Workers in construction and other sectors throughout Melbourne who need to be on site must have a permit or risk hefty fines as the state has entered Stage 4 COVID restrictions.

As of 11:59pm on Wednesday, employers need to issue permits to any workers who are required to be on site.

To do this, they will need to download a template from the Victorian Government web site, sign the permit and have the worker also sign the permit.

Permits can only be issued where the employer’s business is on the list of approved activities for Stage 4 restrictions, the employee is working in an approved category for on-site work and the employee could not work from home.

Documents can be signed either on the printed form or electronically.

Workers will need to carry their permits along with phot identification when travelling to and from work.

Penalties of up to $19,826 (for individuals) and $99,132 (for businesses) will apply to employers who issue permits to employees who do not meet the requirements of the scheme or who otherwise breach the scheme requirements.

There will also be on-the-spot fines of up to $1,652 (for individuals) and up to $9,913 (for businesses) for anyone who breaches the scheme requirements. This includes employers and employees who do not carry their worker permit when travelling to and from work.

Permits can be shown electronically on mobile devices such as photos or scanned copies.

The new requirements come as severe restrictions have been placed on the number of workers who attend construction sites throughout Melbourne.