With the release of the national "roadmap" out of coronavirus restrictions, a senior WHS lawyer has urged employers to consult with workers and HSRs, identify COVID-19 risk factors unique to their business, and implement "pandemic plans" for positive diagnoses and transitioning workers back to remote work if the situation deteriorates.
Lapses in behaviour standards, misunderstood tone and context and the unintended exclusion of workers relying on electronic interactions during the COVID-19 pandemic can exacerbate psychological injury risks, a senior safety lawyer has warned.
The ACTU has demanded that the states and territories amend their WHS laws to mandate workplace social distancing rules and other controls before COVID-19 restrictions are eased. Meanwhile, employers and unions have agreed to amend a modern award with safety provisions to help businesses survive the pandemic, and the Federal Government has released draft laws to codify privacy protections around its COVIDSafe app.
The sudden large-scale uptake of telework, driven by the COVID-19 pandemic, has "amplified" a range of physical and psychosocial occupational risks, but key prevention measures for employers can be as simple as disseminating pragmatic information on ergonomics and facilitating "virtual collective working periods", according to French researchers.
Workers working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic are having varying experiences, and some, like those simultaneously home-schooling their kids, are likely to be struggling, a workplace researcher says. She says employers must be on top of the personal factors affecting remote workers' health.
