Forest Safety News – Volume 2, Issue 6

FOREST
SAFETYNews
December 2015
issue 6 / vol. 2
Safety is Good Business
What’s Inside:
2-3
4
5-7
8-9
10 - 11
11 - 13
14 - 15
16
Reynold Hert (left), the BC Forest Safety Council’s CEO, presented the 2015 annual safety awards at
the Vancouver Island Safety Conference (VISC) in Nanaimo in October this year. The recipients were:
Ally Gibson (Carey White Memorial Lifetime Achievement Award), Angelika Posselt (Most Valuable
Player Award in harvesting) and Kirk Nagy (Most Valuable Player Award in manufacturing). Please
see page 2 for a link to a 12-page wrap-up report on the 2015 VISC.
For the full Bill 35, 2015 – Workers Compensation
Act, Amendment No. 2 – please see https://
www.leg.bc.ca/Pages/BCLASS-Legacy.
aspx#%2Fcontent%2Fdata%2520-%2520ldp%
2FPages%2F40th4th%2F1st_read%2Fgov35-1.
htm which passed first reading in the legislature on
October 8, 2015. It is anticipated that the Bill will
become effective in the first quarter of 2016.
The changes are proposed as follows: (to go into
section 174 of the Act):
(1.1) For the purposes of subsection (1), the
participation of the employer or a representative
of the employer and a worker representative
includes, but is not limited to, the following
activities:
(a) viewing the scene of the incident with the
persons carrying out the investigation;
(b) providing advice to the persons carrying out
the investigation respecting the methods used
to carry out the investigation, the scope of
the investigation, or any other aspect of the
investigation;
(c) other activities, as prescribed by
the Board.
The Bill is the BC government’s response to the
Fatalities and Injuries
SAFE Companies
Falling
Training
Transportation
Health and Wellness
Kid’s Corner
Welcome to the December edition of Forest
Safety News, covering news about safety
topics in forestry. This is YOUR safety
newsletter. We look forward to your input
and feedback! Email the editor at editor@
bcforestsafe.org or call 1-877-741-1060.
Bill 35 – what does it mean?
If Bill 35 passes, companies will be required
to have meaningful worker and employer
participation in incident investigations (as opposed
to workers just reading the report).
Industry
juries’ recommendations from the inquests into
the 2012 Babine Forest Products Mill (Burns Lake)
and Lakeland Mill (Prince George) explosions
which killed four men and injured many more. The
objective is to improve safety in the workplace.
From the Babine inquest recommendations,
item no. 18, which is a recommendation to
WorkSafeBC, states:
“Develop an industry-specific checklist for Officers
to follow at worksite inspection. Include in the
checklist reviews of Joint Occupational health and
Safety Committee meeting minutes, crew safety
meeting minutes, near miss reports, incident
reports, investigation reports and receipt of
recent relevant hazard alerts.” The background to
this recommendation was as follows: “Evidence
showed that there was no uniform format for
inspection content at high risk workplaces. In turn
there was no means for effectively comparing
successive inspection findings or findings across
different milling operations.”
And recommendation No. 30:
Amend Section 176(2) of the Workers
Compensation Act to ensure that a copy of the
full incident investigation report is provided to the
Joint Occupational Health and Safety Committee or
the worker representative. Add in a new section
as follows:
Continued on page 7...
Happy Holidays!
Everyone at the BC Forest
Safety Council would like to
wish you and yours a safe
and happy holiday season!
Our offices will be open:
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Dec 21
Dec 22
Dec 23
Dec 24
Dec 29
Dec 30
Dec 31
Our offices will be closed:
Friday Monday Dec 25
Dec 28
(in lieu of Boxing Day)
Friday Jan 1
Lost and not forgotten
At this time of year, we also think
about co-workers we have lost to
workplace incidents. We reflect
on the especially sad and difficult
times their families face over the
holidays. You are in our thoughts.
May we all find peace and return
after the holidays even more
determined to do everything we
can to ensure we all go home
safe at the end of the day.
1-877-741-1060
www.bcforesafe.org
[email protected]
More than 400
attend 10th
Annual VISC
The 2015 Vancouver Island
Safety Conference, held October
3 in Nanaimo, drew more than 400
attendees including professionals,
fallers, engineers, log truck drivers,
mill workers, managers, supervisors,
tree planters, joint occupational
health and safety representatives, first
aiders, shake and shingle workers,
heli-loggers and others representing
the breadth and depth of our forest
harvesting and manufacturing
industries. With a full day of
presentations and networking breaks,
there was valuable information for
everyone to take away to co-workers
back in the woods or mills. This
year’s conference theme was Driving
Forward – 10 Years of safety evolution
“past, present, future” and included
presentations on driving safety
and how to build excellent, top
performing teams.
For a wrap-up of the event, please see:
http://www.bcforestsafe.org/files/
VISC2015WrapUp.pdf. Special thanks
to all the sponsors who make this
free annual event possible: London
Drugs, TimberWest, Dorman Group,
Lemare Group, Strategic Natural
Resource Consultants, Ministry of
Forests, Lands and Natural Resource
Operations, United Steelworkers,
Interfor, Western Forest Products,
The Truck Loggers Association, Mid
Island Safety Consulting, Island Fibre,
Coastland Wood Industries, Island
Timberlands, Wolf Lake Logging, TG
Hawthornthwaite Logging, Seaspray
Log Scaling, Univar Environmental
Sciences, Island Pacific Logging,
Onsite Engineering, BC Timber
Sales, Dorman Contracting, Laurand
Enterprises, Nootka Sound Timber,
Fred Morris & Sons Selective
Harvesting, Safety Advisory
Foundation for Education & Research,
Hancock Forest Management, BRI
Security, Arbutus Grove Nursery, Elco
Contractors, Ryka Industries, Star Lake
Contracting, Don Hopkins Consulting,
Aljaq Contracting, Fall River Logging,
Khowutzun Forest Services,
WorkSafeBC and the BC Forest
Safety Council.
2
2015 DECEMBER FOREST SAFETY NEWS
Industry News
Effective Critical Incident
Response can prevent Post
Traumatic Stress Disorder
Prevention is king, always, but after
a serious incident or fatality in the
workplace, mental first aid response is as
important as physical first aid response.
Counsellors talk about the 30-day after
period of experiencing a traumatic/critical
incident, which is generally the time period
assigned to “Critical Incident Stress”,
either as a co-worker on the site, as the
first aid attendant, supervisor or other
colleague(s), with ripple effects working
outwards to colleagues/family members at
the home-office/office and further afield.
With support, it is usual to work through
the issues including anger and grief, and
find a sense of peace and acceptance.
However, if symptoms (which can include
distraction, irritability, mood swings,
agitation, sleep interruptions, crying or
weepy, mind-fog, etc.) continue for more
than 30 days then it is important to be
assessed by a professional as then one is
at increased risk of Post Traumatic Stress
Disorder. Additional influencing factors
depend on the individual. Is this a first
critical incident a person has experienced?
The first close colleague/friend who has
died on the job?
How people, who are affected by Critical
Incident Stress, react is also influenced
by how they see the incident handled
-- by authorities, their peers, supervisors,
managers, owners and industry. Best
practice responses provide best possible
outcomes for all parties.
View this short video (9 minutes) of Bruce
Youngren, Executive Director, Vancouver
Island Counselling, explaining the
importance of understanding the need
for support: https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=sDOv1plWv8k
If you are a contractor or company that
has an established Employee Assistance
Program (EAP) in place, mental and
emotional first aid services can be as quick
as a phone call away. An EAP provides
SAFETY IS GOOD BUSINESS
resources and counsellors to facilitate one
on one or group support on site/in camp/
on the phone/at home. All services are
confidential, supportive, and provided
where, when and how you and your crew
(and family members) might need it most.
If you belong to an association like the
TLA and subscribe to their benefits
program, support may be available, and
union members may also have access to
support via their membership. Licensees
have programs too for all their workers
and access for contractors, as may be
agreed upon at the time of the contract.
Any employer or worker directly involved
in a workplace incident may choose
to use a Critical Incident Response
program provided and funded directly by
WorkSafeBC (at no additional cost to the
worker or the employer) which provides
up to six hours of free counselling from a
counsellor nearest the affected worker or
group of workers. The first hour is an initial
session, followed by up to five additional
hours as/if required. To ensure workers
get the support they need as soon as
possible, any worker directly affected by
a workplace incident should call a toll
free pager number: 1-888-922-3700. The
number is manned between 9 am and 11
pm, seven days a week. Calls made after
11 p.m. will be returned after 9 a.m. the
next morning and after explaining the
workplace incident they are affected by,
they will be connected to a counsellor
directly in their community (or as near as
possible if there is no counselling available
in the immediate area). Please see http://
www.worksafebc.com/claims/assets/
CIRprogram.pdf for more information.
