- consideration the fact that an opera-
going.

© Angela Schira, the B.C. Fed's representative on the WCB’s new Board of Governors.

WCB changes coming
says Fed official

Since its introduction in June of
1989, the Workers’ Compensation
Amendment Act (Bill 27) has been
slowly reforming the system, hope-
fully for the benefit of workers.

At IWA-CANADA’s Health and
Safety Conference on May 28, Angela
Schira, Secretary-Treasurer of the
B.C. Federation of Labour told union
members that the changes have been
10 years in the making.

Sister Schira, who sits as one of the
WCB’s new members of the Board of
Governors appointed in March of last

year, says that a new appeals struc-
ture will be underway soon which will
be a “small victory for workers.”

She said WCB reform has been a
“slow and painful process” and that
the new Board of Governors is setting
the stage to deal with the real issues.

The new appeals division, headed
by lawyer, Connie Munro will, accord-
ing to Schira be a direct appeal pro-
cess open to workers and their repre-
sentatives. These appeals will entitle
workers to oral hearings and allow
unions to intervene in cases that have

implications for other workers. Em-
ployer generated appeals will also be
open for intervention by workers’ rep-
resentatives.

Sister Schira told the IWA - CANA-
DA audience that the Board of Gover-
nors is dealing with a whole series of
priority issues that have to be sorted
out and addressed.

The Board of Governors will be
dealing with the updating of health
and safety regulations dealing with
repetitive motion injuries, worker re-
habilitation, cedar dust asthma, toxic
substances, carcinogens in the work-
place and health and safety training
as examples of the backlog of work
that has to be done.

“These issues have been piling up
for 10 years and nobody took care of
them,” said Sister Schira. “The lab-
our representatives on the Board of
Governors need the IWA’s support,
advice and involvement.”

Schira also said the new Board of
Governors which consists of 5 labour
reps, 5 management reps, one neutral
person, the Chief of Appeals Officer,
and the Chief Executive Officer of the
WCB, will provide “a chance to pre-
vent the political interference that we
have seen in the past 10 years.”

She said that the legislative frame-
work for worker protection must
change.

“We don’t put enough emphasis on
accident prevention and worker train-
ing,” said Schira.

She said that the appointment of
Ken Dye, former Auditor General of
Canada, to the post of President and
Chief Executive Officer of the WCB,
is a positive move, stating that Dye
did a good job of training staff when
he was the Auditor General.

Training is a necessity for WCB
staff in the handling and adjudication
of claims.

Other moves the labour members
on the Board of Governors will be
making will include an internal inves-
tigation of the WCB’s management
and an investigation of the Board’s
medical review section.

Forklifts need safety im

provements

The Canadian Standards Associa-
tion, the regulatory agency responsi-
ble for ensuring that heavy equip-
ment has some minimum require-
ments attached is revamping its
safety and design standards for
forklifts.

Hans Rekart, an Industrial Safety
Inspection Officer with the Workers’
Compensation Board of British
Columbia told _ IWA-CANADA’s
Health and Safety Conference in Bur-
naby, B.C. that new changes in safety
standards are long overdue.

In BC. on average there are between

120-130 collisions between lift trucks
and pedestrians each year said Mr.
Rekart.
According to WCB stats collected
since 1975 there are, on average, 2
fatalities related to forklifts each year.
The WCB receives 85 back and neck
claims annually which cost over $1
million in lost wages.

Mr. Rekart stated that the factors
contributing to accidents are mostly
view obstruction of the driver and the
increased size and speed of the
machinery. a
In the past decade forklifts have
almost completely replaced lumber
carriers around sa’ is. The result
are that forklifts have been built big-
ger and faster without taking into

tor must be able to see where they are

Forklifts, says Rekart, were first
made to lift loads and now they are
being used for many different func-
tions.

Many drivers, unable to see, drive
with their loads overhead which is
against WCB regulations.

