On Tuesday many of us were also up early for Anzac Day ceremonies to commemorate those who died in the defence of our country and to honour all who served in the armed forces.

Today we commemorate a different type of fallen hero – the regular everyday worker who leaves for work and never returns because they are killed on the job.

The death of a worker creates a ripple effect, reaching out and affecting family and friends, workmates and employers.
However you measure it, the cost to society is enormous; but the cost to the families and friends of these fallen heroes is too high.

Last year the Department of Labour investigated the deaths of 52 workers; these were 52 deaths too many. Already this year 26 workplace deaths have been investigated or are under investigation.

For every worker whose death becomes a statistic, there are many other lives that are changed forever. The empty chair at the meeting, the hard hat that will never be worn again - the death of a workmate changes not only the lives of family members and friends but also the lives of everyone who worked with them, whether in person or at the other end of the phone – and it should also change the workplace.

We have to change the attitude of all employers and employees so that they understand that health and safety is not a compliance cost – it’s an investment in our good workers who deserve to go to work and return safely.

Health and safety is not about rules and regulations, it's about taking care of the people you work with - and it's about family and friends.

The focus of Worker’s Memorial Day this year is asbestos. In February and March this year the Department of Labour visited almost 100 sites throughout the country to check health and safety procedures relating to asbestos removal and the management of demolition hazards.
I'm pleased to report that 73 per cent of the sites with asbestos removal work were using appropriate methods to safely remove asbestos.
While we continue to deal with the health effects on workers who were exposed to asbestos in the 1960s and 70s, the findings I mentioned give me hope that the painful lessons from the past are starting to be learned.
Today is also World Day for Safety and Health at Work and the theme this year is HIV/Aids.
The International Labour Organisation estimates that 36.5 million people worldwide who are engaged in productive activity are HIV positive.
In New Zealand, 183 people were diagnosed with HIV last year.
Being HIV positive affects many people’s ability to work. A recent New Zealand survey found that 19 percent of participants had experienced discrimination in finding work because they were HIV positive and that 42 percent of them had stopped work altogether because of being diagnosed with HIV.
We need to acknowledge the social and economic cost of workplace injury and disease - like the impact of HIV/AIDS on working people, the silent killer asbestos, and the rate of workplace death and injury in New Zealand. We also need to look forward and commit to a future built on decent and safe work.

This Labour-led government is implementing a long term programme of lifting workplace performance built on a foundation of safe, healthy, and productive practice.

This will only be achieved by all of us working together – unions, workers, employers, industry and the wider community.

Congratulations for organising today as a commemoration of our workers who did not come home – let there be fewer of them every year.