Run a COVID Smart business

COVID-19 and your responsibilities as an employer

While COVID-19 restrictions have eased, the virus is still in our community. As an employer you're responsible for maintaining a safe and healthy workplace. This applies to your staff, your customers and yourself. Your business must remain COVID Smart and meet its legal health and safety obligations.

It's likely you already have COVID Smart behaviours in place. These simple actions can keep your business and the community safe.

To reduce the risk to others, it's recommended that persons diagnosed with COVID-19:

• stay home as much as possible, until acute symptoms have resolved and seek medical advice
• wear a mask when inside places that are not your own home, including on public transport
• avoid attending large gatherings or crowded indoor places
• avoid high risk settings, like hospitals, aged or disability care facilities
• avoid visiting people at higher risk of severe illness for at least 7 days
• talk to their employees about when they should return to the workplace.

Find out more about your COVID-19 responsibilities from Safe Work Australia and WorkSafe ACT.

Read our guide on keeping your business COVID Smart [PDF 262KB].

Prepare a COVID Safety Plan

To keep your business COVID Smart, you should develop a COVID Safety Plan. This plan will protect your employees and visitors.

Consult with your staff as you develop your COVID Safety Plan. It'll ensure they’re aware of their responsibilities and they can carry them out. Your COVID Safety Plan should be documented in written or electronic form.

A COVID Safety Plan should cover the key considerations of your plan for keeping your business COVID Smart. Your plan should include how you'll:

• manage staff and customers who are unwell, taking account of obligations under work health and safety legislation
• consider additional risk mitigation controls for staff who have recently recovered from COVID-19 or who live with someone who has COVID-19
• maintain good hand hygiene by providing adequate handwashing facilities
• encourage COVID Smart behaviours, including staying up to date with vaccinations.

Read our COVID Safety Plan Guidance for Business to create your plan [PDF 328KB].

Managing COVID-19 in the workplace

Vaccinations

The ACT doesn't have any public health requirements requiring employees to show vaccination proof to work in any public settings or private businesses. It's your role as business owner to stay informed and undertake risk-based assessments to protect the safety of employees, customers and others.

A vaccination is just one part of keeping the community safe and healthy. If you're considering a need for a COVID-19 vaccination for entry to a premise or to work, you should get advice first.

Employees with COVID-19 staying away from the workplace

Public health restrictions have eased and it's no longer mandatory for people to isolate if they test positive to COVID-19 in Australia. However, workplaces should have a plan in place to manage:

• employees who have been diagnosed with COVID-19
• employees who are household contacts of someone with COVID-19.

Having a plan will help minimise the risk of COVID-19 transmission in the workplace.

Be aware, employees do not have to advise you if they're COVID-19 positive. But you should make your employees aware of:

• public health recommendations
• any additional policies and work health and safety requirements implemented within your workplace.

Consider the latest public health advice and reasonable directions for staff with COVID-19 to stay away from the workplace. This may involve work-from-home or work-from-somewhere-else arrangements. However, the worker's entitlements under workplace instruments, such as an enterprise agreement or award, must also be considered. For help, contact the Fair Work Ombudsman.

If and employee with COVID-19 is well enough to work, they should work from home wherever possible. If it's not practical to work from home, and considering the current public health advice, the employer will need to assess the risks under work health and safety obligations and workplace policies.

Workplaces should support employees with COVID-19 to put in place the recommended risk mitigation controls to look after themselves. This should also apply to staff who live with someone who has COVID-19.

Learn what to do when recovering from COVID-19.

Employees with COVID-19 who work in high-risk settings

Employees who work in a designated high-risk setting may need to meet additional considerations to return to work. Such settings include:

• hospitals
• residential aged care facilities
• residential accommodation facilities that support people who require frequent, close personal care.

For more information on managing COVID-19 in one of these settings, please see specific guidance on high-risk settings.

COVID-19 and your employees rights

When managing staff with COVID-19 you must follow all relevant laws and ensure their rights are maintained.

Further information is available for:

• Coronavirus and Australian workplace law from the Fair Work Commission.
• anti-discrimination laws from the Australian Human Rights Commission.
• ACT discrimination and human rights laws from the ACT Human Rights Commission.

Non-business

Non-business entities, such as owners' corporations, should consider developing COVID Safety Plans to help mitigate risk in their properties or facilities.

Follow the COVID Smart Guidance for non-business premises [PDF 347KB].