Category Archives: 2023

Bulgaria: 28 April report from CITUB

CITUB  National secretary for Health and safety at work and Ecology, Aleksandar Shopov, has sent the following report and photographs describing their 28 April activities.
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As every year, on April 28th, CITUB and social partners paid tribute to the memory of those who died by submit flowers and wreaths in front of the memorial plaque placed next to the headquarters of CITUB in Sofia, and a minute of silence.

In memory of the workers who died in accidents, lighted candles in the shape of the sad number 84 were arranged next to the plaque, which is the number of workers who died in Bulgaria in 2022.

The Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Policy Prof. Dr. Emil Mingov and the Director of the IA “Main Labor Inspection” Ekaterina Asenova, representatives of the National Institute of Social Sciences, participated in the honour of the day.

CITUB President Plamen Dimitrov recalled that last year the International Labor Conference accepted that safe and healthy working conditions are a basic human right for every worker. This is the first expansion of basic human rights in a quarter of a century.

In Bulgaria, there is a lack of systematic data for monitoring workers exposed to asbestos, the president of CITUB pointed out. The majority of workers at risk carry out activities of demolition, reconstruction or rehabilitation, maintenance of buildings in which there may be asbestos. In 2020, only one occupational disease related to exposure to this substance was recognized in Bulgaria.

To help in the fight against asbestos and other hazardous chemical substances, the CITUB has launched a campaign “Stop Cancer in the Workplace”, which aims to encourage employers and workers to implement more effective measures to prevent cancer in the workplace.

According to the National Center for Public Health and Analysis, more than 30,000 new cases of cancer are registered every year. A number of studies show that between 5 and 8% of these are workplace-related. If we assume that only 5% of the total cancer cases are related to the profession, this means that at least 1,500 Bulgarian workers have contracted cancer related to the workplace.

After the submitting of flowers, CITUB also presented its annual awards for 2022, with which it distinguishes employers who have achieved good results in ensuring healthy and safe working conditions.

Austria: Gesunde Arbeit – Gedenktag für verunglückte Bauarbeiter: 15.602 Arbeitsunfälle am Bau in Österreich

Anlässlich des weltweiten Workers´ Memorial Day, des internationalen Tages zum Gedenken an verunglückte Arbeitnehmer:innen, erinnerte die Gewerkschaft Bau-Holz (GBH) im Rahmen einer Gedenkveranstaltung im Beisein von GBH-Bundesvorsitzenden Josef Muchitsch, GBH-Landesvorsitzenden Christian Sambs und GBH-Landesgeschäftsführer Wolfgang Birbamer an das unsägliche Leid, das durch Arbeitsunfälle hervorgerufen wird, und fordert weitere Maßnahmen zum Gesundheitsschutz.
Workers´ Memorial Day
Im Jahr 2003 stiftete die Gewerkschaft Bau-Holz einen Gedenkstein für verunfallte Bau- und Holzarbeiter:innen in Wien, an dem auch heuer in Gedenken an die im Beruf Verunglückten ein Kranz niedergelegt wurde.
GBH-Bundesvorsitzender Josef Muchitsch
GBH-Bundesvorsitzender Josef Muchitsch
Workers´ Memorial Day

 

Workers´ Memorial Day
Gedenkfeier am Keplerplatz

22 tödliche Arbeitsunfälle15.602 Menschen verunglückten 2022 allein im Baubereich in Österreich bei ihrer Arbeit, 22 von ihnen tödlich. Das ist zwar im Vergleich zu den Vorjahren ein Rückgang, aber mit 53,9 von 1.000 Arbeitnehmer:innen hat der Baubereich immer noch die mit Abstand höchste Unfallrate zu beklagen.

