Over 4,000 local authority workers from Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council and Knowsley Housing Trust will held a minute's silence at noon today, to mark International Workers' Memorial Day (IWMD).

Council flags were also be lowered to half mast on municipal buildings.

This year marks the first year where UK government will officially recognise IWMD and it is a step in the right direction to have the government acknowledge the true extent of workplace accidents and deaths and then enact and enforce laws that will ensure positive legal duties on directors to be made responsible for their workers' health and safety.

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Colin Carr, Regional Industrial Organiser for Unite the union said: "Too many people are killed or injured at work each year at incidents that are preventable by better planning and simply raising awareness of the dangers and risks around the workplace.

"Knowsley Council have paved the way to highlight to their employees the dangers of the workplace and to focus on better health and safety, whilst reflecting on those who have been killed or injured at work across the UK."

Last year in the UK (June 08/June 09), 180 people were killed in notifiable accidents at work while more than 27,000 suffered major injuries. An estimated 800 died in work-related road traffic accidents and about 8,000 died from occupational cancers and lung diseases.

Mr Carr continued: "We urge workers to take a moment to think about those who have lost their lives through their work and to think what you can do to protect yourself and your work colleagues from harm. We can remember the dead today, but we must continue to fight for the living."

(CD/BMcc)