That’s because, despite all the efforts of the various organizations dedicated to the protection and safety of workers throughout the province, a total of 48 workers died from workplace accidents or disease in 2018.
Almost double the total from the previous year.
That’s unacceptable, says Stacey Landin, president of the Moose Jaw and District Labour Council, and a sign that things need to change – and soon – to ensure such numbers only fall in the future.
“Unfortunately, it’s the highest number I remember… I honestly don’t know what to say to that, one is too many and it’s tragic, always,” she said prior to the special wreath-laying in memory of deceased workers. “So we have to put pressure on our employers to make our places safe, the legislators who make the rules around that and enforce that for employers, and to make sure that everyone can come home at the end of the day.”
That’s the underlying message of the day – everyone comes home from work, every day.
“It’s a bittersweet day, obviously, but it’s a day where we have a chance to remember those who came before us and put a lot of our work world and our communities and society,” Landin said. “It’s a day to honour them, but it’s also a day where we commit to fighting back to protect others from unsafe measures at their work.”
In addition to the wreath laying, the event included a reading of each of the 48 names of those who perished in the province. Electrical accidents, falls, crushing injuries and motor vehicle accidents – including six employees of the Humboldt Broncos – were among the terrible events that took lives in 2018.
Then there were the workplace-related diseases from asbestos and lifetime smoke and chemical inhalation that robbed lives far earlier than might have happened with protective measures.
“Unfortunately we recognize workers younger and younger these days, but we also recognize the older workers who suffer from cancer related to their work and that adds to the number,” Landin said.
“These are the types of events that hopefully put that reminder in for people and take a moment to reflect on the work people have done and the sacrifices they’ve made for us to make a safer workplace, but to also fight back. We mourn for the dead and fight for the living and that’s how we try to keep this in the forefront of people’s minds.”
