Workers Memorial Day - Focus on safety of our workers

27 April 2011

Helen Kelly will attend a Memorial Service on the West Coast tomorrow as part of Workers Memorial Day – an international day of remembrance and action for workers killed, disabled, injured or made unwell by their work.

“This year has been one of our worst and one where far too many of our fellow workers went to work and didn’t come home. The Pike River mine was open for only a year before it exploded killing 29 people including a 17 year old boy, and having a service in Blackball serves as a poignant reminder to us all of the tragedy of workplace accidents.” said Helen Kelly, President of the CTU. Since the explosion at Pike River on 19 November 2010 at least 12 other workers have been killed at work in addition to the many killed at work in the Christchurch earthquake.

Workplace injuries are killing about 100 people a year and in addition more than 700 people die prematurely from work-related illness or disease every year. More than 200,000 people are seriously harmed every year, requiring them to make an ACC claim and there are more than 17,000 new cases of work-related disease every year, with between 2,500-5,500 being classed as severe. Construction, agriculture, forestry, manufacturing and fishing consistently have above average fatal and major injury rates. These sectors account for 37% percent of all ACC claims.

“Workplace health and safety regulations will be under the microscope as part of investigations into both Pike River and the Canterbury earthquake, now is the time to make health and safety at work a priority for the government. There is little attention given to this New Zealand epidemic and until it is taken seriously many other families will face the heartbreak of having a loved one killed at work.” concludes Kelly.

Workers Memorial Day will be marked tomorrow at services and rallies around New Zealand including, Christchurch, Blackball and Lower Hutt.

ENDS

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