A Lichfield councillor has laid a wreath at the National Memorial Arboretum to make International Workers Memorial Day.
Cllr Dave Robertson was joined by other members of the local Labour Party for the service to remember those who have lost their lives in workplaces and to raise awareness of a commitment to safer working environments.
Figures released by the health and safety executive show that 142 people were killed in the UK in accidents at work last year.
Cllr Robertson – who also read out the names of all those who had died in the past 12 months in the workplace at a meeting of the party – said:
“Laying a wreath at yesterday and reading the names of those killed at work in 2021 was a chance for our party to honour the memory of people lost at work last year, and in previous years.
“It was much more than just a wreath and list of names though – behind each name there are family, friends and colleagues who will remember not a statistic but a human being who was taken from the world because of their work.
“Their memories will stay with their loved ones forever, but it is important for us all to remember that 142 people went to work one morning and never came home.
“Our local party recommitted to building a world where we can all go to work safely and come home to our families and live our lives.”
Cllr Dave Robertson
Estimates from the Office for National Statistics show that up to 1.7 million people may be suffering from work related ill health.
Russ Bragger, the local Labour trade union officer, said:
“While remembering those who died and are injured at work, we must strive for safer workplaces by reversing the cuts to the health and safety executive, and increasing penalties for employers who put their workers at risk.”
Russ Bragger
