National Workers’ Memorial Day is April 28

Companies and employees working in the construction trades around the country will honor those that were lost due to on-site job fatalities over the past year on Workers’ Memorial Day, Friday April 28.

National Workers’ Memorial Day is observed on April 28 annually to honor those workers who died on the job, and to recommit to the ongoing effort to ensure safe and healthy workplaces. The day also marks the 46^th anniversary of the establishment of the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), under the OSHA Act of 1970.

Fatal injuries in the private construction industry rose 4 percent in 2015 to 937 from 899 in 2014. It’s the highest total since 2008, according to the U.S. Dept. of Labor. A fall to a lower level accounted for 81 percent of all fatal falls, the data showed. Of those cases where the height of the fall was known, more than two-fifths of fatal falls occurred from 15 feet or lower.

To help people commemorate the day, OSHA established a website with an interactive map highlighting Workers’ Memorial Day events around the country.

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Art Aisner is Editor-in-Chief of Roofing Contractor and Roofing Supply Pro. He spent the bulk of his career as a multi-media journalist for newspapers and television stations before joining the RC team in 2015. He is the driving force behind the publication’s content development, editorial strategy and other initiatives that serve growing audiences in the roofing space.