THE WESTERN CANADIAN LUMBER WORKER

IWA

By ERNIE FREER
President, Local 1-71
Hf membership of the
Loggers’ Local have a long
history of opposition to the
policy of the companies creat-
ing artificial accident fre-
quency rates through the es-
tablishment of so-called light-
duty jobs. The records of
Local meetings over the past
years show that numerous
resolutions condemning this
practice were submitted by
the rank and file membership
in the camps.

RELATIONSHIP |

These resolutions, taken to-
gether with verbatim reports
of the debate, show clearly
the reasons for our opposi-
tion. It has been pointed out
by both speakers from the
floor and by Local Officers
that there is a direct relation-
ship between the Company’s
policy of employing walking
wounded and the Workmen’s
Compensation Board’s dis-
qualification of certain claims
where there were recurrences
of disabilities.

To pursue this point a little
further, the Local presented
extensive evidence in mid-
September of 1963 to the
Royal Commission on the
Workmen’s Compensation
Act, being heard by Chief
Justice DesBrisay. In present-
ing our evidence to the Com-
mission, we were able to show
seven specific instances of
abuses of the walking wound-
ed policy which had occurred
within a 6-month period in a
single. logging operation. We
were also able to show that
in at least two of the cases
mentioned above, lost-time
compensation had later been
denied the injured workman,
even though a disability still
existed.

EVIDENCE

The incidents referred to
briefly above were but a
small part of our testimony,
which included evidence
which we felt established the
fact that in other cases light-
duty employment had either
resulted in later disqualifica-
tion for lost-time benefits, or
a more lengthy than neces-
sary period of rehabilitation
through physiotherapy be-
cause of a delay in proper
therapy treatments.

When one considers the
fact that the Board has in the
past opposed the establish-
ment of some claims, partial-
ly because of uninterrupte
work records, as well as the
fact that most of the major
companies in the industry
send representatives to Board
Hearings for the specifie pur-
pose of finding any loovhole
in the accident - disability
chain of circumstances in
order to oppose the establish-
ment of compensation, there

UNION'S VIEW

is no doubt that workmen em-
ployed in so-called light-duty
jobs are exposing themselves
to a definite danger of dis-
crimination.

ERNIE FREER

In the past the Workmen’s
Comnensation Board has
carefully steered clear of tak-
ing a firm position on the
company - sponsored walking
wounded policy, and in main-
taining this neutral position
they admit that there are
abuses of the policy, particu-
larly in logging where, in
most cases, actual light-duty
jobs are non-existent. Who-
ever heard of light-duty chok-
ermen, boommen, fallers, or
even light-duty cookhouse or
shov personnel for that mat-
ter?

NEW POLICY

Recently, however, the
Board has apparently
changed their policy of sit-
ting on the fence, as in Claim

' No. 65044318, Brother Peter

Lacktin, who fractured his
right wrist while employed:as
a Second Loader at Rayon-
ier’s Mahatta River overation,
was initially denied lost-time
compensation on the grounds
he had refused light-duty em-
ployment. It is reported that
the light-duty emvloyment of-
fered Brother Lacktin was
painting and other unspecified

PETER LACKTIN

light-duty work, obviously
solely created to keep Brother
Lacktin out of sight and off
compensation. We are pleased
to report that the Comvensa-
tion Board has reconsidered
their initial position and that

Brother lLacktin’s Jlost-time

claim is now established.

BASIC CONCERN

We hope that in future the
Board confines themselves to
what should be their basic
concern, providing compensa-
tion for-earnings lost due to
injury, providing medical
treatment and providing re-
habilitation through con-
trolled and supervised ther-
apy if necessary. Uncontrolled
so-called “light-duty”,
through manufactured jobs,
can by no stretch of the imag-
ination be considered proper
therapy. 2

INFLUENCE

The Board’s position, in
this case, is directly related
to the advice given the in-
jured workman by the doctor
first consulted. In this regard,
it is ‘interesting to note the
influence which the com-
panies have on doctors in re-
mote areas where hospitals
are subsidized or supported
by the companies. Examples
of this are the hospitals at
Queen Charlotte City, Alert
Bay and Port Alice.

