Victoria's health department has been charged by the workplace watchdog over the leaks of COVID-19 from hotel quarantine that sparked the state's deadly second wave.
WorkSafe on Wednesday charged the Department of Health, formerly the Department of Health and Human Services, with 17 breaches of the Occupational Health Safety Act, in that it failed to provide and maintain, as far as reasonably practicable, a working environment that was safe and without risks to health for its employees.
The department has been charged with a further 41 breaches of a different section of the same act, in that it failed to ensure, so far as was reasonably practicable, that persons other than employees were not exposed to risks to their health and safety arising from conduct of its undertaking.
Between March and July 2020, the Department of Health was responsible for the oversight and co-ordination of Operation Soteria, Victoria's first hotel quarantine program.
