B.C. marks day to honour workers who lost lives on the job
WorkSafeBC accepted 131 work-related death claims in 2018
B.C. is honouring workers who lost their lives on the job with more than 35 "Day of Mourning" ceremonies across the province.
The Ministry of Labour, the B.C. Federation of Labour, the Business Council of British Columbia and WorkSafeBC all honoured workers at a ceremony in downtown Vancouver on Sunday morning. This is the 22nd anniversary of the ceremony.
According to a written statement from WorkSafeBC, it accepted 131 work-related death claims in 2018, down from 158 in 2017.
Sixty-six of those were a result of occupational disease, 65 from traumatic injury, and 24 involved motor-vehicle accidents.
The industries with the highest number of work-related deaths were in general construction, transportation and related services, and public administration.
Disease from exposure responsible for many deaths
A complete breakdown of the deaths showed that many of the deaths involved people in their 70s and 80s who died of disease as a result of exposure to asbestos, with many of them working in construction and the oil and gas industry.
Many others in their 50s, 60s, and 70s died of lung cancer after regular toxic exposure at fire scenes.
"Without exception, I want all workplaces in British Columbia to have strong cultures of safety."
Premier John Horgan also released a statement, saying that his government "remains committed to the fair treatment of workers and employers to prevent workplace tragedies."
"For most of us, working is a fact of life. Safe working conditions should be, too. No injury or death at work is acceptable. While we have made some progress in workplace safety in B.C., more work needs to be done."
Lake named after fallen worker
The province also announced on Sunday the naming of a lake on the Sunshine Coast after a worker who died on the job.
John Phare died in a tree-felling accident while working on the Old Sechelt Mine wildfire on July 5, 2015.
The naming of Phare Lake was proposed by the District of Sechelt in July 2018 and was supported by the shíshálh Nation and several other stakeholders.
Darnelda Siegers, mayor of Sechelt, says the gesture recognizes Phare's contribution to his community.
"John Phare fully embodied the spirit of what we mean when we say 'community-minded,'" she said in a release.