately trained in the fundamentals of infection control for COVID-19 including PPE (online COVID-19 infection control training is available on the Australian Government Department of Health website), and
• ensure that any changes to testing regimes align with the relevant Australian Standards and Department of Health guidelines.

Breath testing

Should breath testing be carried out:

• use appropriately calibrated testing equipment that:
  • incorporates a mechanism to prevent saliva/respiratory secretions/respiratory exhaust from being passed from one person to the next or from entering areas where cross contamination could occur, and
  • can be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected before and after each use as per the manufacturer’s instructions
• consider using a passive/fast mode of detection as a screening tool that provides a quick pass or fail reading, and
• use single use straws for testing, with a new straw for each test, and appropriately dispose of used straws.

Wall mounted breathalysing units

Wall mounted breathalysing units should only be used if the breath and saliva testing control measures can be applied. It is particularly important that adequate cleaning and disinfection occurs between each use to prevent transmission of COVID-19. You should also ensure the respiratory exhaust can be directed away from people and surfaces, which is not possible with all units. If there are any doubts, wall mounted breathalysing units should not be used. If possible, alternative testing methods should be implemented until the risks arising from using wall mounted breathalysing units have been eliminated.

Do I need to consult with my workers about workplace drug and alcohol testing?

You must consult with workers on health and safety matters relating to COVID-19. This includes any decisions about workplace drug and alcohol testing. If workers are represented by Health and safety representatives you must include them in the consultation process. 

This is a stressful time for all Australians and workers may be concerned about the risk of COVID-19 transmission and the impact on their health. When consulting with your workers, you must provide them with the opportunity to express their views and raise concerns. You must take the views of your workers into account and advise them of the outcome of consultation.

If you decide to continue with drug and alcohol testing, you should clearly inform workers of the control measures being implemented that will allow testing to continue safely. You must provide this information as early as possible prior to continuing testing and ensure that this information can be easily understood by your workers. 

For more information on the importance of consulting with your workers, see also the Consultation page.

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 visitor 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, 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 and dry 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 and dry their 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. 

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 (for example, if hand dryers are used, place posters advising that hands should be dried completely before finishing) 
  and clean hands with sanitiser, and 
• 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.).  

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.  

What do I need to consider when providing 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 and drying stations, in convenient locations, to sustain the increase in workers’ 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 (preferably single-use paper towels). They must also be kept clean and in good working order.

When determining what facilities you need consider the number of workers 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 before workers return to work. 

I need to create a new eating or common area. What should I consider when creating these new areas?

If creating a new eating or 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 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.

Why are paper towels preferred over hand dryers?

Paper towels are preferable as they can reduce the risk of transmission of COVID-19 by drying the hands more thoroughly than hand dryers.

Hand dryers can still be used, however, there is an increased risk of transmission if hands are not dried properly. 

I am providing paper towels in my workplace. What else should I do?

Providing paper towels to dry your hands after washing them is better than using hand dryers because they can dry your hands more thoroughly. If you provide single used paper towels at your workplace, remember:

• the paper towels should be replenished as required, and
• used paper towels should be disposed of in a waste bin that is regularly emptied to keep the area clean, tidy and safe.

Wastes (including used paper towels) should be double bagged and set aside in a safe place for at least 72 hours before disposal into general waste facilities. For further information regarding cleaning, please refer to our cleaning guide. 

What if I can’t provide paper towels?

If paper towels cannot be provided, then hand dryers may be used to dry hands. You must train workers on how to dry their hands. Placing posters near hand dryers may assist with communicating the need for hands to be dried completely. If hands are not dried completely, good hygiene will not be achieved, and the hand washing will be ineffective. 

Frequently touched areas of the hand dryers (i.e. buttons to activate the drying mechanism of the hand dryer) and the entire body of the dryer should be cleaned regularly. Nearby surfaces (such as the sink and taps) should also be cleaned regularly to remove any germs that may have been spread when drying hands. 

This page provides information about your obligations under the model WHS laws and how these relate to the use of masks in the workplace. This information will assist you to assess whether the use of masks for your workers, including contractors and labour-hire, is a reasonably practicable control measure to manage the risks of COVID-19 at work.

You will need to review this assessment from time to time.

The use of masks is only one control measure for COVID-19 that may be required under the model Work Health and Safety (WHS) laws for your workplace. You must continue to implement all other reasonably practicable control measures in your workplace such as encouraging vaccination, physical distancing and good hygiene to minimise the risks from COVID-19. Further information on other control measures is provided on this page.

In addition to your obligations under the model WHS laws, you must also comply with any public health orders or directions made by governments that apply to you and your workplace. This guidance does not affect any obligations you may have regarding the use of masks that apply under public health orders and directions.

This guidance does not change, remove or reduce any existing rights or obligations under the model WHS laws.

As Victoria has not adopted the model WHS laws, this guidance is not applicable to Victoria. Up-to-date guidance applicable to responding to COVID-19 in Victorian workplaces can be found on the WorkSafe Victoria website

Masks as a control for COVID-19

Employers have a duty under the model Work Health and Safety (WHS) laws to eliminate risks, or if that is not reasonably practicable, minimise the risks of COVID-19 in the workplace so far as is reasonably practicable. The hierarchy of control measures, ranked from the highest level of protection and reliability to the lowest level of protection, is one way to eliminate and minimise the risks of COVID-19. In the hierarchy of control measures masks are a low-level control measure as they rely on human behaviour and supervision to ensure that the masks are worn and used to help minimise the risks of COVID-19 in the workplace.

Some states and territories have issued public health directions that require masks to be worn for specific activities and in certain workplaces. If public health directions are made, you must follow them. 

Wearing masks helps prevent infectious people from spreading the COVID-19 virus. If the person wearing the mask is unaware that they are infected with COVID-19 virus, wearing a mask will reduce the chances of them passing the virus on to others. Masks can also protect people from inhaling the virus. 

Masks can be a critical part of protecting against COVID-19. However, even if your workers use masks, to ensure you meet your duties under the model WHS laws and to minimise the risks of COVID-19 in your workplace, you must continue to implement all other reasonably practicable COVID-19 control measures, such as:

• encouraging or ensuring up to date vaccination, where applicable,
• ensuring your workers do not come to work when unwell,
• improving air quality,
• practising physical distancing and adhering to density limits (check occupancy limits for the type of building and building standards),
• relocating work tasks to different areas of the workplace, off-site or supporting workers to work from home,
• practising good hygiene,
• increasing cleaning and maintenance,
• staggering your workers’ start, finish and break times, and
• reducing the number of situations where workers come into close contact, for example in lunchrooms and other shared spaces.

When deciding how to control the risks of COVID-19, employers have a duty to consult with workers and any Health and Safety Representatives about how to use control measures to manage the risks. This includes having administrative workplace policies and procedures related to the use of masks. 

If you have a case of COVID-19 in the workplace, your state or territory health authority can provide you with advice on what you need to do. Follow their instructions. More information about COVID-19 incident notification in the workplace is on the Safe Work Australia website.

Risk Assessment

Under the model WHS laws, employers have a duty to manage the health and safety risks, so far as reasonably practicable, in the workplace. You should always aim to eliminate risks. If you can’t eliminate the risks of COVID-19, you must minimise the risks so far is reasonably practicable. This requires a risk assessment to identify what type of reasonably practicable COVID-19 control measure, such as masks, are needed to protect workers from exposure to the COVID-19 virus. The use of masks will be based on determining the risks of becoming infected with the COVID-19 virus and the type of mask best suited to minimise the risks of COVID-19 for your workplace. 

The use of masks in the workplace to manage the risks of COVID-19 may not be the same for all businesses and will depend on a range of factors, including whether public health directions apply (e.g. use of masks), the type of business, the level of customer interaction, the level of community transmission of the virus in the geographic area, business layout (including ability to physical distance) and worker demographics (e.g. people at higher risk of COVID-19 illness). 

You must consult with workers and any Health and Safety Representatives when identifying the risks and when proposing the use of masks as a control measure. Remember that prolonged use of masks in the workplace may cause physical discomfort, heat-related illnesses and psychological risks that should be considered in your risk assessment and consultation with workers.

More information about controlling the risk of heat-related illnesses can be found in Safe Work Australia’s guide on Managing the risks of working in heat.

A risk assessment will assist you to:

• identify which workers are at risk of COVID-19,
• determine what sources and processes are causing the risk of COVID-19, 
• identify the control measures that are required to minimise the risk of COVID-19, which may include masks, and
• check the effectiveness of your control measures. 

You must review your workplace risk assessment and control measures periodically, including when new COVID-19 variants emerge and/or as your workplace situation changes, to ensure their ongoing appropriateness and effectiveness based on the latest advice from your state or territory health department and Australian Health Protection Principal Committee. 

Even if wearing a mask is no longer required under public health directions, you still have a duty to review the risks and implement all control measures that are required to ensure the risks of COVID-19 in your workplace are minimised so far as is reasonably practicable. This may mean you continue to require masks to be worn in your workplace. 

More information is available about how to prepare a risk assessment on the Safe Work Australia website.

Types of masks

Wearing masks helps prevent infectious people from spreading the COVID-19 virus. If the person wearing the mask is unaware that they are infected with COVID-19 virus, wearing a mask will reduce the chances of them passing the virus on to others. 

Masks and respirators provide the wearer with differing levels of protection from inhaling the virus. It is important to understand the different type of masks and the level of protection they provide, to ensure you use the appropriate mask for your workplace setting. 

Cloth and utility masks are not medical grade masks and provide the wearer the least protection from viruses carried in respiratory droplets and aerosols. However, they can still help prevent infectious people from spreading the COVID-19 virus. 

Surgical masks are medical grade masks that must comply with the relevant national standards (or equivalent). They are graded as level 1, 2 and 3 based on the level of protection, or fluid resistance, they provide the wearer. Surgical masks help prevent infectious people from spreading the COVID-19 virus and provide greater protection from infection for the wearer.

P2/N95 respirator masks that are designed for medical use must comply with the relevant national standards (or equivalent). They are required when there is a high-risk of exposure to body fluids, respiratory droplets and aerosols in higher-risk workplace settings such as health care, aged care and disability sectors, quarantine, police and security.

Surgical and P2/N95 respirator masks for medical use are regulated by the Therapeutic Goods Administration. See the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods to check if your surgical or P2/N95 respirator mask is approved for medical use.

P2/N95 masks intended for non-medical purposes, such as in construction and other industrial workplace settings, are not medical grade and are not regulated by the Therapeutic Goods Administration.

For more information and guidance about using masks in health and aged care settings can be found on the Infection Control Expert Group and Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care websites. 

The Therapeutic Goods Administration has also published advice and recommendations for health care professionals on the use of surgical masks during the COVID-19 pandemic and the types of face masks that are regulated as medical devices. 

For further information see our Comparison of mask types for COVID-19 web page.

What are cloth masks? How should they be used?

A cloth mask is a non-sterile, reusable mask covering the nose and mouth to create a physical barrier between the wearer and the environment. Cloth masks are not medical grade masks and are not regulated by the Therapeutic Goods Administration. When cloth masks are properly constructed and fitted correctly, they help prevent infectious people from spreading the COVID-19 virus. They may also provide some protection to the wearer from inhaling the virus.

A cloth mask can be made with one type or a combination of fabrics including washable woven and non-woven fabrics such as cotton, cotton/synthetic blends, polyesters and breathable, spun bond polypropylene. The effectiveness of a cloth mask to prevent spreading respiratory droplets will vary, depending on the thickness of the weave and the number of layers. They should be properly constructed with the appropriate fabrics and have a minimum of three layers. 

A scarf or bandana or any other single layer cloth mask does not provide effective protection from spreading the COVID-19 virus and is not recommended.

Cloth masks can be purchased from pharmacies, supermarkets, retail and online suppliers or homemade. 

Cloth masks are not recommended for high-risk COVID-19 settings but may be suitable for indoor or outdoor settings where there is a low-risk of exposure to the COVID-19 virus. 

How to put on a cloth mask

• Before putting on the mask, clean your hands with alcohol-based hand sanitiser or wash your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds.
• Hold the mask by the side straps and place a loop around each ear.
• Put the mask over your mouth, nose and chin.
• Check there are no gaps on the sides of the mask.
• Check the ear loops do not cross-over as this widens the gap between the face and mask.
• Avoid touching and adjusting the front of the mask. This can lead to self-contamination and spread any infection from your hand to other surfaces, objects and new masks. 
• Avoid using the same mask continuously throughout the day.
• Replace your mask regularly and when it becomes visibly soiled or feels damp. 

How to remove a cloth mask

• Before touching and removing your mask, clean your hands with alcohol-based hand sanitiser or wash your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds.
• Always use the side straps when removing the mask. 
• Lean forward, lift the side straps over the ears and pull the mask away from your face.
• Store used dry cloth masks in a clean plastic bag.
• Avoid touching the front of the mask as this can lead to self-contamination and spread any infection from your hand to other surfaces, objects and new masks. 
• After removing your mask, clean your hands with alcohol-based hand sanitiser or wash your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds.
• Wash used cloth masks once a day.

Do not reuse a cloth mask the next day unless it has been washed.

Cloth masks should be washed once a day in the washing machine (water temperature at least 60 degrees), or handwashed using soap and the warmest appropriate water setting for the cloth. Dry the cloth mask in the clothes dryer or in fresh air. Store in a clean plastic bag. 

The Australian Government Department of Health has instructions on how to make your own cloth face mask, and how to wear and wash them.

What are utility masks? How should they be used?

A utility mask is a non-sterile, single use mask covering the nose and mouth to create a physical barrier between the wearer and the environment but does not achieve a close seal to the wearer’s face. When utility masks are fitted correctly, they help prevent infectious people from spreading the COVID-19 virus. A utility mask looks similar to a surgical mask, however, utility masks are not medical grade masks and not regulated by the Therapeutic Goods Administration. They may also provide some protection to the wearer from inhaling the virus, although the level of protection may not be that of a surgical mask.

Utility masks can be purchased from pharmacies, supermarkets, and online suppliers.

How to put on a utility mask

• Before putting on the mask, clean your hands with alcohol-based hand sanitiser or wash your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds.
• Check that the mask does not have tears, holes and the straps are not broken.
• Identify the top of the mask (has a metal strip).
• Hold the mask by the side straps and place a loop around each ear.
• Put the mask over the mouth, nose and chin with the metal strip on the top of the nose.
• Check there are no gaps between the face and mask.
• Check the ear loops do not cross-over as this widens the gap between the face and mask.
• Squeeze the metal strip across the top of the nose to create a seal.
• Avoid touching and adjusting the front of the mask. This can lead to self-contamination and spread any infection from your hand to other surfaces, objects and new masks. 
• Avoid using the same mask continuously throughout the day. 
• Replace your mask regularly during the day (every 3 to 4 hours) or when it becomes visibly soiled or feels damp. 

How to remove a utility mask

• Before touching and removing your mask, clean your hands with alcohol-based hand sanitiser or wash your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds.
• Always use the side straps when removing the mask. 
• Lean forward, lift the side straps over the ears and pull the mask away from your face.
• Avoid touching the front of the mask as this can lead to self-contamination and spread any infection from your hand to other surfaces, objects and new masks. 
• Dispose the used mask immediately into a closed bin.
• After removing and disposing your mask, clean your hands with alcohol-based hand sanitiser or wash your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds.

What are surgical masks? How should they be used?

A surgical mask is a non-sterile, single use, medical grade mask regulated by the Therapeutic Goods Administration that covers the mouth and nose but does not achieve a close seal to the wearer’s face. They can help prevent infectious people from spreading the COVID-19 virus to others. 

The Therapeutic Goods Administration advises that surgical masks do not provide the wearer complete protection from viruses in airborne droplets. However, they can help protect the wearer from splashes, large droplets and aerosols reaching their mouth or nose.

Surgical masks have different grades of filtration that must comply with the Australian Standards 4381:2015 and/or equivalent international standards. They are graded as level 1, 2 or 3 based on the level of protection and fluid resistance. The grading level would be clearly labelled on the packaging. Level 1 surgical masks are acceptable for general use/patient care and level 2 or 3 surgical masks are used when there is a higher risk of exposure to body fluids. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has increased demand for surgical masks. This has resulted in poorly made and non-compliant masks entering the Australian market. See the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods to check if your surgical mask is approved for medical use.

Surgical masks are available for purchase at pharmacies, supermarkets, and online suppliers, including manufacturers and suppliers of scientific equipment.

When using a surgical mask, ensure you always follow the manufacturer’s instruction for use. If you do not have these, see the general instructions below for how to put on a surgical mask.

How to put on a surgical mask 

• Before putting on the mask, clean your hands with alcohol-based hand sanitiser (or wash your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds.
• Check that the mask does not have tears, holes and the straps are not broken.
• Identify the top of the mask (has a metal strip) and the inside of the mask (usually the white side) towards the face. If available, read the manufacturer’s instructions.
• Hold the mask by the ear loops and place a loop around each ear.
• Put the mask over the mouth, nose and chin with the metal strip on the top of the nose.
• Check there are no gaps between the face and mask.
• Check the ear loops do not cross-over as this widens the gap between the face and mask.
• Squeeze the metal strip across the top of the nose to create a seal.
• Avoid touching and adjusting the front of the mask. This can lead to self-contamination and spread any infection from your hand to other surfaces, objects and new masks. 
• Avoid using the same mask continuously throughout the day. 
• Replace your mask regularly during the day (every 3 to 4 hours) or when it becomes visibly soiled or feels damp. 

How to remove a surgical mask

• Before touching and removing your mask, clean your hands with alcohol-based hand sanitiser or wash your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds.
• Always use the side straps when removing the mask. 
• Lean forward, lift the side straps over the ears and pull the mask away from your face.
• Avoid touching the front of the mask as this can lead to self-contamination and spread any infection from your hand to other surfaces, objects and new masks. 
• Dispose the used mask immediately into a closed bin.
• After removing and disposing your mask, clean your hands with alcohol-based hand or wash your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds.

What are respirator masks? How should they be used?

A respirator mask is a P2/N95 (or equivalent) medical grade mask that provides protection against airborne contaminants such as viruses and bacteria in aerosols or respiratory droplets. P2/N95 medical grade respirator masks must meet the Australian/New Zealand Standards 1716:2021 and/or equivalent international standards and are regulated by the Therapeutic Goods Administration.

P2/N95 respirators should form a very close seal around the nose and mouth and are recommended for use in high-risk workplace settings such as health care and quarantine sites.

Surgical P2/N95 respirators must meet the same performance requirements as a standard P2/N95 respirator but also meet the Standards for fluid resistance against bodily fluids, which may occur during high-risk medical procedures. Surgical P2/N95 respirators are also regulated by the Therapeutic Goods Administration.

See the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods to check if your P2/N95 respirator or surgical P2/N95 respirator is approved for medical use.

It is essential that a P2/N95 respirator is properly fitted to the wearer’s face by performing a fit test and fit check. 

Fit testing

The purpose of a P2/N95 respirator fit test is to match the correct size and style of the respirator to the individual. Fit testing of a P2/N95 respirator masks must be done in accordance with Australian/New Zealand Standard 1715:2009 and should be repeated each time a new style of P2/N95 respirator is used. A fit test can be carried out by a competent person, manufacturer, supplier, or service provider. A correct facial seal ensures that the respirator fits the individual’s face without gaps between the skin and the respirator that could allow respiratory particles to bypass the filter.

Fit testing methods are either:

• Qualitative - relies on the individual’s ability to taste or smell a test agent. The chosen respirator should fit snugly on the face to create a seal, which can be checked by gently inhaling and exhaling. If the mask is not drawn towards the face, or there are air leaks around the face seal or nose, readjust the mask and repeat the fit test until no leaks can be felt.
• Quantitative - requires using specialised equipment used by a trained operator to measure how much air leaks into the respirator.

Facial hair, including a 1-2-day beard growth, can affect the seal between the respirator and the wearer’s face. The face must be smooth and/or clean shaven to achieve a tight seal. NSW Health has published more information about facial hair and respirator fit.

The Infection Control Expert Group advises that a fit test does not guarantee that the chosen P2/N95 respirator will not leak during future use because of changes in facial shape. Therefore, a fit check should be done each time it is used. 

Fit checking

A fit check ensures the P2/N95 respirator fit the individual’s face snugly against the skin, creating a seal to minimise exposure to airborne biological particles. A fit check should be carried out each time a P2/N95 respirator is worn by gently inhaling. If the mask is not drawn in towards the face, or air leaks around the face seal, readjust the mask and repeat process or check for defects in the mask.

If available, follow the manufacturer’s instructions on how to carry out a fit check.

More information about P2/N95 respirators is available on the Infection Control Expert Group website.

The COVID-19 pandemic has increased demand for P2/N95 respirators for medical use. This has resulted in fake or non-compliant P2/N95 respirators entering the Australian market. See the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods to check if your P2/N95 respirator is approved for medical use.

Read SafeWork NSW’s and WorkSafe Qld’s alerts about what to check to ensure that P2/N95 respirator meet the required standards and what to do if you come across one that is not fit for purpose.

The Therapeutic Goods Administration has published guidance about face masks and respirators that are regulated in Australia.

P2/N95 respirators for medical use are available from online suppliers, including manufacturers and suppliers of scientific equipment. 

