FREE WEBINAR
The Coronavirus and Australian Businesses
Monday 16 March 2020
12pm to 1:30pm (AEDT)

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The Novel Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak is already significantly impacting Australian workplaces. This free webinar will assist human resources, legal counsel, risk and senior executives to prepare to deal with existing and future challenges. Harmers Workplace Lawyers presenters: Michael Harmer, Chairman & Senior Team Leader, Madeleine Boyd, Senior Associate and Zeb Holmes, Solicitor, will cover:

• An introduction to the Coronavirus and its potential impact on Australian workplaces.
• Your rights and obligations as the operators of business.
• Rights and obligations of employees, contractors, customers and others coming into contact with your business.
• Developing a Risk Management Plan for your business.
• Change managing the introduction of your Risk Management Plan consistent with Australian workplace law.
• Practical steps, trips and traps.
• A brief case study.
• Questions – which will be discussed by our panel during the webinar.

Safe Work Australia (SWA) is reminding employers of their WHS duties pertaining to coronavirus, outlining a range of actions employers should be taking on its website. Meanwhile, Comcare has outlined the circumstances in which COVID-19 could be linked to employment under workers’ compensation laws.

The model Work Health and Safety laws require a person conducting a business or undertaking to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health and safety of their workers and others at the workplace. This includes providing and maintaining a work environment that is without risk to health and safety.

To comply with these laws, employers must identify hazards at the workplace and the associated risks, and do what is reasonably practicable to eliminate, or minimise, those risks.

SWA is, therefore, reminding all employers to that exposure to COVID-19 is a “potential hazard for workers and other people at workplaces”, and that PCBUs “must have measures in place to protect worker health and safety and manage these risks.”

“PCBUs need to keep up to date with the latest COVID-19 information and advice to ensure that any action taken is measured and appropriate. This includes closely monitoring the Australian Government Department of Health, the Smartraveller website and any advice from state or territory government agencies,” the website states.

Depending on the workplace, an appropriate range of actions may include:

• Closely monitoring official Government sources for current information and advice
• Reviewing and promoting your organisation’s policies and measures for infection control
• Ensuring workers are aware of the isolation/quarantine periods in accordance with advice from the Australian Government Department of Health.
• This includes information on when staff should not attend work
• Providing clear advice to workers about actions they should take if they become unwell or think they may have the symptoms of coronavirus, in accordance with advice from the Australian Government Department of Health and state or territory health department
• Eliminating or minimising international work travel, in line with the travel advice on the Australian Government’s Smartraveller website
• Providing regular updates to workers about the situation and any changes to organisational policies or procedures
• Contingency planning to manage staff absences
• Providing workers with information and links to relevant services should they require support.

Workers also have a duty to take reasonable care for their own health and safety and to not adversely affect the health and safety of others. Workers should also be reminded to always practice good hygiene and other measures to protect themselves and other against infection. This includes:

• Washing their hands often, with soap and water, or carrying hand sanitiser and using it as needed
• Covering their mouth when coughing or sneezing, but not using their hands to do so
• Seeing a health care professional if they start to feel unwell
• If unwell, avoiding contact with others (including shaking hands or other touching, such as hugging).

Meanwhile, Comcare’s coronavirus page is also urging employers to stay informed of updates, and says COVID-19 is likely to be considered under the disease provisions of the Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 1988 (SRC Act). For a disease to be covered it must be contributed to, to a significant degree, by the employee’s employment (section 5B).

“For coverage to exist, a determining authority would need to be satisfied that the employment significantly contributed to the employee contracting the virus. For viruses, it can be difficult to accurately determine the exact time and place of contraction. As a result, it may be difficult to determine that employment significantly contributed to the virus.”

The page says that where an employee’s employment puts them at greater risk of contracting the virus the significant contribution test may be easier to meet. For example, if the employment involves:

• travel to an area with a known viral outbreak
• activities that include engagement or interaction with people who have contracted the virus
• activities that contravene Department of Health recommendations.

“Each claim would need to be considered on its individual merits, having regard to the individual circumstances and evidence in relation to the claim.”

What is HSE Software and How Does myosh Work?

myosh is a cloud based workplace health and safety platform that works with you and your team.

Schedule an Online Demo

myosh is fast and fully configurable HSE Software that is easy to use and adapt for any Industries.

Over 50 configurable modules integrate to collect HSEQ data.

Modules are used to manage hazards, investigate incidents, manage risk, conduct audits and much more.

Our mobile app is used for fast data capture in the field, online or offline. Features include QR code scanning, digital signatures, Geo Locations and Geo Fencing, pdf export and more. You can configure mobile forms, visibility and functionality in your Administration panel

The myosh Dashboard provides powerful organisational insight by transforming your hseq data into intelligent visual charts, marps and tables. Up to date data is derived from modules and displayed in an interactive visual format, configured specifically for you and your team.

myosh is built on the Viking PaaS, a super configurable platform with powerful capabilities. Teams can quickly and easily configure the platform to their own very unique end to end process requirements.

We encourage you to treat your software technology like a team member. The myosh academy is designed to empower your team with the skills to ensure they use their software tools productively. Everyone learns differently, so the academy holds a variety of resources including videos, guided learning and verified online learning courses for each myosh module.

Your investment in myosh helps you and your team manage risk, compliance and improve workplace health and safety. Today, successful organisations view safety as an asset, and health and safety spending as an investment. This is because a safe workplace adds measurable business value, and can drive tangible improvements in performance, profit, and culture.

Ask our team for an online demonstration today.

More resources

The Facts and The Figures

Organisations are constantly reminded that health and safety failure is expensive. And whilst this is certainly true, there are benefits to health and safety success that go beyond cost-avoidance. Today, successful organisations view safety as an asset, and health and safety spending as an investment.

Download the report and discover the tangible and measurable benefits that health and safety initiatives can have on:

• Organisational Productivity
• Safety Climate
• Insurance
• Reputation
• The Bottom Line

myosh Academy

Your investment in myosh helps you and your team manage risk, compliance and improve workplace health and safety.

We encourage you to treat your software technology like a team member. The myosh Academy is designed to empower your team with Knowledge, Skills, Tips and FAQS, and to ensure they use their software tools productively.

• Watch videos
• View FAQs
• Take online courses
• Read articles
• Stay informed with myosh Updates