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Rona death sparks concerns over training of teen workers

Last Updated: Tuesday, June 10, 2008 | 2:52 PM ET

CBC News
Mitchell Tanner, 16, died Saturday at the Rona Building Centre in St. Albert, when a forklift he was riding on tipped over. Mitchell Tanner, 16, died Saturday at the Rona Building Centre in St. Albert, when a forklift he was riding on tipped over. (Paul Kane High School)

The death of a teenager at a home improvement store just outside Edmonton on the weekend is raising concerns that young people are being asked to do dangerous work because of the increasingly tight labour market.

Mitchell Tanner, 16, was killed Saturday at the Rona Building Centre in St. Albert when a forklift tipped over, crushing him.

"Now more than ever we need better rules, especially when it comes to certification and training on these forklifts," said Alberta Federation of Labour president Gill McGowan on Monday.

"They have to be treated as dangerous, heavy equipment. The people who operate them have to be given the proper training and employers have to start treating them as something more than a toy."

Tanner was not operating the forklift, but was a passenger when it tipped over, said Barry Harrison, a spokesman for Alberta Occupational Health and Safety.

A memorial was set up at Paul Kane High School in St. Albert in memory of Grade 10 student Mitchell Tanner, 16, who died in a forklift accident while working at the local Rona store on Saturday.A memorial was set up at Paul Kane High School in St. Albert in memory of Grade 10 student Mitchell Tanner, 16, who died in a forklift accident while working at the local Rona store on Saturday. (CBC)

Store officials have said a 17-year-old was operating the forklift when the accident occurred, but they are declining to provide any further details while the incident is under investigation by police and provincial officials.

Friends and teachers at Paul Kane High School in St. Albert, where Tanner attended Grade 10, gathered at a makeshift memorial yesterday. The school set up a table with pictures, mementoes and a skateboard, which the teenager was fond of riding. There were also large sheets of paper for students and staff to write messages of condolence.

"He was known by nearly everyone, as a fellow whose face was everywhere," school principal Larry Dick told reporters Monday afternoon.

"As soon as you said 'Mitchell' it brought a smile to your face."

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