3 years ago When should VOCs be undertaken? Is there an agreed industry timeframe for when VOCs should be completed? Must it be before undertaking the work?
3 years ago What is 'immediate treatment'? In regards to incident notifications requirements, what constitutes ‘immediate treatment’? Does it include when an employee who sustains a workplace injury is taken to the site medic?
3 years ago Is there a COVID-19 risk matrix? We operate a restaurant in NSW. Is there any risk matrix to manage COVID-19 risks for the hospitality industry that we should be following?
3 years ago Can we dismiss a worker on workers' compensation? We have an employee who has been off on workers’ compensation for 5 months. There is no indication of him returning to work anytime soon. Are we able to terminate his employment? Our business operates in Queensland.
4 years ago Can we dismiss a worker who cannot work due to refusal to be vaccinated? What are our options in relation to the employment of 'anti-vaxxers'? Can we dismiss them on the basis that they are not able to work?
4 years ago What are our obligations when engaging contractors? When engaging a contractor, what are our obligations? Do we need to ask for risk assessments for every job they undertake for us or is that only relevant for high-risk activities?
4 years ago What constitutes a lost time injury? Could you please provide some clarification around lost time injuries?
4 years ago Can we make vaccination a condition of employment? We are considering including a clause in new employment contracts to advise that having the COVID-19 vaccination is a condition of employment. Are we able to make vaccination a condition of employment (for future employees) of our business?
4 years ago Can we dismiss a worker who refuses to be vaccinated? Are we able to terminate an employee's employment if he is unable to fulfill his role because he refuses to get vaccinated?
4 years ago How can a worker appeal findings of an investigation? We have recently conducted an investigation into alleged misconduct for a health and safety procedure breach. What is the process if a person were to formally appeal the outcome of an investigation?
4 years ago Can we mandate COVID-19 vaccination? Is an employer entitled to mandate COVID-19 vaccination for their employees?
4 years ago Can we report a stress hazard to the regulator? Since there is clearly a health and safety issue, is there anything staff can do? For instance, would this be something that could be reported to a regulator?
4 years ago Must employers pay for pre-employment medical assessments? Can we ask a job candidate to consent to undergo a pre-employment medical assessment at their own expense? Is there anything in legislation that prevents this?
4 years ago Can we direct workers to wear face masks? What rights does an employer have when an employee refuses to wear a face mask as part of a government directive in relation to COVID-19? Can we enforce compliance and discipline an employee who refuses to comply?
4 years ago Is it safe to use Uber for work? What health and safety considerations are there in relation to employees using the Uber service for business? We want to make sure we have covered all legal obligations before writing it into our policy that employees can use Uber for business-related travel.
