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VICTORIAN GOVERNMENT CONFIRMS WASTE AND RECYCLING SERVICES AS PERMITTED INDUSTRIES |
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Today the Victorian government released a word document that stated that “Under Stage 4 ‘Stay at Home’ Restrictions the default is that workplaces in metropolitan Melbourne are closed unless the workplace is part of a permitted industry. All Victorians are required to work from home, except where this is not practicable. Sole operators can continue to operate, if they do not have contact with the public, or with people other than those persons living in their primary household.
You can download a WORD document from the link below that identifies permitted industries and provides examples of workplaces that are closed for on-site work, open for on-site work with a COVID Safe Plan, and where there are restricted operations or industry specific obligations.
Importantly for our sector, it identifies open for on-site work with a COVID Safe Plan to include:
- Waste and resource recovery services including collection, treatment and disposal services, and transfer stations to remain open for commercial contractors
- Services to support ongoing provision of electricity, gas, water, sewage and waste and recycling services and their maintenance.
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REVIEWING YOUR COVID19 STRATEGY |
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By now we are all aware of the importance of COVID19 procedures, but how are you doing? Have your considered the following in your response:
- Updating your COVID19 Risk Assessment (for facilities, equipment, workers, contractors and customers)
- Providing employees with a letter indicating that they are providing essential services for the waste management sector which has been identified as a permitted industry by the Victorian government
- Require employees who can work from home do so
- COVID19 Personal Protective Equipment and Mask Procedure
- COVID19 Health & Safety Procedure including details about social distancing and steps involved in responding if employees become symptomatic or suspect they may have contracted the virus
- Work from home procedure
- Online meeting procedure
- COVID19 Employee/Contractor Support Procedure (to meet your obligations for protecting employee mental health)
- COVID19 Communications Plan to ensure employees, contractors and customers understand your COVID19 risk management strategy
Please let us know if you need support as you refine your COVID19 risk management strategy.
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SAFE WORK AUSTRALIA PROVIDES VALUABLE COVID19 RESOURCES |
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Safe Work Australia has created a new COVID-19 work health and safety information hub for small businesses. The site provides videos and tools to assist you in addressing COVID19 work health and safety policies and procedures.
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COVID19 DUTY FOR MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT |
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Safe Work Australia also highlights our duty to eliminate or minimise the risk to psychological health and safety from work as much as you reasonably can. In simple terms, this means working out what causes your workers stress at work and finding ways to eliminate or prevent it.
Causes of stress at work
- Fear of exposure to coronavirus
- More work, changing work or poor work environments
- Customer violence and aggression
- Less support, especially when everyone is having to adapt to a new way of working
- Being isolated from managers, colleagues and support networks
- Poor workplace relationships, made worse by the stressful time for all Australians
- Poor communication and consultation about changes and workers’ concerns.
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CHANGE OF TIMING TO ABRI GENERAL MEETINGS |
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With the ongoing COVID-19 situation and the need to continue having ABRI meetings online, it was agreed at the recent ABRI General Meeting that future online meetings will now commence an hour later at 12.30pm and finish at 3.30pm.
An updated meeting request with the new timing was sent to members and partners last week. Please let us know if you did not receive the updated meeting request by emailing rsvp@batteryrecycling.org.au – the request will have come from batteryrecyclinginitiative@gmail.com. Please ensure this address is whitelisted in your account so you do not miss out on any meeting updates.
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