‘ 4 First presentation ever made of the Prudent Penguin’ safety award by the Workmen‘s Compensation Board was held recently in Vancouver. Recipient was Charles Weatherill, |\WA member and a bcom-man employed by Canadian Forest Products Ltd. (Eburne Division), who was saved by his life jacket after being huvzied into the Fraser River when the motor on his boom boat exploded. Award was presented by Arthur Francis (right), WCB Accident Prevention Director. The idea for the “Prudent Penguin” award was originated by J. Murray Clarke, WCB Programme and Train- ing Supervisor. Workmen whose lives have been saved by their life jackets will be eligible for membership in the Exclusive Order of Prudent Penguins by applying to the WCB in Vancouver. WCB Safety Regulations require that B.C. workmen exposed to a serious risk of drowning must wear busy- ancy equipment. Order has saved 30-40 workmen during past three years. Safety Briefs CASE OF THE VANISHING TRUCK A drunk who appropriated a parked road tanker which was carrying a load of sulphuric acid was in a state of near hysteria when police nabbed him. It seems the tanker was made of aluminum and should not’ have been carrying sulphuric acid. The chemical had reduced the vehicle to a bare chassis and cab by the time the police caught up with the inebriated thief. TRAFFIC ROLLS ON LODGE EXPRESSWAY The final half mile of the nine-mile, $90 million Lodge expressway in Detroit is open to traffic. The expressway, under construction for 13 years, is almost-entirely depressed below street level, with all cross traffic carried by 20 vehicular and 22 pedestrian overpasses. It has no traffic lights. Designed traffic capacity of the expressway is 9,000 vehicles per hour. : MUSTS FOR MIDGETS In New York State, midget autos, if operated on a public highway, are subject to all regulations which. apply to full- sized cars. They must be registered as motor vehicles and “equipped with all safety devices required by law. The person operating such a vehicle must possess a driver license, and the owner must provide proof of insurance as required by law. These requirements apply even to miniature autos designed: for sidewalk use, to self-propelled replicas of antique autos, and to home made or “kit-built” cars. ’ AUSTRIAN ACCENT ON SAFETY . Traffic safety people receiving mail from -Austria have been intrigued by a postal message appearing on all letters recently. The message reads: “Do not take chances. Spare yourself an accident, Accidents bring Joss.” PERISCOPE FOR REAR VIEW The driver of tomorrow will do his rear viewing through a periscope. A new periscope-type mirror developed by the American Optical Co. is said to banish blind spots. Here’s how it operates. The driver looks into a 2% inch by 9 inch mirror placed above the windshield. A 2 inch by 24 inch cylindrical lens set in the roof of the car over the back window picks up the rear view. This view is passed forward through another lens, 17 inches long, and reflected off a 15 inch square mirror to the driver’s own rear view mirror. JP’s ONE-MAN CAMPAIGN Concerned about the resentment shown by most traffic law violators brought before him, Illinois JP John Nordberg wrote a booklet explaining the purpose of traffic law enforce- ment and giving statistics on traffic deaths. Motorists are asked to read the booklet while they wait their turn at the bench. Since introducing the booklet, Nordberg has noted a oe lowering: of hostility from motorists. Broader WCB ae "Studied For Farmers _ VICTORIA — Enquiry authorized by the Minister — of iducted by the Workmen’s Compensation Federation of Agriculture will advise provisions of compensation should be r peerage for mane eet H Lights As a driver do you feel-more secure against accidents when approaching an_ intersection controlled by a traffic light? Possibly you’ve belonged to a neighborhood association or civic group which has campaigned for traffic lights at some busy cross- roads as a safety measure. A recent study on the frequency of accidents at 89 city and rural Michigan intersections where traffic signals have been installed provides some information which may prove surprising. Results were reported by David Solomon, a highway research engineer, in Public Roads. a journal of highway research issued by the United States bureau of public roads. This study shows: @ The total number of acci- dents increased at the 39 intersec- tions where stop-and-go type signals were installed and de- creased at 50 intersections where flashing beacons were used. ® The number of persons in- jured decreased by one-fifth at the stop-and-go intersections and by one-half at the flashing beacon intersections. @ The number of fatalities was cut by at least half at both types of installations with no appreci- able difference between the stop- and-ga and flashing beacon signals. ; : The intersections surveyed ranged from the’ simple Tor three-leg type to the complex styles where three or more roads, converge. The study showed accidents at the simple three-leg intersections increased 78 per cent after instal- ling stop-and-go signals. At similar crossings where flashing beacons were used the accident rate dropped 32 per cent. However, the effectiveness of stop-and-go signals increased as the intersection became more complicated. At the most complex crossings, where a number of roads came together, stop-and-go_ ' signals cut accidents 47 per cent. | Labour Seeks Regulations, | For Radiation Hazards i VICTORIA — Representations made by organized labour have secured the promise that public hearings will be held at an early date as preliminary to the drafting of safety regula- tions governing industrial radiation hazards. _ Several trade unions in the province have reported that their members have been exposed to this hazard to an increas- ing degree. _ The Glacial Creek logging ‘division of British Columbia Forest Products Limited had no lost time accidents in the calendar year 1959. In recognition of this excellent safety record Mr. Vic Ramsay, Superintendent of the Glacial Creek division, was presentéd with. an award by Mr. M. Edwards on behalf of the B’C. Loggers Asso- ciation, Glacial Creek Crew Work Accident-Free The presentation. took place at a banquet held in Vancouver on Friday, January 29th, and marked the -end of a: two-day camp management training conference sponsored by the B.C. Loggers: Association. : . Glacial Creck ‘was. the only member camp of the B.C. Loggers Association to achieve a zero accident frequency. WATCH FOR Jaggers and slivers Chokers, tongs Machinery These hazards accounted for 7,156 - time-loss injuries in the Forest Products Industry of B.C. last year. Be On Your Guard At All Times BRITISH COLUMBIA WORKMEN'S COMPENSATION BOARD