Remembering those workers who have died from bodily harm sustained on the job, as well as their grieving loved ones, is extremely important. It is our privilege to join in commemorating Workers’ Memorial Day again this year.
For over fifty years, workers who died in fatal work accidents have been honored each year on April 28, a day recognized at both the federal and state level as Workers’ Memorial Day. To learn more about the history of this event, read Workers’ Memorial Week: Honoring Workers Injured or Killed on the Job.
Sadly, while this recognition has shined a light on the travesty of people dying from work injuries, the reality is 15 workers continue to die each day in this country from preventable accidents on the worksite. And that number is rising: according to the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries there was a jump of 296 worker deaths in 2022 (the last recording year).
Read, “US Department of Labor to honor workers whose jobs claimed their lives, recommit to protecting workers as nation marks Workers Memorial Day,” published by the United States Department of Labor on April 17, 2024.
Given the great risk that so many workers in our part of the country face each day on the job, recognition of those who have lost their lives while on the jobsite is not only the right thing to do, but it is also vital in efforts to reduce the dangers of death at our local workplaces.
See, The Reality of Widespread Industrial Work Accident Deaths in Illinois and Indiana: Warning to Our Workers and Workers Beware: BLS Reports Highest US Worker Death Rate in 5 Years.
April 2024: National Campaign with Memorial Events Throughout the Nation
Working in tandem with the Mine Safety and Health Administration (“MSHA”), the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”) will spearhead the government’s national public awareness campaign of “…the importance of protecting workers” during the entirety of the last full week of April, culminating on Sunday, April 28, 2024, as the official Workers Memorial Day. (Go here for an online listing of OSHA Workers Memorial Events in Illinois.)
From OSHA Assistant Secretary Doug Parker:
“As we honor our fallen workers on Workers Memorial Day, we must remember that behind each workplace fatality there are loved ones enduring unimaginable grief. It is for the lost workers and those left behind that we continue to fight for every worker’s right to a safe working environment. Our mission at OSHA is to ensure that when someone leaves for work, they know they’ll come home safe at the end of the day to the arms of their families and loved ones.”
OSHA National Family Liaison
Additional support for loved ones of workers who died in work accidents has been provided by OSHA with the appointment of the first OSHA “national family liaison,” whose uncle died in a work accident involving a fall from heavy agricultural equipment. Read, “DOL Supports Families of Fallen Workers on Workers’ Memorial Day,” written by Robert Yaniz, Jr. and published by OHS Online on April 19, 2024.
From the country’s first OSHA family liaison, Tonya Malley Ford:
“My position is to help those left behind, whether that be a listening ear or helping them find answers to the many questions one has after such a loss. Working for OSHA allows me to connect with more families across the country in their time of need with the wish that one day, my position will no longer be needed because every worker will go home safe at the end of the day.”
AFL-CIO: Labor Union Remembering Workers’ Memorial Day
Another key player in this national commemorative event is the famous labor union, the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), which is organizing events around the country to honor those who have perished from work injuries in this country. (Check this online map for AFL-CIO events on Workers’ Memorial Day in Illinois and Indiana.)
Together on this Workers Memorial Day, we elevate safe jobs and raise our collective voice to protect what we have—confronting attacks on regulations that keep our workplaces safe and demanding action to win stronger protections. We hold employers accountable to keep workers safe. We demand more resources from Congress for our nation’s job safety agencies. We demand dignity at work.
2024 Death on the Job Report
The AFL-CIO will also be releasing its latest Death on the Job: The Toll of Neglect Report to coordinate with Workers’ Memorial Week in the last week of April. For more on the AFL-CIO Report, read: AFL-CIO 2021 Report: Shocking Risk of Dying on the Job for Workers in Indiana and Illinois.
