WCB commission
Continued from previous page

backed up by the “muscle” of the
national and local union, an organi-
zation that continues to push for
better enforcement, better preven-
tion, better education and a better
deal for injured workers and their
families. No wonder unionized for-
est workers have been shown to
have a ten times greater chance of
going home from work alive than do
their non-union counterparts. No
wonder, as well, that largely non-
union components of the industry
such as silviculture continue to
have the highest accident rates in
the province.

e believe that workers in those
sectors should have a better oppor-
tunity to protect themselves from
injury than they do now. Tree
planters, for instance, have the
province’s highest rate of accident
claims per hour worked. A recently-
reported Simon Fraser University
study notes that silvicultural work-
ers use on average 60 percent of
their cardiovascular capacity, which
is twice the level recommended by
occupational health experts. This
situation is Peace a result of the
competitive bidding system that
forces employers to emphasize pro-
duction at the expense of working
conditions, wages and safety stan-
dards.

Silvicultural workers are cur-
rently largely non-union and not
surprisingly, silvicultural employ-
ers have mounted a spirited cam-
paign to keep it that way. We hope
the recently-announced Jobs and
Timber Accord will help change this
situation and permit I.W.A. CANA-
DA to improve silvicultural health
and safety records, just as we have
done in the sawmilling and logging
sectors.

It would be hard enough to deal
with the many occupational haz-
ards our industry provides if it were

simply standing still. But in fact,
the eset sector is undergoing con-
stant transformation. This takes
the form of new regulations, partic-
ularly environmental regulations
that affect the logging sector. It also
takes the form of new technologies
that continue to affect both logging
and manufacturing. As well, whole
new industries and processes are
evolving within the value-added
wood processing sectors.

SAWMILLS - Just for a moment, con-
sider the level of technology
employed in our sector. The wood
products industry is increasingly
capital intensive. Our sawmills, for
instance, are regarded as world-
class in terms of efficiency, recovery,
speed and productivity. That’s one
of the reasons that our sawmill sec-
tor managed to survive through the
recessions of the eighties and
nineties in the face of reatively low-
wage competition from the U.S.
South and elsewhere. But just say-
ing those words - efficiency, recov-
ery, speed and productivity - togeth-
er in relation to workplaces should
ive you some idea of the potential
r danger. 3
Beside the dangers associated
with powerful, fast-moving and
massive equipment, many sawmill
jobs are dangerously repetitive,
ringing the risk of serious strains
arate from prolonged repetitive
motion. Sawmills are also typically
extremely noisy, often hot and fre-
quently dusty. Workers are at risk
of exposure to dust from wood and
other substances, which can affect
their respiratory systems, eyes and
skin. Sawmill workers also must
work with various wood preserva-
tives and other chemicals used to
treat wood. Ergonomic design of
uipment is an important concern
of sawmill workers. Constantly
evolving sawmill technology
uires constant attention to new
safety measures and training in

response to new processes, equip-
ment and materials.

The dryland sorts attached to
many sawmills are also often dusty;
workers run the risk of accidents
involving heavy equipment and
falling logs. Booming grounds also

resent extreme hazards: workers

ace possible drowning, as well as
the divest of being crushed by large
floating timber or equipment.

LOGGING - Logging, too, is evolving.
In the nineties we have had the
introduction of the B.C. Forest
Practices Code, which has revolu-
tionized the way we work in the
woods. As well, we are moving rapid-
ly into the area of helicopter log-
ging, introducing various mecha-
nized harvesting systems and going
“back to the future” with the rein-
troduction of cable yarding systems
as a means to more carefully har-
vest on sensitive or steep sites.
Mechanized systems mean that
many manual processes are replaced
with repetitive interaction with a
control unit or even a computer
screen. As a result, while there is
sometimes a reduction in the dan-
gers associated with manual
processes, there are new threats of

ae

aaa AGS

associated with different materials
and equipment and provided with
appropriate safety equipment.

The following is a list of rec-
ommendations made by the
I.W.A. in its submission to the
Royal Commission:

RECOMMENDATION #1

That the Workers’ Compensation
Act contain a “purposes clause” that
clearly defines the mandate, author-
ity and responsibility of the Workers’
Compensation Board to ensure the
prevention of occupational injury
and disease and to promote occupa-
tional health and safety in the
province of British Columbia.

