Workers remembered on international memorial day
By Workplace Health and Safety Queensland
28 April 2023
In the last year, Queensland lost 27 people to work-related injuries and disease. Three women and 24 men left our workplaces and homes too soon.
- We remember: 28 April is International Workers' Memorial Day which commemorates people killed, disabled, injured or made unwell by their work.
- Workers’ Memorial Day is an opportunity to highlight that most workplace incidents are preventable.
- The slogan for the day is Remember the dead – Fight for the living.
- The community is encouraged to join a public memorial or livestreamed ceremony.
These people were parents, children, colleagues and friends and gave much to their industry and the lives of their loved ones.
28 April is International Workers’ Memorial Day – a day for the community to unite through grief, celebrate the lives of their loved ones, and remind everyone of their right to go to work safely, and go home safely.
Chair of the Affected Persons Committee Dan Kennedy will speak at a breakfast ceremony in Brisbane, to share stories and remember those who have lost their life because of their work.
The breakfast ceremony will be livestreamed on the Workplace Health and Safety Queensland Facebook page from 7.30am.
A public memorial will be held at Emma Miller Place in Brisbane at 11am.
Quotes attributable to Queensland Safety Advocate and Chair of the Affected Persons Committee, Dan Kennedy:
“It’s now 10 years since Dale didn’t return home from work. He was only 20 years old, with a young child. Dale was electrocuted while working in a ceiling space as a fourth-year apprentice.
“The pain doesn’t stop. Losing someone you love takes a lot out of you.
“Speaking with workers in Queensland gives me a sense of purpose - as so many workplace incidents could be avoided.
“We need to normalise speaking up when something doesn’t seem right and listen when someone in a workplace expresses concern.”
Further information
On Friday 28 April, a private Workers’ Memorial Day 2023 breakfast will be held for those who have lost loved ones, friends, or colleagues from 7:30am. This will be livestreamed on the Workplace Health and Safety Queensland Facebook page.
More information on the Consultative Committee for Work-Related Fatalities and Serious Incidents is at Worksafe.qld.gov.au.
Queenslanders can learn more about the online Workers’ Memorial Honour Roll hosted on the WorkSafe website. This is a place where people can publish tributes to loved ones who have lost their life to a work-related injury or disease.
ENDS
Media contact: 0478 33 22 00 | OIRMedia@oir.qld.gov.au