GBH-Bundesvorsitzender Abg.z.NR Josef Muchitsch: „Jeder Arbeitsunfall ist einer zu viel. Jeder Arbeitsunfall bringt für die Betroffenen und ihre Familien unermessliches Leid. Da kann man sich auch angesichts sich leicht bessernder Zahlen nicht zufrieden zurücklehnen. Auch wenn sich die Sicherheitsbedingungen auf den Baustellen und in den Betrieben verbessert haben, gibt es immer noch sehr viel zu tun. Neue Herausforderungen kommen in der Arbeitswelt dazu, Stress und Arbeitsdruck steigen. Deshalb muss an vielen Schrauben gedreht werden – von der Arbeitszeit über die Arbeitsbedingungen bis hin zum direkten ArbeitnehmerInnenschutz. Auch in Hinblick auf die Berufskrankheitenliste gibt es Handlungsbedarf.“

„Jetzt, wo es wärmer wird, sind die Baubeschäftigten zusätzlich durch hohe UV-Strahlung und Hitze belastet. Die GBH ist auch heuer wieder auf Baustellen unterwegs, um Aufklärungsarbeit zu leisten, Sonnenschutz und Mineralwasser zu verteilen. Ich fordere in diesem Zusammenhang auch die Arbeitgeberseite auf, nicht auf ihre Beschäftigten zu vergessen. Sonnen- und Hitzeschutz ist ein wichtiger Teil des Arbeitnehmer:innenschutzes und vor allem muss die Hitzeregelung ab 32,5 Grad, die wir für den Baubereich erreicht haben und die einzigartig ist, auch wirklich gelebt und umgesetzt werden“, fordert GBH-Landesgeschäftsführer Wolfgang Birbamer.

Workers´ Memorial DayDer „Workers´ Memorial Day“ am 28. April hat für die Gewerkschaft Bau-Holz traditionell große Bedeutung. Im Jahr 2003 stiftete die Gewerkschaft Bau-Holz einen Gedenkstein für verunfallte Bau- und Holzarbeiter:innen in Wien, an dem auch heuer in Gedenken an die im Beruf Verunglückten ein Kranz niedergelegt wurde.

Scotland: Songs, flowers and speeches mark 28 April in Edinburgh – #iwmd23

 

The Edinburgh TUC and Scottish Hazards 28 April event was held at the Workers’ Memorial Day Tree, Princes Street Gardens  with speakers, wreath/flower laying and song. It was attended by unions, bereaved families, pressure groups and others.

The gathering served to remember those who have died at work and refreshed the resolve to fight for safe and healthy working conditions in Scotland and throughout the world. 150 attended laying in total 30 wreaths.

Keynote Speakers were:
Catriona Lockhart (whose partner died through work)
Tracy McBurnie (NHS Lothian Unison)
Gus Sproul (FBU Regional Chair)

Songs from Protest in Harmony, a radical, Edinburgh based singing group.

 

The City of Edinburgh Council, other Councils and the Scottish Government lowered their flags as a mark of respect.

USA: 2023 Workers Memorial Day: Every worker is more than a number

A brilliant round-up of  28 April activities in the United States by  Jordan Barab from Confined Space.

Workers Memorial Day

Workers Memorial Day, as you’re all aware, is a day to mourn for those killed in the workplace and fight for the living. Events were held all over the country this year.  Below is a list of Workers Memorial Day articles. I’m sure I’ve missed many, so feel free to add them to the comment section below.

I especially want to encourage you to watch the US Department of Labor’s Workers Memorial Day ceremony here.  From the very moving words of OSHA’s new Family Liaison Tonya Ford at the beginning, to OSHA and MSHA directors, Acting Labor Secretary Julie Su and AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler, and Wanda Engracia who lost her husband, to the wreath laying that concluded the ceremony.

But if you can’t watch the whole thing, at least watch the ten-minute video below that was presented during the program, of families describing the children and spouses and parents they’ve lost. But really, watch the whole thing. But bring some tissues. I defy you to watch this video — or Tonya Ford’s introduction starting at minute 3:00 —  without crying. None of the hundreds in the audience was successful.

But really, try to watch the whole thing. It’s a great use of an hour of your day.  You won’t regret it.

As Tonya said, “every worker is more than a number, every workers behind each incident is so more more than a statistic.

