April 24, 2013
National Day of Mourning - April 28
Decades ago, each province and territory in Canada passed their respective OH&S Acts - promising every worker the right to a safe job. Boilermakers and their allies have fought hard to make that promise a reality - winning protections that have made jobs safer, saved countless lives and prevented countless injuries and illnesses.
But our work is not done. Many job hazards are unregulated and uncontrolled. Some stakeholders cut corners and put workers in serious danger and cost lives. In 2011, for all industries across Canada, 919 workers were killed and another 249,511 were injured or suffer from work-related diseases because of their jobs. (Note: it is widely accepted that while these are the "official" statistics, they are also considered vastly under-reported for a variety of reasons).
There are many opportunities for improvement - lobby government for improvements/strengthening of OH&S laws; improved employer and worker education on the hazards and how to protect themselves; and continuous pursuit and punishment of those employers who refuse to protect their workers - safety does not kill productivity or profits...but unsafe jobs do kill workers.
As we observe this Day of Mourning to remember those who have suffered and died on the job we should take heart in each other - our fellow brothers and sisters. Using our collective experience, education and training, we each have a role to play to fight to improve health and safety every day. Workplace health and safety is a constant and unrelenting struggle and I know you are up to the challenge.
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