MPs mark Workers’ Memorial Day, warning safety cuts are putting lives at risk
Parliamentarians and bereaved families will come together in Parliament today to mark Workers’ Memorial Day and remember those who have lost their lives because of work.
The event, hosted by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Occupational Safety and Health, will include contributions from:
· Prof Julia Waters, sister of the late headteacher Ruth Perry, who took her own life following an Ofsted inspection
· Fiona and Barry, who worked alongside murdered transport worker Jorge Ortega
· Anne Davies, widow of firefighter Jeff Simpson, who died from cancer caused by chemicals he was exposed to in burning buildings
· Kate Bell, Assistant General Secretary, Trades Union Congress
Workers’ Memorial Day is an international day of remembrance, backed by the United Nations, for those who have died due to work-related injury or illness.
The parliamentary memorial will bring together MPs, peers, trade unions, families and workers affected by preventable workplace deaths.
Background
MPs and peers in the APPG have raised serious concerns about the capacity of the Health and Safety Executive, which has seen its funding cut by almost half since 2010. These cuts have limited its ability to carry out proactive inspections and enforcement, increasing the risk that unsafe employers go unchecked.
At the same time, work-related mental ill health is rising, yet there are significant gaps in how the system responds. The Health and Safety Executive does not currently investigate work-related suicides, meaning potential systemic causes go unexamined.
Policymakers are calling for this to change, so that work-related suicides are treated with the same seriousness as other workplace deaths.
They are also calling for the regulator’s pre-2010 budget to be restored, in order for it to respond to modern workplace risks, including the growing crisis of violence at work.
Ian Lavery, Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Occupational Safety and Health, said:
“Workers’ Memorial Day is about remembering those who have lost their lives because of work, but it is also about confronting the failures that continue to put workers at risk today.
There is a growing crisis of violence at work. When 8 in 10 public-facing workers are experiencing abuse, it is clear that far too many workers are being left without the protection they deserve.
We are also seeing rising levels of work-related mental ill health, yet work-related suicides are not even investigated by the Health and Safety Executive. That cannot be right. These deaths must be recognised, properly investigated, and used to prevent future tragedies.
At the same time, the Health and Safety Executive has had its funding cut in half over the last decade. That has real consequences: fewer inspections, weaker enforcement, and less capacity to deal with growing risks like stress and violence.
If we are serious about protecting workers, government must act — by restoring funding to the regulator and expanding its capacity. No one should lose their life or their health simply for doing their job.”
Julia Waters will say:
“Work-related suicides are not treated with the same seriousness as other workplace deaths. Until they are recognised, investigated and acted on, the risk of future deaths remains.”
Event details
Date: Tuesday 28 April 2026
Time: 09:00 – 10:00
Location: Cholmondeley Room and Terrace, House of Lords
Contact: Shelly, healthandsafety@tuc.org.uk 07897922813
Notes to Editors
· Workers’ Memorial Day takes place annually on 28 April and is recognised internationally as a day to remember those who have died or been injured because of work, and to campaign for safer workplaces.
· The Health and Safety Executive is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. Its funding has been reduced by around 45 per cent since 2010 (source: https://www.britsafe.org/safety-management/2023/a-perfect-storm-why-funding-cuts-are-affecting-hse-s-ability-to-regulate)
· The number of inspections carried out by HSE has fallen by 35% in the last decade (source: https://www.hazards.org/deadlybusiness/hseisbroke.htm)
· A TUC survey found 8 in 10 workers experienced abuse in the last year (source: https://www.tuc.org.uk/news/8-10-workers-have-experienced-abuse-work-past-year)
· The number of people reporting work-related stress, anxiety or depression is on the rise, according to HSE’s 2024/25 statistics (source: https://www.ier.org.uk/news/tuc-record-levels-of-work-related-stress-in-britains-workplaces/)
· The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Occupational Safety and Health brings together parliamentarians to promote better health and safety at work and to support those affected by occupational injury and disease: www.appgosh.org