WESTERN. CANADIAN LUMBER WORKER

Royal Commission Hears

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- Frightened Immigrant Workers
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_ Forced fo Work Unsaftely
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Construction workers on some Metro Toronto projects, projects until adequate shoring
F or ed under ot that break every safety law, the] jad been installed.
oyal Commission on Industrial Safety was told. ;
f The grim picture was revealed|/the Wegenke’s Compensation At the See ans a number of
in a series of photographs sub-| Board. This has made it possible | S¥UPErvisOrs and firms were prose-
§ mitted by the International Hod] for the WCB, for example, to| cuted by the Board for failing to
Carriers, Building and Common] wage an intensified campaign to| comply with shoring regulations.
' Laborers Union.
The Union’s George Petta
‘ tabled 25 photographs of men
working on residential construc-
' tion. The housing and apartment
construction field has been the
‘ centre of a big organizing drive
by building trades unions among
f immigrant workers.
The pictures showed men
' perched on the edges of makeshift
scaffolds, others working next to
' open elevator shafts eight and
t nine storeys above ground and
Ve

one working 11 feet underground
without any protective shoring.

Petta said many of the immi-
grant workers were too frightened
to testify about these conditions
before the commission.

The union’s picture display al-
so showed men carrying steel
joists along freshly-laid brick
walls and teetering on balcony
railings to finish cement work
high above ground.

Petta’s testimony about the
fear of immigrant witnesses was
supported by three Italian tunnel
diggers who agreed to appear
only when they were assured
their names would not be revealed
to anyone other than commission
members. Their names were
placed in a sealed envelope.

They testified as to unsafe
tunnel conditions and were fol-
lowed by a fourth tunnel worker,
Antonio Nigro, who said he
worked a 60-hour week under 28
pounds of pressure in the big
Coxwell tunnel job, Provincial
law calls for lower working hours
under such pressure. Nigro is
crippled because of severe bends
(nitrogen bubbles in the blood)
received on Coxwell project.

Here in British Columbia, un-
like Ontario,

WORKMEN WERE REMOVED from this dangerous unshored, ten foot
deep ditch by order of a British Columbia Workmen’s Compensation
Board Inspector until adequate shoring had been installed.

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combat the peril faced by’ men
working in unshored excayations.

The WCB Inspection force
keep a close watch on construc-
tion projects and take immiediate
action if any infractions of the
regulations occur. Last year alone
one WCB Inspector instructed
supervisors to remove workmen

the responsibility

t for the safety of workers lies with| from ten different excavation| be used.
) ——~—

PUTTING FINISHING TOUCHES to new “Activities of Daily Living’ unit
et Workmen’s Compensation Board Rehabilitation Centre in Vancouver
are Bill Swan, WCB Workshop Instructor and Maragret R, Hood, Occu-

Ppetional Therapy Supervisor.

Reminder To Drivers

It is illegal to drive without; Act regulation when driving in
headlights turned on when visibil-| fog during daylight hours.
ity is less than 500 feet, Police} Use of parking or fog lights
Traffic Superintendent John Fisk | only is illegal. A car’s headlights
reminded motorists recently. must be on at all times when driv-
_ He said many drivers seem to ing under such visibility condi-
be of the Motor Vehicle| tions, Fisk added.

which they are required to do in

“4 than 50 common everyday gad-
5 | gets.

| |swinging table, door bell, taps,

The Board takes the position
that it takes only a minimum of
time and expense to install shor-
ing. Speed at the risk of men’s
lives will not be tolerated. Every
excavation should be carefully
planned beforehand and where
the ditch is to be more than four
feet deep, adequate shoring must

To Aid

Patients

New ways to train severely
handicapped patients at the
Workmen’s Compensation
Board Rehabilitation Centre in
Vancouver are constantly being
developed.

Latest of the devices is an
“Activities of Daily Living” unit
which allows handicapped patients
to relearn how to do the things

their daily living.
The unit is fitted with more

Some of these include —

locks, drawer pulls, mail slot,

soap dispenser, towel rack, shoe
brush set, lamps, fuse box and
light switches. ;

Standing six feet high and four
feet wide, the unit was the brain-
child of Margaret R. Hood, WCB
Occupational Therapy Supervisor.
The 14 Occupational Therapists
in her department submitted ideas
for the unit and Miss Hood drew
up the plan.

The fabrication of the unit was
done by Bill Swan, WCB Work-
shop Instructor,

Most of the patients who will
use the unit will be those with
nerve involvements of the upper
limbs and amputees. They will
practise how to turn a _ light
switch on and off, replace fuses,
open locks and ring a door bell
to mention a few.

\ | / PP ine 2 Ra | \
THIS is the type of shoring the WCB considers necessary for the protection
of workmen when the ditch is to be more than four feet deep. When soil

is loose or: free running, close sheeting should be used. Safety hats must
be worn in trenches where the hazards of falling objects are present.

ANY INJURY CAN
BECOME INFECTED

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GET FIRST AID TREATMENT
IMMEDIATELY

BRITISH COLUMBIA
WORKMEN'S COMPENSATION BOARD