Brookfield Multiplex has launched a range of ‘cancer smart’ initiatives on-site to coincide with the NSW Cancer Council’s annual fundraiser Daffodil Day. The initiatives aim to encourage construction workers to incorporate ‘cancer smart’ procedures into their working day – such as the provision of protective sunscreens and sunhats. The program will be expanded throughout the year to include a broader range of initiatives to protect workers that will also include lifestyle and health education.

Brookfield Multiplex first implemented the new procedures on-site at Dundas Public School in Western Sydney and commemorated the occasion by giving daffodils to some of the school students, where the company is building a new hall and covered outdoor learning area (COLA). “We are proud to be at the forefront of the construction industry, providing the means to protect our workers and encourage behaviours on-site that go beyond the minimal occupational health and safety requirements,” said Terry Chapman, Brookfield Multiplex’s managing director of constructions.

It is anticipated that the new initiatives will be rolled out across all Brookfield Multiplex sites in Australasia. Dundas Public School is one of 189 in Western Sydney that have been earmarked for construction works under the Federal Government’s “Building the Education Revolution” (BER) program. Work has commenced on the first 16 schools in the last few weeks. The BER program is part of The Nation Building Economic Stimulus Plan and will see $2.9 billion spent on 1,800 schools in NSW.

Brookfield Multiplex is managing the program for the Western Sydney region and will undertake approximately $300 million of work on 189 public schools in the region over the next 18 months.