Workers Memorial Day 2023 Articles

Building Safer Workplaces – Daily Kos

Thousands of people died on the job in 2021. These were the deadliest industries

To Observe Workers Memorial Day, AFGE Raises Awareness on Workplace Violence

Saunders: Workers’ Memorial Day ‘is an important reminder of why we organize

Shuler on Deaths On The Job: ‘This report should not have to exist’

25 Things You Need to Know from the 2023 Death on the Job Report

A Proclamation on Workers Memorial Day, 2023 – The White House

2023 Workers Memorial Day: Organize for Safe Jobs

Workers’ Memorial Day shines light on workplace fatalities | Oxfam – Politics of Poverty

Workers’ Memorial Day: Ceremony honors lives lost due to workplace conditions

Alaska

We’re still fighting to keep Alaska workers safe – Anchorage Daily News

Arkansas

Honor the fallen

California

Memorial honors 191 Caltrans employees killed on the job

California marks Workers‘ Memorial Day, honoring those that were injured or killed

Honor our fallen workers by doing your part to protect others

California holds memorial for Caltrans workers that died while working on roadways

California marks Workers’ Memorial Day, honoring those that were injured or died on the job

Governor Newsom Proclaims Workers’ Memorial Day 2023

Florida

City councilman declares today as Workers Memorial Day

Workers Memorial Day

Georgia

Macon County ceremony honors workers who died on the job 

Illinois

Workers deserve better protection from injuries and sickness on the job

Unions Remember Those Killed on The Job with Workers’ Memorial Day

Central Illinois honors National Worker’s Memorial Day

Aspiring veterinarian among those honored by workers’ memorial

‘Champion of Animals’ honored at Worker’s Memorial

Death in Springfield a reminder of continued need to improve workplace safety

IBEW #197 member Matt Strupp talks safety

Workers Memorial Day Recognized at Local Memorial on North Hazel Street

Iowa

Workers who died on the job remembered today

Workers’ Memorial Day honored with reading of 50 deceased Iowa workers’ names

Workers Memorial Day in Waterloo honors 50 who lost lives on job

Kentucky

Workers’ Memorial Day: Ceremony honors lives lost due to workplace conditions

Maine

Maine Dept. of Labor Commemorates Workers Memorial Day

Local 14 retirees from Jay mill honored at Workers’ Memorial Day dinner

Massachusetts

In Mass., 51 workers died on the job last year

Massachusetts

Remember the Dead, Fight for the Living: Worker Memorial Day 2023 – EIN News

Michigan

MIOSHA and Michigan Construction Companies Raise Awareness of Fall Hazards in Construction

Workers Memorial Day – Gladwin County Record & Beaverton Clarion

Remembering fallen workers | News, Sports, Jobs – The Mining Journal

Workers’ Memorial Day ceremony set for Friday

Macomb County board recognizes workers who have lost their lives

Minnesota

MnDOT Remembers Workers Who Have Died on the Job

Fallen MnDOT workers honored

 Workers Memorial Day a reminder that more can be done to protect those on the job

30th Annual Workers’ Memorial Day At Duluth Labor Temple

Missouri

Karena Lorek: Today a day to remember those whose lost lives at work

Nevada

Honor our fallen workers by doing your part to protect others

New Jersey

Middlesex County remembers fallen workers at annual Workers Memorial Day event

New York

PEF commemorates Workers Memorial Day – Public Employees Federation

Memorial held for Thruway workers killed on the job

Workers Memorial Day honored in Rochester

Workers Memorial Day remembers those who died on the job, pushes for end to unsafe working conditions

Commentary: These common-sense measures will keep workers safer

North Carolina

‘He never came back home’: NC families push for more regulations after losing loved ones on the job

North Carolina honors people who died on the job in 2021

Workers’ Memorial Day Statement – North Carolina Department of Labor

North Dakota

Honor fallen workers by doing your part for safety

Fargo and Grand Forks labor leaders plan to honor workers on Workers Memorial

Ohio

Local union honors Workers’ Memorial Day, brothers killed in 2022 refinery fire – WTOL

Lake County commissioners, OHSA officials recognize ‘Workers Memorial Day’

Organized labor members to gather for Workers’ Memorial Day

Oklahoma

Workers’ Memorial Day honors Oklahomans killed while on the job – KOCO

Honor Oklahoma’s 19 fallen workers in 2022 by doing your part to protect others: Commentary

Oregon

Fallen workers remembered

Ceremony to Honor Oregon Workers Who Died on the Job in 2022

Workers Memorial Day honors workers who died on the job

Pennsylvania

25 people died in workplace incidents within the last year in South Central Pa.

