\

Annual Congress of the National Safety Council held
recently in Chicago, and which attracted an attendance
of over 13,000, proved to be a revelation of the widespread
interest on this continent in accident prevention, states
District Safety Director John T. Atkinson, who attended
as a representative of the IWA District Council.

Reporting to the Union on the
Green Gold radio program, he
said:

“The experience of attending
the Annual Congress and Exposi-
tion of the National Safety Coun-
cil in Chicago is one that brought
home to me in a striking way
the importance and magnitude of
the safety movement on this con-
tinent. Attendance at the Con-
gress, which exceeded 13,000, was
itself most impressive. Six of the
largest hotels in Chicago were re-
quired to provide auditorium ac-
commodation for the sessions of
the Congress and the numerous
exhibits of safety equipment.

Authorities Heard

The program of the Congress
which provided for simultaneous
sessions on safety as applied -in
all the major divisions of indus-
try extended over the whole
range of topics relating to safety
in all phases of daily living. On
each topic, the best known au-
thorities in the world were called
to address the delegates. Panel
discussions brought out the best
ideas which have been developed
in the various branches of indus-
try during the past year.

Safety engineers described the
latest and most effective methods
discovered in reducing the acci-
dent hazards for all industrial oc-
cupations, on the highways, and
in the homes.

Psychologists told us how the
safety message could be carried
to those who still remain indiffer-
ent. It would be difficult to
imagine a program which would
present the entire message of
safety more completely to safety
men and the public in North
America.

Wood Products Section

Usually we met in general as-
sembly each morning to hear lec-
tures and discussions on subjects
of interest to all sections. The
most practical work of the Con-
gress was done, however, in the

sessions of the special industrial
sections, The section to which J.
Milmore, Local 1-80, IWA, and I,
as representatives of the IWA in
B.C. were assigned, dealt ex-
clusively with the Wood Pro-
ducts Industry.

» When we registered for our
section, we were pleased to find
delegates from other districts of
the IWA. Likewise, we met dele-
gates at the Congress from other
CIO unions, such as the Steel-
workers, Oil Workers, and Rub-
ber Workers, all of them inter-
ested in safety in their respective
industries.

It was my privilege as a mem-
ber of the Executive of the
Wood Products Section to assist
in the program presented there,
and to take an active part in the
panel discussions, The National
Safety Council has adopted the
policy of arranging for repre-
sentation from trade unions in
the Council’s activities. Uniens
that continue to show a definite
and continuing interest in safety
are welcomed at the. top level
conferences of the National
Safety Council. As a matter of
fact, stress was Jaid on workers’
participation in safety programs
throughout all sessions of the
Woods Products Section.

B.C. Industry in Van

It will be remembered that the
President of the National Safety
Council recently visited British
Columbia to assist*in the pre-
paration of a safety film to be
released under the joint auspices
of the B.C. Lumber Manufac-
turers’ Association and the Work-
men’s Compensation Board. You
will understand our pride, when
we heard Mr. Dearborn at the
opening plenary session of the
Congress, refer in complimentary
terms to the exceptional progress
made in accident prevention in
the B.C. Lumber Industry.

As we reported earlier, Mr.

DECEASED
CUTTING SNAG

Dead...

DATE — May, 20, 1954.
OCCUPATION — Bucker.
EXPERIENCE — 6 years.

AGE — 30 years.

A hemlock hung up in a standing fir. The faller was working
alone. The bucker was falling a 6 inch snag about 60 feet from the

hemlock.

The faller asked the bucker to get in the clear, but the bucker

said that he would “watch out”.

The faller asked the bucker twice more at about five minute

intervals. The faller went to work on the fir.

While both saws were running, a gust of wind blew the hemlock

toward the bucker.

Fe "

The faller found the bucker dead under the fallen hemlock.

CONGRESS ATTRACTS 13,00

Dearborn was impressed, while in
British Columbia, with the pro-
gress made in reduction of ac-
cident hazards and the accident
frequency rate. He kept the
promise. made while in British
Columbia, He told the American
industrialists that the B.C. Lum-
ber Industry was leading the way
in accident prevention.

I trust that those in our Union,
who have so faithfully attended
to the safety needs in their opera-
tions will realize that their work
has not only benefitted their fel-
low-workers in their immediate
vicinity, but has also paved the
way for important progress in
the North American Industry.

