Day of Mourning: Red Deerian shares journey of vision loss from workplace injury

Weatherall’s injury took place in Red Deer in 1998 while working as a plumbing and heating engineer. Cleaning a pipe filled with sulphuric acid, he said he was given false information about the procedure, leading him to remove his protective gear. However, the pipe exploded, leaving him severely burned and blind. He underwent 22 surgeries in eight years to his eyes, face and neck and had to wear a pressure mask for nine years.

He says the only reason he is alive is because he kept one mask on.

Weatherall said his life changed forever in various ways. Not only did his marriage fall apart, but he says he experienced feelings of loneliness, depression, and suicidal thoughts. He had to learn how to depend more on others, use a white cane, read and write in braille and was treated differently by strangers.

“People would come into my life and go because of the accident; [they] had a hard time relating to me now because I was a different person. I totally changed from what I was because I had to relearn who I was and where I was going in this journey,” he said.

However, he said it was his guide dog that helped him get back into the world and meet people. He began with white water rafting, rock and ice climbing, explored caves and traveled across Canada and back to England to see his family and friends. He even took on plumbing jobs.

He says he slowly realized that there was nothing he couldn’t do, as long as he put his mind to it and feels lucky to be alive.

“This cause is very worthwhile because of what I’ve been through, the journey that I had to go on because of an accident that could have easily been prevented,” he said. “It could have been such a different story if I had done things a bit differently.”

“The more that people are aware of the dangers, hopefully it will prevent somebody else actually having to go through what I went through and the family that has to deal with the tragedy of an accident or a death.”

Barry Weatherall speaking at the National Day of Mourning Ceremony in Red Deer on Friday at Bower Ponds. (rdnewsNOW/Alessia Proietti)

The ceremony was organized by Parkland Regional Safety Committee (RSC), Canadian Society of Safety Engineering (CSSE) and the Manufacturers’ Health and Safety Association.

“People going to work shouldn’t have to worry about not coming home to their families or friends or not coming home the same,” said Treena Dixon, Treasurer for the Parkland RSC and Chairperson for the Safety Week Planning Committee.

She said that all workers and employers need to strive to be educated on site-hazards and ways to reduce their impact. She said people need to stop and say when something doesn’t feel right so a plan of action can be established.

She added that affected workers must be remembered on the Day of Mourning, and people should also feel lucky to live in a country where safety legislations exist to protect workers.

“We just have to look out for each other and try to identify those warning signs early,” she said. “It takes every one of us. It can’t just be the safety person or the owner of the company; we are all responsible for ourselves and everyone around us.”

The organizers stated that two pear trees, sponsored by Parkland RSC and the CSSE, will be planted in the Fallen Worker Legacy Food Forest next to the Fallen Worker Tribute next week in memory of workers killed on the job. They will join the three apple trees planted last year to become a food forest to help feed the community, officials say.

They added that a new sign has been installed at the Food Forest letting people know why the park was made and to thank the businesses, organizations and individuals who contributed to the project which opened on April 28, 2022.

READ: Red Deerians gather for National Day of Mourning at Bower Ponds

—–

Alberta Minister of Jobs, Economy and Northern Development Brian Jean issued a statement on Friday, saying, “The National Day of Mourning is a reminder that all of us – employers, workers and governments – have a responsibility to foster healthy and safe workplaces.”

“While nothing can bring back a loved one, Alberta’s government has supports available through the Heroes’ Fund to help families of first responders whose lives were tragically lost on the job, while the Workers’ Memorial Fund is helping to create permanent memorials to honour fallen workers.”

He added that the provincial government recently updated the Occupational Health and Safety Code to reflect modern workplaces and says they are increasing access to workplace health and safety training for students.

In Canada, Minister of Labour Seamus O’Regan Jr., said that over 1,100 Canadians died on the job in 2021, with 18 of those under the age of 24, and more than 275,000 people were injured.

“No one should ever risk their health or their safety for a paycheque,” he said in a statement.

He said that next month, the federal government will be raising the minimum age for hazardous work from 17 to 18 in all federally regulated private sector workplaces. Earlier this year, he says they introduced 10 days of paid sick leave for nearly one million federally regulated workers across Canada.

Last fall, he said the country joined with the United Stated to launch M-POWER – a partnership that supports unions and other labour organizations around the world. O’Regan Jr. says they will introduce government legislation next year to help eradicate forced labour from Canadian supply chains and strengthen the import ban on goods produced using forced labour.

Finally, he says the government has built in labour conditions to all trade agreements. For example, the Indo-Pacific strategy committed $25 million to raise labour standards and build partnerships to advance workers rights in the region, including pilot projects on workplace health and safety standards.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a statement, “Established more than 30 years ago, this day invites us to reaffirm our commitment to creating safer and healthier workplaces for everyone. The Government of Canada has stepped up to improve workplace safety standards and practices, including by modernizing our compliance and enforcement regime under the Canada Labour Code, which protects federally regulated workers. These changes are helping to ensure there are strong consequences for employers who violate workplace safety standards and put hardworking Canadians in harm’s way.”

“We also continue to support the important work of the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety, to end work-related illnesses and injuries through a range of accessible safety services and resources for workers and employers alike, and to combat workplace harassment and violence.”

by Alessia Proietti

Day of Mourning: Red Deerian shares journey of vision loss from workplace injury

What's Trending