OCTOBER, 1973 THE WESTERN CANADIAN LUMBER WORKER AT DAWSON CREEK SAFETY COMMITTEE ELECTED AT NORTHWEST WOOD PRESERVERS Election of the first I.W.A. Plant Safety Committee was carried out at a special session attended by the full crew and management representatives recently at the Northwest Wood Preservers. This new sawmill and wood preserving plant was obtained by Domtar, and operates under the name of -Northwest Wood Preser- vers, at Dawson Creek, over 200 miles northeast of the Local 1-424 I.W.A. office located in Prince George. As quickly as the Plant was Certified and a Contract negotiated, plans were carried out to get a much needed Safety Program in gear. Regional Safety Director Max Salter joined with Local Safety Director — Business Agent Bob Birchette, in a joint inspection of the plant facili- ties, together with the area W.C.B. Inspector, Chris Smith, and Mill Superintendent R. McKenzie. Following the safety tour, a meeting of the Crew was held, during which the Company Manager H. Friederichschon, announced the appointment of the Company members to the Joint Safety Committee. Election of the Union mem- bers to the Safety Committee was conducted by Bob Birch- ette, and the meeting wound up with progressive plans for the first regular Safety session scheduled shortly. POSING FOR THEIR PICTURE after the special meeting left to right, in front row are Union members Dennis Koblivk, Walter Zwahlen, Gary Swarbick, Ross Hayward, (Darrell Leschert missing from the photo), — in the second row (I to r) is Union member Roy Peterson, flanked by Company reps Rick Dundas, Jack Dilworth, and Wayne Ollenberger. In the back row (tor) is Chris Smith of the W.C.B., H. Friederichschon (Manager) and R. McKenzie, Mill Super. Office. Back Row left, J. McDer' J. Bese, 2nd Vice-Chairman, R. Trafton, 4th Vice-Chairman. | meeting in October. Group seated left, D. Watts, WCB; E. oe Council Chairman; V. Ledger, Loca! Safety Director; R. Perkins, Fire Marshal's mott, 3rd Vice-Chairman; D. McNicol, ist Vice-Chairman; ee, BEST SAFETY RECORD for millwork operations in B.C. during 1972 was won by Sauder Doors Limited, of Richmond. Workmen’‘s Compensation Board Commissioner G. Kowbel presents two members of the safety committee with the WCB Meritorious Safety Performance Award. Shown left to right are: Allan Huetter (IWA shop steward), Mr. Kowbel and Roy Nordman (production manager). The award is based on lost time injury frequency rates. Sauder Doors Limited achieved an average frequency rate of 6.55 per million man-hours compared to the industry average of 27.66. LOG SKIDDER FATALITIES CAUSING INDUSTRY CONCERN The Workmen’s Compensa-, tion Board is concerned with the recent increase in fatal accidents among log skidder operators. These fatalities have occurred when the skid- ders have accidentally over- turned throwing the operators out of their protective struc- tures into the path of the rolling skidders. In three recent rollover acci- dents all of the skidders were equipped with rollover protec- tion. However, in each case the skidder operator failed to fasten his seat belt and was thrown out and crushed by the skidder. J. D. Paton, director of the WCB’s accident prevention inspection department says that in each instance the pro- tective structure was inspected after the accident and found to be in good condition. He says, “If these men had worn their seat belts they would be alive today. Protective structures on mobile equipment are of little value if seat belts are not used. An operator’s chances of sur- viving a rollover accident are far greater if he is retained within the protective structure, which was designed and manu- factured to absorb the force of the machine tipping or roll- ing.” ‘ He urges all mobile machine operators to follow WCB acci- dent prevention regulations. These regulations require all operators and passengers on mobile equipment, fitted with ~ rollover protective structures, to wear seat belts regularly. FINE SAFETY RECORDS ACHIEVED BY MEMBERS Officers of Local 1-367 IWA Haney, paid special praise at the Local’s Annual Meeting September 29, to the fine safety records achieved by four of their members. The officers stated: “We would like to acknow- ledge and give full credit to four members of our. Local Union who have established safety records which should be an example of safe working habits and dedication to the principles of safety.”’ These members are: Brother Bob Shields, set-up man in the planermill depart- ment, who has worked thirty years for B.C. Forest Products Ltd., Hammond Division without an accident. Brother Gordon Graham, shingle sawyer for Canfor, Stave Lake Cedar, who started working at the age of sixteen and has worked thirty-two years with the same company without a lost-time accident. Brother Jim Hill who has now worked twenty-nine years in the planermill department of B.C. Forest Products Ltd., Hammond Division without a lost time accident. Brother Nick Pazarenz has also worked since 1948 in B.C. Forest Products Ltd., Ham- mond planermill without an accident. 1-357 SAFETY COUNCIL “A SMOOTH MACHINE” With years of experience in its history, the New West- minster Local 1-357 Safety Council runs like a smooth machine, in handling the many and varied problems con- cerned with safety. A good example was the October session of the Council, when the regular business of Safety reports from the many and varied Plants, was spiced up with the topic of the day being Fire Prevention Rules as required by the Provincial Fire Marshall’s Office, and the Regulations called for under the Workmen’s Compensation Act. D. Watts appeared for the W.C.B. and R. Perkins repre- sented the Fire Marshall’s sec- tion, to field questions from the various Safety representatives within the I.W.A. Local Safety Council structure. ; Representing the Region was Safety Director Max Sal- ter, in the process of gathering informative material for consideration in structuring new Safety Councils now being set up in other Locals through- out the J.W.A. Regional areas.