Centre County elected officials, union leaders call for stronger worker protections in PA

PennDOT holds memorial for workers who died on the job

How safe is your workplace? Workers Memorial Day highlights on-the-job risks

You’re safer as a trout in Pennsylvania than you are as a worker’: a plea for more workplace safety

Ceremony honors Lehigh Valley workers killed on the job

Puerto Rico

Workers’ Memorial Day and Occupational Health and Safety Programs to Protect Puerto Rico Workers 

Tennessee

Commentary: Better, safer workplaces are worth fighting for

Texas

Opinion: Workers Memorial Day is a call for safety

Vermont

VDOL honors National Workers Memorial Day today

West Virginia

Remember workplace safety on Workers Memorial Day | Opinion

Washington

Today, we honor workers who died on the job | AFSCME Council 28 (WFSE)

15 Hanford chemical exposure deaths added to WA state worker death toll after law change

129 lives honored for Worker Memorial Day

Wisconsin

Local workers, state leaders honor Workers’ Memorial Day

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Workers Memorial Day is April 28

Wisconsin AFL-CIO report: 105 state workers died in 2021

Workers’ Memorial Day honors those who died on the job

AFL-CIO: 105 Wisconsin workers died on the job in 2021

Wyoming

On Workers’ Memorial Day, Workforce Services remembers lives lost on the job

It’s Workers’ Memorial day. Let’s ‘fight like hell for the living’

Wyoming is the deadliest state in the nation for workers, again

UK: Work suicide – ‘This can’t continue’ – iwmd23

On International Workers’ Memorial Day, UniteLive investigates rising suicide rates in the construction sector – and how Unite members are making a difference

The construction sector has made significant strides in workplace safety in recent years, with the HSE reporting in 2022 a 16.7 per cent drop in on-site fatalities compared to the five-year average.

But there’s a hidden epidemic in construction – one that’s controversially not reported in HSE statistics. Even as fewer people die in workplace accidents in construction, the suicide rate has relentlessly continued climbing.

Since 2015, Glasgow Caledonian University and the Lighthouse Construction Industry Charity have compiled figures on suicides in construction. Their latest analysis found the suicide rate for construction occupations in 2021 rose to 33.82 per 100,000 from 25.52 per 100,000 in 2015 – the highest rate in any sector.

These latest figures were published just two weeks before International Workers’ Memorial Day today (April 28) and serve as a stark reminder that workplace health and safety is so much more than simply preventing accidents in the workplace.

Suicide in the construction sector is both a protracted and complex problem – there’s no one reason that more people take their lives in construction than in any other sector, explains Unite national officer Jason Poulter.

“For starters, it’s a very long-hours culture, and construction workers are often expected to be away from home – and so away from their families and usual support networks – for long periods of time,” Jason noted.

Construction is still a predominantly male working environment, and with this environment comes many of the coping mechanisms that some men turn to in times of stress, such as gambling, alcohol and substance addiction, which often end up exacerbating already poor mental health.

“There is definitely a drinking culture in construction,” Jason told UniteLive. “There’s having a drink, then there’s having a drink  — going down the pub with your mates can be a positive thing, but it can just as easily spiral into addiction for some if they’re already under a lot of stress.”

Hinkley Point nuclear power station in Somerset – the UK’s largest construction project since the Second World War, employing more than 4,000 people – was an exemplar of mental ill health plaguing the construction sector in the first few years that the project began.

Back in 2019, Unite told the Guardian that in the first four months of that year alone, the union had been informed of at least 10 suicide attempts by workers employed on the site. Since then, Unite and EDF, the major employer at Hinkley Point, have worked together to redouble their efforts to support workers’ mental health.

