April 28 - International Workers' Memorial Day

The 28th of April is the International Workers' Memorial Day (or International Commemoration Day for Dead and Injured) that takes place annually around the world. It is an international day of remembrance of workers killed, disabled, injured or made unwell by their work.

Workers' Memorial Day was started by the Canadian and U.S. Employee Unions in 1984 for persons killed or injured in the workplace.

Ten years later, more than 100 countries of the world held events and activities to attract people’s attention to various issues related to the occupational safety and health. With its present official name, the International Workers' Memorial Day was first celebrated in 2003 at the initiative of the International Labor Organization.

The ILO was established with the aim draw attention to the scale of the problem. According to the ILO, 5-6 thousand people every day die in the workplace worldwide, and this figure is increasing annually by about 10%. There are cases when these victims are caused by employers’ desire to reduce costs by partial or complete disregard of the health and safety requirements. The ILO has never acknowledged this convenient employers’ claim that accidents at work and occupational diseases are "an integral part of the work."

In our country, this day is traditionally preceded by the Month of Health and Safety, during which a variety of activities and events take place. This year, Demskiy district of the Ufa city has organized a seminar on the new occupational safety requirements and on the special assessment of workplace conditions. The event was attended by representatives of the government bodies, trade unions, some top managers and specialists of enterprises.

Despite the fact that there is a decreasing tendency of the overall level of injuries at workplace, new incidents do occur. In 2012, 83 accidents occurred comparing to 70 accidents in 2013. The most often cases relate to falling from height at construction sites. The second most common situations are road accidents including those caused by using faulty vehicles and negligence of work regime. The third is the action of supplies and equipment to a human body. According to Rosstat (Russian Federal State Statistics Service), almost one third of all workers of the Republic are working under hazardous conditions.