Day of Mourning 2022
Day of Mourning 2022
Posted on April 28, 2022
By: Steven Hnatishin, CPRS, NCSO
April 28, 2022, is Canada’s national Day of Mourning for workers who have lost their lives or had their lives forever altered by accident or illness in the workplace.
In the last five years, there have been 14 deaths among the WCB Codes levied or aligned to Made Safe. That’s 14 families who have lost someone forever. Fourteen workplaces forever changed. Unfortunately, countless friends, family members and colleagues understand the importance of workplace safety all too well. National Day of Mourning is an opportunity to reflect on these lives lost or changed forever. Because fourteen is too many. One is too many. Yet, in part, through these tragedies we have advanced safety and health in our workplaces, helping us learn valuable lessons and further drive forward the importance of safety.
Events like the Day of Mourning help us refocus and remember why we do our work. We work for the lives lost or forever altered but never forgotten. So, whether you’re at home or work, take a look around. Reflect on the people in your space; your coworkers, friends or family. Think about near-misses and what could have happened if circumstances were skewed slightly for the worse. We work towards safer workplaces for them – our networks and our friends.
As a father to two young boys, I do this for my kids. So by the time they enter the workplace, the right to a safe and secure work environment is a universally accepted truth and years without incident are the norm. Manufacturing is safer, cleaner and stronger than ever. In the past decade, the sector’s injury rates have dropped dramatically, but we won’t rest until every worker is safe. In the last two years, we have faced innumerable challenges these last few years, including labour shortages that have resulted in accelerated onboarding. Resultingly, we’ve seen higher than usual injury rates being reported. Now is time to rally back.
Day of Mourning is a time to honour the tragedies of those who have been hurt or lost their lives in the workplace by working diligently to improve the safety and health of our plants, factories and offices. We will not forget the stakes in the safety and health profession. The work of safety and health cannot be understated.
I want to invite you to join me on May 3, 2022 for Safety & Health Week Launch event. The purpose of this event is to extend the mindset behind Day of Mourning beyond just one day on our calendar to a daily reminder of what’s at stake and our obligation to ensure our workers return home the same way they arrived.
ABOUT SAFETY & HEALTH WEEK IN MANITOBA
Safety & Health Week is a weeklong celebration observed from May 1-7 in Canada, the US and Mexico. Take this week to get involved in a number of activities; The Safety & Health Week Launch, Steps for Life Walk, the Bingo Bowl – these events that help us remember this day and raise funds for those whose lives have been changed by serious workplace incidents. This day, this week, this month, and this year, let us keep the sacrifice of others in our hearts, in our thoughts, and in our actions.
