Health and Safety
April 24, 2007
Workers Memorial Day 28th April 2007
“Wear a Purple Ribbon”: What is Workers Memorial Day?
Started by the Canadian Public Service Union in 1985, WMD is a day of remembrance on the anniversary of a groundbreaking “Workers’ Compensation Act” passed in 1914. April 28th was declared an official “Workers Mourning Day”, hence the slogan ‘Remember the Dead, Fight for the Living’. WMD started to be marked in the UK in 1992 and is recognised in many countries around the world. This year’s theme is “Enforcement of Health & Safety Law saves Lives” and activities are focussing on workplace cancers, particularly mesothelioma, caused by asbestos.
As part of the activities for the upcoming Workers Memorial Day on 28 April, Napo's Branches and health and safety reps will display Hazards Campaign posters showing the very low level of HSE prosecutions for Health & Safety offences, and distribute the purple memorial ribbons. H&S Reps will follow up on the asbestos removal and checking process that has taken place in the NPS and CAFCASS, checking that signs are still in place and visible, the logs are still accessible and up to date, and that the GP information exercise for staff who were identified as having worked in premises containing asbestos has been carried out.
More info on WMD is available from the Hazards Campaign at http://www.hazardscampaign.org.uk/wmd/index.htm
Posted by mpearce at April 24, 2007 12:35 PM