BHP sets up hubs to jab its workers against Covid-19

BHP is moving to mandate vaccines for its 45,000 employees and contractors, as it launches vaccination hubs across the country.

BHP Minerals Australia president Edgar Basto.

BHP is moving to mandate vaccines for its 45,000 employees and contractors, as it launches vaccination hubs across the country to protect the mining sector and accelerate national vaccine targets.

The resources giant – one of Australia’s biggest employers – will begin on-site vaccinations in the NSW Hunter region on Thursday and joins Qantas, Wesfarmers and other big companies in fast-tracking the push towards national cabinet’s 70 and 80 per cent vaccine thresholds.

BHP Minerals Australia president Edgar Basto, who employs thousands of workers in the mining states of Western Australia and Queensland, said “in line with the road map agreed by ­national cabinet, we recognise that the path forward is through widespread vaccination”.

“We are looking at a range of practical ways to help Australia safely reopen its borders and its economy while protecting communities and workforces,” Mr Basto said. “We have to work ­together in the fight against the Covid-19 Delta strain.”

Operation Covid Shield co-­ordinator-general Lieutenant General John Frewen, said he was working closely with employers across the country “as we move to this important phase in accelerating the rollout”.

“Workplace vaccinations are an important part of the overall campaign. We have seen significant interest from business, community and sporting groups and we will continue to add further groups as the vaccine supply ramps up,” General Frewen said.

BHP will launch the resource sector’s first workplace vaccination hub at its Mt Arthur coal mine in the Upper Hunter this week. The company is supporting new vaccine hubs in Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia at Moranbah, Olympic Dam, and in the Pilbara.

The vaccination push comes after Josh Frydenberg on Monday called for business and industry leaders to “beat the drum” and pressure states and territories to stick to the reopening plan.

Mr Basto said getting more Australians vaccinated quickly would “help protect communities and enable a safe return to more normal ways of working across all sectors and regions”.

“Our experience in our Chilean operations, where workplace and community vaccination hubs have helped get local vaccination rates to nearly 90 per cent, show it can be done well,” he said.

BHP is also considering vaccination as a condition of entry to the company’s workplaces from early next year, with a final decision expected in September.

Mr Basto said “the science is clear that widespread vaccination saves lives”.

“As a necessary control to protect the health and safety of our people and the communities where we operate, we are actively assessing vaccination as a condition of entry to our Australian sites and offices,” he said. “We respect individual choice and we will engage closely with our people as we move forward with this work.”

Australian Industry Group chief executive Innes Willox called on national cabinet to back a European-style national health pass to allow the vaccinated to travel freely across the country.

Under the two-pronged ­approach, the health pass would be supported by rapid testing of the unvaccinated across workplaces to ensure supply chains could operate efficiently.

Mr Willox said under the ­German “Vaccinated, Recovered, Tested” model, residents who had been vaccinated, could show they had recovered from Covid, or had a negative test within three days, “can go just about anywhere”.

Australia’s largest employers are moving towards mandatory vaccines amid fears that outbreaks could shutdown operations.

Business leaders have said the vaccination rollout will be bolstered by a new federally funded compensation scheme designed to protect employers if their workers suffer a serious adverse effect from a coronavirus jab.

Employers said the no-fault scheme, which will apply to ­people who get the jab at any ­location, ­including work, will ­encourage companies wanting to organise vaccination programs at work.