There have been 10 industrial deaths in Canberra since 2008 - a tragic loss of life, and for those left behind, unfathomable pain.
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Among them was Ben Catanzariti, who died aged 21 after suffering severe head injuries when a concrete pouring boom fell on him on a Kingston Foreshore construction site in July 2012.
His mother, Kay Catanzariti, was instrumental in campaigning to set up an ongoing Senate inquiry into industrial deaths. She remains heartbroken by her son's untimely death.
"I miss his voice, I miss him being here," Mrs Catanzariti told the Sunday Canberra Times this week.
"It's like I'm living in purgatory. You close your eyes thinking about him, and you wake up thinking about him."
In its submission to the Senate inquiry into industrial deaths, which will examine the prevention, investigation and prosecution of workplace deaths in Australia, the ACT government has admitted more could be done to support families affected by such tragedies.
About 200 Australians are killed at work every year while a further 2000 die from occupational diseases. The University of Sydney has estimated that for every worker killed on the job up to 20 family members are affected.
Families interviewed by academics from the university during a study into the impact of workplace deaths described long-term grief, emotional trauma, anger and depression, all of which were compounded by their being forced to deal with complex legal processes and disputes.
What limited evidence is available suggests families further experience enduring health and financial effects, and that these can flow on to the worker's friends.
Many family members said they were not advised of service pathways. They waited up to two years for compensation claims to be finalised. Some payouts were rejected.
Families affected by workplace deaths have long been ignored by a system that has, arguably, already failed them. While information packages exist in most jurisdictions for families affected by workplace deaths, the University of Sydney has recommended every state and territory funds a position, group or service to work with bereaved people to provide information and support in a formalised manner.
The Sunday Canberra Times would hope that, at the very least, a more coordinated approach is adopted to ensure families are supported through what is surely one of the toughest experiences imaginable. It is the least that could be done.
