THE WESTERN CANADIAN LUMBER WORKER SAFETY PAGE - CONFERENCE REVIEWS PROGRAM ~ president, — By ANDY SMITH Regional Safety Director A well attended saftey con- "ference was held at the Aqua- ~~ tic in Kelowna on Saturday, June 17. Delegates and visi- tors were welcomed by the William Schu- maker, of the host local 1-423. Regional 3rd vice-president Brother Maurice Corbeil was in attendance as a representa- tive of the Regional Council and brought greetings from his associate officers. In his address to the delegates he gave a short resume of the ~ history of the Regional Safety ~- Council, pointing out that the IWA was the first union in North America to have a full- time safety director, and the importance of safety commit- ~ tees on the job. - He stressed the employer responsibility in regards to ~ the premises where employees ~ - _— i work, and that they must pro- vide proper tools and equip- ment for the employees to use © as well as to see that they are properly trained in the safe method of doing their work. Improper training or - - lack of training is the cause - _ - - = ~ ~ of a large majority of acci- dents. He also stressed that the rapid technological changes of new production methods and speed-up as well as com- petition between departments and shifts to maintain or ex- ceed mandatory quotas set by the companies constitutes a very real cause for many in- juries as well as a large turn- over of employees, making it more and more important that proper and continuous training be given to the work- ers. He pointed out that many companies are receiving safe- ty awards through phony safety records and the prac- tice of walking wounded, and that many legitimate Work- men’s Compensation cases are being foisted upon the Indus- try Health & Welfare Plan, thus causing an increase in the cost of health and welfare, rather than being paid by the Compensation Board where they rightfully belong. Local union safety reports gave an indication that the safety records throughout the industry are much the same as in previous years, with many companies being reluc- tant and tardy in making the necessary changes to improve the working conditions safe- ty-wise. ; Brother T., W. Trineer, president of Local 1-357 West- minster, recommended that all safety committees docu- ment case histories of all walking wounded in each lo- cal so that a brief may be prepared to submit to the Compensation Board. As the Regional Safety Di- rector I gave a report on my activities since the last con- ference in- Nanaimo, and pointed out that while the manufacturing establishments are generally in good shape and are reducing their fre- quency rate, fatalities in the logging section of the indus- try are running neck and neck with last year and pos- sibly in excess of this same time last year. I again requested that all local unions notify me of fa- talities in their locals, whether they be union or un- organized operations. I also felt that with the increased cost of compensation many of the companies who up to this time have only given lip serv- ice to safety programs are go- ing to be forced to take a more realistic approach to safety, if for no other reason than the cost factor. A simplified accident or in- stant investigation form en- titled “Cause and Remedy, Not Blame” was adopted by the conference and referred to the Regional Executive Board as well as a- prelimi- nary draft of a booklet en- titled, “You as an Accident Prevention Committeeman”. This item was referred back ‘to the executive officers of the Safety Council for further study and revision. Local un- ions will receive copies and are requested to submit to the Regional Safety Director any changes or amendments to be studied prior to submis- sion to the next Regional Safety Council meeting in- September. The resolution entitled “Walking Wounded” was un- animously adopted in princi- ple and referred to the Re- gional Executive Board for action. SS OOOSOS=S=0FS SS ewTwTvT Tee) PREVENT SERIOUS BACK INJURIES ~ BY FOLLOWING THESE BASIC RULES Back injuries are the most serious and distressing in- juries that our people re- ceive. Your back is one of the most important and vital parts of your anatomy, and one of the weakest if not used properly. Man, ues most animals, is naturally adapted to an erect posture. It is suitable for lifting loads when the part of the body is bent a his backbone is supported by two legs end, beam, similar to a saw-horse. Our backs of individual bones called by being flexible it can also be damaged and the main danger in spine injury is the possibility of injuring the spinal cord. The spinal cord runs downward from the brain and the spinal canal of the vertebral column to the lower back. Nerves branch out in pairs between succes- sive vertebraes to each body segment. Our brain decides what nerves to put into opera- tion and our movements are reactions to the commands. As long as the cords or nerves are intact the message gets through and proper per- formance is maintained. Un- fortunately, the spinal column can be injured by disloca- tion, fracture, or compression, which results in pain or paralysis from short duration to permanent disability. To keep this column of bones upright we have guy wires in the form of ligaments and muscles attached to each individual bone, holding it in place, quite similar to our TV masts, lf the column sags forward, due to sagging abdominal muscles, strain is placed on the lower back. Likewise, if the column moves off its cen- ter axis, pressure is exerted on the disc. Therefore, cor- rect posture at all times is important, If the amount of pressure becomes too great, then the disc slips out of place or worse still, disintegrates, squeezing against the nerve branches. This causes severe pain and sometimes blocks a nerve completely so that mes- sages can’t get through. This is paralysis, i il i | i 4 ; , : » MTB bias Sse IWA DELEGATES in session at the Regional Safety Con- ference June 17 in Kelowna. Approximately 50 attended the one-day meeting held to review the Union’s safety programme. How then can we avoid an aching back ? Learn and follow the rules of proper work. 1. When picking something up, squat, bending the knees. Stay in close to the object, keeping the back straight. Lift slowly. 2. Use caution if lifting high- er than the chest. 3. Make sure of your footing, as slips and jerks can pro- duce sharp pains and dis- locate discs. Twisting while lifting is dangerous. Turn, using your feet, even with light - weight items. 4. Backs can be injured in falls, landing on the tail- bone or spine. Keep alert. 5. If catching weight is part of your job, keep the back straight, bend the knees, and keep feet firmiy placed. 6. Take care not to bump in- to another employee’s back when handling ma- terials. 7. Use caution when pushing or pulling a heavy object. Avoid jerks and strains, 8. Do not attempt to lift too heavy an object. Get help. 9. If two or more are lifting together, work as a team. Lift and lower together, one person only giving the commands, 10.Develop good working posture. When sitting keep one knee higher than the other. To save your back and avoid pain, remember, you get back sprain if the weight is too heavy or too awkward to handle; if you try to lift from an incor- rect position; if you twist your body instead of turn- ing with your feet.