killed February WESTERN CANADIAN LUMBER WORKER 5 1-80 SAFETY DIRECTOR QUERIES LOGGER’S DEATH The tragic death of 2nd loader Kenneth Zawerucha who was 12, at the logging operation of Grosskleg & True- 4 man, would not have occurred, stated Local 1-80, IWA Safet Director, Ross Davis, if the Workmen’s Compensation Board Beate * Jations governing Yarding and Loading had been enforced by the supervisory personnel. be While this conclusion of Davis is based on his own observations and was not substantiated by others at the Coroner’s Inquest, he has, in the opinion FS of logging safety experts, enough supporting evidence to back up his charge. ; The verdict of the Coroner's Jury was that Zawerucha met his death acci- "y dentally and that no blame should be attached to anyone. No recommenda- tions were suggested. > Accident Report The following is the report of the accident submitted by Davis to his Local Union in which he presents his case, > “Advised that a fatality had oc- curred at the Grosskleg & Trueman logging operation I immediately pro- ceeded to the accident site in com- pany with the WCB Inspector. There 7 we were notified that the 2nd Load- er, Kenneth Zawerucha, age 24 years, had been crushed so severely between the Mobile Loader and the Spar tree, that he died soon after- - wards. No Warning From the crew we learned that the victim had attempted to pass be- tween the loading machine and the + an tree without first warning the Load- ing Engineer. The Engineer, un- aware that the victim had moved from his position of safety, swung his machine and crushed him be- tween the counter-weight on the machine and the spar tree. . The Chaser was the first to notice ; the accident and frantically signalled the Engineer to stop his machine. The crew then examined the injured 7 2 ; man. Not having a First Aid man of their own, they appealed by radio “as to Franklin River twenty-two miles away, for a First Aid man to assist them. hd The Franklin River First Aid man was at that moment on his way to help one of his own crew members suffering from a broken leg but on learning the seriousness of Zaw- .- erucha’s accident, went to his assis- tance instead. Unfortunately, Zaw- ; erucha’s injuries proved so severe that he died before help arrived. Second Accident I learned during the questioning that this was the second accident of this nature suffered by the crew. The Head-Loader, ten days pre- viously, had his leg badly crushed f between the machine and the tree. I next examined the mobile loader and the spar tree. From the clear- ance between the two it was obvious that the machine must have been ve moved following the accident. J then gave my attention to the landing. Fa This proved to be remarkably free s of debris. Eo Further questioning of the crew ‘ disclosed that while the victim's ‘ woods experience appeared adequate, rk the Loading Engineer was new to bas the job. Furthermore, I learned that ‘he _ had been taken off the same machine by the Superintendent last fall because he was, in the Com- pany’s opinion, not capable of op- erating it properly. Position It is my opinion, based on the visual evidence at the accident scene and the testimony of witnesses dur- ing the Coroner's Inquest, that the improper positioning of the Mobile Loader was the cause of Zaweru- _cha’s death. i Section 847 of the WCB Accident ntion Regulations for the log- industry states, that the back | of all mobile loading machines ‘be at least two feet clear of raised landing suggests the area on the far side of the spar tree was choked with debris. If so, the crew would then be forced to pass between the machine and the tree. Conclusions This was the second accident in ten days where a member of the crew had been crushed between the machine and the tree. Why hadn’t the supervisory personnel given or- ders to position the machine prop- erly after the first accident? The Loading Engineer cannot be held responsible because of his limited knowledge of the job. The victim, Zawerucha, commit- ted an unsafe act by going behind the loader without first warning the Engineer but Section 847 of the Regulations was, in my opinion, specifically written to prevent such an accident occurring. I contend, that until the time such words as “wherever practicable” are removed from the WCB Regulations, accidents of this nature will remain. They provide too great a shield for the companies to hide behind when they wish to violate the Safety Regu- lations.” - > a » Sig : “ke Kenneth Zawerucha was killed. YOUR BACK | IS NOT A DERRICK LEGS ARE DESIGNED — FOR LIFTING ROSS DAVIS, Safety Director of Local 1-80, IWA, is shown examining the spot where 1. Stand close to the load Take a secure grip Keep the back upright Take a steady lift — don’t jerk Have a firm footing Bend the knees Lift with the legs Pees OUR WN Shift the feet to turn — don’t twist the body WORKMEN'S COMPENSATION BOARD sco hahieg