Tom McIlroy
May 5, 2020
AFR
New workplace safety protocols to guide businesses out of the coronavirus pandemic have been released, with the federal government dividing up the economy into 23 post-COVID-19 sectors.
Industrial Relations Minister Christian Porter released the new work health and safety guidance after Tuesday’s meeting of national cabinet, with industry-by-industry guidelines published online by Safe Work Australia.
The measures are part of the government’s goal to establish a virus-safe economy by July, giving businesses information to begin the process immediately.
“At $4 billion a week we have a very strong incentive for all Australians, who are wearing that cost every week, to reduce that as much as possible as soon as we can,” Prime Minister Scott Morrison said.
The published protocols include information on physical distancing for staff and customers, guidelines on the use of protective equipment, emergency planning, health and illness monitoring, as well as hygiene and cleaning standards.
Mr Porter said more than 1300 pages of new information had been published online, ahead of Friday’s consideration of the easing of some restrictions by the Prime Minister and state leaders.
Some workplaces will need to be reconfigured or restructured, while many workers are expected to see changes to their daily practices.
Moves away from traditional workplaces could see more people working from home and new kinds of technology and equipment required.
Safe Work Australia is mission control
Mr Porter said the new guidance was designed to allow the safest possible return to normal for business owners, workers and customers after the worst of the health crisis had passed.
“What we’re doing is rebuilding the Safe Work Australia website to provide as much information, and as granular detail, as reasonably possible, so businesses can get a head start,” Mr Porter said.
“They can navigate fairly simply to get precise answers to the questions that will apply to their particular business, whether they are a manufacturer, or an abattoir, or a cafe,” he said.
The chair of the government’s national COVID-19 co-ordination commission, former Fortescue Metals Group chief executive Nev Power, briefed the national cabinet meeting on the need for a proactive and consistent approach to supporting businesses and workers to safely get back to work.
New national safe workplace principles were agreed by national cabinet members on April 24.
Tuesday’s meeting agreed Safe Work Australia would be the single source of information for the complex process, designed to allow businesses to plan with confidence and consistency on the road out of the pandemic.
A new toolkit is being developed for businesses and industry groups, guiding a return to normal operations in a safe environment across the country.
ACTU secretary Sally McManus said workers and the public needed to be kept safe in the reopened economy.
“This means implementing such measures as physical distancing and ensuring workers are supported to get tested if they have symptoms, supported to stay at home if they have been in contact with someone with COVID-19 and supported to stay at home or in medical care if they contact the virus,” she said.
“Creating an obligation for employers to implement the best possible methods of prevention, protection and cleaning, and also to report cases in their workplaces to state health and safety regulators are commonsense reforms which will keep working people safe and help prevent the spread of the virus.”
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