WorkSafeBC’s only criteria to access this
service is that it must relate to a workplace
incident, be accessed within three weeks
of the incident, and the affected worker(s)
must not already be accessing counselling
support from another party to ensure
there is no duplication of service from two
different service providers.
Whistleblower protection
In BC we have regulatory protection in place
that ensures that no employer may penalize or
otherwise punish a worker for raising safety
concerns or refusing unsafe work.
For more information on the process and to see cases
investigated since 2010 see: http://worksafebc.com/workers/
improving_health_and_safety_at_work/discriminatory_action_
complaints/default.asp
And a Q&A: http://worksafebc.com/publications/health_and_safety/
by_topic/assets/pdf/FAQs_about_discriminatory_action.pdf
In all jurisdictions that protect workers, it is understood that
workers play a crucial role in ensuring that their workplaces are
safe, but also recognize that employees would be less likely to
participate in safety or health activities, or to report hazardous
conditions to their employer or to a regulator (like WorkSafeBC) if
they feared their employer would fire them or otherwise retaliate
against them. For that reason, regulations prohibit discrimination
against employees for exercising their rights under the law.
Many previously full-time employees have become independent
contractors, often working under the coordination of a prime
contractor. While the prime contractor is responsible for
coordinating the health and safety activities on a site, the
owner (in many cases the licensee) still has a responsibility for
maintaining the workplace in a safe condition and providing the
prime contractor with the information that they need to identify
and control the hazards at that site.
Concern has been expressed by some contractors who feel
“squeezed” and then wrestle with their own consciences for
“going along” with not complaining about an unnecessary risk
or practice because they perceive they will not be given another
contract if they speak up. While we all know that good managers
and operators treat all parties equally and fairly and never
compromise anyone’s safety, regrettably, it only takes one or two
bad apples to make contractors untrusting or feel all the safety
has been downloaded onto their shoulders.
So what to do? If you are a licensee, regularly ask all your
contractors and sub-contractors for their honest opinions on
what works, what doesn’t, what could be done better. Building
mutually rewarding, trusted, safe partnerships start with building
open honest communication channels, along paths of mutual
respect. Ask the questions. Really listen to the answers. If you are
a contractor, and are having challenges working with the owner
or subcontractor to manage the hazards, consider chatting with
other contractors, a contractor association and/or the BC Forest
Safety Council (BCFSC). A safety advisor or director of SAFE
Companies can provide you with an objective sounding board,
discuss what your options are and share ideas on how best to
proceed, as well as remind you of your rights and responsibilities
to both yourself and your own employees.
Sometimes a licensee or landowner has no idea that their
intended and required practices are not implemented 100% of the
time. Once known they successfully work to correct the situation
– a win-win for them and their contractors.
Email [email protected] if you’d like to share your
experience, or highlight something that we should explore
more to support better safety outcomes.
WorkSafeBC launches new ERP video and tools
This video helps workers understand the challenges
of emergency response in forestry operations, and
the importance of knowing your plan and practising
it. The video shows a realistic forestry medical
evacuation and the delays created by remote
worksites, steep terrain, and poor weather.
Additional resources:
20-page discussion guide to go with the video
(WARNING: large PDF at 5.59 MB, don’t open it
on your phone) http://www.worksafebc.com/
publications/health_and_safety/by_topic/assets/
pdf/BK156.pdf?_ga=1.113136002.749810290.14449
35277
http://www2.worksafebc.com/Publications/Multimedia/Videos.
asp?ReportID=37728
4-page document containing 13 tips on ERPs (1.5
MB PDF): http://www2.worksafebc.com/PDFs/
forestry/12%20ERP%20Tips-Sep18.pdf
SAFETY IS GOOD BUSINESS
2015 DECEMBER FOREST SAFETY NEWS
3
Fatalities and Injuries
Recent incidents
reported to
WorkSafeBC
Until claims are finalized by WorkSafeBC,
there is the potential for changes on
classifications between direct or associated
fatalities, and/or potentially previously
unknown incidents. Preliminary information,
however, as at November 12, 2015, is
as follows.
These summaries of selected work-related
incidents recently reported to WorkSafeBC
may help you to prevent similar incidents.
HARVESTING
Injury: Partial amputation of one finger
Core Activity: General trucking / Sawmill /
Integrated forest management
Location: Northern B.C.
Date of Incident: 2015-Aug
A worker was injured while lowering
stakes on a log transport trailer in a sawmill
log yard.
There were six direct forest harvesting
fatalities in 2015, year to date:
• February 11, 2015: Log truck driver in heavy
snow rear ended another log truck on the
Alaska Highway (at Mile 64).
• April 6, 2015: Pickup truck driver at side
of resource road struck by another truck
near Smithers.
• July 11, 2015: Faller falling a tree was struck
by another tree on the Northern BC Coast.
• July 24, 2015: Faller struck by tree
dislodged by log line loader (super snorkel)
near Holberg.
• July 27, 2015: Skidder operator out of
cab was struck by a log while working
near Revelstoke.
• October 14, 2015: A worker was fatally
injured when the heavy duty truck he
was working under rolled over him in the
Ladysmith area, Vancouver Island.
Injury Type: Serious burns
Core Activity: Log hauling
Location: Interior B.C.
Date of Incident: 2015-Aug
A log transport truck experienced
mechanical difficulties while driving up a
steep hill on a main highway. The truck quit
running, and the driver got out to investigate
the cause. While he was investigating, a
flash fire occurred, apparently after he
removed the diesel tank fuel cap. The driver
sustained serious burns.
Injury Type: Fatal
Core Activity: Cable or hi-lead logging
Location: Interior B.C.
Date of Incident: 2015-Jul
A skidder operator had exited a skidder on
the uphill side of the machine. Above him, a
runaway log about 5 inches in diameter and
40 feet long was dislodged during a cable
yarding operation from a harvest area with a
75 percent slope. The log struck and fatally
injured the worker.
35
There was one natural causes fatality
in October, 2015:
• October 14, 2015: a worker building a
logging road near Cherryville was found
collapsed near his bulldozer. Preliminary
information is that the worker suffered a
suspected heart attack.
34
30
27
25
25
20
21
AVERAGE 21.6
19
18
15
14
12
12
10
AVERAGE 13.7
11
10
AVERAGE 7.7
5
5
Injury Type: Close call
Core Activity: Sawmill
Location: Lower Mainland
Date of Incident: 2015-Aug
During sawmill operations, a fire occurred
in the sawdust/shavings bunker. No injuries
occurred as a result of the fire.
10
8
7*
5
6**
0
1999
To see more incidents, please see
WorkSafeBC’s website:
http://www2.worksafebc.com/Publications/
Incidents-Item. asp?reportid-36759&appSe
ssion=590390047205792
2015 DECEMBER FOREST SAFETY NEWS
There was one sawmill manufacturing
fatality in 2015, year to date:
• September 15, 2015: A 28-year-old worker
died after he was pinned between a large
stacker and the sort deck on which he was
working, at Creston.
WSBC Accepted Harvesting
Fatality Claims
40
MANUFACTURING
Injury: Undetermined back injury
Core Activity: Heavy equipment, machinery,
or parts manufacture or installation (greater
than 500 pounds) / Sawmill
Location: Lower Mainland
Date of Incident: 2015-Aug
While preparing a sawmill for replacement of
a log singulator, a worker fell about 10 feet
from an I-beam into a conveyor chute.
4
There were three associated forest
harvesting fatalities in 2015, year to date:
• January 6, 2015: A certified faller died
while falling a tree that barberchaired on a
residential property in Chilliwack.
• May 23, 2015: Low bed truck driver
delivering equipment was struck by a piece
of tree while pulling fallen trees off a road
near Prince George.
• July 5, 2015: Faller fighting wildfire
was struck by tree in falling incident
near Sechelt.
2001
2003
2005
2007
2009
2011
2013
2015
Please note: *There are four fatalities the BC Forest Safety Council is aware of that occurred in 2014.
WorkSafeBC tracks fatalities by the year in which they accept the claim. WorkSafeBC has accepted
three of the four fatalities from 2014 in 2014, and is reviewing the fourth which occurred later in the
year and will likely be accepted in 2015. WorkSafeBC has also accepted four fatalities from prior years
during 2014. The BCFSC uses the WorkSafeBC data of accepted claims for trends although it may not
specifically indicate current year fatalities, it is the only long term data base for comparative purposes.
