N Interesting sidelights on the operators’ attitude toward the lumber industry’s safety pro- grain was published recently in The Lumberman, when report- ing the Forest Products Safety Conference held in Seattle re- cently. The conference, which elected R. R. Rustemeyer of Canadian Forest Products Ltd. as Chair- man, heard keynote speaker M. B. Houston state that the high accident rate in the logging in- dustry rests on the shoulder of management. First Things First Keynoter Houston said, “Fre- quency rates can be brought down only when management shows enough interest to put in and back up effective programs. Management wants production to come first, but also wants pro- duction the safe way.” Using a chart he pointed out how other inherently dangerous industries haye kept their rates low. “The chart, wasn’t big enough to show. the, relative standing of the logging industry—it would have taken a chart about—,” said Houston, pointing to a spot high up on the meeting-room wall. Houston estimated that $100,- 000,000 is lost each year by the industry because of accidents, If accident prevention activities had not kept it down to manageable limits, the premium of $100,000 for a million man hours a few years ago would currently be $260,000. He stated, “If the rates cannot be brought down, it will event- ually be difficult to find workers for the industry.” Houston said the obvious pain and suffering accidents is but a part of the story; a reduction in the standard of living for the rest of a work- er’s life is another price often paid. Comments from Industry A veteran safety authority and the first chairman of the wood products section of the National Safety Council to be chosen from the western timber region. W. M. “Scotty” Allison led the confer- ence in an informal discussion of points brought out by Houston. Comments follow: , Ed Crosby, Columbia Basin Loggers & Sawmills, Portland, Ore.: “It costs the Oregon State compensation commission $32,000 for every industrial death. Fatals in logging in Oregon for some re- cent years were 32 in 1950, 24 in 1951 and 20 in 1952.” A B.C. industry man: “B.C.s ‘Safety Week’ held this year from May 10-14 has resulted in great reductions in the number of ac- cidents. All B.C. forest industries associations participate. Look how the number of logging ac- cidents per week has dropped: 89 in 1952, 36 in 1953, and 10 in 1954.” George Norris, B.C. Lumber Manufacturers Assn.: “There are 35,000 people involved in Safety Week.” Byron Oyster, Weyerhaeuser Timber Co.: “Logging accidents account for 4.3¢ per man hour for our company; the figure for the industry as a whole is 16c.” Ed Roles, Weyerhaeuser Tim- ber Co., Longview, Wash.: “With the largest branch in the com- pany we have gone four year without a fatality.” No Safety — Broke Gentleman from Oregon: “I have carefully checked over the records of 400 companies which had gone broke — none had safety programs.” Man from MacMillan & Bloe- del: “Can top safety and top production go hand-in-hand, or NEAR MIRACLE PERFORME A former IWA _President’s knowledge and skill in Indus- trial First Aid, recently saved the life of a logger at the Scott Paper Company Logging Divi- sion, whose breathing had stopped for one hour and thir- ty-five minutes and was be- lieved dead. Ray A. Gemmer, former Presi- dent of Sultan Local 23-93, IWA, was working with a crew spread- ing ballast on logs to complete a bridge they were building. Bridge Fall One of the men, Don Brand, slipped on a piece of loose bark at the edge of the bridge and fell 12 feet into the creek, knock- ing himself unconscious. His fall was aoticed by the others and they rushel te his assistance. After a five-minute search in a very deep pcol his foot was spotted, just at the sur- face of the water. Unable to free him because of the debris, a rope was securely fastened about both his legs, and he was pulled free, . Artificial Resuscitation Carefully bringing him to the top of the bridge, the men placed him on a log and Gemmer imme- diately started the prone pres- sure method of artificial resusci- tation, This was later followed by the back pressure arm-lift method. Some of the crew were reluc- tant to assist in this, as they considered the victim beyond help. However, with stubborn perseverance Gemmer kept working over his fellow work- man, and after 35 minutes Brand began breathing momentarily. This sign of life gave the crew a new