Workers who were killed on the job last year are being honored at memorial services today in Des Moines and Waterloo. Lieutenant Governor Sally Pederson says 31 Iowans died in work-related accidents in 2003. Pederson says the services are an opportunity to honor the workers and express condolences to their families. Pederson says it’s important for government to take the steps necessary to make sure working conditions are as safe as possible. She says Iowa has made great progress. Pederson says since 1970, the rate of workplace deaths has decreased from 18 deaths for every one-hundred-thousand workers to just five per hundred-thousand workers. She says that decline is directly linked to rules and regulations which encourage and require safety in the workplace. Pederson attended a workers’ memorial service this morning in Des Moines. Secretary of State Chet Culver will speak at a service late this afternoon in Waterloo.
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