This Saturday April 28 is “Workers’ Memorial Day” — on this date every year all those injured or killed in work related accidents are remembered.
In Ireland from 2008 to 2017 there were 501 people killed due to work activity with many thousands more seriously injured. During that 10-year period 23 of those fatal workplace accidents occurred in Galway. Nearly half of these (11 ) were in the agriculture, forestry and fishing sector.
The Health and Safety Authority (HSA ) along with the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation, Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU ), Ibec and the Construction Industry Federation (CIF ), are encouraging organisations to mark the occasion with awareness raising initiatives.
Organisations are being encouraged to take this opportunity to review their approach to safety and health in the workplace and to consider initiatives such as in-house training sessions, toolbox talks or to promote safety through, for example, their websites, social media presence, and displays in offices.
Minister of State for Trade, Employment, Business, EU Digital Single Market and Data Protection, Pat Breen TD, whose remit includes workplace safety and health, said that a collaborative approach is vital.
“The purpose of Workers’ Memorial Day is to remember accident victims and to collectively reflect on what can be done to prevent future tragedy.”
“Workplace safety is everyone’s responsibility. Safety conditions are more likely to be improved when employers and employees engage proactively to identify risks in the workplace and the measures needed to eliminate them.
“I am calling on all businesses, trade unions, workers and self-employed persons to strive to make their workplaces safer and healthier,” he said.
