Browsing: Coronavirus, COVID-19 | Page 13

The COVID-19 pandemic rapidly accelerated the move to home-based work, and HR and WHS teams need to proactively ensure employees working from home don't face increased stress, isolation and burnout, according to a lead article in the latest Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

A major study on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of Australia's medical workforce has shown a marked increase in mental health symptoms among all doctors, with junior doctors most at risk.

A worker's absolute refusal to be vaccinated against COVID-19 constituted wilful misconduct and clear grounds for dismissal without notice, a commission has ruled, after hearing his employer's vaccine policy was developed in consultation with key WHS stakeholders.

Breaching an employer's mandatory COVID-19 face mask rule is a valid reason for dismissal, but employers must clearly warn staff of the consequences of failing to wear the PPE properly, a commission has ruled.

The requirement for certain workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19 can be likened to a new regulatory requirement or mandatary training qualification for a particular role, a commission has ruled in one of a rapidly growing number of decisions on the issue.

A global aviation services company was entitled to sack a NSW worker who "quite extraordinarily" refused to provide proof of her COVID-19 vaccination despite having received both jabs, a tribunal has found.

A risk and compliance manager's role included safety inspections and many other tasks that needed to be performed at her employer's premises, a commission has heard in rejecting her claim that she should have been permitted to work from home instead of being "forced" to have a COVID-19 vaccine.

An extensive Japanese study of more than 130,000 workers from 1,400 companies has shown a sharp rise in the incidence of unhealthy weight gain, high blood pressure, hyperglycemia and liver damage following COVID-19 restrictions and work-from-home policies.

The Fair Work Commission has found an employer moved too quickly to dismiss a worker who refused to get vaccinated for COVID-19, and should have waited until all employees in his category were required to return to the office.

The jailing of a business owner for industrial manslaughter, the commencement of a mirror WHS Act, legislative changes across most jurisdictions, and a host of judgments on work-related COVID matters, are just some of the issues covered by OHS Alert's first major review report of the year.