Fifty-five years ago this April 28, the Occupational Safety and Health Act went into effect, promising every worker the fundamental right to a safe job. And yet each day on average, more than 380 workers are killed and more than 8,600 suffer injury and illness because of dangerous working conditions that are preventable.

And progress on worker safety is under attack. Last April, the Trump administration fired 85% of the staff of National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) the federal agency that conducts research on work-related injuries and illnesses. On Jan. 13, 2026, the administration reinstated the previously suspended NIOSH workers, but that didn’t erase the damage done to the agency.

Job safety inspections are in decline. As of 2025, the United States had the lowest number of OSHA inspectors and conducts the lowest number of OSHA inspections since the agency was founded. OSHA’s budget equates to just $3.85 for each worker it’s responsible for. 

Last year at least 37 workers died on the job or from injuries sustained while working in Oregon. So did at least 2 workers in Clark, Cowlitz, and Lewis counties in Southwest Washington. Here are the names of those who lost their lives.

OREGON

• Robert Kenyon Truck driver — Motor vehicle accident 
• Steven Botter Truck driver — Motor vehicle accident 
• Justin Godel Chaser — Struck by swinging object 
• Isaac Allen Truck technician — Caught/compressed in equipment 
• Victor Alvarado Garcia Tree bucker/faller — Struck by falling object
• Christopher Butler Choker setter — Struck by falling object 
• Suriadi Santosa Semi-truck driver —Motor vehicle accident 
• Casey Moye Forklift driver — Struck by falling object 
• Hunter Bryant Carpenter — Motor vehicle accident 
• Christopher De Jesus Forklift driver — Heavy equipment accident 
• Nicholas Cardoza Truck driver — Motor vehicle accident 
• Joseph Lyager-Toth Landscaper — Environmental exposure 
• Alberto Ruiz Gomez Truck driver — Motor vehicle accident 
• Patrick Erickson Truck driver — Motor vehicle accident
• Lucas Gray Construction laborer — Heavy equipment accident 
• Jeremiah Dayhoff Logger —Struck by falling object 
• Jesse Grover Building cleaning company owner — Fall from height 
• Cameron Luper Modular home installation owner — Caught/compressed incident 
• Amy Wilson Landscaping manager — Motor vehicle accident 
• Tyler Sahnow HVAC technician — Motor vehicle accident 
• Matthew Decker Delivery driver — Motor vehicle accident 
• Jami Strinz Softball coach — Motor vehicle accident 
• Heather Hosey Court clerk — Motor vehicle accident 
• James Packnett Truck driver — Exposure to harmful substance 
• Sarabjit Singh Motel owner — Homicide 
• Raymond Schlatter Logging supervisor — Motor vehicle accident 
• Martin Guerra Coria Logger — Struck by falling object 
• Rogaciano Martinez-Cactrijon Logger — Struck by falling object 
• Ruben Gonzalez-Romero Wildland firefighter — Medical event 
• Santi Rai Convenience store clerk — Homicide 
• Matthew Vieira Pesticide applicator — Exposure to harmful substance 
• John Lee Gutter services company owner — Fall from height 
• David Slingland Excavator operator — Heavy equipment accident 
• Ashley O’Connell Delivery driver — Motor vehicle accident 
• Patrick Jones Logger — Motor vehicle accident 
• Tommie Lucas Design and development executive — Medical event 
• Donald Baribault School district superintendent — Drowning 

SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON

• Pardeep Kumar Convenience store clerk — Homicide
• Terry Hastings Waste collector — Crushed by falling pallets of cardboard 

Names were compiled by Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services and Washington Department of Labor and Industries based on worker’s compensation records, news reports, and OSHA notifications. Because confidentiality restrictions limit releasing individual names in certain cases, it’s not a complete account of all fatal accidents.

Local Workers Memorial Day observances

Each year on April 28, Workers Memorial Day honors workers who lost their lives as the result of workplace injury and illness. Workers Memorial Day marks the date when the Occupational Safety and Health Act went into effect in 1971, protecting workers’ right to a safe job. 

PORTLAND 

The Oregon Labor Federation, AFL-CIO, will honor workers who lost their lives while performing their jobs in 2025.

• WHEN  9-10 a.m. Tuesday, April 28
• WHERE  Eastbank Esplanade beside Portland Fire and Rescue Station 21, 5 SE Madison St., Portland

SALEM 

The Oregon Labor Federation, AFL-CIO, will honor workers who lost their lives while performing their jobs in 2025.

• WHEN 12-1 p.m. Tuesday, April 28
• WHERE The Fallen Worker Memorial on the Oregon State Capitol Mall, 350 Winter St. NE, Salem

TUMWATER

The names of each of the workers who died in Washington in 2025 will be read aloud during a ceremony. Afterward, families are invited to ring the brass bell in the Worker Memorial Garden on the grounds of L&I’s headquarters and speak about their loved ones.

• WHEN Tuesday, April 28 at 2 p.m.
• WHERE Washington State Dept. of Labor & Industries, 7273 Linderson Way SW, Tumwater