Workplace Health and Safety Queensland has announced that former rugby league star Shane Webcke (pictured ) is to continue his role as the State’s Safety Ambassador for a seventh year.
Mr Webcke said the Ambassador role was personal for him as his father was killed by an industrial wool press just as his son’s footballing career was taking shape.
“I lost my dad to a workplace incident, so I know first-hand that family and loved ones are the most important reason for work safety,” he said.
“As Queensland Safety Ambassador, I travel around the State visiting workplaces and sharing my story in the hope I can make people think twice about their own and their mates’ safety and encourage businesses to create positive safety cultures.”
Mr Webcke said after seven years, this was more than just a job.
“I am just as passionate today about work safety as I was when I started in the role in early 2015,” he said.
“We lost dad needlessly almost three decades ago when I was a teenager.
“Sure, the years have moved on, but the pain hasn’t for those he left behind — my mum, my brother and me.”
The Ambassador hoped that sharing his family’s story and the tragedy that affected it would open up hearts and minds on the importance of safety.
“Trust me, as a parent you don’t want your kids to grow up without knowing you,” he said.
“You don’t want to have to endure everything we went through after dad’s death.
“It’s horrible, devastating and, sadly, often avoidable,” Mr Webcke said.
