 Hello, I'm Anne Sherry, Chair of Safe Work Australia and a proud 2015 National Safe Work Month Ambassador. As Chair of Safe Work Australia, CEO of Carnival Australia and Board Member of several Australian organisations, I understand the importance of good health and safety. Businesses have a moral and legal obligation to keep their workers safe, but they also have a strong business reason to do so. It's estimated that the total cost of work-related injury and illness to employers, workers and the community is $60 billion a year. We also know that the median lost time as the result of work-related injuries and illnesses is approximately five weeks. In business terms, these costs are significant and preventable. So what are the business benefits of keeping people safe and healthy at work? Good health and safety management is all about good risk management. There's strong evidence that businesses who manage their risks well, including their health and safety risks, perform better financially. Making health and safety a priority, making it the way you do business, gives you increased productivity and employees who are more engaged, creative and innovative. Keeping people safe and healthy at work also reduces the indirect costs from absenteeism, staff turnover, workers' compensation and early retirement. As a business leader, for me providing a safe and healthy workplace is not negotiable. Investing in work health and safety provides me with a positive return on investment and it can do the same for you. Be safe, be healthy because it makes good business sense is just one sub-theme of National Safe Work Month in 2015. I encourage you to think about why being safe and healthy at work is important for you. We all have a role to play in providing work environments that support health and safety. National Safe Work Month is all about participation, so take some time out this October to raise awareness, conduct a risk assessment and make changes to improve your workplace. I encourage you to learn from the National Safe Work Month's safety ambassadors, people who are dedicated to work health and safety and who share their thoughts via the National Safe Work Month online hub. A safe and healthy workplace is non-negotiable. Why? For me it's because I care about my people and I care about my business. I'm a leader who makes safety a priority. What's your reason?