4

B

.C. LUMBER WORKER

Len Gagnon Killed

Highly popular IWA Plant
Secretary and Executive Board
member of Local 1-417, IWA,
Len Gagnon, employed as a
Millwright at the B.C. Interior
Sawmill in Kamloops, was
accidentally killed September 28,
while repairing one of the
Company’s Gang-Saws.

An investigation of the accident
disclosed that the victim and the
Head Millwright had been
attempting to repair a gang-saw.
All precautions had been taken to
ensure that the operating equip-
ment had been shut off. Unfortun-
ately, it was not possible to guard
the hydraulic levers.

While the Head Millwright was
downstairs, one of the other work
men transferring cants to the
storage area accidently touched
one of the hydraulic levers. This
activated the lever operating the
Gang-Saw roll causing it to drop
and instantly kill Gagnon.

The deceased started working in

the Immber industry at the age of
13 Besides the offices he
held in Local 1-417, IWA, he was
also a member of the Kamloops
Labour Council.

Prior to his working in the
Kamloops area, he had been very
active for the Union at Penny.
during the IWA 1954 strike
while a shop steward at the Penny
Spruce Mills.

He is survived by his
Dorothy and seven children,

The announcement of the death
of Len Gagnon came as a distinct
shock to members of Local 1-417
and Local 1-424. He was held in
high esteem because of his.amiable
disposition and staunch loyalty to
the Union under all circumstances.

His numerous friends among
the officers and members of the
IWA throughout the province
haye expressed their deep sympa-
thy with the widow, Mrs. Dorothy
B. Gagnon, and the surviving
members of the family.

wife

IWA Safety Programme
Praised By Atkinson

“Only through a joint co-opera-
tive effort with management and
government, can labour combat
the injuries and deaths occurring
‘on the job,” stated IWA Regional
Safety Director, John T. Atkinson,
when as the chief programme
speaker, he addressed the Wood
Products section of the National
Safety Council's 47th National
Safety Congress and Exposition
September 19, .in Chicago.

The truth of this statement,
John T. asserted, is borne out bz
the enviable safety record in the
forest industry of British Colum-
bia, following the instituting of
such a safety programme there.

Ten years ago, British Colum-
bia’s forest industry had the worst
accident record in the world.
Brutal injuries and violent deaths
were accepted as part of the daily
work. All this has now changed.

Appalled and sickened by the
never-ending slaughter, the IWA
without any formal agreement or
clause in the contract, undertook

|to participate with management
and government in a joint safety
programme.

here were difficult problems to
overcome, John admitted. The
Union believed strongly that
instituting a proper safety pro-
gramme on the job was the legal
and moral obligation of manage-
ment.

But the fact remained, proved
by the countless on - the - job
injuries and deaths, that manage
ment was not assuming these
responsibilities. The Union at the
same time suspected the intentions
of the government agency charged
with enforcing the labour safety
laws of the Province.

Nevertheless, they realized that
the proposed joint safety pro-
gramme offered the only practical
solution and by working together
in this co-operative effort, past
differences could be resolved.

The results have been to instill
a keen pride in everybody in the
forest industry for the safety pro-
gramme.

\

Experiences

Ager 4 years

‘A 10-ton truck erone parked on on incline wos being used to load timber onto a flat deck trick, The operator
wes raising the beom slightly to make a better lending of a load, Deceated, ucting os swompet, wat between the
rane cnd truck, As the operator leaned forward to ditengage the boom dog his left elbow struck the alr brcke button
fn the control panel, releasing the travel beokes and permitting the erane to move forward eruthing deceated against
the truck, The eroth pushed the truck away and the body fell under the erane,

‘As the work was of such short duration the emergency brake had not been sat nor the wheels chocked,

The controls are keing re-designed to prevent accidental operation.

WORKMEN'S COMPENSATION BOARD OF BRITISH COLUMBIA

20 yeons

ACCIDENT VICTIM, Len Gagnon, killed when crushed to death by
Gang-Saw rolls at the B.C. Interior Sawmill, Kamloops.

A competitive spirit among the
workers has also been achieved
for the honour of giving their par-
ticular operation the lowest acci-
dent frequency record.

All this is not to suggest, stated
John, that the programme has not
had its difficulties and disappoint-
ments, But for every disappoint-
ment there was the knowledge that
at last an honest safety pro-
gramme had been developed.

In the past ten years of intensi.
fied effort on the part of Union,
Management and Government, the
progress has been estimated at
better than 70%.

John concluded his speech by
ing that safety officials believe

record is still not good

this
enough. They predict, that by even

greater effort in the next five
years, the present record can
again be reduced by another 70%.

Special Xmas

Delegates attending the
Labour Conference section of
the National Safety Council’s
47th National Safety Congress
and Exposition, in their one-
day session October 18, in
Chicago, reviewed the progress
made and formulated a new

labour safety programme for
the coming year.
A rising membership during

1959 made reorganization of the
staff necessary for greater service
and coverage. This membership
also necessitated larger repre-
sentation on the board of directors,

Extensive Programme

An extensive programme of
highway, home and job safety was
planned by the delegates, with
labour providing the leadership,
inspiration and finances, to carry
the project out.

A Labour Manual for the guid-
ance and direction of union safety
officials is being compiled and will
he available later in the year.

Agere
‘Cnteree

Project

Planned At Conference

It was proposed by the dele-
gates as a special project that the
unions, in co-operation with the
churches and other interested
parties, plan an all-out safety pro-
gramme for the Christmas Season.

One of the highlights of the
Conference was the report made
by George Brown, Executive
Secretary of the AFL-CIO Stand-
ing Committee. on safety and
occupational health. His report
was based on the resolution pre-
sented to the AFL-CIO Conven-
tion in San Francisco, and which
was subsequently passed by the
delegates by an overwhelming
majority.

In the elections held later in the
day, A. E. Brown, Vice-president
of the United Paperworkers and
Paperworkers of America, was
elected Chairman of the Labour
Conference and Elwood D.
Swisher, Vice-president of the Oil,
Chemical and Atomic Workers
International Union, was elected
Labour Conference Vice-chairman.

ANTICIPA
EB

WORKER

SHOP STEWARD

USINESS AGENT

British Columbia
Workmen’s Com

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