To my fellow Canadians, this is a date that is special to your country. Why? On this date in 1985, the very first National Day of Mourning was first observed. This is a day in which those who have been killed or injured on the job are remembered. Since it started in Canada, this is now a day that is observed by over 80 countries. According to statistics, four workers in Canada die every day. Over the past 15 years, workplace fatalities in Canada are on the rise. I honestly had no idea this was happening. I never thought about it, but this sounds very high. One can only hope that this statistic will go down as labor laws are enforced. I am rather surprised by all of this, but I guess it is something that is not really talked about. Then again, I don’t live in Canada. I wonder how many die in the U.S. each year from on-the-job accidents or occupational diseases. If the statistics are accurate, in 2010, an average of 13 workers died every year on the job. Wow! I had no idea! Interesting how this never gets press coverage, eh?
For more information:
http://www.aflcio.org/Issues/Job-Safety/Death-on-the-Job-Report
http://www.canadianlabour.ca/issues/day-mourning
http://www.newswire.ca/en/story/1152181/government-of-canada-remembers-on-national-day-of-mourning
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Day_of_Mourning_(Canadian_observance)
http://www.famousdaily.com/april28.html
