6 , B.C. LUMBER WORKER EYE-WITNESSES TELL HOW A. CHABOT DIED Story of the fatal accident at Justkatla Camp, Q.C.I., which took the life of IWA Camp Secretary Archie Chabot, is graphically told in the statements: of the eye- witnesses made to the Coroner’s jury. The verdict was accidental death, without blame attaching to anyone. The view expressed by the Coroner, was that the victim might have shown better judgment. The deceased was well and fa- yorably known in IWA circles, Local 1-71, for his unflagging support of Union activities, and amiable disposition. As the story of the accident carries a lesson for men experi- enced in loading operations, the statements of some of the eye- witnesses are here quoted ver- batim. Andre Borer, Woods Foreman “When I came up to the track- side this a.m. the load was almost on except for top few logs. As I stood by they put the peaker or top log on the load. It didn’t lic too well and so it was dropped several times to help it settle in. Then the next I know the load collapsed on the side away from me. I ran around the truck and saw Chabot pinned under a log which was lying across his head. We ran the truck ahead about 20 feet and put the tongs in the log which was on top of Chabot and lifted: it from him, He ap- peared lifeless and we placed him on a stretcher and moved him to camp. He was under the log about 3 minutes before we got him out. The accident occurred about 14 miles from camp on branch 44. Chabot was feeling well this am, with no evidence of ill health.” Raymond Barriault, Loading Engineer “We started loading the truck about 7:30 a.m. We got the bot- tom row on all right and then! were working on the second tier. I could see that the outside log of second tier was not solid so I hollered at Chabot that it would not stay there. Chabot looked at the load and looked at me and told me to keep on going. When we came to the peak log it wouldn’t sit on prop- erly. We had to let the peak log settle, several times to make it fit. I then slacked the line and Chabot started to walk in along the raft stick—I suppose to take j the tongs off the peaker. Then the left hand side of the load col- lapsed and Chabot was struck by the rolling logs. The peeker log slid sideways with one end still held in the tongs. When the logs stopped rolling . I could see Chabot lying still with his head out of view, I stopped my machine, then Borer told me to swing the peak- er log off the load. Then they moved the truck ahead and I moved the end of the log off Cha- bot with my engine. Thad a good view of the whole accident and could see the whole length of the logs. Malcolm Krug was the driver of the truck. Andre Borer then drove the body into camp. I have known Chabot about two rs and he has been a good work John Kurik, Second Loader “We were loading the truck. When we came to the second tier of logs, the outside log wouldn’t fit against the stake at the rear of the truck because of a knot on the bottom log. The head load- er (Chabot) noted this. The loading engineer shouted across that that log wasn’t lying properly. I don’t know that Cha- bot heard this but he was right beside the rear of the truck and could see that the log didn’t fit properly. He instructed the load- ing engineer to keep loading. When they came to the peak log it didn’t just lie right along the top and they gave it a chuck twice to have it settle it. Meanwhile Chabot, who was standing on a log at the end of the load was up under the top of the load. The last chuck’ with the peak ‘log caused -the outside log of the ‘second tier to jump out and the left-hand side of the load collapsed, Chabot just had time to move a.step back along the log he was on and throw his arm up before he disappeared under the rolling logs. When the logs stopped rolling I could see’ Chabot lying with his head under the logs. We then threw the peak log off and moved the truck ahead to get the tongs into the log which was on Cha- bot. We lifted it off him and he was lifeless. The loading engineer never lost control of the peak log at any time.” Metal Safeguards Are Good —But Mental Safeguards Are Better. = Some people think charity is giving to others the advice they | can’t use themselves, SAFETY COM ber Company, who were recently ¢ Council for their operation go 300° SEVEN DIED Seven more fatal accidents in the month of June have been reported by the Work- men’s Compensation Board for the B. C. lumber industry, two occurring in May and five in June. Time-loss accidents for the same period were 911. Total fatalities .for 1953 are 36, with 3,614 injuries. Te JUNE DEAD 7 || MuuneD TT] 5OS3 ACCIDENT) ——— 1953 TOTAL. EAD SE INJURED F618 Human | Torch | Seen | Provision of safety-type air valves as standard equipment | on the gas tanks of all power | saws was the recommendation of a coroner's jury investigat- ing the death of Gerard N. Raby, employed by the Sooke Lake Lumber Co. Ltd. Witnesses at the inquest were examined by Business Agent Ed Haw, Local 1-118, IWA, to place before the jury all relevant facts. Raby’s clothing caught fire | when he was operating a one-man power saw on the log deck of the mill, He died in Royal Jubilee Hospital the following day. Evidence was presented to the effect that the cap on the gas tank had no screw-cap air con- trol valve. There was a hole bored in the cap. It is presumed that when he tilted the saw to start it, the full tank leaked gasoline that got on his clothing, and which was ig- nited by the back-flash. Human Torch A fellow-worker described the results as turning the victim into “a human torch, aflame from the knees up, and flames shooting a foot above his head’. He wrapped the victim in a heavy mackinaw, and put out the flames. It was found that the telephone to summon an ambulance was No Investment Pays Better | Dividends Than Safety. | The Time to Prevent an Accident is Before it Happens. 60” A 60% reduction in accidents as compared with figures for June, 1952, was reported by management of MacMillan & Bloedel Limited Western Dis- trict operations, at the conclu. sion of the safety period. i Only seven lost-time accidents | in 21 working days was the | record produced through coopera- tion of management, men and union in, an all-out effort for safety. In June of last year, when there were only 10 working days because of the lumber strike, there were 16 lost-time accidents in this district. In a news release at the end of the month, western district offi- cials stated “the success of this- program was due to the united efforts of all persons in the West- || ern District operations and the wholehearted support of the local IWA executive.” Latest definition of a politi- cian: A man who approaches three miles away. TAA 7 WT THE HEAT — THE LUMOTTY/ every problem with an open mouth. OCCUPATION: BUCKE AGE: 57 ‘The Bucker was working [in trees, q The fallers felled a tree 1 It fell about 45 degrees f: bucker about 100 feet from the He was killed. OCCUPATION: CHOKER AGE: 20 ‘The crew were yarding acto After choking the log, ¢ “nose”, ‘As the turn went ahead the upended. It slid over the nose and He died of injuries. 5 ti