Sarah McOnie
The Safety Topic
Workers Memorial Day - 28 April 2010
The Government has announced that the UK will officially recognise Workers Memorial Day to commemorate the thousands of people who have died, been seriously injured or made ill through their work.
The UK will join the many other countries around the world that officially recognise the Day on 28 April, the International Day of Action for Safety and Health at Work. Formal recognition will reinforce the significance of the Day and raise awareness of the number of people who are killed, disabled, injured or made unwell through their work.
We asked The British Safety Council (BSC) and the International Institute of Risk and Safety Management (IIRSM) their reaction to this announcement:
Julie Nerney, Chief Executive Officer of the British Safety Council said: “In our response to the Government consultation we made clear our belief that Workers Memorial Day needed official recognition. We need to remember that for the relatives, friends and colleagues of those who have died as a result of workplace ill-health and injury the memory and loss adversely affect them day-in, day-out.”
“The day will not only commemorate an estimated 21,000 people who die each year in the UK and staggeringly 2.2million people annually from work-related disease, ill-health and injury but also spur employers, workers and people generally to support those measures considered essential to preventing accidents and ill-health in the future.”
Welcoming the announcement International Institute of Risk and Safety Management (IIRSM) Chief Executive Brian Nimick commented: “Official recognition of Workers Memorial Day is both a logical and a progressive step in the right direction to highlight the real purpose of health and safety legislation: to save lives. IIRSM fully supports the commemoration of those people who have lost their lives or suffered serious injury through work-related accidents. Further, IIRSM believes the day will serve to emphasise the importance of health and safety awareness for everyone.”
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