RECOMMENDATION #2
(a) That the responsibility and
authority for developing and imple-
menting occupational health and
safety regulations and standards
remain with the Workers’ Compens-
ation Board.
(b) That a standing committee on
regulation review be established
under the Workers’ Compensation
Act as follows:

(i) The committee to be composed
of equal worker and employer rep-

ff

¢ Serious accidents in the B.C.

strain injuries, as well as the loss of
attention that comes with repetitive
men

ile many logging operations
on the Coast OBC. are unionized,
this is not the case for much of the
Interior. There, the typical logging
contractor is a small unit, which
faces considerable economic pres-
sure —pressure which all too often
creates a constant temptation to
“cut corners” on safety standards,
environmental protection and other
regulations. For such operations, it
is crucial to worker safety that reg-
ular, direct inspections take place.
This can be seen, for instance, in
the case of Andy Turner, an employ-
ee of a non-union operation in the
Southern Interior. Turner’s death in
a February, 1994, skidder accident
was the result of the machine’s
faulty brakes — brakes that were
reported faulty in the minutes of a
November, 1993, meeting, but which
remained unattended. Turner’s
death at least resulted in prosecu-
tions and convictions, albeit for a
shockingly small amount. The point,
however, is that with regular inspec-
tions, that fatality and many others
could have been prevented.

VALUE-ADDED - As the value-added
wood sector grows, we are creating
new products out of wood, as well
as combining wood with other sub-
stances to produce new products.
These aggregated products create
new opportunities, of course. But
they also create possible new dan-
gers such as potential exposure to
chemicals, new kinds of repetitive
strain injury and new kinds of work-
place stress. Workers must be prop-
erly trained for new technology,
warned of potential health risks

forest industry remain at high rates.
There were 32 deaths in 1996 under W.C.B. jurisdiction.

resentatives with assistance from
WCB staff,

(ii) The committee to have the
mandate to recommend changes to
the regulations at least every two
years, and

(iii) Any changes to be brought
through a public hearing process.

RECOMMENDATION #3

a) That the authority and responsi-
bility for health and safety of all
workers in B.C. be given to the
Workers’ Compensation Board.

b) Where this is not possible, a pro-
vision should be included in the
Workers’ Compensation Act where-
by the Board would be required to
enter into discussion with other
authorities regarding overlapping
jurisdiction to ensure uniform and.
equitable enforcement of occupa-
tional health and safety regula-
tions.

RECOMMENDATION #4

a) That the Workers’ Compensation
Act be amended so that the Board
is clearly empowered to levy penal-
ty assessments against employers
as an enforcement tool.

b) That the Workers’ Compensation
Act clearly identify the grounds for
the immediate imposition of such a
penalty, particularly in high hazard
situations and where: ;

(i) the employer does not have a
safety committee as required,

(ii) the employer persistently
refuses to cooperate with a work-
place safety committee,

(iii) the employer has not imple-
mented a health and safety pro-
gram as required.

c) That the Workers’ Compensation
Act require that any penalty levied

exceed any cost savings enjoyed by
the employer during the period of
non-compliance or violation of the
regulations and/or Board orders.

RECOMMENDATION #5

Survivor benefits should be made
more clear and simple and benefit
rates should be increased and kept
at current and prevailing rates. The
commission should adopt the rec-
ommendation of the B.C. Federation
of Labour.

RECOMMENDATION #6

The prevention of accidents, par-
ticularly serious accidents and fatal-
ities, and the protection of workers’
health and the public health, should
be legislated as the primary goal of
the W.C.B. and the occupational
health and safety system.

RECOMMENDATION #7

All workplaces of over 10 persons
should have an occupational health
and safety committee empowered in
legislation guaranteeing:
° the right to know about hazards
and risks;
° the right to participate in deci-
sion-making about their health and
safety;
° the right to ensure employers are
complying with health and safety
regulations; and
° the right to refuse to undertake
unsafe work, stop work until unsafe
conditions are removed or unsafe
practices are ceased and be free
from reprisals as a result of these
actions.

RECOMMENDATION #8

The W.C.B. should increase its
budget for enforcement, especially
in the area of frequent inspections
backed up with strong measures,
penalties and sanctions to ensure
compliance.

RECOMMENDATION #9

As part of an emphasis on pre-
vention and health-promotion there
should be a review of health and
safety standards and conditions in
B.C. sawmills, sorting yards and
booming grounds, with emphasis on
noise, dust, air quality, ergonomic
design and repetitive strain injuries.

RECOMMENDATION #10

There should be a mandatory
W.C.B. training program for all new
logging, sawmill and value-added
employees.

RECOMMENDATION #11

There must be regular inspection
of all logging operations and the
board must have increased powers
to investigate and where necessary,
prosecute employers whose negli-
gence or lack of due diligence caus-
es serious or fatal accidents.

RECOMMENDATION #12

Workers in value-added wood
products plants must have the right
to know about the products and
processes they are working with
and these plants must have func-
tioning plant committees who have
the rights outlined in Recom-
mendation #7.

RECOMMENDATION #13

There should be a full review of
helicopter logging safety standards
with an eye to establishing a train-
ing program for all helicopter pilots
and airborne staff, helicopter pilots
and ground crew.

RECOMMENDATION #14

All legislation affecting work-
places including environmental
statutes and regulations should be
written to include reference to the
Workers’ Compensation Act and
Regulations, which should prevail
in the event of discrepancy between
the two.

EEE TIPPETT

LUMBERWORKER/SEPTEMBER 1997/13