Safety-focussed sector organisations, including transport, mining, construction and manufacturing, are being encouraged to join the Alliance which will see Australian Paralympic athletes engage employees through their own stories of adversity and determination, as well as highlight the contemporary issues facing safety in the workplace.

APC chief executive Jason Hellwig claims the stories of Paralympians will help bring safety to the forefront of the minds of the workforce and employees involved in the campaign.

"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," he said. 

"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."

According to figures quoted by the APC, from 2008 to 2009, there were 134,485 workers' compensation claims for serious work-related injuries or illnesses, equating to an incidence rate of 13.5 serious claims per 1,000 employees.

In the same period, injury and illness were estimated to cost AUD$60.6 billion (£34.6 billion/$56.8 billion/€43.6 billion).

The campaign is being run in partnership with the Safety Institute of Australia (SIA), which will ensure the most up-to-date best practice information is being conveyed to Workplace Safety Alliance member organisations.

SIA spokesman Patrick Murphy 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."

For more information on the APC Workplace Safety Alliance click here.

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