Day of Mourning for workers killed or hurt on job
24 workers died from accidents or occupational disease in N.L. in 2015
Politicians, families and unions gathered at Confederation Building in St. John's Thursday to remember people hurt or killed because of their work, including 24 deaths and injuries in 2015.
- Trepassey roofer succumbs to injuries after 20-foot drop
- Tragedy in Placentia Bay: Bodies of 3 missing crab fishermen recovered
Last year, 17 people died from occupational disease, and seven workers died from accidents on the job.
The fatal accidents included a 20-year-old roofer from Trepassey, CJ Curtis, who fell through a skylight onto a concrete floor in June, 2015 and three crab fishermen who drowned in Placentia Bay when their boat capsized that same month.
The numbers are down from 2014 and WorkplaceNL said there are also fewer people than ever reporting work-related injuries or illness serious enough to keep them off the job.
"Promoting safe and sustainable communities is a priority for our government, and we will continue to work with our partners to help ensure workers return home safe and sound at the end of each work day," said Eddie Joyce, minister responsible for WorkplaceNL.
The group said it is working on reducing the number of serious injuries which "change lives forever" and the amount of violence in the workplace, which it said is on the rise.
"There were 69 per cent more lost-time incidents related to assaults and violent acts in the workplace than five years ago, a rate of 7.6 per 10,000 workers," said a news release from WorkplaceNL.
