B.C. LUMBER WORKER

Ist Issue, February

- District Safety Director Reports
IWA-Organized Operations Safest

Report of the District Safety Director to the Annual
Safety Conference and 21st District Convention of District
Council No. 1, IWA, discloses a 50 per cent reduction in
fatal accidents in the logging and sawmill sections of the

Forest Industry.

In a review of the Union’s
safety activities under the head-
ings indicated by the duties as-
signed to that department, the Di-
rector reported in part:

“The submission of this report

to our 21st Annual Convention of
the I.W.A, is intended as a brief
and condensed account of the
work of accident prevention car-
ried out in the fifteen local unions
of District Council No. 1.
_ “In spite of the tensions “exper-
jienced in the Forest Industry in
1957, such as union elections, Fed-
eral elections, the serious labour
crisis and pending strike action,
accident frequency rates in the
camps and mills have been greatly
reduced. Fatal accidents have been
reduced by 50 per cent, both in
sawmill and logging divisions.

“This also includes severe and
crippling injuries that have caused
our people so much sorrow, grief
and despair, Never in any single

Lumber Milling accidents
Lumber Milling fatalities
Logging accidents .

Logging fatalities

year, has so much progress been
made towards our objective. Never
at any time in the past could we
look forward with more confi-
dence to the future, knowing that
our programme of job safety is
achieving the results which we had
hoped.

“As the Safety Director of our
union, I wish to take this oppor-
tunity to pay a personal tribute
to the many active Safety Com-
mittee men, to the local union
Safety Directors, and to the local
union Officers, for the splendid
cooperation and support that has
made our safety programme so
successful,

“Since the inception of the
safety programme of our union,
we have, year by ‘year, been able
to compare the progress we have
made over the years previously.
Comparing 1956 with 1957, we

come up with the following statis-
tics:

; 87

Forest Industry's Safety

Regulations

“The general acceptance of
safety rules and the extensive use
of safety equipment have made a
very definite contribution to this
record of 1957. The new regula-
tions regarding buoyancy equip-
ment which were put into effect
last year, have proven to be the
answer to many drowning fatali-
ties that boom men and boat men
have suffered in past years.
“Your Safety Director continues
to seek consultation with © the
Workinen’s Compensation Board
and the Department of Railways

Lead Field

authorities as well as other agen-
cies of safety enforcement. with
regard to proper interpretation and
application of existing safety
codes, A comparison of our acci-
dent safety regulations in the wood
products industry with its com-
pulsive features of observance and
enforcement, are far in advance of
any others in North America.
“Much time and effort was ex-
pended by your Safety Director on
the Safety Week Committee, both
as Vice-Chairman and representa-
tive of the I.W.A. A sharp drop in

another mean died...

BECAUSE LUMBER WAS IMPROPERLY PILEDI

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OCCUPATION: Swamper.

AGE: 20,

——>

EXPERIENCE: One Week.

APRIL, 1957 . . . fork lift

had lifted off a load. Deceased

started to remove the 4”x4” strips, when suddenly, without warn-
ing, the adjacent pile toppled forward causing the top load to
spill over, crushing the workman to death.
The load fell due to inadequate stripping and because short
length Iumber on outside edge of load made it unstable,
ALWAYS .. . be sure loads are properly stripped before

piling. Use at least (3) three 4’x4”

strips between cach load of

random length lumber, and make sure there is a firm, level base

for every pile.

Keep lumber piles ‘at a safe height, according to prevailing
conditions, and tied together when possible,

NEVER ... trust the stability of a lumber pile—-BE ALERT
when working around stacked lumber.

accident frequencies in the month
prior to Safety Week and the low
frequency rate subsequent to
Safety Week, was very hearten-
ing as it was accomplished in spite
of the serious crisis in contract
negotiations at that time.

“The success of this project in
May encouraged the Committee to
institute a further effort in the
form of a “check-up week”; the
intent of which was to stimulate
further interest and greater activ-
ity for the balance of the year.

“Jt is with regret that I must
report to this Convention that no
apparent progress has been mage
on the part of our International
Union in safety to date. The lack
of interest and apathy towards this

important matter is something be- |

yond my comprehension, It will
be up to District No. 1 to encour-
age our International Union to
Participate in a safety programme
and this should be done at the

earliest possible date.

“The newly created Labour
Congress of the National Safety
Council provides a prominent place
for Labour in the national safety
movement. The Labour Confer-
ence is composed of international
union officials on a policy-making
level with union staff members
[who have safety responsibilities.
It’ serves as Labour's central
safety orgafiization for coordinat-
ing the activities of international
and district and local union parti-
cipation in all areas of industrial
accident prevention.

“Your Safety Director is a
member of the Conference and
has taken part in its promotion
and organization. I.W.A, members
will be pleased to know that much
of the union policy in industrial
safety so laboriously developed
here in Vancouver, British Colum-
bia, is being accepted by the great
national and international unions
of North America.

Industry Review Shows
Marked Progress Made

“In closing, let us review the
progress made in each section of
the industry.

1. SAWMILLS—

“The standards of safety in
these plants continues to rise and
many of the largest mills have ex-
cellent records. Strong and ag-
gressive Committees that insist on
good housekeeping, vigorous en-
forcement of safety rules, search-
ing investigation of all accidents
and regular safety meetings, can
be considered as the major con-
tributing factor.

2, PLYWOOD—

“Much progress has been made
in this section of the industry
and a further drop in accident fre-
quency has been recorded this
past year. Educational work done
in teaching the proper methods of
lifting as outlined in the Safety
Pages of the B.C. Lumber Work-
er, and demonstrated by the Safety
Directors of the union’ and the
B.C.L.M.A., has eliminated many
of the injuries such as strains and
sprains previously so prevalent in
the plywood industry. An example
of safety performance is the large
plywood plant in Victoria which
has an accident rate of only 1.19.

3. SHINGLE MILLS—

“Increased attention to safety
in-the plants of this division has
produced better safety records.
Housekeeping has improved and

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committee work can be observed.
New type shingle machines are
being tested and shortly will be
in production. With this new
method, the oversize block will
not expose the sawyer to the haz-
ard that has cost so many fingers
in by-gone years, ‘

4. LOGGING—

“Educational work, enlightened
supervision, vigilant and aggres-
sive safety committees and the
application of the principle “if the
job is not safe, don’t do it” are
getting the results long sought
after for many years. The fallers.
and buckers, for years considered
as the main source of serious and
fatal accidents, have again shown
remarkable progress.

“The slipping and falling prob-
lem to which so many back in-
juries are related, has been largely
overcome. This particular hazard
has been giving job safety com-
mittees great concern and for
which no solution could be found
other than education. Extensive
use of safety boots, buoyancy
equipment and hard hats have
made a very effective contribution
to safety in this division. It is in-
teresting to note that more pro-
tective equipment is worn in
British Columbia than the rest of
Canada together.

SEE PAGE 7

DISTRICT SAFETY OFFICERS shown he:
sented last year to the 20th Annual Di: H
James Milmore, Director; Leo Stadnyk,

back row: Gil Ingram, 2nd Vice-Director;

UNION
Duncan .
Haney .
Cranbrook ....
Victoria ...
Vancouver ...
Prince George
Kelowna ..
Port Alberni .
New Westminster .
Courtenay ...
Salmon’Arm .
Vancouver ....
Vancouver ...

These amazing figures demonsh
programme of cooperative effort. 7j
certified operations that comprisé
the forest industry, with the 10 pen
tragic record, brings sharply into
educated into adopting safe worki
committees, the camps and mills @
places in which to work. |