It is perhaps understand-
able that doctors who have
little or no knowledge of the
work requirements in logging
and whose salary is directly
or indirectly paid by the log-
ging companies, are suscep-
tible to suggestions from com-
pany supervisory personnel
that an injured man be re-
turned to camp for light-duty
employment. Such _ sugges-
tions are particularly effec-
tive if the company represent-
ative points to a long record
of accident-free days whic
the injury would interrupt
and assures the doctor that
some suitable light-duty will
be provided the workman.

FULL PAY

This same argument of
breaking a good safety record
is, of course, used with the
workman himself who is told
that if he co-operates he will
receive full pay and keep the
camp accident free. No one
bothers to explain how the
camp can be accident free
when he has just had an ac-
cident, and certainly the
Camp Superintendent or
Foreman does not explain
that his record and chances
for future promotion, are not
based on production successes

alone, but that the Vancouver

“Ivory Tower” judges him on

the camp safety record as

well. It, therefore, is in the

best interests of camp super-

visory personnel to present as

rosy a picture as possible. The -
fact that it is a false record

does not matter as long as it

looks good on paper.

The companies, advancing
arguments in support of their
policy of employing walking
wounded, have stated that
this cultivated reluctance to
break a possible safety record
is a good thing and builds
interest in the safety pro-
gram. This, in our opinion, is
a false premise as the sight
of employees with arms or
legs encased in casts, hobbl-
ing about on crutches or ly-
ing in bed in their bunk-
houses in order to establish
such an artificial record, only
emphasizes in the minds of
the crew the company’s basic
insincerity in safety.

Only the large, integrated
Forest Products Companies
can afford to establish such
non-production counterfeit
categories and regardless of
how pious their stated pur-
poses for this policy are, the
real purpose behind the cam-
ouflage is plain to the logger.
This is especially true when
many of the crew have actual
knowledge of cases where fel-
low employees have been ad-
versely affected through
agreeing to such _ policies.

Sound safety programs can ~

never be established when
there is a feeling of distrust
or suspicion, even though
temporary safety records may
be set due, primarily to each
individual’s concern with his
own safety and the safety of
his fellow workers.

In fact, such temporary
safety records have been set
by companies who had no
program at all and where
there were not even Safety
Committees in the operations
because, basically, the logging
fraternity, even under the
pressure of increased work
loads imposed through new
techniques and short-handed
crews, will work as safely as
possible under any circum-
stances. A sound safety pro-
gram will promote and en-
courage this characteristic
and result in reduced, not
hidden accidents.

The Officers and staff of the
Loggers’ Local are ready at
all times to aid and assist
wherever possible in the for-
mation and promotion of
sound, constructive safety
programs, but we can never
agree that the walking
wounded policy should be
part of such a program.

We, therefore, say to the
companies; let us work to-
gether to reduce accidents in
this hazardous industry and
achieve the results we know
can be achieved by honest,
open methods. There is no
room for secrets or deception
in safety.

TRUCK LO

WX

AY

San

| EVEN OFFERED Hj
STEAD OF TH!

SAFETY COMMITTEE | |
Truck Loggers’ Association | |
ROUND many logging
camps the term walki
wounded has come to be re-'
garded as another division of;
the company concerned. It ig
a subject very seldom spoken
of at safety meetings, and it
would seem that the practice
of injured men taking on
“light duties’ should We
brought out into the open
here.
_ We keep talking about safe
production methods on this
page and the ever prese
need for re-evaluating ee i
safe working ways. At al
times we must make sure that’
we are doing all we can to
find ways to decrease the
number of accidents that oc
cur in our industry. Buf,
while we look for safer pro-
duction, -we must realize
logging is a hazardous busi+
ness, and that men get hurt/
when they work in a ae
ous business if they dro
their guard or are not propr
perly trained. } j
|
"

LAST FEW YEARS;

|
In the last few years, with
the great emphasis placed
the accident frequency recor
as a criterion of the effective
safety program in a camp,
has become an accustome¢
habit to keep an injured
workman on the company
payroll if he has some mo
bility about him. It is not he
common to see men with ba¢
cuts that are stitched up do-
ing light duties about the
camp. It is felt that if a.m
can perform even so a
job, the company is better 0