A Melbourne senior care nurse has been charged after working several shifts at a nursing home after testing positive for COVID-19.
WorkSafe has charged the 36-year-old nurse with two breaches of the Occupational Safety and Health Act for her alleged actions between July 26, 2020 and August 2, 2020.
WorkSafe alleges that the nurse worked several occasional shifts at the Rosehill Menarock Aged Care Services facility in Highett, south-east Melbourne, after she tested positive for COVID-19 and was told that did not attend work.
A Melbourne senior care nurse has been charged after working several shifts at a nursing home after testing positive for COVID-19. (new)
The nurse has been accused of recklessly, or potentially, placing another person at risk of serious injury while attending the workplace after returning a positive PCR test without a legal excuse.
The maximum penalty for a person for this crime is five years in prison and a fine of 1,800 penalty points, which was $ 297,396 at the time of the alleged crime.
He has also been accused of not taking reasonable care for the health and safety of people in the workplace.
The nurse allegedly worked several shifts at a nursing home after testing positive for COVID-19. (new)
The maximum penalty for a person for the crime is a fine of 1800 penalty points, which was $ 297,369 at the time of the alleged offense.
It is not alleged that the actions of the nurse caused the transmission of COVID-19 to the workplace.
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WorkSafe’s investigation into the COVID-19 outbreak in the nursing home concluded that the operator had failed to meet its OSH obligations and had provided extensive training on COVID-19 awareness.
The nurse’s charges will go to Moorabbin’s investigative court on Sept. 7.
A number of other investigations related to the control of COVID-19-related risks in the workplace are still ongoing.