The Victorian Government has worked closely with the industry on a plan for reopening based on the recommendations of the public health team.
In order to work onsite, all workers will need to keep in mind the covid rules to follow and carry an Authorised Worker Permit and have had at least one vaccine dose. Every construction site in Victoria must also have a designated fully trained COVID Marshal to ensure agreement with the Chief Health Officer’s directions.
Construction workers’ vaccination mandate, a key factor behind last week’s violent protests that are believed to have sparked the union office outbreak, has not been removed and proof of having received at least one dose will be a prerequisite for entry at worksites through the method of enforcement remains unclear.
Prior to reopening, operators will be required to attest that they have implemented the CHO directions and every site will need to have an up-to-date vaccination register available for compliance checks at all times.
In order to make this process as easy as possible, an online portal will soon be available on the Service Victoria website so these documents are accessible for both the operator and compliance teams.
Storehouse facilities may be used for the consumption of food and drink with strict density requirements and additional ventilation. Up to five construction workers and a supervisor will be able to work onsite for small-scale construction projects, and large-scale sites can have up to 25% of workers on site.
If crib rooms meet best practices and the entire workforce is fully vaccinated, large-scale construction sites can have up to 50% of workers on site. Projects on the State Critical Infrastructure list will operate at 100 percent as long as crib rooms follow best practice guidelines.
The shutdown came on the back of rising case numbers and non-compliance with regulations, particularly among small and medium-sized builders. It sparked several days of protests across Melbourne that led to takeovers of the West Gate Bridge and Shrine of Remembrance.
Subject to continued high levels of compliance by the Australian construction industry, workforce caps will progressively increase. At Victoria’s seventy percent double dose milestone, large-scale construction can return to 100 percent of its workforce.
Caps will be removed when Victoria reaches its 80% target, and in addition, all onsite workers must be fully vaccinated by 13 November. Fully vaccinated workers can travel between metropolitan Melbourne and regional Victoria in order to work onsite.
Workers on state critical projects or large-scale construction can also travel between metropolitan Melbourne and regional Victoria if they have had a single dose, take an initial test before their first travel, then test twice per week until fully vaccinated.
To allow all sites to remobilize, workers who have had at least one vaccination dose will be able to enter a site prior to fifth October in order to undertake storehouse facility improvements or receive deliveries. As part of the re-opening, the Victorian Government expects the construction industry to comply with directions in full.
Teams of authorised workers will conduct checks to enforce directions, and penalties will be in place for builders and site operators that do not comply – including site shutdowns for significant or repeated breaches.
All sites will be required to demonstrate compliance with Chief Health Officer Directions prior to reopening including the requirement for workers to show evidence to their employer of having had one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine before they return to the site on 5 October.
Movement of construction building union workers between metropolitan Melbourne, the City of Greater Geelong, Surf Coast Shire and Mitchell Shire, and regional Victoria is only permitted for fully exempt workers supporting safety and essential maintenance works at public infrastructure sites.
For example, this means, a contractor residing in Melbourne might not attend a worksite in Shepparton except in supporting safety and essential maintenance works at public infrastructure sites. Regular testing and wastewater surveillance might also be used, with discussions ongoing and some details yet to be finalised.
An announcement about the reopening is expected later this week and companies might be allowed to have people on-site on Monday to prepare for work to resume on Tuesday.