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Father implores youths to be safe after losing his son by David Lea Oakville Beaver Staff 5 | Wednesday, May 14, 2014 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | www.insideHALTON.com An Oakville dad who lost his 18-yearold son to a workplace accident called on hundreds of students at Iroquois Ridge Secondary School to speak out if an employer ever asks them to do something they feel is unsafe. Rob Ellis of www.mysafework.com and 20 local business and government leaders discussed workplace safety at a school presentation Thursday. "The reason I am here today is I don't want you to ever have to go through what my family went through," said Ellis. "It just devastated us." Ellis said in 1999, his son Dave was a recent high school graduate who took a part-time job at an Oakville bakery to earn money for university. After his first day at work, Dave came home and was asked by his father how the job was. Ellis said Dave just shrugged his shoulders and that basically ended the conversation. Today, Ellis knows he should have asked more questions about whether his son had received any orientation or training, if his work was being supervised or if his employers gave him the opportunity to ask questions. On Dave's second day at work, Ellis said, his son cleaned dough from an industrial mixer without supervision or training. During the cleaning process, the mixer accidently activated. Dave was drawn into the rotating blades and struck his head. Upon being notified of the accident, Ellis and his family rushed to Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital where Dave was struggling for life. "My 18-year-old son Dave was on that (hospital) bed. His blood was on the floor, on the walls. There were nurses on one side and doctors on the other. Everybody was in panic mode," said Ellis. "My son was just gasping for air. As a dad, I just wanted to go in and pick him up and take him home where he'd be safe. My job as a dad was to protect my son and I couldn't." Dave held on for six days before succumbing to his injuries. Since then, Ellis has dedicated his life to advocating for health, safety and wellness in the workplace. During his presentation, Ellis approached a number of the business leaders present to ask about their safety protocols and how to avoid work- Oakville's Rob Ellis spoke to students at Iroquois Ridge High School last week during a host of presentations from local workplace safety champions. Ellis lost his son Dave to a workplace accident. | photo by Eric Riehl ­ Oakville Beaver (Follow on Twitter @halton_photog or facebook.com/HaltonPhotog) place accidents. Oakville Hydro President and CEO Rob Lister said safety is the first priority at his company. He called on those present to be mindful of their surroundings, not just at work, but everywhere. He also advised them they have the right to stop and ask questions at work if they don't understand something. Oakville Mayor Rob Burton echoed Lister's remarks, stating great things can happen when youths challenge the status quo. He pointed to Oakville's skate parks and a youth drop-in centre, which were built after young people advocated for them. Oakville Liberal candidate Kevin Flynn also weighed in on workplace safety in Ontario. He noted that despite Ontario having one of the safest workplaces in the world, work-related accidents and deaths still happen far too often. "Every few days, I get a phone call or an email that tells me the system has failed somehow...That somebody left for work, happy, expecting a pay cheque, expecting to come home to their family at night and they haven't. They lost their life instead. Very quickly I found out that as the Minister of Labour, that is the worst part of the job I am so proud to have," said Flynn. He said the time someone is most likely to get hurt is in the first two weeks of the very first job they have and asked the students to remember Ellis' story. The audience heard the government of Ontario has succeeded in reducing workplace accidents by about 30 per cent since 2003. "One workplace fatality, one workplace accident is too many," said Flynn. "As of July 1, Canada Day, of this year, it will be the law in the Province of Ontario that when you show up for that job you get mandatory health and safety training orientation. It is not just a good idea or something we would like you to do. It is something that as an employer now that you have to do." A student noted that young workers are easily replaceable and asked what power they really have to refuse unsafe work. Flynn said if someone is fired for asking questions about safety, their first call should be to the Ministry of Labour for investigation. New Patients Welcome! 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