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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Friday, May 1, 2015 | 10 Flynn vows action to prevent workplace fatalities continued from p.1 people in attendance that the provincial government is striving to decrease the number of injuries and deaths in Ontario workplaces. "Over the past decade, we have been able to reduce the number of workplace accidents by about 40 per cent," said Flynn. "That's by almost half in a decade. That's tremendous progress." However, he noted the number of fatalities remains unchanged. "We haven't been able to make a dent in the fatalities...It's something we really need to redouble our efforts," he said. Flynn said young people are especially vulnerable to workplace accidents and parents need to ask the right questions when their son or daughter tells them they got a job. "We ask them how much money they're going to make. We ask them if they're going to get a uniform," Flynn said. "Do we ever stop and ask if they feel safe at work?" he continued. "Do we ever stop and tell them if they're asked to do something that is unsafe, do they know that they have the right to refuse to do that?" The Ministry of Labour has instituted several initiatives recently designed to help lower the frequency of accidents on the job, Flynn said. The province introduced mandatory basic occupational health and safety training for all employees with a compliance deadline of July 1, 2014. Currently, the ministry is also drafting a construction health and safety action plan with "I never want to get used to that but I certainly want to hear a lot less of it," he said. Dave Millar, president of the Oakville Industry Labour Council, said workplace accidents are criminal and people should be sent to jail when employees are injured or killed on the job. "I can't imagine me going to work and my wife not having me come home for my son or my daughter," he said. "How would they react if there was something that could have been done and the company I work for could have done something to prevent the injury from occurring? "Workplace injuries are preventable if we put proper health and safety practices in place," he added. Millar said injury prevention can be achieved through an educated workforce. Employees should know "how to deal with different situations, how to approach different situations and how to see signs of potential risks," he said. April 28 was chosen as the National Day of Mourning because that was the date the first comprehensive Workers' Compensation Act was passed in Canada. Although the observances started in Canada, it is now commemorated in more than 70 countries around the world. Minister Flynn summed up the National Day of Mourning ceremony in terms everyone can understand. "No job is worth a life. No job is worth an illness. No job is worth an injury." A memorial ceremony was held in front of the Oakville Centre Tuesday to mark the National Day of Mourning, an annual day of remembrance for workers who have been killed or injured on the job in Canada. | photo by Riziero Vertolli ­ Oakville Beaver (Follow on Twitter @halton_photog or facebook.com/HaltonPhotog) the help of industry experts. Most recently, April 1 was the deadline for certain workers to complete mandatory working at heights training. "It's all about working together," said Flynn. "You can have the best rules in the world but if the employers aren't paying attention, it doesn't matter. You could have the best employers in the world but if the employees aren't playing their part, it doesn't matter either." Flynn said as much as he enjoys being labour minister, the worst part of the job is when he gets a phone call saying someone isn't going home after work.