Higher risk employees

Managing employees who may be at higher risk related to COVID-19.

On this page

• Higher risk criteria for healthcare workers
• Which areas are higher risk?
• What is the process for managing healthcare workers in the higher risk population?
• Returning to work for higher risk employees
• Living with / caring for individuals in the higher risk population
• Screening checklist
• FAQs
• Further information – external resources

Higher risk employees returning to roles

During the pandemic, to keep people safe, those at risk of serious illness were given the opportunity to change roles, locations or work from home.

With the end of the pandemic declaration and with falling community COVID-19 case numbers, higher-risk employees can now return to their substantive roles with support from their managers.

Employees who fell into one of the following categories were previously considered higher risk employees:

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people 50 years and older with one or more chronic medical conditions.
• People 65 years and older with chronic medical conditions.
• People 70 years and older.
• People with compromised immune systems.
• Pregnant women >28 weeks gestation

Higher risk criteria for healthcare workers

Arrangements for those at higher risk of serious illness

If you are at higher risk of serious illness if you contract COVID-19, we will need to assess the risk of you continuing to work in patient-facing areas during periods where there is community transmission.

Employees who fall into one of the following categories may be considered higher risk employees:

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people 50 years and older with one or more chronic medical conditions.
• People 65 years and older with chronic medical conditions.
• People 70 years and older.
• People with compromised immune systems.
• Pregnant women >28 weeks gestation

Now that the COVID-19 vaccination is mandatory for residential aged care and healthcare facility workers, an employee’s level of risk may reduce based on their vaccination status.

Our aim is to keep employees and patients safe. If you are at higher risk of serious illness if you contract COVID-19, we will need to assess the risk of you continuing to work on-site. Wherever possible, we will try to have people continue to work in some capacity, even if that means temporarily changing roles, location or working from home while the risk is present.

What you need to do (if you are a higher risk employee)

If you meet the above criteria and have not submitted a vulnerable employees checklist previously, please complete the checklist and return to COVID19employeeenquiries@monashhealth.org

Vaccination status and re-deployment

If you are a higher risk employee and have not been fully vaccinated and/or two weeks have not passed since your second dose of the COVID-19 vaccination, we will re-deploy you from high-risk areas. If you cannot be redeployed, you will be furloughed.

If you are a higher risk employee who has been fully vaccinated, and it has been more than two weeks since your second dose of the COVID-19 vaccination, you will be given the following options:

1. Continue to work in your current role.
2. The opportunity to be re-deployed.

Severely immunocompromised

If you are an employee who is severely immunocompromised, regardless of vaccination status, please discuss your suitability to undertake patient-facing work with your manager.

What leave am I entitled to if I am a casual employee or independent contractor, and I fall into a ‘higher risk’ category?

If you are a casual employee or independent contractor and you are in a ‘higher risk’ category, Monash Health will consider whether you can work from home for some or all of your absence if it is practical and appropriate.

Who is considered to be at higher risk of serious illness from COVID-19?

An employee who meets any of the below criteria is considered to be at higher risk of serious illness from COVID-19:

1. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees 50 years and older with one or more chronic medical conditions (as defined below)
2. Employees 65 years and older with chronic medical conditions (as defined below)
3. Employees 70 years and older
4. Employees with compromised immune systems (as defined below)
5. Pregnant women >28 weeks gestation

The following chronic medical conditions are of concern in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees over 50 years and employees over 65 years:

• Chronic renal failure
• Coronary heart disease or congestive cardiac failure
• Chronic lung disease (severe asthma for which frequent medical consultations or the use of multiple medications is required, cystic fibrosis, bronchiectasis, suppurative lung disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, chronic emphysema)
• Poorly controlled diabetes
• Poorly controlled hypertension

Employees at any age with significant immunosuppression including those who:

• Have haematologic neoplasms: leukemias, lymphomas, myelodysplastic syndromes
• Are post-transplant: solid organ (on immunosuppressive therapy), haematopoietic stem cell transplant (within 24 months or on treatment for GVHD)
• Are immunocompromised due to primary or acquired immunodeficiency (including HIV infection)
• Are on current chemotherapy or radiotherapy
• Are on high-dose corticosteroids (≥20 mg of prednisone per day, or equivalent) for ≥14 days
• Are on all biologics and most disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) as follows:
  • Azathioprine >3.0 mg/kg/day
  • 6-Mercaptopurine >1.5 mg/kg/day
  • Methotrexate >0.4 mg/kg/week
  • Prednisone >20 mg/day. If <14 days treatment, can resume work when treatment ceased
  • Tacrolimus (any dose)
  • Cyclosporine (any dose)
  • Cyclophosphamide (any dose)
  • Mycophenolate (any dose)
  • Combination (multiple) DMARDs irrespective of dose

The following areas may be considered higher risk for employees at higher risk of serious illness from COVID-19:

During the COVID-19 pandemic with associated community transmission employees should practise stringent physical distancing and hand hygiene measures and follow all relevant PPE requirements.

*These may be considered higher risk if there is community transmission cases. In areas with high and low risk designated areas, employees should be allocated to low risk areas only.

# These may be considered higher risk if there is community transmission cases.

Employees with heart or lung disease should avoid patient contact with all suspected or confirmed COVID-19 patients.

For up-to-date information about which areas are currently considered higher risk, please contact COVID19employeeenquiries@monashhealth.org.

What is the process for employees in the higher risk population?

Process for managing employees who may be at a higher risk

If you have any queries, contact COVID19employeeenquiries@monashhealth.org

Returning to work for higher risk employees

It is now considered safe for many workers to opt to gradually return to COVIDSafe workplaces, including higher risk employees, subject to local risk assessment.

A robust workplace risk assessment on the risks of exposure and potential infection of COVID-19 is recommended for higher risk employees before their return to work. These employees should not be assigned to work in areas where the risk is considered to be high and should be re-assigned from areas where suspected and confirmed COVID-19 patients are being treated.

Managers may test or trial some arrangements in advance to ensure systems and ways of working are practical in the event of changed directions. Employees may be required to undertake different duties commensurate with their qualifications, training, skills and classification level for a period or periods of time. Managers should speak to their People and Culture Business Partner if they are considering making a change to an employee’s duties.

However, where an employee can work from home, they should continue to be offered the opportunity to do so. Where an employee requests to work from home managers should consider the request and discuss it with the employee. Managers are encouraged to take a reasonable approach to determining the needs of their Department against the needs of their employees. Further support is available on the Returning to the Workplace Safely – Frequently Asked Questions page.

Living with / caring for individuals in the higher risk population

If the person you live with and/or care for meets any of the higher risk criteria specified above and you are concerned about continuing to work in your current area, you can complete and submit a ‘Employees who may be at Higher Risk of Serious Illness from COVID-19 Screening Checklist’. The checklist has a section for you to indicate that it relates to a person you live with and/or care for.

The assessment will be completed in the same manner as for employees and require the same supporting evidence where appropriate. You will be advised of the outcome of the assessment by email.

If you work in a low-risk area, no change will be made to your work arrangements. If you work in a high-risk area and there is community transmission, we will make every attempt to reassign you, noting that priority will be given to employees at higher risk of serious illness from COVID-19.

Screening checklist

FAQs

General advice for Managers:

Further information – external resources

More information available at: