Workers, families, and employers across the province are remembering those who have lost their lives while on the job.
Today (Tuesday), is the Day of Mourning across Canada and in BC, 140 workers lost their lives last year to workplace injury and illness.
Of these, 40 were due to a traumatic workplace injury, 16 involved a motor vehicle incident, while 84 were due to an occupational disease. Asbestos exposure continues to be the number one killer of workers in B.C.
BC Federation of Labour President, Laird Cronk told Vista Radio Asbestos continues to be the number one killer of workers in the province, an outcome that needs to change.
“We should not lose any workers to mesothelioma or asbestos, we should never be exposing workers to asbestos in the workplace to what we know now.”
“And I can say for homeowners with renovations to make it safe for everybody in our province, it is a deadly disease and it continues to live inside workers from many years ago and we need to make sure that it doesn’t end up exposing any workers in the future.”
A moment of silence was held this morning to honour our fallen workers.
The Canadian Labour Congress first recognized the Day of Mourning in 1984, making Canada the first country to formally commemorate workers killed in the workplace. In 1991, the federal government officially proclaimed the national Day of Mourning.
Today, it is recognized in 100 countries around the world.
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