April 28, 2020 is the Day of Mourning

As you know, safety is one of my greatest concerns. And if you’ve been in one of my woodshop classes, you’ve likely heard me say “Safety is not a workshop thing. It’s not a switch that you turn on when you walk into the woodshop. You need to think about safety all the time!” To prove my point, I ask how many students have been injured on the sports field or on the playground, and pretty much everyone puts up their hand. People often get injured when they least expect it and sometimes where they least expect it.

I’ve been injured on lots of occasions. I’ve needed to get stitches in my head more than a dozen times from sticks to the face, falling on my chin while skateboarding / mountain biking / snowboarding, jumping into a garage heater and damaging my head, etc. Some called me accident prone, but I would say I was an active kid who enjoyed trying new things that often didn’t turn out well. Of course, being in the wrong place at the wrong time also contributed to some injuries, including bashing my forehead open in a car accident, and getting a metal coat hanger up my nose. Don’t ask. In the photo to the left, I'm in a hospital in Australia. I spent a week there after getting bit by a spider. Or was it flesh-eating disease? Either way, I almost had my leg amputated.

I don’t mind the scars from my earlier days as many of them remind me of my rough and tumble growing-up years. But what I do fear is workplace injuries. I’ve been injured on the job more than once. I was a garbage man every summer during university, and one day while throwing garbage into the truck, a jagged piece of glass sliced the side of my thigh open. It was surprising, but not that big of a deal for someone as well acquainted with stitches as I was. I had my leg sewed up and went back to work that afternoon. Some people get lucky with workplace accidents, and they turn out to not be a big deal.

But other accidents are life-changing. I organized and hosted a snowboard camp for fifty high school students. On the second day on the mountain in front of everyone, I rode off a large jump, did a sweet trick, landed it perfectly, and immediately hit a tree, shattering my lower left leg. I consider myself fortunate. If I would have hit my head or chest, I have no doubts I would have died. And shattering my hip would have deeply impacted my movement for many years. As it was, I faced a lengthy recovery and continue to have a metal rod in my left tibula.

As a woodshop teacher I daily face danger. The dangers are obvious, and with more experience each year, I am increasingly equipped to face that danger and work safely. Young workers don’t have it so good, facing unknown dangers and increased chances of getting injured.

The Day or Mourning is an annual day to observe workers who have been injured or killed while on the job. It’s a sobering day, but one that helpfully draws our attention to the topic of safety and its importance when and where we expect it, and where and when we don’t.

I’d like to invite you to spend some time thinking about safety. Take a moment to think of whether you know an adult who has been injured at work; a parent, guardian, uncle or aunt, neighbour, or parent of a friend. What was their injury? How did they get injured? Why did the injury occur? How did it impact their life or the lives of their loved ones?

Then spend a bit of time on the BC Day of Mourning website. You’ll find it at https://www.dayofmourning.bc.ca/ Read through Jack Thomas’s story. He lives in the lower mainland and five years ago experienced a workplace accident. After you’ve read through his account, spend some time thinking about the following questions:

● What does Jack attribute the cause of his accident to?

● How has the accident impacted his life? How does Jack live his life differently now, day to day?

● What has helped Jack to deal with his accident? Where does he find strength?

● Do you think this accident could have been avoided? How? What could have been done differently?

I’m grateful for my health and well-being, although I often take it for granted. What are you thankful for? Take a moment to think about (or write down) some of the things that you’re thankful for…

Going deeper

Read through Jessica’s story on the Day of Mourning website and answer the same questions listed above.

Do some research on workplace accidents:

● Who is more likely to get injured at work: young people or middle-aged? Why?

● Are genders unevenly represented in workplace accident statistics? What do you think of the information you dig up?

● Is the number of people getting injured at work every year decreasing, increasing, or staying the same? What do you think of this?

● What are the most dangerous industries to work in?

● What are some common retail workplace injuries?

Remember, safety is not about knowing the right things. It is about doing the right things. But knowledge is what informs our actions and both are critical.

Page updated

Report abuse