Marking the National Day of Mourning
By Adam Freill
Construction Health & Safety LabourCCOHS encourages workplaces to pause, reflect, and remember.
(Source: CCOHS)
Today, April 28, marks the National Day of Mourning, as workplaces across Canada pause, reflect, and remember those who lost their lives or suffered an injury or illness due to their work. The day also highlights the importance of safe work and preventing further tragedies.
To help commemorate the day with a moment of silence, Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) has made a video available for workplaces to share or watch whether they’re working onsite or remotely.
“This day reminds us that one death or injury is one too many,” stated Anne Tennier, president and CEO of CCOHS. “Not only do these tragedies have devastating effects on workers, they also have profound and long-lasting impacts on families, colleagues and communities.”
Construction organizations and government departments from across the country are joining CCOHS’s efforts to promote a focus on working safely.
“The commitment to health and safety in Ontario’s construction industry has never been higher and government, labour and management have never been more engaged,” stated Residential Construction Council of Ontario vice-president Andrew Pariser, chair of his organization’s health and safety committee. “We need to continue to build on this momentum to address and eliminate hazards before they cause an injury or worse.”
“On the International Day of Mourning, Manitobans pause to pay tribute to those who have lost their lives or suffered injury or illness as a result of the work they do,” added the province’s Labour, Consumer Protection and Government Services Minister, Reg Helwer. “This day of observance is an annual, solemn reminder of the importance of occupational safety and health and the human costs associated with workplace injuries and fatalities.”
Said Tennier, “It is a day not only to remember those we’ve lost to workplace fatalities, or who have been impacted by injuries and illnesses, but also to turn our attention to prevention, so that all can be safe on the job.”
Workplaces and individuals can spread awareness about the National Day of Mourning in their organizations and communities using resources from CCOHS, available on the CCOHS Day of Mourning website: www.ccohs.ca/events/mourning.
