Our Safe Return to Work advice to all Members

Our goal is to provide Best Practice guidelines on how to return to work safely and conduct your business responsibly. 

At 1 May 2020, we are beginning to see easing of social and work restrictions in NSW. We are not out of the woods yet with the highly contagious Coronavirus global pandemic.  All Members and their clients should follow good sense and practical safety measures as they plan to resume driving lessons or assessments.

Our elected Committee members try to guide and direct the NSW Driver Trainers Association to be a valuable resource to our Members. With that in mind, we have outlined our Strategy for Safe Return to Work (SR2W) in the coming weeks ahead. Our Committee has followed each of these Guidelines in their own business. We share their personal approach on a SR2W Bulletin on our Members Only page.

Please be advised, should anything change in the broader community about Covid-19 infection rates or controls, we will pivot when necessary based on health alerts or announcements.

Ultimately YOU yourselves need to determine when you feel ready to face the public safely and get back on the road.

 NSW DTA Guidelines for SR2W

1. Set up Safe Return to Work Rules & Requirements (SR2W) as daily practice and let your clients know you have them in place.
2. Prioritise your clients – understand needs, schedules or cancelled lessons first
3. Earn Covid-19 Safety Credentials – Complete the FREE eLearning Course from the Department of Health:  https://covid-19training.gov.au/
4. Download and use the COVIDSafe App for contact tracing
5. Encourage your clients to download/use the CovidSafe App; ask clients to bring their phones (can be switched off).
6. Hygiene Kit & Practices: Hand Sanitizer in each car for instructor & clients; use disposable gloves; wipe all surfaces between each lesson with disinfectant; carry &/or use a mask.
7. Read and be familiar with SafeWork NSW and Safe Work Australia COVID-19 safe workplace 
8. Watch & Track the Gov websites for updates including NSW Small Business Commissioner and Department of Health.

Just as we were not in a position to require or advise how NSW Driving Instructor Members conduct their business to meet social distancing requirements, we are not responsible for how each of you responds to workplace rules or regulations. We know there are certain inconsistencies within our industry –and we are working hard to correct these or bring them to the attention of governing authorities.

Our Members deserve a virtual handshake

From mid-March, our Members have looked to us for guidance and good sense on how to run their businesses. Over the last several weeks we’ve responded to dozens of calls, emails and Facebook posts about where they stand in relation to requirements and what to do when it comes to Driving Instruction obligations and opportunities. 

While some driving programs (like Keys2Drive) shared clear, specific replies to our inquiries, other NSW bodies only referred us to other NSW authorities when we approached them. One of the most challenging things we’ve seen as an Association is the inconsistency of Service NSW (under Transport for NSW) issue statements that it is fine for independent Driving Instructors and Assessors to continue their business BUT that State Offices would not provide staff or service to face these front-line exposures. 

We value our connection to orgs or government providers. We will not take anyone to task about inconsistencies of rules or recommendations because we are all about building strong relationships with invested stakeholders.

We will always look out for the best interests of our members, their clients and their communities. This is why now, more than ever, there needs to be a strong, cohesive voice for our industry. Our goal is to amplify that voice and make a difference to the next generation of drivers on the road and the instructors who helped get them there. 

Authored by Karen Robbins, our Admin Support & Marketing Advisor, with Committee input and approval.