Unite convenor at Hinkley Point Malcolm Davies in particular hailed EDF’s mental health buddies system, which is a network of volunteers who are trained as mental health first aiders to provide support and guidance to their colleagues.

“We now have over 400 trained mental health first aiders on site, the most we’ve ever had – with more and more people coming forward to take part,” he explained.

Malcolm believes that what has made the programme so successful is that it has slowly but surely changed the culture at the construction site by removing the stigma associated with talking about mental health.

“People find comfort in talking about their mental health, especially when they can talk to their peers,” Malcolm said. “Our mental health first aiders are often the first port of call and can signpost people to the different types of support they can get. We also have an on-site chaplains, as well as an on-site surgery with nurses and doctors if people need professional, medical help.”

Unite rep Matthew, 27, trained as a mental health first aider at Hinkley Point just a few months ago, and said it’s been a very rewarding experience so far.

“I myself have suffered from anxiety and depression, and I also have family who have been through some tough times, so when I started to feel better, I really wanted to help others who’ve had the same experience as me and pass on what I’ve learned,” he explained.

Matthew noted while the mental health buddies system has been in place for many years, he said a vital difference now is that they’re a lot more visible.

“There’s hundreds more of us, and initially mental health first aiders were more office-based, but now we’re on the ground, dotted around throughout the site. We’ve got ‘time to talk’ rooms where we can sit and talk to people privately. Sometimes people just need someone to listen, other times we can offer guidance like suggesting time off from work, or signposting them to seek professional help.”

Unite rep Anthony, 56, will soon train to become a mental health first aider. Like Matthew, Anthony said he’s keen to help others “because mental health is something that’s close to my heart”.

“I’ve got a little lad who’s severely autistic, and when he was first diagnosed, I went through a really rough period of depression for about a year,” he explained. “I’d like to pass on my experience to others, and sit and talk to people, because that’s what I myself needed to get through the tough times.”

Anthony said he already informally mentors many of the younger workers on site and he can’t wait to be fully trained up as a mental health first aider.

“I’m 56 and when I was a young lad, you just kept things to yourself because otherwise you’d be classed as a softy if you talked about mental health and tried to get help,” he noted. “I think it’s absolutely great now that the lads are so much more open and will come and talk. We’ve got a signs all over the site here that say, ‘It’s okay not to be okay’ and I think that’s fantastic.”

Matthew believes that working conditions in construction definitely contribute to the mental health crisis many in the industry face.

“There’s a lot of long hours, weekend work, and working away from home that I think plays a big role,” Matthew explained. “You end up missing time with your kids, with your partner and parents and all sorts in your social life. You might be home one weekend, but the weekend before maybe there was a party and you just feel like you keep missing out on life.”

While Malcolm said he’s very proud of the mental health work both the employer and Unite have done at Hinkley Point – the union also offers separate mental health training for members – he worries that not all in the sector have access to that level of support.

“On large construction projects, especially in nuclear and petrochemical, there’s a lot more money for mental health projects, and for health and safety in general,” he said.

“I think it’s up to unions like Unite to make sure we’ve got reps on the smaller projects, and make sure we get those reps trained up on mental health. We’ve lost on average 100 people each year to suicide in construction – even one is too many, and it can’t continue.”

Jason Poulter likewise said Unite and other unions have a much bigger role to play to tackle the mental health crisis facing workers in the construction sector.

But he emphasised that it is absolutely vital that employers look at the root cause of this crisis and not simply treat the symptoms – symptoms that in many ways the employers themselves are responsible for.

“There’s needs to be root and branch reform of the employment models used in construction,” he said. “Requisite rest periods – they’re not happening. They’re not paying holidays. They’re not encouraging people to take time off. There’s no work-related mental health risk assessments that we absolutely need.

