How to safely manage COVID-19 in the workplace

As we move closer to full reopening in Victoria and NSW, the challenge for businesses is how to reopen safely. Open-plan offices, common areas such as meeting rooms and kitchens, hot-desking and the importance of air ventilation are factors that impact the risk of COVID-19 being transmitted in the office. But for all businesses across Australia, even those not under lockdown, the key emerging issue is the impact on safety, if any, of the interaction between unvaccinated workers and visitors.

So what can employers do to minimise this risk and maintain a safe workplace?

Follow public health orders

For those businesses that are currently subject to public health orders, the issue is largely out of their hands for the duration of the operation of the order. Those orders variously require businesses to ensure that unvaccinated workers and visitors (other than those with a medical exemption) do not attend the workplace - either across all businesses (such as in NSW)