WVPI's Memorial "Wall"

While preparing for the first meeting of the WVPI's Think Tank back in 2016, I talked about the Labor Day Holiday and pondered whether a memorial wall should be constructed at the U.S. Department of Labor bearing the names of Americans killed at work to shed light on the growing tragedy of workplace violence.

My 6/3/16 presentation focused on 37 employee-on-employee killings that had occurred in 2015 and the beginning of 2016. I asked my son Joseph to create artwork that might hang on the wall of our meeting place in Willingboro Twp., N.J. Here's what he came up with:

Joseph constructed a small cardboard "wall" and affixed the names of the lost 37. He made several copies and they were distributed to all who attended that first meeting of the WVPI.

Two of the names handwritten by Joseph were Caroline Nosal and Ryan Birse. Little did I know at the time I would have the honor of communicating with and then meeting members of the Nosal and Birse families.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) reports that 2,000,000 Americans are victimized by workplace violence each year.

However, many cases go underreported according to OSHA. Thus, the actual figure is unknown.

Workplace violence must end. Join us.