Scope and purpose
This policy applies to anyone performing work for our company] (You/employees/workers).
The purpose of this policy is to reduce the likelihood of transmission of COVID-19, including between workers, and between workers and third parties including clients/customers and contracted personnel (such as delivery, maintenance and repair services personnel).
Contravening this policy
A failure to comply with health and safety requirements or this policy may result in disciplinary action being taken, up to and including termination of employment or engagement as relevant.
Guiding principles
General work health and safety obligations
Our company is committed to complying with its obligations under work health and safety legislation to provide a healthy and safe workplace for its workers and visitors to its workplace, protecting its workers from injury and illness and promoting their welfare.
Our company will take reasonable steps to identify, control, protect against and, where it can, eliminate risks to the health and safety of its workers and visitors to our company workplace.
Workers are responsible for the health, welfare and safety of themselves and other workers and visitors to the workplace.
This is a summary of our company and its workers’ (including managers) work health safety obligations. For further detail, please refer to the company’s work health safety policy.
Current advice from the Department of Health
As at [insert date], the Department of Health advises that, where possible:
- everyone must keep at least 1.5 metres apart from others; and
- there must be 4 square metres of space per person,
(Social Distancing Requirements).
Our company Social Distancing Policy
At all times, you must comply with the Social Distancing Requirements as far as reasonably practicable.
Hygiene, COVID-19 symptoms and contact with a COVID-19 case
Hygiene
At all times you must practice good hygiene, but this is particularly critical during the COVID-19 pandemic. Good hygiene means, for example, washing your hands with soap regularly, sneezing into a tissue and coughing into your sleeve. Our company provides access to handwashing facilities and may also provide alcohol-based sanitiser.
COVID-19 symptoms
You must not work from the workplace or attend an in person gathering if you have any of the following COVID-19 symptoms:
● fever;
● coughing
● sore throat; and/or
● shortness of breath.
If you exhibit any of these symptoms, you may use your personal leave.
Contact with a confirmed COVID-19 case or potential COVID-19 case
You must notify [your direct supervisor/a member of the HR team/insert name] if you have been in contact with a confirmed COVID-19 case or potential COVID-19 case.
● If you have been in contact with a confirmed COVID-19 case, you must self-quarantine for a period of 14 days and during that time you must not attend the workplace.
● If you have been in contact with a potential COVID-19 case, you must self-quarantine for a period of 14 days or until the COVID-19 case is cleared as negative. During this period, you must not attend the workplace.
Interaction between people
Interaction between workers
a. Working from home and working from the workplace
Option 1: You must continue to work from home, unless otherwise agreed to with [your direct supervisor/a member of the HR team/insert name]. This agreement may permit you to work from the workplace on a regular basis or on a particular occasion.
Option 2: To avoid the spread of COVID-19, we may allocate you a day(s) of the week where you may work from the workplace (Allocated Workplace Day). You are under no obligation to work from the workplace on your Allocated Workplace Day(s). However, you must not work from the workplace on a day of the week other than your Allocated Workplace Day(s) unless otherwise agreed to with [your direct supervisor/a member of the HR team/insert name]. This agreement may Social Distancing Policy permit you to work from the workplace on a day of the week other than your Allocated Workplace Days(s) on a regular basis or on a particular occasion.
Option 3: You must work from the workplace, unless otherwise agreed to with [your direct supervisor/a member of the HR team/insert name].
We encourage workers to speak with their [your direct supervisor/a member of the HR team/insert name] if they have any concerns about attendance for work. This may be the case if they have a personal illness or injury which puts them at risk if they work from the workplace.
b. In person gatherings with other workers
You must not organise, schedule or attend any in person gatherings with other workers.
Some essential in person gatherings may be authorised. However, you must seek [written] approval from [your direct supervisor/a member of the HR team/insert name] and they may assist with assessing whether it is essential to have an in-person gathering including whether the gathering can be conducted online or over the phone.
If an essential gathering is approved, you must:
● limit the number of participants. Only participants who are required to attend can attend;
● hold the gathering at a location that allows for participants to comply with the Social
Distancing Requirements; and
● ensure the face-to-face time is limited or that the gathering does not go on longer than required.
Interaction between workers and [clients/customers]
[Note: This will be dependent on your particular industry. You should consider and amend this based on your particular industry and situation. We’ve provided some examples below but these are certainly not exhaustive. For example, we have not provided wording for workers visiting clients’ home.]
