CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A ceremony was held at the State Capitol Tuesday to honor 17 West Virginia workers who died on the job in 2014.
West Virginia AFL-CIO President Kenny Perdue, Secretary of State Natalie Tennant and others were on hand for the annual Workers Memorial Day ceremony in front of the state Miner Statue on the Capitol grounds.
Those lives were recognized with kind words, prayers, and the ring of a bell 17 times for the 17 workers whose names were read aloud.
Dannette Clark, a correctional counselor at Charleston Work Release Center, was one of the speakers who said West Virginians deserve to feel safe at work.
“Bottom line, you should never have to worry when you go to work about not making it back home. Never. And that’s something that we’re doing more of now,” said Clark.
Clark takes care of inmates to help them get their lives back on track. In her speech, she emphasized how much she loves her job, but also how dangerous it could be.
“You’re dealing with people of various personalities. You never know if it’s bipolar, ADHD, or having to do with drugs, you don’t know,” she said.
Speakers discussed the need for bills in the Legislature that focus on worker safety as opposed to bills that aim at increasing profits and production.
Scott Brewer, a carpenter with the Keystone Mountain Lakes Regional Council of Carpenters in Charleston, said he knows his job can be unsafe at times, but death can be prevented.
“These folks here legislatively need to remember the workers,” said Brewer.
According to the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics data, construction laborers are the 10th deadliest job in the United States. Nearly 215 workers in the U.S. died on the job in 2013.
Brewer said he’s known co-workers who’ve lost their lives. He said he used to work on a power plant in Texas where a man died.
“We just need to keep reminding everyone that nothing is more important, not even money, than a worker’s life,” he said.
Brewer said he hopes everyone will step up and contribute more to work place safety whether its legislation that requires safety training or employers that require safe job sites in West Virginia.