ley: 1963 THE WESTERN CANADIAN LUMBER WORKER 5 ‘Dare We Trust Management? By BOB ROSS Safety Director Can safety-minded union men afford to report to management, the accidents and near-accidents which they see each day on the job? The Ideal Program We would all like to work with management in examining daily safety reports from each department of the operation. Ideally, our efforts would be concentrated on finding a new job safety procedure designed to eliminate each near-accident before it becomes an ac- cident — each accident before it becomes an injury. Mis-use of Safety Reporting Unfortunately, some of the employers are guilty of a flagrant abuse of freely volunteered daily safety reports. THEY HAVE CHOSEN TO PUNISH THOSE WHOM THEY DEEM GUILTY OF CAUSING THE NEAR-ACCIDENTS OR ACCIDENTS. Recently one large integrated company required of each de- partment in its logging camp, a daily safety report. Innocently it was reported that one faller had come very close to “getting” his bucker with a tree. The good union man who reported the incident had a right to assume that this information would be used to formu- late a more reliable communication system between fallers and their buckers. Monumental Stupidity Management chose fo discipline both the faller and the bucker by a six week suspension. Presumably the suspended faller and bucker would be replaced by two others no better equipped to cope with the communication problem than their predecessors. : THE NEXT ACCIDENT IN THIS LOGGING CAMP MAY BE A FATALITY. As expected, Safety communication and cooperation in this op- eration have broken down completely. A tremendous effort will have to be put forth by management before confidence can be restored. THE “WORK SAFELY OR ELSE” APPROACH SIMPLY DOES NOT SUCCEED. F An Object Lesson for Us Too There are some of our people who feel that management can be FORCED to implement our ideas on safety. This is the “COOPERATE OR ELSE” approach. This approach on our part may be sincere but it has no more chance of working than does the “Pappa spank” gimmick by management. I say now to management, “PROVE NOW TO OUR CREWS THAT THEY CAN TRUST YOU WITH ACCIDENT INFORMATION.” I say now fe union people, “PROVE NOW THAT YOU CAN USE IDEAS INSTEAD OF THE BIG STICK.” SAFETY RALLY AT SOUTH BENTINCK ARM The crew and management at Williams Logging, South Bentinck Arm, are to be congratulated on the start of a Safety program. It is to be hoped that a new approach announced at the Safety Rally will avoid the very bad accident record of last year. ‘ Bob Ross, IWA Regional Safety Director, Vic Young, WCB inspector, and owner Viv Williams participated with the Safety Committee and the newly elected Camp Committee in pledging support for an all-out drive on accidents in South Bentinck Arm in the coming year. Lecal 1-71 President Bill Wilson was instrumental in securing the services of the Regional Safety Director in setting up the new program. , 1. PLANT CHAIRMAN Kruzyk and Safety Committee «members discuss program with Safety Di- rector Bob Ross. > 2. ROLLIE PERRY, representa- tive of Power Saw Sales, presents a hard hat and certificate to the newest member of the Turtle Club. 3. IN A NOVEL IDEA to pro- mote safety in the home, some of the ladies in camp were presented with brightly hued hard hats by Viv Williams. 4. BOB ROSS illustrating new approach to Safety Program.