As COVID restrictions continue to be relaxed and our society, as a whole, returns to some sort of post-COVID ‘normality,’ Australia Post has ceased contactless delivery arrangements, in most circumstances.
Members will remember an earlier attempt to prematurely remove this requirement involved an inappropriate and unreasonable direction for members to question customers on their COVID-19 infection status. This direction was swiftly rescinded by Australia Post, following intervention by the Union, and is not a requirement of the new procedures.
However, although many of us have become more relaxed in general and may have chosen to return to our own social ‘norms,’ it is important to note key safety procedures which should be followed when obtaining signatures from customers on delivery, including:
- Social distancing. Although current health advice demonstrates that the risk of transmission of COVID-19 is unlikely in outdoor settings, it is important that members still observe social distancing practices – hand the scanner to the customer using an outstretched arm, asking them to sign on the glass and stand back. Do not stand close next to the person as they sign.
- Mask wearing. When delivering to indoor locations such as businesses or inside shopping centres, mask wearing can be effective in preventing transmission where respiratory droplets are not as quickly dissipated by natural airflow, as they are in outdoor settings. Members should wear a mask whenever they feel they need to, and Australia Post will not prevent you from doing so.
- Using hand sanitiser and anti-bacterial wipes. Using hand sanitiser and wiping down any shared and high-touch surfaces, particularly before touching your face or eating food, is good practice and can drastically reduce transmission of microorganisms, including bacteria and viruses such as COVID-19.
Following discussions with the Union, Australia Post have agreed to make hand sanitiser, antibacterial wipes and face masks available to all PDOs and drivers.
Importantly, if a customer self-declares that they are currently infected with COVID-19 or refuses to sign due to their own safety concerns, the contactless delivery process will still apply.
For members who believe this change will compromise their health and safety (eg. those severely immunocompromised), a process has been implemented to exclude adherence to these new procedures. You should speak to your immediate manager as soon as possible to alert them to this. You will be required to have your treating medical practitioner, after having reviewed the signature on delivery process, advise that this requirement would pose an unacceptable risk to your health whilst COVID-19 restrictions still exist within Australia. You will not, however, be required to declare the cause of your compromised immunity.
Should you require any further information or feel at any time that you are being unreasonably treated by management in relation to your time on run due to taking appropriate measures to ensure you are minimising any unnecessary risk to your health and safety, please contact Branch Assistant Secretary Peter Chaloner or Branch Officials Cade Anderson, Phil Kessey, TK Ly, Liam Murphy, Peter O’Connell, Giselle Saba, Dharmpal Singh or Dennis Williams for immediate assistance on (02) 9893 7822.
Yours faithfully,
SHANE MURPHY
BRANCH SECRETARY
Comments are closed.
