Making a notification
Notification obligations
Prescribed medical practitioners are required to notify the Queensland Health chief executive when a person is diagnosed with a notifiable dust lung disease. Making a notification to the Notifiable Dust Lung Disease Register (NDLD Register) satisfies the requirement to notify the Queensland Health chief executive.
As defined in the Public Health Regulation 2018, a prescribed medical practitioner is a medical practitioner from either of the following specialties:
- occupational and environmental medicine
- respiratory and sleep medicine.
Workers, their family members or their general practitioner are not required to notify the NDLD Register of a diagnosis of a notifiable dust lung disease.
Notifiable dust lung diseases
A diagnosis is made if, in the opinion of the prescribed medical practitioner, the person has a notifiable dust lung disease. A notifiable dust lung disease is any of the following respiratory diseases when caused by occupational exposure to inorganic dust:
- cancer (e.g. mesothelioma)
- chronic obtrusive pulmonary disease, including chronic bronchitis and emphysema
- pneumoconiosis, including
- asbestosis
- coal workers' pneumoconiosis
- mixed-dust pneumoconiosis
- silicosis.
Examples of inorganic dust include dust from silica, coal, asbestos, natural stone, tungsten, cobalt, aluminium and beryllium.
Notification form
A notification of a notifiable dust lung disease to the NDLD Register must be in the approved form (PDF 423 kB).
Time period in which to notify
Notifications to the NDLD Register must be made within 30 days of diagnosis.
Failure to submit a notification of a notifiable dust lung disease to the NDLD Register within 30 days of diagnosis without a reasonable excuse is an offence under the Act and may incur a maximum penalty of 20 penalty units.
Further information about a notification may be required
To ensure the accuracy of the NDLD Register, a notice requesting further information about a notification may be issued to the prescribed medical practitioner who gave the notification, or another health practitioner who has the information.
The notice will include the reasonable period within which the information is due. Failure to comply with this notice and provide the further information without reasonable excuse is an offence under the Act and may incur a maximum penalty of 20 penalty units.
Notification exemptions
To prevent dual notification requirements, if a prescribed medical practitioner has reported a notifiable dust lung disease to Resources Safety and Health Queensland (RSHQ), they do not need to notify the Queensland Health NDLD Register.
No other notification exemptions under the Act apply. For example, if a prescribed medical practitioner has diagnosed and reported a notifiable dust lung disease in relation to a worker’s compensation claim, they must also notify the notifiable dust lung disease to the NDLD Register.
Informing patients about mandatory reporting
If a patient is diagnosed as having a notifiable dust lung disease caused by occupational exposure to inorganic dust, the prescribed medical practitioner must advise the patient of the practitioner’s requirement to notify the NDLD Register.
How to make a notification
A prescribed medical practitioner makes a notification of a notifiable dust lung disease by completing the approved form (PDF 423 kB) and submitting it in a secure way to the NDLD Register.
To ensure the notification is securely submitted to the NDLD Register, we recommend prescribed medical practitioners create a secure file transfer (SFT) email account. Setting up an SFT email account and using it to submit notifications in the approved form is the most secure way to notify the NDLD Register.
Prescribed medical practitioners with a Queensland Health email account can submit notifications on the approved form (PDF 423 kB) to the NDLD Register email address, using their secure Queensland Health email account.
Create a secure file transfer (SFT) email account
To set up an SFT email account, email ndldregister@health.qld.gov.au to advise you wish to set up an SFT email account. Please ensure you provide the email address you will be using to submit notifications.
You will then receive an email from the NDLD Register with instructions on how to set up an SFT email account (PDF 894 kB).
Submit a notification using a secure file transfer (SFT) email account
Once you have created an SFT email account and completed the notification using the approved form (PDF 423 kB), you can send the notification using your SFT email account.
View instructions on how to submit a notification via an SFT email account (PDF 903 kB).
Alternatives to using a secure file transfer (SFT) email account
Prescribed medical practitioners with a Queensland Health email account may submit notifications in the approved form to the NDLD Register email address, using their secure Queensland Health email account.
If you do not have a Queensland Health email account and you are unable to open or access an SFT email account, you can choose to submit your notification(s) in the approved form to the NDLD Register by:
- fax (07) 3328 9622 (secure locked fax)
- registered post to:
Notifiable Dust Lung Disease Register
Health Protection and Regulation Branch
Department of Health, PO Box 2368
Fortitude Valley BC Qld 4006
Contact us
Contact the Notifiable Dust Lung Disease Register
Phone: (07) 3328 9632 (Monday to Friday from 8:30am – 5pm, except public holidays)
Fax: (07) 3328 9622
Email: ndldregister@health.qld.gov.au
Postal address:
Notifiable Dust Lung Disease Register
Health Protection and Regulation Branch, Department of Health
PO Box 2368
Fortitude Valley BC Qld 4006
Useful links
- Public Health Act 2005
- Public Health Regulation 2018
- Health and Other Legislation Amendment Act 2019
- Coal mine workers’ health scheme
- Register of doctors and medical practitioners
- Department of Health National Dust Disease Taskforce
- Department of Health National Occupational Respiratory Disease Registry
- Department of Health National Guidance for doctors assessing workers exposed to respirable crystalline silica dust
