Forget Me Not released on National Day of Mourning
Tim Hickman filled the ice resurfacing machine at his part time job at an arena in London, Ont, and then left the room. When he returned the room was full of steam. The vapours ignited nearby natural gas hot water heaters, causing an explosion.
The explosion left Tim with third degree burns to 35 per cent of his body. He died 10 days later.
“March 23, 1996 changed our family life forever,” said Shirley Hickman, Tim’s mother, who has dedicated her time to helping families affected by workplace deaths since her son’s death.
Tim was an easy-going guy with a passion for sports who was studying business at Fanshawe College.
He had worked for the City in various capacities for years and always felt comfortable at work for the municipality, Hickman said.
Unfortunately, the Hickman’s family tragedy is not unique. More than 1,000 people in Canada die are a result of workplace tragedies every year.
After going through the difficult process of an inquest and not knowing who to turn to for support, Hickman started Threads of Life, an organization to connect families affected by workplace tragedies.
A book to promote workplace safety
Now Threads of Life has put together a book with stories about Canadians who have died from workplace injuries or illnesses, which was released on April 28, the National Day of Mourning.
The purpose of the book, called Forget Me Not, is to promote safer workplaces through first hand stories of occupational illness, workplace fatalities and traumatic injuries. The 21 personal stories in the book are all first hand accounts told by family members.
“Family members who have shared their stories are all at a place where they are telling it for prevention,” said Hickman.
The book includes sidebar articles on lessons learned, industry stats and inquest information.
The hope is these stories will make a difference in the culture of workplace safety, she said.
Many of the people interviewed for the book were eager to find some good out of what happened, which is why they were telling their stories, said Scott Williams, author of Forget Me Not.
“They were so open and so frank,” he said.
The book is a different way of doing what Threads of Life has been doing for years, using the stories of families to address workplace safety culture. The organization has a speakers bureau of people who visit companies and high schools telling their stories to promote safety.
Speakers have visited large corporations talking about their loss. The organization’s website has testimonials from companies including Union Gas and Dofasco, thanking Threads of Life for talking to their employees.
Threads of Life helps families where the MOL cannot
Four years of a grueling legal process meant the pain of losing her son who was killed at work swelled to the surface every time she attended inquest proceedings, said Hickman.
“The scar on your heart that’s starting to form rips open again,” she said.
When the Ministry of Labour contacts a family after a death they give them information about the organization. Families can contact Threads of Life for support, information about the process of going through an inquest and a network of people who have gone through the same thing.
Threads of Life has been a important in helping families in ways government services cannot, said Sophie Dennis, assistant deputy minister of operations with the Ministry of Labour.
The ministry will be there to make sure the workplace meets safety standards after a death, she said, adding a representative of the ministry contacts families quickly after a death or serious injury.
But Threads of Life provides emotional support while the ministry deals with the workplace aftermath.
“Sometimes what we do doesn’t translate to the outside world very well,” she said.
The organization helps families by having someone who has been through the process available to explain it, she said.
The organization helps meet the needs of a family in a tragedy, she said.
