April 28 – remembering all those who never returned home from work.

Alaska Worker Memorial Day

By: Anne Lindsey, CSP

Remembering those who never returned home from work.  Alaska has long had the reputation for having the most dangerous jobs in the nation.  Today, we remembered 81 Alaskans who went to work in the morning for their last time…  The Alaska Safety Advisory Council (ASAC) and many volunteers held a memorial diorama on the Park Strip at ‘I’ Street, bringing awareness to the importance of safety on the job for all Alaskans.  How fitting, that this memorial was positioned right across the street from the War Memorial, honoring those who gave the ultimate sacrifice in service to this great country.

I found it interesting to note, that during the entire Vietnam War, Alaska lost 61 in battle.  During all of World War II, we lost 108 Alaskans.  Today, we remembered just 2019 and 2020 in which we lost 81, not in service to this country, but while making a living simply doing their job.  That is 81 families impacted, someone’s father, sister, mother, friend, daughter, son… to each of them, these are not numbers… it’s personal, and their lives are forever changed.

Let us remember, lest we ever forget the impact safety, or what the lack thereof can have on the community, the family and workplace.                                  

OSHA Worker Memorial | NAOSH Worker Memorial