How to put on a P2/N95 respirator mask

• Before putting on the mask, clean your hands with alcohol-based hand sanitiser (or wash your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds.
• Only touch the outer edges of the mask.
• Separate the edges and straps.
• Check that the mask does not have tears, holes and the straps are not broken.
• Identify the nose piece (has a metal strip). If available, read the manufacturer’s instructions.
• Slightly bend the nosepiece to form a gentle curve.
• Hold the two headbands in your fingers and position the mask under your chin with the nose piece up.
• Pull the headbands over the top of your head. The top strap should sit high at the back of the head and the bottom strap positioned below the ears. 
• Using both hands, press down on the metal strip to the shape of your nose to create a seal.
• The mask over the mouth, nose and chin with the metal strip on the top of the nose.
• To check for a positive seal, exhaling sharply to ensure there are no leaks around the mask. If there are leaks, adjust the position of the mask and straps for a tighter fit.
• To check for a negative seal, inhale deeply to ensure the mask is pulled towards your face. If there are leaks, adjust the position of the mask and straps for a tighter fit.
• Avoid touching and adjusting the front of the mask. This can lead to self-contamination and spread any infection from your hand to other surfaces, objects and new masks. 
• Avoid using the same mask continuously throughout the day. 
• Replace your mask regularly during the day or when it becomes visibly soiled or feels damp. 

How to remove a P2/N95 respirator mask

• Before touching and removing your mask, clean your hands with alcohol-based hand sanitiser or wash your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds.
• Always use the side straps when removing the mask. 
• Lean forward, lift the straps over the ears and pull the mask away from your face.
• Avoid touching the front of the mask as this can lead to self-contamination and spread any infection from your hand to other surfaces, objects and new masks. 
• Dispose the used mask immediately into a closed bin.
• After removing and disposing your mask, clean your hands with alcohol-based hand or wash your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds.

Queensland Health has published an infographic on how to fit a P2/N95 mask.

Do I need to provide masks to workers?

Following a risk assessment and consultation with your workers, if you determine that masks are a reasonably practicable control measure to minimise the risks of COVID-19, then you must provide them to your workers.

However, COVID-19 public health directions can be issued by governments for workplaces to wear face masks. If so, you must provide them to your workers. It is important that you keep up to date with the public health directions that apply in your state or territory, and ensure that these are followed at your workplace.

The Australian Government Department of Health has published information on when masks should be worn in the community and general COVID-19 information on face masks and who should use them. 

If your workers are required to wear masks, you must provide them. Single use masks, disposable masks (e.g. utility and surgical masks) or properly constructed cloth masks may be used. You must provide appropriate training and instruction on how to put on, wear, remove, clean and maintain (as necessary) or dispose of the mask. Information about using a mask would be provided by the manufacturer. Checking that the mask forms a close fit with the face is very important to ensure that the mask used is effective. In some workplace settings, a risk assessment may identify that a P2/N95 respirator is required to minimise the risk to the COVID-19 virus. If a P2/N95 respirator is required, it must be approved for medical use and users must be trained in the correct method of fitting, fit testing, fit checking and removing of P2/N95 respirators. If a worker has been provided training and instruction about using a mask, they must comply with that training and those instructions. 

For further information see our Comparison of mask types for COVID-19 web page.

Can I direct a worker to wear a mask?

You can direct a worker to wear a mask if you, in consultation with those workers, decide it is necessary to minimise the risk of exposure to COVID-19.

Be aware that the inappropriate or incorrect use of masks may increase the risk of COVID-19 and may result in new work, health and safety risks. Workers required to wear a mask must be trained in how to wear, remove and dispose of masks, including performing good hand hygiene (washing hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or using alcohol-based hand sanitiser with at least 60% ethanol or 70% isopropanol) before fitting the mask, and before and after taking it off. Masks need to be replaced frequently and for re-usable cloth masks stored correctly between uses. 

You will need to ensure that appropriate facilities are provided if masks are used at the workplace. This includes appropriate hand washing or sanitising facilities and a closed bin to dispose of used disposable masks.

Single use, disposable masks may be a good option for most workplaces. However, properly constructed cloth masks may be considered if they are replaced frequently, and appropriate laundering arrangements are in place. Single use masks should not be washed and reused.

What else must I do to protect workers?

Masks alone will not provide complete protection from exposure to COVID-19. To meet your duties under the model WHS laws and minimise the risks of COVID-19 in your workplace, you must continue to implement all other reasonably practicable COVID-19 control measures such as:

• encouraging or ensuring up to date vaccination, where applicable,
• ensuring your workers do not come to work when unwell,
• improving air quality,
• practising physical distancing and adhering to density limits (check occupancy limits for the type of building and building standards),
• relocating work tasks to different areas of the workplace, off-site or supporting workers to work from home,
• practising good hygiene,
• increasing cleaning and maintenance,
• staggering your workers’ start, finish and break times, and
• reducing the number of situations where workers come into close contact, for example in lunchrooms and other shared spaces.

How do I put on and remove a mask?

If a mask (single use or cloth mask) is going to be used at the workplace you must provide workers with instruction and training on how to use them safely. If workers are also wearing gloves, they will need to put their mask on before their gloves. 

It is important to be mindful of how you put on, remove and dispose (e.g. single use mask) or store (e.g. cloth mask) your mask. Your mask may have been contaminated with the COVID-19 virus carries in respiratory droplets and aerosols. This is when you could accidently infect yourself or others.

When using masks, you should:

• Have a consistent sequence so that this can become routine.
• Take your time, don’t rush.
• Always perform hand hygiene prior to putting on, after removing, and disposing or storing your mask.
• Ensure your mask avoids contact with other surfaces when disposing or storing.

Follow all instructions for effective use of the mask that is provided by the manufacturer. If you do not have these, see instructions for how to use a:

• cloth mask,
• utility mask, 
• surgical mask, or
• P2/N95 respirator.

How to dispose of single use masks?

Single use, disposable masks can be disposed of with the general waste, preferably into a closed bin containing two bin liners to ensure the waste is double bagged. Double bagging minimises any exposure to the person disposing the waste. 

A closed bin is a bin with a fitted lid, preferably one that does not need to be touched to place the mask inside. A bin with a foot pedal or other hands-free mechanism to open the lid would be appropriate. Where a closed bin is not available, masks should be placed in a sealed bag before disposal into the bin. The sealed bag and a single bin liner are considered equivalent to double bagging. 

It is important to follow good hand hygiene after removing and disposing of your masks. Hands should be washed with soap and water for 20 seconds or cleaned with alcohol-based hand sanitiser containing at least 60% ethanol or 70% isopropanol. 

For information about the disposal of masks in health care settings, you will need to refer to the Australian Government Department of Health and state and territory health authorities.

Can masks that are past their shelf-life date be used?

The Therapeutic Goods Administration provides advice on surgical masks during the COVID-19 pandemic and recommends not using surgical masks that are past their shelf life. However, if there is low supply and high demand, these masks can be used if they are past their shelf life if: 

• the ear loops, ties or bands are intact, and
• there are no signs of visible damage.

Further Information

• For further information see our Comparison of mask types for COVID-19 web page.

WHS laws cover risks to psychological (mental) health too. This is a stressful time for all Australians, and you must do what is reasonably practicable to eliminate and reduce the psychological risks to workers and others at the workplace. 

Under WHS laws, you must eliminate or minimise the risk to psychological health and safety arising from the work carried out by your business or undertaking as much as you reasonably can.  

To determine what measures to put in place, you should carry out a risk assessment and consider all the risks to psychological health in your workplace. You must also consult your workers and their representatives. Workers often know what the issues are and have ideas about how to manage them.  

Once you have consulted workers, determined appropriate measures and put them in place, continue to review how you are managing the risks to check your measures are working.  

This is an unprecedented time for all employers and workers. You may wish to seek professional advice on your WHS duties and how to meet them in your particular circumstances. The WHS regulator in your state or territory may also be able to provide further advice. 

What causes psychological injury? What are psychosocial hazards?

A psychosocial hazard is anything in the design or management of work that causes stress. Stress is the physical, mental and emotional reaction a person has when we perceive the demands of their work exceed their ability or resources to cope. Work-related stress if prolonged or severe can cause both psychological and physical injury. Stress itself is not an injury. 

For many people, the COVID-19 pandemic has introduced and increased a range of psychosocial hazards in the workplace, at a time when a range of other non-work related psychosocial risks are also occurring (uncertainty about future employment, social isolation etc.).  

Psychosocial hazards arising from COVID-19 include: 

• Exposure to physical hazards and poor environmental conditions 
  • concern about exposure to COVID-19 at work 
  • poor management of WHS risks, lack of equipment and resources, such as insufficient appropriate PPE 
  • exposure to poor conditions such as heat, cold or noise in temporary workplaces 
• Exposure to violence, aggression, traumatic events and discrimination 
  • increased work-related violence, aggression and incivility from patients, customers and members of the public  
  • serious illness or death of colleagues or clients e.g. nursing home deaths due to COVID-19 
  • racism, discrimination or stigma stemming from COVID-19 
  • self-isolation as a result of suspected workplace exposure
• Increased work demand 
  • increased workloads e.g. supermarket home delivery drivers doing more deliveries and longer hours  
  • increased time at work e.g. additional shifts as production moves 24/7 to meet increased demands  
  • increased workload e.g. because of increased cleaning requirements or reduction of workers in workplace due to physical distancing requirements 
  • work required to adjust to rapid change e.g. buying new equipment or setting up new procedures 
• Low support and isolated work 
  • working from home or isolation from others due to physical distancing or isolation requirements results in feelings of not being supported 
  • reduction in number of workers at workplace completing physical tasks to maintain physical distancing requirements 
  • failure (perceived or real) of employers not implementing new policies and procedure to address new working arrangements 
• Poor workplace relationships 
  • increased risk of workplace bullying, aggression and harassment as pandemic continues 
  • workplace racism, discrimination, or stigma, including towards those that have had COVID-19 or are perceived to be a greater risk to others 
  • deterioration of workplace relationships as competing demands lead to less regular and effective two-way communication 
  • decreased opportunity for workplace social connections and interactions 
• Poor organisational change management 
  • lack of planning as a result of the pace of the pandemic 
  • continual restructures to address the effects of COVID-19 and a corresponding failure to provide information and training, consult and communicate with or support workers (e.g. manufacturing companies making different products or redeploying staff to meet changes in demand) 
  • insufficient consideration of the potential WHS and performance impacts due to COVID-19 
• Increased emotional distress 
  • limitations on workers offering the same assistance to colleagues or clients they normally would or witnessing others’ distress in situations where they can’t access their normal services or support e.g. a cancer ward in a hospital has restricted visitors to reduce the risk to patients. The nurses see their patients and family struggle with this isolation.  

How can I eliminate and manage risks to psychological health? 

You should manage psychosocial risks in the same way as physical risks. See our information on managing the physical risks of coronavirus and other WHS risks including work-related violence and aggression for more information. Eliminating or minimising physical risks will also help to manage many psychosocial risks.  

The Infographic: Four steps to preventing psychological injury at work shows how the risk management process can be applied to psychosocial risks and detailed guidance is available in Safe Work Australia's Guide: Work-related psychological health and safety: A systematic approach to meeting your duties. See also our information about conducting Risk assessments for COVID-19.  

You could use the People at Work online risk assessment tool to help your workplace identify, assess and manage psychosocial risks.

This free online risk assessment tool is easy to use and includes supporting resources for businesses to work through and interpret their results.

A Coronavirus Mental Wellbeing Support Service, including information, an online community forum and phone counselling service is being provided by Beyond Blue with funding from the Department of Health. You should inform you workers of this support service. 

Tips for managing stress from COVID-19 

• Regularly ask your workers how they are going and if anything is stressing them.  
• Where workers are distressed about the challenging conditions caused by the pandemic, acknowledge their feelings about the situation and reassure workers they are doing what they can in the circumstances  
• Stay informed with information from official sources and regularly communicate or share this information with workers 
• Consult your workers and representatives on any risks to their psychological health and physical health and safety  
• Support innovations to address the psychosocial risks where you reasonably can 
• Provide workers with a point of contact to discuss their concerns  
• Make workplace information available in a central place 
• Inform workers about their entitlements if they become unfit for work or have caring responsibilities 
• Inform workers about their rights under WHS laws, including the right to stop work in certain circumstances and the right not to be discriminated against or disadvantaged for raising work health and safety concerns in the workplace 
• Proactively support workers who you identify to be more at risk of workplace psychological injury (e.g. frontline workers or those working from home), and 
• Refer workers to appropriate work related mental health and wellbeing support services, such as employee assistance programs or the Coronavirus Mental Wellbeing Support Service. 

Non work-related causes of stress

There are things that may stress your workers during the COVID-19 pandemic which may not be work related. Even though you may not have legal obligations in relation to that stress, you should take this into account, and if you are able to, offer workers increased support and flexibility to get through this difficult time. These stressors could include some or all of the following: 

• Financial stress e.g. from reduced hours, loss of employment (such as their own secondary employment or their partners) 
• Balancing work and caring responsibilities e.g. from trying to work while also meeting the needs of children and others unable to attend their usual activities or care arrangements  
• Concern for vulnerable family members/friends e.g. from concerns they might get the virus or increased emotional stress at not being able to visit and assist elderly relatives 
• Change to activities that support good mental health e.g. reduced exercise because of closure of gyms, reduced holidays because of travel limitations and reduced social interactions. 

My workers are worried about catching coronavirus. What should I do?

You should talk to your workers and understand more about their concerns. Once you understand their concerns, ensure you are doing all you reasonably can to eliminate and manage those concerns, see Safe Work Australia's Guide: Work-related psychological health and safety: A systematic approach to meeting your duties and also our information on managing the physical risks of COVID-19. 

For some workers, being more informed about COVID-19 may help ease their concerns. Provide them with relevant information on COVID-19 and remind them of all the measures you are taking in the workplace to reduce possible exposure. 

You should also remind them of all the services that are available to them for support, e.g. your employee assistance program and the Coronavirus Mental Wellbeing Support Service. It might also be helpful for them to talk to their treating medical practitioners, such as their GP. 

What can I do about customer aggression and the stress it’s causing my workers?

See our information on Work-related violence. 

My staff are working from home. How do I look after their mental health?

The duties under the model WHS laws apply to all workplaces, including where a worker is working from home. When you consider the risks to your workers' psychological health and the control measures you will implement to eliminate or minimise those hazards, you need to do this for all your workplaces, including home workplaces. The same things may lead to stress working from home as at the usual workplace, but the controls you put in place may need adjusting (e.g. you might replace a regular staff morning tea, with a weekly email update or videoconference to keep people connected). Where workers are working from home you should consider the tasks you have asked workers to perform from home and whether doing these in relative isolation could cause stress, and what you can do to minimise that stress. 

Before you implement any control measures for working from home, you must consult your staff about how they are going, anything that is stressing them and what you can do to minimise that stress. For those working from home, it might be particularly helpful to consult individually, although that may not always be possible.  

What is essential though, is that there is regular and meaningful communication with your staff, including by telephone and videoconference where you can. Make sure you frequently check in on how they are going and if anything has changed. You should also make sure they know who to talk to if they need additional support or are feeling concerned. 

See also our information on Working from home. 

What should I do about bullying, harassment and strained relationships in the workplace? 

Talk to your workers, identify whether there is anything in their work that is causing strain, for example competing business demands. If possible, address the cause of the strain before it damages working relationships.  

If bullying, has occurred, follow your bullying policy or see the Guide to preventing and responding to workplace bullying.

You can manage the risk of workplace bullying by taking a proactive approach to identify early, any unreasonable behaviour and situations likely to increase the risk of workplace bullying occurring. 

You should implement control measures to manage these risks, and monitor and review the effectiveness of these measures. This could include activities such as: 

• Regularly consulting with workers and health and safety representatives to find out if bullying is occurring or if there are factors likely to increase the risk of workplace bullying. 
• Setting the standard of workplace behaviour, for example through a code of conduct or workplace bullying policy. 
• Designing safe systems of work by clearly defining jobs and providing workers with the resources, information and training they need to carry out their work safely. 
• Implementing workplace bullying reporting and response procedures. 
• Developing productive and respectful workplace relationships through good management practices and effective communication. 
• Providing information and training on workplace bullying policies and procedures, available support and assistance, and how to prevent and respond to workplace bullying. 
• Prioritising measures that foster and protect the psychological health of employees. 

Your state or territory WHS regulator can provide support and advice on how to manage the risks in your business.  

In some circumstances, an order to prevent or stop a worker being bullied can be made under the Fair Work Act 2009 by contacting the Fair Work Commission. 

The Australian Human Rights Commission investigates and resolves complaints (under federal laws) of bullying based on a person’s sex, disability, race or age. It can also investigate and resolve complaints of workplace bullying based on a person’s criminal record, trade union activity, political opinion, religion or social origin. 

There are services available to people who are feeling depressed, stressed or anxious as a result of bullying behaviour. They include BeyondBlue and Lifeline. 

Further information and support 

Visit the following sites for information on caring for mental health: 

• SafeWork NSW – COVID-19 pandemic: mental health at work 
• Workplace Health and Safety Queensland – Work-related stress and Workplace psychological health considerations during COVID-19 
• WorkSafe ACT – Work-Related Mental Health Impacts of COVID-19 and Healthier Work ACT – Responding to COVID-19
• SA Health – COVID-19 mental health support
• Northern Territory Government –  Coronavirus (COVID-19) Self-care  
• Comcare – Coronavirus: mental health and wellbeing guidance and resources  
• VicHealth – How to look after your mental health during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic outbreak  
• Western Australian Mental Health Commission – Looking after your mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic  
• Government of Western Australia, Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety - COVID-19 coronavirus guidance for employers: Looking after employee mental health and COVID-19 coronavirus guide for employees: Looking after your mental health
• Tasmanian Government – Mental health support 
• Head to Health – COVID-19 support 
• Australian Psychological Society – Tips for coping with coronavirus anxiety 
• Headspace – How to cope with stress related to coronavirus (COVID-19) 

Safe Work Australia does not regulate or enforce WHS laws or COVID-19 restrictions on business operations. If you want to know how WHS laws apply to you or need help with what to do at your workplace, contact the WHS regulator in your jurisdiction.

What is physical distancing and how does it prevent the spread of COVID-19?

Physical distancing (also referred to as ‘social distancing’) refers to the requirement that people distance themselves from others.  

The virus that causes COVID-19 can be transmitted through respiratory droplets, smaller airborne particles (aerosols), direct physical contact with an infected individual, and indirectly through contaminated objects and surfaces. Aerosols containing virus can remain airborne for several hours.

Keeping a physical distance of at least 1.5 metres between people, wherever possible, is one of the ways to reduce the risk of the virus spreading. The more space between people, the harder it is for the virus that causes COVID-19 to spread.

Physical distancing can also include limits on the number of people allowed in enclosed spaces (for example, one person per 2 or 4 square metres of space) as well as limits on gathering sizes. These requirements differ across states and territories, industries, business sizes and types of premises.

Physical distancing as part of a combination of control measures

Physical distancing, on its own, will not eliminate or minimise the risks of COVID-19 at the workplace. As an employer, you must also continue to implement all reasonably practicable control measures to minimise the risks of COVID-19 in your workplace, such as:

• encouraging or ensuring vaccination, where applicable
• ensuring your workers do not come to work when unwell or test positive for COVID-19
• relocating work tasks to different areas of the workplace, off-site or supporting workers to work from home
• improving air quality
• practising good hygiene
• increasing cleaning and maintenance
• staggering your workers’ start, finish and break times
• reducing the number of situations where workers come into close proximity with others, for example in lunchrooms and other shared spaces, and
• wearing face masks.

For more information about physical distancing requirements applicable to your business, go to your relevant state and territory government website. You can also go to our Public health directions and COVIDSafe plans page for links to enforceable government directions.

Do I need to implement physical distancing measures in my workplace?

It is your duty under work health and safety laws to manage the risk of a person in your workplace contracting and spreading COVID-19, so far as is reasonably practicable. Physical distancing is one of the key ways to lower the risk of COVID-19 being contracted or spread at your workplace.  

The risk of COVID-19 should be treated in the same way as any other workplace hazard – by applying a risk management approach. 

In consultation with your workers, including volunteers, and their health and safety representatives  (HSRs), if any, you will need to assess the likelihood and degree of harm people may experience if exposed to COVID-19 and then implement the most effective control measures that are reasonably practicable to manage the risk. The control measures you implement should include outcomes that support physical distancing and operate alongside measures encouraging good hygiene amongst workers and others, as well as regular and thorough cleaning of the workplace.

To meet your WHS duties you should be continually monitoring and reviewing the risks to the health and safety of workers and others, as well as the effectiveness of control measures put in place to eliminate or minimise these risks. You must also assess any new or changed risks arising from COVID-19, for example customer aggression, high work demand or working in isolation.

Further guidance on the risk management process is available in the Code of Practice: How to manage work health and safety risks.

You must also comply with any physical distancing measures issued under public health orders or directions in your state or territory. Each state and territory has directions that reflect local circumstances. For more information about physical distancing requirements, go to your relevant state or territory government website. You can also go to our public health directions and COVIDSafe plans page for links to government health directions. 

How do the public health orders or directions in my state or territory interact with my WHS duty?

You must comply with your state or territory’s public health orders or directions that apply to your business. 

Your WHS duty is to do all that you reasonably can to manage the risks of a person contracting and/or spreading COVID-19 in your workplace. Depending on the circumstances, you may need to implement control measures in order to meet your WHS duty that go beyond the minimum requirements stated in public health orders or directions or advised by public health authorities. For example, public health orders or directions may state you can have up to 10 customers in your shop at any one time. However, in undertaking your risk assessment you may determine that due to the layout of the workplace and your work processes, having 10 customers in the store would not allow effective physical distancing. Instead, limiting your store to 8 customers at a time would ensure everyone can maintain a physical distance of at least 1.5 metres from each other.

