Two Longview residents will be among the 93 workers honored at the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries’ Worker Memorial Day ceremony Thursday in Tumwater.
Weyerhaeuser pipefitter Gary McKennett, 87, died from the effects of asbestos exposure in June 2022, and C&C Logging's Jose Torres-Cabrera, 50, died in March 2023 when struck by a log, L&I reports.
The department says in a press release 63 of the workers to be honored this week died in 2023, while the remaining 30 passed away before last year but were not included in previous ceremonies.
The construction industry claimed 13 of the 93 lives, while the agricultural industry accounted for 11 deaths. There were also nine transportation-related deaths and five firefighter fatalities.
The public can attend the 2 p.m. ceremony in person at L&I Headquarters, 7273 Linderson Way SW or watch the event live at Lni.wa.gov/WorkerMemorialDay.
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L&I Director Joel Sacks said in the news release workplace safety must be increased.
“While families and friends are left to mourn these fallen workers, we can honor them by always focusing on preventing these tragedies from happening in the first place,” he said.