NIOSH Commemorates Workers Memorial Day 2007
NIOSH Update:
Workers Memorial Day, April 28, 2007, honors working men and women who have been killed, injured, or made ill on the job.
On average, nearly 16 workers in the United States die each day from injuries sustained at work, and 134 die from work-related diseases. Daily, an estimated 11,500 private-sector workers have a nonfatal work-related injury or illness, and as a result, more than half require a job transfer, work restrictions, or time away from their jobs. Approximately 9,000 workers are treated in emergency departments each day because of occupational injuries, and approximately 200 of these workers are hospitalized. In 2004, workers’ compensation costs for employers totaled $87 billion.
Despite advancements in workplace safety and health, “Occupational injuries, illnesses, and deaths continue to occur, and they continue to impose a heavy toll as lives are cut short, livelihoods shattered, families disrupted, and communities left shaken,” NIOSH Director John Howard, M.D., said. “On Workers Memorial Day, April 28, 2007, as we solemnly honor those who were killed, injured, or made ill on the job, we also strive for a future in which such tragedies no longer occur.”
The full text of Dr. Howard’s statement on Workers Memorial Day 2007 is available at www.cdc.gov/niosh/updates/upd-04-26-07.html .
In observance of Workers Memorial Day, the April 27, 2007, issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report discusses the magnitude of occupational injuries, illnesses, and deaths, and reports new findings and recommendations by NIOSH scientists and colleagues from research programs and projects to prevent occupational injuries, illnesses, and deaths.
Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report, April 27, 2007 — Workers Memorial Day Issue PDF