Developing a COVID-safe workplace

Institute news

Developing a COVID-safe workplace

With National Cabinet this week talking about the possibility of easing restrictions over the coming months and helping prepare Australians to go back to work in a COVID-19 safe environment, we have been busy ensuring that this can happen here at the Baker Institute.

Developing infection control guidelines in the new COVID era has been a key focus for us during the past few weeks, with our senior research and clinical staff working with our Occupational Health and Safety team to put in place additional measures to best ensure that we are COVID-safe. This work has been extensive, and ranges from labelling every room in the building so as to satisfy requirements for social distancing, to a new booking system to avoid congestion around shared equipment and an electronic means of keeping track of the time and location of staff. We’ve even made our own hand sanitiser!

As we look to scale up in coming months, this means adhering to the National Safety Authority’s COVID-19 Workplace Checklist and the National COVID-19 safe workplace principles.

Our greatest priority is to ensure that our staff, patients and study participants are protected if they need to come onsite and that we can cater for them safely.

When people visit the Institute, they will see signage about safe distancing and we’ve introduced a range of protocols including screening in our clinic reception area.

This week we introduced a drive thru pathology service for our diabetes patients who may not want to visit pathology clinics. This way our patients can have the necessary blood tests before their telehealth appointments without leaving their car.

We also launched a free community hotline for people who may have queries about heart disease, diabetes and COVID-19.

We’ve also adapted our infection control guidelines to include new measures designed to protect staff working in research, clinic and administrative areas and ensure appropriate distancing.

We know that our work advancing heart disease and diabetes will be critical in the coming months as we look to the road to recovery, that’s why we are doing everything possible to ensure we continue our pioneering research and clinical services with safety as the number one priority.