USMWF - United Support & Memorial For Workplace Fatalities


 

Going to work shouldn't be a grave mistake! 

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Families who have a loss need to be acknowledged.  We will not allow others to discount us any longer. We are the brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers and children of America.  Families and their losses are not a number or a statistic. We are the very ones making your profits. We are not asking for more than we are entitled to, Our Right, The Right to a Safe and Healthful Workplace.  We need leaders to restore our faith in governmental humanity. 


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The Faces Campaign


Fred R. Barnard said, “One picture is worth a thousand words.”


How many words does it take to peer into the eyes of tragedy or feel the heartache and pain that is set in motion after our loved one was lost.

The Faces Campaign is intended to give workplace fatalities a face, gain awareness and educate workers, employees, organizations and our government. 


We invite you to add a face of someone lost due to a workplace incident to tammy@usmwf.org or usmwf@yahoo.com (if you use microsoft outlook sometimes i do not recieve your information so if you don't have a reply in a timely manner please try my alt email).  We would love to get the following information:

  • Photo of Worker

  • Name

  • Age

  • Birth date  

  • Loss date

  • Place of employment

  • Your name

  • Your relationship with lost worker.


My home church is the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in Washington, DC.  For every photo that we are permitted to post on the USMWF website for the Faces Campaign, I will light a holy candle and say a special prayer for the family left behind.  

Warmest regards,

Celeste

All is not required however we do need a name of both your loss and you in order to post a face.  

Have you lost a loved one and want to get involved?  

Take the survey here for pdf and here for word then send it to Mary.


*Please note if you send in your loved ones photo it may be featured in print and/or online.

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SENATOR EDWARD MONROE KENNEDY

I really feel the best can be said by his family. Family Statement:


“Edward M. Kennedy—the husband, father, grandfather, brother and uncle we loved so deeply—died late Tuesday night at home in Hyannis Port. We’ve lost the irreplaceable center of our family and joyous light in our lives, but the inspiration of his faith, optimism, and perseverance will live on in our hearts forever. We thank everyone who gave him care and support over this last year, and everyone who stood with him for so many years in his tireless march for progress toward justice, fairness and opportunity for all. He loved this country and devoted his life to serving it. He always believed that our best days were still ahead, but it’s hard to imagine any of them without him.”


Rest in Peace Senator Edward Monroe Kennedy!


Have you lost someone in the workplace?  Did OSHA contact you?

Below is an excerpt from a June 19, 2009 letter to a family signed by the Active Head and Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

"...the Agency sends them copies of citations, appeal letters, and the results of any informal settlements as soon as the documents are issued. In addition, once the investigation is completed, portions of the investigation file normally subject to release under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) are provided to family members without charge, upon written or oral request."

Most families have not had this experience however with the new administration we are hoping that this will change. Has this been your this has been experience.  We are looking for families who have lost someone after June 19th to contact us and let us know what experience you have had.  Please send your comments to Tammy


Calendar of Events

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Worker Safety & Health National Summit: A New Era for Safety and Health Activism 
Saturday Nov. 7, 2009, 9am-5pm in Philadelphia (day before APHA conference)

Maximize the current momentum to develop a common strategy for policy change: 
• Move forward safety legislation, 
• Advance healthy and safety standards, 
• Promote the rights of victims and families. 
Special lunch with Jordan Barab, Acting Asst. Secretary of Labor/Director of OSHA. 


« Bills in Waiting

Although the Secretary of Labor Secretary Hilda L. Solis declared OSHA would begin the rulemaking on combustible dust a long over due bill that passed the House; we will keep it up as a reminder until it is released.  There will be comment periods that we can take advantage of.

Much of H.R.2067 Protecting America's Workers Act was once part of a Family Bill of Rights and has some new and exciting elements that have been fought for since USMWF's Beginning.   Many family members got together in 2006 to put together a number of basic rights we felt was necessary for healing, functionality and a truly transparent investigative system that have been included in H.R. 2067.  This bill will change the penalties  and prosecution process and evaluate the penalties every four years, the employer must notify OSHA is there is an incident that causes a serious injury or death and preserve the evidence, OSHA may not classify any violation as unclassified, along with informing the families of their rights in the process, giving the injured and killed worker a voice by giving the family the right to a representative that will have the opportunity to meet with the secretary and right to participate in proceedings, be notified of all correspondences between the employer and OSHA, and the families will gain the citation report without cost.  Families being included in H.R. 2067 is historic and all the families that have been involved whether they have worked on this particular goal or other rights for the families you should raise your head with pride that your voice and the voice of your loved one has been heard loud and clear. 

