Sean Bradley – Profile #2

Casket Campaign Profile #2: Sean Bradley 

Sean Bradley & Bernard the cat

“I miss Sean’s laugh. I miss his smile. Some days I find myself staring at his picture on the wall and remembering all the happy times together. Those days also bring intense waves of grief thinking about the moments he has missed since then.”

– Cheryl Shock, Sean’s widow

Sean Bradley was a truck driver.

That was the job he was hired to do. But that’s NOT the job he was doing when he died. 

“Sean was a truck driver; it was his passion. If there was a vehicle with a motor,” explains Sean’s widow, Cheryl, “he would want to drive it.” 

“Sean and I met in November 2009. Instantly, we were inseparable. I know it sounds cliché, but we were soulmates. Sean was my best friend; we spent all of our time together. If we weren’t talking on the phone or texting, we were working on our motorbikes, sleds, camping, or going for drives.”

– Cheryl Shock

“Friday June 6, 2014 was one month before our wedding,” says Cheryl. “The day started like any other. Sean had found a local quarry job only two months earlier and was off to work.”

Sean never came home again. Instead, it was two police officers who showed up at Cheryl's door to deliver the worst news of her life. Click To Tweet

“There had been no rock to haul that day,” Cheryl explains, “but instead of sending Sean home, the company he worked for had him helping a mechanic do repairs on the small bus that hauled workers up to the mine site.” 

It was while doing those repairs that Sean had died. He had been working underneath an unsecured vehicle when it rolled and crushed him. He was killed instantly.

Sean was born with cerebral palsy. It left him with a limp and very little use of his right hand. He could hold things but had very little feeling in that hand.

“Sean couldn’t “mechanic”; he wasn’t trained as a mechanic,” explains Cheryl. “Sean was a truck driver, and he had been hired to haul rock down from the quarry to be used for flood mitigation after the floods the summer before. He should not have been working on that bus.”

And so...instead of finishing wedding plans, Cheryl found herself planning Sean's funeral. Click To Tweet

In Canada, workers have three basic rights related to safety:

#1. The right to know what hazards are present in the workplace. 

#2. The right to participate in keeping your workplace healthy and safe. 

#3. The right to refuse work that you believe to be dangerous to yourself or your co-workers.

Since many jobs do have dangerous work, this means that training, controlling hazards and wearing PPE are imperative, so as to ensure that dangerous work can still be done…safely. 

Sean was not trained to do the work he was doing – repairing the bus – when he died, nor were the controls in place to prevent the bus from rolling. 

We cannot bring Sean back but we CAN learn from his tragic death.

As a worker, you can speak up if you are asked to do work you are not trained to do. And you can ask that proper controls are in place to make doing a job as safe as possible. 

As an employer, you do have a significant role to play - and a responsibility to do so - to ensure your workers get home safely at the end of every shift. Click To Tweet

“The plan is to make a beautiful community out there, where we take care of each other.”

– Steve Jacobs

About Sean Bradley…

Sean was raised in the Crowsnest Pass, Alberta. He loved the mountains. He was an avid snowmobiler, ATV and motorcycle rider and camper. Sean was born with cerebral palsy, but he never let it slow him down. He was 47 when he passed away.

You can read a poignant article by Cheryl entitled, “A Funeral Instead of a Wedding,” on the Threads of Life website. 

Thank you for reading & stay safe. 

About the JPMF’s Casket Campaign

Since Const. John Petropoulos died on the job in 2000, more than 20,000 Canadians have died as the result of their work, either due to an injury or occupational illness. 

You can view the first 30-second “Casket” PSA here. 

About the JPMF

The JPMF was started shortly after the death of Calgary Police Constable John Petropoulos on Sept 29th, 2000. John was investigating a break and enter complaint when he stepped through a false ceiling, fell nine feet into the lunchroom below and died of a brain injury. There was no safety railing to warn him of the danger; the complaint turned out to be a false alarm.

John was 32.

The JPMF is a registered Canadian charity that raises public awareness about workplace safety issues and educates people about why & how to ensure their workplaces and the roads are safer for everyone, including emergency responders. For further information, please visit jpmf.ca.

 

Today is Day of Mourning

April 28th is Day of Mourning to Remember Workers

Today – April 28th – is a day to remember the many workers who have died as a result of their job, either due to injury or occupational illness.

Sadly, due to the devastating impacts of the pandemic, this day is more important than ever to take a moment and reflect on the many workers who have lost their lives from COVID19.

Here is an excellent article about the human cost of COVID19.

The JPMF would also like to take a moment to thank the thousands of healthcare workers & professionals and other front-line workers, including first responders, who put their health & safety on the line, day in and day out. Click To Tweet

More than ever, proper workplace health & safety measures are imperative.

On this Day of Mourning, the JPMF would also like to send out a shout-out to Threads of Life; An Association for Workplace Tragedy Support. Threads of Life provides support to families who have been impacted by a workplace tragedy. Unfortunately, they are busier than ever.

Maryanne Pope, Director at Large with the JPMF (and John’s widow), is the Family Spokesperson for this year’s Steps for Life Calgary fundraising event, in support of Threads of Life’s programs and services.

You can view a short video (3 minutes) of Maryanne sharing why workplace safety matters to her – and why she supports Threads of Life.

As always, thank you for reading and please take care, stay safe & stay well.

About the JPMF

The JPMF was started shortly after the death of Calgary Police Constable John Petropoulos on Sept 29th, 2000. John was investigating a break and enter complaint when he stepped through a false ceiling, fell nine feet into the lunchroom below and died of a brain injury. There was no safety railing to warn him of the danger; the complaint turned out to be a false alarm.

John was 32.

