TAFE Queensland: WHS challenges and commitments
Queensland Teachers' Journal, Vol 130 No 7, 3 October 2025, page no 24.
Work health and safety (WHS) is a critical issue in the vocational education and training (VET) sector, particularly within TAFE Queensland, where educators and students work in a wide range of practical learning environments.
From heavy trade workshops and commercial kitchens to simulated healthcare settings and digital learning spaces, the diversity of risks is significant. Ensuring the safety of staff and students is therefore both a legal obligation and a moral responsibility.
Under the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Qld), TAFE Queensland has a duty of care to provide a safe learning and working environment. This requires proactive identification of hazards, effective risk management strategies, and ongoing consultation with employees and their representatives. Importantly, WHS in TAFE is not limited to preventing physical injury; it also extends to psychosocial hazards such as work-related stress, fatigue, and occupational violence.
In recent years, TAFE Queensland has faced increased scrutiny regarding workloads, job security, and organisational change — all of which carry implications for staff wellbeing. Educators report particular challenges in balancing teaching, compliance, and
administrative demands, which can lead to fatigue and reduced capacity to manage safety risks. Notably, providing safe and engaging practical lessons for students and identifying high risk activities which require additional staffing are things the QTU has supported and advocated for strongly.
TAFE Queensland’s WHS strategies include mandatory safety inductions, risk assessments in all practical teaching areas, and formal reporting systems for both hazards and incidents through TAFE Queensland’s incident management system (IMS), SMART360.
Health and safety representatives (HSRs) play an essential role in ensuring that staff voices are heard and that hazards are escalated promptly. Elected HSRs provide guidance and support for their workgroup and are crucial in advocating for safe systems of work.
Continuous improvement is vital
As the workforce and student cohorts evolve, new risks emerge — from managing digital fatigue in online delivery to addressing cultural safety and inclusivity in classrooms. Increasing complexities in student cohorts lends itself to increasing psychosocial risks and hazards for educators. The QTU is acutely aware of these challenges and strongly encourages all members to report psychosocial risks, hazards and incidents to ensure appropriate risk mitigation and hazard controls are implemented.
Embedding WHS into all levels of decision-making ensures that safety is not treated as compliance alone, but as an integral part of quality education delivery.
Ultimately, the strength of WHS in TAFE Queensland lies in its people. Building a culture in which safety is prioritised, concerns are raised without fear, and wellbeing is genuinely supported will not only reduce injuries and incidents but also enhance the quality of teaching and learning. A safe TAFE is a strong TAFE — one that prepares students for their future while protecting them and the professionals who guide them.