B.C. LUMBER WORKER

dent prevention — attend
la job and explain them to

self in the safety welfare of

rk. Set a good example.
)

may result in injury to your-
snd when corrective action
hazard immediately to the

s experienced employee the
cety.
:

SAFE yourself and gain the

y workmen so they will be
mople.

, that safety is worthwhile
|... ACT IT. Be proud you

gation than one man’s duty
of a fellow man when it is

he less you hear of accidents.
7

mar- i

vention has become one of

With reference to the ap-
proaching District Safety Con-
ference, the Safety Director
stated:

“The IWA safety program will
be given an important stimulus
at the District Safety Conference,
summoned to meet in the Medical
Dental Building, Vancouver, Feb-
ruary 16. Every IWA Local has
the right to send delegates to
this conference. I confidently ex-
pect that this year’s conference
will be fully representative, be-
cause of the importance of the
subjects on the agenda.

Broadly, this conference will
be charged with the responsibility
of preparing the year’s safety
program, for ratification by the
IWA District Convention which
follows. I take this occasion to
urge that all Local Unions be
fully represented.

Preparation Necessary

I also urge that consideration
be now given to proposals for an
advanced safety program, that
all our discussions may be fully
informed, and may reflect. ac-
curately the desires of the IWA
membership. In my opinion, I
feel that this preparation for the
conference will be quite as im-
portant as the actual proceedings.

When the delegates to the Con-
ference come to close grips with
the new accident problems caused
by technological changes in the
industry, their outlook will be
based on one fundamental con-
sideration. A safety program is
made efficient only by means of
three-way cooperation on the
part of labor, management, and
government.

Management has the primary
responsibility in accident preven-
tion work. All engineering fac-
tors, the provision of safe equip-
ment, premises, and direction and
supervision of the working force
are management’s share of the
program, The government, act-
ing through the Workmen’s Com-
pensation Board, must accept the
responsibility of law enforce-
ment.

We have a code of accident
prevention regulations, establish-
ed under the Workmen’s Compen-
sation Act. We may call for
enforcement, but any action to
penalize individuals or companies
for non-observance of the regu-
lations must be taken by the

PROGRAM PAYS
RICH REWARD

Cooperation in an effective program of accident pre-

the major functions of the

IWA, declared District Safety Director John T. Atkinson,
speaking over the Green Gold radio program, January 15.
The underlying purpose of adding to the happiness and
security of the workers represented has made the safety
program a crusade, he contended.

Board, The functions of the trade
union in this program are mainly
organization and education, in
cooperation with all other agen-
cies, Our work must dovetail into
the overall plan.

IWA Leads

Our Union, the IWA, has per-
haps done more than any other
trade union in Canada to under-
take a full share of safety work.
We have formed a safety Coun-
cil and division of the District
organization, and appointed a
full-time Safety Director. By
these means, we gain some co-
ordination of safety work
throughout the entire district,
and achieve closer cooperation
with management and govern-
ment at the top level.

We have’ formed safety coun-
cils, and appointed safety direc-

tors in the various Local Unions
to maintain cooperation at the
community and regional levels.

All this effort is directed mainly
to gain effective organization on
the job, where safety organiza-
tion really counts.

The basis of this whole struc-
ture is the joint safety com-
mittee in the individual opera-
tion. It is only through well-
organized, alert, and well-in-
formed safety committees on
the job, that a safety program
can be made to function as in-
tended.

Two-way Functions

I wish to point out that in
many important respects our
safety organization has two-way
functions. The lessons learned on
the job by members of the job
safety committees can furnish
the information necessary for the
development of effective district
action. In turn, the district orga-
nization may carry to the job
safety committees a great deal of
material, and advice which can
serve to improve their standards
of safety action in the operation.

For instance, the approaching
district safety conference will not
only develop a uniform policy
with regard to safety, but it will
be at the same time a clearing-
house for information of value on
the job. By our combined efforts
we are able to maintain a pro-
gram of education as well as or-
ganization by means of which we

hope to encourage and constantly

DECEMBER
DEAD

ACCIDE
= TOLL = |

_ 40\DEAD
INJURED 926 |INJURED 8799

NT

1952 TOTAL |
85)

Ten more fatal
month of December

have been reported by the

accidents
in the
Workmen's Compensation
Board for the B.C. lumber
industry — two occurring in
October, in

five in November,

TEN MORE FATALS

and three in December.
‘Time-loss accidents teport-
ed’ for the same period were
926.
‘Total fatalities to the end
of December are 85, with
8799 injuries. fe

remind every individual worker,
for his own protection, to be on
the alert to avoid and eliminate
accident hazards.

Pay-off Proven

We may promote this program
with increasing confidence. The
acts show conclusively that in
operation where effective
three-way co-operation has been
developed, the accident rate has
dropped substantially. On thi
program I do not intend to single
out any particular operation for
prai I may say that*we are
very proud of the work accomp-
lished in many of the large op-
erations, which has won for the
employers and employees awards
for distinguished service in the
campaign against needless acci-
dents. I have in my possession
the statistics of the accident fre-
quency rates in all these opera-
tions for recent years. The story
told by these figures is plain to
read.

In those operations where a
xenuine effort has been made
by management and workers
to cope with their accident ire-

quency, the rate has taken a
big tumble. This means that
lives h: been saved, and that
men have averted the tragedies
and hu tions of hand
capped living. The other side
of the coin is that in thos
operations where safety prin-
ciples have been neglected, a
severe toll has been taken of
life and limb beyond all reason.

St,

HARD)HATS save many lie

WCB REGULATES
SCOW LOADING

For the purpose of Accident-
prevention the Workmen’s
Compensation Board recom-
mend the adoption of the fol-
lowing safe practices in the
operation of loading and un-
loading lumber scows.

The safe~ practices have been
drawn up after careful considera
tion and consultation with those
individuals, organizations, and
companies principally concerned.
The recommended practices are
not issued as mandatory regula-
tions because of the considerable
variation in physical conditions
from time to time throughout
the industry.

The Board consider that a uni-
form effort by all concerned to
apply the letter and spirit of
recommended practices will do
much to reduce certain of the
hazards of the job.

J An effective handgrip should

be provided along the side of
all scows outside the line of cargo.

The handgrip should permit

workmen to maintain a secure

grip at all times when working or
passing along the sides.
All scows should be so loaded
that no part of the cargo pro-
trudes beyond the deck of the
scow laterally or longitudinally.
3 All scows should have at all
times a clear working space
for the full width of the scow at

each end. Such working space

should be ut least seven feet high
by three feet deep and be com-
pletely unobtsructed by cargo and
should include clear working
Space about bitls or other n:voring
or lowing fucilities.

Each sling load of lumber

should be separated from each
other sling load und from the
deck and from the stanchions or
sides by dunnage of three inches
thickness for horizontal dunnage
and two inches thickness for ver-
tical dunnage.

5 Buch sling load of lumber
shall be built in accordance
with the Accident Prevention
Regulations made under the
Workmen's Compensation Act.

Not over eight feet above the

sdeck of the scow the cargo
should be stepped in to provide an
unobstructed passage of 18 inches
minimum width on each side of
the load above that level,

7 Wherever practical, pfovision

should be made for effective
handgrips at the waterline so that
a man overboard would be-able to
support himself and prevent his
being swept away by current or
lide until rescue. Such a grip
could be a cork line, tag lines, or
anet. In any case, where current
exceeds five knots a suitable net
should be hung on the upstream
side or end and to extend below
the unloaded water line,