Posted on April 25, 2014
“Remember the dead, fight like hell for the living.” – Mother Jones
April 25, 2014: Presidential Proclamation — Workers Memorial Day
“The Devastating Consequences of Asbestos” – Tony’s Story
“This poster features 9-year-old Jetaime Medina, who lost her father Tony to the asbestos cancer, mesothelioma. He was 42. Now with mum, Maitea, brother Javier, 13, and sister Nadine, 11, the family is backing calls for tougher regulation and enforcement of workplace safety standards. It is not just about injuries — work-related health problems kill at least 100 times the number of ‘accidents’ at work.” ~ Rory O’Neill, Editor, Hazards Magazine
Workers’ Memorial Day is not just for union members. Deaths and injuries in the workplace affect people from all types of jobs, not to mention their devastated spouses and children. I urge you to visit the Hazards website and click on their interactive map to find events around the world organized to remember the hundreds of thousands who died at work this year, either due to accidents or occupational diseases. You can also go to Hazards’ Facebook page and share the images and information with your social networks.
The World Health Organization states, “Most of the exposure risks for occupational cancer are preventable. About 125 million people in the world are exposed to asbestos at the workplace. The WHO estimates more than 107,000 people die each year from asbestos-related lung cancer, mesothelioma and asbestosis resulting from occupational exposures. One in three deaths from occupational cancer is caused by asbestos.” For more information, read and share ADAO’s new infographic “Asbestos: Legal and Lethal in the USA.”
For those of us who have lost a loved one to asbestos disease, this is an important time of remembrance. In honor of this day, Tony’s spouse, Maitea shared “The Devastating Consequences of Asbestos” – Tony’s Story. What else can you do to show workers that you care? Join me this Monday, April 28th, for International Workers’ Memorial Day, as I light a candle for my husband Alan, Tony, and the countless others who have lost their lives engaging in their basic human right to safe and decent work. You can also participate and spread the word by sharing your loved ones story about fighting asbestos exposure on the ADAO Share Your Story platform or to read more moving stories related to occupational and environmental asbestos exposure click here.
In unity,