The history of World Labor Safety Day dates back to 1989, when trade unions and workers held the “Memorial Day of Fallen Workers” in the United States and Canada in memory of those who were injured or died at the workplace. Nowadays, in more than 100 countries of the world, actions and events are held to attract people’s attention to various problems related to labor protection.

Under the current name, World Labor Safety Day was first celebrated in 2003 at the initiative of the International Labor Organization. The ILO, having officially established this day, aimed to draw attention to the scale of the problem. According to the ILO, 5-6 thousand people die every day in the workplace in the world, and this figure increases by approximately 10% annually. There are frequent cases when these victims are connected with the employer’s desire to save production costs due to partial or complete ignoring of codes and safety regulations.

The ILO has never recognized the employer-friendly claim that industrial accidents and occupational diseases are “an integral part of work”.