Workers’ Memorial Week of Action

April 21-28, 2014

Bringing Awareness,  Inspiring Mobilization,  and Taking Action!

Each year, thousands of working men and women die on the job. On April 28, we observe Workers Memorial Day to remember those men and women who have suffered and died on the job from workplace injuries and diseases. It is our opportunity to renew our efforts for safe workplaces and bring together workers, their families, community-based worker centers, unions, environmentalists, and other health and safety advocates in a unified effort to alert the public and the government to our outrage and our demands for action that leads to better workplace health and safety. Read more about the history of Workers’ Memorial Day.

For years, the COSH Network and our allies have fought hard to win protections that have made jobs safer, saved hundreds of thousands of lives and prevented millions of workplace injuries and illnesses. But our struggle continues until these preventable fatalities stop! We want to motivate individuals and organizations like you to take action and organize activities to highlight these preventable fatalities and injuries until employers become accountable and provide safe and healthy workplaces. We are calling you to join our efforts in solidarity and be part of the week of action!

Click here for a roundup of Workers’ Memorial Day 2013 events, news coverage, photos and more!

MEDIA MATERIALS FOR 2014

(Coming Soon)

Media Materials from 2013:

• What to Expect During Workers’ Memorial Week of Action
• National Report: “Preventable Deaths: The Tragedy of Workplace Fatalities”  
• National Press Release  
• National Infographics (available in English and Spanish)
• Stories of Fallen Workers

• Click here for reports and materials written in 2013 and years back.

HOW TO PARTICIPATE?

We invite you to organize an action or event to commemorate fallen workers and build awareness to promote healthy and safe workplaces. Or, look for a local event below and participate!  

NEED IDEAS FOR AN ACTION? HERE ARE SOME TO GET YOU STARTED…

• Organize visits elected officials to increase awareness about OSH related issues and to make an appeal for the enforcement of laws established to secure the right of workers to have a safe and healthy job. Further, encourage elected officials to motivate creation of new laws to prevent injuries, illness and death on the job.  
• Motivate your school, college, university, union, organization, etc., to hold awareness-building events with students, workers and the community. We encourage these events to focus on a commitment or goal that would help increase the health and safety of workers on the job: a training, an awareness session, an informative talk, a talking circle, and more.  
• Another way to expose the dangerous and hazardous conditions that workers is to increase media coverage on OSH related issues. Contact your local newspaper, community radio and TV station to highlight the urgent need to improve working conditions in your region. Your organization, school, college or union could also write an article or blog and featured it on their website or newsletter and promote it on the various social networks.
• Another idea is for organizations and entities to create banners with a message related to Workers’ Memorial Day. The banners can be safely hung at strategic places.
• These are just some suggestions, but feel free to be creative!

LISTING OF LOCAL EVENTS BY STATE

CLICK HERE TO TELL US ABOUT YOUR ACTION.

NEED WORKERS’ MEMORIAL DAY RESOURCES AND MATERIALS? CHECK THESE OUT…

(Check back for updated information. We’ll link materials as we receive it.)

• Tips for writing a WMDay report
• Information Sources on Fatalities for Workers’ Memorial Day Reports
• WMDay Factsheets
• WMDay Flyer
• Facts about Worker Safety and Health
• Data on 2013 occupational fatalities (coming soon)
• Video: “Our Loved Ones Died in Unsafe Workplaces”

LINKS TO WORKERS’ MEMORIAL DAY REPORTS from previous years:

• National Report (2013): “Preventable Deaths: The Tragedy of Workplace Fatalities”  
• National Press Release  (2013)  
• “North Carolina Workers Dying for a Job: A 2013 Report on Worker Fatalities in North Carolina”
• North Carolina Press Release  (2013)
• MassCOSH Report (2013): “Dying for Work in Massachusetts”
• MassCOSH Press Release  (2013)
• Worksafe’s (California) Report (2013): “Dying at Work in California”
• Tennessee Report (2013): “Tennessee Workers: Dying for a Job”  
• Wyoming Press Release  (2013)
• Coalition for Sensible Safeguards’ Workers’ Memorial Week of Action page
• Compliance and Safety Blog’s Workers’ Memorial Day Page
• AFL-CIO Death on the Job Report 2013
• Dying for Work in Massachusetts 2012
• Dying for Work in California  2012
• North Carolina Workers Dying for a Job 2012
• PhilaPOSH Workers’ Memorial Day Video 2011

NEED HELP WITH MEDIA OUTREACH? HERE ARE SOME TOOLS.

• National COSH Media Advisory Template  (send about a week before your event, then again day or two before event)
• National COSH Press Release Template  (send day of event/action)
• National COSH Tips for Writing Letters to the Editor and Op-Eds  (send several days in advance of event/action to try to have it run day of the event/action)
• Telling Our Story: A guide to preparing a state-wide Workers’ Memorial Day report
• National COSH’s state ranking of worker fatalities from Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries data (attached in Excel document below)

QUESTIONS? DO YOU NEED SUPPORT ORGANIZING AN EVENT? PLEASE CONTACT:

Peter Dooley, [email protected].