UK Businesses mark Workers' Memorial Day

Every year, April 28th marks Workers’ Memorial Day – when businesses around the globe commemorate those who have died or been injured in the course of their daily occupations. Workers’ Memorial Day is a vitally important event because it highlights the need for maintaining high standards of health and safety practices in all hazardous industries. Trade unions, occupational safety campaigners and bereaved or financially affected families all come together to remember those who have lost their lives, and to focus on better ways of protecting workers on a daily basis. Workers’ Memorial Day 2011 was also particularly significant as it marked the first anniversary of official recognition of the event in the UK.


Correct occupational safety practices ensure that employees can perform their daily tasks with confidence and to the best of their abilities. Examples include wearing the correct safety gear like hardwearing work trousers and safety boots, or being entitled to a certain amount of rest to ensure that they do not experience fatigue during their tasks. Workers’ Memorial Day aims to highlight just how critical these practices are in maintaining a healthy and productive workplace.  

Workers’ Memorial Day (also known as International Commemoration Day) originated in Canada and the US, and later became an international event. April 28th was chosen as it marks the anniversary of the USA’s Occupational Health and Safety Act. To mark Workers’ Memorial Day, some people lead campaigns to raise awareness about occupational safety, while others mark the occasion with events like balloon releases and wreath-laying. Most workplaces have a minute of silence to remember all those who have been affected by work-related illnesses and injuries.

Many organisations in the UK feel that Workers’ Memorial Day is rapidly becoming more crucial than ever before in the face of extensive spending cuts, which have affected health and safety inspectors in UK workplaces. This has raised concerns about the protection of workers throughout the country. “The UK has one of the best health and safety records” says Rob Strange, chief executive of the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH), “but with the Government review of legislation looming and continued economic uncertainty, we need to ensure standards don’t slip.”

While official recognition of Workers’ Memorial Day in the UK is an important step in further raising awareness about occupational safety, some organisations feel they may be facing an uphill battle as the public sector spending cuts continue.