Canadian and Design Construction writer
Dustin Aubrey was apprenticing to be a heavy equipment mechanic. He was working at a quarry in Ontario’s Kawartha Region. In May 2022, Dustin and another worker were pinned and crushed between two vehicles. The other worker was seriously injured. Dustin was killed.
Dustin’s mom Sarah shares her experience, as part of Threads of Life’s Day of Mourning campaign this spring. Day of Mourning is set aside each year to honour those who have been killed or seriously injured at work. Workplaces and individuals across the country take time on April 28 to light a candle, reflect on lives forever changed, and recommit themselves to health and safety at work.
The day her son was killed, Sarah says, “started like any other. I was at work and received a text from a friend telling me about a serious accident and that I should touch base with my son.” She tried texting Dustin and calling his workplace, but wasn’t worried at first. Then the call came. “I fell, I screamed. I came undone,” Sarah says. Dustin was just 20 years old.
Sarah emphasizes the importance for both employers and workers to understand the risks related to mobile equipment, and do all they can to control the hazards and “make sure it doesn’t happen to another family.”
She misses Dustin every day, but she has found some comfort through Threads of Life, a national charity which supports people affected by work-related fatalities, serious injuries and occupational disease. “Most of all the feeling of not being alone was huge for me,” she says. “I think I’ve come to a steady point in my grief journey and maybe a place that’s acceptance. I still have hard days and hard moments but I always strive to make Dustin proud.”
Day of Mourning is one of those moments that helps families left behind after a workplace death, feel less alone. It’s encouraging to realize that so many people are willing to pause on that day, honour those affected by tragedy, and work to prevent future tragedies.
In addition to its video campaign, Threads of Life hosts a brief virtual ceremony on April 28 at 11 am Eastern time, which anyone is welcome to attend. The ceremony will include comments from the chair of the organization’s board of directors, who is also a family member affected by a work-related fatality. Register for the ceremony here.
“I miss Dustin the most when it’s quiet,” Sarah says now. “Life with Dustin was never quiet. He was an amazing young man who gave his life to save a coworker. He was the best at being Dustin and he will never be forgotten.”