Your WHS duties apply even when there are no public health orders or directions.

How do I determine if physical distancing is a reasonably practicable control to implement to minimise the risk of COVID 19 spreading in my workplace?

You will need to undertake a risk assessment to determine if physical distancing measures  will be reasonably practicable in your workplace.

A risk assessment is part of the risk management process which involves identifying where the risk arises in your workplace, assessing the risks (including the likelihood of them happening), controlling the risks and reviewing these controls regularly. These steps remain the same whether you are conducting a risk assessment in relation to work health and safety generally, or specifically in relation to COVID-19.

To determine the most effective physical distancing measures you will need to: 

• identify all activities or situations where people in your workplace may be in close proximity to each other,
• assess the level of risk that people in these activities or situations may contract and/or spread COVID-19 in your workplace, and
• determine what control measures are reasonably practicable to implement based on the assessed level of risk. 

Remember, you must consult with workers, including volunteers, and their health and safety representatives (HSRs), if any, on health and safety matters relating to COVID-19, including what control measures to put in place in your workplace. See also our information on consultation.   

See also our information on key considerations for undertaking a risk assessment – COVID-19. 

What physical distancing measures can be implemented in my workplace?

Below are some ways that you can support physical distancing in your workplace. 

Certain activities may not be permissible or there may be specific requirements in your state or territory at this time. For more information about physical distancing requirements, go to your relevant state or territory government website. You can also go to our public health orders and directions and COVIDSafe plans page for links to government health directions. The Fair Work Ombudsman also has information on COVID-19 and Australian workplace laws.

Remember, you must do all that is reasonably practicable to manage the risk of people contracting and/or spreading COVID-19. See also our guidance on determining what is reasonably practicable for more information.

You must also consult with workers and their health and safety representatives (HSRs), if any, on health and safety matters relating to COVID-19, including what control measures to put in place in your workplace.  

Worker interactions and work tasks 

• Check the physical distancing requirements on your relevant state or territory government website. 
• If your jurisdiction requires businesses to limit the number of people in an enclosed area:  
  • calculate the area of the enclosed space (length multiplied by width in metres) and divide by the number of square metres allowed/recommended per person (for example, 2 or 4 square metres, depending on the advice or directions from your state or territory). This will provide you with the maximum number of people you should have in the space at any one time.  
  • where the nature of work means you are not able to comply with these requirements, you need to implement other measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19.    
• You can also limit the number of workers in your workplace by:  
  • facilitating working from home, where you can 
  • reducing the number of tasks to be completed each day, where possible 
  • postponing non-essential work, and 
  • splitting workers’ shifts to reduce the number of workers onsite at any given time. Schedule time between shifts so that there is no overlap of staff arriving at and leaving the workplace or have different entrances and exits to avoid interaction. 
• Direct workers to keep at least 1.5 metres of distance between them in accordance with general health advice. To achieve the best outcomes for physical distancing:  
  • put signs around the workplace and create wall or floor markings to identify 1.5 metres distance. Your staff could wear a badge as a visual reminder to themselves and each other of physical distancing requirements 
  • limit physical interactions between workers, workers and clients, and workers and other persons at the site – for example, by using contactless deliveries and limiting non-essential visitors, and  
  • require workers to use other methods such as mobile phone or radio to communicate rather than face to face interaction.  
• Where it is practical and safe to do so, review tasks and processes that usually require close interaction and identify ways to modify these to increase physical distancing between workers. You should also consider the effectiveness of other controls, including masks and other PPE. Where not possible, you can also reduce the amount of time workers spend working closely together. See below for further information where workers are performing tasks in close proximity, including vehicle use.  

Layout of the workplace

• You may need to redesign the layout of the workplace and your workflows to enable workers to keep at least 1.5 metres apart to continue performing their duties. This can be achieved by, where possible:  
  • restricting workers and others to certain pathways or areas, and 
  • spreading out furniture or plant to increase distancing (spreading out furniture or plant may also help to increase airflow by allowing for cross ventilation).  
• Consider floor and/or wall markings and signage to identify 1.5 metres distancing requirements. 
• Determine occupancy limits for the type of building and building standards, as well as any state or territory orders or directions regarding density limits.

If changing the physical layout of the workplace, your layout must allow for workers to enter, exit and move about the workplace both under normal working conditions and in an emergency without risks to their health and safety.  

Staff gatherings and training

• Consider postponing or cancelling non-essential gatherings, meetings or training at times when community transmission is high. 
• If gatherings, meetings or training are essential:  
  • use non-face-to-face options to conduct – for example electronic communication such as tele and video conferencing 
  • if a non-face-to-face option is not possible, ensure face-to-face time is limited, that is make sure the gathering, meeting, or training goes for no longer than it needs to 
  • hold the gathering, meeting or training in spaces that enable workers to keep at least 1.5 metres apart and to comply with the density requirements specified in your jurisdiction – for example, outdoors or in large conference rooms  
  • limit the number of attendees in a gathering, meeting or training. This may require, for example, multiple training sessions to be held, and 
  • ensure adequate ventilation if held indoors. 

Workplace facilities 

• Reduce the number of workers utilising common areas at a given time – for example, by staggering meal breaks and start times. 
• Spread out furniture in common areas. If changing the physical layout of the workplace, you must ensure the layout allows for workers to enter, exit and move about the workplace both under normal working conditions and in an emergency without risks to their health and safety so far as is reasonably practicable.  
• Place signage and posters about physical distancing around the workplace. Our website has links to a range of posters and resources to help remind workers and others of the risks of COVID-19 and the measures that are necessary to stop its spread. These posters can be placed around the workplace and in client-facing work environments (for example workplace entrances). Consideration needs to be given to how to communicate with workers and others for who English is not their first language.   
• Consider providing separate amenities, such as kitchens, bathrooms, for workers and others in the workplace – for example separate bathroom facilities for workers and visitors/clients. 

Lifts

• Even if workers and others only spend a short amount of time in a lift each day, there is still a risk of exposure to COVID-19 that you must eliminate or minimise so far as reasonably practicable. Further information on the meaning of reasonably practicable can be found on our website.
• There is no specific limit to the number of people allowed in a lift, however you must still ensure, as far as you reasonably can, that people maintain physical distancing in lifts and lift waiting areas and advise workers to wear a mask in the lift. 
• Remember, you must consult with workers and their health and safety representatives (HSRs), if any, on health and safety matters relating to COVID-19.  This includes consulting workers and their representatives on what control measures to put in place to minimise their risk of exposure to COVID-19 in the workplace, including when using lifts.
• You must also consult with the building owner/manager and other employers in the building about the control measures to be implemented to address the risk of COVID-19. You may not be able to implement all of the control measures yourself but must work with others to ensure those measures are put in place.

What can I do to manage the risk of COVID-19 transmission in lifts? 

• Safe use of lifts is best achieved through a combination of measures, determined in consultation with workers, including those that control the number of people needing to use a lift at any one time. This includes: 
  • reducing the number of workers arriving and leaving buildings and using lifts in peak periods, where possible (for example stagger start and finish times for workers by 10-15 minutes per team or group)
  • maintaining working from home arrangements for some staff (where this works for both you and your workers). This could include splitting the workforce into teams with alternating days in the workplace (for example, rotate teams so they are one week in the office and the other week at home), and 
  • changing lift programming to facilitate more efficient flow of users – for example decrease the time that doors stay open on each floor (where safe to do so) or where there are multiple lifts, assign specific lifts to certain floors based on demand (for example lift A to service floors 1-5, lift B to service floors 6-8 etc). 
• Where workers and others use lifts, it is still important that they physically distance themselves to the extent possible when waiting for a lift and when in the lift. You must do what you reasonably can to ensure crowding in and around lifts does not occur.  
• In the lift lobby or waiting area: 
  • ensure workers and others maintain a physical distance of at least 1.5 metres, to the extent possible 
  • implement measures at waiting areas for lifts, such as floor markings or queuing systems. Also create specific pathways and movement flows for those exiting the lifts where possible (you may need to consult with your building manager or other employers in the building to ensure this occurs). You could consider engaging someone to monitor compliance with physical distancing measures where appropriate
  • place signage around lift waiting areas reminding users to practice physical distancing and good hygiene while waiting for and using lifts, including to wait for another lift if the lift is full
  • display an advisory passenger limit for each lift – these limits could be temporarily adjusted up during peak periods where additional demand is unavoidable (subject to it not leading to overcrowding in lifts) to facilitate extra movement of workers and to prevent overcrowding in waiting areas. This may result in fewer persons travelling in a lift at any one time to ensure workers and others maximise physical distance from each other, to the extent possible
• Within lifts: 
  • users of lifts must maintain physical distancing, to the extent possible. Lifts must not be overcrowded, and users should avoid touching other users.
  • workers must practice good hygiene in lifts. If they do need to cough or sneeze during a journey they must do so into their arm or a clean tissue. 
  • place signage in the lift reminding workers and others to practice good hygiene by washing their hands, or where this is not possible, using appropriate hand sanitiser, after exiting the lift, particularly if they touched lift buttons, rails or doors – see also our information on hygiene
  • implement regular cleaning of high touchpoints such as lift buttons and railings – see also our information on cleaning.
• Staff must not to come into work, including using lifts, if they are unwell or have tested positive for COVID-19. 

Other risks

• In some cases, depending on the design of a building, stairs may be an option to reduce demand on lifts. If workers and others are to use stairwells or emergency exits as an alternative to using lifts, you must identify and address any new risks that may arise. For example: 
  • the increased risk of slips, trips and falls particularly if the stairs are narrow and dimly lit
  • the risk that arises when opening and closing heavy fire doors, and 
  • the risk that a person may become trapped in the stairwell.
• You must also consider workers’ compensation arrangements and whether your contract of tenancy allows for workers to use stairs, other than in an emergency.
• You must also consider how other existing WHS measures will be impacted if you allow workers and others to use stairwells or emergency exits. For example  
  • does increased use of emergency exits and stairwells impact your emergency plans and procedures? See also our information on emergency plans
  • will stairwell usage increase the risk of fire doors being left open? 

Deliveries, contractors and visitors attending the workplace

• Consider postponing or cancelling non-essential visits to the workplace should be at times when community transmission is high.   
• Minimise the number of workers attending to deliveries and contractors as much as possible. 
• Delivery drivers and other contractors who need to attend the workplace, to provide maintenance or repair services or perform other essential activities, should be given clear instructions of your requirements while they are on site.  
• Ensure handwashing facilities, or if not possible, alcohol-based hand sanitiser, is readily available for workers after physically handling deliveries. 
• Direct visiting delivery drivers and contractors to remain in vehicles and use contactless methods such as mobile phones to communicate with your workers wherever possible.  
• Direct visiting delivery drivers and contractors to use alcohol-based hand sanitiser before handling products being delivered. 
• Use, and ask delivery drivers and contractors to use, electronic paperwork where possible, to minimise physical interaction. Where possible, set up alternatives to requiring signatures. For instance, see whether a confirmation email or a photo of the loaded or unloaded goods can be accepted as proof of delivery or collection (as applicable). If a pen or other utensil is required for signature you can ask that the pen or utensil is cleaned or sanitised before use. For pens, you may wish to use your own. 

On-going review and monitoring

• If physical distancing measures introduce new health and safety risks (for example because they impact communication or mean that less people are doing a task), you need to manage those risks too. 
• Put processes in place to regularly monitor and review the implementation of physical distancing measures to ensure they are being followed and remain effective 

My workers need to travel in a vehicle together for work purposes. How do they practice physical distancing?

Ideally, numbers should be limited to one person per vehicle trip where possible. If that is not possible, the number of people in a vehicle per trip need to be minimised.

When minimising numbers, employers need to consider:

• the size of the vehicle, the number of rows of seats, and how distances can be maximised in the space (for example, the driver with a passenger sitting in the back)
• the duration of the trip
• the additional control measures in this guidance.

These measures may mean: 

• more of your vehicles are on the road at one time  
• more workers are driving and for longer periods than usual (if driving by themselves).  

Because of this, you should review your procedures and policies for vehicle maintenance and driver safety to ensure they are effective and address all possible WHS risks that arise when workers drive for work purposes.  

If workers are required to travel together for work purposes, air conditioning should be set to external airflow rather than to recirculation or windows should be opened for the duration of the trip.  

You must also clean vehicles more frequently, no matter the length of the trip, but at least following each use by workers. For more information, go to Cleaning to prevent the spread of COVID-19.   
 

This page provides information about your obligations under the model WHS laws and how these relate to the use of masks in the workplace. This information will assist you to assess whether the use of masks for your workers, including contractors and labour-hire, is a reasonably practicable control measure to manage the risks of COVID-19 at work. 

You will need to review this assessment from time to time. 

Further, the use of masks is only one control measure for COVID-19 that may be required under the model Work Health and Safety (WHS) laws for your workplace. You must continue to implement all other reasonably practicable control measures in your workplace such as encouraging vaccination, physical distancing and good hygiene to minimise the risks from COVID-19. Further information on other control measures is provided on this page.

In addition to your obligations under the model WHS laws, you must also comply with any public health orders or directions made by governments that apply to you and your workplace. This guidance does not affect any obligations you may have regarding the use of masks that apply under public health orders and directions.

This guidance does not change, remove or reduce any existing rights or obligations under the model WHS laws.

As Victoria has not adopted the model WHS laws, this guidance is not applicable to Victoria. Up-to-date guidance applicable to responding to COVID-19 in Victorian workplaces can be found on the WorkSafe Victoria website.

Employers have a duty under the model Work Health and Safety (WHS) laws to eliminate risks, or if that is not reasonably practicable, minimise the risks of COVID-19 in the workplace so far as is reasonably practicable. The hierarchy of control measures, ranked from the highest level of protection and reliability to the lowest level of protection, is one way to eliminate and minimise the risks of COVID-19. In the hierarchy of control measures, PPE are a low-level control measure as they rely on human behaviour and supervision to ensure they are appropriately worn and used to help minimise the risks of COVID-19 in the workplace.

This information will assist you to assess whether using PPE is a reasonably practicable control measure to manage the risks of COVID-19 at your workplace. 

PPE refers to anything used or worn to minimise risk to worker health and safety. Common types of PPE that can be used to protect against COVID-19 include:  

• masks
• gloves
• eye protection (e.g. goggles, safety glasses and face shields), and
• screens. 

Some states and territories have issued public health directions that require masks to be worn for specific activities and in certain workplaces. If public health directions are made, you must follow them. 

The type of PPE will depend on your type of workplace and the outcomes of your consultation with workers and your risk assessment. If PPE has been identified as a reasonably practicable control measure in your workplace, this must be provided at no cost to your workers. 

PPE can be a critical part of protecting workers against COVID-19, including when new COVID 19 variants emerge. However, even if your workers use PPE, to ensure you meet your duties under the model WHS laws and to minimise the risks of COVID-19 in your workplace, you must continue to implement all other reasonably practicable COVID-19 control measures such as:

• encouraging or ensuring up to date vaccination, where applicable,
• ensuring your workers do not come to work when unwell,
• improving air quality,
• practising physical distancing and adhering to density limits (check occupancy limits for the type of building and building standards),
• relocating work tasks to different areas of the workplace, off-site or supporting workers to work from home,
• practising good hygiene,
• increasing cleaning and maintenance,
• staggering your workers’ start, finish and break times, and
• reducing the number of situations where workers come into close contact, for example in lunchrooms and other shared spaces.

When deciding how to control the risks of COVID-19, employers have a duty to consult with workers and any Health and Safety Representatives about how to use control measures to manage the risks. This includes having administrative workplace policies and procedures related to the use of PPE. 

NOTE: This guidance is not intended to cover use of PPE in quarantine, health care, aged care and the disability sectors. More information about using PPE in these sectors can be found on the Australian Government Department of Health, Infection Control Expert Group and Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care websites. 

Risk Assessment

Under the model WHS laws, employers have a duty to manage the health and safety risks of COVID-19, so far as reasonably practicable, in the workplace. You should always aim to eliminate risks. If you can’t eliminate the risks of COVID-19, you must minimise the risks so far is risk assessment. This requires a risk assessment to identify what type of reasonably practicable COVID-19 control measures, including PPE, are needed to protect workers from exposure to the COVID-19 virus. 

The use of PPE in the workplace to manage the risks of COVID-19 may not be the same for all businesses and depends on a range of factors, including whether public health directions apply (e.g. use of masks), the type of business, the level of customer interaction, the level of community transmission of the virus in the geographic area, business layout (including ability to physical distance) and worker demographics (e.g. people at higher risk of COVID-19 illness).

You must consult with workers and any Health and Safety Representatives when identifying the risks and when proposing the use of PPE as a control measure. Remember that prolonged use of PPE (e.g. masks, gloves, and eye protection) may cause physical discomfort, heat-related illnesses and psychological risks that should be considered in your risk assessment and consultation with workers. 

More information about controlling the risk of heat-related illnesses can be found in Safe Work Australia’s guide on Managing the risks of working in heat.

A risk assessment will assist you to: 

• identify which workers are at risk of COVID-19,
• determine what sources and processes are causing the risks of COVID-19, 
• identify the control measures that are required to minimise the risks of COVID-19, which may include PPE, and 
• check the effectiveness of your control measures. 

For PPE to be an effective control measure, it must be selected based upon the:

• risk of worker exposure to COVID-19, and is used to minimise risk to the health and safety of the worker,
• suitability for the nature of the work and any hazards associated with the work, including whether it is reasonably comfortable, properly fitted and regularly refitted for the workers wearing it,
• worn consistently and regularly inspected, maintained and replaced as necessary, and
• properly removed, cleaned and stored or disposed of, to avoid contaminating the worker, others and the workplace environment.

You must review your workplace risk assessment and control measures periodically, including when new COVID-19 variants emerge and/or as your workplace situation changes, to ensure their ongoing appropriateness and effectiveness taking into account the latest advice from your state or territory health department and Australian Health Protection Principal Committee. 

Even if certain types of PPE are no longer required under public health directions (e.g. use of masks), you still have a duty to review the risks and implement all control measures that are required to ensure the risks of COVID-19 in your workplace are minimised so far as is reasonably practicable. This may mean you continue to use PPE, such as masks, in your workplace to minimise the risks of COVID-19.

More information is available about how to prepare a risk assessment on the Safe Work Australia website.

Masks

Wearing masks helps prevent infectious people from spreading the COVID-19 virus. If the person wearing the mask is unaware that they are infected with COVID-19 virus, wearing a mask will reduce the chances of them passing the virus on to others. 

Some states and territories have issued public health directions that require masks to be worn for specific activities and in certain workplaces. If public health directions are made, you must follow them. 

Masks and respirators provide the wearer with differing levels of protection from inhaling the virus. It is important to understand the different type of masks and the level of protection they provide, to ensure you use the appropriate mask for your workplace setting. 

Cloth and utility masks are not medical grade masks and provide the wearer the least protection from viruses carried in respiratory droplets and aerosols. However, they can still help prevent infectious people from spreading the COVID-19 virus. 

Surgical masks are medical grade masks that must comply with the relevant national standards (or equivalent). They are graded as level 1, 2 and 3 based on the level of protection, or fluid resistance, they provide the wearer. Surgical masks help prevent infectious people from spreading the COVID-19 virus and provide greater protection from infection for the wearer.

P2/N95 respirator masks that are designed for medical use must comply with the relevant national standards (or equivalent). They are required when there is a high-risk of exposure to body fluids, respiratory droplets and aerosols in higher-risk workplace settings such as health care, aged care and disability sectors, quarantine, police and security.

Surgical and P2/N95 respirator masks for medical use are regulated by the Therapeutic Goods Administration. See the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods to check if your surgical or P2/N95 respirator mask is registered for medical use.
P2/N95 masks intended for non-medical purposes, such as in construction and other industrial workplace settings, are not medical grade and are not regulated by the Therapeutic Goods Administration.

For more information and guidance about using masks in health and aged care settings can be found on the Infection Control Expert Group and Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care websites. 

The Therapeutic Goods Administration has also published advice and recommendations for health care professionals on the use of surgical masks during the COVID-19 pandemic and the types of face masks that are regulated as medical devices. 

More information

Additional guidance about the different types of masks and how to use them is on the Safe Work Australia website.

Gloves

The use of gloves is generally not required for most workplaces and should not be a substitute for frequent hand washing. 

While gloves (such as single use or reusable) should still be used for some practices (e.g. food handling, cleaning, gardening and trades), frequently cleaning your hands with alcohol-based hand sanitiser or washing your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds will prevent the spread of COVID-19. If gloves are used, good hand hygiene (cleaning with alcohol-based hand sanitiser or washing your hands) should be performed before putting on and after removing gloves.

Single use gloves should not be re-used, and reusable gloves should not be shared between workers. Gloves should be changed frequently throughout the day, as they can become contaminated and pose a risk of spreading the COVID-19 virus, putting workers and others at risk. When a person wears gloves, they may touch surfaces contaminated with the COVID-19 virus which can be transferred to other objects and surfaces or their face.

Importantly, not all gloves are appropriate for every workplace setting. Non-medical grade gloves (including include gloves made of poly-vinyl chloride, latex, nitrile or neoprene) can provide protection against exposure to biological hazards. These gloves can be purchased from pharmacies, supermarkets, and suppliers and manufacturers (including online) of safety or scientific equipment. 

