Workers & Families Want To Feel Confident They Will Return Home From Work Each Day

“Workers and their families want safe workplaces and to feel confident that they will return home from work at the end of each day,” CTU secretary Carol Beaumont said today.

“Workplace deaths are in so many cases preventable.  The several fatalities at work this week are tragic and serve as a reminder to intensify our efforts to ensure all workers in New Zealand are safe.”

“The toll on families of a loved one who dies at work is of course immeasurable.  The cost to the whole country of workplace fatalities, illness and injuries is also huge, and in addition to accident related fatalities, best estimates are that between 700–1,000 people die annually in New Zealand from occupational disease.”

“The 2002 amendments to the legislation and other initiatives including the Workplace Health and Safety Council are all positive steps at the national level, and we need to see an increased focus on health and safety at the workplace and greater numbers of elected workplace health and safety reps.”

“The best way to honour those who have died at work is to recommit to fighting for better safety and health standards on the job for workers,” Carol Beaumont said.