Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 124.djvu/4646

124 STAT. 4620 PROCLAMATION 8507—APR. 28, 2010 stitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim May 2010 as Older Americans Month. I call upon citizens of all ages to honor older Americans this month with appropriate ceremonies and activities. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty- eighth day of April, in the year of our Lord two thousand ten, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-fourth. BARACK OBAMA Proclamation 8507 of April 28, 2010 Workers Memorial Day, 2010 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation This year marks the 40th anniversary of both the Occupational Safety and Health Act and the Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act, which promise American workers the right to a safe workplace and re- quire employers to provide safe conditions. Yet, today, we remain too far from fulfilling that promise. On Workers Memorial Day, we remem- ber all those who have died, been injured, or become sick on the job, and we renew our commitment to ensure the safety of American work- ers. The families of the 29 coal miners who lost their lives on April 5 in an explosion at the Upper Big Branch Mine in West Virginia are in our thoughts and prayers. We also mourn the loss of 7 workers who died in a refinery explosion in Washington State just days earlier, the 4 workers who died at a power plant in Connecticut earlier this year, and the 11 workers lost in the oil platform explosion off the coast of Louisiana just last week. Although these large-scale tragedies are appalling, most workplace deaths result from tragedies that claim one life at a time through pre- ventable incidents or disabling disease. Every day, 14 workers are killed in on-the-job incidents, while thousands die each year of work- related disease, and millions are injured or contract an illness. Most die far from the spotlight, unrecognized and unnoticed by all but their families, friends, and co-workers—but they are not forgotten. The legal right to a safe workplace was won only after countless lives had been lost over decades in workplaces across America, and after a long and bitter fight waged by workers, unions, and public health ad- vocates. Much remains to be done, and my Administration is dedicated to renewing our Nation’s commitment to achieve safe working condi- tions for all American workers. Providing safer work environments will take the concerted action of government, businesses, employer associations, unions, community or- ganizations, the scientific and public health communities, and individ- uals. Today, as we mourn those lost mere weeks ago in the Upper Big Branch Mine and other recent disasters, so do we honor all the men and women who have died on the job. In their memory, we rededicate