**As at November 12, 2015, it is anticipated that 6 fatalities will be Accepted Harvest Fatality Claims
that occurred in 2015. This is preliminary information.
SAFETY IS GOOD BUSINESS
SAFE Companies
V4 audits compulsory for all
BASE companies in 2016
All BASE SAFE companies will be completing
the BASE V4 audit version going forward,
effective January 1, 2016.
automatically inputted; 50% pass requirement
on each question; unfriendly template with
errors.
The good news is, overall the survey results
show a much higher level of satisfaction with
V4 than V3 -- from company representatives,
external and internal auditors, alike. Fully
80% of respondents felt the BASE 4 audit
would help industry further reduce incidents
and prevent fatalities; while 88% agreed that
the BASE V4 audit will lead to better safety
performance by the companies being audited.
Further all respondents either preferred
Version 4 over Version 3 (67%) or had no
preference between the two (33%). None
preferred Version 3 over Version 4.
50% of respondents don’t support requiring
50% because some questions regarding
worker answers may be that the workers
have forgotten information (but it is supported
by documentation); could potentially limit a
company’s ability to bid for work if the nature
of the work is seasonal, i.e. if a company goes
into a 90 day LSA then has no work till next
season, they could potentially lose SAFE
Certification and Certificate of Recognition
(COR); too severe a penalty for one question;
and it can be almost impossible to achieve
due to the scoring structure; and not high
enough of a score – safe companies should
need to score higher than 50%.
The survey was conducted in October, 2015.
Detailed survey results and feedback
A total of 12 completed online surveys were
received from company representatives,
internal and external auditors.
Things that respondents liked about the BASE
4 audit included: putting recommendations
into a Corrective Action Log (CAL) because
it is very useful; the auto scoring; more of a
focus on the work rather than the paperwork;
more scoring opportunity based on results
and worker knowledge than just paperwork;
the layout for the elements; it was easy to do
and very straightforward; the scoring was easy
to figure out and for the most part on point;
and in-person interviews and observations
versus paperwork.
Things that respondents disliked about the
BASE 4 audit: the numbering/ordering of the
questions; wish recommendations could be
(Editor’s note: the functionality issue that was
identified above has been resolved – auditors
must not remove pages or sections from the
audit as that will disable the auto calculation
function.)
Evenly split on score weighting
50% of respondents said they agreed that
every question was essential for good safety
performance and therefore should require
achieving 50% in every question, while 50%
said no. Those that agreed said requiring 50%
eliminates the issue of a company choosing
not to complete an essential safety activity
and still passing the audit; holds companies
accountable for all areas of safety, requiring a
higher standard of compliance; how can one
say a company is acting in a safe manner if
they are not at least behaving at 50%; it’s a
good baseline – if processes are only working
at 50% there is too much room for error which
results in personal injury.
Positive feedback from BASE Companies
that used BASE V4 in 2015 pilot
BASE-sized SAFE Companies that opted
to test drive the new BASE V4 audit in
2015 ahead of the 2016 industry-wide
implementation have recently completed
an online survey to give their feedback and
experiences in using V4.
88% of respondents agreed that the BASE 4
audit recommendations lead to better safety
performance for the company, rather than
doing something just for the audit, while 12%
said they would rather see a requirement for
scoring 100% as anything less, lessens the
impact and effectiveness of
a recommendation.
gathered and answered; very stringent
scoring requirements; audit template is not
very user friendly and auto calculation is
too cumbersome and did not work; as each
question is required to have a 50% pass
there are a couple of key questions that if
you receive less than 90% you cannot pass
the audit, which seems to lend an unnatural
importance to those few questions.
Concerns ahead of doing new version of
the audit
44% of respondents said they had concerns
going into their first BASE 4 audit; these
concerns included: going into the unknown;
hard to follow question order and derive some
interview questions; worried about how much
more time or other factors that might impact
companies such as lower scores or audit
failure, resulting in higher costs.
After completing their first BASE 4 audit, 67%
of respondents still had concerns while 33%
said they did not. These concerns included
being the same ones as before the audit;
and concerns that audits will fail resulting in
Limited Scope Audits (LSAs); some auditors
felt they had more work to do with a lot of
reading to ensure all information had been
50% of respondents felt the BASE 4 audit
scores were appropriate while 50% did
not because some questions deserved far
more marks than what they are allotted; a
lot of research is required to answer some
questions worth only 2 points; should be less
all or nothing scores; and one respondent said
that overall he did support the scoring but that
there were some questions such as D1.1 that
could sideline the whole audit even if, overall,
things were being done well.
BASE V4 better than BASE V3
Respondents said that the BASE V4 audit was
a better audit than BASE 3 or predecessor
audits, but that some questions were almost
repetitive; brings to light deficiencies that
are actually important to our company; gives
direction for improvement; helps provide
performance goals for future audits; shifting
more emphasis on worker knowledge
SAFETY IS GOOD BUSINESS
Continued on page 6...
2015 DECEMBER FOREST SAFETY NEWS
5
SAFE Companies
Continued from page 5..
and observations from documentation,
meaning safety policies are given “feet”
in the workplace not just “voice”; keeps
company focused throughout the year;
draws attention to areas where we are not
performing at the level we could be; being
observation/interview based, the auditor
can observe human behavior within the
various company processes and make
meaningful recommendations. In total 67% of
respondents preferred BASE V4 to BASE V3,
33% had no preference and none said they
preferred Version 3 over Version 4.
More reasons to like BASE V4
More reasons to like the BASE V4 included:
fewer questions, shortness to complete,
interviews and observation based;
encourages a better safety attitude in
workers; BASE V4 requires managers to
communicate the expectations to workers
more than BASE 3 did. That being said, it
looks like it isn’t intended to be safety at all
costs either, so managers should like the more
balanced approach.
Too hard, too soft, just right?
63% of respondents said the degree of
difficulty in BASE 4 was just right; 25% thought
it was too hard and 12% were unsure. No-one
thought it was too easy.
In their comments, respondents said in some
ways it was easier than V3, in other ways,
harder. The observation was also made that
the automatic choice is always to go with the
version you know, especially if you’re passing
it – because people just don’t like change
even if it is for the better.
While some found it faster to do than V3, one
found it “very time consuming as questions
times are longer not shorter,” and another felt
it was “about the same degree of difficulty”
and another said it was “not an exact fit” for
their company.
On what they felt about the degree of
difficulty for the auditor doing V4, 50% of
respondents said “just right”, 37% said too
difficult and 13% were unsure. They made the
observations that for some auditors it could
be much more difficult especially the write up
and coming up with a decent set of questions
to ask workers who give one word answers.
Another observed that it made the auditor
work harder but that might be just because
it is a new tool and another added that the
auditor needed to ensure all questions within
the questions were answered too.
Would you recommend other companies use
the BASE V4 audit and why?
75% of respondents said yes; 13% said no and
12% didn’t provide an answer. Respondents
6
2015 DECEMBER FOREST SAFETY NEWS
said that why they would recommend
BASE 4 audits was because it showcases
deficiencies in a more productive manner; as
with all audits, it gives guidance for continual
improvement; it is more efficient – a focus on
performance rather than paperwork; it is easy
to use and fairly accurate.
As part of continuous improvement what, if
anything, would you want to see in a future
BASE V5 audit?
Respondents provided the following
suggestions to consider for a future audit
version:
• r eorder questions, but wait till more
companies have had experience with V4
•m
ake documentation requirements more
clear to remove room for misinterpretation
by company and auditor
ake sure all pertinent info within the audit
•m
question required is highlighted
• remove 50% in each question criteria
• c ontinue to increase weighting scores
towards positive results. Maybe eventually
get to the 50% score on any question = fail
• r eview the pointing of questions with the
50% element
Advice for anyone doing BASE 4 for the
first time
Those that have already successfully
completed a BASE V4 audit had the following
advice for anyone doing the BASE 4 audit for
the first time:
et some advice on the difficult or new
•g
questions.
• r ead through everything thoroughly before
beginning the audit.
• r ead each question thoroughly to ensure all
information has been received.
•m
ake sure you have your emergency drills
done and documented prior to your audit.
•b
efore interviewing, be very prepared
by familiarizing yourself with company
processes.
•u
se the workbooks provided but make
sure that you read the audit question
and the guidelines too so that there is no
misinterpretation of the real intent of the
question being asked in the audit.
