Contact assessment and management guidance: workplaces, business and industry - COVID-19 Public Health Division Intelligence, Case Contact and ...
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Contact assessment and management
guidance: workplaces, business and
industry
COVID-19 Public Health Division
Intelligence, Case Contact and Outbreak Management
Version 4.0
13 January 2022
OFFICIAL
OFFICIAL
Contact assessment and management guidance: workplaces, business and industry 1
SCOPE
This guidance is to support decision making following a COVID-19 exposure in workplaces,
business and industry settings. This may include but is not limited to, offices, hospitality venues,
supermarkets, warehouses, construction sites and public transport depots.
It is for businesses and members of the public to assess and manage situations where an infectious
case has attended business, industry or workplace premises.
This guidance does not apply to exposures in households or sensitive settings, that is
schools, healthcare (hospital and community-based), residential facilities including aged care,
correctional centres or other settings where there are people at high risk of severe illness.
The guidance will be updated to reflect changes to policy and the public health response in Victoria.
Specific assessment may be required in some circumstances
This guidance is general. Specific risk assessment and tailored outbreak management by the
Department of Health and Local Public Health Units may be required in some circumstances, where
significant transmission events have occurred, or where other additional risks apply including
workforce, operational continuity or community risks.
Workplace and employee obligations
Confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 must notify the operator of any work premises at which
they ordinarily work if they are diagnosed with COVID-19, and if they attended the work premises
during their infectious period (refer to the Case, Contact and Outbreak Management Policy).
The operator of a workplace must take reasonable steps to notify employees and contractors who
have been exposed to a confirmed or probable case, and to advise them of their testing obligations.
The operator of a workplace must collect, record and store a list of contacts and maintain a system
to enable contact notification.
For further information
Information and advice for businesses who have a confirmed case of COVID-19 in the workplace
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CONTACT ASSESSMENT AND MANAGEMENT MATRIX
Case = a confirmed or EXPOSURE EVENT RISK ASSESSMENT
probable case of COVID-19. An exposure event is contact with a confirmed or probable case of COVID-19 during their infectious period.
Contact = any staff member 1. The business conducts a risk assessment for each exposure event using the contact assessment and management matrix.
or contractor who has 2. Individuals are identified as contacts or low risk. Contact lists are managed by the workplace and are not provided to the Local Public Health Unit unless specifically requested.
contact with a confirmed or 3. Individuals must follow the testing requirements for their assessed level of risk (low risk or contact).
probable case of COVID-19
in a non-household setting. Lower risk exposure scenario: Higher-risk exposure scenario:
Contact with a confirmed or probable case in their infectious period that is: Contact with a confirmed or probable case in their infectious period that is:
• face-to-face (300m2) indoor space or outdoors • direct physical contact (for example, shaking hands, hugging, kissing)
AND OR
• does not meet the criteria for medium or high risk • distanced (>1.5m) and very prolonged (>2 hours) in a small indoor space
(15 min) exposure.
QUARANTINE AND TESTING REQUIREMENTS
What you need to do Lower risk Monitor for symptoms and do a rapid antigen (RA) test if symptoms develop (or PCR if not available).
Workplace contact A workplace contact must have a RA test if they have symptoms (or PCR if RA test not available) and isolate until a negative result is returned.
Daily RA testing for 5 days after contact notification is strongly recommended. There are no quarantine requirements and contacts may return to
work if they are asymptomatic and RA test (or PCR if RA test not available) is negative.
If a RA test is positive contacts must notify the department and isolate for 7 days – see below for more details.
THE PRESENCE OF SYMPTOMS ALWAYS REQUIRES TESTING
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ADDITIONAL GUIDANCE
When is a confirmed case’s infectious period?
A case’s infectious period should be taken 48 hours before onset of symptoms until release from
isolation. If a case is asymptomatic, they should be assumed to be infectious from 48 hours before the
initial positive test (refer to the Case, Contact and Outbreak Management Policy).
How do you define an ‘indoor space’?
Indoor space means an area, room or premises substantially enclosed by a roof and walls that are floor-
to-ceiling or at least 2.1 meters high, regardless of whether the roof or walls or any part of them are
permanent or temporary, or open or closed.
What should I do if a worker returns a positive rapid antigen (RA) test result?
If a person returns a positive RA test result they must isolate for 7 days and notify the Department of
Health via the online form or by phoning 1800 675 398.
