News

COVID-19 risk assessments and transitioning to usual workplaces

Risk Assess – July 2020 (PDF version)

It has never been more important to join the CPSU NSW to ensure your workplace health and rights as a valued worker are maintained during COVID-19.

Whilst the CPSU NSW has been meeting at the peak level with TAFENSW on a regular basis to ensure risk assessments and PPE are in place, local workplace concerns have been raised recently.

CPSU NSW members have worked tirelessly to keep TAFE campuses open. If it wasn’t for your good work TAFENSW would be in a far worse place than it is.

Since the outbreak the CPSU NSW has successfully negotiated on the following measures with TAFENSW to be put into place at each campus.

• Sanitation stations have been provided at all key points around workspaces.
• Screens are in place in high contact areas.
• Workspaces, meeting rooms and kitchen/breakout areas to have reduced capacities.
• Worksites to have indications where people can and cannot sit, to ensure that there is safe social distancing being practiced.
• Increased cleaning of workspaces will continue.
• Staff to be required to record their attendance at the workplaces so that there are records kept of all employees on site and safe building capacity can be managed and traced.
• Signage to be put up around the colleges reminding people of Covid-safe practices.

Many TAFENSW staff are returning to campus this week. This does not mean we undermine our previous good work by taking short cuts. We are in this together, it must be a collaborative effort to ensure the safety of all staff and students.

A number of CPSU NSW members defined as a vulnerable workers are seeking advice about returning to campus after working from home. The CPSU NSW is concerned that, in some cases, members have been told everything reasonable practicable has been done they are expected to return to work without been provided the required risk assessments.

The Safework Factsheet HERE outlines what is ‘reasonably practicable’ when transitioning back to workplaces. If you have concerns about returning to work on campus, discuss in the first instance with this with your first- and/or second-level manager(s). If you are unsure and still uneasy after bringing those concerns to management, you will be in a far better position reaching out to your local delegates and the union.

NOT A MEMBER OF THE CPSU NSW? JOIN ONLINE HERE.