
Workers’ Memorial Day
We often fail to recognize that the amazing people and lives who built the society we live today are being overlooked as we look around at the world with disinterested eyes. It was not that long ago that all of our modern-day products, from clothing to buildings, were constructed in dangerous conditions without the regulations and rules that keep workers safe in modern industries. Workers’ Memorial Day is a day that commemorates those who gave their lives in pursuit of convenience and comfort. It also stands for the global efforts to improve safety at work. In 1955, the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations was founded. It is made up of many union organizations from different countries. The AFL and CIO were the two main organizations that created this organization. Their purpose was to represent workers around the world and create safe workplaces. Workers’ Memorial Day was established in April 1970 to raise awareness of the many thousands of people who have died trying to make it through another day at work. The Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA), which was passed in the United States in 1970, created this holiday. It helped standardize safety procedures and establish an organization that would enforce them. This same practice was quickly adopted in many industrialized countries around the globe. You can help spread OSHA awareness in your field, no matter if you work in a manufacturing plant or in more dangerous areas that could put your life at risk every day. You can share the stories of workers who have died on the job with your coworkers. This will serve as a warning to others, as well as motivating them to report unsafe conditions to management. Everybody deserves to be home at the end the workday. Workers’ Memorial Day reminds of those who did not and encourages us all to take steps to reduce the number of such deaths in the future.