The mother of one of the victims of last summerB次元官网网址檚 crane collapse in Kelowna is speaking out on a day to remember those who lost their lives in a workplace accident.
A ceremony was held on April 28, the National Day of Mourning, at KelownaB次元官网网址檚 Ben Lee Park.
Danielle Pritchett is the mother of Cailen Vilness, one of five men who died July 12, 2021 when a crane collapsed at a construction site in KelownaB次元官网网址檚 downtown.
Pritchett spoke at the ceremony of her sonB次元官网网址檚 eagerness for a safe work environment.
B次元官网网址淗e would come over to my house after work at various jobs and he would tell me of the infractions that he would see,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淚 said to him, B次元官网网址楥ailen, you can refuse unsafe work and nobody can fire you.B次元官网网址� And so thatB次元官网网址檚 what he began to do. He began to point out if somebody wasnB次元官网网址檛 tied off properly or whatever the infractions were that he saw and he began to be ostracized by his coworkers. He was ostracized by his bosses, the foremen, the company. He was even demoted in his duties on the job.B次元官网网址�
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Kelowna City Councillor Mohini Singh took to the mic.
B次元官网网址淢ore recently we had Harmandeep who was murdered on the job,B次元官网网址� she said with an unsteady voice, referencing the death of UBCO Security Guard Harmandeep Kaur. B次元官网网址淚t should not have happened. She was a young girl working at UBC only because she wanted to go to university there and she needed the job.B次元官网网址�
There were a total of 161 work-related deaths in 2021, an increase of 10 from the year before.
B次元官网网址淥ccupational disease remains the single-leading cause of death for B.C. workers in 2021,B次元官网网址� said WorkSafeBC Occupational Safety Officer Carl Howells. B次元官网网址淚t took 99 livesB次元官网网址any as a result of asbestos-related disease. 13 workers died because of COVID-19 exposure in their workplace.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淭his is our responsibility as a community, as a culture,B次元官网网址� Pritchett said to conclude her speech. B次元官网网址淚f IB次元官网网址檝e touched one heart here todayB次元官网网址hen if IB次元官网网址檝e touched one heart and caused them to change the way they look at safety IB次元官网网址檝e done my job here today.B次元官网网址�
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brittany.webster@blackpress.ca
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