Thank you
SAFE Companies thanks all survey
respondents and other BASE V4 pilot
companies and auditors for their time and
expertise in sharing their experiences.
Together, through continuous improvement,
we shape better safety outcomes and help
reduce fatalities and serious incidents.
Background on how BASE4 came about
The seeds for V4 were sown in early 2013,
when at the request of industry, a major
renewal of the prequalification system was
SAFETY IS GOOD BUSINESS
started by industry-led Steering and Working
Committees. The general objectives were to
ensure the standard:
• is owned by industry
• is relevant and practical
• meets the needs of licensees and
contractors and
• clearly sets the cascading responsibility for
safety in the workplace by all parties.
Key principles considered in guiding
the redesign
• The system has uniformity and consistency
across industry
• The system has an audit that is not entirely paperbased or paper-driven. It needs to be proactive
– not primarily weighted on paper work
• The system needs to be owned by and
evolve with industry. Council’s role is to
support and administer the system as
required by industry
• There needs to be consequences for failures
• There should be a mechanism for continual
improvement
• The redesign should not be primarily driven
by prime contractor requirements and the
system should focus on having an effective
safety management system in place and
evaluating the contractor’s ability to assign/
assume the role of prime.
Following a discussion paper in November
2013, input was accepted from all industry
participants regarding the proposed changes.
This was followed by pilot audits being
conducted with companies throughout 2014
and based on feedback from the companies
and auditors, adjustments were made, with the
final BASE 4 standard introduced in April 2015.
Between May and December 2015, more than
50 companies have used BASE 4 in 2015.
Training sessions with external and internal
auditors were offered throughout the province,
free-of-charge, through 2015 to help prepare
auditors for the change over from V3 to V4.
Questions about BASE 4
BASE V4 audit forms and tools may be found
here: http://www.bcforestsafe.org/safe_
companies/large_companies/resources.html
Screenshot of a section of the audit web page: http://
www.bcforestsafe.org/safe_companies/large_
companies/resources.html, where all the new BASE
V4 materials are available to view and download.
If you have any questions or comments, please call
SAFE Companies, toll free 1-877-741-1060, or email
[email protected].
Ken Higginbotham joins BC Forest
Safety Council Board as Chair
The Board of the BC Forest Safety Council
is pleased to announce that Kenneth (Ken)
Higginbotham has accepted the role as Chair
of the organization, effective October 1, 2015.
Ken is no stranger to safety or the forest
industry having served numerous forestry
and wood manufacturing entities throughout
his noteworthy career. Ken most recently has
been the facilitator for two key industry safety
groups – the Manufacturing Advisory Group
(MAG) and the Coast Harvesting Advisory
Group (CHAG).
One of Ken’s first orders of business in his
new role, after orientation, will be to lead
the search committee to hire a new CEO
to replace Reynold Hert, who is leaving the
Council at the end of March, 2016.
Reynold has been with the organization for
more than six years, in roles as CEO, Board
Chair, and most recently Chair and CEO. Both
he and the rest of the Board felt it was timely
to separate the roles going forward.
“I am pleased to be handing over the Chair
reins to Ken. Ken has a solid reputation
with manufacturing and harvesting and is a
pleasure to work with,” said Reynold.
Looking forward to new role
Ken said he was looking forward to taking
on this role and the new challenges that will
come with it. “Industry has made significant
progress on safety to date. I look forward to
working with the Board to support initiatives
as identified by industry for continuous safety
improvements from planting to harvesting
and milling,” said Ken. “As an industry, we are
not competitors when it comes to safety.
We all share one focus: to ensure every
forestry worker goes home safe at the end
of each shift.”
Ken holds a MS in Forestry and a Ph.D.
in Botany (Ecology) and has been both
an academic (assistant and associate
professorships) in Botany and Forestry at
two universities, one in the US and one
in Canada, before becoming the Director
of Research, Alberta Forest Service;
Assistant Deputy Minister of Forests, Alberta
Government; and then Vice President
Forestry at Canfor Corporation from 19952012, focused largely on government
relations. Since then, Ken has consulted,
including providing management services
for a sawmill safety organization, MAG,
made up of 10 companies and facilitation of
CHAG, a coastal logging safety organization,
consisting of five of the largest coastal
companies.
A dual Canadian-US citizen, Ken was born in
Denver, Colorado and is currently a resident
of Surrey, BC. When he is not consulting
and championing safety, he can be found
enjoying the great outdoors with his wife, five
children and 13 grandchildren.
Continued from page 1...
(c) “either,
(i) provide the report to the joint
committee or worker health and safety
representative, as applicable, or
(ii) if there is no joint committee or worker
health and safety representative,
strategically post the report at the
workplace.” The background to
the recommendation is: “Evidence
revealed workers were not informed
about results of investigation reports.
The knowledge of such reports can
serve as training information and safety
awareness.”
And, at the Lakeland inquest,
recommendation no. 9 states: “Clarify
the meaning of the term “participation” in
section 174 of the Workers’ Compensation
act to ensure full and meaningful
participation in the investigative process
by both the employer and the worker
representative.” The presiding coroner’s
comment was: “The inquest heard that
access to the Lakeland mill site by the
employer’s representative and a worker
representative was denied or limited,
hampering the employer’s ability to
comply with section 175 of the Workers
Compensation Act.”
All employers and Joint Occupational
Health and Safety Committees need to
ensure that they update their
investigation processes accordingly
to ensure compliance in early 2016.
If you have a question or concern about
this change or how best to implement,
please contact the BC Forest Safety
Council and speak with a safety advisor
at 1-877-741-1060 or email safeco@
bcforestsafe.org.
SAFETY IS GOOD BUSINESS
MAG and BCFSC
respond to inquest
jury recommendations
The Manufacturing Advisory Group (MAG)
and the BC Forest Safety Council have
submitted a letter in response to the jury
recommendations in the inquests into the
deaths of four men at two mill explosions
in 2012.
To view the full letter, please see: http://
www.bcforestsafe.org/files/rep_
ResponseToInquestFindings.pdf
To view the inquest findings: http://www.
pssg.gov.bc.ca/coroners/schedule/index.
htm and to view the feedback received
by the BC Coroners Service, please see:
http://www.pssg.gov.bc.ca/coroners/
schedule/archive/2015/docs/little-rocheresponse.pdf
Don’t forget:
get your audit in
on time!
The countdown begins to the busiest
audit processing time at the BC Forest
Safety Council (BCFSC). It’s December
which means staff will receive between
500 and 800 audits by email, website
upload, mail, courier or in-person delivery.
Here are some tips if you have to meet a
December deadline for filing an audit to
retain SAFE Certification:
- Don’t’ leave it to the last minute!
-W
ork through all the questions twice to
make sure they are all complete.
-C
heck all the required paperwork is
included too.
- If you are not sure about something,
call us first before you send it in (toll
free: 1-877-741-1060 or email safeco@
bcforestsafe.org ). It’s much faster to get
it complete and correct before you send
it in than having to do subsequent followup deliveries/submissions after
the initial one.
-K
eep calm. It will be done quicker than
you think.
2015 DECEMBER FOREST SAFETY NEWS
7
Falling
FTAC and CHAG
have two separate
information gathering
projects underway
Fallers’ opinions are in high demand to help
inform the future of the industry. There are
two research questionnaires in development
that will be wrapped up early in 2016.
FTAC questionnaire
The widest ranging information gathering
questionnaire is being compiled by the
Falling Technical Advisory Committee
(FTAC), supported administratively by the
BC Forest Safety Council (BCFSC). Every
aspect of falling and safety including site
preparation, planning, supervision, training,
inspections, regulations, the faller standard,
qualified assistance, ERP, WorkSafeBC,
BCFSC, unsafe work, etc. is up for
consideration and comment.
The input fallers provide will help shape
numerous future FTAC projects. It is the
first faller survey of its kind that covers all
aspects of fallers’ day to day experiences.
The questionnaire provides fallers with the
opportunity to tell it like it is. Collectively all
the data gathered will help shape better
safety outcomes.
The more fallers that complete the FTAC
survey the more accurate the information
will be on what is really happening. The data
will have an impact on shaping the future of
falling in BC.
The questionnaire will be mailed to certified
fallers (about 2,500 fallers in total). A
pre-paid, return envelope will be included
to make the questionnaire completion
and return process as quick and easy as
possible. FTAC has opted to go the paperroute to help encourage more participants
who most often are at remote locations and
don’t have reliable access to the internet. An
online version will be made available too for
any faller who would prefer to complete the
survey online.
