4000 visits to inaugural WA Safety Show
The WA Safety Show has been hailed a success, with just a handful short of 4000 visits to the inaugural event in August.
Organisers were delighted with the 3997 visits recorded over three days in Perth.
"WA is a very large state with a lot of remote workplaces," said Marie Kinsella of Australian Exhibitions & Conferences. "Coupled with that, there are fewer employers – although many of them are very large – than in the eastern states, so we were expecting about 3000 visitors. We were extremely pleased to beat that target by 33 per cent."
"The attendances were very similar to the first Queensland Safety Show in 2006 so, based on that, we anticipate more than 5000 visits to the next WA Safety Show when it returns in 2010."
The mining, building and construction, and manufacturing sectors dominated the visitor list. Among those who attended was Downer EDI Engineering Projects process engineering manager Roger Bannister.
“There is a strong need for a dedicated safety event like the WA Safety Show," Bannister said.
"If you’re not up with the latest, you could have a failure and become a statistic. If you were aware of what’s available, you might have done it differently. That’s why we took our whole team. We were very impressed and because there are lots of newcomers to the mining industry at the moment, it’s a great way to reinforce that we take safety very seriously.”
For other visitors, like OHS and workers' compensation manager, Peter Pronk of Inghams Enterprises, the breadth of safety solutions was the trade show's chief drawcard.
"I was impressed with the diversity of the safety products at The WA Safety Show and how many suppliers there were," Pronk said.
"I would go every year because it's a great way to see what's on offer - particularly the new products – and interact with the suppliers. I rarely have time to deal with salespeople but at the Safety Show, I could see the products working and explore the options for our workplace in a few hours."
Over 150 exhibitors, including industry heavyweights like BOC, Elliott Australia, JLG Industries, Steel Blue and Toyota Materials Handling, showcased the full spectrum of lifesaving solutions from asbestos removal and automation safety through to tracking devices for trapped workers and waste management.
The concurrently-held WA Safety Conference hosted by the Safety Institute of Australia in WA also attracted greater interest than expected. A total of 372 delegates heard from speakers addressing the responsibilities of OSH managers, corporate safety cultures, safe design, the lessons from major incidents like the Beaconsfield mine disaster, and workplace wellness.
The inaugural WA Safety Show and Conference were sponsored by the Department of Consumer and Employment Protection, Government of Western Australia and will return to Perth in 2010. The next major workplace safety event from Australian Exhibitions & Conferences will be The Safety Show Sydney, which runs from October 28 to 30 at the Sydney Showground. For more information, visit www.wasafetyshow.com, email safetyvisitor@aec.net.au or phone Australian Exhibitions & Conferences on 03 9654 7773.
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Media release prepared by Firefly Marketing. Phone: (03) 9736 4334, mobile: (0421) 530 944 or email: marianm@fireflymarketing.com.au
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