Day of Mourning recognizes 7 work-related deaths in Windsor

Seven work-related deaths in Windsor-Essex during the last year will be remembered by the Windsor and District Labour Council today.

Today marks the 31st National Day Mourning, on which those injured or killed on the job are honoured.

Tracie Edwards, the labour council's sergeant at arms, said this was the worst year for injuries and deaths in recent memory. She is calling for stricter enforcement of labour laws.

"This is the first time in a number of years that we have seen anywhere near this number of fatalities in a year. It's very disturbing," she said. "One of the concerns is enforcement, to make sure that there is proper enforcement of the health and safety legislation that we have.

"We also have concerns with the WSIB system to ensure that injured workers are properly compensated."

Tammy Lewis lost her sister Cindy Libby in a workplace accident in 2007. Libby was killed when she was pinned by a coil of steel at Prince Metal Products.

Last year, Phuong Thang, 55, died when a stack of bins containing parts fell onto her at Canadian Electrocoating Ltd. on Prince Road.

Both plants are owned by the Narmco Group and are on the same property on Windsor's west end.

"I was shocked," Lewis said of the second death. "Didn't they learn from the first time? Didn't they learn from my sister? That should never have happened and I am very angry that this happened again in the same company."

Neither a call or email to Narmco were immediately returned.

A ceremony honouring fallen workers will take place at St. Augustine's Anglican Church Hall on Wyandotte Street East Tuesday evening. 

Everyone will then make their way to the memorial by the river in Reaume Park.