Workers’ Memorial Day takes place annually on 28 April.

It’s a day set aside to remember workers who have died ‘on the job’. It’s rallying cry is “remember the dead, but fight for the living”.

While this may sound overly dramatic to some, it really isn’t. There were still over 78,000 reported non-fatal accidents in UK workplaces last year.

Unreported accidents account for up to three times this number.

Some studies blaming increased workloads, others blame poor work conditions, others say it’s because workers try to bypass safety procedures and take shortcuts in a bid to get work done quicker.

The cause isn’t important; preventing ALL accidents is.

One way businesses try, (and fail) to do it, is to use a blanket guide to create their health and safety program. That doesn’t work as hazards differ from industry to industry. For example, we know that all warehouses will contain slip hazards, noise hazards, chemical hazards, etc.

Therefore, their standard safety checklist must cover hazards and their avoidance, e.g.:

• Transportation incidents are addressed by providing barriers that separate vehicles from workers.

• Falls from height are handled by identifying all jobs that involve working at height, and providing adequate protection, guarded work platforms and harnesses. Comprehensive training and auditing to assure compliance must also be carried out.

• Fires and explosions can be contained by installation of technologies to control or eliminate combustible elements.

Having healthy staff is an essential part of running a successful business. The economic case for this is straight-forward.

Employer costs from accidents include:

• salary costs for replacement staff and retraining costs,

• production and productivity losses,

• personal injury claim compensation,

• cost of increased supervision.

Wouldn’t it have been cheaper to implement these from the beginning?

Another school of thought blames the high accident rates on the increased use of temporary staff. The rise of agencies specifically for hiring certain skills has flooded the job market with people who want to earn a living, regardless of the conditions. The ‘workers boom’ and subsequent increase in accidents is reflected in three recurring factors.

The employment of:

• Young staff who are prone to accidents involving motorised vehicles, being struck by a vehicle as a pedestrian, workplace violence etc.

• Workers with a poor grasp of English who cannot fully grasp instructions or warning signs.

• Workers who are rushed on to complex tasks and who will make grave mistakes; usually within the first few hours.

Employees are also not keen to speak up when they notice a hazard. They fear job losses, and subsequently risk injury or death. Workers have rights!

As an employee, you have the right to:

• Know: Know the dangers in your workplace and how to handle them.

• Participate: Do your part and keep the work area clean.

• Refuse: If you think someone will get hurt, say No.

Let’s change all that this Workers Memorial Day.

Employers should do their apart and implement these suggestions:

• Set up on going programs to identify all hazards.

• Establish injury- and illness prevention programs to mitigate ‘uncontrollable’ hazards.

• Encourage report of workplace injuries and illnesses.

• Initiate training and periodically re-assess safety programmes.

When somebody dies at work, they are never the only victim of the accident.

Their work, family, leisure, and community life are all impacted, usually adversely. As we mark another Workers Memorial Day, let’s really live the motto. As we fight for the living, let’s remember the dead.

Monarch Shelving believes that workers’ safety should be paramount in every workplace.