2021 results coming in October — keep an eye on your emails & HACSU's social media.

What we found out in 2020

HACSU received 932 Responses to a 19 question survey. It was the most extensive survey we've conducted as a union, and we'll be repeating the survey in 2021.

• Health and Safety Representatives (HSRs) are represented in only 54% of your worksites.

• 22% of you worked in homes where there were no specific COVID-Safe plans as of the date of completing the survey.

• 59% of you became specialist cleaners in 2020, undertaking deep cleans of your worksites once or multiple times per shift.

• 2020 has had a profound mental health impact on our members. The overwhelming majority of you report anxiety, fatigue, depression, and stress directly relating to the implications of COVID-19 on their work.

• Poor communication exacerbated OH&S concerns throughout the second wave of COVID-19 and contributed to the significant mental health impacts on the workforce. Major concerns identified:

  • Poor information flow between management, employers, and workers.

  • The inability of DSWs to access official public health guidance and directives.

  • Lack of clarity about the role and responsibilities of the NDIS.

What HACSU will be doing

• We are ensuring union trained health and safety representatives (HSRs) in every worksite.

• Creating public' report cards' for all Victorian disability employers- scoring them on their safety standards and letting our members and the wider public know the results.

• We are supporting HSRs and workers to ensure that employers understand their legal and OH&S obligations.

• We are developing online and in-person OH&S training resources for disability support workers.

• We are working with regulatory bodies to ensure greater oversight and scrutiny of employers and worksites.

• We are campaigning for structural improvements to the NDIS funding model.

• We are bringing public visibility and media attention to the vital work that our members do.

What you can do to get involved now

• Support HACSU's Safety in Disability social media campaign. Take a selfie of yourself with the pledge card and text it, together with your name to 0499.777.387. We'll feature you across our social media channels.

• Keep in touch with your workplace delegate or organiser, and let them know ASAP if there are OH&S concerns in your place of work. 

• Come along to a Safety in Disability Virtual Town Hall Meeting. We'll be running these monthly throughout 2021, and we'd love to see you there. Our first meeting for 2021 will be on Thursday, January 28th, at 7 pm. Check your emails nearer the time for registration and login details.  

• Click here to download posters
• Click here to download an orange email signature 
• Click here to download a pink email signature 
• Click here to download an orange virtual background 
• Click here to download a pink virtual background 
• Click here to view our selfie frames. If you would like a photo of yourself in one of these frames, contact comms@hacsu.asn.au, and we can organise that for you. 
• Click here to download our pledge card. Print this out, take a photo holding it up and send it to comms@hacsu.asn.au to be featured on HACSU's social media pages. 
• Click here for a Safety in Disability information booklet