Page 6 B.C. LUMBER WORKER

December 20, 19

SAFETY TALKS
SET FOR JAN. 28

, Conference To Plan
Program For ’52

The officers of the District Safety Council, District
No. 1, IWA, CIO-CCL, have issued the 3rd annual call to
the District Safety Conference to be held in Salon “A”,
Hotel Vancouver, on January 28, 1952, commencing at
9:30 a.m. and continuing through this day till the business
is completed.

The District Safety Officers
state:

“In issuing this call, we re-
alize that though'we have made
important progress in the Pre-
vention of Accidents and have
contributed to the Safety move-
ment generally, there still re-
mains much to be done. —

-It will be the duty of the |
delegates to prepare a program
to recommend to the 15th con-
stitutional Convention of Dis-
trict No. 1, for the coming
year.

STATES TO COPY
B.C. SAFETY PLAN

Government-labor-management cooperation in promotion of
safety as practised in British Columbia will in future be the model
for safety plans in the lumber industry of Oregon and Washing-
ton. This report was made by IWA Safety Directors John T.
Atkinson and Gus Skuzanski upon return from the Safety Con-
ferences summoned by the Governors of two states.

The officers of the Council ~
urge all .Local Unions to be
fully represented in order that
we may have a full discussion
of the problems relative to Ac-
cident Prevention which con-
front our Local Unions cover-
ing the whole of British Co-
lumbia.” |

At these four-day conferences |
held in recent weeks, John T.
Atkinson took a prominent part
in the panel discussion dealing
with logging safety problems.
Gus Szuzanski was also a mem-
ber of the panel on sawmill:
safety problems.

Contrasting results achieved on

both sides of the boundary re-
vealed that accident prevention
as developed in the lumber in-
dustry of British Columbia had
reversed trends now assuming
alarming proportions in the fir
belt of the Northwest States.

~ Don’t Trust
Gadgets

Safety Guards and devices
are fine, but you can’t afford
to depend completely on them.
That is, you can’t afford to
assume that they will automa-
tically protect you all the time
without your paying any atten-
tion to them.

For one thing, any mechani-
cal device can Wear out or de-
velop a weakness. And even
safeguards need careful watch-
ing and thorough maintenance.

Epic Trek
By Woss Men

Knowledge of First Aid ap-
plied with stamina and deter-
mination by six of his fellow-
workers saved the life of faller
Ray H. Thomas when crushed
by a falling snag, it is affirmed
by W. M. Thompson, First Aid
Superintendent, WCB.

While working as a faller at
Camp Woss, BCFP, Englewood,
Thomas was hit by the top of a
snag as he was bending over his
saw. The blow literally pulver-
ized four vertebrae of his spine.

The victim was_a member of
the prize-winning First Aid team

tofa's

ILL GRAY AND BCLW PRAISED

| group told me you were in attend-| ous safely committees will be kept
|ance with Manley Wilson. Perbups | up-to-date with the progress of the
| sometime I may have the pleasure of | safety movement.

| meeting you. |

Safety program of the IWA
in British Columbia has won
the favorable attention of of-
ficials of the National Safety
Council, as indicated by the let-
ter quoted in part below:

Mr. Wm. N. Gray,

| By the way, the National Safety

Of all the labor union newspapers | Council hus a public service award
1 see, the B.C. Lumber Worker does | for publications which devote space
the most thorough job regarding | to sufety. The B.C. Lumber Worker

and some of his fellow-workers ; Secretary, | safety. may wish to make application for

had just completed their first aid | 1W”A District Safety Council, a, # ., | this award. If so, sometime soon, the

training. The injured man was | International Woodworkers of Recently District, No. 9, IWA,\ editor should write to Panl Jones,
| (the plywood group) joined the N

f roup). | Director of Public Information, Na-
tional ‘Safety Council. Al Present, tional Safety Coun ieee
besides the membership of your dis-| sary forms.

| trict, one Local (1-357 New West-
| minster) in your area holds mem-\ I will be interested to hear from
\ bership in the Council. Have you | you us to your safety program.

I have, just read the safety page | thought in terms of suggesting that

of the November 1 issue of the B.C.| more Locals in your District join
Lumber Worker, and wish to con-| the Council? The magazines, techni-
gratilate you for doing an excel-\ cal publications, posters, etc., should
\Tent job of reporting the National be of assistance to your safely pro-
| Sufety Congress. Several of the B.C. gram and the members of your vari-

able to direct his rescuers step
by step, as they pulled him
lengthwise onto a stretcher.

Prompt Action

One man held him by the head
and another by the feet, each ex- |
erting sufficient tension on the
body to prevent damage to the
spinal cord.

As they had no material with
which to bind his body in splints,
four of the crew carried him to
camp, while the first two main-
tained their “manual traction” on
the victim’s head and feet.

As the resident physician lack-
ed the necessary equipment, the |
stretcher bearers undertook to |
transport the injured man to hos- |
pital, There followed the longest |
day in their lives. |

Long Mercy Trek

The journey involved a_ rail)
journey of 20 miles by rail to |
Nimpkish, from there 14 miles by |
boat to Camp L, another 11 miles
by rail to Beach Camp, and from |
there 54 miles by boat to hos-
pital. |

All through the journey ‘four
men held the injured man steadily
‘on the stretcher, while the other
two» maintained the necessary
tension of the body to prevent
collapse of the spinal column,

Dr. A. Pickup of Alert Bay
stated later that it had been due ,
solely to the heroic efforts of the
six men, and Thomas’ own knowl-
edge of First Aid that had saved
his life.

5 Kingsway,
anconver, B.C., Canada.

America, |

| Dear Mr. Gray:
Yours very truly,
DAN ADAIR,

Staff Representative,
Woods Products Section.

“John T” Singled Out
For Safety Effort |

STATE OF WASHINGTON |
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR AND INDUSTRIES |
OLYMPIA

: December 5, 1951.

Mr. Stewart Alsbury, President,
I.W.A, District Council No. 1,
ingsway, Vancouver, B.C.

ear Mr, Alsbury:

I had the pleasure of participating in the Logging Section
of the Governor's Safety Conference of the State of Oregon,
which was also attended by Mr. John T. Atkinson of your dis-
trict. I wish to commend Mr. Atkinson’s activities, as he
presented and secured commitments for the safety program of
the I.W.A. very consistently. His appearance there reflected to
the credit of the organization.

Yours very truly,
* DIVISION OF SAFETY,
ED SORGER, SUPERVISOR,

DON’T LET IT.

‘
ke

ee

ace
—s 8
NOVEMBER
WMURED-14

SAFlag
- CULSCILE

behalf of the IWA Distrie

Greetings to all LWA officers ;
Prosperous New Year.

It is a good thing to observe t
It is a wholesome custom that
together. It is good for us to thi
and desires of others, especially

As a wise man once said, “It
common life over the individual lif
watch, now and then, by the gr
time.” ‘

Every declaration made abou
the need for re-appraisal of our
applies with doubled force in the

It is the same spirit, expres:

At this season, we are remindet
of others. We agree that this spirit

In the safety movement of 0)
must seek our own safety in the
this must be our code for everyday

At the end of the old year, wel
fresh entries for the New Year:
usefulness and happiness. . ;

At the end of the old year wem
ments and resolve that a greater

It would be difficult to think
loftier purpose than the safety mo
the job to seek the conditions whit!
ghastly mutilation. It is a dowmlt
the glamorous heroism of air-se
as great in its achievement.

We have done well in 1951, and
upheld the safety code on the job:
much more we are capable of in ! :
to make the lumber industry as %#

Our wish for a safer New Year!

we may work together succe: fully