In recognition of the National Day of Mourning on April 28, 5th Canadian Division Support Base (CDSB) Gagetown held a ceremony on Friday, April 26, to commemorate those who lost their lives or were injured in the workplace.
The National Day of Mourning came into existence in 1991, when the Parliament of Canada passed the Workers Mourning Day Act. Currently, the day is recognized in more than 100 countries.
“Behind every workplace death or injury are loved ones,” said Chaplain Lt(N) Warren Clapham, during the ceremony. “Today we commemorate these individuals that were ignored in the past. These people matter.”
According to the latest data from the Association of Workers’ Compensation Boards of Canada, there were 993 workplace fatalities in Canada in 2022, 13 of which occurred in New Brunswick. These incidents affect not only the victims, but their community and loved ones as well.
Colonel Marc Parent, Base Commander of 5 CDSB Gagetown, CD, reiterated that support systems are available to employees at the base and encouraged those that may need support to reach out, when required.
Safety is a priority for 5 CDSB Gagetown’s command team, and a number of mechanisms are in place to identify and rectify or mitigate risks in the workplace. Such mechanisms include but are not limited to: Unit Safety Committees, the Base Environmental and Occupational Safety and Health Committee, and the Annual Safety Program Development and Evaluation Techniques.
In addition, incident and near miss reporting is done using the DND 663 form. Once submitted, the DND 663 sparks an investigation which leads to the development of corrective actions to prevent future incidents of the same nature.
Safety must be respected in all stages of work so that we can reduce these incidents and ensure that everyone goes home to their families at the end of the day.
