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Thousands to recognize B.C. workers who died on the job
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- 2008 fatalities (PDF 109kb)
Richmond, B.C., April 28, 2009 —More than 32,000 workers and employers in over 450 worksites across B.C. will be wearing Day of Mourning decals at ceremonies across the province today to honour the 160 workers who died and more than 128,000 injured in 2008 as a result of workplace injury, illness or disease.
“This marks 25 years that Canada has recognized the Day of Mourning and ceremonies of remembrance will be held across B.C. with many in attendance wearing commemorative decals,” said David Anderson, WorkSafeBC President and CEO. “We are proud to support those who bring awareness to the day and realize that recognition by so many can only help us in our first priority of preventing workplace injury, illness and death.”
A Day of Mourning ceremony hosted by the BC Federation of Labour, Business Council of B.C. and WorkSafeBC is being held today in Vancouver at 10:00 a.m. at the Workers’ Memorial Sanctuary at Hastings Park. Many other commemoration ceremonies are being held in communities across the province. Those in B.C. otherwise unable to attend a Day of Mourning ceremony can pay tribute by visiting www.dayofmourning.bc.ca, a new website where personal dedications can be made to lost workers.
Speaking on behalf of the Business Council of BC, Andy Smith, President and CEO of the BC Maritime Employers Association said, “We must all work together to prevent accidents happening at work so families will not suffer this kind of tragedy.”
Almost half of the accepted work-related fatality claims (76 of 160) were the result of occupational disease, mainly from exposure to asbestos. The general construction sector suffered the most fatalities with 30 deaths followed by transportation with 26 and forestry with 18 fatalities last year. Included in the 160 fatalities were four young workers aged between 15 and 24.
“I like to think each year at this time that we are winning the battle to prevent workplace deaths but we are not. Each time another worker is seriously injured or killed on the job it is a reminder of how far we have to go to ensure that workers don’t pay the price of unsafe work,” said Jim Sinclair, President of the BC Federation of Labour.
The national Day of Mourning held annually on April 28th was initiated by the Canadian Labour Congress in 1984 and officially recognized by the federal government in 1991. Canada was the first country to recognize the day formally and today, 25 years later, the Day of Mourning is observed throughout the world in about 80 countries.
WorkSafeBC is an independent provincial statutory agency governed by a Board of Directors that serves about two million workers and more than 200,000 employers. WorkSafeBC was born from the historic compromise between BC’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.
For more information on the Day of Mourning in B.C. go to www.worksafebc.com.
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| Gladys Johnsen |
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