April 28 marks the National Day of Mourning, honouring those who have been killed or injured on the job.
Industry, government, and union leaders gathered at the Fluvarium in St. John’s to mark the occasion.
According to WorkplaceNL, 18 people lost their lives due to their work last year: 3 from fatal incidents and 15 from occupational disease. Over the past five years, 140 workers in this province have lost their lives as a result of workplace accidents or occupational illness.
Perry Feltham of USW Local 9316 says while education and committees implemented by government are beneficial, “they can’t save everybody.”
Feltham says the Nova Scotia Westray Mine disaster of 1992 is an example of an employer circumventing safety measures for profit. An underground methane explosion killed all 26 workers who were on the site, ranging between the ages of 22 to 56.
He says at the end of the day, there’s only one person you can rely on in the workplace.
Feltham says not every employer cares about your safety, so you always need to rely on yourself. He says workers need to ask themselves if the task at hand and working conditions are safe. He says workers just want to make it home to their loved ones at the end of the day, and those lost 26 miners were no exception.