Allergies and skin sensitivities

Some people may have an allergy to latex. People with an allergy to latex usually develop symptoms within minutes of exposure to latex; but can also occurs hours later. Mild symptoms involve skin redness, rash, hives, or itching; more severe reactions may involve respiratory symptoms such as runny nose, sneezing, itchy eyes, scratchy throat, and asthma (difficult breathing, coughing spells, and wheezing); and rarely, shock may occur although a life-threatening reaction is seldom the first sign of latex allergy.

Workplaces should consider providing latex free options to eliminate the risk of latex allergies. If this is not reasonably practicable, consider alternative options such as non-powdered latex gloves to minimise the risk of latex allergies. 

Synthetic gloves such as nitrile or neoprene may be a suitable alternative to latex gloves if there are no sensitivity issues to the material. Some wearers may experience contact dermatitis on the skin after wearing nitrile or neoprene gloves. Symptoms may include the skin becoming cracked, red, blistered, thickened, dry or itchy. 

Vinyl gloves are another alternative to latex or nitrile gloves. However, vinyl gloves are less durable and can split more easily when worn. They can be worn underneath latex or nitrile gloves, although this may cause other skin irritations from sweating and lack of ventilation inside the glove. 

It is important to consult with your workers and any Health and Safety Representatives and identify the risks and benefits of using gloves. You may determine that it is not necessary to require your workers to wear gloves and that good hand hygiene practices (cleaning with alcohol-based hand sanitiser or washing your hands) is a reasonably practicable control measure for your workplace.

How to put on a pair of gloves

If a worker is wearing gloves, either disposable or multi-use, they should be instructed to follow the steps below: 

• Before putting on a pair of gloves, remove jewellery and clean your hands with alcohol-based hand sanitiser or wash your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds.
• Ensure that hands are fully dry before putting on gloves.
• Take out a glove from its box. 
• Touch only the top/wrist edge of the glove and slide your fingers and hand into the glove.
• Take out the second glove from its box with the gloved hand.
• Touch only the top/wrist edge of the glove and slide your fingers and hand into the glove.
• While working on a task, maintain good hygiene by not touching your face and cough or sneezing into your elbow. Monitor what you touch and replace your gloves frequently.
• Replace your gloves each time you would wash or sanitise your hands.
• After completing a task/activity, think about whether there is a risk that you’ve touched a potentially contaminated surface or object.
• Remove, dispose and replace your gloves when necessary.

How to remove a pair of gloves

• If you are wearing single use gloves, carefully remove the first glove by gripping at the wrist edge without touching the skin and pull downwards away from the wrist, turning the glove inside out and dispose it in a closed bin.
• With the un-gloved, bare hand, slide your fingers into the second glove and peel the glove downwards away from the wrist, turning the glove inside out and dispose it in a closed bin.
• dispose them in a closed bin.
• If you are wearing reusable gloves, remove, clean and store them according to the manufacturer’s instructions if available or your workplace policy.
• After disposing single use gloves or storing reusable gloves, clean your hands with alcohol-based hand sanitiser or wash your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds.

Eye protection

Eye protection, in the form of safety glasses, goggles and face shields, can be used as PPE for protecting against the risks of COVID-19. Eye protection can act as a physical barrier from splashes or sprays of body fluids and aerosol droplets. It may also prevent people from rubbing their eyes or touching their face and spreading the virus from their hands to their face and eyes.

Eye protection will not be required for many workplaces to minimise the risks of COVID-19.  However, it may be necessary for workers who have a higher risk of exposure to splashes or sprays of body fluids. For example, workers in health care, aged care, police, security, and quarantine settings. 

When eye protection is used, good hand hygiene practices (cleaning with alcohol-based hand sanitiser or washing your hands) should be performed before putting on and after removing eye protection.

Goggles or safety glasses

Goggles or safety glasses must be closely fitted with a wrap-around style and should meet Australian Standards (AS/NZS 1337.1:2010). Prescription glasses, contact lenses, and safety glasses that are not wrap-around, do not provide adequate protection against COVID-19 and should not be used as a control measure. 

Table 1 lists some advantages and disadvantages of using goggles and safety glasses as PPE for COVID-19.

Table 1: Advantages and disadvantages of using goggles and safety glasses*     

Advantages	Disadvantages
Are durable and reusable when appropriate cleaning procedures are followed.	Wearing them for prolonged periods may increase the risk of skin injuries, particularly if they seal too tightly.
Some types of safety glasses have a clear plastic lens with fog and scratch resistant treatment.	They do not stop the wearer from touching their mask or face.
Prescription safety glasses may be ordered.	They may not be able to be worn over prescription glasses (depending on style).
They have a flexible frame to easily fit contours of the face.	They may become scratched over time and reduce visibility.
They provide good eye protection by enclosing the eyes.	There is a higher risk of fogging.

* Adapted from the Infection Control Expert Group Guidance on the use of PPE for health care workers in the context of COVID-19

You must consult with workers and any Health and Safety Representatives to help you identify any work health and safety risks that may affect your workers. Completing a risk assessment will assist you in deciding if and what goggles or safety glasses are required as part of your control measures.

You must also provide appropriate training and instruction to workers who will use them if you decide to use them. 

More information

Our cleaning guide provides information on cleaning and disinfecting for PPE, including eye protection. 

Face shields

Face shields may be used as an alternative to goggles or safety glasses. A face shield is a clear plastic barrier that covers the face and eyes, extending to the ears on the sides and below the chin. 

Face shields can be single use or reusable and are generally recommended for use in health care or aged care settings where additional protection against splashes or sprays of body fluids and aerosol droplets is required. Face shields have gaps to the sides and to the bottom of the face shield that may allow viruses carried in respiratory droplets and aerosols to be released from an infectious person’s mouth and nose. 

The Infection Control Expert Group advises that face shields are to be worn with a mask underneath, to protect the person from inhaling the virus and prevent infectious people (if the person is unaware that they are infected) from spreading the COVID-19 virus onto others. They should also have an adjustable band to attach firmly around the head and fit snuggly against the forehead to ensure there is no gap between the wearer’s forehead and the shield’s headpiece.

Table 2 lists some advantages and disadvantages of using face shields as PPE for COVID-19.

Table 2: Advantages and disadvantages of using face shields*

Advantages	Disadvantages
Provides a broad and clear field of view.	Gaps on the sides and underneath the face shield may allow virus-contaminated respiratory droplets and aerosols to reach the eyes (or the nose and mouth if a well-fitted mask is not worn at the same time).
They provide additional protection to the face and mask from splashes or sprays of body fluids and aerosol droplets.	Some face shields do not extend to the sides of head towards the ears. These are not as protective as other forms of eyewear.
The wearer’s eyes can be seen more easily, which may help with communication with others.	Face shields may make communication more difficult by muffling the wearer’s voice, especially when used with a mask.
There is less risk of fogging.
The wearer is less likely to touch their face and mask.

    
* Adapted from the Infection Control Expert Group Guidance on the use of PPE for health care workers in the context of COVID-19

You must consult with workers and any Health and Safety Representatives to help you identify any work health and safety risks that may affect your workers. Completing a risk assessment will assist you in deciding if and what face shields are appropriate as part of your control measures. 

You must also provide appropriate training and instruction to workers who will use them if you decide to use them. 

More information

The Australian Government Department of Health has published a Coronavirus (COVID-19) face shields – a quick guide, which explains how to safely use face shields.

Our cleaning guide provides more information on cleaning and disinfecting for PPE, including eye protection. 

Screens

Many businesses have chosen to protect workers by installing screens (also known as sneezes guards), commonly constructed from acrylic.

Screens can be considered at workplaces where workers are in close proximity to each other for long periods or for workers serving customers/patients (e.g. retail stores, supermarkets, pharmacies and doctor’s surgeries). 

Screens come in many different sizes and shapes and can be custom made for the workplace. Generally, they have a space cut out to allow for exchange between the worker and a member of the public, with the screen covering the upper half of the body and head. 

If you are considering installing a screen you need to ensure that the screen is fit for purpose and provides adequate protection for your workers from droplet spray while allowing them to work safely. You should also consider whether the screen would protect your workers from aerosol transmission and the effects of the screen on ventilation in the workplace. 

You must consult with workers and any Health and Safety Representatives to help you identify any work health and safety risks that may affect your workers. Completing a risk assessment will assist you in deciding if and what kind of screen is appropriate as part of your control measures. Be aware that installing a screen or multiple screens around a worker may result in communication difficulties between persons, and limiting or obstructing a worker’s movements which may cause physical discomfort and psychological risks that should be discussed as part of your consultation processes.

You must also provide appropriate training and instruction to workers who will use them if you decide to install them. 

Screens should be cleaned and disinfected in the same manner as other frequently handled objects or surfaces. Our cleaning guide provides more information on cleaning and disinfecting, including for specific surfaces. 

Do I need to provide PPE for my workers?

After following a risk assessment and consultation with your workers, you determine that PPE is a reasonably practicable control measure to minimise the risks of COVID-19, then you must provide them to your workers.

However, COVID-19 public health directions can be issued by governments for workplaces to wear masks. If so, you must provide masks to your workers. It is important that you keep up to date with the public health directions that apply in your state or territory, and ensure that these are followed at your workplace.

Depending on your workplace (type of work, the workers and others who come into the workplace), PPE could include:

• masks
• gloves
• eye protection (e.g. goggles, safety glasses or face shields).

If your workers are required to wear PPE, you must provide them. You must also provide appropriate training and instruction on how and when to put on, wear, remove, dispose of or clean and maintain (e.g. cloth masks, eye protection and screens) the PPE. 

If a worker has been provided training and instruction about using PPE, they must comply with that training and those instructions. 

More information about employer’s duties when considering PPE as a control measure and how PPE helps to manage risks, is available on the Safe Work Australia website.

Do I need to consult with my workers about PPE?

You must consult with your workers and any health and safety representatives about the control measures you will put in place to manage the risks of COVID-19, including the use of PPE. Remember that prolonged use of PPE may cause physical discomfort and psychological  risks that should be discussed as part of your consultation with workers.

If, after consultation, you determine that your workers require PPE, you must provide them with appropriate information, instruction and training on its use. This includes how to wear PPE safely and correctly, how to store items safely, how to dispose of single use items and how to clean re-usable items. 

If available, you should refer to the manufacturer’s instructions provided with the PPE for correct use, storage, maintenance and when to replace the PPE. 

The model Code of Practice: Work health and safety consultation, cooperation and coordination provides more information about your general duties to consult with workers. 

What else must I do to protect workers?

Masks alone will not provide complete protection from exposure to COVID-19. To meet your duties under the model WHS laws and minimise the risks of COVID-19 in your workplace, you must continue to implement all other reasonably practicable COVID-19 control measures such as:

• encouraging or ensuring up to date vaccination, where applicable,
• ensuring your workers do not come to work when unwell,
• improving air quality,
• practising physical distancing and adhering to density limits (check occupancy limits for the type of building and building standards),
• relocating work tasks to different areas of the workplace, off-site or supporting workers to work from home,
• practising good hygiene,
• increasing cleaning and maintenance,
• staggering your workers’ start, finish and break times, and
• reducing the number of situations where workers come into close contact, for example in lunchrooms and other shared spaces.

How do I handle and dispose of single use PPE?

It is important to be mindful of how you dispose of your PPE. Your PPE may have been contaminated with the COVID-19 virus carried in respiratory droplets and aerosols. When removing and disposing single use PPE, this is when you could accidently infect yourself or others.

When disposing your PPE, you should:
Have a consistent sequence so that this can become routine.
Take your time, don't rush.
Always perform hand hygiene prior to removing any PPE from your face (e.g. masks) and after disposing any PPE.
Ensure your PPE avoids contact with other surfaces when disposing.

Single use PPE can be disposed of with the general waste, preferably into a closed bin containing two bin liners to ensure the waste is double bagged. Double bagging minimises any exposure to the person disposing the waste. 

A closed bin is a bin with a fitted lid, preferably one that does not need to be touched to place the PPE inside. A bin with a foot pedal or other hands-free mechanism to open the lid would be appropriate. Where a closed bin is not available, PPE should be placed in a sealed bag before disposal into the bin. The sealed bag and a single bin liner are considered equivalent to double bagging. 

It is important to follow good hand hygiene, after removing and disposing of your PPE. Hands should be washed with soap and water for 20 seconds or cleaned with alcohol-based hand sanitiser containing at least 60% ethanol or 70% isopropanol. 

If you have a case of COVID-19 in the workplace, your state or territory health authority can provide you with advice on what you need to do. Follow their instructions. 
 

 

This page provides information about your obligations under the model WHS laws and how these relate to COVID-19 rapid antigen testing. This information will assist you to assess whether a COVID-19 rapid antigen testing program (RAT program) for your workers, including contractors and labour-hire, is a reasonably practicable control measure to manage the risks of COVID-19 at work. 

You will need to review this assessment from time to time. 

Further, a RAT program is only one control measure for COVID-19 that may be required under the model Work Health and Safety (WHS) laws for your workplace. You must continue to implement all other reasonably practicable control measures in your workplace such as encouraging vaccination, physical distancing and good hygiene to minimise the risks from COVID-19. Further information on other control measures is provided on this page.

In addition to your obligations under the model WHS laws, you must also comply with any public health orders or directions made by state and territory governments that apply to you and your workplace. This guidance does not affect any obligations you may have regarding rapid antigen testing that apply under public health orders and directions.

This guidance does not change, remove or reduce any existing rights or obligations under the model WHS laws.

As Victoria has not adopted the model WHS laws, this guidance is not applicable to Victoria. Up-to-date guidance applicable to responding to COVID-19 in Victorian workplaces can be found on the WorkSafe Victoria website.

 

Employers have a duty under the model Work Health and Safety (WHS) laws to eliminate, or if that is not reasonably practicable, minimise the risks of COVID-19 at work so far as is reasonably practicable. Employers also have a duty to consult workers (including contractors and labour-hire personnel) and workers’ health and safety representatives, regarding COVID-19 risks and how these risks are to be managed. This includes the introduction of WHS or other workplace policies relating to COVID-19 rapid antigen testing (RAT) of workers and RAT programs.

A RAT program may assist in identifying people who are infectious with COVID-19 and to minimise the risks of COVID 19 at the workplace, however, it is not the only relevant control measure. Even if you determine that a RAT program is reasonably practicable for your workplace, it should not be relied on in isolation. To meet your duties under the model WHS laws and minimise the risks of COVID-19 in your workplace, you must continue to apply all reasonably practicable COVID-19 control measures, such as:

• encouraging or ensuring vaccination, where applicable,
• ensuring your workers do not come to work when unwell, 
• ensuring your workers do not come to work if they have tested positive for COVID-19 unless they have been released from isolation by the relevant public health authority,
• ensuring physical distancing in the workplace and adhering to density limits (check occupancy limits for the type of building and building standards). For example:
  • supporting workers to work from home or relocating work tasks to different areas of the workplace or off-site, 
  • staggering your workers’ start, finish and break times, 
  • reducing the number of situations where workers come into close contact, for example in lunchrooms and other shared spaces,
• improving air quality,
• practising good hygiene,
• increasing cleaning and maintenance, 
• wearing masks correctly.

How do I determine if a rapid antigen testing program is a reasonably practicable control measure for my workers?

To minimise the risks of COVID-19 in the workplace, you must:

• undertake a risk assessment for your business  
• consider the effectiveness of available control measures and how they will help manage the risks of COVID-19, including rapid antigen testing
• consult with workers and their health and safety representatives about COVID-19 and relevant control measures, including rapid antigen testing, including providing your workers with relevant information and materials about testing to assist their understanding of the issues. (More information on your consultation obligations is available on the consultation page), and
• determine what control measures are reasonably practicable for you to implement in your workplace (more information on the meaning of reasonably practicable is available on the risk assessment page).

When determining whether a control measure is reasonably practicable under the model WHS laws, consideration must be given to several factors: 

• likelihood of risk occurring
• degree of harm that might result
• what the person conducting the business should reasonably know about the risks and how to minimise them
• availability of and suitability of ways to minimise risk, and 
• after assessing the extent of the risk and the available ways of eliminating or minimising the risk, the costs associated, including whether the cost of implementing a  control measure  is grossly disproportionate to the risk. 

Whether a particular control measure is reasonably practicable, such as a RAT program for your workplace, will depend on the circumstances of your particular workplace and your workers at the time you undertake your risk assessment. Access to a reliable supply of rapid antigen tests approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) will be a relevant consideration when determining if a RAT program is currently a reasonably practicable control measure for your workplace. 

You should consider how a rapid antigen testing program might operate in your risk assessment, including whether the testing would occur at the workplace or outside of the workplace. 

If you conclude (following a risk assessment undertaken in consultation with your workers and their health and safety representatives) that implementing a rapid antigen testing program is necessary to minimise the risks of COVID-19 at your workplace (and would be reasonably practicable), you again need to consult with your workers and their health and safety representatives about the proposed testing program. You will need to continually review your risk assessment and control measures including when access to and availability of rapid antigen tests changes.

More information on conducting a risk assessment is available on the risk assessment page. You should also note that in some jurisdictions, workplaces are required to develop 

COVID-19 safety plans under public health directions and orders. Information on COVID-19 safety plans is available from government agencies in your jurisdiction.

Relevant matters for a RAT program as a control measure for your workplace

When determining whether a RAT program is a reasonably practicable control measure, you should take into account:

• Are rapid antigen tests available? If there are no limitations on availability or supply, this may mean it is more likely to be reasonably practicable.
• How likely is it that your workers will be exposed to the COVID-19 virus? This includes, for front line workers, considering the extent of community transmission of COVID-19 where your workplace is located and the number of people they will be in contact with which will increase likelihood of your workers contracting the virus. If community transmission is high, the risk to those workers is higher than for places of low community transmission. This may mean implementing a RAT program is more likely to be reasonably practicable.
• Do your workers work with people who would be vulnerable to severe disease if they contract COVID-19? If yes, this may mean you should implement control measures to reduce the likelihood of your workers exposing vulnerable persons to infection, such as by using a RAT program.
• What is the likelihood that COVID-19 could spread in the workplace? For example, some work tasks may require your workers to work in close proximity to each other, to your customers or members of the public. If it is high, this may mean that you should implement control measures to reduce the likelihood of those workers either catching the virus from others, or transmitting the virus to others, such as by using a RAT program. For further information on testing in communities with high prevalence of COVID-19 see the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee statement on rapid antigen testing for current high community prevalence environment.
• What RAT tests will you use? How accurate are they in detecting COVID-19 in asymptomatic workers? How likely are false positive results in workers without COVID-19? Currently, there is variability in the performance of different RATs. The Public Health Laboratory Network and Communicable Diseases Network Australia joint statement on SARS-CoV-2 rapid antigen tests provides more information on test performance and limitations.
• Would a requirement to be tested at the workplace be unlawful in the circumstances? If yes, the model WHS laws would not require you to implement a RAT program.
• The design of a testing program, which may include: 
  • who will be tested, 
  • how often will workers be tested, 
  • where testing will occur (e.g. at home or at the workplace), and
  • processes in place to manage a positive result. 

What rapid antigen test kits can be used?

Only rapid antigen tests that are approved by the TGA are permitted for use in Australia. Both ‘point-of-care’ (for use under medical practitioner, health practitioner or paramedic supervision) and ‘self-tests’ (for use without supervision) have been approved by the TGA.

A list of kits approved for self-testing and instructions on how to use the kits is available here. The TGA has also published a fact sheet on self-testing.

The TGA has also developed guidance for businesses considering implementing rapid antigen point-of-care testing in their workplace.

You should follow the manufacturer’s instructions for the specific test kit, record the results and follow state and territory public health orders or directions in relation to reporting results.

If a worker tests positive, you must respect their privacy and not reveal their personal details to others. For more information on privacy, go to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner website.

The Public Health Laboratory Network and Communicable Diseases Network Australia joint statement on SARS-CoV-2 rapid antigen tests provides general public health advice on implementing a RAT program and on principles for use and potential limitations of a RAT program. 

Can I require my workers to purchase their own rapid antigen tests?

No. As an employer you have a duty under the model WHS laws to eliminate, or if that is not reasonably practicable, minimise the risks of COVID-19 at work so far as is reasonably practicable. 

If you determine (after consultation) that rapid antigen testing of your workforce is required, then you must provide the TGA-approved tests at no cost to workers. 

Can I require customers and visitors to prove they have been tested for COVID-19 before entering my workplace?

Customers and visitors at the workplace can transmit the COVID-19 virus to your workers and other customers, and controls should be put in place to protect both workers and customers.

It is unlikely that it would be reasonably practicable under the WHS laws for you to require customers or visitors to be tested or to ask them for proof of a negative test as a condition of entry. However, state and territory public health orders or directions may require you to check for confirmation of a negative test as a condition of entry for example in high-risk settings, such as aged care.

If you want customers and visitors to be tested as a condition of entry to your premises and this is not covered by a public health order or direction, you should seek legal advice before you take any action as there may be privacy and discrimination issues that apply. 

For more information on privacy, go to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner website. For more information on anti-discrimination laws, go to the Australian Human Rights Commission website.  