The only way around the visibility
problem is to drive in reverse which
can cause prolonged neck and back
strain.

Now that the CSA is reviewing its
standards for lift trucks some prog-
ress in alleviating vision problems
can hopefully be made.

The CSA is meeting with manufac-
turers, regulatory agencies such as
the WCB and with user groups such

as trade unions.

© View from driver's seat of forklift shows poor visibility which can be hazardous.

To date the Steel and Longshore
Unions have been invited to the CSA
meetings. Some of the problems the
CSA will be tackling include driver
training standards which, according
to Rekart, will likely be adopted by
compensation boards. Recommenda-
tions on medical certificates includ-
ing a worker's vision abilities will also
Te caitlion «gether

in addition to gathering sugges-
tions for better vision on forklifts, the
CSA will likely hear about improve-
ments to running lights, back-up
alarms and better Fenraitiag markings.

4 LUMBERWORKER/AUGUST, 1991/11

Winnipeg
hosts safety

conference

by Peter Hayes and Ron Paradis

Approximately 100 delegates and
officers from IWA-CANADA met re-
cently in Winnipeg in April for a
two-day Health and Safety Confer-
ence. The main theme of the gather-
ing was “Bringing the disabled worker
back to the workforce.”

The keynote speaker on Day One
was Ray Smith, Chairman of the
Board of MacMillan Bloedel. He spoke
of his firm’s commitment to reinte-
grate disabled employees back into
the workforce. Brother Neil Menard,
IWA - CANADA Second Vice-President.
and officer in charge of safety, spoke
about the formation of a task force on
disabled workers re-entering the work-
place, which is sponsored by the Sec-
retary of State and involves both IWA
and MB representatives.

The remainder of the day was spent
in workshop sessions of 10 to 12 peo-
ple who then worked on the problems
they may encounter as a trade union-
ist in trying to get our disabled mem-
bers back to work in the operations
where they had been injured. The
challenge was to find jobs in their
plants where once again they could
earn a decent living and have a feeling
of achievement and the benefits that
go with it. We talked about machinery
and workstation modifications that
may have to be made to accommodate
people.

Day Two began with a presentation
from Judy Cook, Director of the Man-
itoba Federation of Labour Occupa-
tional Health Centre. After her ad-
dress the conference broke to tour the
facility.

In its eight years of operation, the
MFL Occupational Health Centre has
been a unique health facility whose
staff provide diagnostic and assess-
ment services, educational programs
and information to individuals and
groups on a non-profit basis. Thou-
sands of Manitobans have been as-
sisted by their specialized expertise.

One full-time and three part-time
physicians, an occupational health
nurse, an industrial hygienist, an ad-
ministrative assistant and an execu-
tive director work at the Centre. The
technical staff are specially trained in
occupational health to aid in the as-
sessment and diagnosis of work relat-
ed illnesses and disease.

Since “prevention of disease and
injury” is the guiding force of the
Centre, the staff members are also
experienced and knowledgeable in the
creation and maintenance of healthy
and safe work environments.

Educational seminars and courses
on occupational health are available.
Workplace tours can be arranged to
help identify and remedy existing and
potential hazards to workers’ health
and safety.

With the resources available in the
Centre's library and the data bank,
the staff can assist in gathering infor-
mation to provide a complete picture
of the composition, dangers and cor-
rect handling of hazardous chemicals.

The Centre's expertise and resourc-
es are available to all Manitobans
concerned with health and safety in
the work environment.

Some goals cannot be achieved by
working in isolation. The MFL Occu-
pational Health Centre welcomes
every opportunity to work with any-
one who is concerned with creating
and maintaining a healthy and safe
work environment in order to achieve
the highest degree of physical, mental
and social well-being for all workers in
all occupations.

Peter Hayes is the Safety Director
of New Westminster Local 1-357 and
Ron Paradis is a local union delegate
who attended the Winnipeg Safety
Conference.