Deadly Worker Illnesses Recognized by CDC and NIOSH
The untimely and unacceptable deaths of workers in this country extends not only to bodily injuries suffered in on-the-job accidents but to work-related illnesses that prove to be debilitating or fatal. From the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (“NIOSH”) comes the reminder that workers die from all sorts of exposures to dangers while at work.
From NIOSH (footnotes omitted):
In 2021, work-related injuries claimed the lives of 5,190 U.S. workers, an 8.9% increase from 2020. This number represents a rate of 3.6 fatal injuries per 100 full time equivalent workers. Although deaths resulting from work-related injuries are captured by surveillance systems, most deaths resulting from work-related illness are not. In 2007, an estimated 53,445 people died from work-related illness. In 2021, employers reported approximately 2.6 million nonfatal injuries and illnesses to private industry workers via the annual Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses. An estimate of the annual burden of chronic occupational illness in the U.S. is between 460,534 and 709,792 additional cases per year.
Extending recognition to illnesses as well as injuries sustained in accidents is welcomed by advocates of worker victims and their loved ones. Workers in Indiana and Illinois are known to be at risk of fatal occupational illnesses caused by exposure to toxins such as silica and other hazardous materials.
For more, read:
- Silica Injuries in Indiana and Illinois: Rising Danger from Deadly Work Exposure to Industrial Sand;
- Asbestos Exposure Still Happens – Indiana Supreme Court Helps Mesothelioma Victims; and
- Dangerous Chemicals and Work Injuries: 2nd Highest Safety Violation in 2022 Was Hazard Communication.
Online Fallen Worker Memorial Wall: Sharing Photographs of Our Worker Victims
All workers who have perished from injuries or illnesses related to the workplace are welcomed to be included on the online “Workers Memorial Wall”. There is an open invitation to include the photograph of a beloved worker victim on the site, which is operated by OSHA and the United Support & Memorial for Workplace Fatalities (USMWF).
Of note, at the time of this blog post being published, three of the first twenty photographs shown on the Wall are those of Illinois workers who died on the job: Mike Gryga; Javier Juarez; and Raymond “Andy” Holderfield. We recognize and offer our sincerest condolences to their families, as well as all other victims shown on the Wall, during this time of remembrance and recognition.
From OSHA:
This virtual Workers Memorial Wall is in honor and recognition to those who lost their lives while on the job. In addition to injuries or incidents there have been many lives lost due to occupational illnesses and diseases in the U.S. They are family members — spouses, children, siblings, grandparents, friends, and coworkers — and we recognize them and all our fallen workers on this page.
We value all our fallen workers and offer their families our support, compassion and appreciation….
If you have lost a loved one due to a work-related incident, we invite you to share his/her photograph with OSHA at remembrance@dol.gov as we will recognize him/her on our virtual Workers Memorial Wall.
Remembering Those Workers Who Perished From Work Injuries and Illnesses on April 28, 2024
Advocating for worker victims and their families is more than a career, it is a calling. And representing those who have lost their lives because of work-related causes brings a unique perspective and compassionate dedication to the joint effort of so many (OSHA, MSHA, AFL-CIO, CDC, NIOSH, etc.) to remember those who have been injured or killed on the job.
We encourage everyone – especially employers and those in control of any aspect of a worksite – to stop for a moment and recognize the untimely deaths of workers here in Indiana and Illinois. These workers went off to do their jobs and earn a living, and never came home from that final shift.
And let’s also give compassionate appreciation to those workers who have been blessed to have survived a work accident but face a life permanently altered by irreversible injuries or disabilities.
Finally, let us remember the pain and suffering and tremendous courage of their grieving loved ones, too.
We honor all of you.
For more, see:
- AFL-CIO Workers’ Memorial Day Toolkit
- NIOSH Family Resource Guide
- COSH Interfaith Prayer for Workers Memorial Day.
Every worker on the job in Illinois and Indiana deserves a safe workplace. Unfortunately, all too often those with a duty of care and safety to those workers fail to protect and tragedy is the result. Please be careful out there!
