Research

The health, safety and well being of staff and students is a priority for the department. The department takes all staff health concerns seriously and where issues or concerns are raised, works with staff and specialists across a range of fields to address these concerns.

Investigating health concerns

During the recent years, a number of DETE workplaces, in particular schools, have raised concerns regarding the incidence of cancer within their school communities. In Queensland, cancer is a common disease with one in every two men and one in every two women developing some type of cancer by the age of 85 years.

The department works collaboratively with QH to review and assess concerns raised by DETE staff in relation to cancer and other health concerns. As a result of this working relationship, both DETE and QH have established robust assessment practices to respond to concerns raised by staff. To formalise this collaborative arrangement a Working Agreement 1.6M has been established to ensure the continued effective management of staff health concerns. A Data Collection Guideline 230k has been developed to support workplaces with this process.

Queensland Health provides the following fact sheets about the common types of cancer and the incidence (or rate) at which it occurs in the community.

Cancers in Queensland 203k - frequently asked questions
Cancer clusters 161k - frequently asked questions
Ductal carcinoma in situ 140k - frequently asked questions
Risk in breast cancer in Australian women 141k - fact sheet

Specific information about cancer types and risk factors is available by accessing websites referenced on the cancer information page.

Concerns raised by school communities have been investigated extensively in the past and a series of protocols have been developed to address and investigate cancer concerns by staff. The approach will depend on the situation and may include a combination of the following:

Regular information and support to the school staff and community about cancer incidence, counselling support and the department's strategy
Liaison with the Environmental Protection Agency and/or Brisbane City Council regarding former uses of the site
Consultation with health professionals from Queensland Health, Workplace Health and Safety Queensland and the Cancer Council of Queensland for specialist advice and support
Information briefings for school staff conducted by health specialists
Assessment of the site through environmental testing and sampling
Communication with employee and employer associations to ensure accurate information is conveyed to stakeholders.

Information on the following recent projects is detailed below:

^ Top of page

This page was last reviewed on 23 Jul 2012