Worker Memorial Day
Coming:
Tuesday, April 23, 2013 at 2 p.m.
Honoring workers' service
The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries hosts a Worker Memorial Day ceremony each spring to honor those who have died in the previous year from job-related injuries or illnesses. Families of the fallen workers are invited to attend the service, which includes comments from speakers, a reading of the names of the workers who have died, and an outdoor portion where relatives are invited to ring a bell hanging in L&I’s Worker Memorial Garden. The names of the workers are also entered into a Worker Memorial book, displayed in the agency’s lobby.
What to expect
The ceremony at L&I's Tumwater campus begins with an indoor service in the headquarters auditorium. Every family member of a worker being honored at the service is invited to attend.
L&I employees will join the family members as part of the audience. Speakers typically include the director of L&I, representatives from labor organizations, the Washington business community, and businesses that self-insure. Past ceremonies have also included state governors or their representatives.
Their comments are followed by a reading of the names of all those being remembered at the ceremony, accompanied by the ringing of a bell, as photographs of the lost loved ones are shown on a screen.
The service is followed by an outdoor gathering around the Worker Memorial Day bell where relatives of the fallen workers are invited to chime the bronze bell in memory of their loved ones.
L&I Director Judy Schurke joins families in ringing the Worker Memorial Garden brass bell at the conclusion of the agency's 2009 ceremony.
The brass bell is the centerpiece of the Worker Memorial Garden outside the L&I building in Tumwater. It is dedicated to all Washington residents who die from a workplace injury or illness.
Many families of the fallen workers provide a photograph of their loved one for use in the service. Since 2010, families have also been invited to provide a few words about their loved one for use in a commemorative pamphlet.
2012
- Read the press release.
- See thoughts and photos provided by families of workers lost in 2011
Watch video of the ceremony.
TVW provides media coverage of the event in Adobe Flash, mp3 and DVD formats.
L&I produced a booklet in 2012 to accompany the ceremony. It included photographs and brief biographies of some of the fallen workers provided by their families.
2011
- Read the press release.
- See thoughts and photos provided by families of workers lost in 2010
Watch video of the ceremony.
TVW provides media coverage of the event in Adobe Flash, mp3 and DVD formats.
In 2011, L&I produced a booklet to accompany the ceremony that included photographs of some of the fallen workers along with brief, accompanying biographies. This material is provided by the families and edited for space for the agency.
2010
- Read the press release.
- See thoughts and photos provided by families of workers lost in 2009
Watch video of the ceremony. TVW provides media coverage of the event in Adobe Flash, mp3 and DVD formats.
In 2010, L&I produced a booklet to accompany the ceremony that included photographs of some of the fallen workers along with brief, accompanying biographies. This material is provided by the families and edited for space for the agency.
2009
- Read the press release.
Watch video of the ceremony. TVW provides media coverage of the event in Adobe Flash, mp3 and DVD formats.
2008
- Read the press release.
Watch video of the ceremony. TVW provides media coverage of the event in Adobe Flash, mp3 and DVD formats.
A day honoring workers who have died from job-related injuries or illnesses has been observed in the United States since 1989, but prior to that date had already been observed in Canada for several years.
The original organizers chose April 28 as the date to observe the occasion because it is the anniversary of the official creation of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and is the same date as Canada's remembrance. Today, Worker Memorial Day is observed around the world.
The Tumwater building rotunda features a book containing the names of fallen workers.
The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries has observed Worker Memorial Day since 1990 and, in 1993, began conducting a special ceremony to mark the day.
A book is maintained in the lobby of L&I's Tumwater headquarters with the names of fallen workers added each year and, in 1998, a Worker Memorial Garden was dedicated on the headquarters' grounds.
In 2007, a brass bell sculpture by artist Tom Torrens, commissioned and donated by the Washington State Building and Construction Trades Council, was installed in the garden. L&I's Worker Memorial Day ceremony now includes family members ringing this bell.
While most Worker Memorial Day observances across the country are sponsored by labor groups, L&I is unique in being a state agency recognizing fallen workers. L&I's ceremony strives to provide a somber remembrance memorializing the workers who have died while at the same time reminding everyone that workplace safety can be a matter of life and death.
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