An Interview with Shirley Hickman, Threads of Life

A few months ago I came across this 2009 video of Shirley Hickman doing an interview with ILOTV.  I provided a link to this video in an earlier post about YouTube Safety Videos.  At the time I was not able to embed the video in my blog due to the permissions required by ILO.  The ILO has since made the video available for embedding, so here it is.

In the video, Shirley tells the story of the loss of her son Tim in 1996, as a result of a workplace accident while he was working in the Silverwood Arena in London, Ontario.  Since that time Shirley has been on a mission to help other families come to grips with their workplace losses.  Shirley is now the Executive Director of a much needed family advocacy and support association called Threads of Life.  Please take the time to watch the video.  It’s about 10 minutes in length but I think you’ll find Shirley’s story and message compelling.

Shirley’s story is a personal one for me.  I was working at the City of London in Occupational Health and Safety at the time of Tim’s accident and I led the internal investigation into its causes and required corrective actions. I have since moved on to other roles, other organizations and other communities. I’ve even had the opportunity to collaborate with Shirley through my work at the IAPA and the CSSE. I still fondly remember the day I spent with her at a safety conference in Chatham, Ontario.  On the drive there and back we reflected on the years that had passed since Tim’s death and what we had learned and how we had grown; each in our own way.

I have a deep respect for Shirley and her organization, Threads of Life. Every year during NAOSH Week, Threads of Life works with communities across Canada to raise awareness of the human cost of workplace injuries and illness through the run/walk event “Steps for Life”.  Find out if your community is hosting a Steps for Life event during 2011′s NAOSH Week and please get involved. Families in your hometown need your help to get their loved ones back home from work safely at the end of the day.

Cause Safety to Happen Today in Your Workplace….Andrew….a Canadian Safety Guy