Vaccinations outside Health Order May 2022

Why has the Vaccination Policy been changed?

The external COVID landscape has changed again and meant we needed to examine if our vaccination requirements remained valid. As the risk of contracting or transmitting COVID is generally now just as high, or higher, when away from work as when at work, it was prudent to remove the vaccination requirement for those not subject to the Health Order based on their work activities.

Some at risk work activities will require other measure such as returning a negative result using an approved COVID-19 test immediately prior to undertaking a high-risk work activity (i.e. on the day that the high-risk activity is undertaken), if the person is not fully vaccinated.

Does this mean change to the roles covered by the Health Order?

There is no change to the roles that are covered by the Health Order and therefore personnel in those roles must adhere to the vaccination requirement to remain operational.

Does this mean unvaccinated Firefighters in certain roles can return to training?

Career and volunteer personnel in operational roles who are not fully vaccinated are currently not operational (due to the coverage of their roles under the Health Order) and will remain unable to participate in training. As was the situation before the Policy came into effect, if a volunteer wishes to attend a training night and observe training (without participation), they are able to do this.

What does the revised Policy mean?

• the requirement for all people to be vaccinated to come into Fire and Emergency premises is removed
• the requirement for all people in roles not covered by the Health Order to be vaccinated is removed
• the requirement for all new employees to be vaccinated is removed
• personnel will not be permitted to undertake work-related international travel unless they are fully vaccinated
• personnel who are not fully vaccinated and are in roles that involve specified high-risk work activities will be required to return a negative result using an approved COVID-19 test before undertaking a high-risk work activity.

What controls/measures will be in place to keep me safe from contracting COVID while at work?

Keeping our people safe from COVID so they can keep our communities safe remains our top priority. We have a number of COVID Protection Frameworks in place for specific parts of our organisation that detail the measures and protections in place relative to the nature of work carried out. These are detailed on the Portal: COVID-19

We have carefully considered the risks associated with contracting and transmitting COVID-19 in our workplaces and conclude that most of the work done can be done safely with other risk controls in place. For example, maintaining a distance of more than 1m and wearing masks when that distance can’t be maintained and ensuring all personnel take responsibility for their own hygiene practises as outlined in the COVID Protection Framework documents. These risk controls are crucial and we will be ensuring they are adhered to.

How will issues regarding my return to work be managed?

Your manager will work with you to transition you back into the workplace as appropriate. Please discuss your personal situation and any concerns you have about returning to the workplace with your manager as soon as possible.

When will the need for vaccinations for all staff be removed?

The requirement for those in roles covered by the Health Order to be vaccinated will only change when the Health Order itself changes or is revoked. This is something that the Government will decide and the Ministry of Health will advise us of.

What factors were considered in making this change?

We considered the following public health factors identified by WorkSafe:

• Is there a greater risk of the worker being exposed to new variants at work than they would be in the community?
• Does the worker regularly, as part of their work, interact with people who are at a greater risk of severe illness should they contract COVID-19?
• Does the worker regularly interact with people who are less likely to be vaccinated against COVID-19?
• Does the worker work in a confined indoor space (of less than 100m2) and involve close and sustained interactions with others (i.e. closer than 1m distance, for periods of more than 15 continuous minutes)?

Through our review it became apparent that we could identify specific work activities shared across roles that would result in a yes answer to one or more of these questions. Based on the proposed Health and Safety Risk Assessment and Vaccination Policy, the majority of our roles do not involve work activities that need to be carried out by fully vaccinated individuals as long as other controls are observed such as mask wearing, physical/social distancing, staying away when unwell and good personal hygiene practices.

Generally, our other risk controls in place to manage the risk of contracting or transmitting COVID-19 in the workplace are effective and it will usually be possible to maintain sufficient physical/social distancing.

There are a few roles, based on the work activities carried out, that have an increased risk of contracting or transmitting COVID-19 (this is set out in the outcome document). While vaccination is an effective measure for reducing the risk associated with higher risk activities, this could also be reduced to an acceptable level by unvaccinated personnel in these roles undertaking an approved COVID-19 test and returning a negative result before carrying out higher risk activity.

What about in the case of International Travel?

We have determined that undertaking a COVID-19 test does not address the risk of contracting a newer variant while outside New Zealand. The vaccination requirement in these cases will remain.

What is the likelihood of the Vaccination Policy changing back again to require vaccinations for those not covered by the Health Order?

This isn’t anticipated at this stage but is a potential factor should the COVID landscape change again.

Do I have to share my vaccination status with Fire and Emergency? How can I share my vaccination status with Fire and Emergency?

As the Vaccination Policy has changed, we will not be expecting people to advise of their vaccination status unless they are involved in high risk activities or require international travel for work.

You can provide your vaccination status using the below methods.

• By calling 0800 FENZCOVID (0800 336926). The phone line is open from 9am to 5pm, Monday – Friday until 23 December, and will be open again from 10 to 14 January 2022 for the same hours.
• Using Home Base on the Portal – https://bit.ly/3pRBrJh(external link)
• Using the secure online form (no login required) for first and second vaccinations  – https://bit.ly/3EyHWow(external link)
• Using the secure online form (no login required) for booster vaccinations  – https://bit.ly/3qS5pwB(external link) 

How will Fire and Emergency store my vaccination status if I provide it as this is personal health information and who will have access to it?

The data will be stored in our Homebase Human Resources Information System. This is the same platform we use for HR information such as leave applications and to access payslips. The data can be entered in straight into Homebase or through an online form. This additional option is being used to make the process more accessible for those of our people who don’t commonly access Homebase – including volunteers.

Both ICT systems have had previous risk assessments. We have a clear ICT Acceptable Use policy and manage and monitor our ICT systems closely to ensure appropriate measures are in place. The data collection, use and storage will comply with the Privacy Act, the Health Information Privacy Code and the COVID-19 Public Health Response Act 2020.

Only an extremely limited group of people have access to these systems.

What support is available to me?

We have a range of wellbeing support services available for all of our personnel and encourage you to make use of these if you are struggling. We also suggest you talk with someone you trust. You can see what we have available on the Portal. Vitae services are available 24/7 if you would like to talk to someone outside business hours.