Family members and friends affected by a workplace tragedy, injury prevention organizations and labour as well as business leaders will gather in Red Deer to participate in the annual Steps for Life – Walking for Victims of Workplace Tragedy event.
The walk will take place on May 1 at Bower Ponds. Registration is at 10 a.m. with speeches at noon and the 5 km walk to follow.
Lynn Cadrain, whose son Dustin died from fatal injuries after being pinned between a boom and pipe encourages the Red Deer community to participate.
“Everybody has a job in health and safety – and it is the right of every worker to go home to their family at the end of the day,” she said. “Steps for Life helps to remind all of us that we all need to be more conscious of preventing these types of incidents – the human cost is too high.”
In 2010, 136 Alberta workers lost their lives in a work-related tragedy, either at a worksite, while traveling on business, or through occupational disease.
Across Canada, more than 1,000 workers die every year due to a work-related injury or illness (Association of Workers’ Compensation Boards of Canada National Injury Statistics, average number of work-related fatalities per year 2005-2009 Statistics).
Meanwhile, The Steps for Life event in Red Deer is one of 37 that is simultaneously coordinated across the country, attracting over 5,000 participants.
All proceeds will support families of workplace tragedy with Threads of Life Family Support programs and services.
Threads of Life is a national charitable organization dedicated to supporting families along their journey of healing after they’ve been affected by a workplace fatality, life-altering workplace injury or occupational disease.
The organization provides families with one-on-one peer support, links to community resources and opportunities to promote workplace injury prevention at the grassroots level. They currently support more than 1,200 family members from across the country.
To register for participation in the walk or to learn about sponsorship opportunities go to www.stepsforlife.ca .
efawcett@reddeerexpress.com
