B.C. LUMBER WORKER

DISTRICT SAFETY DIRECTOR

“CAMPAIGN PAID DIVIDENDS”

Report prepared by District Safety Director John T.
Atkinson for submission to the IWA Annual District Con-
vention, and the District Safety Conference, disclosed that
co-ordination of the Union’s safety program at the district
level had returned important dividends in an accelerated

campaign against accidents.

The Safety Director's report
stated in par

“The experience of. the past
year has shown that the Union’s
campaign. against accidents, re-
quires promotion and coordina-
tion on a District-wide basis. The
progress made has been the re-
stilt of improved cooperation be-
tween the B.C. District Council,
the Local Unions, and the job
safety committees. I wish, there-
fore, to pay a personal tribute to
the cooperative attitude taken on
all sides toward the work en-
trusted to me.

I am convinced that the invest-
ment of effort and money made
by the Union in this combined
effort has returned important
dividends in the following terms:

A reduced accident frequency
rate in organized operations.

An expansion of the area for
organized union effort in acci-
dent prevention.

Improved “knowledge of acci-
dent prevention techniques
available to the Union.

Improved safety education,
with corresponding greater
safety consciousness on the job.

A more closely-knit safety
organization throughout the
Union. :
The members of our Union

should be aware that this work
is still at the experimental stage.
The full results cannot be re-
alized in one year. It takes time
to establish a working basis foy
the IWA safety program in wide-
ly-seattered and isolated opera-
tions. It also takes time to train
men in safety engineering from
the Union’s point of view at the
District, Local Union and job
levels.

One fact alone should impress
us with the magnitude of the
task which still remains. The log-
ging industry reported 71 fatali-
ties last year, with 5168 time-loss
accidents. The evidence heard at
the various inquests has made it
unmistakably clear that many of
these accidents could have been
prevented. Our performance has
not yet equalled our intentions.

Duties of Director

At the time of my appointment,
an effort was made to define the
duties of the District Safety Di-
rector in consultation with the
District Officers and members of
the District Executive Board.
This definition of duties should
here be noted, as it was never the
-intention to infringe upon the
autonomy of the Local Unions
and job safety committees. These
duties, in-the main are:

To co-ordinate safety activi-
ties on a district basis as be-
tween the Local Unions, and
establish agreed-upon uniform-
ity of policy.

To relate the safety activi-

ties of the Union to policies
established at District Conven-
tions and quarterly meetings
of the District Council.
“To assemble material and
data at the District Office re-
Jating to safety techniques, as
a source of information for
safety committee members in
the Local Unions.

To visit Local Unions and
their job safety committees, in
order to render any assistance
required, with the object of
furthering safety organization
in every operation.

To attend inquests, as re-
quired by the Local Unions, in
order to check on observance
of safety regulations.

To supervise safety educa-
tion at the District level, using
the means at the disposal of
the District organization, as
for instance, the B.C. Lumber

ee Cee

Worker and Green Gold.

Subject to the District Ex-
ecutive Board, to confer with
the Workmen's Compensation
Board officials, the representa-
tives of the employers and
various organizations, to secure

» recognition of safety principles
desired by the Union.

To maintain an effective ex-
change of information with
other Districts in the Interna-
tional Union, looking toward
general improvement of safety
standards.

To maintain satisfactory

contacts with safety organiza-
tions and community organiza-
tions, as permitted by the Dis-
trict Office, in order to safe-
guard the Union’s interests in
all fields such as traffic and
home safety, and enable the

Union to make its contribution

to the general safety move-

ment. f
Work Done

The work required under sev-
eral of the foregoing headings
has been performed as required.
A mass of material has been as-
sembled at the District Office,
which is a useful source ‘of infor-
mation for the Local Union
safety officials, and the B.C.
Lumber Worker Safety pages.

On safety matters, working re-
lations have been established
with government agencies and
the employers’ safety agencies
with resulting recognition of the
Union’s purpose, regarding
safety. i

In cooperation with the Edi-
torial Board of the B.C. Lumber
Worker, all available material of
interest has been published with
the purpose of stimulating inter-
est in the vital work of the job
safety committees,

A careful record has been kept
of fatalities, and their causes, as
a result of which important
recommendations have been made
to prevent recurrence of such ac-
cidents. The trends of accident
frequency in various operations
have been checked to determine
whether the necessity has existed
for drastic action to secure ob-
servance of the regulations.

General Organization
With the exception of inter-

ruptions- due to weather condi-
tions and last year’s strike, your
Safety Director has placed him-
self at the disposal of the Local
Unions for intensive organiza-
tion work in operations requiring
attention. This work involved
addressing Local Union Safety
Councils and the -safety commit-
tees in many operations.

