Presented by Brian Jackson (Special Counsel, Moray & Agnew) What’s covered? The definition issues for employees and the COVID-19 vaccine is whether employers can enforce mandatory vaccinations –No Jab No Job? With the Country and individual states opening up, employers need to know their legal obligations. Brian Jackson (Employment Lawyer from Moray & Agnew Lawyers)Read more
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US employers with 100 or more employees have until January 4 to ensure their workforces are fully vaccinated, after the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) published its emergency temporary standard (ETS) for coronavirus in the workplace. Under this standard, employers must develop, implement and enforce a mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy, unless they adopt aRead more
Presumptive workers’ compensation protections for workers contracting COVID-19 do not apply to vaccine injuries or side effects, according to WorkCover WA. In light of the WA State Government, along with some some employers, mandating that workers in certain industries obtain a COVID-19 vaccination, employers and workers have sought clarification on whether workers can lodge aRead more
COVID-19 vaccination is set to become mandatory for a range of new industries covering around 75 per cent of WA’s workforce. The WA Government announced this week an overarching mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy with a phased approach to a majority of occupations and workforces within the state. The new measures will apply to about 1.1Read more
There have been around 170 directions issued in South Australia since the start of the pandemic, and with each direction comes new rules, according to Martin Haese, CEO of Business SA. Determining the interplay with existing arrangements each time is complex, to say the least, said Haese: “add to that the speed with which theRead more
Some of New Zealand’s largest businesses have ordered 300,000 approved rapid antigen tests for their workforce, following the announcement of a new Government scheme. A coalition of around 25 businesses across a range of sectors has been granted an exemption by the Director-General of Health, to import and use approved rapid antigen tests. The developmentRead more
WorkSafe Victoria has charged the Victorian Department of Health with 58 breaches of the Occupational Health and Safety Act in relation to Victoria’s initial hotel quarantine program. The Department of Health (formerly the Department of Health and Human Services) has been charged with 17 breaches of Section 21(1) of the OHS Act, in that it failed toRead more
New guidance outlining the changes that will be necessary in all Australian workplaces as lockdowns ease and more people return to work have been released by the ACTU. The guidance is designed for Heath and Safety Representatives (HSRs) and union delegates and is focussed around two central elements – ventilation and social distancing. “Good ventilationRead more
All workers Victoria that are on the Authorised Worker list will require their first COVID-19 vaccine dose by Friday, 15 October in order to continue working onsite, the state government announced last week. These workers must also be fully vaccinated by 26 November. The 15 October deadline will not apply to workers who already haveRead more
WorkSafe Victoria recently issued a warning about work-related violence as COVID-19 testers, vaccination staff and other frontline workers sometimes face aggression from members of the public. Community attitudes must continue to change in order to stamp out unacceptable behaviour, said WorkSafe Victoria acting executive director of health and safety Andrew Keen. “It’s distressing to seeRead more
