SHARP TELEVISION
CAMPAIGN PROVIDES
EFFECTIVE SAFETY MESSAGE
A series of five television commercials
sharpens the focus on
forest worker safety.
A few years ago,
the Forest Industry
Safety and Health
Research Program (SHARP)
initiated a plan to develop a series of professionally produced 30-second safety videos that focused on forest worker safety in the central interior of British Columbia. The series of videos were a response to the huge number of worker fatalities that plagued the forest industry the previous year.
The videos were produced
in the Cariboo region of
the Province of BC
between Prince George
and Williams Lake, and
involved many local
residents and school
children - it was a real
community effort.
The SHARP Program -
Forest Industry "Safety
and Health Research
Program", - evolved from
collective bargaining
between the United
Steelworkers Locals
1-424 and 1-425 and the
Northern Interior Forest
Industry.
The SHARP program's
chief objectives are the
improvement of safety
and health protection
measures already in
place in the forest
industry, generally, and
by means of research,
education and training,
the creation and
development of a safe
and healthful work
environment for all
persons employed in the
various sectors of the
forest industry in
Northern British
Columbia.
Click to view
these other SHARP
Television Campaign
Videos
2007 BC COAST STRIKE BANNER
In 2007 Steelworkers and their allies across
North America pushed for a consumer boycott
against Western Forest Products and Interfor,
linking the issues of worker safety with
exhaustive alternate shifts being forced on
company and contract workers in woodland
operations.
Click here to download and view the banner that was used
in both Canada and the United States in pdf format.
STILL FIGHTING TO STOP THE
KILLING
In the Spring of 2007 the Steelworkers made a
submission to the Auditor-General’s review panel
on forest industry safety. The entire review
process was acknowledged by the BC Government,
took place because of pressure from the
Steelworkers. The A-G’s report, backing many of
the union’s claims, was issued in January 2009.
Click here to download in pdf format.
TRUCKERS HOURS OF WORK
PROPOSAL
Truckers hours of work proposal to Federal
Transport Officials, calling for In the Spring
of 2006, the Steelworkers made a submission
legislated shorter consecutive work hours for
haulers. The submission cities several
international studies on hours of work and
fatigue.
Click here to download in pdf format.
WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE
WESTRAY BILL?
In the Spring of 2006 rank-and-file Steelworker
lobbyists delivered the USW authored "Whatever
Happened to the Westray Bill?" to members of the
BC Legislative Assembly. The document calls into
question why prosecutors continue to be
reluctant or unwilling to act to enforce the Westray Bill
C-45 amendments to the Criminal Code of Canada
in the event of worker deaths.
Click here to download in pdf format.
FATALITIES LIST FOR 2005
In 2005, 43 workers died in the BC Forest in
traumatic accidents. Another 6 died due to
industrial disease, Click here for a
Steelworkers-made list of workers, both union
and non-union, who were killed during that
horrific year.
Click
here to download in pdf format.
BC FOREST FATALITY SUMMIT
(SUMMARY)
Read the revealing and compelling summary of
comments by high ranking government, agency,
industry and union officials and others given at
the Steelworkers-sponsored BC Forest Fatality
Summit in December of 2005.
Click here to download in pdf format.
STOP THE KILLING
The Steelworkers paper on “The Culture of
Desperation in the Forest Sector” outlines the
union’s substantiated view that the shocking
increase in forest industry deaths have been
caused by workers being forced into desperate
conditions by government deregulation of the
industry and employer-driven changes. The paper
was presented at the Steelworkers-sponsored BC
Forest Fatality Summit on December 5, 2005 and
widely circulated to the media and industry
communities.
Click
here to download in pdf format.
BEING SAD IS NOT ENOUGH
In October of 2005 Steelworkers District 3 and
the USW IWA Council (now Wood Council) issued
the bulletin "Being Sad is Not Enough", which
outlined the union’s 6 points that formed the
basis of its lobby campaign.
Click here to download in pdf format.