The BCFSC’s falling program manager, Peter
Sprout, welcomed the outreach to fallers for
their valuable opinions. “Fallers have to keep
their heads in the game and fall tree after
tree safely. They know better than anyone
else what makes them safe, unsafe, what
distracts them, what works and what doesn’t.
I really encourage every faller to participate
and share their views.”
CHAG working committee on faller safety
related to road debris and right of way
A second questionnaire survey is being
developed by a Coast Harvesting Advisory
Group working committee. This survey will
focus on faller safety related to road debris
8
2015 DECEMBER FOREST SAFETY NEWS
End to end review
of falling standards
Industry has identified
a need to update the
Faller standard, Qualified
Supervisor/Trainer (QS/T)
standard and Certified Faller
Supervisor (CFS) standard.
Working groups of seasoned,
experienced career fallers
have been gathering at the
BC Forest Safety Council
offices over the past
several weeks to develop
updated Faller, Certified
Falling Supervisor and
Qualified Supervisor/Trainer
standards and review how
qualifications, competencies
and certifications all work
together. WorkSafeBC,
Forestry, Wildfire, Silviculture,
Single Stem/Windfirming,
Oil & Gas, Parks and other
chainsaw users have been
included in the process.
The Falling Technical
Advisory Committee
(FTAC) and the Coast
Harvesting Advisory Group
(CHAG) identified the need to
develop standards for industry
occupations and to review
existing standards – such as
the faller standard – to ensure
fallers are qualified and meet
industry’s needs.
(Left to right) Mark Turnbull, CUA, Jim Bassett, Coastal Forestry
Faller, Richard Banner, Enform help develop modularized faller
standards that allow worker mobility.
(Left to right) Interior Forestry Faller Creole Dufour, Enform
QS/T John Courchesne, Coastal Forestry Faller Greg Clayton
and Wildfire Faller Chris Spronken, part of the expert team
involved in modularizing faller standards.
A standard writer, experienced in
developing competency-based
occupational standards in other
industries, is working with industry to
develop the new standards. The Faller,
and right of way. Fallers as well as engineers,
road construction crews, blasters, planners
and others will be surveyed to determine
what best practice is, to ensure fallers are
not put in harms’ way through the actions of
phases before they arrive on the block.
Results of each of the surveys will be shared
upon completion as well as analysis of the
SAFETY IS GOOD BUSINESS
Qualified Supervisor/Trainer (QS/T)
and Certified Faller Supervisor (CFS)
standards are all under revision with a
single focus and objective: to ensure
improved safety outcomes based on
consistent, competency requirements.
For the falling standards, well respected,
qualified fallers, CFSs, QS/Ts and
findings. Forest Safety News will provide links
to the final reports as they are made available.
If you do not receive an FTAC questionnaire
by the middle of January, please email faller@
bcforestsafe.org or call toll-free 1-877-7411060. All completed surveys should be back
at the BCFSC by the end of January for data
input and analysis.
Latest New Faller Training
WorkSafeBC have been involved
in the process. WorkSafeBC has
also provided partial funding for
the creation of the revised faller
certification standard.
The first step in the process has been
occupational analysis – describing
the occupation. The second step is
developing and drafting the standard
and assessment tools. The third step
is testing these tools out in the woods
and then revising them as required.
The fourth step is an ongoing check
in with all industry parties and other
industry stakeholders to review and
explore the proposed new standards
and ensure that everyone is in
agreement that the revised standard
meets the objective of keeping fallers
safe while working in industry. A final
draft will be reviewed by the industry
steering committee, FTAC, CHAG, the
Oil/Gas and Wildfires Services groups,
the program committee and board
of the BC Forest Safety Council as
well as the Faller Standard Advisory
Committee (FSAC), which in turn will
recommend to WorkSafeBC that it
adopt the updated faller and QS/T
standards as acceptable to the Board
to align with regulation. WorkSafeBC
will be informed of the progress for the
CFS standard as it is industry
best practice and doesn’t require
WorkSafeBC approval.
The new standards will also allow for
modularization of content that will
better suit the needs of different users
of the standard for different industries,
which will allow for better, safer, worker
mobility between industries e.g. oil
and gas to wildfire and industry
production falling.
The development and implementation
of the new standards are the key
workplan items for the falling and
training departments at the BC Forest
Safety Council, with completion dates
of September and December 2016
respectively for the Faller Certification
standard and the QS/T standard;
and, the Certified Faller Supervisor
standard.
Training courses will also be revised
accordingly in 2016 to meet the new
standard requirements, as well as
revised quality assurance processes.
One of the latest New Faller Training sessions was held in Sointula from Sept 14 to Oct 17, 2015.
All training is done one-to-one, that is one instructor dedicated to one faller for the duration of the
training. (From left to right) Paul McCaffrey, trainer; new faller trainees, Shane Burma and Patrick Bush;
and trainer, John Jacobsen.
New booklet in development
on key faller safety tips
The falling department will be researching and publishing a new safety
information tool on key faller safety tips. The finished booklet will follow a similar
size and format of the Fit to Log booklets, and contain the most valuable tips that
incident-free fallers over 30, 35, 40 and 45 year careers believe to be what has
kept them safe and out of the bite.
Copies will be distributed with card renewals in 2016. An electronic format will also
be available on the BC Forest Safety Council website.
Cross industry input on faller standards
The Faller Standard Advisory Committee (FSAC), comprised of administrators
approved by WorkSafeBC, has the goal to ensure that the Faller Standard meets
the needs of each industry sector and allows for worker mobility between the
sectors. The FSAC was recently restructured. Previously FSAC was chaired and
driven by WorkSafeBC with industry participants. WorkSafeBC has approved
that the FSAC will be industry-driven going forward to better ensure industry’s
needs are met. Newly appointed, independent chair, Geoff Stevens, will lead the
transition. FSAC members include the BC Forest Safety Council representing
fallers in the BC forestry industry, Enform representing fallers in the oil and gas
industry in Canada, and BC Wildfire Services representing fallers within the BC
Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations. WorkSafeBC will
continue to have representation on the committee.
SAFETY IS GOOD BUSINESS
2015 DECEMBER FOREST SAFETY NEWS
9
Training
Feedback on
recent courses
Advanced Incident Investigation Training:
September 25, 2015
Participants indicated that course expectations
were met and they would recommend the
course to others. Their overall trainer rating
ranged from very good to excellent.
Program Standards for
Yarding Occupations
Strengths of the course were identified as
content, presentation and level of detail shared
as well as the experience of the trainer.
At the request and direction of industry, led by the Coast Harvesting Advisory Group
(CHAG), the BC Forest Safety Council has supported completing all competency
standards and assessment tools for six yarding occupations: chokerperson, rigging
slinger, landing/utility person, hook tender, tower operator and grapple yarder operator.
Feedback from Basic Incident Investigation
Training: September 24, 2015
Course feedback ranged from very good to
excellent, with two participants indicating that
the course had exceeded their expectations
with all participants saying they would
recommend the course to others.
Strengths of the course included content and
delivery; interactive participation; all content
based on real life examples.
Other strengths included giving insight on
identifying causes and linking to corrective
actions; and learning about WorkSafeBC
investigation requirements; and learning to
always wait for the right answer – give
a witness time.
Calling high school students
to submit safety video
entries about impairment
Impairment in the workplace is the theme of the
2016 WorkSafeBC Student Safety Video Contest
for students in BC in grades 8 to 12. Entrants need
to create a two-minute original video that explores
the topic of impairment in the workplace, and
what employers and workers can do to address it.
As we all know, impairment at work affects
everyone. Fatigue, alcohol, and drugs are
all forms of impairment that can affect
workplace safety.
Industry is required to be able to demonstrate that every operator is qualified to
operate a piece of equipment in a manner that is defensible as/if required by regulators
or investigating authorities should something go wrong. “In a worst case it is about
defense; but in a best case it is about ensuring that every worker knows best practice
in doing his/her work; has the knowledge, training and skill to safety and productively
operate a piece of equipment at all times,” said Russel Robertson, Director, Programs
and Training, BCFSC.
Resources you can use
BC Forest Safety Council resource links:
Access to all safety resource sections:
http://www.bcforestsafe.org/safety_info.html
Resource Packages:
http://www.bcforestsafe.org/safety_info/resource_packages.html
YouTube channel videos: https://www.youtube.com/user/BCForestSafety
Posters and stickers order form: http://www.bcforestsafe.org/node/2485
Video submissions are due by April 1, 2016. A
total of $10,000 in prize money is available for
students and schools. One entry will also advance
to a national youth video content to compete for
additional prizes and bragging rights.
