Memorials set to honor Iowa workers

DES MOINES - State and local dignitaries, family members and others will gather around Iowa over the next two days to mark the deaths of 53 Iowans who lost their lives while working - including several who died while serving in the military.

Worker memorial services have been scheduled for Friday and Saturday to honor Iowans who were killed, injured or disabled from exposure in the workplace. The events are part of an international day of remembrance that coincides with the anniversary of the United States' Occupational Safety and Health Act becoming law in 1971. The ages of Iowa victims of workplace accidents ranged from 17 to 78.

“We still regrettably are killing way too many workers,” said Ken Sagar, president of the Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO.

“I don't know what an acceptable number of people to be killed on the job is,” he said. “I guess my number is zero, but we just can't seem to get to that number.”

Iowa Workforce Development spokeswoman Kerry Koonce said workforce safety is a shared responsibility.

“It's a combination of enforcement - doing your regular inspections - and companies using the consultation services that are available to them, which helps them redefine safety issues so they can better address some of the needs, and it requires workers to follow the safety regulations that are laid out by their companies,” she said.

Work-related deaths in Iowa:

2011 - 53 workers

2010 - 51 workers

2009 - 48 workers

2008 - 68 workers

2007 - 48 workers

2006 - 44 workers

Source: Iowa Workforce Development