First-Aid practices get
worse in the woods

The IWA national convention addressed the seri-
ous issue of proper first aid coverage for workers.
This year the delegates passed resolutions calling
for mandatory full-time first aid attendants and a
demand that Survival First Aid tickets not be used
as an alternate to Industrial First Aid tickets.

Ray Fleming, a logger from Local 1-71 who is an
industrial first aid attendant, showed concern about
the problem.

“I've been out there and covering a lot of people
while working at the same time,” said Brother Flem-
ing. “Hooking on a grapple yarder, I'd be covering
several areas and the most likely person to get first
out there was myself.”

He said that a crew can have first aid attendants

ing saws and won't be able to hear and respond
to a call for first aid.

__ Ron Norgaard of Local 1-71 said that full-time
first aid people should not be playing around on
other jobs which would reduce their ability to cover
accidents.

“They (the first aid attendants) should be able to
et there as quickly as possible to the job and get all

@: information first hand.”

Scott Gibson of the same Logger’s Local, who is a
first aid attendant and truck dispatcher, says that
union member's have to ensure that first aid is

___ properly done in all situations and there is full cov-
erage between shift changes.

Wayne Munro of Local 1-85 in Port Alberni, B.C.
said that current proposals will actually weaken
standards for first aid. ,

He says the companies want to use a Survival
First Aid ticket as an Industrial First Aid ticket. This
Would weaken the current standards. .

“] think that to lower the standard of first aid tick-
‘ets - of taking a C ticket, the old C ticket and calling
‘it now a Survival (ticket), well the C ticket even as
low as it was is still about ten times a good training
as what a Survival ticket ce

Kay Waring of Local 1-71 says the first aid ticket
system has been “bastardized.” :

*[ think what has happened is that the whole idea

> Survival First Aid has been taken advantage of,

told delegates. “The original idea of Survival

‘Aid was to have people out on the crew who

deal with emergency first aid until a well

t there.
first aid attendant got the! resist Midis
ing its replace-
Aid and

Eicpteal First Aid certifi-
emergency until
the better the

e Joe Hanlon, Safety Director of Local 1-2693 and Ray Dease of Local 1-184 and National Safety
Council Chairman, presented health and safety resolutions.

° Ray Fleming

¢ Wayne Munro

Injured workers must
be retrained for
return to workforce

Since time immemorial injured workers in the
forest industry have been given the short end of the
stick and have often been overlooked after they
have sustained work related injuries.

At this year’s convention delegates passed a reso-
lution instructing the WCB of B.C. to totally fulfil its
mandate for retraining injured workers that can’t
return to their original jobs due to work related in-

juries.

Darrel Wong, president of Local 1-71, told dele-
gates that the IWA Industry Long Term Disability
Plan is having serious financial problems because in
part, the WCB is not providing proper benefits and
retraining for injured workers.

“We should do everything that we can to ensure
that the WCB does live up to their mandate and en-
sure that workers who are injured on the job are re-
trained by the WCB and not be forced onto a fringe
benefit plan that each and everyone of us is paying
for,” said Brother Wong. “It is an employer's respon-
sibility to pay the bill. They’re the ones responsible
for the guys getting injured and they should be re-
sponsible for paying for them to get back to work.”

Carol Toth of Local 1-417 said the WCB has not

been responsive in taking time to train minorities
with language disabilities.

“The (employers) figure that because we got LTD
and what not they'll boost them (injured workers)
onto that,” said Sister Toth. “What we’re saying is
that if you're injured in your employment and you
can’t go back (to work) then WCB has every respon-
sibility to have you fully trained in gainful employ-
ment.”

“As an IWA member that work in various different
parts of our industry we deserve like employment
with the respectable wages that we’re used to mak-
ing, not simply being put out on the street without
the ability to earn an income for our family that
we're accustomed to,” said Frank Everitt, president
of Local 1-424.

Ron Norgaard of Local 1-71 told delegates of a
fellow worker who was injured and couldn’t get
started on a marine repair and maintenance course
because the course was to last more than 6 months.

“Well, any of you that have been involved in any
apprenticeship program know that you're not going
to get much training in six months,” said Norgaard.
“So I wonder about their (the WCB’s) mandate and
how sincere they are about providing training that’s
going to give some meaningful kind of work to
these people rather than menial kind of work.”

e Frank Everitt e Ron Norgaard

Safety resolutions pass

NATIONAL SAFETY DIRECTOR - the National Union Of-
ficers are directed to appoint a full-time Safety Di-
rector when finances permit.

SAFETY INCENTIVE PROGRAMS - it is the union's policy
that incentive programs for accident prevention be
of participatory nature and not be set on an acci-

_ dent-free day basis.

DISCIPLINE FOR SAFETY INFRACTIONS - the union reaf-
firms its policy that union members should not rec-
ommend or endorse discipline against any other
union member.

Continued on page eleven

LUMBERWORKER/DECEMBER, 1993/9