In This Section
Day of Mourning: occupational disease epidemic in BC -- True number of killed and injured much higher than official statistics
April 28, 2008
April 28th is the International Day of Mourning for workers who have been killed or injured on the job or who have died from an occupational disease. Official statistics show a terrible toll of death and injury but they only tell part of the story.
According to the Workers Compensation Board, in BC in 2007, 139 workers died as a result of a workplace incident including 71 from occupational diseases of which 59 were asbestos related. The B.C. Federation of Labour believes the true death toll for 2007 is at least 380.
"This is an epidemic. But, we know these numbers fail to reflect the true number of workers and families profoundly affected by these diseases," says Jim Sinclair, President of the B.C. Federation of Labour. "Too often these diseases go undiagnosed and unreported. As a result, injured workers aren't compensated and employers are not held responsible."
Asbestos related deaths continue to climb and are expected to peak in the next few years.
A study done in 2004 by the UBC Centre for Health Services and Policy Research, found that fewer than half of some occupational diseases are reported. Conservative estimates suggest that 1,500 workers will die from asbestos related disease in the next five years.
Workers in BC are also routinely exposed to hundreds of hazardous chemicals, often with poor training and dangerous exposure limits.
The B.C. Federation of Labour is calling on the Workers Compensation Board to:
• Establish and maintain a permanent registry of worker exposure to asbestos;
• Implement lower levels of exposure rates for styrene and formaldehyde;
• Approve the implementation of the Workplace Hazardous Material Information System list for reproductive toxins and sensitizers; and
• Implement an enforcement strategy for the prevention of workplace toxic hazard exposures.
"We need a coherent program to make sure workers know what they're working with and ensure that they are safe on the job," Sinclair added. "We need to reverse this terrible death toll in BC and ensure that injured workers are fairly compensated and that employers are held responsible."
For more information: Evan Stewart, Director of Communications (604) 430-1421 or (604) 220-3095.
