IWA THE WESTERN CANADIAN LUMBER WORKER SAFETY PAGE LOCAL 1-424 AIDS WORKER IN W.C.B. PROSECUTION CASE By ANDY SMITH Regional Safety Director At approximately 2:00 p.m. on March 11, 1966, an employ- ee of Weldwood of Canada Quesnel division was electro- cuted when a boom on a crane he was working around came in contact with a 12,000 volt overhead transmission line. This was a tragic fatality that could have been avoided if Section 24 of the Accident Prevention Regulations had been adhered to. This is the sole responsibility of the com- pany, and therefore they are wholly responsible for the tragic occurrence. Regulation 24:02 states: 1.No person shall cause or permit material to be piled, stored, or handled, no scaf- fold erected or dismantled, or equipment operated closer than ten feet to an energized electrical conduc- tor which is capable of energizing the material or equipment unless the work- men are protected by appli- cation of the provisions of the regulations contained in this Section. 2. When electrical conductors are high voltage transmis- sion lines which might re- quire a greater clearance than ten feet, the employer shall be responsible for (a) ascertaining the voltage in- volved, (b) maintaining the minimum clearance dis- tance, and (c) ensuring that no material or equipment is allowed to be handled with- in that minimum distance. Regulation 24:06 states: If the electrical conductor is not de-energized or if for any reason written assurance is unobtainable before work commences then the following precautions shall be taken: (a) the area within which equipment or materials to be moved shall be barricaded and supervised to restrict en- try to only those workmen necessarily engaged in the work, (b) a workman shall be designated as a watchman whos? sole task during the movement of any equipment or material shall be (1) to observe the relative position of the moving equipment or material and the electrical conductors and (2) to order the movement stopped at any time that contact appears probable or when conditions arise which prevent the watchman from properly per- forming his task; (c) positive means shall be provided for the watchman to give a clear, understandable stop signal to the operator of equipment and the watchman shall give the stop signal by no other means; (d) while equipment or ma- terial is in motion in an area in proximity to energized electrical conductor, no per- son other than the equipment DRIVERS: STUDY THIS TIRE CHART Safety isn’t always cheap, but in this case an important part of your driving safety is being kept on tap for you, yours for the asking at your favourite service station. It’s air. And air is free. Maintaining proper infla- tion is the most important rule to follow in tire safety, says the Rubber Manufactur- ers Association. Remember that air pressure must match the load you carry. But since all tires have maximum load ratings that must not be ex- ceeded, you'll be wise to check the chart below and see where your car fits. If your own car’s tire loads exceed the maximum rating or if your car will be operated under extreme service condi- tions, you must either reduce your car’s load or change tires — to the next larger size or to a higher ply rating as rec- ommended by your car’s manufacturer. On this chart, passenger weight is based on 150 pounds per person. For sustained high-speed driving, add four pounds to the pressures listed below — but do not exceed 32 pounds for four-ply rating tires or 40 pounds for tires with eight-ply rating. TYPICAL VEHICLE LOAD RATING AND RECOMMENDED TIRE INFLATION PRESSURES (COOL) TYPE OF VEHICLE atiadas AVERAGE LOAD RAAAA MAXIMUM RATED LOAD AAA AAA oe 1 to 5 Passengers (750 Ib.) Front (No Luggage) Rear 24 Ibs. 24 Ibs. ARAN 1 to 5 Passengers (750 Ib.) 6 Passengers plus 200 Ib. Trunk Load Front (1100 'b.) Rear 28 ibs. 32 Ibs. RAAR oe 5 Passengers plus 200 Ib. Trunk Load All Models except ¢ Models with Bucket Seats and Station Wagons | a Models with Bucket Seats 2 -—— Se, ahangpone * 2 Seat 6 Passengers + 300 Ib. Cargo (1200 Ib.) 3 Seat 6 Passengers + 300 Ib. Cargo (1200 fb.) or 8 Passengers without Additional Load Front Rear 24 Ibs. 32 Ibs. CLARENCE MURRAY, Local 1-217 member and plant ‘chairman at the Marpole Sawmill Division of Rayonier Canada (B.C.) Ltd., is shown receiving the WCB Meritori- ‘ous Safety Performance award from the WCB Director of Accident Prevention J. M. Clarke, for the outstanding safety record set by the crew in the operation during 1966. operator shall touch or be permitted to touch any part of the equipment or material; and (e) no workman shall move or be permitted to move a load or any rigging line from its position of natural suspension when in proximity to energized electrical con- ductors. In this tragic fatality none of the foregoing regulations were adhered to, and the victim was pulling the main- line on a mobile crane when the boom of the crane came in contact with a high voltage transmission line and the workman was instantly elec- trocuted. The recommendation of the coroner’s jury was that in fu- ture extreme care and caution be taken when machinery is working near high voltage lines. On September 9, 1966 pro- ceedings were originated and instituted by information of a W orkmen’s Compensation Board inspector, sworn on that date, charging the com- pany and the crane operator under Section 62:2 of the Workmen’s Com pensa- tion Act which reads as fol- lows: “The Board may by regulation provide penalties to which every person who contravenes any rules or reg- ulation made under this part shall be liable, provided that in no case shall the penalty exceed $500, and no prosecu- tion for any such contraven- tion shall be instituted with- out leave of the Board.” A hearing was held before Magistrate D. F. MacNeill in Quesnel on June 28, 1967, and upon motion by the Local Union’s lawyer that the pro- secution was not properly authorized by the Workmen’s Compensation Board the case was dismissed. The Local Union is to be complimented on the manner in which they came to the assistance of the crane oper- ator, a union member. Regional Council No. 1 IWA does not and cannot agree that employees should be charged in this manner when occurrences come about through the negligence of the company and in complete vio- lation of ‘the regulations. It is most unfair that the Company has the authority under the Act to order an em- ployee to do certain jobs and when through the negligence of the Company an accident occurs, the employee may be charged and has to assume the same responsibility as the Company. ~W.C.B. Accident Regula- tions Nos. 4.12, 4.14 place the employee in the same position as the employer or supervisor except for the direction of the work. The Union again brings to the attention of the member- ship, the importance of mak- ing sure “the job they are ordered to do can be done safely and the proper safe- guards taken. IF IT ISN’T SAFE, DON’T DO IT! | OFTEN WONDERED WHY TH’ PUSH PACKED A SKIN DIVIN’ SNORKEL DURIN’ FIRE SEASON !