Bruce Power employees gathered to remember those who have been killed or injured on the job as part of the annual national Worker’s Day of Mourning.
A wreath was laid Tuesday by a monument outside the company’s head office that honours the 12 workers who died during the construction of the massive Douglas Point complex in the 1960’s.
10 family members of the fallen workers were present for the ceremony.
Bruce Power CEO Duncan Hawthorne says it’s a respectful thing to do for the workers who died and has deep meaning for their families.
Hawthorne says it’s also a reminder to employees that they need to be vigilant at all times when it comes to safety matters.
Hawthorne says Bruce Power has many new employees and younger workers and they try their best to educate them through safety training programs, but all employees are really their own safety officer and need to remind themselves they aren’t invincible.
He says at Bruce Power, safety will never take second place to commercial gain.
Ceremony Chair Dave Trumble says aside from the deaths during the construction phase, the Bruce Power site has been fatality free.
Bruce A Restart Vice President John Sauger says safety is a value, and not a priority because priorites change and values don’t.
The ceremony at Bruce Power wasn’t the only event taking place in honour of the Worker’s Day of Morning.
Trumble, who is also President of the Grey Bruce Labour Council says ceremonies were also taking place in Port Elgin at the CAW Centre, in Owen Sound, and in Hanover.
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Worker’s Day of Mourning, which Canada’s Parliament enacted in 1984.
In addition to honouring workers killed and injured on the job, it also is meant to focus on eliminating dangerous working conditions.
An average of 1500 Canadians are killed in in the workplace each year, 300 of those deaths are in Ontario.