WESTERN CANADIAN LUMBER WORKER

oe severity with a 41%

DELEGATES attending the IWA Regional Safety Council February 18, at Woodworkers’ House, in Vancouver.

Delegates attending the IWA Regional Safety Council meeting

February 18, at Woodworkers’

House, . Vancouver, heard the

Regional Safety Director, John T. Atkinson state that the Union
was receiving National and International recognition through its
work in the field of accident prevention.

The following is the complete text
of the Safety Director’s Report:

“This report to the 12th annual
meeting of the Regional Safety Coun-
cil is herewith presented to supple-
ment and summarize the record of
safety activities as contained in the
report to the annual Convention of
Western Canadian Regional Council
#1, IWA in September, 1960.

Marked Improvement

Local Safety Councils, safety com-
mittee men and members of this
union can take some satisfaction in
the record of achievement in the for-
est industry of British Columbia dur-
ing the past year. Marked improve-
ment of safety standards, reduction
of accident frequences, reduction of
fatalities, and National and Inter-
national recognition of this organiza-
tion’s efforts in this field demon-
strates the value and need of con-
tinued and increased participation in
accident prevention.

Comparison of accident records of
union and first aid safety standards
in other areas, other industries, and
other countries, with that of our.own,
justifies our methods of dealing with
the problem. This has encouraged
other divisions of the trade union

movement to seek help and advice on
policies and principles of union par-
ticipation in safety programmes.

CLC Standing Committee

Of special interest to all IWA
members is the recent establishment
by the Canadian Labour Congress of
a standing committee on safety and
occupational health. This committee
at a meeting in Ottawa convened by
the Congress January 30-31, 1961,

-prepared a programme designed and

patterned to encompass the needs of
Canadian workers.

Technological progress, new meth-
ods, new equipment, such as steel
spars, electronic communications,
mobile machines have made existing
safety regulations and standards obso-
lete. A Conference of state and pro-
vincial officials with labour represen-
tatives from B.C., Washington, and
Oregon have been called to discuss
new ones. It is the hope and desire
that from information provided at
this Conference called in Olympia,
March 2, 1961, by the Department of
Labour and Industries, additions,
amendments, and revisions to present
logging standards can be accepted
and uniformly applied in the Pacific
Northwest.

WCB Regulations Criticized

Analysis of a report of a fatal acci-
dent in a coast logging camp resulted
in sharp criticism of the inadequate
and outmoded Workmen’s Compensa-
tion Board regulations by Regional
officers to officials of the Board. As
a result, a public hearing will be
held to consider changes at an early
date.

Preparations are being made for
elaboration and discussion of these
problems at the coming Regional
Safety Conference, February 18.
Veneer, coast sawmills, plywood and
shingle accident frequencies in B.C.-
L.M.A. operations continue at the

-same low level as last year with 387%

of the mills achieving the target ob-
jective of 20% reduction. In shingle
mills, 506 and plywood plants, 357%

were successful in this project. Only
one fatality is recorded in this divi-
sion for 1960.

The Association programme for
these mills this year will be the same
as 1960, which was a twelve point
programme with an objective of 20%
reduction. Special attention will be
given to plants whose records have
not been progressive.

Inspection Tours

Inspection tours and visits to most
coast mills did not record any specific
complaints or reports from Local

Unions with regard to employee
delinquency. ,

Comparisons 1959 1960
Lumber 14.30 14.80
Plywood 12,30 12.80
Shingle 39.00 42.00

Comox Logging Has Best Record

In spite of petty chiseling and fak-
ing of injury reports by some camp
ments, many have good safety
programmes and excellent records.
The B.C. Loggers Association re-
corded a reduction in both frequency

“It was his own fault, he was care-
less.”

“He broke a ere Pe he should
have known better.”

These are merely excuses for bad
safety supervision and are no longer

of their target objective. An outstand-
for large units is that of

ing Ladysmith - Cour-
with the lowest accident rec-
n the history of logging in
Columbia, The safety pro-
at in these operations adhere to
of a direct line of respon-
No longer is the blame
on the injured workman with:

by progressive thinking
top management. The promotion and
expansion of the principle of safety
supervision at all levels in all forest
operations everywhere will do much
to eliminate the scourge of logging
accidents.

