Around 40 people braved the rain at the Worker’s Memorial Statue in Prince George this morning (Monday) to commemorate National Day of Mourning.
On National Day of Mourning, ceremonies and events are held across Canada to honour and respect workers who have died or been injured on the job.
“I’ve been an officer with WorkSafe for a little over 26 years, in that time I’ve had the solemn duty to respond to a workplace where a worker has lost their life on 34 occasions,” said WorkSafeBC Officer Mike Tasker.
“I’ve seen the good and the bad, and the ugly, ranging from a young woman, just starting out, losing her life at 17, to a truck driver, losing his life on his last load before retirement. I’ve come to learn there’s nothing fair about workplace injury and death.”
Tasker said when it comes to making a workplace safe, the word that comes to mind for him is commitment.
“Workplaces are safe when there’s a commitment to do the right thing, even if no one’s watching, to exercise our rights as workers and to stand up for what we believe in and to stand up for our coworkers, a commitment to pass on our safety knowledge, as more senior and experienced people, to the next generation so that they know what is right and what is not, basically just a commitment to do better,” Tasker said.
“Our collective goal is to make that commitment, and it starts today to remember those that we’ve lost, but tomorrow, we pick up our tools, and we pick up the fight so that ceremonies such as this are not necessary in the future. We’re not there yet, but there’s a lot of work to do, but if we remain committed to the cause and to one-another, we might just get there.”
According to WorkSafeBC, workplace injuries claimed 146 lives in BC in 2024. 78 of those deaths were from occupational diseases, half of those being from asbestos exposure.
Additionally, 38 workers lost their lives due to traumatic workplace injuries, including falls from heights, being struck by objects, and being caught in equipment or machinery.
30 workers also died as a result of motor vehicle incidents.
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