2nd Issue, December

B.C. LUMBER WORKER

f Mind...

give his family is the
le exercises every care and
vs, while preserving his
otecting his ability as a
ig shield against the
ity.
ion and solicitude is a
[harm by acting in a
gat manner.

NSATION BOARD

s Pay Off

s have cut down materially
dents, according to Cornell
rs. Studies of thousands of
were reduced up to 60%;
the safety steering wheel;
Gin reducing injuries. -

hese features, each year a
Binjury—and many of those
only injuries, says John O.

omote on a large scale the
Winks it has paid off saleswise,
956 models were sold with
onsumer surveys show that
heavily influenced by the

AIGH WAY
S57

IWA DISTRICT SAFETY CONFERENCE DELEGATES meeting in the Hotel Georgia, November 24th, heard George E. Walker, 2nd Vice-President

(standing) adyocating definition of
John T. Atkinson, 1st Vice-Director.

management and union respons

y- Group from left: Leo Stadnyk, Secretary; James M. Milmore, Director;

a more delicate aspect, namely,
the intervention of human mo-
tives.

Your efforts, in fact, are a pro-
longation of the unending attempt
which man has made from his
yery origin to dominate matter,
with its blind resistance, with its
baffling, sometimes sudden and
terrible reactions directed to-
wards whoever tries to insert it
more completely into the frame-
work of his inventions.

Every human work entails a
certain risk, whether physical,
economic or moral. This risk may,
or even must, be accepted, when

it does not pass the limits set by
prudence. Indeed, man finds a
powerful psychological stimulus
in this sort of challenge.

On the other hand, however, no
one may, without serious reasons,
compromise his own health or
that of his fellows, risk his own
life or that of others. And yet
how much imprudence, how much
culpable negligence, how many
risks deliberately increased, occur
as a result of the sole desire of
avoiding the economic charges
and material sacrifices presup-
posed by every application of
safety measures?

Line Of Least Resistance

The line of least resistance in
this case is the same for all: in
order to avoid waste of time and
to increase production and profit,
or even simply to save oneself
an unpleasant psychological ef-
fort, all vigilance is relaxed, and
sometimes even the most elemen-
tary precautions are neglected.

“Tf, however, we consider re-
cent social evolution and reflect a
little, it is easy to perceive the
real good and utility of such an
effort. No one nowadays denies
the part played in the worker's
productivity by his subjective
dispositions.

Non-recognition of the physi-
cal, affective and moral require-
ments of the human -being ends
by embittering him and turning
him against those who despise
his personal dignity.

How can the interest each man

has in his work, and ‘the profes-
sional conscience which impels
him to do it perfectly, how can
these subsist, when there is con-
stantly imminent the threat of
an accident which would deprive
the individual and his family of
that salary on which their mater-
ial sustenance depends?

Even on economic grounds
alone, such reasons suffice in
themselves to arouse in employ-
ers the will to assure their work-
ers of satisfactory safety and
hygienic conditions.

This address by the pope is
most signfiicant for a number of
reasons, but I will point out only
two of therm. First, there is his
recognition that safety is a world
problem. It seems to me that we
Americans find here a challenge
to ourselves to furnish the world
with a good example in the field

of accident prevention, and also
to cooperate in safety work with
other countries.

Secondly, I see in the pope’s
address high commendation of
voluntary action through orga-

nizations such as the National
Safety Council. He specifically
points out the need for patient
research, skill and a cooperative
spirit. :

| “Mot To Be Fools” |

The great wise King Solomon
whom I have quoted before, made
an observation that we well might
keep in mind, when he wrote:

“It is better to meet a bear
robbed of her cubs than a fool
trusting in his own folly.” (Pro-
verbs, 17:12)

Our first step therefore is to
resolve not to be fools. Once we
have done that, we must restrain
the dedicated fools.

The over-all important method
is to work together in a spirit of
good will to prevent accidents of
all types. It can be done. Work-
ing together down through the
decades, men have used their
God-given intelligence to reduce
the death toll of hurricanes, floods,
earthquakes, the lightning bolt

and other natural phenomena. We
have not accepted the death toll
in these natural manifestations
as inevitable, Why then do we sit
back with folded arms, seemingly
content with the conclusion that
man-made accidents are inevit-
able? Can it be that we adopt
this attitude as an alibi for our
own folly?

In my judgment, our moral ob-
ligation to prevent accident to
ourselves and to others trans-
cends any other motivation. No
matter how extensive the destruc-
tion of materials in an accident
may be, materials can be replac-
ed. Dead and maimed human be-
ings with their right to life, their
skills and their intelligence, can-
not be replaced.

First Aid Meet

Dec. 26

& 27 —

The Eleventh Annual Convention of Industrial First Aid

Attendants will be held on December 26th and 27th in the B.

Building of Pacific National Exhibition in Vancouver. This con-
vention is open to all Industrial First Aid Attendants and all
others interested in Industrial First Aid and Safety.

An interesting program has been arranged including lec-
tures by Doctors and other authorities in Industrial First Aid,

film showings and discussions.

The Convention will be officially opened by Mr. Chris W.

Pritchard, Commissioner of

the Workmen’s Compensation

Board, and the Honorable Leslie R. Peterson, Minister of Edu-
cation, will be the speaker at the Convention Banquet on the

evening of December 27th.

LOOK,
ED, YOU

KNOW THE
RULES... NO
RIDERS!