Every year, on April 28, the world recognizes Workers Memorial Day.

Today is the day we pay our respects to those who lost their lives on the job, and recognize the impact of these tragic losses on the families, co-workers, and communities of those we have lost.

As we navigate our way out of the COVID pandemic, this year, like last, is especially somber given the increasing number of essential workers who put their lives on the line during the pandemic, some of whom got sickened and/or died. They were not all healthcare workers, many were grocery clerks and stock people, farm workers, delivery drivers, truck drivers, farmers, law enforcement professionals, teachers, sanitation workers and others we relied on daily.

Nobody should die for simply going to work.

Today we we remember, respect, and honor all of those that lost their lives to what is largely preventable – workplace fatal injuries and illness. What’s more, we dedicate ourselves to improving workplace safety, the culture of workplace safety, and recommitting to the priority of workplace safety in business so that no life lost, no family grieving, and no community impacted is suffering in vain.

Currently, every 99 minutes a worker in North America dies from a workplace accident, injury, or illness. Every 99 minutes a family grieves. Every 99 minutes a community mourns.

Safety is EVERY worker’s right.