Safe work now – that’s the plea taking place on this year’s Day of Mourning for Workers Injured or Killed on the Job.
The New Westminster and District and Labour Council is once again hosting a ceremony at Westminster Pier Park in recognition of the Day of Mourning. It’s on Sunday, April 28 at 11a.m. in Westminster Pier Park.
“We believe workplace health and safety is everyone's responsibility. This year, workers across Canada are sharing that it is important to have safe work now,” said Owen Goodwin, a NWDLC board member and a member of the United Steelworkers Union. “In 2022, almost 1,000 people in Canada died as a result of their work.”
Figures from 2023 aren’t yet available, Goodwin told city council on April 22.
“Too many families lose loved ones to occupational diseases, and we know those numbers are just the tip of the iceberg because they include only those fatalities accepted by the workers compensation system,” he said. “In cases of workplace exposure to toxic chemicals or material like asbestos, effects only become apparent months, years or decades later.”
According to Goodwin, WorkSafeBC reported it had accepted 181 work-related death claims in 2022. He said the industries reporting the most claims were: health care and social services; general construction; retail; transportation or related services; and tourism and hospitality.
“These are people in your community, and the impacts from workplace injury go far beyond the time away from work,” he said. “We can and must do better.”
The labour council is calling on employers to invest in meaningful prevention measures, offer robust ongoing training, identify workplace hazards, and develop an action plan for addressing them – and ensure worker participation in developing and monitoring the systems that will make workplaces safer.
Goodwin said education is a key to prevention, especially for young workers. He said 11 per cent of workers injured in 2022 were under the age of 25.
Goodwin told council that construction is one of the industries with the highest reported claims.
“The International Union of Operating Engineers is sounding the alarm following four recent incidents involving tower cranes, which we've all heard much about,” he said. “We are approaching three years from the tragic events of July 12, 2021, when a tower claim crane collapsed in Kelowna, killing five workers.”
B.C. missed an important opportunity to become a leader in tower crane safety in Canada following the Kelowna tragedy, Goodwin said.
“Work shouldn't hurt, and it shouldn't kill,” he said.
On behalf of the New Westminster and District Labour Council, Goodwin offered some ideas on measures that can be supported to ensure workers are safe on the job. These include:
- Providing adequate personal protective equipment that fits all body types and users.
- Creating a national plan to remove toxic substances like asbestos from workplaces.
- Strengthening laws that protect workers against violence and harassment, and
- Ensuring workers know their rights and have the tools to be safe on a job.
- Calling on governments at all levels to remove barriers to joining a union, as unions in BC have a long history of advocacy and taking action on workplace health and safety.
“Everyone here today can help us make a difference,” he said. “Be safety conscious. Support accountability measures and health and safety education in your workplaces. Together it is possible to have safe work now.”
The City of New Westminster has proclaimed April 28 as the Day of Mourning for Workers Killed and Inured on the Job.