‘When the opportunity arose, a
tour of the operations were made
in company with IWA safety
committee men, to detect hazards,
and ayouse interest in safety
work. Various demonstrations
were made of the effective uses
of safety equipment, and the
danger of unsafe working pro-
cedures. In all this work, stress
was laid on the fact that the
safety program of the Union
rests on the vigilance of the job
safety committees.

One important duty was to in-
form the job safety committees
of their duties and rights under
the regulations and the contract,
and to assist them in placing
their safety work on a more effi-
cient basis.

It was also necessary on nu-
merous occasions to interview
management, with the job safety
committee, in order to secure at-
tention to violations of the acci-
dent prevention regulations. This

work was, when necessary, fol-

lowed up with necessary inter-!

views with the WCB officials to
insist upon enforcement of the
regulations.

Work Appreciated

It has been my experience, that
the workers on the job, have
fully appreciated this work on
their behalf. In almost every
case the visits have resulted in
renewed interest in our safety
program, and a fuller measure of
cooperation with Union policy.

It has been most significant,
that the loyalty of the member-
ship to the Union has intensified,
upon recognition of the fact that
the Union regards the protection
of their lives as a major respon-
sibility.

As a result of the general or-
ganization activity the following
results may be recorded:

In well-organized operations,
the accident frequency rates
have dropped substantially.

The number of active job
Safety committees has notably
increased.

Flagrant violations of the
regulations by supervisory of-
ficials have been prosecuted by
the WCB, and penalties im-
posed in the courts.

In government and employer
circles, the sincerity of the pur-
pose behind the IWA Safety
program has been fully recog-
nized.

Greater appreciation of the
IWA Safety Program by the
workers on the job has been
constantly shown.

Special Problems

It is my duty to direct the at- |-

tention of the membership to
certain special problems encoun-
tered during the effort to pro:
mote more efficient safety meas-
ures.

The causes of accidents result-
ing in a high fatality rate among
fallers and buckers cannot be
ignored. The cutting crews using
power saws are facing entirely
new hazards, which are receiving

lclose study. Gréater precautions

are necessary to protect the
buckers now working in close
proximity to the fallers.

The results which often follow
contract falling can be most
menacing. To a great extent, the
use of power saws has eliminated
the uses of wedges and hammers.
Experienced men claim that this
increases the hazards in control-
ling the fall, should there happen
to be a lean or rot in the tree.

One of the most prevalent
causes of accidents in the woods
has been slipping and falling.
Supervision in the use of sharp
caulks is, of course, one of the
standard cures. With this, we
have discovered the additional
hazard of defective vision among
many crew members.

In one test conducted by scien-

tific methods, more than 30% of
the crew were found to be suffer-
ing from defective vision, of
which they had been unaware.
This question will require further
study in order to determine the
proper solution.

Fortunately, rigging and
equipment failures* have been
comparatively few but where
they occurred have resulted in
tragic consequences. The lessons
learned during the year point to
the necessity of continuing and
vigilant supervision by experi-
enced men, and the more.careful
training of inexperienced men
entering industry.

As evidence that psychological
factors play a part in accident
prevention work, the record
shows a marked upswing in the
accident rate, during the period
of negotiations immediately prior
to the strike. We accept this evi-
dence as indicating the desir-
ability of freeing the workers
from economic worries, when en-
gaged in hazardous work.

The Interior

Attention is directed to the
fact that accident frequency rates
in the Interior are appallingly
high. We attribute this to the
fact that in many operations, the
employers have almost complete-
ly disregarded the accident pre-
vention regulations. Coupled with
this fact, we have found that the
Union in that area has not yet
had the opportunity to build up
its safety organization, for ob-
vious reasons.

I submit that the safety prob-
lems of the Interior require im-
mediate attention, under the
guidance of the District organiza-
tion. I further submit, that at-
tention to the safety problems in
the Interior will prove a useful

ladjunct to the necessary work of

organization in that area.

Initernational Council

It was the privilege of your
Safety Director to serve three
years as Chairman of the newly-
formed IWA International Safety
Council. At the various sessions
of the International Safety Coun-
cil, views on safety problems in
the fir belt and other sections
were exchanged with mutual
profit.

Our brothers in the United
States have been generous
enough to state that our program
in British Columbia has achieved
results which they envy, as great-
er progress on the whole has
been made here in lowering acci-
dent frequency rates in our or-
ganized operations. They are
now engaged in establishing a
pattern of safety organization
modelled after the one which we
have found successful in British
Columbia.

HOR SEPLAY 18 WEVER FUNNY

Dn App

J would like to publi
personal appreciation
District No. 1 of the Ini
America for the splendid
prevention of industria
industry. The realistic)
serving on the Safety
Province, the deep conce:
on numerous occasions

threatened the welfare 0

publicity given safety

important factors in the
accident rate which has t
industry. The entire sa

posed upon ‘yourselves a

greater militant action

equipment, the hazards
dangers of selfish disint
of economic security ani

will be serious in aim, vi

tive in action and wor'

that past performance h