Oregon Governor Kate Brown (on the left of the panoramic picture, below) proclaimed April 28 as Workers’ Memorial Day for 2015, at the Fallen Worker’s Memorial in Salem, OR.  The ceremony was held at the memorial for Oregonians who died while working. Reverend Dr. Janet Parker (First Congregational United Church of Christ; Salem) provided the invocation and Midge Purcell (Urban League) read the names of all the workers who died in 2014.  Workers’ Memorial Day is developed by the Oregon AFL-CIO.  AFL-CIO President Tom Chamberlain presided over the memorial presentations (he is standing to Governor Brown’s left in the picture).

Oregon OSHA Administrator Michael Wood (below) set a tone of resolve to eliminate the kinds of accidents that led to these deaths.  He expressed frustration that safety standards such as those for fall protection and confined spaces are designed to prevent such accidents, but such accidents continue to happen.  AFL-CIO President Tom Chamberlain is to his left.

Governor Brown is pictured (below) speaking with family members of the fallen workers after the official ceremony ended.

We offer our condolences to the family members and our own pledge to redouble our efforts to make safety the foundation of Total Worker Health.