The JPMF is a registered Canadian charity that raises public awareness about workplace safety issues and educates people about why & how to ensure their workplaces and the roads are safer for everyone, including emergency responders. For further information, please visit jpmf.ca.

 

 

 

It Takes a Village to Keep Young Workers Safe

“What if we let ourselves feel it all? What if we decided that it is strength – not weakness – to let other people’s pain pierce us? What if we stopped our lives and the world for things that are worth stopping for?”

– Glennon Doyle, “Untamed”

Tim Hamilton died while working at his summer job. He was only 19.

As part of the JPMF’s “Casket” workplace safety public awareness campaign, we are producing a series of blogs & short videos that profile some of the workers who have passed away, and whose families have kindly submitted to us photos for the campaign.

Since Const. John Petropoulos died on the job in 2000, more than 20,000 Canadians have died as the result of an injury at work or due to an occupational illness. Behind this stat are 20,000 real people whose lives were cut short – and the thousands and thousands of loved ones left behind to pick up the pieces.

One such worker was Tim Hamilton.

Tim was 19 when he died in 1999, as the result of electrocution. His death could have easily been prevented. Click To Tweet

The JPMF worked closely with Tim’s mom, Julie, to create a powerful video with a specific call to action to viewers.

The target audience for this video is parents of young workers. But it doesn’t matter who you are or whether you have kids or not…Tim’s story is a potent reminder that when we see something that could potentially be unsafe – for ourselves or others – we must speak up.

Please take a moment and view the video (1 min 30 sec) on the JPMF You Tube channel.

And then, if you are able, please share the video with anyone you think needs to see it – as well as on your social media platforms. We will never know the difference we make when sharing important safety messages such as this.

But we do know this: by allowing ourselves to feel just a fraction of the pain of another person’s loss – such as Julie Hamilton’s – then the action we may feel compelled to take, such as sharing a video, could save someone’s life.

Also, there is an excellent downloadable resource guide called, “Your Kids & Job Safety,” on the Missing Tim website.

You can also view (and share) the first 30-second “Casket” PSA on the JPMF You Tube channel.

Thank you, take care, stay well & stay safe.

About the JPMF

The JPMF was started shortly after the death of Calgary Police Constable John Petropoulos on Sept 29th, 2000. John was investigating a break and enter complaint when he stepped through a false ceiling, fell nine feet into the lunchroom below and died of a brain injury. There was no safety railing to warn him of the danger; the complaint turned out to be a false alarm.

John was 32.

The JPMF is a registered Canadian charity that raises public awareness about workplace safety issues and educates people about why & how to ensure their workplaces and the roads are safer for everyone, including emergency responders. For further information, please visit jpmf.ca. 

It Takes a Village to Keep Young Workers Safe Click To Tweet

Slow Down & Move Over

JPMF takes part in roadside public education event

Calgary, AB – Thursday March 11th, 2021: A contingent of vehicles, made up of members of Calgary’s emergency services, was parked at the side of Stoney Trail Thursday evening to raise awareness about road safety.

Tow truck drivers, first responders and road maintenance crews were set up at the side of Calgary’s ring road in both directions near 114 Avenue S.E. to remind drivers about what they need to do when passing emergency crews.

The consequences for not doing so are deadly, officials say.

Approximately four years ago, tow truck driver Courtney Schafer died while on the job. He was assisting a driver on March 7, 2017, when he was struck by a vehicle near Esterhazy, Sask.

Calgary tow companies say their roadside work is the “most dangerous aspect” of their job…

Read the rest of the CTV article here.

And here is the Global story.

Here are 4 short videos the JPMF created for sharing on social media – to help remind motorists about the importance of slowing down when passing first responders on the road and giving them room to work…so that everyone gets home safely (you’ll notice our “Slow Down; It’s No Picnic” 30 sec PSA is the base for all 4 videos):

#1. Please Slow Down & Change this Ending (55 sec)

#2. Please Slow Down Because it’s No Picnic (2 min 17 sec)

#3. Why We Care About Traffic Safety for First Responders (2 min 16 sec)

#4. Please Slow Down & Give Them Room to Work (1 min 55 sec)

Please consider sharing one or more of these videos on your social media. You just never know when the message hits home with a motorist. I don’t think we can ever hear this “slow down” reminder too often.

Thank you!

Photo Project – Workplace Fatalities in Canada

Has Your Family Been Impacted by a Workplace Fatality in Canada?

If so, the John Petropoulos Memorial Fund would like to hear from you. 

If you have lost a loved one to a workplace fatality in Canada – as the result of injury or occupational illness – you may be interested in our current workplace safety campaign.

We are raising awareness about the fact that since Const. John Petropoulos died on the job in 2000 (as the result of a preventable fall at unsafe workplace), more than 20,000 Canadians have died as a result of their work – either from an injury or occupational illness.

The first phase of the “Casket” campaign was launched in the fall of 2020. 

You can watch the first 30-second “Casket” PSA here.

For the second part of the campaign, we are collecting photos from family members who have lost a loved one to a workplace fatality in Canada. 

These photos will be used in a second PSA and/or short video/s, as well as in profile blogs. Behind every statistic is a real person…and their loved ones left behind.

If you would like to participate in the photo project, please e-mail us.

Thank you & take care.

About the JPMF

The JPMF was started shortly after the death of Calgary Police Constable John Petropoulos on Sept 29th, 2000. John was investigating a break and enter complaint when he stepped through a false ceiling, fell nine feet into the lunchroom below and died of a brain injury. There was no safety railing to warn him of the danger; the complaint turned out to be a false alarm.

John was 32.

The JPMF is a registered Canadian charity that raises public awareness about workplace safety issues and educates people about why & how to ensure their workplaces and the roads are safer for everyone, including emergency responders. For further information, please visit jpmf.ca.