B.C. LUMBER WORKER

E flag illustrated above will be proudly flown over
every mill participating successfully in an all-out effort

to make the week May 14-18 accident free.

A well or-

ganized campaign, conducted by the B.C. Lumber Manu-
facturer’s Association, is receiving full co-operation from
the IWA and the Workmen’s Compensation Board.

This safety project as outlined
by Safety Director Mr. W. M.
“Allison, BCLMA, was given ap-
proval at the recent meetings of
the IWA District Safety Council
and the quarterly meeting of the
B.C. District Council, TWA.

Safety committees in the 78
plants affected are now being
alerted, and by means of plant
meetings will enlist the co-opera-
tion of all employees. Individual
employees will receive material
advising them of the plans afoot
and soliciting their support.

The objective of the campaign
is to accomplish the complete
prevention of all compensable
accidents during five consecutive
working days. Mills have in-
dependently established long acci-
dent-free periods, but never have
done so all at the same time.
The program of Safety Week
will demonstrate -the value of a
combined effort on the part ‘of
Jabor and management, on a
scale beyond previous experience
in B.C.

Safety Week is intended to
drive home the fact that 95 per-
cent of all accidents are predict-
able and preventable, and that
with safety education the prin-
cipal causes can be eliminated.

The Record Speaks

In 1924 the accident rate. in
Association mills, employing
about 4,000 workers was one
fatality a month. By 1949, the
rate had been reduced to one
fatality amongst 5,000 workers
per year.

In 1950 the rate was: reduced
16 percent below that of-the pre-
vious year. This, it is claimed,
is attributable to the fact that
all three agencies concerned, the
Compensation Board, the Asso-
ciation, and the IWA, have co-
operated on safety education.

While the Association em-

ploys 60 percent of the sawmill

workers in the province, they
had only one fatal accident out
of the eight reported last year.

In other words, the sawmills
which do not make any effort
to promote safety, employing
about 40 percent of the
workers, had 87%; percent of
the fatal accidents.

Gradually the accident preven-
tion program is bringing results.
In 1944 the. accident frequency
rate was 140 compensable acci-

dents per million man hours
worked. This year it will be
about 45,

Causes of accidents are kept

| under constant scrutiny by safety
| directors. Of the 4,613 accidents
which occurred in the province
during 1950, 1,253 were the re-
sult of being struck by some
moving object; 991 resulted from
slipping and falling; 820 were the
result of strains and_over-exer-
tion. Equipment failure could
be blamed for only 31.

In 1949 workmen suffered a
wage loss of $7,486,830. This
calculation was based, on an

| average weekly rate of $43.65,
now considerably increased.

The average length of dis-

ability was 44 days.

The greatest number of acci-
dents seems to occur between the
ages of 18 and 28, and the hour
before noon is the worst hour of
the day.

1 Safety directors hold the

opinion that the No. 1 acci-
dent cause is failure on the part
of the worker to keep alert.

2 No. 2 cause is psychological.

A man under mental stress or

an emotional upset is more acci-
dent-prone than a man with a
carefree mind. An_ interesting
fact brought to light is that dur-
ing last year’s negotiations the
accident rate rose to six per day
for ten working days. When the
agreement was signed the rate
dropped to 3% per day.

3, No. 3 cause is said to be over-
|Y confidence. Men who have
| worked in mills for more than a
|year suffer more accidents than
the newcomers.

4 No. 4 cause is listed as hurry-
| ing to get some place, caus-
ling the high proportion of
accidents due to slipping and
| falling.
| 5 No. 5 is improper clothing.
|? Failure to wear safety hats or

safety shoes when required to do
so has exposed men to needless
hazards. Loose clothing is also
taboo.

G No. 6 cause of accidents is

horseplay, and the practical
joker causes his full share, too.
7 No. 7 cause is the failure to

go to the First Aid Room
promptly. Minor injuries de-
velop into major disabilities be-
cause they are not properly
treated at the outset.

Both the IWA safety men and
the companies are learning new
methods of preventing accidents,
and Safety Week will focus the
attention of all mill workers on
the importance of alert and com-
plete co-operation on the job to
make it safe.

KEEP THE FLAG FLYING .

MAY 14
T0
MAY 1

‘Three Killed In March;
Total 17 Dead: 2520 Hurt

Three more fatalities were reported for the month of
March in the B.C. lumber industry, in a statement released by
the Workmen’s Compensation Board.

Time-loss accidents for the same month were 791.

