Clackmannanshire commemorated International Workers’ Memorial Day last week with a poignant ceremony at Kilncraigs.

Around 30 people came out to pay their respects and remember those lost to work place accidents and ill health as a result of employment.

They gathered at the workers’ memorial sited outside Clackmannanshire Council’s headquarters at 11am for a wreath-laying.

Prominent community figures also came out to pay tribute to those lost and to highlight the ongoing importance of maintaining high standards of workplace safety.

For Gordon Banks, who has been MP for the area over the last 10 years, the event carries added personal significance.

He said: “Workers’ Memorial Day has extra resonance for those of us who have lost or known someone who has suffered work-related injury or illness.

“My own father suffered from a lung condition contracted through his work as a miner, and my grandfather perished in the Valleyfield Pit disaster in 1939.

“This day heightens and reminds us, if we need remembering, of the huge importance of health and safety at work and why this should always be of the highest priority for any government.” The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) stated that 70 per cent of workplace incidents are due to poor management systems.

According to their statistics for 2011-12, this means that 173 deaths and 223,000 reportable injuries at work could have been avoided had proper health and safety management systems been in place.

Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh, SNP candidate for the upcoming General Election, spoke of the importance of having in place strong laws to protect and support Britain’s employees.

She said: “We all have a part to play in promoting the sort of safe and healthy working environments which every employee has a right to expect.

“We must defend the laws we have, work to strengthen them and ensure they are enforced. This is most achievable when we all work together and International Workers’ Memorial Day offers everyone the opportunity to renew our commitment to demanding safe and healthy work for all.” Workers’ Memorial Day is an international day of remembrance for workers killed, disabled, injured or made unwell by their work.

The HSE says that around 250 workers in the UK are killed each year as a direct result of injuries they sustain at work.

They further estimate that more than 20,000 people die every year as a result of their work.

In tribute, a number of ceremonies were held across Scotland in areas such as Glasgow, Edinburgh, Greenock and Fife.

Clackmannanshire’s provost Tina Murphy said: “Today’s ceremony was an opportunity to highlight and support the campaigns that promote improvements in workplace safety, and to remember those workers killed, disabled or injured. We should also bear in mind all of the families affected.” Clackmannanshire commemorated International Workers’ Memorial Day last week with a poignant ceremony at Kilncraigs.

Around 30 people came out to pay their respects and remember those lost to work place accidents and ill health as a result of employment.

They gathered at the workers’ memorial sited outside Clackmannanshire Council’s headquarters at 11am for a wreath-laying.

Prominent community figures also came out to pay tribute to those lost and to highlight the ongoing importance of maintaining high standards of workplace safety.

For Gordon Banks, who has been MP for the area over the last 10 years, the event carries added personal significance.

He said: “Workers’ Memorial Day has extra resonance for those of us who have lost or known someone who has suffered work-related injury or illness.

“My own father suffered from a lung condition contracted through his work as a miner, and my grandfather perished in the Valleyfield Pit disaster in 1939.

“This day heightens and reminds us, if we need remembering, of the huge importance of health and safety at work and why this should always be of the highest priority for any government.” The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) stated that 70 per cent of workplace incidents are due to poor management systems.

According to their statistics for 2011-12, this means that 173 deaths and 223,000 reportable injuries at work could have been avoided had proper health and safety management systems been in place.

Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh, SNP candidate for the upcoming General Election, spoke of the importance of having in place strong laws to protect and support Britain’s employees.

She said: “We all have a part to play in promoting the sort of safe and healthy working environments which every employee has a right to expect.

“We must defend the laws we have, work to strengthen them and ensure they are enforced. This is most achievable when we all work together and International Workers’ Memorial Day offers everyone the opportunity to renew our commitment to demanding safe and healthy work for all.” Workers’ Memorial Day is an international day of remembrance for workers killed, disabled, injured or made unwell by their work.

The HSE says that around 250 workers in the UK are killed each year as a direct result of injuries they sustain at work.

They further estimate that more than 20,000 people die every year as a result of their work.

In tribute, a number of ceremonies were held across Scotland in areas such as Glasgow, Edinburgh, Greenock and Fife.

Clackmannanshire’s provost Tina Murphy said: “Today’s ceremony was an opportunity to highlight and support the campaigns that promote improvements in workplace safety, and to remember those workers killed, disabled or injured. We should also bear in mind all of the families affected.”