News release

Tragic Story Highlights Safety Issues for Young Workers

Labour (to Sept. 2000)

LABOUR Tragic Story Highlights Safety Issues for Young Workers


David Ellis died last year following an industrial accident. He was only 18.

David was removing cookie dough from an industrial ribbon mixer when the machinery accidentally became activated. He was drawn into the mixer by the rotating blades and struck his head. He was taken to hospital and died of massive head injuries six days later. It was his second day on the job.

The tale of this young man from Ontario is tragic. David took the job to save money for university. But, like many other young workers, he received only minimal training. And he was unaware his employer had ignored a mandatory order to install a low-cost safety device on the outside of the mixer. In hindsight, if these two things had been changed, David Ellis might still be alive.

Unfortunately, David's story is not unique. Workplace injuries, after motor vehicle accidents, are the second leading cause of death among young people in Canada.

Statistics also show one in seven young workers between the ages of 15 and 29 are injured on the job. Across Canada this meant more than 121,000 serious workplace injuries in 1995. Compensation statistics show workers in the age group 20 to 24 are among those at highest risk.

Most workplace injuries happen within the first year on the job. A recent study in British Columbia found that more than half of workplace accidents involved young employees in the first six months on the job.

This problem is not isolated to industrial centres outside the Maritimes. Nearly two years ago, a 20-year-old employee of a Halifax building supply store fell five metres to his death. The employee was a university student at the time.

The repercussions for David Ellis' death were recently revealed in an Ontario courtroom. Citing numerous safety code violations related to the death, a judge fined David's former employer $62,500 and levied a personal fine of $7,500 to a supervisor, co- owner and director of the company. As well, a former supervisor, part owner and director was sentenced to a jail term of 20 days.

David's story demonstrates the importance education should play in the prevention of workplace accidents. Rob Ellis, David's father, believes that if his son had received adequate training and known the right questions to ask when he began his job, he would be alive today. Mr. Ellis has started a campaign to raise awareness and to educate the public about workplace safety in the hopes that it will prevent other young workers from suffering similar tragedies.

"If David Ellis' story teaches anything, it's that the consequences of ignoring workplace safety, for both employers and employees, are just too great to ignore," says Labour Minister Angus MacIsaac. "Tragically, David Ellis lost his life and his former supervisor was sentenced to jail, for an accident that could have been prevented.

"In the future, if tragedies such as this are to be avoided, and if high injury rates amongst young workers are to be reduced, it will require a dedication to workplace safety and prevention."

These points are important as high school and university students are beginning new jobs. So remember, it is not only important to ask how much, but also how safe.