April 28 The National Day of Mourning

April 28 Let’s Not Forget Them

April 28 is The National Day of Mourning, in other countries referred to as Workers’ Memorial Day  or World Day for Safety and Health at Work a UN international day. It commemorates workers who have been killed, injured or suffered illness due to workplace related hazards and incidents. We should be aware and participate in The National Day of Mourning, because by the time you finish reading this post depending on your reading ability 8 workers around the world have died. 

DO NOT FORGET
Observe a minute of silence Tuesday, April 28, 2016 at 10 am.

According to the International Labour Organisation (ILO), across the world:

• Each year, more than two million men and women die as a result of work-related accidents and diseases
• Workers suffer approximately 270 million accidents each year, and fall victim to some 160 million incidents of -related illnesses
• Hazardous substances kill 440,000 workers annually – asbestos claims 100,000 lives
• One worker dies every 15 seconds worldwide. 6,000 workers die every day. More people die while at work than those fighting wars

“The slogan for the day is Remember the dead – Fight for the living”

From Wikipedia The National Day of Mourning is observed in Canada on 28 April. It commemorates workers who have been killed, injured or suffered illness due to workplace related hazards and incidents.

Workers’ Memorial Day was started by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) in 1984, and the Canadian Labour Congress officially declared it an annual day of remembrance in 1985 on April 28. In December 1990, this day became a national observance with the passing of the Workers Mourning Day Act, so that on April 28, 1991, it was officially the National Day of Mourning for persons killed or injured in the workplace; making April 28, an official Workers’ Mourning Day.

Since its inception, the observance has spread to over 80 countries around the world, but is known in most other countries as the Workers’ Memorial Day. The date 28 April was picked because on that day in 1914, the Workers Compensation Act received its third reading. In 2001 the International Labour Organization first observed World Day for Safety and Health at Work on this day.

Typically the Canadian flag on Parliament Hill and in most government building federal and provincial are flown at half-mast, and workers and employees observe this day in various ways including lighting candles, donning ribbons and black armbands, and observing moments of silence. The purpose of Day of Mourning is twofold- to remember and honor those lives lost or injured and to renew the commitment to improving health and safety in the workplace – to prevent further deaths, injuries and diseases from work.

Weeping Angel image courtesy of AyJay Schibig Photography