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WorkSafeBC commemorates the Day of Mourning
Richmond, B.C., April 28, 2006 — WorkSafeBC (the Workers’ Compensation Board of British Columbia) will today observe the annual Day of Mourning to remember workers who have been seriously injured or killed as a result of workplace injury, illness, or disease.In 2005 in B.C. there were 188 workplace deaths.
This included 62 deaths from occupational disease and
11 workers between the ages of 15 and 24.
“The Day of Mourning is an important, sombre reminder that not every worker goes home safely at the end of the day. Work-related death, injury, illness, and disease are not, and should not be, an inevitable and acceptable cost of doing business,” said David Anderson, WorkSafeBC President and CEO.
“Workplace injuries and fatalities are preventable; yet in 2005 there were 188 work-related deaths. Employers, workers, WorkSafeBC, and all British Columbians have to work harder to ensure the health and safety of workers in this province.”
WorkSafeBC, the B.C. Federation of Labour, and the Business Council of British Columbia will co-host a public ceremony today at the Workers’ Memorial in Vancouver. Workers, employers, families of fatally-injured workers, and other interested parties are invited to attend.
10 a.m.
The Sanctuary in Hastings Park
(Between the PNE buildings and Playland — accessible from Renfrew Street, near the Gate 2 entrance)
The ceremony will feature a procession to the memorial and a moment of silence. Guest speakers will include:
- Shannon Payne, widow of deceased worker
- David Anderson, President & CEO, WorkSafeBC
- Jim Sinclair, President, B.C. Federation of Labour
- Jerry Lampert, President, Business Council of British Columbia
- The Honourable Michael de Jong, Minister of Labour and Citizens’ Services
In B.C. an average of 3 workers die every week
More than 3,000 work injuries are reported every week
And 18 workers are permanently disabled every working
day
WorkSafeBC is an independent provincial statutory agency governed by a Board of Directors that serves nearly two million workers and about 184,000 employers. WorkSafeBC and the workers’ compensation system were born out of a compromise between B.C.’s workers and employers in 1917 where workers gave up the right to sue their employers and fellow workers for injuries on the job in return for a no-fault insurance program fully paid for by employers. WorkSafeBC is committed to safe and healthy workplaces and to providing return-to-work rehabilitation and legislated compensation benefits to workers injured as a result of their employment.
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| Donna Freeman |