Keeping you and your employees safe during COVID-19

To keep workers safe and limit the spread of COVID-19, every employer should do the following at their workplace:

• allow workers to work from home, where possible
• ensure physical distancing by keeping a distance of at least 1.5 metres between people
• encourage all workers to frequently wash their hands for at least 20 seconds with soap and water or by using an alcohol-based hand sanitiser and to practise good hygiene
• be aware of how to spot COVID-19 symptoms (fever, cough, sore throat and shortness of breath) and make sure workers do not come to work if they are unwell
• make sure your workplace is regularly cleaned and disinfected
• have signs and posters around the workplace to remind workers and others of the risks of COVID-19 and the measures that are necessary to stop its spread.

COVID-19 work health and safety small business hub

Safe Work Australia has created a COVID-19 work health and safety information hub for small businesses. The Small Business Hub has tailored information and tools to help businesses manage risks from COVID-19 and keep people safe at the workplace.

The hub has guidance and resources for businesses transitioning back to usual operations as restrictions ease, as well as businesses that have been able to stay open safely. It also features a new series of short videos with information on key COVID-19 work health and safety topics.

As COVID-19 vaccinations become available in Australia, make sure you know your rights and obligations regarding vaccinations for your workplace and your employees.

You can stay up-to-date on the latest general COVID-19 vaccines advice on the Department of Health. 

The Department of Health also has a COVID-19 vaccination – Business kit to help you promote COVID-19 vaccination to your employees and provide accurate information.

All employers are encouraged to consider alternative ways of delivering their business practices and services, such as:

• switching to online ordering
• payment and delivery.

If it is not possible to work from home or redesign practices, it is vital that no worker comes to work if they have any of the following symptoms:

• fever
• cough
• sore throat
• shortness of breath.

If unwell, workers should contact their primary health care provider, who can liaise with the local public health authority to determine when it is safe for them to return to work.

If you have a vulnerable person working for you, you should support them to work from home where possible. If that isn’t possible, you must do a risk assessment and may need to make other work arrangements for them.

Vulnerable people – people at greater risk of serious illness if they get COVID-19 – include:

• 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
• people with a compromised immune system.

COVID-19 infection control training is a 30-minute online training module for care workers. It covers the fundamentals of infection prevention and control for COVID-19 including:

• COVID-19 – what is it?
• signs and symptoms
• keeping safe – protecting yourself and others
• myth busting.