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Disease control – vaccination

Last updated April 2024

This chapter explains how to manage the health and safety risk of disease by promoting vaccination among your workforce.

Managing the risk of spreading disease in the workplace

You have a general duty to, so far as reasonably practicable, eliminate or reduce the risk of disease or viruses in the workplace.

Vaccination is an effective way to minimise the risk of spreading diseases and viruses, as was demonstrated with COVID-19. Vaccination lessens the chance of suffering severe symptoms that may cause significant injury or in some cases, loss of life. As such, promoting vaccinations for workers is a high-order risk control measure against highly infectious and dangerous viruses.

As a person conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU), you must assess whether vaccination will be mandatory or voluntary in your workplace.

Important: To make vaccination mandatory in your business, you will be required to implement a mandatory vaccination policy.

When deciding whether to make vaccination mandatory, you should consider:

  • whether you are legally able to do so; and
  • the effectiveness and practicality of other risk control measures, such as:
    • working from home arrangements;
    • hygiene;
    • personal protective equipment; and
    • social distancing.
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