It is gratifying to note a reduction
of 32% in fatalities and 31%4% in fre-
quency for 1960 within this group.

erior Fatalities Down

by | couraged

association safety men, This is par-
ticularly true in the north where
safety is carried out by the IWA and
W.C.B. and the association seeks the
credit for any progress made,

Of serious concern to the union is
the problem of American employers
that have bought into, and control,
B.C. lumbering operations. They
operate without regard to First Aid
and W.C.B. regulations and seeming-
ly view them with contempt.

Official Complaint

An official complaint has been
made and local Unions advised to
photograph and forward all safety
violations to the Regional office.

Non-union and gypo operations, in-
dependent truckers, etc. are still the
bad record group and are evidently
beyond the capacity of W.C.B. in-
spectors to deal with. This will con-
tinue until some way of organizing
and educating them can be found.

Generally, safety in the Interior is
making slow progress and will con-
tinue that way for the above noted
reasons,

Alberta - Sask.

No report has been received from
Alberta with regard to progress in
safety. Until some further expansion
and degree of organization has been
achieved, the excessive cost in time
and effort would be largely wasted.

‘| Several requests from larger employ-

ers have been made indirectly for
help from the Regional Safety Direc-
tor. Attentions of this kind must be
made through the Local Union.

Early in 1960 meetings were held
with Workmen’s Compensation
Board officials, employers under con-
tract and Department of Labour per-
sonnel with regard to a planned pro-

ram of accident prevention in the
wood products industries.

This province does not have indus-
trial safety regulations. In spite of
this, however, safety meetings were
held in Prince Albert, and Saskatoon
plants and safety committees estab-
lished on a joint basis. IWA mem-
bers expressed enthusiasm for the
union program.

Forest Fires

Many serious and crippling injuries
and at least 6 fatals are reported this
year in fighting forest fires. The same
haphazard methods of transportation,
communication, supervision and
equipment is responsible for a repeti-
tion of the costly consequences of the

fires of 1958. Until these emergencies }

are prepared for and a planned pro-
gram developed, we can expect the
same stupid and shameful results in
future years. A recent report con-
firms the purchase of four planes for
fire fighting purposes by the provin-
cial government. This is not enough
and cannot contribute to the problem
of fire fighting safety.

Local Safety Councils

These councils can and do make
a very heavy contribution to safety
when they receive the support and
help from officers of the Local Union.
Plans are to be discussed to expand
and co-ordinate safety activities with
association programmes and_ the
safety department of the Workmen’s
Compensation Board. Classes are
being proposed with the Safety
Director of the Region and top
safety men from the industry as in-
structors.

A new safety council has been set
up in Local 1-367 and an attempt is
being made to organize the Harrison
Lake area into a safety group similar
to that existing in Englewood, Queen
Charlottes and Lake Cowichan. Ex-
perience has demonstrated the value
of this group effort and should be en-
; everywhere.

General

The general theory of union, man-
agement, government co-operation in
a joint safety programme first emana-
ted from the 12th session of the
General Conference of the Interna-
tional Labour Organization of the
League of Nations as recommenda-
tion No. 31 and adopted June 21,
9

Lack of organization in the indus-

IWA Sets Safety Pattern

trial world and struggle for survival
in the economic morass between two
world wars prevented the utilization
of this plan of action against indus-
trial accidents.

At the President’s Conference on
industrial safety, Washington, D.C.,
1946, the co-operation plan was again
projected as the proper and effective
method of dealing with the prevention
of industrial accidents.

All Local Unions Visited

The organization of the
hazard forest industries of British
Columbia with its tragic record of
fatalities and  orippling injuries
brought about establishment of the
above programme of action.

It should be noted with a deep
sense of satisfaction to all [WA mem-
bers everywhere, that the principles
and policies of union participation in
accident prevention which were born
and developed in the camps and saw-
mills of British Columbia in the past
12 years, are now being used in the
great union organizations of North
America as official union policy.

high |-

; Conclusion

This past year has seen the Union
participate in its most intensive drive
on safety in its history. More than
16,000 miles have been travelled by
car alone, and every Local Union has
been visited in B.C. Meetings have
been held in every operation possible.
This Union has fulfilled its obliga-
tions to the fullest degree in this
fight against accidents on the job.

To the Regional Officers, Local
Officers, Business Agents, Organizers
and safety committee men, who have
given such excellent help and co-
operation, I express my very sincere
appreciation.

Ever stop

Wear eye

where there

your

the things you'd miss

if you lost your

of foreign bodies entering

BRITISH COLUMBIA
WORKMEN'S COMPENSATION

to think of

protection

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eyes.

BOARD