Whitehorse Daily Star

Image title

Photo by Vince Fedoroff

PASSING ON HIS WISDOM – Curtis Weber, seen Wednesday in Whitehorse, was severely hurt in a workplace mishap in Saskatchewan when he was 17 years old.

Injured worker’s story transfixing Yukoners

The impact Curtis Weber has in making presentations to employers and workers or those who will soon be entering the workforce on workplace safety is evident in the people looking to speak with him after he shares his history.

By Stephanie Waddell on April 23, 2015

The impact Curtis Weber has in making presentations to employers and workers or those who will soon be entering the workforce on workplace safety is evident in the people looking to speak with him after he shares his history.

Many approached him after a noon-hour presentation to employers at the Westmark Whitehorse Hotel on Wednesday.

Some asked questions; others looked to possibly book the consultant for their own organization in another engagement down the road.

Over the course of the event, Weber shared his experience involving nearly six years of recovery after being electrocuted on the job when he was just 17.

As the 33-year-old said during an interview after his presentation Wednesday, it was just his third day working a new construction job in 1999 in his home province of Saskatchewan when he connected with a live electric line, receiving 14,400 bolts of electricity three times.

He had been steadying a steel grain bin that was being moved under an overhead power line when the crane operator moving the bin backed directly into the line.

Weber’s body was thrown from one end of the steel grain bin to the other, receiving the multiple electrical shocks.

Weber would spend the next six weeks in a coma with his family told there was no chance he’d survive.

He counts himself “pretty fortunate” to survive, with third- and fourth-degree burns to 60 per cent of his body.

However, it took more than 5 1/2 years of recovery, including amputations to his right arm below the elbow and his left leg below the knee as well as several other surgeries, including reconstructive.

Initially spending six months in hospital, his time over the following five years or so was a continual cycle of surgeries and recovery time, in some cases having to travel to Toronto and spend up to a month or two in hospital before additional recovery time at home.

When he was ready to get back to the working world, Weber knew what direction he wanted his career to go and that was workplace safety.

“I went right into safety,” he said.

Eventually, he moved into consulting, launching his own company, aptly named High Voltage Consulting.

His goal, Weber said, is to influence changes in the behaviours of both staff and employers toward workplace safety by sharing his personal experience.

He has done that, travelling across the country and recently into the U.S. as well working with a variety of groups like workers’ compensation boards and employers to stress workplace safety.

Weber emphasized it’s both workers and employers who have major roles to play.

In his own situation, at 17, he was too scared to speak up and ask questions despite having past experience at other worksites where the grain bin would have been loaded onto a truck, secured, and then moved.

The construction crew he was on had talked about the need to be cautious proceeding under the power line, which, it was pointed out, “had the potential to kill somebody.”

And while Weber knew of other ways to move it safely, he didn’t speak up out of fear.

It’s an issue all too common among many newcomers to the work force.

“I think it’s a natural byproduct of being young,” he said.

He cited a combination of factors as to why many new workers don’t speak up about safety issues.

They may be a little care-free in their thinking, or may fear they look like they don’t know what they’re doing if they ask questions or bring up concerns.

Or, they may fear being disciplined for speaking out.

Management has a major responsibility in ensuring staff safety through proper equipment, resources and policies around safety, Weber emphasized.

Equally important, he said, is that employees follow those procedures and speak up if they have a concern.

“Really, it is a joint accountability approach,” Weber said. “That’s the balance you have to strike.”

Since arriving in Whitehorse this week, Weber has been addressing both those in or who could soon be entering the workforce as well as employers in a variety of presentations.

They’ve been taking him to all the city’s high schools, Yukon College, Wednesday’s lunch time event as well as officials with the territorial workers’ compensation board (WCB).

He tailors each presentation to the group he is addressing.

In cases where he’s dealing with individual businesses, he does research on the industry and workplace in order to address their unique circumstances.

This marks Weber’s first time in the Yukon.

The response has been “really good”, he said.

He was pleased to hear from one school principal who had never before seen students pay that much attention and be so quiet during a presentation.

This morning, WCB spokesman Richard Mostyn said it’s Weber’s ability to connect with youth through his presentation that saw the board decide to bring him up for the talks.

Youth – those under 25 – can be difficult to target on workplace safety issues, yet statistics show they are one of the most likely to be injured on the job, often within the first week at a new workplace with injury rates four times that of other groups, Mostyn said.

Weber will wrap up his time in the territory tomorrow.

Comments (3)

Up 1 Down 0

Compensation law on Apr 29, 2016 at 6:36 am

Great story. I`m delighted to see how someone like you have surpassed something bad that happened to you.

https://www.compensation-lawyers.com.au/

Up 5 Down 1

Just Say'in on Apr 24, 2015 at 7:13 pm

I agree completely this is a wonderful young man doing a great job. However one thing that needs to be addressed as well, is the risk that employers take and the responsibility involved with hiring young workers. These kids should enter the workforce at a much lower rate of pay then their adult piers. This would allow employers to have one on one mentoring. These kids now a days come to work with no skills, abilities or common sense. It used to be that kids were always around work as they grew up, working on the farm, cutting wood, doing chores, running equipment, before they were looking for employment. Now they have no idea and have no work ethic and no self direction. Because of all of the electronic communication it is very difficult to even verbally communicate with some of them. You almost have to text them….lol haha

Up 34 Down 2

Yukon College Staff on Apr 23, 2015 at 4:00 pm

What a fantastic presentation - Curtis was extremely engaging and inspiring! For all that you have been through you deserve such credit for where you have chosen to take yourself and for the positive attitude and outlook you have. It was an honour to hear you speak!

Add your comments or reply via Twitter @whitehorsestar

In order to encourage thoughtful and responsible discussion, website comments will not be visible until a moderator approves them. Please add comments judiciously and refrain from maligning any individual or institution. Read about our user comment and privacy policies.

Your name and email address are required before your comment is posted. Otherwise, your comment will not be posted.