Page Six ‘ , B.C. LUMBER WORKER FORMER UNION OFFICIAL SAYS: - Rehabilitation Gives Crippled A New Chance. J. A. Humphreys, Rehabilitation Officer, Workmen’s Compensation Board Every logger, every mill worker should give active sup- port to the IWA campaign to cut the accident rate and NO ‘SAFE’ SHOES; TOES SMASHED By Bill Gray In the month of September at Canadian White Pine, there were three cases of broken toes. None of the three men injured were wearing safety shoes. Out of a total of 45 days lost due to accidents during the month, 40 of these days were charged to these three men. Surely a strong argument for safety equipment. In spite of this, however, the CWP boys announce that they have concluded another three months with compensable ac- cidents cut to less than one-half of those occurring in the same period in 1948, In October, a draw was: held for the preceding threé month period. With $500 still in the pot, a large number of merchan- dise prizes were claimed by the lucky members of the crew. Twelve pairs of safety shoes and some cash prizes were also awarded. * This again goes to show that with concerted effort by all mem- bers of the crew, accidents CAN be materially reduced, However, the Safety Commit- tee of Canadian White Pine feels there is still room for improve- ments, and calls on each employee to assist in further preventing these unnecessary accidents which cause needless pain, suffering and loss of wages. FIRST AID CLASSES AT JUSTKATLA News from Justkatla comes from Bro, R. F. Climie, secretary of this Sub-Local (1-71), IWA. The boys up there are delighted with the interest being taken in the Safety Campaign. First Aid classes are being held in that Sub-Local every Thurs- day night with twenty in attend- ance. Bro. Walker is supervising, and credit should go to Bob for the fine work he is doing. A membership drive is also in full swing, many new names be- ing added to the check-off. Your Family and Safety Safety is a family affair. Cer- tainly, an accident to any one person can be a serious blow, sometimes a tragic blow, to that person’s whole family. Besides the pain and discom- fort and enforced idleness of the injured victim, there are the wor- ry and an added burden to the rest of the family. There is the expense of medical bills. And sometimes, of course, there are death and sorrow, ex- treme hardship, and broken dreams. Yes, an accident, like the atom, an cause a chain reaction. Don’t let it explode in ‘your family, Keep hazards out of your home. And make safety habits a per- manent part of your life and the lives of those around you. Help keep your family safe— for good. 2 —Western Pennsylvania *|submitted at this meeting which Safety Council. end the tragic waste of life in our lumbering industry. With an all out effort on the part of management, the union, and each individual wo. to bring results. Accidents Do Happen In spite of all precautions, however, and allowing for the hu- man .element, we know that acci- dents do happen -..and then what? The old ideas about Work- } men’s Compensa- tion created thoughts in the minds of large numbers of work- 2. ing people that if f they met with an accident they had a just cause of resentment against the world in general and their employer in, particular, and that their object should be to get as much money as possible for compensation, Well, just for a moment, change places with a logger who has sustained an injury which prevents him from returning to his former job. If this man can- not get another job, and it is not a simple matter for the average logger to find suitable employ- ment in the city, is it any wonder that he is likely to become re- sentful. Wouldn’t you be resent- ful under similar circumstances? What is Being Done As a result of two world en- circling wars, bringing with them the attendant problems of re-es- tablishing thousands of maimed service and civilian personnel, we are becoming increasingly aware of our responsibilities to each other and to society at large. Canada’s rehabilitation pro- gram for the war disabled ranks second to none. It is estimated that upwards of 150,000 civilians in Canada require some form of rehabilitation service. The Do- minion Government has been aware for quite some time of the needs of the civilian disabled throughout Canada. An interdepartmenal committee has been established by the gov- ernment and charged with the re- sponsibility of formulating plans for a conference to be held in Ottawa within the next two months. Conerete plans will be should be helpful in the estab- lishment of a National Rehabili- tation Service for all civilians dis- abled. Compensation Rehabilitation Service The Compensation Act was amended March 18, 1943, to give the board necessary authority to provide for the rehabilitation of the industrially disabled in Brit- ish Columbia. Briefly, the board has ayail- able. for injured workmen: in British Columbia similar serv- ices. to those provided by the Department of Veterans Af- fairs for returned veterans. Numerous cases could be cited to show that rehabilita- tion does pay, but two should suffice: A young men of 19 years of age, suffered the loss of the left hand at the wrist while employed in a shingle mill. He was assisted by the board in studying for his fourth class engineering papers and with the co-operation of a local employer, along with the engin- eers’ union, was successful in obtaining