Thursday, April 28th is Workers Memorial Day, a day established to recognize workers who were injured or who died on the job. Our Massachusetts workers’ compensation lawyers understand the risks: every day an average of 1.2 workers died at their jobs each week in 2009.
Employers have a responsibility to maintain a safe work environment and comply with certain federal regulations in order to keep employees out of danger and free from Massachusetts work illnesses and injuries suffered on the job.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that approximately 16 workers die each day from injuries sustained at work in the United States. Over 11,000 private-sector workers suffer a nonfatal work-related illness or injury each day, which causes more than half of them to either be transferred to another job, or requires them to be on restricted duty or a leave of absence from the job they currently hold. It is estimated that 200 of the 9,000 workers treated in emergency rooms each day are admitted because of a severe injury or illness suffered at work.
Massachusetts Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health reports that 62 people were killed on the job in 2009. Another estimated 520 Massachusetts employees died in 2009 from occupational disease. The construction industry remains at the top in lives lost on the job. Firefighters and fisherman also had a high number of deaths on the job in 2009. The leading causes of fatal injuries on the job are transportation-related, falls, commercial fishing, workplace violence, and incidents involving the employee being crushed by something at work.
Families who lost a loved one at work in 2010 are encouraged to attend the Workers Memorial Day event hosted by the Massachusetts AFL-CIO, Massachusetts Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health and the Greater Boston Labor Council. The event will be held at the State House Stairs on Beacon Street on Thursday, April 28th, 2011 from 12:15 p.m. to 1:15 p.m. A reading of lost workers’ names will kick off the event followed by featured speakers which include safety experts, state officials and family members of those who lost their life on the job in 2010.
Remembering your loved one is an important step but more importantly so is having a voice. Loved ones need to speak up to legislators about state safety and health-related issues in legislation. For more information about workplace fatalities, go to to view the full report called ‘Dying for Work in Massachusetts: The Loss of Life and Limb in Massachusetts’.
If you have been injured on the job or have a workers’ compensation claim that you have questions about, contact the workers’ compensation attorneys at Jeffrey Glassman Injury Lawyers for assistance. Call for a free and confidential appointment at (617) 777-7777.