Medicine Hat honours fallen workers and workplace safety for National Day of Mourning

“It was important to both my husband and I before his brother passed away, but now it’s more important that we come down and, if we can tell our story and hopefully have some impact on some of the people to be more cautious,” Timmons said.

Timmons said her husband’s brother, Brian Drabiuk, was killed in a workplace incident about 15 years ago.

“He was on a job site near Sundre, miserable weather, and a tow truck was trying to pull a unit out, and unfortunately, he wasn’t [standing] back far enough, and the chain came loose and hit him,” Timmons said.

“He got to [the] foothills, but he passed away within maybe two hours from being hit,” she added.

“If you see something not safe, say something. Don’t remain silent. Even if it’s not your co-worker, it could be another worker on the same site.”

Timmons said attending the ceremony each year is a way to honour not only her brother-in-law, but also others who have died due to workplace injuries or illnesses.

“We remember Brian, and we also remember all the other workers who have lost their life due to injury or long-term illness,” Timmons said.

“Every year we get new faces here, which is fantastic,” she added.

“And on really cold days, we’ve had people standing here in rain and sleet, and they still come. It just warms our hearts.”

Steve Brosnikoff, a regional committee member with the Medicine Hat Regional Safety Committee of the Alberta Construction Safety Association, said the ceremony has been held locally for more than two decades.

“When I first started the ceremony, we started this back in [1996], the monument was dedicated in the year 2000. We’ve been holding ceremonies down here since that time,” Brosnikoff said.

“We’ve had a couple years when some bad weather prevented us from having the ceremony altogether. During COVID, of course, it was just the three or four of us down here,” he added

“But we’ve always had something going on down here.”

Brosnikoff said in recent years, he has seen improvements in workplace safety.

“In my opinion, it’s been education and awareness to the hazards that are found on job sites and in the workplace,” Brosnikoff said.

“Take your time and watch the hazards of your surroundings and go home safe every night.”

by Jett Schwaier

Medicine Hat honours fallen workers and workplace safety for National Day of Mourning

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