Webcke shared his knowledge and personal family experience concerning safety, including losing his father through a workplace accident in 1994 and the impact that it had on him and his family.
He explained that he shared his message with the ultimate goal of improving the commitment to safety, not only in the workplace but also at home.
“Ultimately, on the day of Dad’s accident, the decision that he made was solely his responsibility and no one else. Dad was a proud and hardworking man, who never wanted to muck around – he always wanted to just get stuck in and get the job done. Unfortunately, in those days, safety at both work and home were secondary considerations,” Webcke said.
He commended firms which encourage staff to consider the true value of staying safe at work and at home.
Robson Civil Projects’ managing director Grant Robson has also thrown his support behind this safety initiative in inviting Webcke to share his experiences with staff.
“Robson prides itself on maintaining a solid safety record, yet we are always looking at ways to improve and keep our people safe. However, the message of working safely at home and at work is something that is not always considered,” he said.
“We all know that as a business you want your workforce to go home in the same condition that they arrived at work, but how we conduct ourselves outside of the formal workplace can also have significant negative impacts on our lives. After such an inspiring and personal message from Shane, promoting safety at home is definitely an area where we will be looking to expand our safety messaging.”
Webcke said commitment to high standards of safety practice on work sites are a given, especially in regards to operating heavy machinery.
“I continue to share my story as a reminder of how easily and quickly things can change if you don’t remain focussed on what is important,” he said.
“If I can get just one person to transfer their commitment to working safely while on the job to also working safely at home, then I might save a family a lot of heartache in the future, and it will all be worthwhile.”
