April 28 is Workers Memorial Day, which pays tribute to victims of work related injuries, which currently claims the lives of about 14 people per day, according to the Department of Labor.
The U.S. Department of Labor said in a release that, since April 28, 1970, the U.S. has observed Workers Memorial Day. At that time there was an estimated 38 people who died on the job each day across the nation. This annual tribute is to recognize the efforts of the U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and Mine Safety and Health Administration to protect the lives of workers in the U.S.
“On Workers Memorial Day, as we remember the people whose jobs claimed their lives, we must recognize that behind these numbers, there are people who mourn each loss. For them, these statistics are loved ones: they’re parents, children, siblings, relatives, friends, or co-workers,” said Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health Doug Parker. “On this day of remembrance, we should reflect on what might have prevented their loss and recommit ourselves to doing all we can — and all that can be done — to safeguard workers and to fulfill our moral obligation and duty as a nation to protect America’s workers.”
To put things into perspective, with 14 people dying each day in the U.S. to work related injuries, which means there is a life lost every 101 minutes. In 2021, there were 5,190 work related deaths. The release by the Department of Labor said that the Workers Memorial Day not only pays tribute to these people, but also the survivors who are left to grieve and endure.
Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health Doug Parker and Assistant Secretary for Mine Safety and Health Christopher Williamson hosted a national Workers Memorial Day ceremony online broadcast from the department’s Washington headquarters on April 27 at 1 p.m. EDT.
AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler and United Support & Memorial for Workplace Fatalities Vice President Wanda Engracia attended the event, as well. Assistant Secretary Williamson emphasized the importance of protecting miners' health and safety, as repeated and prolonged exposures to unsafe levels of coal dust, silica, and diesel exhaust can lead to fatal illnesses.
“On Workers Memorial Day, we come together to remember those workers we have lost, including those who suffered toxic exposures at work that led to fatal illnesses which were entirely preventable,” Assistant Secretary for Mine Safety and Health Chris Williamson. “Repeated and prolonged exposures to unsafe levels of coal dust, silica and diesel exhaust can slowly strip a miner of their livelihood and dignity, and eventually their life. We must honor their loss by doing all we can to protect the health and safety of our nation’s miners.”
