21 January 2022 / COVID-19

Phase 4 of Queensland's Industry COVID Safe Plan

The Industry Working Group has moved to Phase 4 – 'Living with COVID' – and has updated the Queensland Construction & Related Industries COVID Safe Plan to reflect this. This latest version also incorporates current Queensland Health requirements and some minor refinements to clarify existing procedures.

Hutchies' teams working in Queensland must read the below, implement the changes and circulate the latest copies of the COVID Safe Plan for Phase 4 and Managing Positive Cases & Close / Casual Contacts Update to all Workers / Subcontractors / Suppliers as a priority. This enables everyone to be on the same page with how positive cases and close contacts are managed on construction sites in Queensland.

The Queensland Construction Industry Working Group will continue to meet and will also consult with Queensland Health as the COVID-19 environment evolves. The Industry Plan will be reviewed and amended as Government Directions are updated, and guidance materials are released.

It is important to remember that anyone you interact with at the moment could have coronavirus and everyone should be extra vigilant with COVID safe measures to keep each other safe. You should monitor for symptoms – if any develop, stay home and get tested.

If you are unsure about anything, need to report a positive case / close contact, or have questions about COVID-19, please contact Hutchies' Coronavirus Team.

What's in this update

> Version 2 of the Industry COVID Safe Plan for Phase 4
> Version 3 of the Managing Positive Cases & Contacts Update
> Reporting & managing cases
> Timelines for Positive Case & Close Contact Requirements
> Clarification on Close Contact Isolation Period

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QldConstructionCOVIDSafePlan-Version2-Phase4-220121-Cover.jpg

Industry Plan

Key updates include:

  • Phase 4 of the Plan has been developed to align with the industry's managing positive cases processes as we 'live with COVID' 
  • Requirements when working in High Risk Settings are now clearly defined
  • Minor edits of the document have been made to tidy up consistency

Version 2 / 21 January 2022 (superseding Version 1 / 13 December 2021)

Download Plan

qldconstructioncovidsafeplan-positivecase-version3-220121-cover-cmp.jpg

Industry Update

Key updates include:

  • Minor amendments in the wording to simplify the explanation of requirements for confirmed cases and close contacts

Version 3 / 21 January 2022 (superseding Version 2 / 10 January 2022)

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Reporting & managing cases

Report all cases to Hutchies' Coronavirus Team

Please notify us ASAP of all confirmed cases or close contacts that work for Hutchies or have been on one of our sites or in our offices / yards (including Subcontractors / Suppliers / Visitors).

  1. Email coronavirus@hutchies.com.au
  2. Provide their full name (or name of employer only if not Hutchies)
  3. Date Hutchies was notified
  4. Date of test / when symptoms started (if relevant)
  5. If they worked whilst infectious (and if so the dates / times)
  6. If they have tested positive with RAT or PCR or have symptoms

Under the current Health Directions, everyone has an obligation, including businesses, to undertake contact tracing when managing a positive case. This includes directly notifying anyone they may have been in contact with either at work or home whilst potentially infectious.

The names of individuals reported to Hutchies' Coronavirus Team and who have tested positive for COVID are kept confidential. However, the information provided is used to assist with discreet contact tracing, to provide advice to individuals who may have been in contact with a positive case, to measure the impacts of COVID-19, and to update Hutchies' Payroll and Directors if required.

It is also the personal obligation of positive cases to notify their Team Leader and any other people they interacted more closely with at home or at work in the 2-3 days prior to developing symptoms or receiving a positive test result.

Managing a positive case

When teams are advised of a confirmed positive case, Hutchies' sites and offices must report the case.

If the positive case has been on site or in a Hutchies' office / yard potentially whilst infectious (that is 2-3 days before symptoms or a positive test), the team must follow the 'Managing a Positive Case Process' outlined in the latest Industry Update.

Summary for Hutchies' sites
> Managed by Project / Site Management Team or Team Leader
> Report all cases to coronavirus@hutchies.com.au
> If infectious on site, follow Managing a Positive Case Process
> Step 4 must use the Site Notification to notify Workers / Visitors
> Don't alter the notification 'actions' as they align with Health Directions
> Do not identify positive cases in notifications to protect their privacy

Summary for Hutchies' offices / yards
> Managed by Team Leader / Office Champion
> Report all cases to coronavirus@hutchies.com.au
> If infectious in office / yard, follow Managing a Positive Case Process
> Step 4 must use the Office Notification to notify Workers / Visitors
> Don't alter the notification 'actions' as they align with Health Directions
> Do not identify positive cases in notifications to protect their privacy

Case notifications for the Toowong office will be managed by Hutchies' Coronavirus Team centrally.

Report Case

Timelines for positive case and contact requirements

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Close contact isolation period

For clarity, a close contact's isolation period is defined as:

  • Starting when they are informed or become aware they are a close contact of a diagnosed person
  • Ending after 7 days from the date the diagnosed person took the initial test that returned a positive result (provided the close contact has no symptoms and a test on Day 6 of their quarantine returns a negative result)