This was tragic and was likely very easily avoidable.
It’s cold for nearly half of the damn year. We’re in Canada for crying out loud, winter isn’t a new concept. It’s inhumane and cruel to expect people to suddenly stand outside in these elements for a long period of time.
I recently quit a job at a factory for a very popular “family” food company. There was a small fire last winter. We all passed by our locker room on the way out, but they INSISTED that NO ONE should grab their coat or sweater, despite the small fire being a very long distance away.
They adamantly refused to get anyone emergency blankets, and we were also not allowed to wait in our cars. We could not leave the property either, even after the head count. I was finally allowed to leave to go home around 3pm, but I had cold chills until nearly 9pm. Our health and safety department was pushing for some kind of heating protocol for a very long time, but management always talked over them.
This feels very eerie to read. This could have easily been me or any of my previous coworkers.
We need more worker protections and safety protocols. This was a person who will never be able to say goodbye to their friend and family. They had hopes and dreams. Their life had value. They even had a small child and a partner. How incredibly tragic and unnecessary.