Security guards working in Victoria's hotel quarantine system were often left confused by inconsistent instructions and varying procedures, a court has been told.
The Department of Health, which ran the program between March and July 2020, has been charged by WorkSafe with 58 breaches of the Occupational Health and Safety Act.
A five-week committal hearing is underway for Magistrate Simon Zebrowski to determine if there's sufficient evidence to support a conviction on the charges.
Some of the security guards worked at more than one of the quarantine hotels and processes between them varied, MSS Security manager Sam Krikelis told Melbourne Magistrates Court.
Mr Krikelis on Wednesday recalled guards being confused about when they should wear masks or gloves and what was the proper method of escorting quarantine travellers on fresh air walks.
Guards were initially instructed to wear masks at all times but guidelines changed to only when interacting with travellers or when they couldn't social distance, the court was told.
Gloves also became obsolete during the course of the program, with guards instead instructed to only sanitise their hands.
During the first two days of evidence, the court was told guards had to complete an online COVID-19 training module before starting work but it was easy for them to skip through it and guess answers.
Wilson Security, MSS Security and Unified Security were also instructed to source and provide their own protective equipment to staff, while the department's PPE guidelines were only sent out eight weeks after the quarantine program started.
The court was told 90 per cent of cases in Victoria's deadly second wave were traced back to six guards, a healthcare worker and an employee who contracted the virus at the Rydges hotel from May 25, 2020.
Another 10 per cent of cases were traced back to 26 guards and a department employee based at the Stamford from June 16.
The second wave resulted in more than 18,000 new infections, 800 deaths and a lockdown that lasted 112 days.
If found guilty of the WorkSafe charges, the department faces a possible total fine of more than $95 million.