incentive. Sweat shirts and coats were taken off and wrapped around Brand, and a fire was built nearby for added warmth. Again the victim started breathing and again stopped but the resuscitation was continued. - Breathing Regularly Becoming extremely tired, Gemmer instructeds one of the other men so that he could be relieved. After approximately one hour and thirty-five minutes Brand started breathing regu- larly. When the crew were sure he would live they rushed him by stretcher to a waiting ambulance, which took him to the hospital where he made a complete re- covery, Overheard On The Job Two women were boarding an airliner. One of them turned to the pilot and said, “Now please don’t travel faster than sound. Lone baby chick, taking a look around the electric incubator full of unhatched eggs: “Well, it looks as if Vl be an only child. PRODUCTION does one suffer at the expense of the other? One of our divi- sions has already worked 150,- 000 man hours this year with- out an accident. Yet this divi- sion also has the production record.” Reduced Costs Man from B.C.:“The cost of accidents per M bd. ft. of lum- ber has gone down steadily while the cost of producing the Iumber has gone steadily up.” A pulp and paper industry man: “In 1953 we had our best production ever—also our best safety year, and that’s with 832 employees.” Increasing Production Paul LeRoy, Vail, Wash., Weyerhaeuser Tbr. Co.: “Our supervisors believe that when they get a ‘zero’ month, it will be their biggest production month.” J. K. “Bun” Lewis, Rayonier, Inc.: “I suggest a safety week for this region (Pacific North- west).” have cellar stairs. It doesn’t store pickles, potatoes, lawn-s: Some cellar steps are so loaded with merchandise that only the| long-legged members of the fam- ily are able to use them at all. On top of this there are many homes where the cellar lighting is so poor that only the family cat is able to navigate without shin bruises. Cluttered Steps Cellar stair users generally carry something. After all, one goes to the cellar either to bring something up, or take something down. Often the loads carried on such cluttered steps can’t be seen over, or around. Families become so used to this situation that they don’t pay any attention to it.| Better to have a handy, out-of-! sight place for things than to| worry about a little thing like} safety. The homes | real hazard appears in where there are elderly WATCH THOSE CELLAR STAIRS! By BOB LUDWIG If you have a cellar, it follows that you also have to those cellar stairs, as convenient shelves on which to follow that you should use hears and beer bottles. people. Hardly a day goes by but some person, usually well on in years, takes a tumble down the cellar stairs. Such falls are often fatal, when not, they result in a broken hip, leg,*or arm. Original Purpose Some people have tried the idea of drawing a line mid-way down the stairs with the fond hope of thus saving half the area for its original purpose, namely, for walking up and down. How- ever, it seems that members of such families can never agree on which half to use for what. The obvious answer is to keep all the bric-a-brac and miscellan- eous groceries off the cellar stairs. Failing this you could take out the steps and install a round-rung ladder, which would probably be safer. But perhaps it would be easier to start by installing adequate lighting. ubY) KEEP 17 CLEANS Here lies a young salesman nam- ed Phipps, Who married on one of his trips, A widow named Block “Did you catch many fish to- day?” “Yes, a good eel.” We want to talk.” re gra xe Mother has blown a fuse.” Then died of the shock, going, I'll ,Stay here and lean on When he saw there were six little | YU" horn. = gue a eae (Mme FL0oR., sy wa MEAN! Summer-zwe A FEW OCCUPATIONAL Mazkos/ A young lady stalled her car at a traffic light the other day. She stamped on the starter, tried again, choked her engine—while behind her an impatient driver honked his horn steadily, Finally, she got out and walk- ed back. “Ym awfully sorry,” she said, “but I can’t start my car, If you'll go up there and get it "The seeing man goes about his bushe share of the work of the world, asking ni man’s part. "In an Instant an accldent blinds hil the visible world. The feet which once bpr now stumble and halt and fear the forwor "You have met him on your busy th stretched hands, patiently dredging the Wc or his cap for your pennies ... this was (