Workers’ Memorial Day is observed every April 28 to remember people who were killed, injured or made sick by their work, and to renew the commitment to prevent it from happening to others. Unions led by the AFL-CIO have marked the day since 1989, and OSHA and the U.S. Department of Labor hold a national ceremony and support local events around the country.
For employers, it is a day to pause, honor coworkers who did not come home and look honestly at whether the hazards that hurt people in the past are under control today.
When Is Workers’ Memorial Day in 2027?
Workers’ Memorial Day falls on Wednesday, April 28, 2027. The date is fixed each year. According to the AFL-CIO, unions chose April 28 because it marks the anniversary of OSHA’s creation.
Ceremonies, vigils and safety events are often scheduled in the days around April 28, so local observances may fall earlier in the week. OSHA posts a searchable list of events on its Workers Memorial Day page. The same date is also the International Labour Organization’s World Day for Safety and Health at Work.
Why It Matters at Work
Workplace deaths remain a daily reality. The Bureau of Labor Statistics counted 5,070 fatal work injuries in the United States in 2024, which works out to one worker dying every 104 minutes. The fatal injury rate was 3.3 per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers.
The causes are familiar to every safety professional. BLS reports that transportation incidents accounted for 1,937 deaths in 2024, the largest single category, and that falls, slips and trips caused 844. Behind each number is a family, a crew and a workplace that changed that day.
The observance is also a reminder that serious injuries and occupational illnesses affect far more workers than the fatality count shows. Some of those cases follow warning signs that were visible earlier, such as near misses, repeated minor injuries or hazards reported but not fixed.
How to Take Part
- Hold a moment of silence at the start of each shift on April 28 to remember workers who have died on the job, including anyone from your own company or industry.
- Attend or host a ceremony. Find local events through OSHA’s event listings, or submit your own. OSHA also invites people to share the names and stories of workers they have lost.
- Review serious incidents. Revisit your most serious past incidents and confirm that the corrective actions were completed and are still working.
- Walk the floor with leadership. Have managers join crews for a hazard walk focused on the risks that cause the most deaths in your industry.
- Ask workers what worries them. Collect hazard reports and near misses during the week and commit to a response date for each one.
- Remind everyone of their right to stop work when conditions are unsafe. A clear stop work authority policy shows that the company means it.
Toolbox Talk: Why We Remember
- Every loss is a person. Today we remember workers who went to work and did not come home. Many of them did jobs much like ours.
- Serious incidents often have warning signs. Near misses, shortcuts and equipment problems often show up before a serious incident. Reporting them is how we stop the next one.
- Know our serious hazards. Name the two or three tasks in this workplace that could kill or seriously injure someone, and the controls that protect us.
- Controls only work if we use them. Guards, lockout, fall protection and traffic plans are there because someone was hurt before.
- Speak up and stop the job. If something does not look right, stop and ask. No task is so urgent that it is worth a life.
Discussion question: What is one hazard here that you think we have gotten too comfortable with, and what should we do about it this week?
Related Requirements
OSHA’s injury and illness recordkeeping rule requires most employers with more than 10 employees to record work-related injuries and illnesses on the OSHA 300 Log and post an annual summary. Every employer, including those exempt from keeping the forms, must report a work-related fatality to OSHA within 8 hours and an in-patient hospitalization, amputation or loss of an eye within 24 hours. The full text is in 29 CFR Part 1904. Accurate records are what let employers see where people are being hurt.
How SMS360 Helps
The Incident Management module helps you turn remembrance into action. Workers can report incidents, near misses and observations from a mobile device, investigators can document what happened and find root causes, and corrective actions can be assigned and tracked until they are closed. Records stay organized in one place to support your recordkeeping, and dashboards show trends across sites so leaders can see where serious risks are building before someone is hurt.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is Workers’ Memorial Day 2027?
Workers’ Memorial Day is on Wednesday, April 28, 2027. It is held on April 28 every year. Some ceremonies and events are scheduled on nearby days, so check OSHA’s event listings for your area.
Why is Workers’ Memorial Day on April 28?
April 28 is the anniversary of OSHA’s creation under the Occupational Safety and Health Act. Unions began observing the date as Workers’ Memorial Day in 1989 to honor workers killed or injured on the job and to press for safer workplaces.
How does OSHA observe Workers’ Memorial Day?
OSHA and the Department of Labor hold a national ceremony with families of fallen workers and support local events hosted by state agencies, unions and OSHA offices. OSHA also lists events by state and invites people to submit names and stories of workers who died on the job.
