A range of essential workers including truck drivers, childcare workers and cleaners are now being put to work despite being directly exposed to COVID. Businesses are welcoming the change, but legal experts say the situation is fraught.
On Wednesday, the company secured several hundred rapid tests that it will supply to its workers for free.
Ms McManus said, in the interim, workplace health and safety laws stipulated that workplaces had to provide their staff with any gear they needed to keep them safe, which would include RATs, masks and ventilation during a pandemic. "It's not necessarily practical at all. And some employers might just foist the responsibility onto the workers," he said.
"The issue here is not just the people being asked to come into work — they're not necessarily the ones at risk," he said.
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