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SAFETY COMMITTEE of the Whonnock Lumber Company,
Mission, which spearheaded the no-accident drive that resulted
in the 100 IWA employees achieving a perfect accident-free
year in 1963. Group are front row, right, J. Bowker; Vv. Rich-
ardson; W. Bonar; J. C. Vance; J. Fritsche; H. Henri, Mill
Supt.; back row, right, W. Recksiedler; M. Spindor; M. Kisyek;
W. Wallace; Dr. Combs; J. Halinda.

British Study Shows
Youth Accident Prone

It is commonly stated that the cost of accidents in Britain
is estimated to be £500 million each year. The distress is in-
calculable.

This is the modern epidemic plague. As with other plagues
the solution to the problem does-not lie only with medical
science. The modern machine age may be held largely to
blame; this is but a cover for the apathy with which the
matter is held by the great mass of people.

The latter fact may well be a symptom of the social disease
which is prevalent. Because habits and attitudes of mind are
formed in youth, and because accidents in adolescence are so
serious in number and effects, the emphasis in this study is
on youth.

In Great Britain, deaths from accidents are said to number
nearly 20,000 a year, of which over 7,000 occur on the roads
and more than 8,000 in accidents in the home.

The conclusions suggest the need for: (1) a reassessment
of training in childhood; (2) improvements in the application
of supervision and legislation; (3) great extension in the teach-
ing of first aid and life saving techniques; (4) more intense
publicity; (5) further research; and (6) action by medical
men in the whole field.

“THE WESTERN CANADIAN LUMBER WORKER

SETTING THINGS STRAIGHT

By BOB ROSS
Regional Safety Director

A headline in the second issue of Jan-
uary on the Safety page of the Western
Canadian Lumber Worker “Local 1-71
Safety Committee Chairmen Assume Re-
sponsibility for New Program” has given
rise to some speculation and controversy

within the Regional Council. The balance
of the article describes institution of a
job safety breakdown program in the
Quatsino Sound Division of Rayonier
Corporation.

A careful persual of the article and a
knowledge of the situation in these four
logging operations would reveal that the
only area of “responsibility” assumed by
the four union Safety Committee chair-
men is the acquiring and development of

the details of each job from each union
member.

THE UNION AND MANAGEMENT
HAVE AGREED THAT THIS CAN BE DONE

IN THE ABSENCE OF ANY COMPANY
SUPERVISORY OFFICIALS.

DELEGATES in attendance at the IWA Safety Conference February 29, at Woodworkers’

House, Vancouver.

It was believed that our people
would feel much freer to discuss with
their own trusted chairmen, all of the
hazards pertaining to their jobs.

It is important that all members of
the Regional Council recognize that at
no time have the officers of Local 1-71
or the Regional Council agreed to relieve
management of its sole responsibility for
accident prevention in their operations.
On the contrary, the union will continue
to insist that responsibility for safe sur-
roundings and for job training in safety
is that of management and must be as-
sumed by them.

It should also be apparent that man-
agement on its part has no intention of
allowing the IWA to invade this respon-
sibility. ;

As the writer of the original article
I assume the onus of failure to be more
explicit in my explanation of this excel-
lent approach to accident prevention.

Ie

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LOCAL UNION SAFETY

ERIC EWERT, Safety Direc-
tor of Local 1-217, IWA, Van-
couver, joined the IWA in
1958, while working at Van-
couver Plywood as an Edge
Gluer. He was a member of
the Plant Safety Committee
in 1960, and is now the Chief
Shop Steward. He was re-
cently elected the Local
Safety Director.

DIRECTORS

BILL SCHUMAKER, Presi-
dent and Safety Director of
Local 1-423, IWA, Kelowna,
joined the IWA while work-
ing as a Clipper Operator at
the S. & K. Plywood Plant
in Kelowna. During his first
two years on the job he was
active on the Plant Safety
Committee. In 1959, he was
elected Plant Chairman and
Local Safety Director.

NORM KELLY, Safety Di-
rector of Local 1-357, IWA,
New Westminster, joined the
IWA in 1945, while working
at Fraser Mills as a Dry Kiln
operator. He first took an in-
terest in safety at the Plant
level in 1950. During the
past six years he has been an
officer of the Regional Safety
Council and holds the posi-
tion of 2nd Vice-Chairman.

KARL LIDBERG, Financial
Secretary and Safety Direc-
tor of Local 1-363, IWA,

Courtenay, has been a mem-
ber of the IWA since 1943.
During this time he was
active in safety while on his
job as Track Side Engineer
and Steel Spar Operator.