To help inspire a future of safe and healthy young
workers, share this information with students and
teachers you might know in your communities.
For details, rules, and entry forms, please see
www.worksafebc.com/studentvideocontest or
email questions to [email protected].
2015 DECEMBER FOREST SAFETY NEWS
The project team compiled occupational analysis charts for the six yarding jobs. From
these charts, 31 units of competency were developed reflecting the scope of activities
across the six occupations. Field tests of the draft standards are underway – taking
place at several operations on the coast and in the interior. Subject to user feedback,
the process and documentation will be finalized and posted on the BCFSC website by
the end of March 2016. Coaching for supervisors on how to use the standards on-thejob will be scheduled in the first half of 2016. These sessions will be included in the
annual training calendar so please check here starting in January 2016:
http://www.bcforestsafe.org/fscapps/calendar/calendar.php
The three main individuals and companies that made this work possible are: Stu Smith
(contractor), Ron Boe (Western), and Sam Stanko (Island Timberlands).
BASE 4 Upgrade Training: October 2, 2015
Feedback ranged from very good to excellent,
with all participants indicating that course
expectations were met and that they would
recommend the course to others.
10
The guiding principle for the project was to meet industry’s need for a “tool box” to
support the training and assessment of yarding workers.
SAFER links:
The Safety Advisory Foundation for Education and Research (SAFER) http://
www.safer.ca/ was created more than 27 years ago through broad negotiations
between the IWA Canada (now United Steelworkers) and FIR on the coast and the
IFLRA in the southern interior for the 1988-1991 master collective agreements in
both regions. The organization continues to be jointly managed by USW, FIR, and
the IFLRA where the industry and the union enjoy equal representation. SAFER’s
mission is to assist workers and employers in the BC forest industry to improve
incident prevention and create a healthy environment, both on and off the job.
Some of the tools SAFER provides includes helpful video and other tailgate tools.
Please see: https://www.youtube.com/user/SAFERCouncil/videos and
http://www.safer.ca/links.htm#talks.
SAFETY IS GOOD BUSINESS
Transportation
Upcoming
Training
If you would like to see how a training
course can meet your organization’s
needs, please let us know. We are
committed to working with you to find
the right training solution. We may be
able to tailor a program to your specific
needs and deliver it in a way that is
most convenient for your operations.
Small Employer OHS and
Small Employer OHS
refresher course:
December 3 December 3 December 10 A big shout out to all log truck drivers!
YOU are making a difference in safety
• More than 50% reduction in log truck rollovers on public roads
• Consistently downward tracking of log truck incidents on all roads
Thanks to everyone’s efforts across industry – most importantly log truck drivers – log truck
rollovers are down significantly. You are making our roads safer, reducing injuries and lost
time, as well as preventing damage to trucks and roads. Keep up the good work!
Log Truck Rollovers in BC
2013 - 2015 (YTD)
51
39
Kamloops
Langley
Prince George
All Rollovers
Public Roads
Forestry Roads
Unknown
28
Forest Supervisor Training:
17
Module 1: Due Diligence
Module 2: Communications
8
4
14
7
8
4
5
1
Module 3. Leadership
December 1 December 2 December 3 Vernon (Module 1)
Vernon (Module 2)
Vernon (Module 3)
IOO & IOO Refresher:
December 5 December 12 December 19 Langley
Prince George
Teleconference
Basic Incident Investigation
December 10
Vernon
Advanced Incident
Investigation
December 11
Vernon
As the 2016 training calendar was in
the process of being finalized at the
time of going to print, please check
our website regularly for updates. See
bcforestsafe.org/fscapps/calendar/
calendar.php. Check back often as
course dates do change too. Email
[email protected] or call
toll-free 1-877-741-1060 for more
information.
2013
2014
2015
Please note: The above data is compiled by transportation safety, BC Forest Safety Council as an
indicator of industry data. It is highly probable that there are additional rollovers that are not included
in this summary. Current data sources include: media reports, reports to WorkSafeBC, Commercial
Vehicle Safety Enforcement (CVSE), and reports to the BC Forest Safety Council. Public Roads include
highways, community and municipal road ways. Forestry Roads include all resource roads, on-block
roads and mill sites.
“Over two years, we have seen a more than 50% reduction in rollovers on public roads,” said
Dustin Meierhofer, Director Transportation and Northern Safety, BC Forest Safety Council.
“This improvement has been achieved through an industry-wide response – from safety
groups to licensees, contractors, subcontractors and individual owner operators – the log
truck drivers.”
He said that a big contributing factor was the attendance of more than 2,400 drivers, loader
men and supervisors to Anatomy of a Rollover, Standard of Care and other safety seminars in
2014 and 2015. “It was a big push by industry to get as many people through those sessions
to speak frankly about rollover elements and the factors that have the most influence on both
positive and negative safety outcomes involving driving and logging trucks in particular.”
“Log haulers and Industry should feel really proud of what they have achieved to date. We
need to stay focused on doing the basics well and getting every load and driver safely to
their destination,” he said.
The Trucking Advisory Group (TAG), the Log Truck Technical Advisory Committee (LTTAC) and
other industry groups will continue to work on different and emerging aspects of log truck
safety – including training standards for new log truck drivers – to ensure that every new
log truck driver benefits from learning the details of how to safely operate a log truck under
variable road, weather and operational conditions.
SAFETY IS GOOD BUSINESS
2015 DECEMBER FOREST SAFETY NEWS
11
Overall smooth roll-out
of new resource road
radio channels
Government, industry and radio providers
should be pleased that the complaints
about the new resource road radio channel
implementations across the province have
been very few and far between. In fact, it
seems overwhelmingly, everyone has a
good story to tell, once they got their gear
properly set by certified radio technicians.
The latest roll-out that started on November
16, 2015 was for the Chilliwack Natural
Resource District, the most densely
populated forest district in the province and
covering approximately 1.4 million hectares.
All forest service and other road permit
road users must have the new channels
programmed into their mobile radios by
certified radio technicians. New signs
posted on local resource roads will advise
which radio channels to use and provide
the communication protocols, including the
road name and required calling intervals.
Vehicle operators using mobile radios to
communicate their location and direction of
travel must use the posted radio channels
and call protocols.
All resource road users should exercise
additional caution during the transition.
Drivers are reminded that forest service
roads are radio-assisted, not radiocontrolled, and to always drive safely
according to the road and weather
conditions.
Transportation
Water transportation can put
forestry workers at risk
Whether you are on the coast or in the interior, a number of forestry operators are
dependent on water transportation to take workers and product to and from worksites. An
incident earlier this year reminds all of us that we need to keep water transportation safety
top of mind.
In an earlier edition of Forest Safety News, we shared information about the sinking of a
barge carrying tree planters to a worksite off Vancouver Island, and that the Transportation
Safety Board (TSB) was investigating. According to information on the TSB website, the
investigation is nearing completion, as it is in the third and final phase of the investigation –
namely the report phase – into the sinking of the self-propelled barge, Lasqueti Daughters,
on March 14, 2015. The vessel took on water and sank in Georgia Strait with 17 people
on board. The master, owner and reforestation workers abandoned the vessel prior to its
sinking. The vessel was later salvaged and towed to Campbell River.
A confidential draft report was approved by the TSB and sent to persons and organizations
directly concerned by the report. These parties have had the opportunity to review and
comment on the content of the report. The TSB is now considering any feedback received
before approving the final report, which will be released to the public.
The first two phases in the investigation were the field phase, where a team of investigators
examined the occurrence site and wreckage, interviewed witnesses and collected pertinent
information; and the examination and analysis phase, where pertinent records were
reviewed, components of the wreckage tested, sequence of events determined and safety
deficiencies identified.
The final report is expected to be released in the coming weeks. See http://www.tsb.gc.ca/
eng/enquetes-investigations/marine/2015/m15p0035/m15p0035.asp for more information.
Channel 13 came with a twist
There was one twist in the rollout. Resource
Road Radio Channel 13 became “squelching
noise” for heavy duty trucks equipped with
a particular navigation system, namely the
Kenworth Nautilus navigation system. The
navigation system created interference
with Channel 13 resulting in the “noise”.
The contractor affected solved the issue
by installing an on/off switch in his trucks,
allowing the navigation system to be shut off
while the trucks are operating on resource
roads. Safety advisors, however, are still
hearing of issues out in the field.
Kenworth, Industry Canada and the Ministry
of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource
Operations (MFLNRO) are aware of the issue
and investigations are continuing.