Operators must identify and notify contacts of their testing requirements for all confirmed and probable
cases identified at the workplace.
Operators must notify the Department of Health if an outbreak is identified via the online form (refer to
the Case, Contact and Outbreak Management Policy) by calling 1300 651 160.
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CONDITIONS FOR FOOD AND FIBRE
SUPPLY CHAIN ESSENTIAL WORKER
EXEMPTION FROM SELF-QUARANTINE TO
RETURN TO THE WORKPLACE
Under the Pandemic (Quarantine, Isolation and Testing) Order 2021 (No.3) (PQITO No.3), close
contacts are required to quarantine for 7 days, and cases are required to isolate for 7 days.
As community transmission of COVID-19 continues to rise throughout Victoria, critical service worker
absences due to isolation and quarantine requirements will grow, impacting on the ability of essential
services to function.
Close contacts who are food and fibre supply chain essential workers have been exempted from the
quarantine requirement of the Pandemic (Quarantine, Isolation and Test) Order only for the purpose of
attending work at a food and fibre supply chain workplace, and subject to conditions outlined below. This
is in accordance with the Exemption of Critical Food Industry Distribution Workers who are close
contacts in respect of the Pandemic (Quarantine, Isolation and Testing) Order 2022 (No.4).
This applies to food and fibre supply chain essential workers only, specifically:
• Food production (abattoirs, meat, poultry, seafood, fruit/vegetables, beverages, groceries, food and
fibre processing, food and beverages packaging)
• Freight (road/rail, logistics, delivery)
• Food distribution (retail and supermarket)
• Warehousing and storage.
Conditions applicable to the exemption
1. Exemption applies to close contacts (both those residing with a confirmed or probable case
and those residing at a separate premises) only for the purposes of attending work.
2. Exempt worker must not have any symptoms of COVID-19.
3. Exempt worker must undertake daily rapid antigen test for 5 days following notification they
are a close contact and return a negative result prior to attending the workplace.
4. Exempt worker must notify the employer that they meet the conditions for exemption and the
employer must then determine if that worker's physical attendance at work is necessary for
continual operations of the critical service.
5. If an exempted worker returns a positive rapid antigen test OR develops symptoms of COVID-
19, the exemption no longer applies and they must notify their employer, isolate and follow
obligations outlined in the Department of Health’s COVID-19 Case, Contact and Outbreak
Management Policy.
OFFICIAL5
6. Exempted worker must always wear face masks correctly (with a preference for N95/P2
respirators) when indoors or when physical distancing cannot be maintained – unless eating or
drinking or if the mask needs to be removed for safety reasons.
7. Exempted workers must take breaks separately from other employees. Employers must take
reasonable steps to ensure that exempted workers can take breaks away from others.
8. Exempted worker must otherwise comply with all quarantine requirements when not attending
the workplace.
9. Additional recommendations will be provided with guidance to ensure a safer workplace –
including cohorting and separation of staff (including those at high risk of progression to
severe illness), routine cleaning and disinfection as per COVIDSafe plans, attention to physical
distancing where possible and additional personal protective equipment.
10. Exempted worker is recommended to use private transport and avoid car-pooling and public
transport wherever possible.
Employer obligations in relation to the exemption
The individual rights of workers must be respected. Workers who are contacts should not be compelled
to attend work and should inform their employer they are eligible for exemption from quarantine or
isolation.
Before approving attendance to work, the relevant employer must give consideration as to whether the
exempted worker's attendance at the workplace is required to in order to avoid disruption to the delivery
of the critical service or activity.
All reasonable steps should be taken to ensure the exempted essential worker is deployed in areas
where the risk of transmission at the workplace is likely to have the lowest impact. In order of preference,
the exempted worker ideally:
• Works from home or in a setting where there is no physical interaction with others;
• If the above is not possible, limit face-to-face contact with others;
• If above not possible, and where operationally possible, does not work in areas with people
(including customers, clients and co-workers) who are immunosuppressed or have significant co-
morbidities.
To receive this document in another format, call the Coronavirus Hotline 1800 675 398 (press 0 for an
interpreter, if required), or contact coronavirus.vic.gov.au .
Authorised and published by the Victorian Government, 1 Treasury Place, Melbourne.
© State of Victoria, Australia, Department of Health, January 2022.
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