NSW launches safety speakers program to curb injuries

The New South Wales Government has launched the Safety Speakers Program, run by icare and SafeWork NSW during National SafeWork Month.

Work Health and Safety Minister Sophie Cotsis launched the program at a construction site in Kemps Creek in western Sydney, where work has begun on new wastewater infrastructure.

The initiative brings together workers seriously injured on the job and families whose relatives were killed at work. They will speak to workplaces and communities about the personal consequences of workplace incidents, with the aim of influencing attitudes and behaviour around safety.

The speaker panel includes former para-athlete Clint Pickin, who lost his foot in a farming accident in 2014; David Hall, a wheelchair tennis player who lost his legs in a road accident at 16; and members of SafeWork NSW's Family and Injured Workers Support and Advisory Group.

Among them is Linda Moussa, whose husband died in a workplace accident after falling from a construction site in Ryde in October 2016.

The free program is open to eligible employers with an icare workers compensation policy. Speakers will cover workplace and road safety, mental health and wellbeing, recovery, return to work, inclusion, and disability awareness.

The launch comes amid a broader workplace safety agenda in New South Wales. Measures have included making SafeWork a stand-alone regulator, investing AUD$127.7 million in the agency, adding 52 inspectors - including 20 specialised psychosocial inspectors and five psychosocial investigators - increasing penalties for non-compliance, and introducing industrial manslaughter laws carrying prison terms of up to 20 years.

Cotsis said the program was designed to put lived experience in front of workers and employers.

"The NSW Government is launching the Safety Speakers Program to give workplaces and communities the opportunity to hear directly from people who have been impacted by workplace incidents," said Sophie Cotsis, Minister for Work Health and Safety and Industrial Relations, NSW Government.

"By sharing the human impact of workplace injuries and the devastating effects on families who have lost a loved one, we're reinforcing why workplace safety is so important.

"We need to shift attitudes and behaviours because we know many of these incidents are preventable, and the 'she'll be right' attitude could cost someone their life.

"We need workers to speak up if something is not safe, and employers to understand there are serious consequences for not following safety protocols, including fines and even jail time."

Local Labour MP Nathan Haggerty said the program was particularly relevant given the volume of construction and infrastructure work under way in his part of Sydney.

"With so much construction and infrastructure work underway across Leppington and south-west Sydney, protecting workers must remain a priority across every industry," said Nathan Haggerty, Member for Leppington.

"Behind every workplace injury or death is a person, a family and a community whose lives can be changed forever, and the Safety Speakers Program, delivered by icare and SafeWork NSW, brings these personal stories to the forefront.

"Everyone deserves to return home safely at the end of the day, and I encourage local employers to take advantage of this free program to help prevent future tragedies."

Lived experience

SafeWork Commissioner Janet Schorer said personal testimony could help connect legal duties with daily decisions at work.

"Lived experience can help translate safety obligations into the choices people make every day," said Janet Schorer, SafeWork Commissioner, SafeWork NSW.

"A strong safety culture is built when everyone understands not only what safe work requires, but why it matters. Members of the SafeWork NSW Family and Injured Workers Support and Advisory Group bring meaningful lived experience to the speaker panel and valuable insight into the real-world consequences of everyday workplace health and safety choices.

"Everyone deserves to go home safely at the end of the day, and programs like this are a clear reminder of the importance of making that a reality for every worker in NSW."

The scheme expands an earlier speakers program linked to Paralympic athletes that began in 2015. icare's workers compensation division said it had seen the long-term effects of serious workplace and road injuries on workers, employers, and families.

"The new icare Safety Speakers Program builds on icare's Paralympic Speakers Program, established in 2015," said Tony Wessling, Group Executive, Workers Compensation, icare.

"icare sees the long-term impact a serious workplace or road injury can have on a person, their family, their employer and their community. We also see the role the right support can play in recovery, return to work and quality of life.

"This partnership brings together experienced speakers and new voices in one program, with a shared purpose: helping prevent injuries, supporting recovery and creating safer, healthier workplaces across NSW."

For speakers involved in the program, the focus is on using personal experience to influence decisions on worksites and in offices.

"After a serious injury, you understand very quickly that workplace safety is not just a policy or a procedure - it affects people, families and entire communities," said Clint Pickin, para-athlete and safety speaker, Safety Speakers Program.

"By sharing what happened to me, I hope employers and workers will think differently about the decisions they make every day. If my story helps even one person speak up, identify a risk or prevent an injury, then sharing it has made a difference."

"You are never prepared to lose a loved one to a workplace incident, but I have learnt a great deal from my experience," said Linda Moussa, member, SafeWork NSW Family and Injured Workers Support and Advisory Group, and safety speaker, Safety Speakers Program.

"Through the Safety Speakers Program, I hope to share what I've learnt to encourage employers to prioritise safety and empower workers to speak up if they ever feel unsafe at work."