Duties to manage the risk of COVID-19 in the workplace

All businesses in Queensland should have a work health and safety plan that outlines how they are managing COVID-19 risks, as well as responding to any relevant directives issued by Queensland Health.

If your workplace does not have an existing plan that addresses COVID-19 risks, you can visit Queensland Government website for more information.

To properly manage risks related to COVID-19, employers must:

• identify workplace hazards (such as potential for transmission on the worksite or hazards resulting from a worker who tests positive for COVID-19 infection)
• determine who might be harmed, and how (including workers and any other individuals in the workplace)
• decide on control measures (including ways to prevent the spread of infection)
• put controls in place
• review the controls regularly.

Workers also have a duty to take reasonable care of their own health and safety and that of others in the workplace. Workers must co-operate with any reasonable policy or procedure relating to health or safety at the workplace, including COVID-19.