Additional resources

• Coronavirus (COVID-19) – Testing Framework for COVID-19 in Australia
• Public Health Laboratory Network and Communicable Diseases Network of Australia Joint statement on SARS-CoV-2 rapid antigen tests 
• Public Health Laboratory Network guidance on laboratory testing for SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19)
• Information on COVID-19 and Australian workplace laws is available from the Fair Work Ombudsman website: Fair Work Ombudsman - Coronavirus and Australian workplace laws

Australia.gov.au has the latest information from the Australian Government. 

Download the Australian Government Coronavirus app (Apple App Store, Google Play).  

Business.gov.au provides general COVID-19 information and support for businesses. 

Australian Taxation Office support for businesses and employers, including information on JobKeeper payment, boosting cash flow, backing business investment. 

Department of Health

• COVID-19 health resources
• Coronavirus (COVID-19) at a glance

Fair Work Ombudsman

• Coronavirus and Australian workplace laws
• Directions to return to work and the workplace

Other useful resources 

• Australian Government Treasury – Support for businesses  
• Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman 
• Department of Home Affairs  - Information for visa holders 
• World Health Organisation – COVID-19 - Occupational health  
• Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment: Coronavirus (COVID-19) advice
• Communicable Diseases Network Australia (CDNA)  
• Australian Council of Trade Unions - Coronavirus updates 
• Australia Chamber of Commerce and Industry
• Ai Group - COVID-19 resources
• Smartraveller
• Stay Smart Online 
• Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC)

Mental health support services

• Head to Health  
• Beyond Blue Coronavirus Mental Wellbeing Support Service  
• Family and mental health support — Department of Social Services
• Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman 
• HeadsUp – Healthy Workplaces Support
• Lifeline 

WHS regulator and workers’ compensation authority contacts

• WHS regulators 
• Workers' compensation authorities

General state and territory COVID-19 information 

• New South Wales  
• Victoria  
• Queensland  
• South Australia  
• Western Australia 
• Tasmania 
• Northern Territory  
• Australian Capital Territory  

Risk management is a proactive process that helps you respond to change and facilitate continuous improvement in your business. It should be planned, systematic and cover all reasonably foreseeable hazards and associated risks.  

A risk assessment involves considering what could happen if someone is exposed to a hazard (for example, COVID-19) and the likelihood of it happening. A risk assessment can help you to determine: 

• how severe a risk is 
• whether any existing control measures are effective 
• what action you should take to control the risk, and 
• how urgently the action needs to be taken. 

The exposure of your workers and/or customers/clients to COVID-19 is a foreseeable risk that must be assessed and managed in the context of your operating environment. 

A risk assessment will assist to: 

• identify which workers are at risk of exposure 
• determine what sources and processes are causing the risk 
• identify if and what kind of control measures should be implemented, and 
• check the effectiveness of existing control measures. 

A risk assessment can be undertaken with varying degrees of detail depending on the type of hazard and the information, data and resources that you have available. It can be as simple as a discussion with your workers or involve specific risk analysis tools and techniques developed for specific risks or recommended by safety professionals. For some complex situations, expert or specialist advice may be useful when conducting a risk assessment. 

When should I do a risk assessment?

Managing work health and safety risks is an ongoing process that needs attention over time, but particularly when any changes affect your work activities. 

All currently operating businesses must assess the risks associated with exposure to COVID-19 and implement control measures to manage those risks. They must also assess any other new or changed risks arising from COVID-19, for example, customer aggression, high work demand or working in isolation. 

You must also undertake a risk assessment with response to risks to any vulnerable workers working in your business. Risk needs to be assessed and mitigated with consideration of the characteristics of the worker, the workplace and the work. This includes ensuring vulnerable people are redeployed to roles that don’t involve physical contact with customers, where possible. Where risk cannot be appropriately mitigated, employers and workers should consider alternate arrangements to accommodate a workplace absence. For more, go the Vulnerable workers information. 

Other examples of when businesses must undertake a risk assessment with respect to COVID-19, include where a business: 

• changes work practices, procedures or the work environment 
• recommences operations following a shut down 
• increases operations following a period of reduced operations 
• introduces workers back into the workplace following the cessation of working from home or stand-down arrangements 
• is responding to workplace incidents (e.g. where a worker has tested positive to COVID-19) 
• is responding to concerns raised by workers, health and safety representatives, or others at the workplace 

Risk assessments should be reviewed periodically as the operating environment changes (for example, in response to changes in COVID-19 cases or changes to public health orders) or when new information on workplace risks becomes available. This should include the periodic review of control measures implemented to ensure their ongoing appropriateness and effectiveness based on the latest information.

How do I do a risk assessment?

The model Code of Practice: How to manage work health and safety risks provides practical guidance about how to manage WHS risks through a risk assessment process. See also our information on key considerations for businesses to take into account when assessing the risks associated with COVID-19, as well as an example risk register.

A safe and healthy workplace does not happen by chance or guesswork. You have to think about what could go wrong at your workplace and what the consequences could be. Then you must do whatever you can (in other words, whatever is ‘reasonably practicable’) to eliminate or minimise health and safety risks arising from your business or undertaking. 

This process is known as risk management and involves the four steps (see Figure 1 below): 

• Identify hazards—find out what could cause harm. 
• Assess risks, if necessary—understand the nature of the harm that could be caused by the hazard, how serious the harm could be and the likelihood of it happening. This step may not be necessary if you are dealing with a known risk with known controls. 
• Control risks – implement the most effective control measure that is reasonably practicable in the circumstances and ensure it remains effective over time. 
• Review hazards and control measures to ensure they are working as planned. 

This process will be implemented in different ways depending on the size and nature of your business. Larger businesses and those in sectors where workers are exposed to more or higher risks are likely to need more complex, sophisticated risk management processes. 

Consultation with workers and their health and safety representatives is required at each step of the risk management process. By drawing on the experience, knowledge and ideas of your workers, you are more likely to identify all hazards and choose effective control measures. 

 

Where do I go to find information about risks and control measures?

General risks - Safe Work Australia’s website has information on known risks for some industries and activities. Your industry association, jurisdictional WHS regulator and health department are also good sources of information.  

Business specific risks - You and your workers know your business better than anyone. Working in consultation with your workers you can identify risks specific to your business and ways these can be addressed. If you need help with this you can call your WHS regulator for advice. For example, the Italian deli owner who knows they have a queue for their specialty bread every Saturday morning could allow customers to call ahead and have a loaf put aside for them to avoid the early morning queue. 

The unexpected - Some risks you might not be able to predict but you can pick them up by monitoring the work environment and checking in with your workers. For example, the local café offering home delivery during COVID-19 might suddenly find the demand is much higher than before but keeping up with this demand gives the chef a sore back. The café in consultation with their staff might put in anti-fatigue mats or re-task staff who used to wait tables to assist the chef.  

How do I know what is ‘reasonably practicable’?

Deciding what is reasonably practicable to protect workers or other persons from harm requires taking into account and weighing up all relevant matters, including (but not limited to): 

• Likelihood of the hazard or risk occurring – the greater the likelihood of a risk occurring, the greater the significance of this factor when weighing up all matters and determining what is reasonably practicable 
• Degree of harm that might result from the hazard or risk – the greater the degree of harm that might result from the hazard, the more significant this factor will be when weighing up all matters to determine what is reasonably practicable. Where the degree of harm that might result from the risk or hazard is high, a control measure may be reasonably practicable even if the likelihood of the hazard or risk occurring is low.  
• Knowledge about the hazard or risk, and ways of minimising or eliminating the risk – this must take into account what the duty holder actually knows and what a reasonable person in the duty holder’s position would reasonably be expected to know 
• Availability and suitability of ways to eliminate or minimise the risk – requires consideration of what is available and suitable for the elimination or minimisation of risk, and 
• Costs associated with the available ways of eliminating or minimising the risk - after assessing the extent of the risk and the available ways of eliminating or minimising the risk, consideration can be given to whether the cost of implementing a control measure is grossly disproportionate to the risk.  

The highest level of protection that is reasonably practicable in the circumstances should be provided to eliminate or minimise the hazard or risk. 

See also our Guide: How to determine what is reasonably practicable to meet a health and safety duty and the model Code of Practice: Work health and safety consultation, cooperation and coordination. 

What do the ‘costs’ associated with eliminating or minimising a risk include?

The costs of implementing a particular control measure may include (but are not limited to) matters such as:  

• costs of purchase, installation, maintenance and operation of the control measure  
• any impact on productivity as a result of the introduction of the control measure, such as reductions in output and or increases in work hours. 

When considering costs you should also take account of any savings that may result from reductions in incidents, injuries, illnesses and staff turnover, as well as improvements in staff productivity. 

How do I determine whether the costs of eliminating or minimising a particular risk are ‘reasonably practicable’?

To determine whether expenditure to eliminate or minimise a risk is ‘reasonably practicable’ in the circumstances, you must consider: 

• the likelihood and degree of harm of the hazard or risk,  
• the reduction in the likelihood and/or degree of harm that will result if the control measure is adopted, and 
• the available ways of eliminating or minimising the risk. 

The more likely the hazard or risk, or the greater the harm that may result from it, the less weight should be given to the costs of eliminating the hazard or risk. 

Where there are several options for eliminating or minimising a risk and they would achieve the same level or reduction in the likelihood or degree of harm, a duty holder may choose to apply one or more of the less costly options. However, choosing a low-cost option that provides less protection, simply because it is cheaper, is unlikely to be considered ‘reasonably practicable’. 

Importantly, the question of what is reasonably practicable in a particular circumstance is determined objectively, not by reference to your capacity to pay or other individual circumstances.  

If you cannot afford to implement a control measure that, based on the risk assessment and weighing up of the factors listed above, is necessary to eliminate or minimise the risk, you should not engage in the activity that gives rise to that risk. 

How do I know if the costs of eliminating or minimising a risk are ‘grossly disproportionate’?

To determine whether the costs of eliminating or minimising a risk are ‘grossly disproportionate’ you must balance the likelihood of the risk occurring and degree of harm that might result, with the cost of the control measure. 

It may not be necessary to implement costly control measures to eliminate or minimise a risk that has a low likelihood of occurring and would cause minor harm. However, it may be reasonable to apply less expensive controls to further lower the likelihood of the risk. 

What do I do if I find the costs associated with eliminating or minimising a risk are ‘grossly disproportionate’?

Where the cost of implementing control measures is grossly disproportionate to the risk, implementation may not be reasonably practicable and is therefore not required. The duty holder must then use a less expensive way to minimise the likelihood or degree of harm. 

Resources

• Checklist – Key considerations when undertaking a COVID-19 risk assessment
• Template and Example COVID-19 risk register 
• Workplace checklist - What can I do to keep my workers safe at the workplace and limit the spread of COVID-19?

 

The model WHS laws include requirements for workers to complete specified training and assessment before they can undertake certain work or roles, including: 

• First aid training 
• Health and Safety Representative (HSR) training 
• Construction Induction training (i.e. White Card) 
• High Risk Work training and assessment  
• Asbestos Assessment or Removal training, and 
• WHS entry Permit Holder training.  

The COVID-19 pandemic is significantly impacting the ability of Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) to deliver face-to-face training. Although WHS laws do not specify how training must be delivered, in practice, most WHS regulators require training be delivered ‘face-to-face’.  

To address training impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, WHS regulators have agreed national guidance on WHS training and assessment, including delivery methods.  

Changes in training delivery methods have been agreed for First Aid training, HSR training and Construction Induction (White Card) training. 

No changes have been made to High Risk Work training and assessment, Asbestos Assessment or Removal training and WHS Entry Permit Holder training. Training and assessment must still be completed face-to-face, acknowledging this may not be possible during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

How can training be delivered?

Changes in training delivery methods have been agreed for First Aid training, HSR training and Construction Induction (White Card) training. 

First aid training

No compliance action will be taken by WHS regulators in relation to the first aid training requirements in regulation 42 of the model WHS Regulations where first aid training is not available because of COVID-19. 

The Australian Industry Skills Council has also released guidance on the delivery of first aid training. 

Health and Safety Representative (HSR) training

HSR training may be delivered via Connected real-time delivery.   

Construction Induction (White Card) training

White Card training may be delivered via Connected real-time delivery. Tasmania will continue to allow online delivery of White Card training. In Western Australia (WA), Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) are required to deliver White Card training consistent with the Standards for Registered Training Organisations 2015 (Standards). During the COVID-19 pandemic, provided RTOs deliver White Card training to candidates located in WA in accordance with the Standards, there is no need to apply to WorkSafe WA in relation to connected real-time delivery. 

RTOs may be required to apply for and obtain WHS regulator approval to deliver training via the connected real-time delivery method. Guidance for RTO proposals for connected real-time delivery can be found in fact sheet General Construction Induction (White card) Training – Guidance for RTO proposals for connected real-time delivery.  

What is “connected real-time delivery”? 

• Live video streaming/conferencing using platforms such as Zoom, Skype, Teams  
• Involves real-time interaction between learner and trainer  
• Provides for active participation of learners and trainers  
• Verification of learner Evidence of Identity (EOI) can be done one-on-one (or face to face) via video conference  
• Direct observation or verbal assessment can be undertaken for all assessment components.  

Are there limitations on delivery of connected real-time training?

Training must involve real-time interactions between the learner and trainer and must include one-on-one (or face-to-face) training and assessment interaction. The training must not: 

• be delivered entirely via an online learning management system through portals 
• include a pre-training requirement 
• include self-paced learning  
• include pre-recorded trainer videos or teaching course content including educational videos showing workplaces (e.g. construction sites).  

What about delivery methods for the remaining training and assessment?

There will be no change to the delivery method for the following:  

• High Risk Work training and assessment, 
• Asbestos assessment or removal training, and 
• WHS entry permit holder training.  

Training and assessment for these courses must be completed face-to-face, which may not be possible during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Will all WHS regulators follow the agreed positions on training delivery methods?

The Commonwealth, state and territory WHS regulators are responsible for enforcing compliance with WHS training and assessment in their own jurisdiction.  

Although national positions on the delivery of WHS training have been reached, some minor administrative variations may still exist between WHS regulators. You should contact your WHS regulator if you have any questions regarding the delivery of WHS training and assessment. If your business operates in more than one jurisdiction, you may need to contact more than one WHS regulator.  

Find contact details for the WHS regulators. 

Is it possible agreed training delivery methods may be revisited or change?

Yes. WHS regulators will continue to consult and adapt to changing circumstances based on Government directives and Health advice.  

One of my workers has contracted COVID-19. What should I do?

The easing of public health restrictions means many workers will transition back to their usual workplace either all or part of their working week, with the remaining time spent working from home. 

If you are an employer, the information on this page will help you ensure your workers have a safe and healthy transition back to their usual workplace.

How do I meet my WHS duties as workers transition back to the usual workplace?

Before preparing to transition workers to their usual workplace, you should check any relevant public health orders or directions. 

In addition to any requirements under public health orders or directions, employers have a duty under the model WHS laws to eliminate or if not reasonably practicable, minimise the risks to health and safety of workers (such as the risk of COVID-19 in the workplace), so far as is reasonably practicable. You may not be able to completely eliminate the risks to workers of COVID-19, therefore you must do all that is reasonably practicable to minimise the risks in the context of a range of COVID-19 control measures. 

To minimise risks of COVID-19 in the workplace, you must:

• undertake a risk assessment for your business (more information is available on the risk assessment page). Note in some jurisdictions, workplaces are required to develop COVID-19 safety plans under public health orders.
• consider the effectiveness of available control measures and how they will help manage the risks of COVID-19.
• consult with workers and HSRs about the risks of COVID-19, your risk assessment, and relevant control measures, including the COVID-19 vaccines (more information on your consultation obligations is available on our consultation pages).
• consult, co-operate and co-ordinate, so far as is reasonably practicable, with any other duty holders (for example, consult with building owners, and other businesses you work with or share premises with, about how they will discharge their WHS duties when they interact with your workers). 
• determine what control measures are reasonably practicable for you to implement in your workplace (more information on the meaning of reasonably practicable is available on the risk assessment page).

You should:

• review and, if necessary, update any WHS policies or procedures and your emergency plan, in consultation with workers and HSRs
• consider how you will manage and respond to potential further outbreaks of COVID-19, for example, a return to remote working arrangements
• share relevant information with workers and HSRs about any WHS policies you’ve put in place or updated in response to COVID-19 (for example, incident reporting processes and vaccination policy, if applicable) and any changes to emergency plans
• instruct workers to tell you if they have symptoms of COVID-19, have been in contact with a person who has COVID-19, or have tested positive for COVID-19 
• direct workers to stay home if they have COVID-19 symptoms or have been in contact with a person who has COVID-19. Check your state or territory public health orders or directions for the definition of a contact and any quarantine requirements, as well as any exemptions for essential workers in critical industries
• inform workers about their workplace entitlements (such as access to paid leave) if they have COVID-19 symptoms or they are required to self-quarantine and set clear expectations and procedures, in consultation with your workers and their representatives, on what will happen if a worker contracts COVID-19. Remember, workers who have been isolated after testing positive for COVID-19 must not return to work until they have recovered and have met any criteria for clearance from isolation. States and territories may manage clearance from isolation differently. You can seek information from your state or territory Department of Health.

Depending on your circumstances, you may need to:

• review workplace checklists and re-design the workplace environment, procedures, and practices to support physical distancing, cleaning and hygiene,
• ensure workstations are correctly set up to protect against musculoskeletal injuries (for example, provide guidance to your workers on how to set up a safe work environment),
• consider arrangements for deliveries, contractors, and visitors attending the workplace (for example, organising contactless deliveries and limiting non-essential visitors),
• provide workers with masks , as well as appropriate cleaning, disinfectant, and hygiene products. You should also provide proper training and instruction in the use of any PPE  and cleaning, disinfectant and hygiene products provided (more information is available on our PPE and masks pages), and
• appoint a contact person(s) in your business, such as that workers can talk to about any concerns.

What factors should I consider in my risk assessment? 

A risk assessment involves considering what could happen if someone is exposed to a hazard (for example, COVID-19) and the likelihood of it happening. A risk assessment can help you to determine: 

• the severity of the risk
• whether any existing control measures are effective 
• what action you should take to control the risk, and 
• how urgently the action needs to be taken. 

The exposure of your workers and/or others at your workplace such as customers, clients, or volunteers, to COVID-19 is a foreseeable risk that must be assessed and managed in the context of your operating environment.

Businesses planning a transition back to the usual workplace must assess the risks associated with exposure to COVID-19 and implement control measures to manage those risks. Employers must also assess any other new or changed risks arising from COVID-19, for example, customer aggression, high work demand or working in isolation. 

Risk assessments should be reviewed periodically as the operating environment changes. 

When planning transition back to the usual workplace, your risk assessment should be updated and include consideration of:

• the personal circumstances of the workers, such as whether they have been classified as a vulnerable worker (see our information on vulnerable workers), have caring responsibilities for a vulnerable person, or there is a vulnerable person in their household.
• any new risks that arise from any resulting changes to work practices, procedures, or the work environment. For example, where any plant (equipment), workplace layouts or systems have been changed to comply with physical distancing requirements, you may wish to organise a walk-through of the workplace with HSRs prior to all workers returning, to ensure all health and safety risks are identified and managed.

What control measures should I consider to minimise COVID-19 risks?

You should consider the extent to which available control measures are reasonably practicable to minimise the risks of COVID-19, such as:

• encouraging or ensuring up to date vaccination, where applicable
• ensuring your workers do not come to work when unwell 
• ensuring your workers do not come to work if they have tested positive for COVID-19 unless they have been released from isolation by the relevant public health authority,
• improving air quality in indoor workplaces, where applicable
• ensuring physical distancing in the workplace and adhering to density limits (check occupancy limits for the type of building and building standards). For example:
  • supporting workers to work from home or relocating work tasks to different areas of the workplace or off-site, 
  • staggering your workers’ start, finish and break times, 
  • reducing the number of situations where workers come into close contact, for example in lunchrooms and other shared spaces,
• encouraging workers and others in the workplace to practise good hygiene
• increasing cleaning and maintenance
• implementing a rapid antigen testing (RAT) program, and
• wearing masks.

Other factors that you may need to consider include: 

• the extent of community transmission of COVID-19 where your workplace is located or where your workers perform their work
• your operational environment, including whether your workplace can support all your workers returning at the same time and whether some workers or categories of workers have a greater need to be in the workplace than others
• whether there are workers or others in your workplace who may be at greater risk of severe illness if they contract COVID-19, and 
• the vaccination status of your workers.

You must review control measures periodically, including: 

• as the environment changes (for example, in response to localised outbreaks of COVID-19, changes to public health orders or directions, and 
• as new information on COVID-19 and workplace risks, or control measures, becomes available
• after a notifiable incident, 
• in response to concerns raised by workers, HSRs or others at the workplace, or 
• if an HSR requests a review. 

More information on the meaning of reasonably practicable is available on the risk assessment page for your industry and in the How to determine what is reasonably practicable to meet a health and safety duty webpage.

How should I consult with HSRs and workers? 

You must consult with your workers on health and safety matters relating to COVID-19, including plans to transition back to the usual workplace. This means you must consult workers, and their HSRs (if your workers are represented), when: 

• assessing the risk COVID-19 presents to the health and safety of workers 
• deciding on control measures to eliminate or minimise the risks of COVID-19 
• deciding on the adequacy of facilities for the welfare of workers (for example, hand washing facilities), and 
• proposing other changes to the workplace, including changes to workplace policies, because of COVID-19 which may affect health and safety. 

If you and your workers have agreed procedures for consultation, the consultation must be in accordance with those procedures. If workers are represented by HSRs you must include them in the consultation process. You may need to adjust the format of your consultation to minimise the risks of COVID-19 (for example, you may need to meet with your workers and their HSRs via videoconference rather than in person if your workers are working from home).