If you have had an experience of
interference on any of the new channels,
please let MFLNRO and/or the BC Forest
Safety Council know so that any fixes,
if needed, may be shared with others.
Call 1-877-741-1060 or email transport@
bcforestsafe.org.
12
2015 DECEMBER FOREST SAFETY NEWS
(Left) The barge, Lasqueti Daughters, sinks earlier this year in Georgia Strait; and (right) a
Transportation Safety Board investigator photographs and examines the barge after it was towed into
Campbell River. (Photos courtesy of the Transportation Safety Board.)
Local resource road safety committees
have worked with the MFLNRO and Industry
Canada to implement these changes. To
learn more about resource road radio
SAFETY IS GOOD BUSINESS
communications protocols and to view
maps, please see: www.for.gov.bc.ca/hth/
engineering/Road_Radio_Project.htm or
contact Industry Canada at 1-800-667-3780.
Wear your seatbelt!
Adrian Sunduk, a life-time log hauler has an
important message to share: a seat belt saved
his life in a logging truck rollover. Seat belts
save lives.
The Trucking Advisory Group and the BC
Forest Safety Council has released a new
video encouraging all forestry workers – and
log truck drivers in particular – to wear their
seat belts at all times.
The almost eight minute video features log
truck driver, Adrian Sunduk, as he shares his
story of why how a seat belt saved his life.
Before attending an Anatomy of a Rollover
session, he had never worn a seat belt off
highway because he had always planned
to jump out of the truck if ever he got into
a situation … See what convinced him that
he was wrong and how wearing a seat
belt saved his life. Watch the video: www.
bcforestsafe.org/seatbelt. Share it with your
crews. Seat belts really do save lives.
Your chances of surviving a motor vehicle
accident increase dramatically if you are
wearing your seat belt properly because
seat belts hold you in place upon impact.
Occupants in the vehicle who are not
properly restrained can cause significant
injury to themselves. Where there is more
than one occupant in the vehicle, fatalities
or serious injuries can result to or by any
unrestrained occupant(s) including hitting
and killing the driver during a collision. In
BC, ICBC data (2003) shows that vehicle
occupants who do not wear seat belts
are 2.4 times more likely to die during an
incident as a result of ejection as compared
to those not being ejected; and, are 13 times
more likely to be ejected from a vehicle
during a crash.
The charts above from the Government
of Canada show the percentage of driver
and passenger fatalities and serious
injuries where victims were not using seat
belts (2009-2013); and the percentage
of fatalities and serious injuries by type
of road user – driver, passenger, etc. The
statistics include all reported incidents
(on and off highway). Serious injuries are
defined by need to be admitted to hospital
for treatment or observation. More stats
can be found here: https://www.tc.gc.
ca/eng/motorvehiclesafety/resourcesresearchstats-menu-847.htm
SAFETY IS GOOD BUSINESS
2015 DECEMBER FOREST SAFETY NEWS
13
Health and Wellness
The new miracle cure, guaranteed to
increase your lifespan by years
By Dr. Delia Roberts
Please note: If you haven’t been exercising regularly it’s important to check with your physician before
beginning a program of physical activity to make sure that you are not at risk for cardiovascular disease or
have any other health concerns. Neither the author nor the sponsoring organizations are responsible for any
illness or injury that may result from this program, if you chose to follow it you do so entirely at your own risk.
If you feel faint or experience pain while doing these exercises seek medical attention immediately.
If there were a way to bottle it, we’d be able
to reverse the rapidly rising healthcare costs
and improve everything about life quality
from sleep to brain function to sex. Sound
unbelievable? For once these claims are true,
the catch is that the cure requires you to work
up a sweat. Yep, we are talking about that
ugly, nagging thing that lives at the bottom
of your list – exercise. And yet, as much as
we think physical activity is painful, we all
know someone who seems to actually enjoy
exercise. So what are the benefits of physical
activity and how can you turn it from a chore
into something to look forward to?
Most powerful wellness benefits come
from exercise
A program of regular physical activity will
lower your all mortality risk by as much as
50%. It doesn’t matter what disease you
are worried about, or what bad habits you
might have. Exercise will help to improve your
current health status and prevent you from
developing a disease in the future. Diabetes,
kidney failure, heart disease, hypertension
and stroke, cancer, obesity, osteoporosis,
Alzheimer’s, low back pain, depression,
osteoarthritis, and lung disease, the list goes
on and on. Exercise can even delay many
of the changes that we attribute to aging.
There is no other known treatment that even
comes close to being as powerful as plain old
physical activity.
As little as one hour a week of
walking = benefits
It gets better. As little as one hour of walking
per week can reduce the risk of all-cause
mortality. The type of exercise that you
choose doesn’t matter that much. You don’t
need any fancy equipment or a high level of
skill. And the more you exercise, the greater
the benefit. Physical activity that would burn
1000 kcal per week (approximately 5 hours
of easy walking, 3 hours of chopping wood
or raking leaves, 2 hours of hockey, weight
lifting or swimming, 1 hour of running or
uphill mountain biking) will reduce your risk
of dying from any cause by 20-30%. Double
14
2015 DECEMBER FOREST SAFETY NEWS
that amount of exercise and extend your life
span by 1-2 years. Just 30 minutes per day of
moderately vigorous activity will protect you
against diabetes, breast and colon cancer.
All that’s essential is that you work up a
sweat. Breathe deeply, get your heart rate up
and MOVE!
Breaking down the barriers
So with all these powerful benefits why is it
that only 49% of Canadians get any regular
physical activity? The reasons that I hear cited
most often are:
1. I don’t have time. When you head to the
block at 2:00 am and don’t get home till
5:00 the following evening it’s pretty hard
to muster up the energy to put on your
sweatpants let alone go to the gym. And then
there is the one kid that has soccer practice,
the other that has a music lesson, and the
chores that you didn’t get done last night
because you were too tired.
Solution: The truth of the matter is that you
don’t have time not to exercise. The metabolic
clock is ticking. Every day that you don’t get
out of your machine, up from your desk or
off the couch takes you closer to that oneway trip to missing out on seeing your kids/
grandkids grow up. Exercise doesn’t have
to take time away from your family, get them
to walk with you, kick a ball around the back
yard (and run after it), or give everyone a
shovel and clear your walk by hand instead
of using the snow-blower. Once you get out
the door and get started you’ll find that not
only do you feel better, your family will have
fun sharing these activities. Light to moderate
exercise doesn’t deplete your energy level,
it invigorates you, makes you feel more alert
and when you do go to bed, improves the
quality of your sleep so that you wake up
more rested – it makes your energy level into
a renewable resource!
It also turns out that three 10-minute sessions
of exercise are as beneficial as one 30-minute
session. So instead of standing around
waiting for the morning meeting, do a few
SAFETY IS GOOD BUSINESS
calisthenics (e.g. lunges, jumping jacks, sit
ups, crunches, push ups, etc.) to warm up.
When you tighten your wrappers walk around
the truck five times and check the tires at
the same time. Add in a few jumping jacks,
squats and standing push-ups to protect your
shoulders and you’ve a great little “exercise”
session in your work boots. If you’re an
equipment operator it makes sense to do a
walk around, so every couple of hours get out
of your machine and walk a bit while swinging
your arms to get the blood circulating. Side
bends and a few lunge walks will loosen
up your back and activate your core. If you
work in an office walk the long way round
when you visit the washroom, and take the
stairs rather than the elevator. Get an office
challenge going around lunchtime physical
activity, a walking group, bike ride or
yoga session.
2. It hurts too much. When you aren’t used
to exercising a great deal of the “pain” is just
getting used to the sensations of breathing
deeply and using your muscles. While pain is
a very important warning sign there is a big
difference between injury/destructive pain
and the discomfort of under used muscles.
Solution: Learn to tell the difference; are you
truly lacking in oxygen or are your breathing
muscles as out of shape as the rest of you?
About 15% of the energy cost of exercise is
due to the work of muscles that inflate your
lungs. Slow your breathing down and count 2
seconds to inhale, 2 to exhale, to make sure
you empty and fill your lungs fully. Once you
get used to it, you won’t feel as out of breath;
muscle pain during easy exercise is most
often just the tissue waking up. Shake out
your arms, and think about relaxing into the
movement. If you need to – stop and gently
stretch the angry muscle, rub or shake it out
to get some blood into the area and tell the
nerves to relax; muscle pain the next day
that peaks at 48 hours is caused by muscle
rebuilding. It hurts like heck but it’s a sign
you are getting stronger and after a couple
of weight lifting sessions it shouldn’t happen
any longer. A good cool down, hot bath
and gentle stretching will help to ease the
stiffness and soreness.
