Many of the parents, spouses, children, and other relatives of the nearly six-dozen people who died from a job-related illness or injury last year in Washington State attended a ceremony this week to mark the annual Worker Memorial Day.
The 66 workers honored included young people, such as the 22-year-old college student working as a commercial fisherman, to seniors who died from diseases caused by workplace exposure to asbestos while they were in their prime working years. Some worked in jobs considered hazardous, like logging, construction, and fishing, while others were in less hazardous professions, such as insurance, research, or sales.
“Worker Memorial Day is a somber reminder that there is still much work to do to make sure every worker in Washington returns home safely at the end of the day,” said Washington State Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) Director Joel Sacks. “We honor those who died last year by pledging to do everything in our power to prevent these tragedies from being repeated.”
The ceremony was held Tuesday afternoon at L&I’s central building in Tumwater. It was open to the public and attended by Governor Jay Inslee, as well as representatives of the Association of Washington Business, the Washington State Labor Council, and the Washington Self-Insurers Association. The ceremony included a reading of the names of the workers who died, accompanied by bell ringers from the Washington State Council of Fire Fighters. After the ceremony, the families were invited to ring the brass bell in the Worker Memorial garden on the grounds of the L&I building. L&I has hosted a ceremony for Worker Memorial Day for 20 years.
“We never lose sight of the fact that behind each [workplace fatality] investigation is a real person – a person who left behind hopes and dreams, family and friends,” said Sacks. “They were hardworking dedicated co-workers, spouses, fathers, mothers, sons and daughters — people just like you and me. They didn’t know that going to work – something we all do every day – would end their lives.
“Even if you could bring the number [of worker deaths] down to one person, it would be one too many,” added Sacks.
“I was honored to attend [the] ceremony and meet the families of those workers,” said Gov. Inslee. “Their inspiring stories are a reminder of how important it is to work together to support safe work environments for all workers.”
A complete list of the workers honored this year is available online at WorkerMemorialDay.Lni.wa.gov.
Many of the parents, spouses, children, and other relatives of the nearly six-dozen people who died from a job-related illness or injury last year in Washington State attended a ceremony Tuesday to mark the annual Worker Memorial Day. (PHOTO COURTESY WASHINGTON STATE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR & INDUSTRIES)
