Victoria Scraps Strict COVID-19 Notification Rules

Victorian employers are no longer required to notify WorkSafe if an employee, a contractor or a contractor’s employee receives a confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis and attended the workplace within the infectious period.

The Occupational Health and Safety (COVID-19 Incident Notification) Revocation Regulations 2022 revoke regulations that commenced in 2020 and were renewed in July last year.

WorkSafe Victoria said the management of COVID-19 has since changed significantly, and notification requirements are “no longer considered a necessary measure to manage the health and safety risks of COVID-19 in workplaces.”

However, employers must continue to notify WorkSafe of such incidents that occurred before January 14 2022.

Workplaces must also still adhere to separate COVID-19 notification requirements set by the Department of Health, where notice must be given to the department when five positive cases have attended the work premises within seven days.

This includes the contraction of COVID-19 at the workplace, where the person requires immediate in-patient care or dies as a result.

There are also no changes to the general’ duty to take every reasonable step to protect workers from risks to both their physical and mental health, including managing risks associated with COVID-19, and to report notifiable incidents to WorkSafe.

The original strict regulations were accompanied with high fines of up to about $200,000 for bodies corporate that failed to comply.