Coronavirus: Qantas staff and passengers at risk due to ‘inadequate’ cleaning of aircraft, watchdog says
- Report makes specific reference to the possible risk of coronavirus infection, reflecting mounting safety concerns among passengers
- Qantas spokesman said the plane in question was not the aircraft that evacuated Australians from Japan and the Chinese city of Wuhan
Substandard plane-cleaning practices at Qantas may have put the airline’s workers and passengers at risk of contracting the coronavirus, according to a workplace safety watchdog.
The airline’s method of cleaning planes that could have carried infected passengers are “inadequate”, SafeWork NSW said in a March 2 notice to Qantas that was released by a trade union on Thursday. “Workers and other persons may be exposed to a risk of injury or illness,” the state government body said in its report. “[An inspector] observed workers wiping over multiple tray tables with the same wet cloth with no disinfectant and cleaning unknown liquids on floors and surfaces.
“[Cleaners were] required to handle wet and used tissues, used face masks, soiled nappies and the workers advised they occasionally have to clean vomit and blood off surfaces.”
A spokeswoman for SafeWork NSW confirmed it issued a so-called improvement notice to Qantas but was unable to comment on the contents of a document that has not been publicly released.
A spokesman for the airline said it’s considering appealing the notice.
“Qantas is not known for being complacent when it comes to safety or the cleanliness of our aircraft,” it said in a statement.
The plane in question was not the aircraft that evacuated Australians from Wuhan in China and Japan, the spokesman said.