“There’s also the issue of bogus self-employment where workers are burdened with tax returns and having to pay for accountants, without any of the benefits of working for yourself,” he added. “Because the reality is you aren’t working for yourself – you’re under the instruction of someone else and they can fire you on the spot. They’ve blacklisted workers; they have a culture of fire and rehire – it’s the most precarious industry in the entire economy.”

Jason said that it is not until all these factors are addressed that meaningful change will happen.

“This is what Unite is fighting for day in and day out,” he said. “For every suicide in construction, how many broken families are left behind? This is a much wider problem than many people realise, and we’ve got to do something about it. Too many people’s lives depend on it.”

Read now via – UniteLive.org.

UK: Remember the Dead, Fight for the Living! – Unite the Union – #iwmd23

A day to remember all workers who lost their lives to workplace illness or injury, and to continue to fight for every workers’ right to a safe workplace.

The Americas: la importancia de la incorporación de la Salud y Seguridad como principio y derecho fundamental.

 

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En el marco del 28 de abril, Día mundial de la Salud y Seguridad en el Trabajo, el sindicalismo de las Américas remarca la importancia de la incorporación de la Salud y Seguridad como principio y derecho fundamental.
#diamundialdelaseguridadysaludeneltrabajo #C155 #C161 #C187
✅Pretendemos políticas públicas integrales que aseguren normativas y reglamentaciones con un servicio efectivo de inspecciones y sanciones, con un enfoque formativo y preventivo y que aseguren una responsabilidad claramente diferenciada entre empleadores y trabajadores/as.
👉🏿Debemos identificar todo obstáculo existente en el plano de la legislación o la práctica que dificulte o impida la vigencia efectiva de las normas internacionales para lograr la finalidad de un trabajo decente para todos/as. #OIT ,
📑 Debemos reforzar los protocolos de #SST como mecanismos institucionalizados de la clase trabajadora que pueden permitir ampliar el alcance y la significación de lo que representa trabajar en condiciones de salud y seguridad.

The Americas: ¡Por un entorno en el trabajo seguro y saludable!

 

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En el marco del 28 de abril, Día mundial de la salud y seguridad en el trabajo, el movimiento sindical de las Américas exige tener entornos laborales libres de acoso y violencia
#diamundialdelaseguridadysaludeneltrabajo #C190 #trabajolibredeviolenciayacoso #SST
@kairareece @rafael.freire.9889 @cicero_csa

¡POR UN ENTORNO EN EL TRABAJO SEGURO Y SALUDABLE!

• La pandemia visibilizó la importancia de incluir a los riesgos psicosociales en las políticas nacionales de SST. Factores como la duración extensa de las jornadas, la carga y ritmo excesivo de trabajo, la estructura organizacional deficiente, la ausencia de una cultura preventiva de riesgos, las condiciones salariales insuficientes o la discriminación deben ser tenidos en cuenta en relación con su impacto sobre la salud física y psicológica de los/as trabajadores/as
• Las nuevas formas de organización del trabajo como el realizado mediante plataformas o el teletrabajo representan nuevos desafíos para regular esos factores de riesgos por lo que, para asegurar entornos de trabajo seguros y saludables, el derecho a la desconexión, la adaptación ergonómica y la cultura de prevención deben ser ejes estructurales de defensa del sindicalismo.
• Es esencial incorporar medidas a nivel nacional y de empresa para evitar la violencia y el acoso durante el trabajo, en relación con el trabajo o como resultado del mismo. Es esencial prevenir, proteger y reparar y vislumbrar la problemática como una cuestión colectiva que nos involucra a todos y todas.

France: Death in the workplace – Unions demand accountability from French government

In France, about 1,000 people died while at work in 2021. On 28 April  2023 a collective of victims’ families and several trade unions met in front of the French Labor Ministry to demand strong measures. More

Global: Remarkable rise in safety activity worldwide to mark 28 April International Workers’ Memorial Day / Day of Mourning #iwmd23

Unions make a world of difference. We called for occupational health and safety to be an ILO fundamental right. We won it. And now we have got active worldwide in our workplaces, communities and on the streets on #iwmd23 to make it happen. Unions make work better. Make work safer.

 

Remember the dead, fight like hell for the living