The Town of Essex plans to lower its flags to half-staff on April 28, the National Day of Mourning for those who have been killed or injured on the job.
The town also plans to promote workplace health and safety on its social media channels and commit to training staff to prevent workplace injuries.
"As much as this is a day to remember those who have lost their lives, it is also a call to protect the living, and make work a place where people are safe and can thrive," read a release from the town.
There were 1,057 workplace fatalities in Canada in 2023, including 29 deaths among workers aged 15 to 24. In addition to those deaths, another 274,022 claims for lost time due to a work-related injury or disease were filed. The numbers are from compensation boards across the country, and likely underestimate the real number.
Employers and workers have observed the Day of Mourning in different ways over the years, including lighting candles, laying wreaths, wearing commemorative pins, ribbons, or black armbands, or pausing for a moment of silence.
Eight years after the Canadian Labour Congress held the first Day of Mourning, Parliament passed the Workers' Mourning Day Act in 1991, which made April 28 the official day of mourning.
