Ceremony Friday in Windsor
Six Windsor-Essex County workers did not make it home alive in 2016 after sustaining critical injuries on the job.
The fatalities began on June 17 at MCM Acres in Leamington, when a worker was trapped between a wall and an excavator and died.
Michael Maukonen, 19, passed away on June 30. On December 11, 2015 working for Rauth Roofing, Maukonen received injuries that resulted in a coma and ultimately the end of his life.
Brian Izsak, 53, fell through the roof at Good Life Fitness on July 15 and died on July 26.
Jacob Heidi, nearing his 45th birthday, died October 18 in a lawn mower accident in Leamington.
Rob Morneau, 44, an electrician and member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, died Nov. 3 when he fell through a skylight at Ventra Plastic while working for Vollmer Inc.
Dean Trombley, 51, was crushed by a metal beam weighing more than half a tonne and killed on Nov. 16 at R.J. Cyr Co. in Maidstone.
These workers and those who have gone before them will be remembered on the National Day of Mourning, held on Apr. 28 in Canada and in more than 100 other countries.
On this sombre day, the Windsor and District Labour Council is holding its annual service beginning at 5 p.m. at St. Augustine of Canterbury Anglican Church, located at Wyandotte Street East at Westminster Boulevard.
Attendance has grown to the extent that “due to the large number of participants, we’re moving into the sanctuary this year, rather than the smaller hall,” explains Tracie Edward, the labour council’s health and safety advocate and chair of its National Day of Mourning committee.
Following the observance at the church, everyone will walk to Coventry Gardens at 4714 Riverside Dr. E. between Thompson Boulevard and Pillette Road. There, participants will gather at the Injured Workers Monument, where they will lay carnations in memory of their loved ones, colleagues and union sisters and brothers.
A reception will follow at the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 12 at 2090 Brant St. in Windsor.
Established by the Canadian Labour Congress in 1984, the National Day of Mourning renews the commitment of unions, labour councils, families and community partners to take action in the workplace and community, calling for work that promotes dignity and health.
The day reinforces the idea that every worker has the right to be safe on the job. That includes training that supports the identification, assessment and control of workplace hazards, and effective workplace accident prevention programs.
In addition to honouring the men and women who were killed at work, the National Day of Mourning is also a time to reflect on the many workers whose health and lifespans were adversely impacted because of workplace conditions.
“One thing that is often forgotten when we look at the statistics is there are a lot of fatalities due to occupational disease, where workers were exposed to chemicals or radiation many years before they passed away,” notes Edward.
She says government has “made some inroads into dealing with asbestos in the workplace” this year but there is a lot more work to do. Edward says we need to take precautions against ‘invisible hazards’ – chemicals we might not be aware are hazardous.
“I think a lot of employers are trying to meet the minimum standards of the legislation to make sure they have policies in place to try to make sure they’re not liable in case of an accident or injury,” she says. “But I think there is a lot more that can be done to try and prevent the injuries and deaths that are happening.”
One problem, Edward says, is that many employers use online education for training. “There are some concerns in some workplaces that not all workers are necessarily literate and able to understand,” Edward says. Classroom-based training that allows for questions and interaction means workers “actually understand what they are supposed to know before they go onto the jobsite.”
Edward points out that several of the 2016 fatalities occurred on rooftops – “even though the ministry has increased the required education for working at heights.
“One of the concerns I have about that is the requirement for more education for working at heights came out of the deaths of four workers in Toronto on Christmas Eve in 2009. They fell from a scaffold,” Edward says.
The employer, Metron Construction, was convicted for criminal negligence causing death. It took yeras before legislation changed and the ministry recently announced that it is extending the deadline for working at heights training to Oct. 1.
That extension means employers can ask workers to perform tasks, knowing they have not yet received proper training, Edward says.
“It’s a problem. Hopefully, there aren’t any more fatalities especially related to inadequate training and working at heights between now and Oct. 1.”
“The labour council offers training to workers who are willing to do it on their own time,” Edward says. However, it is not meant to replace health and safety training that employers are required to provide. The council trains workers in approaching employers and advocating basic rights of workers: education, protective equipment and protection from workplace hazards.
For more information about the Windsor and District Labour Council and the National Day of Mourning, contact Tracie Edward at 519-257-9942.