Safety first for Queensland children

Queensland school children will be among an estimated 300,000 young Queenslanders statewide to benefit from a new three-year sponsorship of a program dedicated to preventing injuries.

With the start of the school year fast approaching, BHP Billiton Cannington Mine has announced it will extend its current one year sponsorship of the Spinal Education Awareness Team (SEAT) program for an additional three years, effective 1 July 2010 to 30 June 2013.

The Mine’s new $450,000 investment into SEAT over three years on top of the $125,000 already invested this financial year will mean the award-winning injury prevention program, which has shared safety messages with more than 1.3 million children to date, will continue to be offered at no cost to schools throughout Queensland for the next three and a half years.

SEAT Manager Carol Haffke said that based on current trends, more than 100,000 students would view the program each year of the new three year sponsorship.

“In the first six months of this financial year since we’ve been able to offer SEAT at no cost, teachers have been very enthusiastic about booking us and more than 65,000 children have viewed a presentation with nearly 6,400 students booked in already for 2010,” she said.

“We are very confident that our 16 presenters, who all have a spinal cord injury and use a wheelchair, will be able to share their own personal stories and powerful safety messages with more than 100,000 children by the end of this financial year.

“This would not have been possible without the support of BHP Billiton Cannington Mine, which clearly is dedicated to safety, given its own Zero Harm policy and its recognition that SEAT can effectively stop children from having accidents and experiencing a lifetime using a wheelchair.

“The Mine’s support, as well as that of our other sponsors – the Queensland Government, the Motor Accident Insurance Commission and the AAM Foundation – is making a positive difference to the lives of primary and secondary school children around Queensland.”

BHP Billiton Cannington Mine General Manager Bob Fulker said: “Zero Harm is our number one priority at Cannington, so we’re delighted to support the Spinal Education Awareness Team reach out to the next generation on key safety issues.

“The program reinforces safety awareness messages we try to live by in our workplace. Being mindful of the situation you are in and not taking unnecessary risks is key to working, living and playing safely.

“The SEAT team are experts at getting that vital message across to our youth of today.

“Cannington has a long running relationship with the Spinal Injuries Association. Seeing how much impact the SEAT program is having across the state reinforces the value of our relationship.”

As a service of the Spinal Injuries Association for the past 23 years, SEAT has motivated more than 1.3 million Queensland school children to keep themselves safe.

“Coinciding with the success of SEAT, Queensland has gone from the state with the highest rate of spinal cord injuries to the state with the second lowest rate,” Carol said.

“But around 90 people each year in Queensland are still sustaining spinal cord injuries, the majority from road trauma, followed by falls or crushes and water-related accidents.

“Every time our SEAT presenters tell Queensland children what happened to them and how a spinal cord injury has changed their lives, the more chance there is of these kids remaining independent and injury free.”

To book a free SEAT visit, please visit www.spinal.com.au or phone (07) 3391 2044.

Issued 18 January.