3. It’s embarrassing. The culture of your
workplace might not support the idea of
lacing up your running shoes, the other
guys are sure to laugh if they see you
skipping rope at the landing. It’s been so
long since you’ve ridden a bike or kicked
a ball you’ve forgotten how. What if your
kid or grandkid is better at it than you are?
Solution: You can hide in the crowd or
you can be a leader of positive change.
Besides, you’ll be the one laughing when
you’ve dropped 20 lbs and feel great.
And if your kid or grandkid gets to show
you how to score a goal they will be as
happy as you’ll ever see them! Remember
the joy of a child riding a bike for the first
time? The freedom, the possibilities! Find
an activity that makes you feel like a kid,
or something that you can share with
friends. Walk or jog with a buddy and
the miles will be gone before you know
it. If you can’t give up your favorite TV
shows then ride a stationary bike, walk
the treadmill, or elliptical while watching.
Take up tennis or basketball again. It
won’t take long before you start to feel
better and your old skills come back.
In the end, the embarrassment of not
being good at exercise is far less than the
embarrassment of lying in a hospital bed
with your butt showing through the gap in
the gown. Which scenario do you want for
your family? Your life?
If your work doesn’t get you up and
moving, there is no question that it is
hard to fit physical activity into your day.
But every step you take has payback, in
health, happiness and energy. As tired
as you feel heading out that door, you’ll
feel better, think better and sleep better
after getting in your exercise. So give it a
try, the only thing you have to lose is the
extra weight around your belly and the
likelihood of developing a nasty disease.
Have any health and wellness questions
for Dr. Roberts for a future column? Email
[email protected] or call toll-free at
1-877-741-1060.
New Year’s resolutions:
just one thing
Soon we are going to be bombarded with
questions about New Year’s resolutions,
which if made, never last beyond the middle
of January for many of us. Various research
sources indicate about 40% of people make
New Year’s resolutions each year and overall 8%
fully commit to them and achieve them over 6
months or longer. The older you get though, the
shorter the staying power, on average.
So what do people make resolutions about
most of the time? Turns out self-improvement,
education, health, weight-loss, lifestyle and
relationships, are highly ranked according to:
http://www.statisticbrain.com/new-yearsresolution-statistics/.
The top 10 resolutions in 2015 were:
1. Lose weight
2. Get organized
3. Spend less, save more
4. Enjoy life to the fullest
5. Stay fit and healthy
6. Learn something exciting
7. Quit smoking
8. Help others
9. Fall in love
10. Spend more time with family
Whether you are considering making a health
and wellness resolution or not, it’s always good
to be reminded that we really can do a lot of
good by just trying one thing – one small thing,
because doing one small thing is a lot bigger
than doing nothing!
It doesn’t matter where you are on the health
and fitness spectrum, doing one thing can make
a difference in improving quality of life, health
and wellness. Here’s a quick summary of five
different “one thing” ideas you might like to
consider. Remember, you can come up with your
own “one thing” best suited to your personal
health/wellness wish too.
One thing: Take your dinner plate and replace it
with a smaller one to help you eat smaller portions
if you want to reduce calorie intake without much
effort. Take one cookie not two, etc.
One thing: In your mind, divide your dinner
plate into four sections. “MyPlate” is the current
nutrition guide
published by the
United States
Department of Agriculture to help people see
how best to combine food groups and in what
proportion: Learn more here: http://www.
choosemyplate.gov/MyPlate
One thing: Walk every day and increase the
distance over time, at your own pace. One
walk of 10 minutes every day is a lot better
than no walk. Two walks of 10 minutes or
more a day is twice as good! Here’s the latest
“benefits of walking” study, out of Australia.
They followed 3,000 people for 15 years to
prove longer, healthier lives are achieved: http://
www.theguardian.com/society/2015/nov/05/
walking-benefits-increasing-daily-steps-linkedlonger-life-study-shows
One thing: If you smoke 30, 20 or 10 cigarettes
a day, only put 29, 19 or 9 in your box for the day.
You won’t miss one. Then the following week,
put 28, 18 or 8, etc. and so on. Reduce at your
pace. It all adds up to benefits. Some people can
go cold turkey. Most can’t. Find what works for
you. Often one less, then one less, and then one
less, gives you the control and will power if you
don’t like nicotine gums and other replacement
support. See http://www.niquitin.co.uk/Articles/
ready-to-take-control/quit-one-cigarette-at-atime/ and http://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/
health/health-drug-coverage/pharmacare-forbc-residents/what-we-cover/drug-coverage/
bc-smoking-cessation-program
One thing: reduce the sugar in your foods and
drinks (coffees, teas, etc.) by one measure for
one week, then another one and so on; keep
using the same amount for a few days till it
tastes just as sweet as it did before and then go
for a little less. See http://www.mayoclinic.org/
healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/
in-depth/added-sugar/art-20045328?pg=2 for
more information on added sugars.
One thing: We have one life to live.
If you would like to share one thing you have
done to improve your health and wellness
or achieve a personal goal, email editor@
bcforestsafe.org or call toll-free: 1-877-741-1060.
If you like coffee, you are going to love this news
Dr. David Perlmutter is an expert on brain
health, known for his analysis and opinions
on what we eat and how that and good gut
bacteria impact our brain health. One of his
latest blog posts is sure to make lots of us feel
good or at least a little better about our coffee
consumption. Of course, we need to point out
that the research he is referencing focused on
the benefits of coffee. When we consistently
have too many double-doubles (creams
and sugars), we’re stepping up health risks
attributed to fats and added sugars. But, given
the very real concerns for all of us about brain
health, especially for everyone over 50: Go
have another coffee! Cut the cream (replace
with milk) and reduce the sugar each time.
See http://bit.ly/1PbaDLP for Dr. Perlmutter’s
blogpost on coffee and the related research
at the Harvard T.H.
Chan School of Public
Health research:
http://www.hsph.
harvard.edu/news/
multimedia-article/
benefits/
SAFETY IS GOOD BUSINESS
2015 DECEMBER FOREST SAFETY NEWS
15
Send in your artwork
Kid’s Corner
The winner of the
model log truck is
Braeden Coburn!
Children are welcome to send in their artwork
for publication, showing safe work activities in
forestry – harvesting, logging, falling, log trucking,
manufacturing, etc. Send them to: the editor, Forest
Safety News, 420 Albert Street, Nanaimo BC V9R
2V7. Little loot bags are sent to all the artists who
send in their artwork, and their names are entered
into an annual end-of-year draw for a chance to win
a model logging truck.
Graiden Helm
Forest Safety News is pleased to announce that
Braeden Coburn (6), of Powell River, is the winner of the
2nd annual model log truck draw. Braeden sent in his
artwork which appeared in the February 2015 edition. His
drawing showed his dad safely falling a tree. The model
log truck was generously made and donated again
this year by Alan Sommerville, of Duncan. Thank you
Alan! And, congratulations Braeden! Your truck will be
delivered to you later this month.
All the kids who sent in artwork to Forest Safety News
in 2015 had their names entered into a draw for the log
truck, including Cameron Rice (7), of Mission, and siblings
Hailey Helm (8) and Graiden Helm (7), of Nanaimo, who
sent in the super artwork shown below.
Cameron Rice
Cameron’s dad is a faller, and “Safety is Number 1,” says
Cameron. Well done Cameron! That is a very important
message for all of us, especially those of us who work in
the woods and in the mills.
Hailey and Graiden’s dad is a heli-faller and Level 3 first
aider working in the Ucluelet area. He is shown in both
their fabulous drawings with all his PPE on, to help keep
him safe. Well done!
Hailey Helm
Thanks Cameron, Hailey and Graiden! Loot bags are in
the mail.
Remember who you
are going to be safe for
today and every day!
ABOUT Forest Safety News
Forest Safety News is published six times a year: February, April, June,
August, October and December. All submissions – letters to the editor,
safety tips, photos, safety stories, concerns etc. – are welcome. The
opinions expressed in the newsletter are not necessarily those of the
editor, staff or board of the BC Forest Safety Council. All decisions to
publish materials rest with the editor. 12,000 copies of each edition
are distributed via mail or email. Additional copies are distributed at
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Have a story, letter to the editor, safety tip, ideas or photos? Please
send all submissions to:
The editor
Forest Safety News
420 Albert Street
Nanaimo BC V9R 2V7
Call 1-877-741-1060 or
email [email protected]
www.bcforestsafe.org