Day Of Mourning, April 28, Worker Fatalities Remembered

Day of Mourning April 28

Day of Mourning is always a somber day for safety professionals. April 28^th, the day when Workers Fatalities from past years are remembered, and especially the year prior. It is the working peoples Remembrance Day. Dedicated to the ones who provide all the services we grow to depend on. It’s for the ones who build our homes, schools, shopping malls and infrastructure. As well the ones who grow and transport our food, and the manufactures of all our creature comforts. It’s for the workers, first responders, and all the rest who work for a paycheque.

The Significance of April 28^th

On April 28 of EVERY year, a world-wide event takes place called Day of Mourning. We remember the workers who were fatally wounded due to their occupations. The numbers are enormous. The financial cost is staggering. Yet the loss to their family is the biggest factor. For every worker who has succumb to their occupational related injuries, an average of 50 others are directly affected. From their immediate families, to neighbors and friends to the coworkers in the company who were there the day he or she died. The gas station attendant who saw them every couple of days, and the server at the coffee shop the worker talks to while grabbing a large to go. Everybody feels a loss.

Workers Deserve Better

If you ask the general public, 98% of the people have no idea the Significance of April 28th. The sad truth is, a vast majority of the general population has no idea what Day of Mourning really is. They have never heard of it. You really can’t blame them. It’s not mentioned in the schools, or advertised weeks or even days prior. Hell, the Significance of April 28^th Day of Mourning is lucky to get a few minutes only on the news.

Labour groups gather to honor killed workers

Industry leaders, government officials and guest speakers stand up and present themselves at ceremonies celebrating the lives of those who have fallen. Every government building lowers the Canadian flag. Most of all, people's hearts feel sadness. Their minds reflect on the person, the accident, and what we need to do so the tragedy never happens again. The General Construction Industry, Sector 72, is one of the leading industries of occupational fatalities.

Mary-Jaye Salmon shares the story of her father on the National Day of Mourning,, who was killed on the job in 1968 as he drove to do a forestry presentation to loggers in Creston.

Global News Video April 28, 2016

WorkSafeBC, the Business Council of B.C. and politicians including Vancouver’s Mayor Gregor Robertson gathered Thursday as the Olympic cauldron was lit on the city’s waterfront to mark the annual Day of Mourning.

Similar ceremonies were held in communities around B.C. to pay tribute to workers whose lives cut short or altered forever.

WorkSafeBC says 122 workers died last year in B.C. 50 of the deaths were from traumatic injuries. 72 deaths caused by occupational disease, mostly from exposure to asbestos decades earlier.

Lowered Flags

The flag at the B.C. legislature lowered to half-mast. Politicians joined others across the country to observe a moment of silence in support of workers. Labour Minister Shirley Bond says. Workplace improvements have been made and everyone must work together to build a culture of safety that makes such tragedies a thing of the past. The union representing Canada’s heat and frost insulators has called on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to ban the use of asbestos. Adding exposure to the material remains the leading cause of work-related deaths in the country.

More Quotes

“Asbestos exposure affects everyone. Whether it’s workers, their family members or other Canadians who come into contact with workers following exposure” says Fred Clare. He is the Eastern Canada vice-president of the International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers. Tom Sigurdson, executive director of BC Building Trades, also says. The federal government must pass legislation banning the import and use of materials containing asbestos. “It is unacceptable in this day and age that construction workers are still being exposed to deadly substances like asbestos,”.

Federal Labour Minister

Holland Park Memorial for a Flagger

Margareta (Maggie) Erin Feeley from Duncan BC was only a 29-year-old woman and a mother to three children. 10-year-old Sierra, eight-year-old Adrianna, and three-year-old Cassius will now grow up without their mom. Why? Because she was crushed by a dump truck. Tragically on October 24, 2013 after a courageous fight for her life, Maggie peacefully passed away. One has to wonder how a construction site accident happens like this. The eyes of the dump truck driver should have been on his rear view mirrors following direction of the flagger. With no radio contact, the only way of communication are hand signals. Sadly however, another young life is lost.

Night of the Memorial

The night of the Memorial at Holland Park, you could see flagging trucks for blocks. Amber rotators shining bright like the life of a lady who was taken far to soon. I didn't know her But i know others just like her. How many have to parish before things change. Only qualified people should be operating any kind of equipment, especially large trucks that can kill in a second.

For More Information; Times Colonist.

From the CBC News British Columbia

Reporter Unknown

Hundreds of traffic flaggers gathered at a candlelit vigil Sunday night to remember a 29-year-old Vancouver Island woman killed on the job last week. Maggie Feeley, 29, died on Wednesday, two days after being struck by a fully loaded dump truck at a Duncan construction site. This occurred while directing a car out of a parking lot. On Sunday night, trucks with flashing signs lined the streets around Surreys Holland Park. The flaggers arriving in neon road gear and reflective clothing.

Diane Herback with the BC Flagging Association hopes the vigil will raise public awareness and respect for flaggers. "The public walking through, motorists walking through people who are pushing their babies.. the construction equipment, the construction crew. How can we make it easier to keep track of everybody while keeping ourselves safe?" said Herback.

The Numbers Mounting

Feeley is the third B.C. flagger to die on the job in the past five years. This fact that seriously concerns former B.C. traffic flagger Shannon Chin, was injured on the job in June 2012. Chin was the first person to light a candle at Feeley's vigil on Sunday and said she's upset. Feeley lost out on the rest of her life when the incident was so preventable. "It's scary — everyone needs to step up. Flaggers need to pay attention and dump truck drivers need to do their walk-around. They can't always see in their mirrors," said Chin.

So What Happened

Chin was hit by a dump truck when it backed over her in North Vancouver. Dragged more than nine meters between the rear passenger tires. Crushed from just above the waist and after more than 10 surgeries, she still isn't able to work. "Everyone just needs to slow down and pay attention. It's crew, it's public, it's everybody. We just need to raise awareness and have people come together and prevent this from happening again."

Flag person killed by car in Mission

Killed, was a flag person when he was hit by a car Wednesday as he was controlling traffic at a construction site in the Fraser Valley. Donald Cain was working at a construction site near Oliver Street and the Lougheed Highway in Mission when he was struck at about 8:15 a.m. PT. Cain, 49, a father of two from Langley, unfortunately declared dead on arrival at Abbotsford Regional Hospital. Police do not believe speed was a factor, but said that glare from the sun might have obscured the driver's vision.

Police Quoted

"The sun at that time in the morning … is pretty low still and would have possibly played a factor," said Mission RCMP Sgt. Miriam Dickson. Cain's supervisor disagreed with the police speculation. "There was no sun involved," said Katherine Keras, owner of Pro-Safe Traffic Service. "He's driving north to south. This was not an incident of sun." Cain was standing on the shoulder of the road when he was hit, Keras said. Traumatized were two other employees after witnessing Cain's death and she pleaded with drivers to pay attention while going through construction zones. "Get off the phone, quit doing what you're doing for two, three minutes," said Keras. "It's not that much to ask."

Day of Mourning