January 6, 2015 started like any other day for Virginia Campeau and her husband Paul.

They woke up together at their home in Red Lake, Ontario and Paul went to his job driving a sand truck for winter road maintenance.

“We kissed each other goodbye and told each other that we loved one another,” said Campeau. “That was the last time I’d see him alive.”

After trying to call him and his bosses for hours when he didn’t return home, she recieved no answer. She thought he might be in the bush with no cell service and decided to wait until 11 pm.

She fell asleep but woke up at 3 am to a call from one of Paul’s bosses. A call that would start her on a long and tragic road she continues to walk to this day.

The boss told her they would go to the site where Paul was working and check it out.

“That morning around 7:30 there was a knock at the door,” said Campeau. “I thought it was Paul so I ran to the door. There were two cops, one male and one female. The female told me that Paul had an accident and he passed away.”

She pauses and clears her throat.

“The memory will forever be embedded in my brain. I couldn’t really understand what they were telling me. All I kept doing was screaming and backing away from them, screaming no, no, no in disbelief.”

“They were telling me my husband, my protector, my heart and soul was not coming back to me,” she continued. “How can this be? The night before we fell asleep in each other’s arms. I had no chance to say goodbye. No warning.”

“My nightmare was just beginning.”  

Paul was 45-years-old at the time of the accident and was working alone.

Campeau told her story to a crowd at SAFE Work Manitoba’s kickoff event for North American Occupational Safety and Health (NAOSH) Week.

Cities across North America mark the occasion every year, to remind workers and employers that workplace safety should always be top of mind.

SAFE Work Manitoba Chief Operating Officer Jamie Hall says the numbers have improved since NAOSH Week started in 1997, but there’s still a lot of work to do.

“20 years ago in Manitoba there were over 37,000 injuries reported to the Worker’s Compensation Board and in 2016 that number came down significantly to 28,960,” said Hall. “But those injuries in 2016 still represent a long way for us to go. There was over 825,000 days lost of work as a result of workplace injuries last year.”

Hall is hopeful workplace safety will continue to improve.

“In the last couple of years there’s been a renewed focus in the system,” he said. “SAFE Work Manitoba was created three years ago but also there’s industry-based safety programs like the longstanding ones in the construction industry. We now see trucking, manufacturing, motor vehicles and agriculture coming to the table to have their industry focused programs.”

“Because of this I think we’re going to see an acceleration in the reduction of workplace injuries.”

Campeau believes with proper safety precautions and proper training, her husband would still be alive.

“No one deserves to die the way Paul died,” she said. “It was up to the company to keep him safe and they didn’t. Workplace safety is non-negotiable. Know the hazards related to your job and if you feel something is unsafe, walk away from that situation. Don’t be a hero.”  

Campeau says the company Paul worked for has been charged with two offenses and court proceedings still ongoing.

Campeau now works with an organization called Threads of Life, which specializes in giving support for people who lose loved ones in workplace incidents.

SAFE Manitoba has a number of events planned until May 13, 2017.

For more information on NAOSH Week, visit safemanitoba.com.