Amazon Australia offers onsite COVID testing to workers

Amazon Australia is offering onsite COVID-19 tests to its workers at their fulfilment centre and delivery stations in Sydney.

The voluntary tests are performed by a reputable third party organisation and are available and free for Amazon workers.

The retail giant said that the provisional onsite testing allows its workforce to gain easier access to testing, and relieves some of the pressure on community COVID-19 testing sites.

“Nothing is more important than the health and safety of our people, and we’ve invested heavily to ensure this since the pandemic began,” said Jane Bourke, Director Workplace Health and Safety APAC at Amazon.

“Above all, the aim is to provide reassurance for our team, and providing easy access to regular testing for workers,” Bourke said.

Onsite testing has begun at Amazon’s biggest distribution centre in Moorebank and at its operational sites in Regents Park and Frenchs Forest.

Testing will also be introduced at its Melbourne sites in August.

Amazon Australia Director of Operations, Craig Fuller, said that onsite testing complements the many safety measures already in place at Amazon sites to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

“Our absolute priority is to create a safe environment and maintain privacy of the people who are getting tested,” Fuller said.

“It has been well received by our teams in Sydney and we look forward to offering the convenience of this service to everyone working at our sites in Victoria in the coming weeks,” he said.

In addition, Amazon Australia is also offering eligible staff a special ‘vaccination benefit’ of $140, as well as further support with access to paid or unpaid leave options to attend vaccination appointments.

The new benefit is the latest in Amazon’s efforts to support its teams during the pandemic, with the company investing US$11.5 billion in COVID-19 related measures globally.

Source: Amazon Australia