April 28 is the Day of Mourning
April 24, 2012
Ontario will join more than 100 countries in marking April 28 as the day to commemorate workers who have died, been injured or made ill as a result of their work.
Victims and their families pay dearly for preventable injuries, and unfortunately, the health-care sector has some of the highest injury and illness statistics in the workforce.
Again this year, ONA reflects on Justice Archie Campbell’s sage advice – his SARS Commission of Inquiry made strong recommendations for averting preventable illness, the primary being:
“That the precautionary principle, which states that action to reduce risk need not await scientific certainty, be expressly adopted as a guiding principle throughout Ontario’s health, public health and worker safety systems by way of policy statement, by explicit reference in all relevant operational standards and directions, and by way of inclusion, through preamble, statement of principle, or otherwise, in the Occupational Health and Safety Act, the Health Protection and Promotion Act, and all relevant health statutes and regulations.”
ONA urges you to join workers in your community to reflect during this important day and to call for more action to prevent tragedies in our workplaces. The Workers Health & Safety Centre (WHSC) has posted information about workers’ memorials in communities throughout the province. It has also produced a brochure and issued information about an event planned for York Region.
We encourage you to share the attached documents with your members. Please let us know of any events that ONA Locals may be planning.
Document Download: Workers Health and Safety Centre Day of Mourning Poster
Document Download: Day of Mourning List of Events
Statement from the Canadian Labour Congress
Health & Safety
Executive Members
ONA Members
My Union. My Contract. My Workplace.
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