| i a 3 i ip epene a eport All Injuries And Complete Forms Every injury that occurs on-the-job should be reported im- mediately to the employer. If the injury requires attention from a physician or qualified practitioner, it is important that the work- man, employer and doctor submit their respective reports to the WCB. This is not the case, of course, when a workman is treated by a first aid attendant for a minor condition, not requiring the attention of a doctor. When the injury is not reported to the employer or the WCB and the workman’s condition for which he had previously consulted his doctor deter- iorates, the Act has not been com- plied with and there may be no proof that such an incident occurred at work in the first place. A few doctors are reluctant to fill in their reports to the WCB in cases which they consider to be trivial and where their patients are covered by a prepaid medical plan. “LET'S PUT THIS on M.S.A. and save filling out those compensation forms,” is wrong attitude for workman or doc- tor to take when workman has sus- tained a minor work injury. It’s vital that employer and WCB are informed of incident to protect workman’s right to compensation if condition becomes serious. If the workman tells the doctor that the incident occurred at work but not to bother reporting it to the WCR, the doctor should report the incident on the Form 8 to the WCB as required under Section 52(a) of the Act. If the doctor feels it is not a com- pensation case, but the workman in- sists that it be reported as such, the doctor is required to submit a Form 8 to the WCB. The doctor is obli- gated to submit his personal opinion and conelusions on the Form 8. Advise Board It has been said that some employ- ers hesitate to report a work injury to the WCB because it may spoil a fine safety record or their assessment rate might be increased. It has been suggested that they may use pressure on the workman if the injury is not severe and strongly urge him to have his medical bills paid for by the pre- paid plan, meanwhile keeping him on the payroll and giving him some light work to do until he has recovered. There is no objection in any way to the workman doing light employment as long as the WCB has been advised ef the injury and the man’s doctor feels that such employment would be of therapeutic value. Collusion on the part of the work- man and employer to keep a work injury from being reported to the WCB cannot be condoned and neither the workman nor employer should consider it. f At a recent Workmen’s Compensa- tion Seminar for union officials spon- sored by the B.C. Federation of Lab- our in cooperation with the WCB, the subject of Workmen’s Compensation and prepaid medical plans was dis- cussed. WCB Assistant Chief Medical Of- ficer, Dr. J. Ross Davidson addressed the delegates on this topic and stress- ed the importance of workmen, doc- tors, and employers reporting work injuries to the WCB. Smart Thing Dr. Davidson said, “Let us not assume, however, that the smart thing to do is to report all disabilities as compensation claims first, then, if disallowed, to the prepaid schemes. This approach is neither logical nor honest. The two agencies, that is the Compensation Board and the prepaid schemes, are set up with different purposes to ensure coverage to their members under differing circumstan- ces. The Board is concerned only with coverage for disability which results solely from employment. The prepaid schemes are, on the other hand, for coverage for those conditions which arise outside of the employment or for the treatment of constitutional disease. The Compensation Act is not designed as health insurance nor are the prepaid schemes expected to cover industrial accidents. Each has its own place and it is the duty of the officers of each scheme to determine their own responsibility according to their terms of reference. Agency Makes Adjudication “This point must be made clear — it is not the duty, nor is it the right of the attending physician or regis- tered practitioner to determine wheth- er or not a condition should be cov- ered by compensation or by a prepaid scheme. By experience he may have an idea that certain conditions usually fall into the responsibility of one or the other, but the final adjudication must remain with the agency involved. Serious Condition “One realizes that the easy way is for the employee and even the doctor to say ‘let’s put this on M.S.A. and save filling out those Compensation forms’ but what at first appears to be an inconsequential condition may later develop into a serious condition in- YOUR BACK IS Bua tia @ Stand close to the load @ Take a secure grip. @ Keep the back upright. ® Take a steady lift — don’t jerk. e Have a firm footing. @ Bend the knees. @ Lift with the legs. @ Shift the feet to turn — don't twist the body. WESTERN CANADIAN LUMBER WORKER tu Sais. = ' id ies Moin hie! ot Ny a THE WCB’s X-RAY DEPARTMENT was kept busy last year. 8527 workmen were X-rayed during 1960, The X-ray De- partment is located in the WCB Rehabilitation Centre in Vancouver where the latest equipment and methods qre used under the supervision of Doctor Angus Campbell, Radiologist. Expert WCB Senior Radiographer Walter Miller is shown above X-raying injured workman. volving time loss or even permanent disability. If the employee wishes to gamble on this, then I suppose it is his own affair but he must realize that in so doing, he is jeopardizing his right to compensation if he applies for this at a later date. “T can assure you that both the prepaid schemes and the Compensa- tion Board are aware of the irregulari- ties. The control of these irregulari- ties is another matter. The Board and the B.C. Medical Association are co- operating to bring to the attention of the medical profession the necessity for carefully reporting to the right agency. You have a responsibility as advisers to the employees, to see that your fellow workmen, in their own interests, do the same. Injured Workmen “Speaking for this Board, I can assure you that we are most anxious to assume our responsibilities in res- pect to injured workmen, but at the same time we are adamant that we do not take on those responsibilities that rightfully belong to the prepaid scheme.” Smokers Cause Most Fires Careless smokers were blamed as the main cause of fire deaths in British Columbia, it was stated in a report filed in the Legisla- ture. In this report, B.C. Fire Marshal Basil Nixon stated that in the year ended March 31, 1960, there had been 86 deaths from fire in B.C., 15 due to smoking. He further stated there were 8,268 fires in 1959, an increase of 205 from the previous year. Time Out There was a young girl from St. Paul, ag ines a newspaper dress to a au, But the dress caught on fire And burned her entire as page—sporting section—and all. * * * New bride: “Why are you frowning at that letter? Are you worried? Re- member, darling, your problems are our problems- now.” Husband: “Well then—some dame in Calgary is suing us for breach of promise.” * * * The young man looked at the high prices on the night club menu and then turned to his date and said: “What will you have, my plump little doll?” * » * She made a right-hand turn from the left lane and collided with another car. “Lady—why didn’t you signal?” he roared, “Don’t be silly,” she retorted, “I always turn here.” Took a critical look at the hazards of your job. Read the Safety Committee Minutes to keep up to date. Did something to remove a hazard. Developed a good safety idea. Take a fresh look around your job. Considered why accidents are caused. Give a second thought to how you could get hurt. Check and double check the hazards that concern you. BRITISH COLUMBIA WORKMEN'S COMPENSATION BOARD