The family of a man killed in a Saskatchewan workplace accident is hoping to turn their tragedy into an opportunity to save lives.
Andrew Hann died on July 13, 2013 when he fell while building scaffolding at the Agrium potash mine southwest of Saskatoon.
READ MORE: Scaffolder dies at Agrium potash mine
The 25-year-old Newfoundland man was engaged and had a baby on the way.
For his fiancée, Nickie Corcoran, making sure workers get home safe and sound has become a cause very dear to her heart. She was four months pregnant at the time of Hann’s death.
“My daughter will never get to meet her daddy because of a series of mistakes and thinking that nothing will happen, everything will be fine, but the truth is accidents happen and the best way to avoid them is to follow the safety procedures,” Corcoran said.
The Andrew Hann Memorial Scholarship was created for Occupational Health and Safety Practitioner program students at Saskatchewan Polytechnic.
“Maybe by telling Andrew’s story it will make one person stop and think about the decision they are about to make and our workers will go home safe,” said Andrew’s mother, Karen Hann.
For at least the next 20 years, the scholarship will provide six Sask Polytech students with $2,500 towards their education each year.
“The scholarship will help new students gain the knowledge they need to educate our youth about the importance of workplace safety,” said Nancy Dill from Saskatchewan Polytechnic.
Along with the scholarship, a fall protection demonstration trailer was donated to the Saskatchewan Construction Safety Association (SCSA).
The trailer will allow the SCSA to educate more workers about safety.
“Every injury and every incident is preventable with proper safety knowledge and practices. That’s the message we will be carrying forward along with the memory of Andrew Hann, and countless other workers who have been injured or killed on the job,” said SCSA president Collin Pullar.
“People tend to get too comfortable and forget anything could happen. By going to their job sites and providing them with the information, instruction and training we can do more to protect the health and safety of our workers,” Hann added.
Comments