You must allow workers to raise and express their views on WHS issues that may arise directly or indirectly because of COVID-19. You must genuinely take the views of workers into account when making decisions and advise them of your decision.  You should also provide your workers with relevant information and materials to assist their understanding of the issues, including a copy of your risk assessment for COVID-19 at your workplace.

You should also encourage workers to raise any WHS concerns with their representatives or direct manager. Remember to follow existing workplace policies and procedures for consultation and issue resolution.

How can I support my workers if they are concerned about transitioning back into the usual workplace?

The COVID-19 pandemic is a stressful and uncertain time for all Australians. Concerns about physical health and safety risks, such as exposure to COVID-19, work-related violence, or changes to the work environment or work demands can create additional risks to psychological health. You must eliminate or minimise the risk to psychological and physical health and safety arising from work so far as is reasonably practicable. 

For example, you should: 

• check control measures do not introduce additional safety risks
• talk to your workers about any agreed measures you have put in place to minimise risks
• respond appropriately to signs a worker may be concerned or anxious about returning to the usual workplace (for example, it is important to intervene early and provide early access to assistance)
• set realistic and clear expectations, workloads, roles and tasks and monitor work levels. Consult with workers and HSRs on any changes in these areas
• consult workers on the transition back to the usual workplace, including on identifying and controlling risks. Keep workers updated and share relevant information. 
• offer your workers flexibility where possible (for example, to start work at a slightly earlier or later time to avoid peak times for public transport, or working from home for part of the week)
• maintain regular communication with your workers and encourage workers to stay in contact with each other. Implement systems of work to enable this, where possible
• stay informed with information from official sources and share relevant information with your workers and HSRs as it becomes available
• inform workers about their workplace entitlements if they have COVID-19 symptoms or they are required to self-quarantine (for example, access to paid leave)
• provide workers with a central place to find workplace information and a point of contact to discuss their concerns (for example HSRs), and
• provide information about mental health and other support services available to your workers (for example, employee assistance programs, employee organisations or the Australian Government Head to Health website).

Do I need to improve air quality in indoor workplaces?

The Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC) advises that improved ventilation may limit the spread of certain respiratory diseases, such as COVID-19, in indoor environments. Understanding and controlling building ventilation can help improve indoor air quality. 

In combination with other reasonably practicable control measures, improving indoor air quality can be used to minimise the risks of COVID-19. More information about how to assess and improve air quality is available on our webpage on improving ventilation in indoor workplaces: COVID-19.

Do I need to organise additional cleaning before I transition my workers back to the usual workplace?

You should implement appropriate cleaning and disinfection practices as one of the control measures to help protect workers and others at your workplace from COVID-19. When and how often your workplace should be cleaned and disinfected will depend on the outcome of your risk assessment, including the likelihood of contaminated material being present. 

In considering whether additional cleaning arrangements need to be implemented prior to workers returning to the usual workplace, you should consider: 

• How long it has been since the premises was last occupied and cleaned. More frequent cleaning will be required once workers return.
• The frequency of cleaning that has taken place prior to workers returning. For further information, you can refer to our:
  • About COVID-19 page
  • Cleaning page 
  • Guidance on How to clean and disinfect your workplace
  • Cleaning checklist 

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

Who is responsible for cleaning and implementing other control measures in my workplace, including shared premises or facilities?

If your business operates in a shared premises you must consult, co-ordinate and co-operate with other employers, the building owner and/or facilities manager to ensure that appropriate cleaning and other control measures (such as physical distancing) are implemented to minimise the risks of COVID-19. This includes shared facilities such as lobbies, lifts, change rooms and common meeting spaces. 

You may also need to discuss with your building owner or facilities manager whether the evacuation and other safety processes for the building have been reviewed in the context of COVID-19, including in relation to evacuation procedures and location of designated assembly points. 

Working with your building owner or facilities manager is a very important step to successfully minimise the risks of exposure to COVID-19 and meet your WHS duties at the workplace.

Do I need to test workplace equipment or facilities before I transition my workers back to the usual workplace?

In some circumstances you may need to test machinery, equipment and appliances, as well as other plant and structures, to ensure they are safe to use and do not give rise to new WHS risks. 

For example, restarting Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems can carry significant risks to the health and safety of workers and other people in the building, particularly where they have not been maintained and inspected in accordance with relevant regulations and standards. You can refer to our guidance on Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) Systems for information on the risks and the steps you should take as an employer to eliminate or minimise these risks.

You should also think about checking drinking water systems, toilets, hand washing, and first aid facilities to ensure they are all functioning correctly, clean, and well stocked.

Do I need to organise a workstation assessment for workers transitioning back to the usual workplace?

In some circumstances you may need to organise a workstation assessment for workers returning to the usual workplace, particularly where there have been changes to the workplace environment. For example, where a workstation has been adjusted during the re-design of the physical layout of the workplace or the worker is using new equipment, such as an office chair. 

Depending on the circumstances, it is recommended that you:

• provide your workers with information on setting up an ergonomic workstation 
• develop in consultation with workers and HSRs (if any), and provide to workers, a health and safety checklist and workstation self-assessment for your workers to use
• discuss equipment requirements with your workers, such as chairs, monitors, keyboards and mice. Workers may have taken equipment home if they were working from home or equipment may have been moved or become lost while the workplace was unoccupied, and
• have ongoing discussions with your workers about their workstation setup to ensure the workstation set up is not creating additional risks or the need for any additional equipment.

If workers have purchased new equipment while working from home that they would like to bring with them to the usual workplace, you may need to discuss compatibility issues and how they will safely transport equipment to the workplace.

When discussing working from home arrangements with workers, you must allow workers to raise and express their views on WHS issues that may directly or indirectly arise, just like in any other consultation process regarding workplace arrangements. You must genuinely take the views of workers into account when making decisions and advise them of your decision. This includes decisions around the provision of office equipment. All WHS issues must be resolved in accordance with the agreed issue resolution procedures in your workplace.

I have workers who will be splitting their time between working from home and the usual workplace. Do I need to purchase additional equipment to maintain two working environments?

Whether you need to purchase additional equipment will depend on the circumstances. You and your workers must discuss what equipment may be required for the worker to safely carry out their work across both workstations and continue to monitor their ongoing equipment needs. You may determine that it is practicable to allow workers to borrow equipment from the office or reimburse reasonable costs where additional equipment is required. 

If you are not satisfied that safe workstations can be maintained both at home and in the usual workplace, it may not be reasonably practicable for the worker to continue working in both locations. In these circumstances, alternative arrangements may need to be made. This could include setting up a safe office space for the worker in the office or working from home exclusively. 

Can I allow workers to share desks and workstations?

If you plan to have people sharing desks or workstations on different days or different shifts (for example, ‘hot-desking’), you should include this in your risk assessment to help you determine reasonably practicable control measures, including whether to stop sharing desks and work stations. If this is not reasonably practicable, you should consider additional cleaning and hygiene measures so that workers have a safe and hygienic space to work. This should include ensuring that the workstation and the equipment to be shared is cleaned and disinfected in between each use by a different person. In addition to providing hand washing facilities and hand sanitiser, you should also consider providing cleaning and hygiene products (for example, disinfectant wipes, spray bottles of disinfectant and paper towels and gloves) so that workers can wipe down surfaces and equipment before and after use. 

Do I need to supply masks or other personal protective equipment (PPE)?

If you have determined that use of masks or other PPE (for example, disposable gloves) is required to be worn in your workplace, you must supply these free of charge to your workers. PPE should be easily accessible to all workers. You must provide appropriate training and instruction on how to put on, wear, remove, clean and maintain (as necessary) or dispose of masks.

Do my workers have the right to stop work if they feel unsafe returning to the usual workplace?

Whether working at the office or at home, a worker has the right to stop or refuse unsafe work when there is a reasonable concern of exposure to a serious risk to health and safety from an immediate or imminent hazard. In some circumstances, this could include exposure to the COVID-19 virus. 

Any concerns about health or safety should first be raised with you or the HSR and resolved in accordance with the agreed issue resolution procedures in your workplace. A worker may also contact an employee organisation for advice. If a worker decides to stop work as it is unsafe, they must notify you as soon as possible and be available to carry out alternative work arrangements. 

For information on the issue resolution process see the Code of Practice: Work, health and safety consultation, cooperation and coordination.  

For information on a worker’s right to stop work, see our information on workers’ rights and the Fair Work Ombudsman Coronavirus and Australian Workplace Laws webpage. 

One of my workers has contracted COVID-19. What should I do? 

If you have a worker who has contracted COVID-19 you will need to follow the health advice provided by your state or territory public health authority. 

Workers who have been isolated after having tested positive for COVID-19 can return to work when they have fully recovered and have met the criteria for clearance from isolation. The criteria may vary depending on the circumstances of the workplace and state and territory public health authorities may manage clearance from isolation differently. 

It is possible that a worker with COVID-19 could potentially work from home, if for example, they have no or minor symptoms. This would be subject to the advice from the relevant treating clinician and discussions with the worker. For example, a doctor may recommend reasonable adjustments, including reduced working hours or changes to a worker’s workload.

Contact your state or territory health helpline for further advice. See our COVID-19 guidance on Incident notification and our information on COVID-19 in your workplace.

Further information

Comcare – Coronavirus (COVID-19) - Transition back to usual workplaces

Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications –  Principles for COVID-19 public transport operations

Safe Work Australia guidance

• COVID-19 Industry information, including:
  • physical distancing
  • hygiene
  • cleaning
  • PPE 
• COVID-19 Information for Workplaces
• COVID-19 guidance on Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) Systems)
• COVID-19 guidance on Incident notification
• COVID-19 Signage and posters
• COVID-19 - Workplace Checklists
• Infographic – What to do if a worker has COVID-19
• COVID-19 risk assessments – key considerations when assessing the risks associated with COVID-19 and example risk register 
• Model Code of Practice: How to manage work health and safety risks
• Model Code of Practice: Work health and safety consultation, cooperation and coordination  

• Mental health resources

• Safe Work Australia - COVID-19 guidance on Mental health
• You can contact the Beyond Blue coronavirus mental wellbeing support service on 1800 512 348 or the beyondblue website
• Department of Social Services - Family and mental health support  
• Heads Up – Healthy workplaces support
• Lifeline
• Smiling Mind – Supporting yourself and others through Coronavirus
• Safe Work Australia - Psychological health 

This page provides information about your obligations under the model WHS laws and how these relate to COVID-19 vaccines. 

As an employer you have a duty under the model WHS laws to eliminate, or if that is not reasonably practicable, minimise the risks of COVID-19 in the workplace so far as is reasonably practicable. Employers also have a duty to consult workers regarding COVID-19 risks and how these risks are to be managed. This includes the introduction of workplace policies relating to vaccination. This information will assist you to assess whether a COVID-19 vaccine is a reasonably practicable control measure to manage the risks of COVID-19 in your workplace.

You must also comply with any public health orders or directions made by state and territory governments that apply to you and your workplace, including those mandating vaccination of particular workers.

A safe and effective vaccine is an important part of keeping the Australian community safe and healthy. The COVID-19 vaccines, including boosters, available for use in Australia will help protect people by preventing serious health effects of COVID-19 in the person who is vaccinated, if they are infected with the COVID 19 virus. However, a vaccinated person may still unknowingly carry and spread the virus to others around them, including workers and others in their workplace. Because of this, even if your workers are vaccinated, to meet your duties under the model WHS laws and minimise the risks of COVID-19 in your workplace, you must continue to implement all other reasonably practicable COVID-19 control measures such as:

• ensuring workers do not come to their usual place of work when unwell, 
• ensuring workers do not come to their usual place of work if they have tested positive for COVID-19 unless they have been released from isolation by the relevant public health authority,
• ensuring physical distancing in the workplace and adhering to density limits (check occupancy limits for the type of building and building standards). For example:
  • supporting workers to work from home or relocating work tasks to different areas of the workplace or off-site, 
  • staggering workers’ start, finish and break times, 
  • reducing the number of situations where workers come into close contact with others, for example in lunchrooms and other shared spaces,
• improving air quality, 
• practising good hygiene,
• increasing cleaning and maintenance and
• wearing masks.

If you need information on COVID-19 and Australian workplace laws, go to the Fair Work Ombudsman website. The Fair Work Ombudsman has information on a range of matters, including giving directions to employees, leave entitlements and termination of employment. 

COVID-19 vaccination program

The Australian Government is committed to providing all Australians with access to free, safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines, including  booster doses.

The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) guidance on the definition of ‘up-to-date’ vaccination status for COVID-19 and the latest advice on booster doses is available on the ATAGI website.

Information about Australia’s COVID-19 vaccination program is available on the Department of Health and Aged Care website. 

State and territory health agencies have issued public health orders or directions that require some workers to be vaccinated (including booster doses). If public health orders or directions apply to your workers, you must follow them. You should stay up to date with the advice of your local government health agency.   

Information on public health orders and directions that are in place in different jurisdictions is on the Safe Work Australia public health orders page.  

How COVID-19 vaccines work

A person who is vaccinated against COVID-19 is much less likely to suffer serious health effects from the virus if they catch COVID 19. 

Safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines are an important part of keeping the Australian community safe. However, a vaccinated person may still unknowingly carry and spread the virus to others around them, including workers and others in their workplace. Because of this, you must continue to implement all reasonably practicable control measures in your workplace, such as:

• ensuring your workers do not come to their usual place of  work when unwell, 
• ensuring your workers do not come to their usual place of work if they have tested positive for COVID-19 unless they have been released from isolation by the relevant public health authority,
• ensuring physical distancing in the workplace and adhering to density limits (check occupancy limits for the type of building and building standards). For example:
  • supporting workers to work from home or relocating work tasks to different areas of the workplace or off-site, 
  • staggering workers’ start, finish and break times, 
  • reducing the number of situations where workers come into close contact with others, for example in lunchrooms and other shared spaces,
• improving air quality, 
• practising good hygiene,
• increasing cleaning and maintenance, and
• wearing masks.

The COVID-19 situation is evolving. You must continue to assess the risks and review the control measures to ensure they continue to be effective.

Immunity after vaccination reduces over time. It is important that your workers’ COVID-19 vaccinations are up-to-date. This includes any booster doses recommended by ATAGI.

For more information on how the COVID-19 vaccines work, including the recommended doses and boosters, go to the Department of Health and Aged Care website.

Vaccination and my WHS duties

Do I need to include mandatory vaccination as a control measure to comply with my WHS duties?

Under the model WHS laws, you have a duty to eliminate or if not reasonably practicable, minimise the risks of COVID-19 in the workplace so far as is reasonably practicable. You may not be able to completely eliminate the risk to workers of COVID-19, therefore you must do all that is reasonably practicable to minimise the risks and vaccination should be considered as just one way to do so in the context of a range of COVID-19 control measures. 

However, even though vaccination is available this does not necessarily mean it is reasonably practicable for you to require vaccinations in your workplace or for all of your workers. Your risk assessment might indicate that you can meet your WHS duties by applying other controls to address the risk of COVID-19.

To minimise risks of COVID-19 in the workplace, you must:

• undertake a risk assessment for your business (more information is available on the risk assessment page). Note in some jurisdictions, workplaces are required to develop COVID-19 safety plans under public health orders.
• consider the effectiveness of available control measures and how they will help manage the risks of COVID-19, including any available vaccines.
• consult with workers and their health and safety representatives (HSRs), if any, about COVID-19, assessment of COVID-19 WHS risks, and relevant control measures, including the COVID-19 vaccines (more information on your consultation obligations is available on the consultation page ).
• consult, co-operate and co-ordinate, so far as is reasonably practicable, with any other duty holders. 
• determine what control measures are reasonably practicable for you to implement in your workplace (more information on the meaning of reasonably practicable is available on the risk assessment page ).

Whether a requirement for workers to be vaccinated is reasonably practicable will depend on the circumstances of your particular workplace and your workers at the time you undertake your risk assessment.  

Some factors you should consider on an ongoing basis include:

• What is the extent of community transmission of COVID-19 where your workplace is located or where your workers perform their work? 
• Considering the local situation, how likely is it that your workers will be exposed to the COVID-19 virus? 
• What is the level of vaccination (including boosters) in the local community?
• Are your workers up-to-date with their COVID-19 vaccinations, including any booster doses, as recommended by ATAGI?
• Is the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee recommending COVID-19 vaccination for workers in your industry? 
• Are your workers likely to be exposed to COVID-19 as part of their work? For example, health care workers will be at higher risk of COVID-19 when their work duties place them in contact with people who may be infected with the COVID-19 virus.
• Are your workers vulnerable to COVID-19? Do they work with people who would be vulnerable to severe disease if they contract COVID-19? Are there any factors that would change the severity of COVID-19 if your workers were to become infected (e.g., access to healthcare)? 
• What is the likelihood that COVID-19 could spread in the workplace? For example, some work tasks may require your workers to work in close proximity to each other, to your customers or members of the public. 
• Do your workers interact with large numbers of other people in the course of their work that could contribute to a ‘super-spreading’ event if your workers contract COVID-19? 
• What other control measures are available and in place in your workplace? Do those control measures already minimise the risks of COVID-19, so far as is reasonably practicable?
• Would a requirement to be vaccinated be unlawful in the circumstances? For example, would it discriminate against a class of employees? If you need information on COVID-19 and Australian workplace laws, go to the Fair Work Ombudsman website. If you need information on the implications of anti-discrimination laws, go to the Australian Human Rights Commission website.

More information on the meaning of reasonably practicable is available on the risk assessment page for your industry and in the guide: How to determine what is reasonably practicable to meet a health and safety duty.

It is more likely to be reasonably practicable to mandate COVID-19 vaccination where workers are required as part of their duties to:

• interact with people with an increased risk of being infected with COVID-19 (for example, health care workers treating COVID-19 patients).
• have close contact with people who are more likely to develop serious illness from COVID-19 (for example, health care or aged care workers).
• interact with other people such as customers, other employees or the public (for example, stores providing essential goods and services) where there is a high level of community transmission.

The availability of COVID-19 vaccines and boosters does not automatically mean businesses need to require workers to be vaccinated to meet their WHS duties. Even if vaccination is available to all of your workers it may not be reasonably practicable to require vaccinations at your particular workplace. Whether it is reasonably practicable should be determined based on a risk assessment and needs to be assessed on a case-by-case basis. 

You must consult with your workers and HSRs, if any, about your assessment of WHS risks associated with COVID-19 and your control measures to eliminate or minimise those risks so far as is reasonably practicable. 

If you conclude (following a risk assessment and consultation) that implementing a mandatory vaccination policy is necessary to minimise the risks of COVID-19 at your workplace, you also need to consult with your workers and their representatives about the proposed vaccination policy. You must allow workers to raise and express their views on work health and safety issues that may arise directly or indirectly because of COVID-19, including vaccination policy. You must genuinely take the views of workers into account when making decisions and advise them of your decision.  You should also provide your workers with relevant information and materials to assist their understanding of the issues, including a copy of your risk assessment for COVID-19 at your workplace.

Get advice

You should get legal advice if you are considering requiring your workers to be vaccinated. There are many issues to consider - workplace relations, discrimination and privacy issues will also be relevant. If you have a worker who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons, you may need to implement different control measures to minimise the risks of COVID-19 for this worker and other vulnerable persons, for example, if the individual has a disability (within the meaning of the Disability Discrimination Act 1992) and is more vulnerable to COVID-19 or is unable to be vaccinated. If you need information on implications of anti-discrimination laws, go to the Australian Human Rights Commission website.

Talk to your WHS regulator, the Fair Work Ombudsman, your employer organisation or other legal service before implementing a mandatory vaccination policy in your workplace.  

If after undertaking a risk assessment, consulting with workers and HSRs (if any), and taking advice, you decide that a mandatory vaccination policy is a reasonably practicable control measure to minimise the risks of COVID-19, you will need to implement the policy as a part of meeting your WHS duties.

Remember, public health orders in your state or territory about COVID-19 vaccines may apply to your workers. You should keep up to date with what’s happening in your jurisdiction. More information is available on the Safe Work Australia public health orders page.  

I have determined that mandatory vaccination of my workers is not reasonably practicable at this time – what else can I do to support the vaccine rollout?

If you determine that it is not reasonably practicable to mandate COVID-19 vaccination for your workers based on your current workplace circumstances, you should still encourage your workers to get vaccinated and stay up-to-date with booster doses, if they are able to. Having as many of your workers vaccinated as possible reduces the WHS risks for all workers, their families, your customers and the wider community.

Workplaces are recognised as a key setting for health promotion. You can help your workers find out more information about the vaccines by directing them to the Department of Health and Aged Care website. You can also develop your own informational material to support COVID-19 vaccination, provided certain conditions are met. The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has issued guidance on communicating about COVID-19 vaccines.

Do I need to consult with workers about vaccination if a public health order or direction applies?

There may also be specific public health orders or directions in your state or territory that require your workers to be vaccinated in order to perform certain types of work. If this is the case, you and your workers must comply, and you do not need to consult with workers before following a public health order or direction. However, you should discuss with your workers what the orders or directions require and what you and your workers need to do to comply with the order or direction. More information is available on the Safe Work Australia public health orders page. In addition, you must still consult with your workers, and their HSRs (if any), about what you are doing to identify and manage the risks of COVID-19 in the workplace.

