DSS127: United Support & Memorial for Workplace Fatalities - Current & Future Projects with Tonya Ford

In today’s episode of the Dust Safety Science podcast, we talk to Tonya Ford, Executive Director of the United Support and Memorial for Workplace Fatalities (USMWF). In Episode #126, we spoke to Tammy Spivey, Founding President and Assisting Director of the USMWF. Now, Tonya shares details about the organization’s present and future projects, all of which are dedicated to advancing workplace safety and honouring victims of work-related fatalities.

Tonya became active with the USMWF after her uncle Robert Fitch was killed in a workplace accident.

“It is believed that he stepped onto a belt-operated man-lift device after he had informed his co-workers that he was going to (take a) break,” she says. “We believe that he stepped onto the man-lift device and fell, hitting the air duct unit that connects to the building, at which time – it’s our understanding – that he slipped off of that, landed on the floor below him but then somehow was pushed through the man-hole again or at another level of the man-hole, and fell an additional 40 feet, where he was then bouncing from wall to wall, and landed at the cement ground below.”

Tonya’s father, who also worked at the facility, noticed that the man-lift was running, which it was not supposed to do between transit. When he investigated, he found his brother-in-law’s body.

“I can remember going to the hospital and having so many questions,” Tonya says. “The news media actually released the incident before we were able to tell my uncle’s son that day, and I was furious about that.”

A Personal Loss Became a Public Call for Justice

While searching for more news coverage of her uncle’s accident, Tonya came across a reference to the USMWF and reached out to the organization.

“From that point forward, I became very active to be the voice for not only our family but for all family member victims with USMWF,” she says.

The USMWF provides various types of resources and support because every family member who has experienced a loss grieves differently. Some people want to know how to access the OSHA investigation or reports put together by the police or fire and rescue services. Others want to talk to workers who were present at the time of the accident(s).

“That’s where we want to help them put the whole puzzle together so they can see and know what happened that day,” Tonya says. “That’s important to many of the families because we know we can’t bring them back. We want to know what happened and how we can change the future.”

The Campaign for Justice is Ongoing

The USMWF has family resources that include:

A checklist that can guide further actions. Examples include contacting workers’ compensation about the loss or reaching out to the VA if the deceased worker was a veteran.
A private Facebook page where families can ask questions and support each other.

There are also special projects planned for the future.

National Workers Memorial Day Project

The USMWF is hosting its second National Workers Memorial Day Project on April 25, 2021.

“[It is a] virtual ceremony where we come together, honour and recognize and remember our fallen workers throughout the nation,” Tonya explains. “We definitely encourage any families to send a photograph of their loved one and information, as we really want to share it in our memorial video. Last year, we’re proud that over two thousand viewers joined and watched the event and the ceremony. We hope this year will bring even more.”

There will also be a virtual Kentucky Workers Memorial Day Ceremony and an in-person event is planned in Nebraska for the Nebraska Workers’ Memorial Day Ceremony, both scheduled for April 28, 2021.

Strive for Workplace Safety Awareness Conference

The Strive for Workplace Safety Awareness Conference takes place on April 28, 2021 from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. Central Standard Time.

“This year, our topics will be OSHA, combustible dust, work-lift safety and distracted driving,” Tonya confirms. “It is going to be virtual this year, so the more the better. We definitely want to have a lot of people join us. The good thing is that because of the kind donations of many, we’re able to offer this for free to the public.”

Ongoing USMWF Campaigns

The USMWF continues to help family members write testimonies and contact their local senators and their state regarding worker’s compensation bills being introduced right now.

“One example would be in New Jersey,” Tonya says. “There is a bill out there that would increase the worker’s compensation burial benefit from $3,000 to $5,000. Honestly, this is still a very far cry from what the average burial expense is in New Jersey, or probably nationally, to be honest with you. But it’s one step closer to where we need to be.”

Other initiatives include the following:

Working with the University of Kentucky’s research team to study and understand the devastation one goes through after tragic, unexpected loss, such as a work-related incident, illness and disease.
The summertime “Beat the Heat” campaign where the USMWF distributes water and flyers with information regarding heat hazards.
A billboard campaign that highlights and recognizes fallen workers.

Conclusion

“Something that we have learned is that prevention is the key,” Tonya says. “Our goal [with those we partner with] is to prevent work incidents from occurring. And we call them incidents because they are not accidents. They were, and are, preventable.

“You can all support families affected by dust explosions by educating, preventing similar incidents from occurring, and helping USMWF family members be the voice for change. I think we can be the connection between work incidents, safety, and, of course, USMWF.”

If you would like to discuss further, leave your thoughts in the comments section below. You can also reach Tonya Ford directly:

Email: [email protected]

If you have questions about the contents of this or any other podcast episode, you can go to our ‘Questions from the Community’ page and submit a text message or video recording. We will then bring someone on to answer these questions in a future episode.