“TMIPOSSIBLE DREAM” covered with thick layers of dust and oil. He looked at the floor, it was a beige colour, covered with material which felt comforta- ble to his feet, yet appeared not to be slippery or sticky. Where was the old cracked cement floor that was always dirty and so miserable to stand on for eight hours. Sam walked into the mill, yep, there were the veneer dryers he remembered, but now they were enclosed with some material which looked new and clean. There was no squeaking, grinding noise coming from them any longer, nor was there the usual smoke and haze which irritated him with its acrid smell and made him cough and rub his eyes. And the space, he couldn’t believe it, so much room, you wouldn’t feel confined in this area. He watched as the sheets fed automati- cally into the dryer, then noticed the opera- tor sitting in a comfortable chair with a back rest and hand level controls. The girl stood then to stretch and with the press of a button raised the control panel so she could stand for a while and if she wished, manually feed the dryer. Sam saw the girl look up at the TV screens, which showed the offbearing end of the dryer. He continued to watch as the girl noticed one sheet was crossing another, “Oh! oh!,” he thought, “here comes a plug- up, now she’ll really have to work.”’ The operator turned to her control panel, she pressed a button which obviously controlled the entire power system to the dryer. Imme- diately everything shut off — another button was pressed which proceeded to lock-out the power source. After pressing a lever which loosened the rollers of the dryer and then elevated the feeding stand level with the rollers, the girl pulled the tangled sheet from the dryer.Sam remembered when he had sweated, fumed and cursed at plug-ups and hoped like hell he wouldn’t get hurt. “Wow!” he thought, “I wouldn’t mind that job now.” As he walked through the plant he noticed. other workers laughing and talking, yet obviously doing their work and enjoying it. He remembered when he had told the com- pany that it was necessary for people to have that social contact with one another, it would make them happier and therefore better and safer workers. But the manager had only laughed and continued to repri- mand workers for talking to one another. Sam couldn’t believeit, every work station had been changed. People could sit or stand now, as they wished. Consideration had been given to adjustable work levels, noise and dust were virtually non existent. There was brightness and light everywhere. He walked into the old lunchroom and blinked his eyes as he saw the shiny sink and stove, cupboards, dishwasher, tables and comfor- table chairs. Even a TV and a couch or two. Outside he noticed a recreation area, picnic tables under a tree, a swimming pool, dart boards, horseshoes — unbelievable. Sam walked over to the men’s room, push- ing open the door he saw the showers and sinks, locker facilities and then he saw the sign, ‘“‘All work clothes and protective equipment will be provided at no cost to the worker, at the Personnel Office.” Sam shook his head, “This sure as hell isn’t the mill I work at, even if it is in the same location.” 2/Lumber Worker/August, 1980 Sam walked out the door past the old meeting room and as he glanced in he saw a joint work environment committee meeting in progress. “I’ll go in and listen,” he thought, and walked quietly into the room. “What are the injury statistics for this month?” he heard the manager ask. The secretary of the committee glanced at his sheet, “No injuries this month,” he replied. “Now,” the manager asked, “what have we decided about the new plans to install a plastic patch line?” The union work envir- onment steward replied, “We must veto the process for the time being, until we receive assurance from the Joint Research Group that the chemical we will use in the process has been fully researched and proven to be safe.” “Very well,” said the manager, “we will table the item until we receive the report.” “God,” thought Sam, “this doesn’t seem possible.’ Suddenly there was a loud ring- ing, Sam couldn’t understand where it was coming from, then he opened his eyes. He reached to shut off the alarm, “Son of agun, it was only a dream an impossible dream.” LOGAL 1-80 REPORT By ROSS DAVIES Safety Director, Local 1-80 From personal experience I know the difficulties one can encounter in putting together a special Occupational Health and Safety Bulletin. Congratulations are in order to the Regional Council and in particu- lar Sister Ledger and Brother Kerr for making this edition possible. This gives the Locals in our Regional Council an opportunity to write about some of the programs they have undertaken as well as express some personal points of view regarding Occupational Safety. Our Local has approximately 5,000 members and has employed a full-time Safety Director since 1977 with the blessing of the Membership, Officers and Business Agents and the realization that safety must be viewed as a top priority. One of the programs our Local operates is an emergency bulletin system wherein the Local is notified immediately of all serious injuries, near accidents and mechanical defects on equipment that could eventually lead to an accident. These bulletins are checked daily and circulated to all opera- tions in the Local where an accident of a similar nature could occur. Almost all companies participate. Our Local publishes an annual Safety Bulletin that gives members an opportunity to share their experiences and thoughts on safety; this edition is mailed to every member’s home. We take members on a continuing basis off the job and into other operations so they may have the opportunity to discuss and exchange ideas on safety. These tours do no always stop at Local 1-80 boundaries. We tour other Locals as the opportunity arises, and last year ten Safety Committee Members spent a week in Washington State touring logging operations and sawmills and talking to I.W.A. members and Govern- ment officials enforcing Safety and Health in the U.S.A. Education is a key in develop- ing effective safety programs. We encourage and participate in operational education seminars, host Joint Union/ Management seminars, as well as separate educational sessions for members. The above are some of the things we incorporate into our Safety Program to improve its effectiveness. I would now like to express some personal points of view. Safety is an area in which no one person has ever been able to come up with all the answers or develop magic formulas to prevent injuries or loss of life. It is a collective job, one that requires the attention of Workers, Governments, Machine Manu- facturers, Management and Union. From a Union point of view, new technolo- gies and changes in machinery design, continual introduction of new chemicals in industry such as herbicides and liquid fungacides, etc., safety at times becomes extremely complex and frustrating. Workers and worker representatives, in order to better understand and protect themselves against these innovations, require more education and specialized training. Unions must ensure that dedi- cated members are provided with the oppor- tunity to increase their knowledge in Occu- pational Safety and see that the appropriate funds are made available. One of the real sore spots with the Trade Union Movement is in the area of job train- ing, or to be more specific, the lack of training. Here we are with one of the most unenviable accident records in North Amer- ica, still seeing workers placed in an extremely hazardous environment with little or no training — the end result is often predictable. The safety aspects related to job training, with emphasis placed on the weekend worker or new employees, are in most cases unacceptable or non-existent. This is one area management had better get their act together in a hurry. As Trade Union Members and Leaders, we have a responsibility to ensure that employers and government are providing workers with the safest possible work environment, an environment where safety is viewed as the top priority. We also have to remind our fellow workers that all the wages and benefits won’t do a damn bit of good if you don’t follow safe work procedures and stay healthy and live long enough to enjoy them. Remember, people who take short- cuts where safety is concerned become statistics. Union Safety Committee members shall at no time recommend or consent to disciplinary action against fellow workers for violation or alleged viola- tion of safety regulations.