People all over the world will be joined together in commemoration of those disabled, injured, made unwell or killed this coming Wednesday the 28th of April. Workers’ Memorial Day has been observed in Canada since 1984, and was soon adopted by the United States and a huge variety of nations across Asia, Europe and Africa. The day is intended not only to sympathize those who have suffered loss at the hand of unsafe, negligent or unfair employment practices, but also to encourage labor unions, lawyers, and organizations for the fair treatment of people worldwide to re-energize their efforts.
Most people are aware that working conditions have improved dramatically in the past century, but far few are likely to think about the accomplishments that have been made in modern times. Constant pressure from workers’ unions, litigation, and state, federally and privately funded public education have helped to keep workers in the United States and across the world safe from the overbearing tendencies of profiteering. Whether it’s requiring employers to properly train and certify workers who operate potentially dangerous machinery, strictly regulating dangerous substances like asbestos, or eliminating lead from the consumer products, public persistence and fortitude has always played an important part.
The establishment of health and safety monitoring organizations like the EPA and OSHA in the United States have certainly helped to control workplace incidents. A spokesperson for the West Virginia branch of the AFCL-CIO, a federation of international labor unions, recently said that “…job fatalities, injuries and illnesses have been reduced significantly as have exposures to toxic substances such as asbestos, lead, benzene and cotton dust.”
The fight to help ensure the safety and wellbeing of workers around the world continues. It’s estimated that every year some 270 million accidents occur in the workplace, and that more than 150 million people acquire illnesses related to unsafe or toxic work environments. Nearly five hundred thousand people die every year as a result of negligent exposure to dangerous substances. Of those, around a fifth are caused specifically by mesothelioma and other asbestos related diseases.
Safe handling practices and other regulations and restrictions regarding asbestos were put into place in the United States in the 1980′s. Contamination incidents, however, have not been completely eliminated and diagnoses continue to rise. The future of asbestos in the workplace is far from decided. While use of the dangerous substance is unarguably declining in Canada, the United States, Australia, New Zealand, and much of the European Union, several developing nations are increasing imports, lured by rock bottom prices resulting from a plummet in demand.
“A workers’ right to have a safe work environment will require further workplace safety regulations and enforcement. It is our hope that Workers’ Memorial Day will help focus greater attention on workplace conditions and further our efforts to enact safety and health legislation,” said an AFCL-CIO spokesman in regards to this coming Wednesday’s observance.
This coming Wednesday the 28th of April, keep the Workers’ Memorial Day slogan in mind: “Remember the dead, fight for the living.”
