THE WESTERN CANADIAN LUMBER WORKER ‘ (wa) STAGECOACH REGULATIONS e By ANDY SMITH Regional Safety Director Recently I have toured a number of the local unions in the coastal area, visiting many ¢ operations and speaking to , large numbers of the union | membership, as well as man- agement. It is gratifying to note the ‘interest shown by our people * in the field of industrial safe- ~ ty. In nearly every opera- tion I visited, both manufac- turing plant and logging * camp, I was favourably im- « pressed with the housekeep- ing and the good repair of machinery. While there may : have been in certain areas a «laxity in wearing personal /, protective equipment, I be- | lieve that after having brought this to the attention of both the management and + members, it will be overcome. CONDITIONS r The working conditions in x. the logging camps have been ‘+ very hazardous for quite some ', time, and with the conditions improving there could be a letdown in alertness to haz- * ards, Statistics prove that + there are as many highway accidents, or more, under good road conditions and good visibility, which proves to me -* at least that there is a trend + to become careless under the >. » most favourable conditions. - It’ is my opinion that the , Safety program is functioning y well in nearly all operations, and with the continuous effort both the accident and severity rate should drop by a con- + siderable degree in 1966. But x to achieve maximum safety in an operation there must be a safe working force in addition to safe working con- > ditions. A machine may be safeguarded as completely as human ingenuity can devise * but its safe operation must - still depend on the action of . the person who controls it. A * _ ladder may meet all the pre- scribed safety standards but this will not prevent a man « from having a fatal fall if he , uses it unsafely. Tools may be in first-class condition. If they are not correctly used, ‘S accidents happen. | ai 2 . EQUIPMENT Workers must be provided * with all of the required types of personal protective equip- _ ment — respirators, safety hard hats, eye protec- ton, and all other suitable Protection against the hazards their’ work. However, such uipment also must be worn prevent injury. There is no ‘itute for workmen who Safe procedures and prac- tices should be worked out and established by the joint labour - management safety committees. Recommenda- tions from either management or the union should be dis- cussed, agreed upon jointly, or rejected. The union invari- ably will agree to safety pro- cedures and rules that are necessary, reasonable, practi- cal and important. To be effective, safe practices also must be observed. The union will use its influence to in- duce the membership to obey mutually agreed upon safety rules. However, a safe work- ing force is not limited to workers who only know and observe specified safe proced- ures and safety rules. The principal characteristic of a safe worker is ability to figure cut the safe way to do a task under widely different conditions, situations, and cir- cumstances. The goal of safety education and training is informed workers who observe safe practices at all times and un- der all circumstances. One of the strongest influences in creating a favourable attitude to work safety among em- ployees is the example set by company officials. Guarded equipment, good housekeep- ing, good maintenace, and other essentials of a safe en- vironment give proof of man- agement’s interest and a foun- dation for ‘building a safe working force. The desire and willingness to work safely is enhanced further when com- pany officials observe estab- lished safety procedures around the plant or job, such as wearing proper clothing and observing the safety rules. ATTITUDE Particularly important in convincing and influencing employees to work safely is the attitude of supervision. The supervisor is a key man in any effective safety pro- gram. If the foreman also sets the example and is particular about correcting unsafe con- ditions and teaches safe prac- tices, he makes it evident that safety is important and the ac- cepted way to work, and this is highly essential in a safety program, We have come a long way in our battle to prevent in- dustrial accidents, and this year could be one of the most important milestones in our joint effort. In some opera- tions we have just about won the war against accidents, in others we have barely scratched the surface and un- necessary accidents continue to plague our industry. Rules and regulations as we know them today were not the first rules established. The following twelve rules were mm ae published in the newspapers at the time people were travel- ling west by stagecoach: 1 Allow at least five days each way for a distance of 100 miles, provided the road is good. 2 Take a gun. 3 Make out a last will and testament. 4 It is recommended that you shave your head — Indians have no interest in hairless scalps. 5 If the stage team runs away, or are pursued by Indians, stay in the coach and take your chances. Don’t jump out, or you will be either injured or scalped. 6 In cold weather, abstain from liquor for you are subject to freezing quicker if under the influence than if you are cold sober, but if you are drinking from a bottle, pass it around. It is the only polite thing to do. Be sure to procure all stimulants before leaving the station for ranch whis- key is not nectar. 7 Don’t smoke strong cigar or pipe on the stage, es- pecially when women and children are present. If chewing tobacco, spit to the leeward side. 8 Don’t swear, snore, or lop over on neighbours when sleeping. Let others share the buffalo robes provided in cold weather. 9 Don’t shoot firearms for pleasure while en route, as it scares the horses. 10 While at station, don’t lag at wash basins or in priv- ies. Don’t grease hair with bear grease or buffalo tal- low as travel is very dusty. 11 Don’t discuss politics or religion. Don’t point out sites where robberies or Indian attacks have taken place. 12 Don’t imagine you are go- ing on a picnic, for stage travel is inconvenient. That would seem to be the understatement of the year. LIGHTER SIDE A man in the insane asy- lum sat fishing over a flower bed. A visiting sociology stu- dent, wishing to be affable, asked, “How many have you caught?” And the fisherman return- ed, “You're the ninth.” © * * * The occupants of a parked ,car were completely engross- ed in each other when the beam of a policeman’s flash- light struck them. “What are you doing there?” he de- manded. “Nothing,” came the mas- culine reply. “Okay then, Mac,” said the cop. “You come out here and hold the flashlight.” RESOLUTION COMMITTEE Chairman Jack Biccum (left) and Secretary Larry Jensen listen to the debate from the floor as John Kelly stands by with the gavel to prevent the discussion getting out of hand during 1-417’s annual delegated conference. ~b 7 OTE we WHEN YOU NEED ALL THE TIME YOUR SAW CHAIN CAN SAVE FOR YOU-USE OREGON MICRO-BIT Use the, chain that stays on the job through any kind of cutting, in any kind of weather — the chain that’s made to cut longer between stops for filing and maintenance. 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