Page Six PLAY 19 SAFE! 50 [ACCIDENT TOLL DEAD o7 LIVE LONGER! INJURED 71274 Open Letter to Interior Operators (GENEEEMEN: I am writing this with one object in view—that of selling you a commodity that will pay be disregarded. This commodity is acciden be interested? Since you are these points very briefly. 1. Payments to the Workmen’s Compensation Board of assess- ments for compensation. 2. Hidden costs which are ac- sknowledged as being four times that of the’so-called visible loss. 3. Morale of the crew. 4, The misery and suffering and heartaches that arise from accidents. Now let me discuss each one of these points. 1. The cost to industry for compensation in 1949 was nearly $14,000,000. A large percentage of this was paid by the lumber- ing and sawmilling industry. Don’t you think it would be smart to at least reduce this over- head? Production Slowdown 2. Every time a man is hurt in your crew it interrupts and slows down production, even if it is only a visit to the First Aid room, because that man is away from his job and that interrupts an even production flow. If the acci- dent involves time loss by the employee you again lose produc- tion while you hire and train another man for the job. This is part of that hidden cost. Then you have to pay for the time of filling out compensation forms and attending to other de- tails connected with the accident. Keep a tally of the time on a few of these cases and you will see where you can save money with an accident prevention program. Morale 8. Morale of the crew. It is an acknowledged fact that, men work better and produce more when they know one another and have pleasant working conditions. Lost time accidents cause vary- ing amounts of inefficiency in the rest of the crew due to mental disturbances and also in becom- ing acquainted with the replace- ment for the injured employee, Moral Responsibility 4, As an employer we feel that you have much more than a pure- ly nancial interest in your em- ployees. We feel that you have a moral interest in them; that as a citizen of this province and as a member of industry you should, and we hope you do, look on your employees as human beings. If you do, then you cannot dis- regard what the suffering families go through when the breadwin- ner’s salary is reduced by a third and in many cases his earning power is permanently impaired, What if death is a result? The man’s widow gets a pension, of course, But I know of one case where a widow has four boys to raise and put through school. A New York policeman who watched a motorist drive past a red light waved him to the curb, walked over and handed him his revolver. “Hey, bud,” he said, “use this, It’s quicker.” _ dividends in a way that cannot it prevention. Why should you all busy men I will enumerate She gets $100 per month from the W,C.B. Want to trade places with her? . Co-operation Wins’ There are many rules, but we think that fo be successful, co: operation between employer, em- ployee and government is essen- tial. We are prepared to give our co-operation. Since control of the working fore in your hands it is up to you to introduce an accident prevention program. We are edu- cating our members to back up these programs, Finally, accident prevention will pay dividends in more than just hard cash—but the returns you can expect will depend on the amount you invest in it. Why not invest some money, time and thought today? Get | some of that $14,000,000! William Gray, Secretary. ict Safety Council. Experience is said to be the best teacher. And considering what it costs, it ought to be. End Of His — Perfect Day A locie engineer got up on the wrong side of the bed one morn- ing. The water for shaving was cold. His shoe lace broke. At breakfast his toast was burned. His car wouldn’t start, and he had to beg a lift. He was late, so he speeded up his train to 70 miles an hour, . . . Just as he swung around a curve, he saw another train coming straight at him... and on the same track. Turning to the fireman he said, “Did you ever have one of those days when just everything goes How do we prevent accidents? | tractor’s employee engaged sprinkler system. Verdict of the coroner’s plant safety rules be brought Sam’s Song SHINGLE JITTERS MEMBER of 4 prominent Van- couver family, Sam Roddan tells in the current issue of The Canadian Forum, how be managed fo. surnive tok years fad ebinele mill. His revealing description points ta some of the reasons why | iecidents happen. He says in part: I first reported for work at the shingle mill, October 7, 1949. My “appointment” terminated Sep- tember 1, 1950, and during this period my sole responsibility was to pack an unending flow of processed shingles, or shakes, into little cardboard boxes. The mechanics of the operation were very simple. The operator slapped a shingle into his | machine; a moving chain picked | it up and guided it through two cutting blades which paralleled the sides. The shingle