In a busy two days in the west, the State Government has mandated COVID-19 vaccines for most workers, extended emergency safety measures for the pandemic, introduced a major IR Bill with protections for bullied and s-xually harassed workers, and established a compensation scheme for medically retired police.
With 20 per cent of business operators struggling with mental health and stress concerns around COVID-19, industry representatives have met in NSW on strategies to boost wellbeing. Meanwhile, the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry has claimed that workplace mental health is at "breaking point".
In response to reports of an anti-vaxxer abusing a cafe worker over COVID-19 rules, a leading safety lawyer has reminded businesses that their customers have WHS duties, and says such abuse should be reported to a WHS regulator. Meanwhile, union surveys have found many frontline and insecure workers are regularly exposed to violence and other hazards.
A pandemic-era study has shown that workers' experiences with flexible work have been "very positive", with benefits to wellbeing, while highlighting gaps in WHS support for these workers. It has identified seven elements that support safe flexible work.
Properly ventilating work areas is a key precaution against COVID-19 as more workers return to the normal workplace, according to a wide range of resources released for health and safety representatives and others.
An award-winning PCBU responded to the safety and operational challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic by implementing strategies across all levels of the hierarchy of controls, including a sign-language system to reduce the spread of respiratory droplets.
The Black Dog Institute has called for employers to implement organisation-level measures like "problem solving committees" to facilitate job control, and to allow for a "steady post-pandemic workplace transition". It warns that two decades of "seismic changes" have adversely affected workers' mental health.
