Trades unionists from around the South West will lay a wreath at the Workers Memorial Plaque in Castle Park, Bristol, at 1pm on Thursday, April 28 to commemorate all those killed through work.
The annual ceremony, which is organised by Bristol Trades Council, is also aimed at raising awareness of workplace safety.
In a tragic irony, this year’s Workers’ Memorial Day comes the day after Russell Flook, of Flooks Scaffolding, is due at Bristol Crown Court for sentencing, having admitted a health and safety offence which was alleged to have led to the death of one of his employees. Shaun Stevens, 41, sustained fatal injuries when he fell from a temporary roof he was dismantling at The Old Brains Factory site in Kingswood, Bristol, in October 2006.
South West TUC regional secretary Nigel Costley said raising awareness of workplace safety was particularly important now when workers were facing the double whammy of tough economic times and a government that was engaged in a sustained attack on health and safety.
He said: “Workers are facing the most difficult economic conditions of recent years with, in many cases, fewer people doing more work. The fear is that tough economic times might lead some employers to cut corners which could put workers at risk.
“At the same time, health and safety at work is under sustained attack by this Government. Not only has it slashed the Health and Safety Executive’s budget by a massive 35 per cent but local authorities have also suffered major financial cutbacks, all of which will mean fewer visits to workplaces and less enforcement of safety law.
“Official figures show 152 workers were killed between April 1, 2009 and March 31, 2010, with an average of 220 deaths per year over the last five years.
“But the TUC’s analysis of the most conservative official safety figures shows that at least 20,000 people – almost the entire population of Portishead – die early in the UK as a result of their work every year, through conditions such as occupational cancers and lung disorders, exposure to fumes and chemicals, and fatal traffic accidents.
“These fatalities are not just statistics. They are real people, with families, and any workplace accident, injury or death has a huge impact on loved ones.
“The only way to ensure such tragedies are not repeated is by stricter enforcement with higher penalties for breaches of health and safety laws – not by undermining the limited protection that workers have.”
(from a press release)
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