Victorian employers can now collect the vaccination information of their workers under changes to occupational health and safety regulations.
Introduced by Minister for Workplace Safety, Ingrid Stitt, the Occupational Health and Safety Amendment (COVID-19 Vaccination Information) Regulations 2022 are intended to help employers decide on the most appropriate measures to keep their workfores safe from COVID-19.
“These regulations will mean individual employers can choose to implement their own vaccination policies, to collect and hold COVID-19 vaccination information of their workers,” Ms Stitt said.
“They follow advice from the Chief Health Officer that, following the removal of some vaccination requirements under Pandemic Orders, businesses and employers should consider their own policies based on their own assessment of risk,” she said.
“These regulations do not require workers to be vaccinated, but ensure employers have the information they need to make decisions on necessary control measures at their workplace, which may include vaccination.”
Ms Stitt said in line with other jurisdictions around Australia, COVID-19 vaccination policies would be the responsibility of individual workplaces to consider as part of their workplace conditions.
She said under the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 employers must identify whether there was a risk to the health of their workers from exposure to COVID-19 at their workplace.
“If identified, employers are required to eliminate risks as far as reasonably practicable and when elimination is not possible, employers are required to implement measures to reduce risks,” the Minister said.
She said the updated Regulations would be in place for 12 months from 12 July.