Workers, customers, visitors and vaccinations

Customers or visitors at the workplace can transmit the COVID-19 virus to your workers and other customers or visitors, and controls should be put in place to protect workers, customers and or visitors. Employers have a duty to ensure that the workplace is without risks to the health and safety of all persons (including customers, workers and visitors), so far as is reasonably practicable.

To meet your duties under the model WHS laws and minimise the risks of COVID-19 in your workplace, employers must continue to implement all other reasonably practicable COVID-19 control measures such as:

• ensuring workers do not come to work when unwell, 
• ensuring workers do not come to work if they have tested positive for COVID-19 unless they have been released from isolation by the relevant public health authority,
• ensuring physical distancing in the workplace and adhering to density limits (check occupancy limits for the type of building and building standards). For example:
  • supporting workers to work from home or relocating work tasks to different areas of the workplace or off-site, 
  • staggering workers’ start, finish and break times, 
  • reducing the number of situations where workers come into close contact with others, for example in lunchrooms and other shared spaces,
• improving air quality, 
• practising good hygiene,
• increasing cleaning and maintenance, and 
• wearing masks. 

Depending on the nature of the business, employers may need to consider whether a policy of only allowing vaccinated persons access to the workplace is a reasonably practicable control measure. This needs to be assessed on a case-by- case basis and will depend on the particular circumstances in your workplace, as well as the suitability and availability of other controls. 

You must also comply with any public health orders or directions made by state and territory governments that apply to you and your workplace, including those relevant for customers and workers.

Can I require customers and visitors to prove they have been vaccinated before they can enter my workplace?

It is unlikely that WHS laws require you to ask customers and visitors for proof of vaccination. However, state and territory public health orders or directions may require you to check for proof of vaccination as a condition of entry.

If you want customers and visitors to be vaccinated as a condition of entry to your premises and this is not required by a public health order or direction, you should seek advice before you take any action as this may raise privacy and discrimination issues. 

For more information on privacy, go to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner website. For more information on anti-discrimination laws, go to the Australian Human Rights Commission website.

Can my workers refuse to come to work because another worker isn’t vaccinated?

Under the model WHS laws, a worker can only cease or refuse to carry out work if the worker has a reasonable concern that to carry out the work would expose the worker to a serious risk to the worker’s health or safety from an immediate or imminent exposure to a hazard. In some circumstances, workers have the right to refuse to carry out or stop unsafe work. HSRs can also direct a worker in their work group to cease unsafe work if there is a reasonable concern that the worker will be exposed to a serious risk to their health and safety from an immediate or imminent hazard. 

In most circumstances, a worker will not be able to rely on the WHS laws to cease work simply because another worker at the workplace isn’t vaccinated. However, this will depend on the circumstances.

A person who is vaccinated against COVID-19 is much less likely to suffer serious health effects from the virus if they catch COVID 19. 

However, a vaccinated person may still unknowingly carry and spread the virus to others around them, including workers and others in their workplace.  

For vulnerable workers (especially those who cannot receive a vaccination), you should continue to implement other working arrangements where you reasonably can, such as working from home. If you need information on implications of anti-discrimination laws, go to the Australian Human Rights Commission website.

You should talk to your workers to understand their concerns about the risks of COVID-19 and assure them that you are continuing to implement reasonably practicable control measures which are known to reduce the spread of the virus in the workplace, such as:

• ensuring workers do not come to work when unwell, 
• ensuring workers do not come to work if they have tested positive for COVID-19 unless they have been released from isolation by the relevant public health authority,
• ensuring physical distancing in the workplace and adhering to density limits (check occupancy limits for the type of building and building standards). For example:
  • supporting workers to work from home or relocating work tasks to different areas of the workplace or off-site, 
  • staggering your workers’ start, finish and break times, 
  • reducing the number of situations where workers come into close contact with others, for example in lunchrooms and other shared spaces,
• improving air quality, 
• practising good hygiene,
• increasing cleaning and maintenance, and
• wearing masks. 

Some of my workers cannot be vaccinated because of medical conditions. How do I protect my unvaccinated workers from COVID-19?

A safe and effective COVID-19 vaccination, including boosters, is an important part of keeping the Australian community safe. However, a vaccinated person may still unknowingly carry and spread the virus to others around them, including workers and others in their workplace. Immunity of workers will also reduce over time and so boosters are important to maintain ongoing protection. Because of this, even if your workers are vaccinated, you must continue to implement all reasonably practicable control measures in your workplace, such as:

• ensuring workers do not come to work when unwell, 
• ensuring workers do not come to work if they have tested positive for COVID-19 unless they have been released from isolation by the relevant public health authority,
• ensuring physical distancing in the workplace and adhering to density limits (check occupancy limits for the type of building and building standards). For example:
  • supporting workers to work from home or relocating work tasks to different areas of the workplace or off-site, 
  • staggering workers’ start, finish and break times, 
  • reducing the number of situations where workers come into close contact with others, for example in lunchrooms and other shared spaces,
• improving air quality, 
• practising good hygiene,
• increasing cleaning and maintenance, and 
• wearing masks. 

You must also conduct a risk assessment to determine whether particular working arrangements (for example, working from home) should be put in place for workers who cannot be vaccinated. You should take into account the worker’s specific circumstances, the nature of your workplace and the type of work the worker performs. More information can be found on the vulnerable workers page for your industry and on the Australian Human Rights Commission website.

What about my obligations under workers’ compensation laws?

If a worker contracts COVID-19 at work

Under workers’ compensation laws workers may be entitled to workers’ compensation if they contract COVID-19 out of or in the course of employment. Workers’ compensation laws differ in each state and territory, so you should seek advice from your workers’ compensation authority. Contact details and more information on workers’ compensation is available on the workers’ compensation page. Some workers’ compensation laws presume that, for some categories of worker, a COVID-19 diagnosis is directly attributable to work for the purposes of workers’ compensation.

Adverse reaction to a COVID-19 vaccine

In some circumstances, a worker’s adverse reaction to the COVID-19 vaccine may be covered by workers’ compensation. The adverse reaction must amount to an ‘injury’. Minor and temporary side effects such as headache, fever or fatigue are unlikely to be compensable. 

If a worker suffers an ‘injury’, there must also be the necessary connection with employment to be compensable under workers’ compensation – that is, the injury must arise out of or in the course of the worker’s employment. In some cases, employment must also be a significant contributing factor to the injury.

Workers’ compensation laws differ in each state and territory, so you should seek advice from your workers’ compensation authority. Contact details and more information on workers’ compensation is available on the workers’ compensation page.

COVID-19 vaccine claims scheme

The Australian Government has developed a claims scheme to compensate people who suffer a moderate to significant impact following an adverse reaction to a Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) approved COVID-19 vaccine and who suffer financial loss as a result (such as medical costs or lost wages). The scheme covers the costs of losses or expenses $1,000 and above due to administration of a TGA approved COVID-19 vaccine or due to an adverse event that is recognised to be caused by a COVID-19 vaccination.

An entitlement to compensation under this scheme does not require any connection between the adverse reaction and the person’s employment. More information about the scheme is available here: COVID-19 vaccine claims scheme.

Some people are at greater risk of more serious illness with COVID-19:  

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people 50 years and older with one or more chronic medical conditions 
• People 65 years and older with one or more chronic medical conditions 
• People 70 years and older, and 
• People with compromised immune systems 

These categories may increase or vary depending on the latest evidence. See the Department of Health website for further information.   

The Australian Health Protection Principal Committee advice is that there is limited evidence at this time regarding the risk in pregnant women and so, at present, pregnant women are not included on the vulnerable workers list. 

What to do  

You should follow the advice of the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee for vulnerable people in the workplace.  

The Australian Health Protection Principal Committee advises that: 

• Where vulnerable workers undertake essential work, a risk assessment must be undertaken. Risk needs to be assessed and mitigated with consideration of the characteristics of the worker, the workplace and the work. This includes ensuring vulnerable people are redeployed to non-customer-based roles where possible. Where risk cannot be appropriately mitigated, employers and workers should consider alternate arrangements to accommodate a workplace absence. 

One of my workers is a vulnerable person, how do I conduct a risk assessment?

When conducting a risk assessment for a worker that is a vulnerable person for the risk of exposure to COVID-19 you must consider:  

• the characteristics of the worker,  
• features of the workplace and  
• the nature of the work.  

Remember to keep all information about a worker’s medical conditions confidential. 

For further assistance on how to conduct a risk assessment, refer to the model Code of Practice: How to manage work health and safety risks, which provides practical guidance about how to manage WHS risks through a risk assessment process. See also our guidance relating to COVID-19:  

• Guidance on COVID-19 Risk Assessments,   
• Guidance on key considerations for businesses to take into account when assessing the risks associated with COVID-19, and  
• the example risk register.  

How do I know what is ‘reasonably practicable’ to manage the risk of a vulnerable person contracting COVID-19? 

Deciding what is reasonably practicable to protect workers or other persons from harm requires taking into account and weighing up all relevant matters, including the degree of harm that is likely to occur if the risk of contracting COVID-19 eventuates.  

If a vulnerable person contracts COVID-19, it can result in serious illness or death, which means the degree of harm that might result from the risk or hazard is very high. You must consider all available control measures to limit exposure to vulnerable people, even if the likelihood of them contracting COVID-19 may be low. This includes whether they can work from home in their usual or other role. 

See the model Code of Practice: How to manage work health and safety risks for guidance on how to undertake a risk assessment and our guidance on COVID-19 Risk Assessments. 

Can I just require that my vulnerable workers take leave during the COVID-19 pandemic? 

No. You must first try to identify and manage risks to your worker’s health and safety at the workplace, including considering whether the nature of their job or the workplace increases their risk of exposure to the virus. You may need to explore options for the worker to work from home or arrange for them to move temporarily into a different role. For further assistance, see the model Code of Practice: How to manage work health and safety risks and our guidance on COVID-19 Risk Assessments. 

If the risks to your worker’s health and safety at the workplace cannot be effectively managed, then you must consult with them about alternate arrangements such as taking leave.  

Your worker can continue to access all available entitlements, including leave, under the relevant enterprise agreement, award, contracts of employment and any workplace policies. If you are unsure of your obligations regarding worker entitlements, you can contact the Fair Work Ombudsman. 

Workplace violence and aggression can be any incident where a person is abused, threatened or assaulted in circumstances relating to their work. 

Workplace violence and aggression may include: 

• physical assault such as biting, scratching, hitting, kicking, pushing, grabbing, throwing objects 
• intentionally coughing or spitting on someone 
• sexual assault or any other form of indecent physical contact, and 
• harassment or aggressive behaviour that creates a fear of violence, such as stalking, verbal threats and abuse, yelling and swearing and can be in person, by phone, email or online. 

Workplace violence and aggression can result from a range of sources including: 

• External violence and aggression from customers, clients or members of the public 
• Internal violence and aggression from other workers, supervisors or managers 
• Family and domestic violence from a family or domestic relationship when this occurs at the workplace, including if the person’s workplace is their home. For more, go to the Family and domestic violence information.  

Workplace violence and aggression can result in both physical and/or psychological harm to the person it is directed at and anyone witnessing the behaviour. For more about psychological harm, go to the Mental health and COVID-19 information. 

It can happen in any industry but is most common in industries where people work with the public or external clients. Higher risk industries include: 

• health care and social assistance – this includes nurses, doctors, paramedics, allied health workers, residential and home carers  
• public administration and safety – such as police officers, protective service officers, security officers, prison guards and welfare support workers 
• retail and hospitality – including workers at grocery outlets, convenience stores and pharmacies  
• education and training – including teachers and teachers’ aides. 

Young workers may also experience higher rates of workplace violence in the form of initiation hazing. 

Workers may be at increased risk of experiencing acts of aggression or violence because of measures businesses have put in place to comply with enforceable government directions or their COVIDSafe plan. These measures may include limits on the number of customers in stores, restrictions on products and services and requirements to sign in with QR codes or wear masks.

Coughing and spitting 

In the COVID-19 environment, deliberate acts of coughing and spitting on workers have occurred as a form of violence, particularly against police officers, health care workers and emergency response workers. There have also been incidents of customers spitting on retail workers due to product restrictions. Some jurisdictions have introduced specific fines and jail terms for people who intentionally spit or cough on workers during the COVID-19 pandemic or being asked to comply with QR check ins or mask requirements when entering the store. 

Further information about responding to coughing and spitting incidents can be obtained from the police in your jurisdiction (for example, in NSW coughing or spitting on a public official in a way that is likely to cause fear about the spread of COVID-19 is an offence). 

Workers may be at increased risk of experiencing acts of aggression or violence because of measures businesses have put in place to comply with enforceable government directions or their COVIDSafe plan. These measures may include limits on the number of customers in stores, restrictions on products and services and requirements to sign in with QR codes or wear masks.

What are my WHS duties to manage workplace violence and aggression?

You must ensure workers and others are not exposed to risks to their health and safety, including from workplace violence. You must take a systematic approach to managing risk with the aim of eliminating the risk, or if this is not possible, minimising the risk so far as is reasonably practicable.  

Workers and others at the workplace also have a duty to take reasonable care of their own health and safety, and not adversely affect the health and safety of themselves or others. This includes following any reasonable instruction given to comply with a health and safety duty. 

You need to identify hazards, assess risks and implement controls 

Consult workers on physical and psychological hazards from violence and aggression in the workplace and on how to manage them. Workers often know what the issues are and have ideas about how to manage them. For more information, go to Consultation and communication. 

Once you have consulted workers, determined appropriate measures and put them in place, continue to review how you are managing the risks to check your measures are working.  

Identifying hazards

Identifying hazards involves consulting with workers and other duty holders and observing how work is carried out to see what can go wrong. 

• Workplace violence can arise from hazards that increase stress and conflict. During the COVID-19 pandemic, businesses must comply with enforceable government directions or their COVIDSafe plan. For example, there may be limits on the number of customers in stores, restrictions on products and services, contactless collection methods or requirements to be met as a condition of entry such as use of a QR code or having to wear a mask.    

External violence and aggression may occur due to:  

• general stress and anxiety in the community related to physical distancing rules, e.g. if people are not complying with the rules 
• condition of entry requirements such as a requirement to check in with QR codes or having to wear a mask
• products and services are restricted or no longer available 
• business hours are limited  
• longer queues and wait times and limits on the number of customers in stores 
• workers do not have the information on-hand to respond to customer requests or are insufficiently trained; procedures have changed and workers and customers are struggling to adjust  
• not enough workers available to serve the public 
• handling valuable or restricted items, for example cash or medicines 
• providing care to people who are distressed, confused, afraid, ill or affected by drugs and alcohol 
• workers are working in isolation, offsite or in the community, and 
• increased isolation from support.  

Internal violence and aggression may also occur when:  

• workers are worried about the health risks they may be exposed to and the effectiveness of preventive measures 
• roles or workloads are poorly distributed among work teams  
• work schedules change  
• there is less face-to-face supervision, or workers are more isolated from support networks 
• workloads have increased or roles have changed, for example if extra focus is given to regular cleaning and disinfection of the workplace 
• workers are not adequately trained or familiar with products, services or workplace procedures 
• workers are worried about their job security 
• the workplace culture is hostile or does not prevent violence and aggression.  

Racial discrimination may also increase in the form of individual acts of aggression, or collective forms such as targeting workplaces with workers of a particular nationality or ethnicity.    

There may also be stigma around, and the potential for violence or aggression towards, people who have had COVID-19, or those who seem to be acting inconsistently with public health requirements.  

Assessing risks

If you already know the risks associated with a hazard you have identified, and there are well-known and accepted ways to control it, it may not be necessary to assess the risk of that hazard. If you need to assess risk, you must seek input from your workers and others including relevant duty holders. 

You could consider the following to work out the likelihood that someone could be harmed through workplace violence and aggression, and the degree of harm: 

• who could be exposed to hazards 
• when they are likely to be exposed to hazards 
• frequency and duration of exposure to hazards 
• the ways hazards interact to make new or greater risks 
• effectiveness of current control measures 
• the harm exposure could cause. 

Potential harm could: 

• be physical or psychological 
• include minor or serious injury and illness, or death 
• be the result of a single incident, or build up over a longer period. 

Managing the risks of workplace violence

Workplace violence and aggression can impact psychological and physical health.  

New measures may be needed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the impacts this has had on your workplace or business operations.  

External violence and aggression

To manage the risk of violence, aggression and harassment at the workplace, consider the following:  

Physical work environment and security  

• ensure access to the premises is appropriately controlled 
• increase security measures such as security personnel, video surveillance or duress alarms 
• ensure internal and external lighting provides good visibility 
• arrange furniture and partitions to allow good visibility of service areas and avoid restrictive movement 
• separate workers from the public, for example install protective barriers or screens  
• prevent public access to the premises when people work alone or at night  
• limit the amount of cash, valuables and medicines held on the premises  
• ensure there are no dangerous objects that could be thrown or used to injure someone 
• provide workers and others with a safe place to retreat to avoid violence 
• put up signs to reflect that the workplace will not accept any forms of violence and aggression. 

Work systems 

• manage expectations of customers and clients with communications about the nature and limits of the products or services you are now providing, for example online and using signage at the workplace, e.g. inform customers of reduced services, wait times, their place in the queue or offer them other methods for non-urgent requests (such as online forms) 
• place purchase limits on the sale of in-demand goods or take them off the shelves and require customers to ask for them specifically 
• provide information as soon as possible on the availability of services/products or processing delays 
• clarify the procedures which customers may not be familiar with, such as physical distancing in stores and queuing procedures  
• adapt opening hours if necessary, and clearly communicate this to the public 
• avoid workers needing to work in isolation and provide sufficient staff during periods of high customer attendance 
• monitor workers when they are working in the community or away from the workplace, for example a supervisor checks in regularly throughout the shift  
• alternate the task of working with customers (in person or over the phone) with other work tasks and ensure workers have their regular breaks 
• promote awareness messages to customers about new constraints due to the COVID-19 situation (e.g. requirement to sign-in with a QR code or wear a mask), encouraging them to show patience, respect and understanding 
• evaluate your work practices, in consultation with your workers and their representatives, to see if they contribute to violence and aggression  
• train workers in how to deal with difficult customers, conflict resolution and when to escalate problem calls to senior staff, including procedures to report incidents 
• ensure that workers are made aware of their right to cease unsafe work. 

Internal violence and aggression  

There are many things you can do to reduce the risk of violence, aggression and harassment between workers, supervisors and managers, including:  

• provide a positive, respectful work culture where violence, aggression and harassment is not tolerated 
• provide a consistent approach to prevent inappropriate behaviour from escalating 
• regularly review workloads and time pressures with your workers and their representatives 
• ask workers to provide screen shots and keep records if aggressive behaviour occurs online 
• improve role clarity by ensuring your workers have well-defined roles and the expectations of them are clear 
• provide adequate resources and training to your workers so they are able to perform their role confidently and competently. 

Responding to incidents of violence, aggression and harassment

Responses to work-related violence, aggression and harassment will vary depending on the nature and severity of the incident. 

At the time of an incident 

Workers should be trained in what to do during a violent or aggressive incident, such as: 

• using calm verbal and non-verbal communication
• using verbal de-escalation and distraction techniques 
• seeking support from other workers 
• asking the aggressor to leave the premises or disconnecting the aggressor from the phone call 
• activating alarms or alerting security personnel or police  
• retreating to a safe location. 

Immediately after an incident 

Immediately after a violent or aggressive incident, you should: 

• ensure that everyone is safe 
• provide first aid or urgent medical attention where necessary 
• provide individual support where required, including psychological support to the victim and other workers 
• report what happened, who was affected and who was involved. 
• You may need to notify your state or territory WHS regulator if the incident is a ‘notifiable incident’ (see the Incident Notification fact sheet for more information). 

Further information and resources 

SWA materials 

• Guide: Preventing workplace violence and aggression
• Guide: Preventing workplace sexual harassment
• Information sheet: Family and domestic violence at the workplace
• Information sheet: Workplace violence – guidance for small business
• Information sheet: Workplace sexual harassment – guidance for small business
• Guide for Handling and Transporting Cash
• Guide for preventing and responding to workplace bullying
• Model Code of Practice: Managing the work environment and facilities
• Model Code of Practice: How to manage work health and safety risks

Other resources 

• Workplace Health and Safety Queensland - Prevention and management of violence and aggression in health services handbook 

Other laws may also apply depending on the nature and circumstances of the violent or aggressive behaviour, for example criminal laws, anti-discrimination laws, and the industrial laws in some jurisdictions.  

Further information can be obtained from: 

• the police in your jurisdiction 
• Australian Human Rights Commission
• Fair Work Commission
• Fair Work Ombudsman

As a national policy body, Safe Work Australia does not have a role in determining a worker’s coverage or eligibility for benefits in workers’ compensation schemes, or for managing workers’ compensation claims and return to work programs for injured workers. All workers’ compensation arrangements are the responsibility of the Commonwealth, and each state and territory (jurisdictions). 

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, workers’ compensation authorities across the jurisdictions are providing additional information for workers, employers, medical and health practitioners and others. 

For general guidance relating to your jurisdiction or advice on your particular circumstances, please refer to the information provided by your workers’ compensation authority. Seek specific advice from that authority if further information is needed. See workers’ compensation authorities for details.

Are my workers covered by workers’ compensation if they contract COVID-19? 

They may be.  

Workers’ compensation arrangements differ across jurisdictions, however generally to be eligible for compensation a worker will need to: 

• be covered by your workers’ compensation scheme, either as an employee or a deemed worker, 
• have contracted the COVID-19 virus out of or in the course of their employment. 

