Is your support worker taking enough breaks?

Support Worker Breaks

An employer has the general duty of care under the OHS Act to provide safe systems for work for employees (section 21).  This includes ensuring that your Support Workers have adequate rest breaks or rest periods to control risks, to relieve fatigue and to be able to eat a meal. Rest breaks are an effective way to control certain workplace health and safety risks and can also increase productivity.

Tea Breaks

It is recommended to provide a paid 10 min tea break in each four hours worked at a time agreed with your Support Worker. Tea breaks count as time worked. Tea breaks will still need to be recorded on timesheets, this will not be deducted from time worked.

Meal Breaks

It is recommended to provide a meal break of not less than 30-minutes for shifts in excess of 5 hours. This is an unpaid meal break to be taken at a time mutually agreed with your support worker.

Example:

An employee gets the following number of breaks, depending on the ordinary hours they actually work (not their rostered hours).

** An employee who works for more than 5 hours must get at least 1 meal break.

Meal breaks are paid and count as time worked for employees who have a meal with their participant as part of the normal work routine or program. The meal break will still need to be recorded on the timesheet, however it will need to be noted that it is a paid meal break to ensure it is not deducted from time worked.