Apprentice remembered as campaign gathers steam
AN APPRENTICE electrician killed in a workplace accident will be commemorated in a memorial and honour roll.
Dale Kennedy, 20, was electrocuted in 2012 when working at Bentley Park College.
A permanent memorial will be built in Brisbane’s Roma Street Forum to those who have lost their lives at work.
Since his death, Dale’s parents Debbie and Dan have campaigned for safety switches and measures to protect people working in roof spaces.
“You don’t get closure; it’s just part of living and honouring his memory,” Mrs Kennedy said.
Mr Kennedy was a founding member for a consultative group for work-related fatalities, which was created by the state government in 2016.
Dale’s parents have been pushing the Queensland Electrical Safety Board to support safety switches in commercial and residential buildings and to ensure power is turned off when someone is in the roof space.
“We are determined, that is all I can say,” Mrs Kennedy said. “Had Dale been able to turn the power off, his death would have been avoided.”
The memorial and honour roll were announced on Saturday, which was the World Day for Safety and Health at Work, and Workers’ Memorial Day.
“Those who have lost their lives in workplace incidents, or from work-related disease or illness, deserve to be honoured and remembered,” Industrial Relations Minister Grace Grace said.