National Day of Mourning commences in Chatham-Kent

The National Day of Mourning is commenced every April on the 28th and commemorates workers who have lost their lives or

Photo by:Stephen Koppes; Mayor Randy Hope addresses a crowd gathered to commemorate those who lost their lives or were injured in workplace hazards

were injured due to workplace related incidents. The memorial date was initiated in 1984 and made an official day of remembrance in 1985 with the help of the Canadian Labour Congress and Canadian Union of Public Employees.

Chatham-Kents ceremonies were hosted at the civic center earlier this morning, where mayor Randy Hope addressed the public on the importance of remembrance and safety in a workplace. Hope said, “Today, we recommit ourselves to building a strong safety culture that includes prevention and pro-activeness.”

Many workplace injuries go unreported however those that do account for statistics that are used to reduce the risks and increase the safety. With the assistance of unions and health and safety boards, employers have a better opportunity to protect their staff.

In 2013 alone, 902 workplace related deaths were recorded in Canada meaning 2.47 deaths were recorded daily. During a period of 21 years from 1993-2013 , 18,941 people were killed related to a workplace incident.

So what does this mean for Chatham-Kent? With a population of just over 108,000 people, Chatham-Kent is a major cog in the working industry and therefore workplace safety measures are always being modified and explored to further protect our employed workers on their job-sites.

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