25 January | Update from Department of Resources

Critically essential roles

The recently introduced Critically Essential Role Direction means a resources industry employer can ask workers, who are considered close contacts and are fully vaccinated and asymptomatic, to leave quarantine to work in a critically essential role.

Employers who need to engage this measure are required to undertake a self-assessment process to identify which roles within their organisation are critical to the continuation of services, and then notify Queensland Health.

Use the printable flowchart (PDF, 35KB) to help determine which roles could be considered critically essential.

Please note:

Employers, who ask close contacts to return to work to undertake a Critically Essential Role, must provide them with Rapid Antigen Tests to ensure compliance with the Direction. The RATs must be provided to the critical worker at the employer’s expense.

If a worker returns a positive RAT at any point, they must return directly to their quarantine arrangements. We strongly recommend employers do what they can to support the worker to return to quarantine.

A close contact must provide their consent to attend the workplace during quarantine to perform a Critically Essential Role.

Before undertaking the notification process, please read the Direction (No. 4) in full to learn what employers and workers need to do to meet the strict requirements for critical workers and Critically Essential Roles.

New notification process

The notification process for submitting your Critically Essential Roles List to Queensland Health has changed. All information should now be submitted via the Queensland Government Services Portal. Please follow the below process.

  1. Identify which roles within your organisation are Critically Essential Roles (called a Critically Essential Roles List)
  2. Log onto the COVID-19 Services Portal and submit your Critically Essential Roles information, when prompted
  3. You will receive an automated response confirming your information has been received.

Employers will only be contacted if an issue has been identified with the submission. If you have any immediate queries, contact covid@resources.qld.gov.au.