Tuesday, April 25, 2006

In 365 days, 188 dead workers: A Remembrance.

Struck by a falling tree. Worker was crushed by a loader. Worker fell 19 feet from a third-floor unguarded balcony. Exposure to asbestos; Meso- thelioma. Contact with power line. Electrocution. Fish boat capsized. Worker drowned. Pinned between two rail cars.

The reports go on and on, the plain prose hiding the pain and suffering of the dead and their survivors.


What also goes on and on are hand-wringing comments from governments and employers about the need to make workplaces safer.

The need is certainly there - ask the dead, year after year. But the political will is not. . .

That's from my old friend Bill Tieleman's column in 24 hours. Bill reminds us that this Friday is an International Day of Mourning for workers who died on the job.

I'll be remembering these workers, too.

1 Comments:

Blogger Stuart Morris said...

In the old days, I used to work in the shipyards as a labourer, and there would be a horrific injury or death every month or so.

A few years back, I took industrial first aid training from the chief first aid attendant at one of the shipyards I used to worked at, and was delighted to find that they hadn't had a serious accident in years.

So I'm surprised to see from Bill's column that the death toll is rising. I had thought it must be declining, and that's somewhat worrisome.

11:16 AM  

Post a Comment

<< Home