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the lungs, through penetration of the skin or through ingestion,

_ Occupational exposure.

After months of consultation the Regional Safety Director, the Local Union Officers and top officials of the Quatsino Sound Division of Ray- onier agreed to implement a Job Safety Break- down program in the four large logging operations in the area.

In a surprise approach, the Company threw the ball to the Union men on the job. In effect they said, “This idea is yours, you make it work. We'll supply the finances and the co-operation.”

Morris Anderson the new Local Business Agent arranged a meeting of the four Safety Committee Chairmen with Bob Ross, the Regional Safety Director. They met in Port McNeill on January 23rd for an all day session to work out details.

The chairmen, Frank Miller of Port McNeill, Al Bingham from Jeune Landing, Don McNaugh- ton from Mahatta River, Don Giesinghaus and Joe Lajouie from Holberg knew that they were to

THE WESTERN CANADIAN LUMBER WORKER 5

Local 1-71, Safety Committee Chairmen Assume Responsibility for New Program

be paid lost-time wages by the Company for at least a month. They could then be free to throw all of their enthusiasm and know-how into spear- heading the program in each operation.

It is interesting to note that all of the prin- ciples and approaches of the Safety Breakdown were developed by the Chairmen within the

framework suggested by the Regional Council in

the Lumber Worker, “Have We the Guts to Work Safely?”

Before this program is finished every employee in these camps will have personally worked at the

task of finding out for himself how to do his job safely.

We expect our people to welcome the oppor- tunity of contributing something concrete to accident prevention.

We take this opportunity to wish them well in the coming months.

DIOMYE IN OUR PLANTS ._

The continuing battle our Safety Committees are waging in the manufacturing plants to eliminate haz- ardous dust, illustrates the indifference or ignorance of some management to the injurious effects of wood dust.

We print here excerpts from an article by Dr. Her- bert K. Abrams of the Union Health Services Inc. of Chicago.

In essence he says:

“ALL DUST IS DANGEROUS” “THERE ARE NO SAFE LEVELS”

Occupational diseases may be localized to one part of the body or they may be generalized (systemic). They may be acute or chronic. They may cause predominantly one type of pathology, such as cancer, blood vessel abnormalities, blood dis- orders, nervous system damage, skin disease, etc. The occupa- iy tional disease agent may enter the body through inhalation into

or there may be combinations of these portals of entry.

The disease-causing agent may be a chemical in the form of dusts, gases, fumes and vapors. It may be a physical agent such as ionizing radiation, noise, extremes of heat and cold, extremes of pressure, vibration or physical strain. Or, it may be an infec-

tious disease agent which may be transmitted by virtue of the

The respiratory system (nose, throat, lungs) is the most im- nt portal of entry of industrial poisons and the site of the common serious occupational diseases.

chronic bronchitis, asthma, emphysema and lung / more important than tuberculosis in the highly in- count: (This is not to minimize the continuing of tuberculosis, for this is an insidious up) weakened by poor

THE WEARING OF FLOTATION EQUIPMENT by boom crews has long been. a con- troversial one within the IWA. Improvements on this equipment are continually being sought. Meanwhile, the value of wearing this protection is demonstrated by the record of the boom crew at the Pacific Veneer Division of Canadian Forest Products Limited in the New Westminster Local Union. The fact that this crew consistently used this protection, and the fact that they worked intelligently together to protect each other and to avoid accidents has allowed them to work for 129,470 hours accident-free. We take this opportunity to con- gratulate this crew and the New Westminster Local Union. The following is part of the crew: standing left to right, Mr. Peden, B.C. Safety Council; G. Fontaine; J. Jones; B. Mitchell; A. Long; J. Jarvis; P. Hayes; S. Cahill; R. Wood; R. Rustymeyer; M. Pruner; B. Jackson. Seated left, C. McKay, J. Spry, J. Knox, M.Clark.

environment, or by pneumoconiosis). Chronic bronchitis accounts for 10% of the adult mor- tality in England. In the United States, it is being recognized increasingly as a cause of disability. | am sure that the same thing is happening in Canada..

While we appreciate that many of these cases result from more than one factor, for example, excessive cigarette smoking, com-

aon

munity air pollution and allergies, we know also that specific industrial chemical exposures such as inhalation of acid and alkali vapors sulfur dioxide, chlorine, oil fumes, isocyanates,

or of various dusts can precipitate chronic bronchitis.

Pneumoconiosis or dust diseases of the lungs, despite their ancient origins, remain a big industrial health problem.