Empowering people to speak up and put safety first

Joshua Jones was a Thiess employee when he sustained life-changing injuries in a work-related incident in 2015.

Joshua unfortunately lost his left arm in this incident and has spent the last eight years recovering both physically and mentally. After spending a number of years in real estate and working on his golf game, Joshua returned to Thiess in 2023, visiting both Thiess and MACA sites, corporate head offices and leadership teams to share his story to more than 1,000 employees. Joshua discussed his injury, the struggles through his recovery, and the impact on not only his physical and mental health, but also that of his family and loved ones.

One of Joshua’s main aims in sharing his story is to empower people to speak up and stop the job if they have safety concerns. His story has made people at all levels stop and re-think their approach to getting the job done. Another positive development that has resulted from his talks has been the opportunity for others to seek assistance with their own mental health struggles. “What we do, the hours we work, and the locations we work in creates enough mental health issues for people, without having an accident at work. You don’t need to go through an accident and injury like mine to have the same mental health struggles,” Joshua said.