Compared to a work-related injury, it may be more difficult to establish a connection between a worker’s contraction of the COVID-19 virus and their employment.  

In some industries (e.g. health care), and in some circumstances (e.g. in the course of their employment a worker travelled to a high-risk area) this connection may be easier to establish.  

Your workers’ compensation authority will determine whether your worker is covered by their scheme and if the contraction of COVID-19 was adequately connected to their employment. They will consider each claim on its merits, with regard to the individual circumstances and evidence. 

Are my workers covered by workers’ compensation if they lose their job due to our workplace closing? 

Workers’ compensation does not compensate a worker for the loss of a job due to COVID-19 related workplace closures.  

Workers’ compensation arrangements differ across jurisdictions, however generally to be eligible for compensation a worker will need to: 

• be covered by your workers’ compensation scheme, either as an employee or a deemed worker, 
• have an injury or illness of a kind covered by the scheme (e.g. COVID-19), that arose out of or in the course of their employment. 

If your worker has an existing workers’ compensation claim and your workplace closes, you and your worker should refer to information provided by, and seek advice from, your workers’ compensation authority about your particular circumstances. See workers’ compensation authorities for details.

Other financial support may be available to your workers who have lost their jobs. Refer to the Australian Government’s Economic Response to the Coronavirus and also go to Staying informed about COVID-19 for links to other sources of information such as Services Australia and the Australian Tax Office. 

Are my workers covered by workers’ compensation if they are injured while working from home? 

If your worker sustains an injury while working from home, they may be eligible for workers’ compensation. 

Workers’ compensation arrangements differ across jurisdictions, however generally to be eligible for compensation a worker would need to: 

• be covered by the scheme, either as an employee or a deemed worker, 
• have an injury or illness of a kind covered by the scheme, that arose out of or in the course of their employment. 

Your workers’ compensation authority will determine whether the worker is covered by their scheme and their injury or illness was adequately connected to their employment. They will consider each claim on its merits, with regard to the individual circumstances and evidence. 

Will existing workers’ compensation claims and return to work arrangements change due to COVID-19? 

COVID-19 restrictions may impact various aspects of a worker’s recovery and return to work. 

Your workers’ compensation authority can provide information for employers and their workers who are currently receiving workers’ compensation regarding payments, treatment and return to work. 

You and your worker should refer to information provided by, and seek advice from, your workers’ compensation authority on your particular circumstances. See workers’ compensation authorities for details.

What other support is available for me and my workers? 

Individuals and businesses may be eligible for financial support. Refer to the Australian Government’s Economic Response to the Coronavirus and also go to Staying informed about COVID-19 for links to other sources of information such as Department of Health, Services Australia, the Australian Tax Office, and Business.gov.au. 

Workers are entitled to: 

• elect a health and safety representative (HSR) if they wish to be represented by one 
• request the formation of a health and safety committee 
• cease unsafe work in certain circumstances 
• have health and safety issues at the workplace resolved in accordance with an agreed issue resolution procedure, and 
• not be discriminated against for raising health and safety issues. 

Health and safety representatives (HSR) 

Your workers can ask you to facilitate the election of one or more HSRs for the workplace.  

An HSR is elected by a work group (e.g. all workers in the office part of a manufacturing complex, or all people on the night shift) to represent the health and safety interests of the work group. An HSR must be a member of the work group they represent. There can be as many HSRs and deputy HSRs as needed after consultation, negotiation and agreement between you and the workers.  

You must keep a current list of all HSRs and deputy HSRs for the workplace and display a copy. A list must also be provided to the WHS regulator. 

Workers’ right to stop work

In some circumstances, workers, or their HSRs have the right to refuse to carry out or stop unsafe work. They have this right if there is a reasonable concern that the worker will be exposed to a serious risk to their health and safety from an immediate or imminent hazard. This could include exposure to the COVID-19 virus.   

In most circumstances, the HSR will need to consult with you before they direct workers to stop work.  

If a worker stops work because it is unsafe, they need to tell you as soon as possible. The worker must then be available to carry out suitable alternative work, including doing other tasks that they are trained or able to do, or performing their work from another location, such as working from home. 

Discrimination

You cannot discriminate against or disadvantage workers for raising work health and safety concerns in the workplace.  

You also cannot discriminate against or disadvantage HSRs in the workplace for performing their HSR role.  

You should encourage your workers to raise any concerns they have about work health and safety in your workplace, including in relation to the COVID-19 virus.

Under the model WHS laws, each employer has a duty of care for the health and safety of their workers and others at the workplace. This duty extends to identifying and managing the risks of exposure to COVID-19 and putting appropriate controls in place in every workplace where the employer engages workers to carry out work or directs or influences workers in carrying out work. 

If work can be completed at home, and the risks that arise from working remotely can be effectively managed, encouraging or directing workers to work from home may be the best way to minimise the risk of exposure to COVID-19. 

Whether working from home is reasonably practicable will depend on the specifics of the workplace, the facilities available for workers to work remotely and the ability for workers to do their work safely from home. It will also depend on the level of risk from COVID-19 in your community and how effectively you can manage the risks from COVID-19 in your workplace through other control measures (e.g. through physical distancing).

In deciding whether working from home is appropriate for your workers, in consultation with workers and their representatives, you should consider:

• the level of risk from COVID-19 in your workplace including the effectiveness of other control measures
• the individual worker's role
• whether the worker is in a vulnerable person category for contracting the virus (see our information on vulnerable workers)
• suitability of work activities
• workflows and expectations
• workstation set up
• surrounding environment such as ventilation, lighting and noise
• home environment, such as partners, children, vulnerable persons and pets
• communication requirement such as frequency and type
• mental health and wellbeing of the worker
• safe working procedures and training requirements, and
• potential risk of infection on journeys to and from the workplace.

Any existing workplace policies on working from home would apply to arrangements implemented as part of the COVID-19 response. You may need to vary your policies to reflect the broader requirements of the COVID-19 situation such as the ability to work from home while also caring for children. As with all work health and safety matters, you must consult with your workers and any elected Health and Safety Representatives (HSRs) on working from home arrangements. 

Whether working at the office or at home, a worker has the right to stop or refuse unsafe work when there is a reasonable concern of exposure to a serious risk to health and safety from an immediate or imminent hazard. In some circumstances, this could include exposure to COVID-19. Any concerns about health or safety should first be raised with you or the HSR. A worker may also contact a union for advice. If a worker decides to stop work as it is unsafe, they must notify you as soon as possible and be available to carry out alternative work arrangements. See also our information on workers’ rights and the Fair Work Ombudsman Coronavirus and Australian Workplace Laws webpage. 

What must I do when workers are working from home?

The model WHS laws still apply if workers work somewhere other than their usual workplace, for example, from home. You have duties to ensure the health and safety of your workers, even if they are working from home.

What you can do to minimise risks at a worker's home may be different to what you can do at the usual workplace. However, in consultation with workers and their representatives, you should:

• provide guidance on what is a safe home office environment, including what a good workstation set up looks like, why workers should not be sedentary all day and how to avoid this
• allow workers to borrow any necessary work station equipment from the office to take to the home as agreed 
• require workers to familiarise themselves and comply with good ergonomic practices, consistent with any workplace policies and procedures, for example requiring workers to complete a workstation self-assessment checklist and provide their responses to you 
• maintain regular communication with workers 
• provide access to information and support for mental health and wellbeing services. Beyondblue has a freely available website or you may have an existing employee assistance program (EAP) you can promote, and
• appoint a contact person in the business who workers can talk to about any concerns related to working from home.

You must also think about, and consult your workers, on how your existing policies and procedures apply when working from home, including:

• notification of incidents, injuries, hazards and changes in circumstances
• consultation and review of work health and safety processes, and
• attendance, timesheets, leave and other entitlements and arrangements.

If necessary, employers may consult workers for an inspection of the worker’s home work environment to ensure it meets health and safety requirements. This can be achieved through virtual means such as photos or video to avoid the need for a physical inspection. In many cases, given the types of risks associated with the activities to be undertaken, an inspection will not be required. Depending on the complexity of the potential risks involved, you may need to engage the services of a health and safety professional to assess the risks to a worker working from home.

What are the WHS risks of working from home?

Working from home may change, increase or create work health or safety risks. You must consult with workers before you implement control measures to address these risks. It is also important to review and monitor whatever arrangements are put in place to ensure that these arrangements do not create any additional risks. 

Some key considerations that may affect the WHS risks of workers working from home or remotely include:

• communication frequency and type between the employer and worker
• management of the work program, workload, activities and working hours
• surrounding work environment
• workstation set up, such as desk, chair, monitors, keyboard, mouse and computer
• work practices and physical activity
• pre-existing injuries the worker may have
• mental health and wellbeing of the worker, and
• other responsibilities the worker may have such as facilitating online learning for children or a caring role.

You must do what you reasonably can to manage the risks to a worker who works from home.

However, workers also have health and safety obligations to minimise risks when working from home including:

• following procedures about how work is performed
• using equipment provided by the workplace as per the instructions given and is not damaged or misused 
• maintaining a safe work environment, such as designated work area, moving furniture to ensure comfortable access, providing adequate lighting and ventilation, repairing any uneven surfaces or removing trip hazards
• managing their own in-house safety, such as maintaining electrical equipment and installing and maintaining smoke alarms
• notifying the employer about risks or potential risks and hazards, and
• reporting any changes that may affect their health and safety when working from home.

Mental health risks and working from home

The COVID-19 pandemic is a stressful and uncertain time for all Australians. Working from home, particularly for the first time, can create additional risks to mental health.

The WHS duties apply to both physical health and mental health. This means that employers must, so far as is reasonably practicable, ensure the mental health of their workers and protect their workers from psychosocial risks while they are at work. 

Working from home can have psychosocial risks that are different to the risks in an office or your regular workplace. A psychosocial hazard is anything in the design or management of work that causes stress. Stress in itself is not an injury, but if prolonged or severe it can cause both psychological and physical injuries. Some psychosocial hazards that may impact a worker’s mental health while working from home include:

• being isolated from managers, colleagues and support networks
• less support, for example workers may feel they don’t have the normal support they receive from their supervisor or manager
• changes to work demand, for example the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and a move to working at home may create higher workloads for some workers and reduced workloads for others
• low job control
• not having clear boundaries between home-life and work-life
• fatigue
• poor environmental conditions, for example an ergonomically unsound work station or high noise levels, and
• poor organisational change management, for example workers may feel they haven’t been consulted about the changes to their work.

Working from home may also impact a worker’s mental health in other ways, such as from changed family demands. For example, home schooling school-aged children who are learning from home, relationship strain or family and domestic violence.

Looking after the mental health of workers at home

You must eliminate or minimise psychosocial risks arising from work as far as is reasonably practicable, including when your workers are working from home.

You must consult with workers and any HSRs on psychosocial hazards they may face and how to manage them. Workers often know what the issues are and have ideas about how to manage them. You must also review how you’re managing the risks to check your policies and processes are effective. 

Good communication with your workers is especially important when they are working from home. It is important that you have regular and clear communication with your workers to set realistic and clear instructions on workloads, roles and tasks, to monitor work levels and to check that work can be successfully completed from home without creating any additional safety risks. Adjust any work tasks and ways of working as appropriate. 

Steps you must take to manage risks to your workers’ mental health where reasonably practicable include:

• maintaining regular communication with your workers and encouraging workers to stay in contact with each other
• making sure workers are effectively disengaging from their work and logging off at the end of the day
• eliminating or minimising physical risks
• providing workers with a point of contact to discuss their concerns and to find workplace information in a central place including HSRs
• providing information about mental health and other support services available to your workers (Beyondblue has set up a freely available mental health support website or you may have an existing employee assistance programs you can refer workers to).
• staying informed with information from official sources and sharing relevant information with your workers and HSRs as it becomes available
• offering your workers flexibility, such as with their work hours, where possible
• responding appropriately to signs a worker may be struggling, e.g. changed behaviour, and
• informing workers about their entitlements if they become unfit for work or have caring responsibilities.

For further information the Infographic: Four steps to preventing psychological injury at work shows how the risk management process can be applied to psychosocial risks. 

Detailed guidance is available in Safe Work Australia Guide: Work-related psychological health and safety: A systematic approach to meeting your duties.

Who is responsible for ensuring that my workers have a safe workstation set up to work from home?

Under the model WHS laws, you have a duty of care for the health and safety of your workers and others at the workplace. This includes where your worker is working from home. You must consult with workers and take all reasonable steps to ensure their workstations are correctly setup to reduce potential musculoskeletal injuries.

Workers also have a duty to take care for their own health and safety, which includes while working from home, and must follow any reasonable policies or directions their employer gives them. 

You and you workers share responsibility for ensuring a safe workstation set up. 

To ensure your workers’ workstation set up is safe, you should:

• provide guidance on what is a safe home office environment, including setting up an ergonomic workstation, why workers should not be sedentary all day, and how to avoid this
• require workers to familiarise themselves and comply with good ergonomic practices, for example by requiring workers to complete a workstation self-assessment checklist and provide their responses to you
• provide a health and safety checklist for working from home for workers to use, for example checking for trip hazards in the work space
• consider organising a workstation assessment by a competent person where practicable, allow workers to borrow equipment, such as chairs, monitors, keyboards and mouses, from the office or reimburse them reasonable costs for purchasing any required equipment, and
• have ongoing discussion with your workers regarding their workstation set up.

Workers must follow reasonable policies or directions set by you. This may include completing workstation checklists and following any other reasonable safety policies and directions you give them. As with any other work environment, workers must inform you of any work-related incidents or injuries that occur while working at home and are encouraged to report health and safety concerns to you and their HSR.

What do I need to do about home workstation set ups?

You must eliminate or minimise risks to the health and safety of your workers, so far as is reasonably practicable. While you have less control over a worker’s home, you must still consult with workers and HSRs and take steps to reduce work health and safety risks of workstations as much as possible (with available and suitable solutions)

To minimise the risk of a worker sustaining a musculoskeletal injury while working from home, you could:

• organise a virtual workstation assessment
• have ongoing discussion with your workers about their workstation setup
• provide a health and safety check list when working from home for your workers to use
• provide a workstation self-assessment checklist and health and safety check list for your workers to follow
• provide your workers with information on setting up an ergonomic workstation, and
• allow workers to borrow equipment, such as chairs, monitors, keyboards and mouses, from the office or reimburse them reasonable costs for purchasing any required equipment, and
• monitor to ensure the workstation set up is not creating additional risks and the need for any additional equipment.

In undertaking safety checks you should ensure workers have access to first aid based on an assessment of their duties and home work environment.

Further resources:

• Workplace Health and Safety Queensland —  Guide to computer based workstations
• WorkSafe WA — Guide to Setting up your workstation
• Comcare —  Working from home checklist
• WorkSafe Victoria — Minimising the spread of (COVID-19): Working from home

Am I required to provide my workers with equipment to enable them to work safely from home?

You must identify and manage any risks to workers working from home. Undertaking a risk assessment will assist you to determine what is reasonably required to keep workers safe. It may not be reasonably practicable to conduct a physical inspection of your workers’ home, but there are other ways you can assess the risks, including by requiring workers to complete a workstation and health and safety checklist that you may discuss with them.

You may determine that it is practicable to allow workers to borrow equipment from the office or reimburse reasonable costs. You and your workers must discuss what equipment may be required for the worker to safely carry out their work as early as possible during the workstation set up and continue to monitor their ongoing equipment needs throughout the time they are working from home.

If you are not satisfied that a safe workstation can be created, it may not be reasonably practicable for the worker to work from home. In these circumstances, alternative arrangements may need to be made. This could include setting up a safe office space for the worker in the office and flexible work hours to minimise contact between workers. 

What are my obligations to my workers to ensure that they have suitable breaks and work reasonable hours while working from home?

You must ensure workers continue to access their workplace entitlements, including breaks, standard hours and any agreed to flexible work arrangements. You should consider whether any existing workplace policies and procedures need to be revisited in light of the COVID pandemic and increased working from home arrangements.

Information on workers’ entitlements, including breaks, standard hours and flexible work arrangements, is available on the Fair Work Ombudsman website.

I have workers working from home who are also caring for, and educating, their school aged children who are unable to attend school. What are my obligations towards these workers? 

Good communication between you and your workers is especially important when workers are working from home. You should ensure your workers are aware of any working from home and carer policies that apply to your workplace. Workers may also wish to discuss their entitlements to carers leave and other relevant forms of leave. Further information on leave entitlements is available on the Fair Work Ombudsman website. 

Workers may wish to share tips on balancing work and caring responsibilities with others. Tool box discussions and team meetings can be a great place to share this information in a friendly environment. This might include tips on how workers have managed to balance their caring arrangements with their partner, where available. 

How can I support my workers who are finding working from home stressful and it is negatively impacting their mental health? 

You must eliminate or minimise psychosocial risks arising from work as far as is reasonably practicable, including when your workers are working from home.  

Good communication with your workers is especially important when they are working from home. You must consult with workers and HSRs on psychosocial hazards they may face and how to manage them. Workers often know what the issues are and have ideas about how to manage them. You must also review how you’re managing the risks to check your policies and processes are effective. 

There are a range of resources available to workers to support their mental health. These include:

• SafeWork NSW - COVID-19 and Mental health at work
• Beyond Blue - How to look after your mental health when working from home. You can also contact the Beyond Blue coronavirus mental wellbeing support service on 1800 512 348 or the Beyondblue website.
• Black Dog Institute - Managing your mental health at home
• Family and mental health support — Department of Social Services
• Heads Up – Healthy workplaces support
• Lifeline
• Australian Psychological Society – Tips for coping with coronavirus anxiety
• Smiling Mind – Supporting yourself and others through Coronavirus
• Safe Work Australia - Mental Health 

There are also a number of practical steps that can help. These include:

• ensuring workers have the contact details for the relevant Employee Assistance Program
• maintaining regular communication 
• supporting flexible work arrangements, where available, and
• ensuring workers effectively disengage from work and log off at the end of the day.

You can also call the National Coronavirus Helpline for information and advice about COVID-19 on 1800 020 080.

One of my workers has contracted COVID-19 while working from home. What should I do? 

If you have a worker who has contracted COVID-19 you will need to follow the health advice provided by your public health authority. 

You should discuss leave arrangements with your worker and determine if the worker has had contact with any other workers while they were infectious.

Workers who have been isolated after having tested positive for COVID-19 can return to work when they have fully recovered and have met the criteria for clearance from isolation. The criteria may vary depending on circumstances of the workplace and states and territories may manage clearance from isolation differently. Clearance may be by the public health authority or the person's treating clinician.  

It is possible that a worker with COVID-19 could potentially work from home, if for example, they have no or minor symptoms. This would be subject to the advice from the relevant treating clinician and discussions with the worker. For example, a doctor may recommend reasonable adjustments, including reduced working hours or changes to a worker’s workload.

Contact your state or territory helpline for further advice.   

When should workers return to the workplace? 

Before workers return to their usual workplace you must ensure your proposed arrangements are consistent with the latest advice from public health authorities. You will also need to undertake a risk assessment and consult with workers and HSRs before workers return to the usual workplace. 

This risk assessment will need to include consideration of current Commonwealth, state and territory government advice on physical distancing and whether your workplace can support all your workers returning at the same time while meeting those requirements. You may consider options for staging a return to the workplace, to ensure that physical distancing requirements are met in accordance with Government advice. 

As part of your risk assessment you must consider vulnerable workers and ensure that they are not put at risk by a direction to return to the workplace. Pending your risk assessment, it may be that vulnerable workers should remain in a working from home arrangement for a longer duration that those workers who are not vulnerable. 

For more information, go to the Transitioning back to usual workplaces page.

Can I direct my workers back to the usual workplace?

Whether or not you can reasonably direct workers back to the workplace will depend on a number of factors, including public health requirements and the individual circumstances of the worker working from home.

Workers must follow any reasonable policies or directions you put in place in response to COVID-19. You must consult with workers and HSRs prior to decisions being made to return to the workplace. You must also ensure return to work arrangements adhere to relevant Commonwealth, state or territory government advice (e.g. physical distancing requirements). 

Where circumstances change, for example it is no longer safe for a worker to continue working from home due to a change in the worker’s home situation or the ability of the worker to continue working from home effectively, the worker may after appropriate consultation be directed to return to the workplace. 

Before requiring workers to recommence work at their usual workplace you must, in consultation with workers and HSRs, have a plan to ensure the safe return to work for all workers.

Where can employers get more information on working from home?

Comcare

• Coronavirus (COVID-19) – Working remotely
• Coronavirus (COVID-19) – Working from home checklist

New South Wales

• SafeWork NSW COVID-19
• Remote and isolated work (includes those who work from home)
• Design and layout of work environment
• Get healthy at work has a suite of working from home resources:
  • Being healthy while working from home
  • 10 tips to work well from home
  • Alcohol consumption while working from home – Employers
  • Healthy eating while working from Home
  • Quitting smoking while working from Home

Queensland

• Health and safety for telecommuters
• Telecommuting checklist
• Safe telecommute to work
• Office ergonomics
• Setting up work stations

Victoria

• Working from home
• Info sheet for working alone

Australian Capital Territory

• Home based work

Northern Territory

• Strata bodies and WHS
• Isolated work

Western Australia

• Office safety overview
• FAQ on working from home and use of mobile and laptop devices
• How to set up your workstation
• Toolkit and information resources

Family Violence Resources (not COVID-19 specific)

• 1800 Respect
• Men’s Referral Service
• Kids Helpline