For Shalin Bukkems, March 19 is a day she’ll never forget. In 2013, it became forever marked as the day her father, Henry, tragically lost his life because of a workplace incident.
Shalin’s father worked as an oilfield battery operator and was responsible for a collection of wells near Medicine Lake, Alberta. He often worked alone, but always adhered to the company’s three hour call-in rule. When he missed his check-in on March 18, a coworker, who was also a close friend, offered to head to his job site. From there, Shalin got the call that no one wants to receive.
She was driving home from a job interview in Red Deer when she was told that her father had been in an accident at work and was being airlifted to the University of Alberta Hospital.
“I didn't know how to react because it was so surreal and there was so much I didn’t know,” she says. “I didn't ever think that it would be my dad. He always seemed invincible to me.”
The next several hours were a flurry of conversations, moments that can never be forgotten, and what Shalin describes as a rollercoaster of emotions.
Even a decade later, she remembers every detail. She remembers arriving at the hospital where staff didn’t know who she was looking for, as her father’s coveralls just read his first name. She remembers being put in a small waiting area until a nurse brought her into another room where she was told her father had sustained serious trauma and was most likely not going to survive. She remembers being rushed to his bedside, looking at her father, holding his hand and immediately knowing that it wasn’t good.
Her father was taken off life support the next day, passing away on March 19, 2013 when Shalin was only 20 years old. Her life forever changed that day.
Every year in Canada, April 28 marks National Day of Mourning, a day dedicated to remembering workers who have lost their lives, suffered injury or illness on the job, or have experienced a work-related tragedy. The day also serves as a collective commitment to improve health and safety in the workplace in order to prevent further tragedies.
According to the Association of Workers' Compensation Boards of Canada (AWCBC), in 2021, 1,081 workplace fatalities were recorded in Canada. These names are published along with their age and how they were impacted: "Henry, 51.Trauma." Those three short bits of information are why Shalin tells her story – she doesn’t want her father’s life, or that of anyone’s loved ones affected by tragedy, reduced to such.
“Just seeing the names doesn’t really create an impact or encourage others to work safely,” she says. “I see the amount of individuals on that list and my heart hurts for them because a lot of these situations are avoidable and shouldn’t happen.”
Shalin’s father won safety awards. He conducted his work in a safe and appropriate manner. She says that it just goes to show how one small, simple thing can go wrong in an instant.
Shalin doesn’t share her family’s story for sympathy sake, but rather to raise awareness. Many of us, especially those who work in an office setting, don’t anticipate or foresee the dangers in our everyday work environment. It’s assumed that our hazards and risks are lower than a research lab or a heating plant, for example. But Shalin can’t stress enough that a danger can be anything and anywhere.
“We’re all guilty of our mind going elsewhere while we work,” Shalin says. “But it's so important to keep things front of mind because your family and friends will really miss you.”
In 2023, Shalin joined the University of Alberta as a talent management consultant for Human Resources, Health Safety and Environment (HRHSE). HRHSE is passionate about prioritizing safety to protect the health and well-being of its faculty, staff, students and visitors. In 2022, HRHSE launched A Culture of Care, a three-year action plan to embed health and safety as a core value within the university community. Its goal is to empower U of A employees to own their safety performance, and caring about those around them, so that everyone can go home safely each day.
Being a part of a strong safety culture is something that Shalin deeply connects with. “We go to work because we want to take care of our family and make a living for ourselves. We don't go to work thinking that we're not going to come home at the end of the day,” she says.
“I'm very pleased that I have the opportunity to share my story with the U of A community,” Shalin says. “People unfortunately lose loved ones all the time, but being that it was a workplace accident, I can’t help but wonder if things could have been done differently to prevent this tragedy and the impact it has had on my life and so many others.”
The University of Alberta recognizes National Day of Mourning on April 28 in honour of workers who have died, been injured or suffered illness in the workplace.
The University of Alberta is committed to the safety, health and well-being of our faculty, staff and students. Every day, we advance this commitment to safety through the Culture of Care.