Option 1 – office work:
Unless it is essential to meet in person, all meetings with clients must be conducted online or over the phone.
You must only meet in person with clients if meeting with the client in person is essential. If you are unsure about whether the meeting is essential, you must seek advice and approval from [your direct supervisor/a member of the HR team/insert name].
If meeting with the client in person is essential (including if it has been approved), you must:
● limit the number of participants. Only participants who are required to be there can attend;
● hold the gathering a location that allows for participants to comply with the Social Distancing Requirements; and [insert company logo] Social Distancing Policy
● ensure the face-to-face time is limited or that the gathering does not go on longer than required.
Option 2 – retail:
To comply with the Social Distancing Requirements, it is important to:
● limit the number of customers in a store at one time. This will vary for each store and [your store manager/other] will confirm the maximum number of customers in your particular store at one time; and
● ensure each customer’s time in store is reasonably limited. As an indication, customer’s time in store must not exceed [15] minutes but this may vary depending on the facts. If you are unsure, you must seek advice from [your store manager/other].
Relevant to all industries: You must ensure all [clients/customers] practice good hygiene. This may include providing them with alcohol-based sanitiser or access to handwashing facilities.
Physical layout of the workplace
Additional signage and markings
To assist you with complying with Social Distancing Requirements, we have introduced:
● floor markings. You must respect these markings and ensure [client/customers] respect these floor markings;
● social distancing and other COVID-19 related signage. You must read and comply with the signage and ensure [client/customers] comply with the signage.
Spread of workers at workstations
At all times, you must leave one desk space between you and each other worker. [amend as relevant]
Breaks and break-out rooms
At all times, there must not be in excess of:
● [insert number] workers in the kitchen;
● [insert number] workers in the [insert];[OR]
We have introduced signage which indicates the maximum number of workers in each room. At all times, you must read and comply with this signage.
Entry points and lifts
At all times, there must not be in excess of [1] person in the lifts.
We may stagger start and end times to avoid congestion at entry/exit points. You must comply with any such directions.
Our company Social Distancing Policy
External providers
Deliveries
You must not place any orders for delivery at the workplace unless essential to perform your duties.
You must not place any personal orders for delivery at the workplace.
Maintenance or repair services
You must not schedule maintenance or repair services at the workplace unless such services are essential. You must provide clear instructions to such personnel to comply with Our company’s work health safety requirements including with respect to social distancing.
You must ensure all delivery, maintenance or repair services personnel practice good hygiene. This may include providing them with alcohol-based sanitiser or access to handwashing facilities.
Travel
To and from the workplace
Where reasonably practicable, particularly if you are reliant on public transport, the company may make arrangements with you to travel to and from the workplace outside of peak hours (generally outside of the hours between 8 am and 9:30 and between 5 pm and 6:30 pm).
Travel as part of the performance of your duties
You must only travel as part of the performance of your duties if such travel is essential or the purpose of such travel is essential.
If the travel is essential, you must:
● limit the number of workers travelling. Only workers who are required to travel can travel;
● comply with the Social Distancing Requirements including by limiting the number of workers in the same vehicle; and
● not use public transport.
Long distance travel
You must not travel or schedule to travel to destinations outside the metropolitan city where your workplace is located.
Some essential long-distance travel may be authorised. However, you must seek [written] approval from [your direct supervisor/a member of the HR team/insert name]. If approved, we may provide you with additional directions with respect to your work health safety obligations including social distancing during the travel.
Consultation and communication
Consultation
Consultation between our company and workers is an essential part of effectively managing health and safety in the workplace, as it enables its employees to contribute to the making [insert company logo] Social Distancing Policy of decisions affecting their health and safety at work. Workers’ involvement at all levels is imperative for ensuring their safety at the workplace.
Our company will, so far as is reasonably practicable, consult with its workers who are, or are likely to be, directly affected by matters relating to work health safety, including social distancing. Our company will ensure:
● the sharing of relevant information about work health safety matters with its workers;
● that the workers be given the opportunity to contribute, express their views or raise any issues or concerns in relation to any work health safety; and
● that the workers’ views are valued and taken into account.
Communication
Given the changing nature of COVID-19 including guidelines from the Department of Health, this social distancing policy may be amended. We will make any changes to this policy available to you. It is your responsibility and you must ensure you have read and comply with the latest social distancing policy.
We also encourage all workers to get in touch with [your direct supervisor/a member of the HR team/insert name] if you have any questions.