News Release

National Safety Council Honors Workers on Workers Memorial Day

Itasca, IL - Each year, more than 5,000 people are killed and more than four million people suffer disabling injuries on the job. These victims are being remembered today on Wednesday, April 28, Workers Memorial Day.

"The National Safety Council urges all Americans to take time today to honor workers who lost their lives or were injured on the job," said National Safety Council President Alan McMillan. "On Workers Memorial Day, we rededicate ourselves to protecting workers in American workplaces. Workplace injuries and illnesses can be prevented. While we are making great progress in reducing workplace injuries and illnesses, much more can be done.

"Each of us shares a responsibility to work safely in our daily lives," he said. "Employers and business leaders have a special obligation to ensure that the core human value of safety and health is firmly rooted in their organizations," he said. "Anyone in a leadership role must recognize that striving for excellence in safety and health is not just the right thing to do, it's good business."

Workers Memorial Day is observed annually to coincide with the date of the establishment of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration in 1971. Trade unionists around the world now mark April 28 as an International Day of Mourning. For more information about organized labor's observance of Workers Memorial Day, visit www.aflcio.org.

The National Safety Council is a nonprofit, nongovernmental, international public service organization dedicated to protecting life and promoting health. Members of NSC include more than 45,000 businesses, labor organizations, schools, public agencies, private groups and individuals. Founded in 1913, and chartered by the U.S. Congress in 1953, the primary focus of the NSC is preventing injuries that occur in workplaces, homes, communities and motor vehicles. For more information about the NSC, visit the website at www.nsc.org or contact your local NSC chapter.