thewestern canadian 34,000 copies printed in this issue lumber worker Published once monthly as the official publication of the INTERNATIONAL WOODWORKERS OF AMERICA Western Canadian Regional Council No.1 Affiliated with AFL-C10-CLC 2859 Commercial Drive, Vancouver, B.C. Phone 874-5261 Editor—Patrick S. Kerr Business Manager—Wyman Trineer Forwarded to every member of the WA in Western Canada in accordance with convention decisions. Subscription rate for non-members $2.00 per year. / GORDON OOL LOCAL 1-367 REPORT By GORDON CLAYPOOL Safety Director, Local 1-367 Local 1-867 (Haney) is a small local with an active Local Safety Council which holds an Education Seminar on safety every year. The Local Safety Director is also a full time business agent, 3rd Vice-President of the Regional Safety and Health Council and serves on two committees for that council. One committee deals with noise concerning chippers and the other with trim saws and/or hula saws. We hope that the end result will be new regulations improving conditions in both areas. Last year in our logging sector we had four fatalities. In an attempt to prevent and improve this we have been pressing logging companies for a more active Safety and Health program and to allow the commit- tees more active participation in the pro- gress as well as investigation of an injury. In conjunction with this we have stepped up the number of safety tours of their opera- tions as some have not been toured in the past. Our local has a number of shake and shingle mills as well as one of the largest cedar mills on the coast. Among the numer- ous problems which affect the health and well being of our members, two of the major ones are dust and wood preservatives which seem to worsen as the weather becomes warmer. We are constantly trying to moni- tor the dust problem and with wood preser- vatives we are striving for better supervi- sion, ventilation and facilities. In an attempt to solve some of these 4/Lumber Worker/August, 1980 problems our Local started meeting with the WCB Inspectors and Hygiene Department for our area. This helped to resolve a number of problems and now the three Lower Main- land Locals (1-367, 1-357, 1-217) are meeting regularly with the WCB Inspectors and whichever department has jurisdiction over the problem we are having. Progress is being made with this system and at the same time we are acquiring a better under- standing of the overall problems that we are encountering in the industry. It is our hope that this paper will give our membership a better understanding of the problems, progress and activities of those involved in Health and Safety throughout the Region. JOE PIRKER LOCAL 1-207 REPORT By JOE PIRKER President Local 1-207 Occupational Health and Safety in Alberta is aided to a marked degree by our Workers’ Compensation Board’s sym- pathetic attitude to injured workers. We have very few problems with the Board and if memory serves me right, we have not had a single claim rejected over the past five years or so. A good deal of credit for the relatively smooth workings of our W.C.B. is due to the strong labour background of our Board members. The Chairman, Roy Jamha, is a past president of the Alberta Federation of Labour and previously was a representative of the O.C.A.W. Roy is a paraplegic and conducts his business from a wheelchair. Peter Kolba, the second member of the Board, prior to his appointment, was the Secretary-Treasurer of the Alberta Federation of Labour, as well as a repre- sentative of the Canadian Food and Allied Workers. Dr. A. E. (Bert) Hohol, third member of the Board, and appointed to this position May 1, 1979, to replace retiring John H. Halls, who was previously a past president of the Alberta Road Builders Association. Prior to his appointment, Dr. Hohol was an educator and administrator in the Alberta Public School System, served as an M.L.A. and held portfolios of Man- power and Labour and Advanced Education and Manpower in the Alberta Government. The importance of Workers’ Compensa- tion was evidenced by the Provincial Government appointment in 1979 of a Minister responsible for Workers’ Health Safety and Compensation, the Hon. W. B. Diachuk. The Board now reports to the Legislature through Mr. Diachuk who is also responsible for Occupational Health and Safety Division of the Alberta Govern- ment. A select committee of the Legislative Assembly, appointed in 1979 to review the W.C.B. Act and matters relating to its administration, submitted its reeommenda- tions to the Legislature earlier this year. The following are specific reeommenda- tions of major importance: 1. Achange from payment of compensation based upon 75 per cent of gross earnings to 90 per cent of net take-home pay, and removal of the ceilings imposed by an established maximum rate of compens- ible earnings. . Eliminations of the need for the making of a claim to the W.C.B. for minor injuries which do not cause disablement beyond three days while ensuring lost income replacement and the right to claim in the event of future related complications. (This recommendation has me a bit worried as it may give the employer some latitude leading to abuse, such as ‘walk- ing wounded’.) . That following a fatal accident a depend- ent spouse, where indicated, be provided with retraining and encouragement to self-supporting and that automatic pay- ment of life-time pensions be replaced by lump-sum or term payments depending upon need, while retaining adequate financial support for dependent children at age of majority and payment of life- time pensions to the spouses who are truly incapable of becoming self- supporting. . Provision of supplementary awards to seriously disabled pensioners, 50 per cent disability or greater, to give their total monthly payments parity with present day compensation rates. Such supple- ments to be paid to age 65 years. . Recognition of the compounding effect of occupational aggravation of pre-existing conditions and adoption of a presump- tion in the case of aggravated chest conditions with appropriate cost relief to the employees concerned. . Payment of attending doctor’s service fees be taken over by the Alberta Health Care Insurance Plan with payment by the W.C.B. of one additional fee for each required report. . Improved claims service at Branch Offi- ces of the W.C.B. . Publication of internal Policy Directives of the W.C.B. The trust of the select Committee recom- mendations is intended to not only reflect a change in legislation, but a change in principle. Emphasis is on the W.C.B. to shift from merely an insurance scheme to acci- dent prevention and a new approach to rehabilitation. The Committee submitted a total of 50 recommendations.