April 28 is International Workers Memorial Day, recognised in many countries around the world. Consultations are taking place over recognition by the UK government, with construction workers union ICATT pressing for it to be made a Bank Holiday, but at the moment although WMD was observed in various places in the UK it remained rather easy to miss in London.
People do get killed at work. Many if not most are not killed by ‘accident’ but because of a deliberate flouting of safety practices. ‘Accident’ rates are higher among small firms and sub-contractors, where the financial incentive to ‘cut corners’ is higher.
The main London demonstration started at the statue of the Unknown Building Worker in the pavement by the south side of the road at Tower Hill. Unless you are catchng a bus there you are unlikely to see it as most pedestrians walk along the underpass and miss it. There were apparently great problems in finding a suitable location for this statue, but it is a shame it isn’t in a rather more prominent place – just a hundred yards or so west near Tower Terrace would be better.
Most of those taking part in the march and rally were construction workers, many in work clothes and carrying hard hats. Also present were relatives of some of those killed – there are roughly 80 such deaths a year (as well as many more who die from exposure to asbestos.)
Not far away the march stopped for a short period of silence outside a site where a worker was killed in March, before going on to the London offices of the Health and Safety Executive. HSE staff there complain about the number of inspectors being cut – and less inspections being made. There are very few prosecutions brought, and even when these are successful, penalties are often virtually negligible. We need much tougher laws, better enforcement and sensible sentences to improve safety at work.
You can read a fuller account of the march and rally with more pictures on My London Diary