of Accident-prevention jin the process of being in approximately two every workman in gave valuable assistance and experience of the sntrib sand advice that ch will give the workers of this litions. ij engineering principles coupled ge gained through years of intelligent thinking by the best nt and are indispensable for ke your living less hazardous. ¢ make it unnecessary for you to - .C. LUMBER WORKER Regular meeting of the B.C. safety conditions in various sect: COUNCIL MEETS OCT. 13 held in Vancouver on Oct. 13, the day preceding the quarterly meeting of the IWA B.C. District Council. oe Matters before the Safety Council include the nomination of representatives on the International Safety Council, reports of consideration of plans to promote safety work in the Interior. . District Safety Council will be Ray tions of the lumber industry, and By Bill Gray and Gus Skuzanski DELEGATES from B.C. at the International convention had good reasons for satisfaction over the outcome of the discussion on accident prevention in lumbering operations. - The safety program of che I- WA in B.C. was recognized as outstanding throughout the Union. The convention acted to insti- tutea Union-wide safety program in a determined effort, to save life and limb. Steps were taken to appoint an International Safety Council, which will include the Interna~ tional officers, representatives of the Research Department, and members to be appointed’ from each District. The convention instructed the Council to meet within 90 days, and undertake co-ordination of the Union’s safety program in all districts. The B. C. District Safety Coun- cil may claim a large measure of credit for the general acceptance of this point of view. Local Unions here were the first to ap- point Safety Councils. The B.C. District was the first on this con- tinent to appoint a District Safety Council. | And now the International Union, is the first International ition—attend safety meetings. lexplain them to others. the safety welfare of those with lt in injury to yourself or other essary, report the hazard im- ced employee the importance of ourself and gain the confidence villing to follow your example. is worthwhile. TALK IT safety committeeman. one man’s duty to preserve within his power to do so. Union to establish an Interna- tional Safety Council. The dele- gation demonstrated that a safety program pays rich dividends to the lumber workers in terms of protection against death and crip- pling injury. A significant feature of the Convention ~ resolution was the commitment to labor-manage- a planned program of accident prevention. The basic principles of a safety program are now more clearly defined than ever be- fore through the National Safety Council with which our Union is affiliated. It was the policy of the Union’s leadership some years ago to speak of safety only in terms of abuse of management. The present-day view is that the Union and management each have definite responsibilities with regard to which they must work out effective co-operation. The in- dividual worker likewise has a share of this responsibility, and the government is required to carry out necessary inspection and enforce regulations required. We know now that while ob- servance of certain regulations should be compulsory, a genuine safety program requires a willing and informed participation, 6n s You hear of accidents. the part of all those who super- yise and perform the tasks of the industry. Joint Responsibility Main Key to Safety ment-government co-operation in | TIMAL rosition oF fopy. Safety, of course, is primarily the legal and moral responsibil- ity of the employer. The employer is required to devise a safety pro- fgram with the procedures and staff to make it work. It is the employer’s responsi- bility to conduct safety training programs for supervisors and em- ployees and to offer every en- couragement for employee inter- est and co-operation in working out methods for elmination of job hazards. But here we should state that many, of the larger employers in this province recognize this re- sponsibility and are introducing better safety programs. They are also giving our union encourage- ment and help in: conducting our safety education work through union channels, principally through the pages of the official organ, the B.C. Lumber Worker. The master agreement with the Coast lumber operators contains clauses dealing with accident pre- vention which provide for joint accident prevention committees in every operation employing any considerable number of men. Both the majority of the operators and the Union desire that these job safety committees should be con- stantly on the alert to remove the causes of accidents and maintain safe working procedures. ©) HOOKER ERLOGING SLINGER NOOK OM SMALL LOGS OM ONE CHOKER & “72 BOGMSTICK OW SECOND CHOKER, Q)HOOKER StaMALS GOANEAD Stow UNTIL LIME TIGHTEHED. SichALs STOP (RIGGING SLINGER MOVES BEHIND TUR, *" WHILE HOOKER MOVES OFF TO SIDE, GIVING GO ANEAD SIGKAL. (A) Boousticx UPENDS AND SWINGS, STRIKING HOOKER, WITM FATAL. RESULTS: Boom stick. UANGS UP ‘ON STUMP. Occupation: Hooktender. Age: 36. Experience: Many years. Date: July 20, 1950. Deceased and rigging slinger hooked on two small logs in. one choker and a boomstick in another choker. He then gave a signal of three shorts to go ahead slow until the line tightened. He then signalled to stop. The hooker then told the rigging slinger to get in the.clear as the turn would swing or the boomstick break. The rigging slinger got Behind the turn. Deceased started moving to one side giving the signal to go ahead. The boomstick up-ended and swung. The whistle punk saw what Was going to happen and signalled to stop, but the log hit deceased. Death was almost instantaneous. “~1, DECEASED AT Tor OF 140'SPARTREE. 2.BAGK BUCKLE GUY RELEASED TO MOVE To NEW POSITION AT'X'. \, 3SPAR TREE SWAPS OFF AT TOP & »” puckte Gurs- Pisces @OLO© FALL To Grown aT @),@ £© ALONG intTH 60" BOOM ©) ~4.TOP OF TREE & BULL BLOCK LAND ON TOP OF DECEASED. Prorosep cHAnee YE or Position / R 4 Ge, FAK SY Ss you APPLY IT / These job safety committees on which the Union: members are represented form the real basis of a safety program. It has been proved over and over again that where these committees are well informed about their responsibili- ties and are active, the accident rate is immediately reduced in an astonishing degree. Safety methods must be de- manded by the men-on the job and executed in co-operation with management. Under our agree- ment with the employers, the men on the job have it in their own hands to write their own safety rules. ‘ The whole objective of the Union's program is to educate or rather persuade the men on the job to act through their own safety committees, under the reg- ulations and the contract, to make the job safe. The Union’s share of responsi- bility in the safety program is to encourage all its members to pro- mote and follow safe working habits until they become instinc- tive and automatic. Dead... Occupation: Normally head loader, but was acting as rigger at time of accident. Age: 21 years. Experience 4 years. Date: June 29th, 1950. About 4 o’clock in the afternoon the foreman was in the area and noticed that the spar tree had a buckle and there was movement at the top. It is also the Union’s responsi- bility continuously to impress up- on the membership, through its publications and meetings, that safety can be organized to pro- tect life and limb and prevent the endless heartbreaks and misery that follow in the wake of acci- dents, Already this year 44 men have lost their lives in the B.C, lum- ber industry. Another 5,119 have suffered time-loss accidents, with a high percentage seriously maimed for the rest of their days. With all-round co-operation we can reduce that casualty list eas- ily by 50 percent next year, and that’s a reasonable and worth- This was a raised tree in good condition. It had a 42-inch butt, a 22 inch top and was 140 feet high. It had been used for a week and had evidently settled some. There were six top guys and four buckle guys. The foreman arranged for a crew to stay after work to install a seventh top guy and to tighten up the buckle guys. The deceased volunteered to go up the tree. The hooker took some of the crew out to release the buckle guy while two others pro- ceeded to notch a stump for a new anchorage. When the hooker was ready to release the buckle guy he shouted to deceased who was up the tree at the top guys, asking if it was O.K. to let the guy loose. When the buckle guy was released the tree snapped off at the top and fell in three pieces. The top of the tree and the bull-block landed on top of deceased. It will be noted that the buckle heel boom. This boom was 60 fee! with 50-pound railroad rails. attached just below the buckle guy was taking the weight of the t long, 7 feet wide and filled in The nose guy ran through a block guys.