St Basil's Homes for the Aged in Victoria was sentenced in the Melbourne County Court today after pleading guilty to a single charge of failing to provide information, instruction, training necessary to enable employees to work in a way that was safe and without risks to health.
The court heard that St Basil's employed 106 workers across the workplace, which included a 54-bed hostel, a 72-bed nursing home, and a 24-bed dementia unit.
In March 2020, the Communicable Diseases Network Australia (CDNA) published guidelines focused on controlling the transmission of COVID-19 in residential aged care facilities.
This included information in relation to identifying COVID-19, routes of transmission, stocking and use of personal protective equipment (PPE), and responsibility for ensuring staff were trained and competent in all aspects of outbreak management.
The court heard that St Basil's updated its infection control plans, and provided written pandemic resources in the staff room and main office.
Between March and June 2020, some workers were provided information on the use of PPE during five COVID-19 training sessions run by external medical practitioners or during shift handovers and commencement.
However, a number of workers did not attend any of the training sessions.
St Basil's admitted it had failed to provide all workers with information, instruction and training about required items of personal protective equipment (PPE), the sequence and manner of donning and doffing PPE, and what constituted a suspected or confirmed COVID-19 case that would require PPE to be worn.
In July, a personal care attendant, who had been at work the previous day, advised St Basil's that they had tested positive for COVID-19. The court heard that, subsequently, 45 workers developed COVID-19.
WorkSafe Chief Health and Safety Officer Sam Jenkin said ensuring all employees knew how to manage health and safety risks was crucial to protecting everyone in a workplace.
"Training isn't just an optional extra, it's business critical, and employers must ensure they provide appropriate information and instruction to all workers - regardless of how often they are in the workplace or face a particular hazard," Mr Jenkin said.
"The tragic events at St Basil's were a heartbreaking reminder of why health and safety matters, and our thoughts are with the families and loved ones of those impacted."