The total number of fatalities for 1951 is now 17 and time-
loss accidents for the same period 2,520. :

Assessment levied upon the
sawmill section of the B.C.
lumber industry, to provide for
accident compensation approxi-
mates $100 per man per year.
In the logging section this levy
increases to $187.50 per man.
With this’ statement Arthur
Francis, Chief Safety Inspec-
tor, Workmen’s Compensation
Board, contended for greater
| expenditure on accident pre-
| vention, when addressing a
| regional labor-management
conference, New Westminster,
April 16.
|. The conference was attended
by management and IWA safety
representatives from all Associa-
tion mills in New Westminster
and the Lower Fraser Valley,
Mr. W. M. Allison, Safety Direc-
tor, B.C, Lumber Manufacturers
Association, presided. Plans were
discussed to promote Safety
Week, May 14-18.

The Board’s Chief Inspector
estimated that the direct and in-
direct costs of accidents in the
sawmills approximated $500 per
man per year.
section the comparable figure
would be $937.50, he stated. The
actual cost of an accident is at
least four times as great as the
apparent cost. -

Chief Inspector Francis agreed
with IWA representatives pres-
ent that the Board’s safety in-
spectors should on all occasions
contact the plant safety commit-
tees when conducting their regu-
lar inspections. “Their work and
stature must be supported,” he
said. ‘This request has repeatedly
been made by the IWA in submis-
‘sions to the Workmen’s Compen-
sation Board.

‘A type accident was explained
and discussed by the members
present to determine the cause
and remedy,

In the final analysis, it was
unanimously concluded, respon-
sibility for its prevention rested
upon all those directly concerned
with the particular operation,

In the logging |

WCB INSPECTORS TO
CONTACT SAFETY MEN

from top-management down:
through fhe chain comprised of
the foreman, inspector, safety
man, and including the injured,
man himself.

Mn Francis spoke in praise of,
the safety educational program
of the IWA, and the voluntary
work performed by members of
plant safety committees. “The
IWA is doing more than any
other similar organization on the
continent,” he declared.
~ “Too often, more is said than
done,” said the government’s top
safety man. “Your actions will
reveal your attitude toward the
vital necessity of protecting life
and limb in the lumber industry,”

he concluded. |

Sev! KEEP
17 CLEANS

As the man said when he
couldn’t get whiskey: “Well, I'll
just have to gin, and beer it.”

8

There’s nothing strange in the
fact that the modern miss is a
live wire. She carries practically

no insulation.
a 2 6

Heading the list of people who

try us
Are husbands who blissfully sleep
on the bias.
An Old Wives’ Wail.
*

Scotch proverb: “Don’t marry
for money; you can borrow it
cheaper.

see

Czech proverb: He whé marries
might be sorry. He who does not
will be sorry.

tee

An old flame lightens the
gloom of many a married life.

THe FtooR, \_ E>
WE MEAN!

Carelessness Leads To Grave

€)

CARELESS EMPLOYEE invites disaster by wandering inatten-
tively in the path of a carrier.

hs athe. ts

a boom-man who had not taken the precaution to sharpen the caulks
on his boots.

'T| The success is not measu

cA SAFETY cam

important element of a

{| The real aim and purpose ;
understanding and a more Iq
and value of living under

a time to take stock o

{iti
the need for safety, to req
of Accident-prevention, ai
. elements of the safety prog
allowed to slip into disuse,

ing the short period of the
of interest and understandii
result of the attention
campaign period,

{ Safety awareness is not
overalls when starting to wo k
the end of the day’s work.

{| Safety is an attitude of min
gent thinking, and that cont
involuntary, not only under
industrial operations but in {
when enjoying the recreatione
portant part of life.

{| There is something of valu
can get it by supporting the

ADAM BELL, Chalrman
F. P. ARCHIBALD, Secretary-

GOOSENECK BREAK!
/\OFF Block

())WAULING GASOLINE DOWN TO COLDECK

DONKEY IN SLING WITH Tr HAULD?
TRAWLINE

(2) FIRST LOAD WAS 3 BAREELS OF
SECOND 5 BARRELS £ THIRD 6

G) THIRD LOAD WANGS UP, & IT
PECIDED TO TIGHT LINE TO

(4) GOOSENECK ON TOP SPAR

(5) NAULBACK SWAPS ACROSS, ;
OF 8x8" post ON DONKEY & $1
ENGINEER & DECEASED

The crew was
truck load 950’ down a

For the purpose a 7%’
Spar tree to the base at |
to control the movement 0!

Loads of three and fiv
cold deck donkey, ‘The
decided to tight line to
the haulback at the sp: t
haulback whipped, cut thi
of the donkey and struc
rigger died from

ee ea.

WORKMEN’S COMPI