Print this Page
Workplace Injury and Death
APRIL 28: DAY OF MOURNING FOR THOSE INJURED OR KILLED IN THE WORKPLACE:
Begun by the Canadian Labour Congress in 1983, April 28 was officially established by the federal Day of Mourning Act in 1991. The Act specifies:
"Throughout Canada, in each and every year, the 28th day of April shall be known under the name of "Day of Mourning for Persons Killed or Injured in the Workplace". April 28 is now marked in more than 80 countries; in the U.S. it is known as Workers Memorial Day.
CBC News has prepared an in-depth report called Dying for a job, with extensive links to Canadian occupational health websites. Using unpublished data from provincial workplace safety insurance boards, a CBC investigative report into the high rates of workplace violence for health care and social assistance workers claims that such workers make more claims for injuries related to workplace violence than do police officers. Among the highest rates: Nova Scotia, where health care and social assistance workers reported 3.59 violent incidents per 1,000 workers between 1994 and 2004; in Ontario, 5,333 violent incidents were reported by heath care and social assistance workers between the years 1997 and 2004, representing 1.21 incidents per 1,000 workers, causing 24.5 lost days per 1,000 workers due to violence.
LINKS:
Fact Sheet: Why we need a Day of Mourning (2 pages, PDF) at the Ontario Federation of Labour website; CBC In-Depth website Dying for a job, including "Health, social services workers top targets of violence"; NUPGE press release includes day of mourning ceremonies across Canada; Links to worldwide websites re April 28.
