Missouri's DLI, Governor Honoring Fallen Workers Today
With more than 100 workers dying on the job in 2006 and more than 139,000 others injured, according to the Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations' Division of Workers' Compensation, Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt, the Missouri AFL-CIO, and the department will meet this morning in the governor's office to honor the victims. Blunt will present a proclamation making the week of April 22-28 as Workers' Memorial Week.
"We want to honor the workers who have lost their lives or been injured on the job," said Rod Chapel, DLI director. "With Gov. Blunt's leadership, the department is committed to the establishment and maintenance of safe and healthy workplaces. Missouri is one of few states that have incorporated not one, but three safety and health programs to assist employers in developing, implementing, and maintaining safer workplaces." The state's injuries and fatalities have been declining since 2005, despite the high 2006 totals, according to the department, which counted 145,473 workplace injuries in 2005 versus 139,257 in 2006.
DLI works to prevent deaths and injuries through its Division of Labor Standards' On-Site Safety and Health Consultation, Mine Safety, and the Workers' Safety programs. For information, visit www.dolir.mo.gov/ls/index.asp or call 573-751-3403.