then travelled to- ward a butt saw where it was trimmed, then under a set of y blades which striated the surface. The shingle, now a ‘shake” moved forward on an endless belt and flopped into a box. The operation had quadrupled | its value and it was neatly pack- ed into a cardboard container | ready for the home-builde: I was called a and each day handled a minimum of 10,000 shakes. We worked on piece rates of nine cents per bundle of shingles that went through the machine. In an eight-hour shift we usually pro- cessed about 145 bundles. Our average daily pay was something like $13.00. I worked with my ears stuffed with cotton batting and during the two years estimate I used up nearly four pounds of cotton wool. The noise, dust, and speed with which the shingles moved through the machine made any relaxation during a shift almost impossible. After a time I found I could leave my packing box for two minutes every hour, but by that time it was overflowing and I would have to work furiously for twenty minutes to catch up again with the machine. At the end of eight hours I was very tired. While I worked in the mill three men lost fingers in the saws, one man lost his thumb, another had his leg crushed, and another disappeared into the asylum. The plant employed fif- teen men. During the lunch period they seldom talk much. For a time I used to bring a magazine, but I gave it up. I was too exhausted to read anyway. Occasionally Paddy tells a dirty story, or Wal- ter beefs about the count of the bundles, or a posteard is passed around. A comment about the goddamn weather or the lousy Tunch, or the son-of-a-bitch-of-a- system we are living under is the usual gamut of conversation. When we got our Union in July, morale picked up, and Wal- ter who had been elected a Board member was really going to screw-up management, But no one paid much attention, and Walter lost his enthusiasm. . . . Fair Patient: “They tell me, doctor, that you are a perfect lady killer,” | Doctor: “Oh, no—no! I assure you, my dear madam, I make no wrong?” | que: upon the installation of a jury found that no blame attached to anyone, but a rider recommended that the to the attention of workmen entering the plant and not in the company’s employ. The victim had placed his material at the base of the pile, and had returned for some fit- tings when he was buried, and instantly killed. Cause of the pile’s sudden col- |lapse was not clearly determined at the inquest. The crane oper- ator and company officials claimed that the same method of piling had been employed for seven years without any mishap. The crane operator contended that as he worked constantly on top pf the pile, he would natur- ally have made certain of its stability. No cants had been added to the pile for some days, it was stated. Cross-strips 2x6 were used, as indicated in the diagram appear- ing elsewhere on these pages. In addition the cants were so placed as to bind the pile together. This fatality has brought un- der discussion the proper method of piling which would prevent recurrence of this type of acci- dent. The circumstances will be reviewed by members of the Safety Council, Local 1-217, IWA, to formulate advice. Method Questioned President Lloyd Whalen, Local 1-217, IWA, who attended the in- contended that cross-strips should be placed at more fre- quent intervals in the pile, espe- cially as five-inch cants’ were mixed with eight-inch cants. This, he stated, was necessary as the ibration of machinery in the immediate vicinity constantly en- dangered the stability of the pile. Company officials replied cross- stripping every layer would not be practicable, and might cause other hazards. IWA safety men agree that employees entering the mill and required to work in unfamiliar surroundings should be instruct- ed in the safety procedures adopted for the plant. The vic- tim in this tragedy had the option of storing his material in a safer spot. Safe Piling The B.C. Lumber Worker pub- lishes the photographs taken on the spot, together with the diagram prepared, showing dis- tances between the cross-strips. Suggestions from experienced mill workers, on ways and means to prevent such accidents will be welcomed. Nothing New In the good old days the best lie detectors were equipped with rolling pins, * * Safety Signs Drive slowly—we love our chil- dren. Travel slowly—Do not kill the children. Wait for the teacher. ems Safe Fuses The words “In God We Trust” on pennies are for the benefit of those using them for fuses, * Visiting Workmen Mus: Plant Hazards, Says Coro: Sudden collapse of a ten-foot pile of timber cants in a metropolitan sawmill last week caused the death of a con- COLLAPSED PILE of timber cai body CLOSE-UP of the spot from | of timber cants buried him. I by the victim at the base, of returned to get them. ne Se was found after fatal accider Crushed | FETY SUGGESTION Won Fi our, Se BAD YOU ONT Fouont Fy distinction between the sexes.”