Titled the Workplace Safety Alliance, the initiative was launched by the Australian Paralympic Committee to engage employers and employees on the issue of workplace safety through the inspirational stories of Paralympic athletes, whose lives changed after sustaining workplace injuries.
“Safety has become an extremely high priority for many Australian businesses and the Australian Paralympic Committee Workplace Safety Alliance is uniquely placed to deliver the message of the real impact and implications of workplace injury and return to work and life,” APC CEO Jason Hellwig said yesterday to mark the launch of the Workplace Safety Alliance.
“Member organisations will have access to Paralympians who can inspire greater awareness and ignite the importance of workplace safety through their own life-changing experiences, as many of our athletes have been tragically injured at work.”
Hellwig encouraged safety-focused industries including construction, transport, mining and manufacturing to join the alliance and gain access to the real-life experiences of Paralympians.
“[Their] stories are a proven motivator in bringing safety to the forefront of the minds of the workforce at risk of workplace injury,” he said.
Through a partnership with the Safety Institute of Australia, the APC will provide member organisations of the Workplace Safety Alliance with up-to-date safety information in their relevant business sectors.
SIA spokesperson Patrick Murphy welcomed the partnership, saying the Australian Paralympian speakers representing the Workplace Safety Alliance had the potential to create a powerful connection with workers over the importance of working in a safe environment.
He said: “We are delighted to be partnering with the Australian Paralympic Committee and, considering many of the Paralympians have encountered disability through serious injury at work, we believe their inspirational speakers are the face of resilience and determination.”
The APC is a not for profit organisation, a registered charity and the peak body for Paralympic sport in Australia.
For more information, please visit www.paralympic.org.au
