Holden honors workers killed on job

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Gov. Bob Holden on Wednesday honored Missourians who died on the job last year.

More than 130 workers were killed and more than 165,000 injured in 2001, even though state officials say Missouri is doing better at protecting workers.

"We still have a long way to go in reaching the day when workplace safety is so effective, memorials like today are no longer needed," said Holden, a longtime supporter of organized labor.

Holden said that since 1999, the number of workplace injuries reported to the state Division of Workers' Compensation has decreased by 6.4 percent. The AFL-CIO said that more than 4,500 Missouri workers have died on the job since 1970.