With exposure sites on the rise and financial stresses already on most Victorian businesses, the recent Business Victoria announcement of a substantial 80% COVIDSafe Deep cleaning rebate is a timely initiative for small to medium businesses in Victoria.

Under the Victorian Government initiative, a business can claim up to 80% of the costs of a professional ‘deep impact’ clean, with a cap of $10,000 per workplace, per separate event. Victorian businesses have until 30 June to claim up to 80% of the cleaning costs of a COVID-19 deep clean, but many don't know the rebate even exists.

In fact, of the almost 200 COVID deep cleans that my commercial cleaning company, Prime Group, have completed in Victoria, none of the businesses knew about the rebate. We’re finding many businesses just want the security of knowing their work environment has been thoroughly cleaned and is COVID-safe, so they are getting deep cleaning done regardless.

Time is running out for businesses to take advantage of the rebate and they should, given the tough times in the face of recent lockdowns. Given the average cost of a deep clean is between $1,500 and $8,000, this is a significant saving. If the business meets certain criteria, it’ll be able to claim a significant chunk of the money back. They can also claim the rebate retrospectively.

So what criteria do you need to meet to find out if you qualify? First, the obvious: the affected worksite must be in Victoria with a valid ABN. Next, the business must attest to having either a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19, the deep clean or decontamination clean must be completed by a professional cleaning in accordance with DHHS guidelines.

Evidence of the cost of the clean must be provided, and the business must have an annual payroll of less than $3million in 2019-20 on an ungrouped basis. The business must also be registered with WorkSafe if employing staff, and registered as a trading business with the responsible federal or state regulator.

If your business has been faced with a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19, you might be wondering: what exactly is involved in a deep clean? Let’s use a medium-sized pub as an example, and let’s assume that this pub has had a suspected or positive case.

A group of three to five cleaners dressed head to toe in disposable clothes and PPE would do a deep impact clean, including to double disinfect, steam, clean and sterilise every utensil, all blinds and shelves, right through to the tops of doors. It’s a serious business and one that you shouldn’t have to fund entirely on your own.

Deep cleaning is a vital step towards eliminating workplace transmission and helps give staff and customers alike better peace of mind when visiting your business. The time is now to take advantage of this rebate, save some money, and get properly rewarded for doing your bit towards eliminating the virus in Victoria.

visit www.primegroupau.com.au