Work Health & Safety Incident Notification COVID-19
Are you aware of your obligation to report a workplace-related COVID-19 case?
Where a COVID-19 case is diagnosed by a medical practitioner, the medical practitioner has the responsibility to notify the relevant Health Authority.
In the workplace for most jurisdictions, a Person Conducting a Business or Undertaking (PCBU) are required to notify the relevant Regulator where a medically diagnosed COVID-19 case, suspected or confirmed has been received and has resulted in;
- the person being treated in hospital or
- the person dies
- the case being reliably attributed to workplace exposure arising out of the conduct of the business or undertaking
Notifications must be made by the PCBU to the relevant Regulator regardless of whether the relevant Health authority is already aware of the case.
Whilst the above provides a general guideline, each jurisdiction has specifically prescribed their notification requirements and under what circumstances a notification is to be reported.
Click here to view Safe Work Australia’s overview by Jurisdiction
Why Do We Need To Notify?
Work Health and Safety (WHS) incident notification allows WHS Regulators to investigate serious incidents and potential breaches of WHS laws. This notification also supports WHS Regulators to provide targeted advice and information to businesses on how best to manage risks and prevent future COVID-19 infections in workplace.
If you are still unsure about COVID-19 incident notification, you should contact your WHS State/Territory Regulator for advice or further guidance.