Please take a moment to look over these bills at the left they are all important pieces of legislation and deserve our attention.   

We recently added a model letter in support of the PAWA for the families. We encourage you to send these out to your reps and if you need help as always contact someone at USMWF if you need help.
I have also included a cleaned up version of H.R.2067 Protecting America's Workers Act so it is a little easier for you all to read.


The Sobering Facts: Workplace injury, Illness & Death

Each day millions of fathers, mothers, husbands, wives, sons, and daughters leave their homes for another day of work. They work in retail stores, restaurants, mines, hospitals, and countless other industries. They work to provide for their families, save for the future, and be part of a better Society. Tragically, many of these workers and their loved ones have no idea that simply going to work may jeopardize their limbs and life.

According to the US Department of Labor, in 2005, 4.2 million non-fatal injuries and illnesses were reported in private industry workplaces. In 2006, 5,703 US workers were fatally injured on the job  

Behind each one of these injured, sickened or killed workers is a family in mourning – a family in need of answers, resources, and support.  

Together we have an amazingly unique opportunity of empowering the surviving family members of our Nation’s workplace, thus strengthening the rights of workers and their families.  Our future plans are to:  

  1. Provide information and education to family members by turning the Resource Guide into a step by step training manual on what the families need to know and do after a loss.

  2. Provide scholarships for families desiring to attend hearings and events that will protect and improve workers and their family’s rights. 

  3. Strengthen our presence by further our family outreach with initial contact and guidance. 

  4. Enhance the USMWF's web site so that others may add their own tribute and contact other families with the same interest.  

We do need your support to continue our work so please consider giving a donation of money or time.  USMWF families will not let you down.


Charles Edward Marsh & The Public Welfare Foundation 2008

 

According to Anonymous Giver, a biography of Marsh by Philip Kopper, Marsh wrote that "public welfare" was "a pretty wide pair of words," by which he intended the Foundation to involve itself in "any activity which would promote the well-being and happiness of human beings."   A document drafted at the time, according to Kopper, declared that the Foundation would make "gifts for education, charitable or benevolent uses in accordance with a plan which shall meet the changing need for such gifts with flexibility...."  We can not thank the Public Welfare Foundation enough for having faith in our efforts and the first to grant USMWF a way to get the job done!

 

Horizontal Lifeline Manufacturer

Horizontal Lifeline Manufacturer - www.fallprotect.com

RB Design Studios

LaborSafe

Kazanlaw.com

Occupational Tragedies & their Impact on Families

Not surprisingly, families too often find little support from government officials when they inquire into how the workplace incident occurred. In spite of their loss and overwhelming frustration with the investigative system, family members are banding together to advocate for safer and healthier work environments. These family members are committed to calling attention to occupational dangers not only to honor their loved ones, but also to prevent other families from experiencing the pain and confusion associated with workplace injury, illness, and death.  

We have done a lot through our efforts with very little resources. Just imagine what we could do if we had more funding and resources! We need to do much more and we need your help! One of our big successes this year has been gaining our Non-Profit status as an organization so that any contributions you make are tax deductible. We are in the process of applying for grants and we will continue with all avenues to build the organization.  


 

USMWF Supporters  (For USMWF Family Supporters visit here)


Shore Enterprises 2008

Safety Training and Consulting for the Construction Industry


Horizontal Lifeline Manufacturer 2008 

www.fallprotect.com  


Dana Lynn Photography 2008

Photography for weddings, portraits, and both social and corporate eventslocated in Lexington, KY


The David Law Firm & Law Offices of Melinda J. Helbock 2008

Mesothelioma Info


U.S. City Business Directory 2008


Asbestos Cancer – important information for workers about asbestos exposure and the related health concerns from Mesothelioma.com.  

 


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Copyright© United Support and Memorial for Workplace Fatalities - USMWF.ORG, INC. 2007 (formally USMWF LLC 2003)    

On March, 2008 USMWF.ORG, INC  was officially recognized as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization by the Internal Revenue Service. 

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For problems or questions regarding this web contact[tammy@usmwf.org].or
usmwf@yahoo.com (if you use microsoft outlook sometimes i do not recieve your information so if you don't have a reply in a timely manner please try my alt email)
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11/02/2009 08:47 PM