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COVID-19 Novel Coronavirus Policy March 2020

March 21, 2020

Skills Force Australia COVID Policy

Updated: 24/06/2023

What you need to know about the latest information and rules to manage COVID-19 in Western Australia.

Information have been resourced from The Western Australian Government: covid-19-coronavirus-managing-covid-19-wa

Preparing for COVID-19 makes it easier if you become infected or exposed to COVID-19. Here are some helpful tips:

  1. Make sure you have enough face masks and hand sanitiser ready.
  2. Prepare a kit with basic medical supplies such as a thermometer, pain relief medication, electrolytes, your regular medications, and rapid antigen tests (RATs).
  3. Choose someone to deliver supplies such as groceries and medication. This can be a family member or a friend.
  4. Have someone ready to help look after your children, pets, or anyone else in your care, in case you need to go to hospital.
  5. Have an emergency contact list with important phone numbers, such as your nominated support person, emergency services, and a GP.

What to do if you have COVID-19

f you have COVID-19, please stay home if you have COVID-19 until your symptoms have resolved to protect our community. This could take up to 10 days or more and a minimum of 5 day is a good guide.

You can recover from COVID-19 at home if your symptoms are mild.

Contact a GP or GP Respiratory Clinic if you start to feel worse. You can also call Healthdirect on 1800 022 222. If your symptoms become severe, call 000 immediately.

A novel (new) strain of coronavirus which originated in Hubei Province, China in 2019 can cause a respiratory disease called COVID-19. It doesn’t matter if you’re a worker or someone who is responsible for workers, Skills Force Australia will in a limited context identify and manage work health and safety risks including exposure to COVID-19. We are not health experts however we need to do our best to protect our clients, staff, and trainers noting that this is a new strain of coronavirus affecting humans around the world.

Some coronaviruses can cause illness similar to the common cold and others can cause more serious diseases such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS). The virus at this point is still new and as such Australian authorities are still learning more about it.

  1. Manage your symptoms with rest and pain relief. Remember to check with your doctor if you are eligible for antiviral treatment.
  2. Stay at home until your symptoms resolve. This could take up to 10 days or more. A minimum of 5 days is a good guide.
  3. Don’t forget to tell anyone you have had close contact with that you have COVID. You’re most infectious 2 days before symptoms start.

To protect those most at risk from COVID-19, for 7 days after testing positive for COVID-19 you should not visit or work in high-risk settings including hospitals, disability, mental health and aged care residential facilities and other healthcare settings (e.g., ambulance services, GP clinics, physiotherapy).

You can still attend public hospitals and high-risk settings for urgent medical care or treatment, but you should contact the facility to let them know you have tested positive for COVID-19.

Current information

COVID-19 spreads from person to person in a similar way to the flu:

  • From close contact with an infected person
  • From touching objects or surfaces contaminated by the sneeze or cough of an infected
    person and then touching your eyes, nose or mouth

COVID-19 can cause symptoms similar to the flu, including fever, cough, sore throat, tiredness or shortness of breath. Most people who are infected experience mild to moderate symptoms from which they fully recover. However, some people develop a more serious illness with pneumonia and other complications.

People at increased risk of serious illness include the elderly and those with chronic medical conditions (e.g. diabetes, heart and lung disease) or a weakened immune system. It is important to remember that most people who become ill with respiratory symptoms at work are likely suffering from a cold, the flu or other respiratory illness – not COVID-19.

Self-quarantine (Staff and students should refer to their health provider for advice)

Workers and others cannot go to work and must self-quarantine for 14 days if they have:

  • Recently travelled to an overseas destination considered high risk by the government
  • Been in close contact with a confirmed case of COVID-19

Workers who need to self-quarantine should notify Skills Force Australia or their employer and stay away from work. They should seek immediate medical attention if they become ill during the quarantine period and call ahead of arriving and mention their travel or contact history.

Employers should make appropriate arrangements so that workers who need to self-quarantine stay away from work. Where possible, the worker should be provided with flexible work arrangements such as working from home.

Preventing the spread of infection

For most businesses such as Skills Force Australia (Small training groups), the health risk is low. Simple hygiene practices, similar to those used to protect against the flu, can help prevent the spread of COVID-19 and other respiratory infections.

For our trainers and staff:

  • Wash your hands frequently with soap and water or use an alcohol-based hand sanitiser
  • Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue or flexed elbow when coughing or sneezing,
    dispose of tissues immediately after use and wash your hands or apply hand sanitiser
  • Avoid close contact with anyone who has cold or flu-like symptoms
  • Stay home if you are unwell

Our clients

At this time we all need to work together to assist in stopping the virus from spreading. We ask that our clients ensure that their staff or students do not attend training if they feel unwell or are self-quarantined. Notification is required so that we may reschedule training.

Cancellation of training: In certain situations, Skills Force Australia may cancel training or work due to unforeseen circumstances or changes to government policy at any time. Clients may also need to cancel whereby Skills Force Australia will reschedule training to a suitable date after consultation with the client.

Students feeling unwell:

Firstly all staff, trainers and students should contact their workplace or Skills Force Australia if they are booked for training and stay at home if they are feeling unwell. Where trainers cannot attend training they should provide Skills Force Australia with as much advanced notice if possible so that we may arrange another trainer or reschedule training.

In class: If students are noticeably unwell or report to Skills Force staff/trainers that they feel unwell then this must be reported to either Skills Force management or to client management if training is being delivered away from Skills Force Australia.

Skills Force Australia resources:

  • Provide hand washing facilities and make sure these are kept clean, properly stocked and in
    good working order
  • Provide alcohol-based hand sanitiser, tissues and cleaning supplies
  • Promote good hygiene practices, e.g. display posters on handwashing and respiratory
    hygiene
  • Keep the workplace clean and hygienic. Regularly cleaning high-touch surfaces such as door
    handles and workstations help prevent contamination

Training resources

Skills Force staff and trainers are responsible for the cleanliness of our training equipment and must
follow these guidelines;

  • Wipe all equipment likely to be used by students with alcohol wipes before use and after use
  • Spray rooms with Glen 20 prior to training
  • Ensure all first aid manikins are wiped clean using cleaning wipes before and after use by
    each individual (First aid resources)
  • Trainers must ensure that manikin training lung sets are replaced before use by another
    student (First aid resources)

M.Nangle
Managing Director
9th March 2020
Skills Force Australia

Reconciliation Action Plan

At Skills Force Australia, we acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we work and live. In addition we will respect Indigenous Elders past and present.

Our vision for reconciliation

Our vision for reconciliation is shared with many other Australian small businesses to celebrate the knowledge and cultures of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. This will be achieved through the social, economic and cultural inclusion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in our training programs.

Our family business is committed to sustainable Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander qualifications and sustainable, meaningful assistance for employment through quality training

Bookings and Reservations

Address: Unit 5, 12-14 Baretta Road, Wangara
Phone: (08) 9309 4722
Email: sales@skillsforce.com.au

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Skills Force Australia
ABN: 48 156 593 690
RTO Code: 52354

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