Safework Health is committed to protecting the privacy and personal and health information of individuals in accordance with the Australian Privacy Principles (APP) under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and applicable state and territory privacy laws.

This policy applies to all employees, contractors, and representatives of SW Health, as well as all personal and health information collected, held, or processed by SW Health while providing services, including drug and alcohol testing, biological health surveillance, occupational health services, and employment-related processes. It extends to data processed through digital platforms and third-party service providers.

This policy outlines how we collect, manage, use, disclose, and protect personal and health information to ensure compliance with legal obligations and respect for individual privacy rights. It also reflects our commitment to adopting contemporary data protection practices in response to evolving digital and regulatory landscapes.

Where it is lawful and practicable to do so, clients may deal with us anonymously.

If an individual is to receive or has received a service from Safework Health, we will collect and hold their personal information to:

• understand individuals’ needs to provide appropriate services and advice.
• communicate with individuals regarding service delivery.
• improve the quality of our services.
• administer and manage services, including charging, billing, and debt collection.
• comply with legal and regulatory requirements.
• support data-driven improvements to service delivery while ensuring privacy protections.

For Drug and Alcohol Testing, and Biological Health Surveillance, the information we primarily collect may include an individual’s:

• name
• date of birth
• occupation
• address (postal and email)
• telephone numbers
• current medication
• biometric data (where relevant and consented)
• other information necessary for our functions and activities

For Occupational Health Services, the information collected may include an individual’s:

• name
• date of birth
• occupation
• address (postal and email)
• telephone numbers
• current medication, health history and medical records
• health risk assessment data (where applicable and consented)
• other information necessary for our functions and activities

For Employment Applications, work history, skills, tax details, references, and more.

Where reasonable and practicable, we collect personal and health information directly from the individual through methods such as consent forms, chain of custody forms, or direct communication (in person, via telephone, or secure digital platforms).

We may also collect information from third parties, such as authorised representatives or previous health professionals, with the individual’s consent or as permitted by law. We ensure third-party data collection complies with APPs and is transparent to the individual.

We limit the disclosure of personal and health information and only disclose it for purposes such as:

• management, funding, service-monitoring, planning, evaluation and complaint-handling
• legislative and regulatory compliance
• quality assurance or clinical audit activities
• accreditation activities
• billing and debt recovery
• legal requirements (e.g., subpoenas or defence in legal proceedings).
• activities directly related to providing health services where disclosure is reasonably expected.
• sharing de-identified data for research purposes, where permitted.

Disclosures may occur outside the individual’s state, territory, or country, but only to organisations in jurisdictions with substantially similar privacy regimes or where contractual safeguards ensure equivalent protection and are compliant with the requirements of the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APP).

Personal and health information is stored in paper and electronic forms. We take reasonable steps to protect this information, including:

• requiring our staff to maintain confidentiality.
• implementing document storage security measures.
• enforcing security protocols for computer system access, including encryption and multi-factor authentication where applicable.
• providing a discreet environment for confidential discussions.
• verifying identity before granting access to personal or health information.
• retaining information for the legally required period and disposing of it securely in accordance with data destruction standards.

Medical records are the property of Safework Health and/or our commercial customers.

Individuals have the right to access their personal and health information under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), subject to exceptions (e.g., if access would threaten someone’s life, health, or safety, impact another’s privacy, or be unlawful).

Individuals can contact us at [email protected] or present in person to our pre-employment medical centres to request access to personal and health information. Once the individual’s identity has been confirmed, Safework Health will respond to a request for access to their health information within 14 days, or 30 days for complex requests.

The Safework Health process for requesting personal health record is provided below:

• Enquiry
• Health Record Request Form filled and ID verified
• Health record released by authorised person and copy to Quality Manager (maximum 30 working days)

SW Health protects online privacy by:

• allowing anonymous website visits where no personal information is collected.
• using email addresses only for requested services or responses to queries, not for mailing lists or disclosure to third parties without consent (unless required by law).
• providing aggregate, non-identifiable statistics about website usage to third parties.
• not controlling the privacy practices of third-party websites linked from our site. Individuals are encouraged to review the privacy policies of those sites.
• implementing secure data transmission protocols (e.g., HTTPS) and regular security audits to protect online data.

Individuals who believe we have breached their privacy rights in any way or wish to discuss any issues about our privacy policy should contact the Quality Manager who will try to satisfy any questions and correct any errors on our part. If the Quality Manager is not able to satisfactorily answer an individual’s concerns, the individual may contact the Safework Health Head Office on 1300 795 227. The individual also has the right to make a complaint to the Privacy Commissioner on telephone number 1300 363 992 or in writing to:

Office of The Privacy Commissioner
GPO Box 5288, Sydney NSW 2001

or via fax, by sending it to +61 2 6123 5145.

https://www.oaic.gov.au/privacy/privacy-complaints/

Individuals may ask any questions about privacy and the way we manage personal and health information, complain about the handling of their information or obtain a form requesting access to personal and health information by contacting the Quality Manager on 1300 795 227 or at [email protected].

Please refer Safework Health Privacy Policy.