Mal Meninga named Queensland safety ambassador

Rugby State of Origin coach and football legend Mal Meninga has been named Workplace Health and Safety Queensland’s safety ambassador for 2010.

Meninga strongly supports the ‘zero harm at work’ concept and has a personal insight into the devastating consequences of losing a loved one because of an incident at work, stating: “I lost my father because of a workplace incident and it had a huge impact on my family.

“I’m totally behind the concept of ‘zero harm at work’, as everyone deserves to return home to their loved ones at the end of each working day.

“Winning the State of Origin five times in a row was no easy feat for the Maroons. It took a lot of hard work and great teamwork. The same applies to achieving a ‘zero harm at work’ culture in your workplace. Everyone needs to get on board and play their part.”

Each year in Queensland, there are approximately 100 work-related fatalities and nearly 30,000 serious injuries and diseases where workers are either permanently impaired or seriously injured. Workplace incidents cost the Queensland economy over $5.2 billion each year.

To drive home how important this is, Safe Work Australia Week encourages all Queenslanders to get involved with health and safety and aim for zero harm at their workplaces.