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KAMLOOPS - This Saturday communities across the province will be holding public ceremonies to remember workers who have been killed on the job.

Barbara Nederpel with Kamloops and District Labour Council says the national Day of Mourning on Saturday April, 28 will also raise awareness about violence and harassment in the workplace.

“We are advocating for change to eliminate violence and harassment in the workplace,” Nederpel says. “Whether it happens once or is part of a pattern, anyone can experience harassment in the workplace.’’

Nederpel says the majority of workers who face violence at work are women working in long-term care or with children with behavioural issues in schools. She says it's common for these workers to be kicked, threatened or punched on a daily basis.

“(Health) care aides face the highest rates of injury, they are usually understaffed and overworked,” says Nederpel. “Education assistants face the same struggle working with kids with aggression and behavioural issues.”

Nederpel says some employers have accepted the violence as part of the job, but it's important for workers to know they have rights to refuse work in unsafe conditions.

“There are employers that are saying, ‘It’s just part of the job’ and it really isn’t,” she says.

WorkSafe B.C. statistics show in the last decade, nurses accounted for 31 per cent of injuries in the workplace due to violence, while workers in law enforcement accounted for 14 per cent of injuries resulting from violence. On average 26 nurses suffer a violent injury at work every month, according to the B.C. Nurses’ Union.

Nederpel says times are changing and campaigns are being brought forward to help workers facing violence. She says safety committees can be an effective way to prevent workplace violence.

“We need employers to play their part and make sure there are polices in place,” she says.

She understands it can be challenging for workers to come forward but says this is a big step in making a difference.

“It’s not an easy thing to come forward," Nederpel says. "We need to work together to find these hazards and find solutions."

The Kamloops and District Labour Council and WorkSafe B.C. will be hosting a ceremony on Saturday, April 28 at 6 p.m. at St. Andrews on the Square.

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