Workers at Risk

You may have some workers who are at high risk of becoming seriously ill if they are infected with COVID-19.

These vulnerable workers may include:

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people 30 years and older with one or more chronic medical conditions
• people 50 with chronic medical conditions
• people 70 years and older, and
• people with compromised immune systems. Where possible, consider allowing high risk workers to work from home. More information on how to support staff to work from home is provided in the Working safely from home webpage.

As the person conducting the business or undertaking (PCBU), you should consider each worker’s role and their personal situation. For some, working from home may not be the safest option, for example if they are at risk of domestic violence.

In situations where working from home is not feasible, you must manage risks of COVID-19 at the workplace, as you would for any other hazard. Ensure you put in place measures to allow workers to safely remain at work (e.g. encouraging personal hygiene, physical distancing and implementing cleaning/disinfecting practices).

More information on how to support staff who are working in the normal settings is provided in the How do I identify and minimise risks on my workplace? webpage.