Page Six B.C. LUMBER WORKER 350,000 HOURS OF BETTER SAFETY BRING AWARD TO ALBERNI PLYWOODS AWARD for the best safety record in plywood plants with more than 350,000 man hours exposure in 1949 was . presented by Chief Safety Inspector Arthur Francis, on, behalf of the Workmen’s Compensation Board, to the management and employees of Alberni Plywoods Ltd. in an interesting ceremony on November 14. In receiving the award, H. Berryman, production manager for H. R. MacMillan Export Co. Ltd, stated that the award had been won through the splendid spirit of co-operation and team- work displayed by all employees during the year. ‘ He informed the gathering that as a production man he was al- ways interested in the maximum output, but that safety was the It had al- ways been the company policy to prime consideration. improve safety measures. Human Element Mr. Francis, the assembled employees, stated that frequently the greatest dan- ger to the worker is within him- self, namely the human. element. He stated that the prime requi- sites for safety were ability to size up the job, amount of skill to handle the work, alertness to meet changing conditions, -and unselfish willingness to co-oper- ate. Partners Other features were emotional stability, attitude toward life and interest in the common welfare. He asserted that to all intent and purposes the Workmen’s Compen- sation Board was in partnership with both management and labor, and played an important part’ in stabilizing industrial conditions. The certificate of award was presented to Miss Ruth Gilfillan, senior member of the plant safety committee. The accident frequency rate was lowered in the plant during 1949 to 12.04 as compared to the plywood industry rate of 41.16. Gray’s Views On Piling Cants By William Gray Secretary, District Safety Council My observations on the fatal accident described in the last is- sue of the LUMBER WORKER would be: First, that if this was a per- manent spot to pile cants, a fence or bulwark of some kind should be erected to prevent them from falling. Other people may have to be in that area and any danger of a repetition would be avoided in this way. I agree with IWA officials that when five and eight-inch cants are piled together, that each row should be stripped. The argument of company officials that it would not be practical and might cause other hazards is weak. Why not state “how” in both cases. In my opinion, the company cannot avoid the moral responsi- bility for this accident. If they are sincere they will have taken steps by the time this is printed to prevent a recurrence at this spot. * At the same time, all IWA safety committees would be well advised to examine the areas where they work to see that no hazards exist which, through usage, they have become accus- tomed to. Every operation under our jurisdiction should learn from this accident. who addressed depends upo SKILL in doin ABILITY to gi Plywoods plant, Port Alberni. Alberni Plywoods. PRESENTATION OF WORKMEN’S COMPENSATION BOARD AWARD of merit to representatives (Left) Arthur Francis, Chief Safety Inspector, Workmen’s Compen- sation Board; Miss Ruth Gilfillan, senior member of the plant safety committee; H. S. Berryman, of management and employees for record-breaking reduction of accident frequency tate in Alberni General Manager of Production, H. R. MacMillan Export Co, and R. Macfie, Personnel Supervisor, ) CLEAN PLANT SAFER A clean plant is a safer place to work. Countless accidents are caused by littered floors, clut- tered stairways, haphazardly- stowed tools and pools of spilled oil or water: Grimy windows can be safety hazards if they prevent needed light from reaching dark corners and corridors in a fac- tory. Cleanliness wil result in fewer injuries, as well as in, a better product. Cleanliness’ will cut down waste and save time. Make cleanliness a habit; it’s not a dif- ficult thing to do. Good habits are as easy to acquire as bad ones. Clean up your work bench, your machine, the floor around you. Good housekeeping may Save you from injury and will save your time. Support your good housekeeping campaign. Everyone must do his share, because it is futile for one man to practise good housekeeping while others ignore it, It is equal- ly futile to put a special clean- up gang to work if 24 hours later the plant is just as cluttered as it was before. Co-operation is the best way to ensure cleanliness. If you co-operate with your neighbor on the production line, you can help make your plant a clean plant, a safer place to work. Safety, remember, is essen- tially a joint activity — equally vital to management and workers —which can only be carried out effectively by co-operation, THINK SAFE... ACT SAFE.’ . BE SAFE Look your plants over, boys. N.W. SAFETY Need for greater appropriations for accident prevention -work in jindustry was stressed by dele- jgates representing TWA local unions at the Second Annual Gov- ernor’s Safety Conference held at Olympia, Wash. November 16 and 17. | Manley Wilson, Portland, said that as a result of reductions made in the appropriations for safety work by the 1949 legis- lature of Washington, the staff of safety. inspectors in the State had been cut to 38 with some 37,000 industrial plants to cover. Wm. Crawford, President, Southern Washington District Council of Chehalis, Washington, declared the present staff of the accident prevention division “to- tally inadequate”. He pointed out that the divi- sion does not have an inspector familiar with logging operations in the pine areas in Eastern Washington. Oregon Guilty Wilson, Editor of the “Inter- national Woodworker”, and a member of Governor Douglas Me- Kay’s Industrial Safety Advisory Committee in Oregon, said the Oregon legislature was also guilty of making an unwarranted reduction in the appropriation for safety work. “The budget prepared by the State Industrial Accident Com- mission for this work was cut by five percent in the 1949 legisla ture,” he said, adding that this was done despite the fact that the money for this work comes, not from the general fund of the state, but from the contributions made to the Commission’s funds by employers in hazardous indus- tries who are under State insur- anee coverage. MORE MONEY NEEDED FOR |_ ‘So we have a similar situation jin Oregon,” Wilson said, “with 34,000 firms under the act we have a total of 28 inspectors to |carry on safety inspections, edu- cational work, first aid training, ete.” | Crawford presided at a panel | discussion of “Yarding and Load- ing” in the Logging section of the Conference. A number of Safety Awards were presented by Gover- nor Arthur B. Langlie at the close of the two-day meeting. | Other IWA members who took part in the program included Herbert Faubian “of Cathlamet, awarded a certificate of merit for his work in industrial safety. Tom Caywood, Longview; George Clifton, Shelton; Lyle Long, Olympia; Harry Taylor, Ray- miond; Vernon Castle, Sultan, also awarded a certificate of merit. Allen Thomsen, Bellingham; Earl Nimz, President of the Inland Empire District Council, Spokane, and .Les Garrison, Secretary, Boommen and Rafters’ District Council, Olympia. Too many fellows think they can push themselves forward by patting themselves on the back. ALWAYS BE CAREFUL The Life You Save May Be Your Own AWARENESS ATTITUDE INTEREST WILLING WORKMEN'S COMP \ ADAM BELL, Chairman F. P. ARCHIBALD, Secretary Traffic ares ae Photographs taken for the Vane lof the terrible results which follow in imagination to realize the condition of Safety off the job as well as safety’ paign. Constant observance of traflie | O70 LNOWE, cultivated on the job.