ox

MORE RISK WITH
A SMALL COMPANY

ork-
ing for

PROPORTIONATE MORTALITY RATIOS

asmall 40

logging company is more dangerous 30
than working for a large one. 20
That is one of the findings of a 40

report that appeared in the U.S. o- 3 & :
Journal of Occupational Medicine MAY JUNE JULY AUG. SEPT OCT Nov DEC.
earlier this year. 3 :
The report was done in Washing- MONTH OF INJURY

ton State, through analysis of death FATAL LOGGING INJURY PROPORTIONATE MORTALITY RATIOS BY MONTH OF YEAR *
certificates and with the assistance
of the Washington State Depart-
ment of Labour.

The report found that the death
rate in logging companies was 2 for
every 1000 workers. This makes log-
ging one of the five most dangerous
industries in the United States. The
report also found that fallers were at
the highest risk, while choker set-
ters were next.

The morning was the highest risk
time along with Mondays and Tues-
days. June was the highest risk
month. The majority of those killed
in the woods were long time loggers.
There were very few deaths in the
first year of employment.

One of the most telling figures is
that logging companies employing
five or less had mortality rates ten
times higher than larger companies. 2 i . :
Often smaller companies pay less SUN. MON. TUES. WED. THURS. FRI. SAT.
attention to health and safety issues
and are under greater stress to keep DAY OF INJURY
the logs flowing in order to maintain FATAL LOGGING INJURIES BY DAY OF WEEK*
cash flow. The result is more deaths.

The report found that over 90% of
deaths and injuries were preventa-
ble. None of this is new to anyone in
the industry. Logging is one of the
most high risk occupations, that is a
fact. But, realizing that those deaths
are in most cases preventable is not
so easy to get across. Recent high
profile investigations and deaths in
B.C. have shown that there are
unnecessary risks being taken in the
woods.

We must keep unrelenting pres-
sure on companies. The need for
more and better legislation is para-
mount. But, ultimately it is the man
or woman working in the woods who
must take steps to ensure the work
they are about to undertake is not
risking injury or death. Workers do
have the right to refuse work that is
popuenecrous: . ate 12am 1.2 3 4 5 6am7°8 9) 10) 1noond) 2553) 4. SeGiomeaecme on Omi

‘here needs to be constant vigi- am HOUR OF INJURY pm

lance on the part of workers. Fatigue
is the greatest of enemies, it’s the FATAL LOGGING INJURIES BY HOUR OF DAY *

6/LUMBERWORKER/OCTOBER, 1988

NUMBER OF INJURIES

NUMBER OF INJURIES