Topics Discussed

That you may form some idea
of the wide range of subjects
covered in our discussions, I will

-| list some of the topics. Here they

are: Greater Safety in power saw
operation; dust hazards in wood-
working plants; new development
in Millwork safety; new develop-
ments in sawmill safety on the
Pacific coast; the noise problem
in the woods products industry;
how to conduct successful safety
committee meetings; how to sell
taking safety home; control of
slipping and falling accidents;
safety psychology; fire protec-
tion—forest and plant; funda-
mentals of industrial safety.

Discussions’ on these topics
were supplemented by visual aids
such as films and film strips, and
occasionally with conerete demon-
strations using the proper equip-
ment.

We were especially interested
in the film of the Honeymoon
Bay operation, which was shown
to illustrate safety features that
would be helpful to other sec-
tions of the industry. This also
revealed that in British Columbia
we are away out in front with
our safety methods. Everywhere
we turned, we heard talk of the
example set in this province in
worker participation, and the de-
sirability for more general ac-
ceptance.

Displays Impressive

An important feature of the
Congress were the displays and
demonstrations of all types of
safety equipment. We saw the
latest in protection devices, cloth-
ing, shields, safety shoes, hard
hats, goggles, as well as such life
saving devices as inhalators, and
resucitators. We visited all these
displays and made notes for the

'information of the Union,

Heart Disease

We gave special attention to
the information which originates
with the Chicago Heart Institute.
The research on this matter, we
feel, should be made more freely

Bes
Z ae

available to workers in the lum-
ber industry. Heart disease is

problem at the present time, and
as we have learned from tragic
experiences, it is taking heavy
toll among the loggers.

Generally, it is not the kind
of work, but the rate at which it
is performed, even on strenuous
jobs, that results in casualties.
Many victims of relatively severe |
heart disease can be kept on the |
same jobs, if they can be permit- |
ted to work at a slightly slower |
pace, or for fewer hours in the
day. Industry may thus retain |
the services of useful, loyal and
experienced workmen.

Our objective, of course, is pre-
vention, and in this we must
learn not to place too great stress
on the heart in the performance
of our work. ‘The heart, like any
other machine, has limits as to
the amount of response to stress.

One important finding of the
Congress was that a gigantic
task still remains to be done.
We cannot rest on our oars. On
this continent, more than 100,000
people are killed every day, and
more than 9,000,000 injured.
Coupled with this fact is the con-
crete proof that the accident pre-
vention program has enormously
reduced the death and accident
rate. This means that with con-
tinued co-operation from all sec-
tions of the public we may step
up our progress until the accident
casualty rate is well nigh neg-
ligible.”

P.V. MEN
TOUR PLANT

Monthly meeting of the
Safety Committee of Local
1-357, IWA, was held October
14th, at the Pacific Veneer
Company’s Lunch Room, fol-
lowing a tour of the Plant by
the members.

Some thirty® safety members
were. escorted through the prem-
ises by Company guides, This
was the second of such inspec-
ticns in the last few months.

The committee reports that
these tours are proving very
popular and gives the members
an idea of what safety measures
are being carried out in the other
plants.

During the meetings held af-
terwards, any accident hazards or
safety violations are pointed out
and ways disqussed to eliminate
them.

The next meeting of the Safety
Committee will be held November

probably our greatest medical

11th, at 7:30 p.m., in the Union

Hall, ‘

“The trouble with th ;

“It doesn’t hit the as
“Safety men are impra‘
“The program doesn't z

“There is not enough ¢¢
“There is not 4

by
instincts, 4
“A poor job is being de
“Stiffer enforcement’wii
“Safety is strictly an e

“More attention shoul,
people. ah

Ay

“Accidents are straight
stop them.” Wa

.

What they say is both

single method of preventing

ful with all people under i
complex bundle of instinet

impulsively, emotionally,
engendered by passing By

:

The smart safety man,
!

and intellect to persuade, ric

4

But above all he keeps push
and untiringly toward that «
free industry. f

Workmen's Coz

j ADAM BELL, Ch
F. P, ARCHIBA~

CHRIS. W. PRIT

E. V. ABLETT,

a