employment, He now has third class pa- pers—is studying for his sec- ond, drives his own car and has a private pilot’s license. These is also the case of a young lady employed by a lo- cal lumber firm who sustained a badly dislocated ankle while at work. She had almost given up hope of ever returning to work when the Rehabilitation Department took over her case. We gaye her a_ business course and later succeeded in placing her with the Dominion rker, this campaign is bound Income Tax office. In both these cases, there has been an uninterrupted period of employ- ment over the past four years. Recognizing that rehabilitation should start as soon after the ac- cident as possible, a member of the staff makes regular visits to the larger hospitals in Vancouver. Plans for the workman’s early return to employment are dis- cussed, or if training is indicated arrangements can be made with- out due loss of time. Training has been provided by the board in saw filing, first aid, timekeeping, barbering, tailoring, dressmaking, diesel and automo- tive mechanics, cooking and bak- ing, shoe repair, commercial, cor- respondence courses covering nu- merous subjects, to mention only a few. Co-operation There is no legal responsibil- ity on the part of any individ- ual or groups of individuals for the re-employment of the in- dustrially disabled, but we all have a moral obligation to as- sist our fellow citizens lead normal liyes. Employers and the trade unions must give greater attention to this ever growing problem. Mr. H. E. Griffiths, surgeon to the Albert Dock Hospital, in a paper on vocational rehabilitation submitted to the Institute of In- dustrial Psychology paraphrased the cry of the disabled man thusly: “Find out what I can do and let me do it; forget what I cannot do and let me forget it.” YOU ARE YOUR BROTHERS’ KEEPER — HELP HIM BACK TO WORK. QUIZ Do you know your acci- dent-prevention regulations? Here are three easy questions for millworkers, The answers will be found on Page 8. 1, What is the rule about a crack in a bandsaw? 2. What is the proper width for aisles between ma- chines in a woodworking plant? 3. What is the safe limit of speed for shingle ma- chines? |_ OF7O MWOWEETIER . PROCRASTIMATION .. The IWA in “WHEREAS: “WHEREAS: “That the District Safety Council immediately start set- ting up Local Safety Councils and Safety Committees in all Locals, Camps and Mills in Dis- trict No. 1. ; “That a page in the “B.C. Lumber Worker” be set aside for use as a Safety Bulletin for educational purposes plus full The district VIGOROUS JOB . JN THE terms of the fore- going resolution, the B. C. District Convention of the IWA, Jan. 15-16, 1949, clearly defined the Union’s safety program. It is this program that the B. C. Lum- ber Worker is instructed to promote. It is a program to save life and limb by the prevention of acci- dents. Prevention is vastly more important than fixing blame after the event. This resolution when considered in conjunction with the Union’s agreement with the employers, clearly implies that the Union ac- “WHEREAS: Ninety-five workers lost their lives ¢ sulting suffering, both moral and economi The accident rates in the wood District No. 1 has had no program “THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED: That the IW. District Safety Council to implement as tuted conference of Delegates from Locals conv use of radio, films, ul other means available, “That we earnestly to co-operate with n and the government phases of accident p “That the District Council, in conjunction trict Executive and council cepts its rightful share: sponsibility in the general o eration necessary on the prevent accidents, It represents the deter of the Union that every the job — superintendent ; worker alike — shall part in the enforcement servance of safety precautions, The IWA Safety Progr has been falsely stigma: labor-management co-operatio likely to absolve delinquent ¢ ployers from blame. Ni It is a program that fixes re- sponsibility where responsi ity belongs. ¥ A record has been reached by the crew at Evans Products, with 13 months and 20 days without a compensable accident, About Aug. 9, 1948, the com- pany and the employees started a contest in accident prevention on a three months’ basis. The em- ployees were divided into three groups for this attempt to cut down accidents. At the end of three months there had been no compens- able accidents, so the employees were given theatre tickets, At the end of the next three months there had still been no compensable accidents, so all the employees received flash- lights, : At the end of the accident-free year all employees again received theatre tickets, and $100 worth of prizes were drawn for, result- ing in about one out of every EVANS PRODUCTS MAKES RECORD | three employees getting a pi At the end of 13 months: 20 days, the crew of 21 men women had some 285,000 wo ing hours, without a compen able accident. This kind of record is achieved only by hard work on the of everyone, and by the Safety Committee on the Job. This Committee consists of: B Cole, chairman; Sister Woolley, secretary, and Sisters Muriel P and Barbara Hill, with Bros. Hawsby, Henry Rogalsky, Jacob Miller, Frank Seltzer, Elmer 0 man, Al Perrault and Ch Schick. 38 The entire crew had to safety-conscious to achieve sucl results. Congratulations to Safety Committee and to the erew for a job well done. Keep up good work!