April 28 is Workers’ Memorial Day, a time to pay tribute to the thousands of workers who die on the job each year.
The U.S. began observing Workers’ Memorial Day on April 28, 1970, when “an estimated 38 people died on the job … each day,” according to the Department of Labor.
In 2023, work-related injuries claim the lives about 14 people each day, which averages to “one life lost every 101 minutes.”
Workers’ Memorial Day is a tribute to these people, those fallen workers who came before them and the survivors who remain to grieve them.
“On Workers Memorial Day, as we remember the people whose jobs claimed their lives, we must recognize that behind these numbers, there are people who mourn each loss. For them, these statistics are loved ones: they’re parents, children, siblings, relatives, friends, or co-workers,” said Assistant Secretary for OSHA Doug Parker. “On this day of remembrance, we should reflect on what might have prevented their loss and recommit ourselves to doing all we can … to safeguard workers and to fulfill our moral obligation and duty as a nation to protect America’s workers.”
Parker and Assistant Secretary for Mine Safety and Health Christopher Williamson will host a national Workers’ Memorial Day ceremony online broadcast on April 27 at 1 p.m. EDT.
On April 28, OSHA and Mine Safety and Health Administration representatives will take part in local Workers’ Memorial Day events, joining families, workers, labor unions, advocates and others to remember lives lost and raise awareness on workplace safety.
To find a local event in your area, click here.
