The flag at Sarnia City Hall was lowered to half-mast Sunday in recognition of the National Day of Mourning. A ceremony honouring workers killed, injured, or made ill on the job was scheduled at Clifford Hanson Fire Station on East Street from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Spokesperson John Millholland said the day promotes safer work places for future generations, while helping people understand the importance of worker safety.
Millholland said workplace safety has improved since the annual observance was declared by the Canadian Labour Congress in 1984, but there's still a ways to go. "A lot of people in Sarnia-Lambton work in extremely dangerous environments, and we need to recognize that Sarnia has an awful lot of occupational disease caused by people going to work," said Millholland. "I think that it will get better. We've now banned the use of asbestos in Canada, so that should make a difference. But the latency periods for a lot of occupational diseases are fairly long, so exposures that happened 20 years ago may be what causes your cancer tomorrow." Millholland said while some workers are more vulnerable to workplace injuries and illnesses, there's a potential for anyone at any job to get hurt or become ill. "Workplace injuries know no boundaries. That's why educating workers, making sure that everyone understands the rules and regulations, and that they're following the rules and regulations is critical." April 28 marks the 27th annual National Day of Mourning in Canada.
