CSV COVIDSafe Plan

Court Services Victoria is committed to protecting the health, safety and wellbeing of all employees, judicial officers and VCAT members, key partners, and court users.

Court Services Victoria also has a duty of care and an obligation under the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004, to do all that is reasonably practicable to provide a safe work environment.

Court Services Victoria has a COVIDSafe Plan that covers the workplaces of Victorian courts and VCAT, and each court and tribunal site has an individual COVIDSafe Plan to cover any measures specific to their workplace.

In alignment with Victorian Government recommendations, the Court Services Victoria COVIDSafe Plan demonstrates:

• our actions to help prevent the introduction of COVID-19 to our workplaces
• the type of face mask or personal protective equipment (PPE) required for our workforce
• how we will respond to confirmed cases of COVID-19 in our workplaces
• how we will meet all the requirements set out by the Victorian Government.

The COVIDSafe measures currently in place in Victorian court and tribunal buildings include:

 

Physical Distancing

In areas of courts and tribunals where the public are roaming for general visitation purposes and not for the operations of courts, maintaining a physical distance of 1.5 metres from others is recommended where possible.

 

Face Masks

Face masks are required to be worn in publicly accessible areas by all court users, subject to exemptions. This includes legal professionals, police prosecutors and cleaners attending as part of their work.

Disposable masks and hand sanitiser (to use before putting a mask on), are available to court and tribunal users at entrance points before security screening.

Court users attending court and tribunal venues with a medical exemption from wearing a fitted face mask, will be offered a face shield as a form of protection when face masks are required or recommended, and subject to the direction of Registry.

For further information about the face mask requirements specific to each court and tribunal venue, please refer to the relevant website.

 

Good Hygiene Practices

Hand sanitiser dispensers are in place in a variety of public areas, at the entrances of buildings and courtrooms, and near lifts.

Perspex hygiene screens are in place at Registry counters.

Trays and equipment at security entrances are cleaned after each use.

Cleaning and sanitising occur regularly in all buildings. All public facing touchpoints, toilets, wash basins, soap dispensers, hand sanitiser units, kitchens and office areas are sanitised at least twice daily.

 

Screening Measures and Entry Requirements

Court Security Officers, as authorised officers, can refuse entry to court venues and remove from court premises any person who:

• advises they have coronavirus (COVID-19)
• advises they currently have COVID-19 symptoms or are a close contact of a positive case and have not received a negative test result on the day they wish to gain entry

For further information about entry requirements specific to each court and tribunal venue, please refer to the relevant website.

 

Signage

A range of signage encouraging good hygiene practices, physical distancing where possible, and the use of face coverings, is in place throughout court and tribunal buildings.

 

Ventilation

Air conditioning systems are monitored to ensure optimal performance and air flow.

Air purifiers have been deployed in court and tribunal rooms as an additional infection control measure.

 

Reporting

Court Services Victoria follows government requirements to notify the Department of Health and WorkSafe of confirmed cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) in the workplace and has a dedicated team that provides immediate support and response to any issue.

Court users and visitors are encouraged to report positive COVID-19 rapid antigen test results and follow Department of Health guidelines.