In Salem on Monday, the Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Division (Oregon OSHA) and the Oregon AFL-CIO will hold a Workers Memorial Day ceremony to honor the memory of individuals who succumbed to work-related injuries and illnesses in 2024. The observance will take place at 12:30 p.m. at the Fallen Worker Memorial, located at 350 Winter St. NE, part of the Capitol Mall, as detailed in a report from Oregon Newsroom. Union leaders, safety advocates, elected officials, and faith leaders are scheduled to speak at the solemn event.
Remarking on the significance of the ceremony, Oregon Governor Tina Kotek said, "Every day, people across Oregon go to work to provide for themselves and their families, to help their fellow Oregonians and make the state a thriving place to live. Today, we honor the Oregonians whose lives were tragically lost doing their job and offer our deepest condolences to their families. Today, we recommit to our efforts to make working conditions safer and protect workers across the state," Oregon Newsroom reports. During the occasion, the names of those who passed away in the line of duty the previous year will be read, and attendees will hear from various speakers, including Oregon OSHA Administrator Renée Stapleton and Oregon AFL-CIO President Graham Trainor.
The event will not only serve as a moment of remembrance but also as a clarion call for ongoing vigilance and improvement in workplace safety. "Workers Memorial Day is not just a day of remembrance," Stapleton said in a statement obtained by Oregon Newsroom. "It is a day to renew our call to action. It is a day to revitalize our commitment to our mission: to create safe and healthy workplaces, where the risk of death is eliminated and where every worker returns home at the end of their shift, safe and sound." Oregon workplaces have seen safety improvements, but the fight for a fully secure working environment continues.
Trainor expressed concerns during his remarks about the inadequacy of current safety laws, stating, "Job safety laws remain far too weak, allowing employers to endanger employees often without repercussion," which appears in Oregon Newsroom, adding that the unions in Oregon will relentlessly defend the safety and health of the workforce. It's a promise to confront lapses and hold parties accountable for workplace hazards, while also pursuing the dignity of all workers. In light of Workers Memorial Day, Oregon OSHA encourages the use of their available resources, which include consultation services, education, and outreach through the DCBS Multicultural Communications Program and the Ombuds Office for Oregon Workers, Oregon Newsroom details.
Workers Memorial Day is recognized nationally on April 28 to coincide with the passage of the Occupational Safety and Health Act by the U.S. Congress in 1970. For further information on workplace safety and health regulations or the upcoming Workers Memorial Day observance event, interested parties can visit Oregon OSHA's official website or contact their Public Information Officer, Aaron Corvin.
