A moment of silence was held in Medicine Hat today for lives that have been lost from workplace injury and illness.
A ceremony was held at Memorial Arboretum Park as part of the National Day of Mourning.
Mayor Linnsie Clark and police chief Mike Worden were among those participating.
Also on hand was Jay-jay Timmons, whose brother-in-law was killed in a workplace accident in 2011.
She says people need to take care when at work on any site..
“There’s already so much safety in the oilfield and construction industry, but everybody’s under a time crunch. So take your time, it’s going to take another ten minutes. It’s worth if if you can come home,” Timmons told CHAT News.
Also during the Day of Mourning ceremony, police chief Worden spoke of his committment to make workplace safety a priority.
And the city’s director of health and safety touched upon workplace illnesses, noting that early prevention is important.
Merrick Brown mentioned firefighters as an example, saying they can face hazards from exposure to smoke.
“That is one thing that all employers should be focused on, is not just injuries, but illnesses as well. Because given the fact that in 2019, 57 percent of the deaths in Canada were related to workplace illnesses and so sometimes we forget about that and we can’t,” Brown said.
The Workers Compensation Board says 178 people died while on the job last year in Alberta, and tens of thousands of people were injured.
