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WFP Hazard Alert
Click here to view the WFP Hazard Alert.

Click here to view the 2005 Stop The Killing: BC Forest Fatalty Summit video.

WorkSafe BC & You - Assistance with filling out claim forms, reporting unsfae workplaces, and getting a WorkSafe BC Inspector to your worksite.

Click here for your information on your right to refuse unsafe work.

Safe Workplaces... Our Right, Our Responsibility

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Forest Worker Safety Network

fwsn 2008

THIS FIRST:

Standing on the Edge - WorkSafeBC Video
WThe Road To Better Safety
Youtube.com Logging Video Feature Pick

fwsn 2008

STANDING ON THE EDGE - WORKSAFEBC VIDEO
WorkSafeBC produces another hard-edged video that safety awareness on the workplace into focus.

This video graphically shows how workplace injuries and fatalities can be shocking and life-changing. (This video contains graphic content that may be disturbing to some viewers. Viewer discretion is advised.) The haunting soundtrack will more than help you remember this hard-edged video.

This video courtesy of WorkSafeBC Youtube Channel.

Something to say about this video? Email us at: info@fwsn.org.


Truck in Logyard

THE ROAD TO BETTER SAFETY
Long before cell phones, many truckers on BC’s northern logging roads used two-way radios to conduct their daily operations as well as for road safety.

A pilot program has been initiated in the South Peace region of BC to reduce radio interference, and enhance road safety with truckers, and the lessons learned are now being implemented.

In the Beginning

Long before cell phones, many truckers on BC’s northern logging roads used two-way radios to conduct their daily operations as well as for road safety. In those days there were not as many radio-equipped trucks, as the radios were bulky and expensive. In fact, it was mostly only the larger companies that used them and each radio was capable of only a few crystal-controlled channels.

Frequency Congestion

In the last 30 years, however, times have changed greatly. Not only are there more roads and trucks, the radios themselves have become less expensive and each one can hold a vast amount of channels. This led to an increase in interference problems not only within other parts of BC, but also anywhere else the trucks traveled, such as into Alberta.

Truck with tri-drive.So in the last ten years, in an effort to not only reduce the amount of interference, but also to enhance road safety, the number of frequencies assigned to resource use were reduced and consolidated which allowed for better channel management. These methods did work to some extent, but more work still needed to be done to address ongoing safety and frequency management concerns as the number of users continued to grow.

The Pilot Program

To better address the issue, a pilot program was introduced in the South Peace area of B.C. starting in 2009 to see if the situation could be handled more effectively. Among the parties involved were the BC Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations, FPInnovations, the BC Forest Safety Council, Industry Canada, and the North East Road Safety Committee, with its membership of the many oil and gas, forestry and mining companies operating in the Peace area of BC Special recognition also goes to the numerous companies, radio equipment suppliers, contractors, and recreational resource road users whose willingness to participate in the pilot and whose valuable feedback helped to shape the final protocols to be implemented province wide.

Three main components were targeted in the program:

1 – Standardized road signs – these indicate what radio channel to use
2 – Standardized calling procedures – This relates the proper radio “lingo”
3 – And finally, a more effective use of existing radio channels.


The pilot project saw the first two aspects successfully implemented. However effective two-way radio usage was still lacking due to some of the technical complexities involved.

In the pilot, 28 frequencies were used, along with what is known as “tones”. Each frequency could therefore be split into three “channels” by assigning three separate tones to each frequency. In theory, if properly used in the field, this meant that 84 channels could be assigned to a region, keeping unrelated radio conversations separate from each other.

Safety Problems Being Addressed

There were some problems identified during the pilot program due to the complexity in the technical system design; so a simpler approach is being implemented in the South Peace that will be incrementally rolled out across BC in the years to come.

Courtesy of Logging and Samill Journal - Forestnet.com.

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FWSN Media Room

The Forest Worker Safety Network regularly reviews logging videos on YouTube.com. The video below is our feature pick for this month. Click the video screen if you wish to enlarge the video for viewing on in new browser window on the Youtube.com website.  [top]

Boring - A Danger Cat Bucking Tip

In this video, Danger Cat has a 54" cut that he is boring into to show that it's possible to do without having the chain kick back into your face. This is a very hard, higher elevation old growth prairie fir. he notes that just after the tip gets buried, it's critical that a twist is applied to the bar and it's easier to go to the left. The bar and chain are put in a slight bind, which if done correctly, will all but eliminate the chance of a "kick back". He says it's important to bore out the heartwood when the butt is suspended so the damage is kept to a minimum. He says he would have bored in once and gutted it all except the goal was to show that it's possible with consecutive examples, not a one time fluke. Video Courtesy of Danger Cat.

Something to say about this video? Email us at: info@fwsn.org.

 

Safe Workplaces... Our Right, Our Responsibility

A USW Health & Safety Production - Click to view.
USW OH&S Video

FWSN Tailgate Talk

Safe Workplaces... Our Right, Our Responsibility

Day of Mourning - April 28th

Forest Worker Safety Network

The Forest Workers Safety Network (FWSN) is an initiative of United Steelworkers (USW) District 3, which represents over 20,000 forest workers in British Columbia.

In light of rising forest industry fatalities and injuries, the FWSN has been formed as a response to a demand for a worker-focused information and networking system. The FWSN is available to all BC forest workers, at no cost, whether or not they are members of the United Steelworkers (USW) union.

The FWSN is initiating its activities by disseminating information developed for BC Coastal loggers and woodlands employees, from stump to dump and beyond. We are also collecting information on safety issues in the sector and on urgent and pressing issues that groups of workers and individuals face. We provide general health and safety information and information on the USW’s ongoing efforts to stop needless fatalities and injuries.

There will be regular communications for all workers who sign up.

Join the Forest Workers Safety Network today!  [top]

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