….meet Patrizia Cassaniti
Patrizia Cassaniti is not your typical safety presenter. She’s a mother who lost her son in a tragic workplace incident that was preventable, and from that heartbreak, she has emerged as one of Australia’s most powerful advocates for cultural change in the construction and industrial sectors.
Through Let’s Talk About Safety, Patrizia takes workers on a journey of the ‘reality of what tragedy looks like’ when complacency overrides what we know is safe to do in the first place, she speaks with raw honesty and transformative clarity — cutting through the noise, challenging complacency, and reminding workers the reason why they must work safe every day, is so they get to go home to their families, which in turn is really, the only reason they go to work in the first place.
STOP … SPEAK UP … SAVE LIVES
…it wasn’t an accident, it was an incident waiting to happen.
In 2019, Patrizia's 18-year-old son Christopher was crushed when a 9 Storey scaffold collapsed on a job site in Sydney. The site was rushed, corners had been cut and like too many others in the industry, workers had learned to accept unsafe practices as “just the way it is.”
A 5 minute ‘she’ll be right’ decision and choice, took her son for life.
That day changed everything.
Patrizia’s grief became a mission: to prevent another family from enduring what hers had. Today, she travels the country — and speaks across the world — to drive urgent conversations about work health and safety, complacency, and courage to always speak up when faced with unsafe situations.
‘She’ll be right!!’
…advocacy in action
To date, Patrizia has:
Developed an anonymous safety reporting app in partnership with SafeWork NSW.
Serves as a committee member for SafeWork NSW’s Family and Injured Workers Support and Advisory Group (FIWSAG)
Completed CERT IV in WHS to deepen her knowledge and credibility
Ongoing campaigner for industrial manslaughter laws and tougher penalties
Works directly with government and corporate leaders to shift culture
Patrizia’s work continues with the push for #ChristophersLaw, a campaign to make anti-tampering devices for all scaffolds mandatory, nationwide.
We need to stay true to the hierarchy of control and make unsafe work practices accountable.
…awards and recognition
Patrizia’s work has been recognised internationally for its courage, innovation, and impact. From winning the Gold Stevie® Award for Maverick of the Year to being named in the Top 100 Women in Construction, her influence continues to grow. She’s a sought-after voice at safety summits, leadership forums, and construction industry events. Patrizia is deeply respected by workers across the nation and affectionately known as the ‘mum’ of the workforce, guiding them through a powerful journey grounded in truth and lived experience, where every life she saves is in honour of her son Christopher.
…more than a message - it’s a movement
In honour of her son, Patrizia founded the Touched by Christopher Foundation, a charitable organisation that provides urgent financial relief to families who have lost a loved one to a workplace incident, by providing 3 months’ worth of groceries, pay outstanding bills and give relief from 3 months’ worth of mortgage or rent,, so families can grieve without the everyday burden.