Wield Sexe 1,173,302 hours.

_ At eleven o’clock on April 13, 1961, the five hundred and
‘seventy-five employees of the Rayonier Company’s Alaska

_ Pine Plant in New Westminster, successfully concluded the
ts! ing achievement of working one whole year without

- a compensable accident.

The man-hour exposure for this
Their
_ best previous record was 201 acci-

dent-free days set in 1951.

“No company in British Columbia
deserves the congratulations of those
associated with the forest industry
more than does the Alaska Pine Com-

: y for this safety feat,” stated

TWA Regional Safety Director John
T. Atkinson, when informed of the
Company's accomplishment.
_~ “Few companies,” he stated fur-
ther, “have been so sincere in their
efforts and no company has worked
harder to institute a sound safety pro-
gramme for the welfare of their em-
ployees.”

This Company a few years ago
pioneered the idea that good house-
keeping was possible in a sawmill.
They realized it was going to be an
expensive and difficult task to accom-
plish. They also knew if they were
successful, their mill would be a safer
place to work. -

Ignoring the vast army of skeptics
who said such a scheme was impos-
sible, they proceeded to put their plan
into operation. They hired men to
do nothing else but keep the building
floors and grounds around the Plant
free from dirt and debris. They

bought mechanical sweepers, similar
to those used on the city streets, to
clean the Plant roads.

Time and money were spent paint-
ing walking lanes and cross walks to
protect their employees. Endless
safety meetings, safety talks, and
safety inspections, were held, so that
even the newest employee was aware
that safety, was the most important
job at Alaska Pine.

All this was a heavy cost item to
the Company but it paid off for them
in two respects. The first and most
important result was an immediate
reduction in the accidents caused by
slipping and falling. Secondly, the
cleaner appearance of the Plant has
made it a recognized show place
among the mills of North America.

The Company has also gone to
great expense in eliminating hazards
that are considered occupational in
most mills,

A fine example of this is the man-
ner in which they by-passed a par-
ticularly dangerous job in a fuel bin.
The fuel bin in question feeds saw-
dust to the furnace for the boilers of
the Power House.

In the past it was necessary for
the workmen to enter the bin to free

IWA REGIONAL SAFETY DIRECTOR, John T. Atkinson admires the simplicity
with which the operator by means of this control panel and T.V. screen, controls
the flow of sawdust from the fuel bin to the furnace.

THIS
e unable to

VIEW shows section of the mechanical raker installed in the fuel
Alaska Pine. Beit that inion to the absence of light in the bin we
photograph the roker in i

SS

operation.

move the camera to view any part of
the bin by merely turning the remote
control dials on the instrument panel.
lf the furnace needs more sawdust or
s ago failed to do so andj} the sawdust clogs the outlet chute, a
simple movement by the operator of
the toggles on the instrument panel
is sufficient to activate the mechanical
raker. ;

The raker is long enough to reach
all parts of the bin and by co-ordinat-
ing the TV camera and raker, the
operator is able to maintain a steady
flow of sawdust to the furnace.

So successful has this safety meas-
ure been that other mills in British
Columbia are installing similar equip-

ment. ?
The Alaska Pine officials are natur-

1

——

AS OF 9:30 AM. FEB. 20.1961 ..
YOU HAVE WORKED

BONE MILLION MAN HOURS

SWGE THE LAST GOMPENSIBLE

@. NEXT GOAL | YEAR-APRIL 14,196

At AS
TSY

PE is se See SS

!WA MEMBERS of the Alaska Pine Safety Committee pose with IWA
of one of the Plant safety signs displaying the two goals they achieved and passed. Group from left, Matt Buckingham, Safety
Committee Chairman; Pete Manson; Jim LaPlaca; Lewis McLeod, Plant Committee Chairman; John T. Atkinson.

Regional Saftey Director, John T. Atkinson, in front

point out these measures were not
responsible for the Company’s safety
record.

They state that without the inter-
est and keeness of their Plant’s safety
captains, shop stewards, members of
the Safety Committee, and super-
visors, there would have been no
record for their Plant to celebrate.
They realize too, that only part of
the battle is won. In a letter of con-
gratulations to the crew they state in
part:

“It was your strong determination,
attention at all times, and excellent
co-operation between yourselves that
have led us this far, but... MANY
A TIME IT IS EASIER TO GET
TO THE TOP THAN TO STAY
ON TOP.”

Accidents
Fewer In
Province

B.C.’s industrial accident toll in
1960 was the lowest in the past
decade. The Workmen’s Compen-
sation Board’s annual _ report
states that 73,437 workers re-
ported injuries during the year,
of which 22,716 resulted in time
lost from work of more than
three days.

In 1950 the total number of acci-
dents reported was 71,504. The high-
est number for any one year was 1956
when 95,562 injuries were reported.

In- 1960, the WCB awarded $19,-
660,924 in compensation as follows:
time-loss payments, $7,915,890:—pen-
sions, $7,474,382: — medical aid, $4,-
270,651

The forest products industry ac-
counted for 26.4 per cent of the in-
juries; construction was next with 21
per cent and trade and service had
19 per cent. Coal mining was the
lowest with .5 per cent.

Industrial fatalities reported
were 212, down from the 262
deaths in 1959, Injuries accounted
for 1,015,729 lost man working
days during the year. Silicosis
pensions were paid to 21 men,
bringing the total pensions in this
group to 352,

The pension rolls of the Board
climbed to the highest point in
history. Pensions are now being
paid to 10,929 disabled persons,
1,907 dependent widows and 1,910
children.

The WCB’s accident prevention ef-
forts were intensified. Safety inspec-
tions increased 21.7 per cent to 14,880.
Orders were issued to remedy 11,128
faulty conditions found in these in-

ctions, 7
Average daily attendance at the

WCB Rehabilitation Centre in. Van-
couver was 488 persons. 3,699 patients
received physical therapy and occupa-
tional therapy at the Centre in 1960,

Total number of firms covered by
the Workmen’s Compensation Act
was 31,035. Employers pay. the total
cost of compensation through assess-
ments levied by the WCB.

THE BEST CURE FOR ACCI-
DENTS — PREVENT THEM

_jally pleased with the results of their
[safety innovations but they quickly

from Los Angeles seem to win
honours.

“In Los Angeles traffic you have
to be a top driver to live,” he re-
plied.

Sam Hanks, 1957 winner of the
Indianapolis 500-mile racing clas-
sic and now director of the In-
dianapolis Speedway, was asked
recently why so many race drivers

FROM HAPPENING.

PROTECT YOURSELF

USE your personal protective equipment

British Columbia :
WORKMEN'S COMPENSATION BOARD |