Speak up at work to stay safe
26 young people hurt at work every day in B.C., advocate says in Kelowna
After ending his skiing career in a serious accident four years ago, Mike Shaw now raises awareness of the importance of safety on the job, particularly for young workers.
At a WorkSafe BC event in Kelowna Friday afternoon, Shaw spoke to a group of employers about keeping young people safe at work.
“Twenty-six people under the age of 25 in B.C. get hurt every day on a job site,” he said, adding workers are three times more likely to get hurt in the first month on the job.
“It’s important we start talking about these things with young people because they really are the most at-risk group,” he said. “Our role as employers (and) companies is (making) sure we set up a culture that’s going to support those new and young workers so they can excel and work safely.”
Shaw highlighted the importance of not only speaking up for yourself as a worker, but giving young people the voice to speak up for themselves.
Moments before Shaw was paralyzed from the neck down, he said he had a sinking feeling something wasn’t right, but he ignored it and performed a routine demonstration of two full rotations for his ski students.
“That momentary lapse of judgment changed my life forever,” he said.
After months at a rehabilitation centre, Shaw was finally able to walk again.
“Voice your concerns, trust your intuition, because we can prevent these things,” he said. “We can prevent the hardship and the loss.”