When a worker doesn’t come home

by Dede Montgomery

Most of us cannot imagine what it feels like to have someone we love lose their life because of a workplace incident. And while every loss can be prevented, and all lives lost are tragic, a young person dying on the job is particularly heartbreaking. In addition to the trauma suffered by family, the grief from this loss spreads far into communities. Friends and fellow students, teachers, mentors and coaches, and spiritual communities.

Perhaps what makes such a loss even harder to accept is that we know it could have been prevented. Today we have many tools and principles to understand how to prevent severe injuries, illnesses and fatalities in all workplaces. Safety and health professionals and teams understand the patterns, causes and risks related to job tasks, and specific to certain industries and professions. Yes, we know better. O[yes] exists because of all these things.

After a workplace fatality, such as the one described in our March 17 Blog, support shifts from immediate crisis management to long-term support and legacy building. At the same time, the employer and those impacted by ripple effect, review the root causes of the event and how to guide future prevention. These gestures validate the family and community grief, support affected peers, and importantly, strive to prevent future tragedies.

Examples of supportive programs include:

• Memorial and Scholarship Funds, Memory Journals and Living Memorials.
• Crowdfunding and Community Collections, particularly to support family members.
• On Site Support Rooms at both the employer and when appropriate, schools, generally attended by grief support and mental health professionals.
• Peer to peer support groups, church support systems and workplace Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs).
• Symbolic Remembrances, such as Worker Memorial Day.
• Advocacy and Prevention: Voices of Change Programs and Local Committees on Safety and Health (COSH groups).

If you have been personally impacted by a workplace fatality, please do reach out to those who can provide support. Good places to start are with your school or employer, mentors or teachers, parents, and spiritual centers. You don’t have to carry the weight of this loss alone—there are people ready to walk beside you.