Every year, on April 28th, Canada observes the National Day of Mourning, remembering the individuals who have lost their lives, or suffered injury or illness on the job due to a work-related incident. We also honour the families and friends who have been affected by these tragedies.

It also gives us a time to renew our commitment to prevent injuries, illnesses, and deaths and improve workplace health and safety.

History of the National Day of Mourning

In Canada, the National Day of Mourning came about when Parliament passed the Workers Mourning Day Act, marking April 28 as the official day of observance.

In the United States, observed as the Workers’ Memorial Day, it was officially declared in 1989 by the American Federation of Labour, the largest federation of unions in the United States.

Later adopted by the International Labour Organization, a part of the UN, in 2001, April 28th has become an international day, helping to promote safe work and awareness of work-related accidents and diseases.

General Safety Statistics

According to the Association of Workers’ Compensation Boards of Canada, there were 925 workplace fatalities in 2019. Of these, 29 were young workers between the ages of 15-24. This is on top of the over 270,000 workplace claims for lost time, not including claims that were rejected, this puts a significant figure on the burden workplace injuries places on the workplace and safety systems, not to mention the strain on families affected by these tragedies.

For the United States, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) reported 5,250 workers were killed in 2018 from workplace incidents or exposure. This means that the United States had a national rate of 3.5 fatal injuries per 100 full time workers. The US also reported over 2.8 non-fatal injuries and illnesses in 2018, this is both from at-work incidents as well as chronic health problems from work-related illnesses.

The Impacts

The most obvious and easiest to measure is the financial costs associated to work-related injuries. When we focus on medical and lost-productivity costs, this can be an estimated US $250 billion annually (2007). If we include pain and suffering, the societal cost would be even greater.

An estimated 1/3 of all injuries occur to young workers aged 15-24, with males twice as likely to be injured as their female colleagues.

What You Can Do

There are many ways in which we can observe, and learn from the National Day of Mourning. On the 28th, join Canadians across the country in observing a moment of silence at 11:00 am.

If you are a new and young worker, get educated on your basic rights, responsibilities of you and your employer, and what you should expect from your employer when it comes to training and safety equipment. https://www.labour.gov.on.ca/english/atwork/youngworkers.php

If you work in the health and safety industry, or work in a high risk environment, take a moment to reflect on your workplace. Look at hazard reporting, injury statistics, and talk with your colleagues about their views and what hazards they may have come across.

One of the best ways to prevent workplace injuries is to educate ourselves about the hazards, what controls need to be in place to protect ourselves and others, and using equipment properly with the right training.

References:

https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/workmemorial/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Institute_for_Occupational_Safety_and_Health

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Day_of_Mourning_(Canadian_observance)

https://www.ccohs.ca/events/mourning/

https://www.labour.gov.on.ca/english/atwork/youngworkers.php