COVID-19 is a respiratory illness spread through close contact with an infected person, breathing in airborne droplets from an infected person or touching surfaces that have droplets from an infected person on them. If infected, you can experience a wide range of symptoms including:
- Fever
- Coughing
- Sore throat
- Shortness of breath
Some infected people won’t experience any symptoms while other people are at risk of serious illness and even death.
Under work health and safety laws, your employer has a duty to eliminate or reduce the risks associated with COVID-19.
All workplaces should have a COVID Safe Plan to control the risk of COVID-19 transmission. Under workplace law, your employer must consult with employees when introducing changes to workplace health and safety – including introducing a COVID Safe Plan.
Depending on the requirements of your state or territory government, a COVID Safe Plan may include:
- What actions are being taken to help prevent the introduction of COVID-19 to the workplace
- The level of face-covering or personal protective equipment (PPE) required for your workforce
- How your employer will prepare for and respond to a confirmed case of COVID-19 in your workplace
- How any requirements of the state or territory laws are being met
In this section we detail some of the measures your workplace can take as part of their COVID Safe plan including:
If you need more information on keeping safe at work, download the COVID-Aware Workplace Kit , or contact the Australian Unions Support Centre .
Funding for this factsheet was provided by:
- the Victorian Government as part of the uTech project; and
- the Fair Work Ombudsman.
Please note that the information given here is general information only and is not legal advice. For further assistance, it is recommended you speak to your union.