Occupational health & safety

OH&S

Under the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 (Victoria), you are entitled to work in a safe workplace, with sufficient education and supervision, and to be consulted on issues which may affect your health and safety. As far as is reasonably practicable, your employer must maintain a working environment that is safe and without risks to health, and this includes the risks posed by COVID-19 in a healthcare setting. Employers are also required to adhere to any Pandemic Orders and industry requirements about managing COVID-19 risks provided by the Department of Health. However, Department guidance or Orders does not change your employer’s obligations under OH&S legislation. If you’re concerned that your employer is not providing you a safe workplace, contact VAHPA

Personal Protective Equipment

Where we were

PPE has been a challenge throughout the pandemic. The initial response from the World Health Organisation and the Commonwealth government was that SARS-CoV-2 was primarily spread by droplet and surface contact, which meant the initial Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) guidance was for droplet and not airborne protections.

As a consequence, healthcare workers interacting with COVID-positive or Suspected COVID (S-COVID) patients were only allowed access to Tier 2 protections from early- to mid-2020, unless the patient was involved in Aerosol Generating Procedures (AGPs). Over 4,000 healthcare workers were infected with COVID-19 in 2020, with up to 80% of those infections occurring at work. It was very clear that the PPE being provided to healthcare workers was inadequate and the pressure on the health system with the Wave 2 outbreak from July 2020 meant that many staff were getting infected at work.

VAHPA and the other health unions met weekly with the Chair of the Victorian PPE Taskforce from April 2020 through to late 2021. The health unions were constantly pushing for better protections and secure access to PPE supplies. This was realised in October 2020 when the Health Care Worker Infection Prevention and Wellbeing taskforce, made up of industry leaders including a VAHPA representative, released a statement acknowledging the presence of airborne SARS-CoV-2, which you can read here.

This allowed more universal access to respiratory protection via P2/N95 respirators. In the November 2021 update to PPE guidance to reflect the acceptance of airborne spread of SARS-CoV-2, the use of Tier 3 (airborne spread) respiratory protection became standard for all interactions with S-COVID and COVID-positive patients. Soon after, a program of fit-testing for N95 respirators began, and must be repeated annually to ensure maximum protection.

Where we are

Currently, the level of PPE that a healthcare worker should be using is outlined in the Conventional Use of PPE guide, to be read in conjunction with the current State Government COVID response. State Government response guidance is dynamic and will change dependent on the level of community transmission of COVID-19.

Victorian health service guidance and response to COVID-19 risks

The Department of Health have provided a video for healthcare workers about donning and doffing PPE. Halyard Health have also provided a visual guide to donning and doffing.

As of 22 April 2022, patients and visitors must still wear a fitted face mask when in a hospital or healthcare setting.

In general, healthcare workers who are at risk of exposure to COVID-positive patients must be =

• Told about their risk of infection
• Provided appropriate PPE, and;
• It must be worn properly

PPE is an important layer of protection for healthcare workers, but it is actually at the bottom of the OH&S hierarchy of control, below ‘Eliminate’ at the top, ‘Reduce’ second, and applying ‘Administrative’ controls to hazards or risks in the workplace in third place.

It is important for the safety of HCWs that the full hierarchy of controls is always applied where and as best as it can be. This includes the use of negative pressure isolation rooms for COVID-positive patients, optimal ventilation including high rates of air changes per hour (ACH), and running a high percentage of external air through the Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system, and using HEPA filters or ‘air scrubbers’ to supplement less-than-optimal HVAC circulation.

If you have concerns about the level of PPE you are allowed to use or any other OH&S issue, please speak with your workplace Health and Safety Representative and contact VAHPA