workplace Risk Assessment around covid19

​As a business owner you may need to complete a risk assessment regarding the spread of Covid19 and work completed by vaccinated or non-vaccinated employees.
The government will introduce a new risk assessment process under public health legislation later this year. In the interim, WorkSafe has provided a guideline to follow.

When reading the following, think about the various main tasks that your staff carry out. You may want to identify each main area. For example;  
1) Workshop floor.
2) Front of house (serving customers)
3) Delivery or picking up of goods etc.
Of course these areas will be different for each business.

Guidelines from WorkSafe :
·         How many people does the employee carrying out that work, come into contact with? (very few = lower risk; many = higher risk)

·         How easy will it be to identify the people who the employee comes into contact with? (easy to identify, such as co-workers = lower risk; difficult to identify, such as unknown members of public = higher risk)

·         How close is the employee carrying out the tasks in proximity to other people? (2 metres or more in an outdoor space = lower risk; close physical contact in an indoor environment = higher risk)

·         How long does the work require the employee to be in that proximity to other people? (brief contact = lower risk; lengthy contact = higher risk)

·         Does the work involve regular interaction with people considered at higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19, such as people with underlying health conditions? (little to none = lower risk; whole time = higher risk)

·         What is the risk of COVID-19 infection and transmission in the work environment when compared to the risk outside work? (equal to outside work = lower risk; higher than outside work = higher risk)

·         Will the work continue to involve regular interaction with unknown people if the region is at a higher alert level? (no = lower risk; yes = higher risk).

Don't forget to record your results.
This needs to be completed in discussion with your employees and there may be other questions that need to be asked specific to your industry as well.
Some work is required to only be done by a vaccinated employee, more on this here 
 
Further notes from WorkSafe :
·         Employers can require work to be done by a vaccinated employee, if a risk assessment identifies this is necessary for work health and safety purposes. 

·         Your focus in the risk assessment must be on the role – the work being done – rather than the individual performing the role. If you want your employees to be vaccinated for reasons other than work health and safety that is an employment matter.

·         Think about what the work tasks look like for a typical day or week. Identify the risk rating indicated alongside each risk factor. Where a situation is not black and white, a judgement call will need to be made. Advice from a health and safety professional may help you do that.

·         If your risk ratings tend toward higher risk and you are not able to reduce that risk by implementing more controls, you and your employees should consider whether the work should be performed by a vaccinated employee.
 
Please read the full article here 
If you need assistance in implementing this in your workplace, don't hesitate to contact me today!