Day of Mourning

April 28, 2014

Day of MourningApril 28, 2014

“Day of Mourning” is a day intended to recognize those who lost their lives as a result of a work-related incident or occupational diseases.

Ceremonies have been held across the country ever since the Canadian Labour Congress initiated a national Day of Mourning ceremony on April 28, 1984 and is now recognized annually around the world in more than 100 countries.

April 28th was chosen because it was on this date in 1914 that the first Workers’ Compensation Act was brought into effect in Canada.

Deaths from workplace injury average nearly a thousand per year in Canada.

There are approximately one million workplace injuries a year in Canada – a compensable injury occurs every seven seconds of each working day.

In 2013 there were 128 work related fatalities

in BC

11 were forestry related

Log Hauling

January: An empty logging truck collided head-on with the trailer of a loaded lumber transport truck that had jack-knifed. A third transport truck collided with the accident scene. The operator of the empty logging truck later succumbed to his injuries. April: An off-highway log truck driver was fatally injured while attempting to cut two logs with a chain saw. The two logs had fallen from the top of the load and were suspended in the binders.

Log Hauling

July: While the load on an off-highway log transporter was being wrapped, two logs fell from the load. One of the logs was found on top of the driver, who succumbed to his injuries.

November : The tractor of a loaded cut-to-length (C-T-L) logging truck went off the side of the first section of a single-lane bridge. The tractor came to rest on the driver's side of the cab. The operator was found on the ground under the cab. 

Floatplane Operations

 October : A pilot was trying to maneuver a floatplane into position to land when it crashed onto a small island. The pilot and the two passengers did not survive the crash. 

October: A worker was cutting a blowdown cedar tree into shake blocks within old-growth timber, a mix of blowdown and standing trees. A standing hemlock uprooted, causing a chain reaction of live and dead trees falling down towards the worker. The worker was struck by a portion of a tree and sustained fatal injuries. 

Shake Block Cutting

Manual Tree Falling

 August: A certified manual faller was falling a 17-inch-diameter alder tree. As the larger tree fell, a smaller alder tree (10 inches in diameter), located behind the falling face, broke at the 28-foot height. The broken portion of the tree struck the faller, inflicting a fatal injury.

.

June: A worker was using a front-end loader to move a large fuel tank across a 24-percent sloped portion of the access road to a barge landing. The machine rolled onto its side, throwing the worker out the door and resulting in fatal crush injuries.

Mobile equipment

Road Grading

May: A grader was grading uphill on a gravel road with a 10 percent slope, preparing for a logging operation. For an unknown reason, the grader reversed out of control and proceeded down the slope backwards. It is believed that the operator exited the grader while it was travelling backwards and was subsequently crushed by the grader blade. 

August: A grader tipped over and submerged in water. The operator was trapped under water for approximately 45 minutes and although CPR was initiated, the worker could not be revived.

Staying safeWe all play a role in keeping ourselves and our co-workers safe.

Take a moment to recognize how you can impact workplace safety:

•Report unsafe acts or conditions - don’t walk by.

•Be prepared for work – mentally and physically. Recognize the signs when you are rushed, distracted or complacent and may be making unsafe decisions. Stop and reassess what you are about to do.

•Take an active role in your crew members wellbeing. If a co-worker is distracted or otherwise unfit for work talk to them or your supervisor. An injured worker impacts us all.

•Ask for assistance – if you are unsure of how to proceed or need additional support.

I Chose to Look The Other Way I could have saved a life that day,But I chose to look the other way.It wasn't that I didn't care,I had the time, and I was there. But I didn't want to seem a fool,Or argue over a safety rule.I knew he'd done the job before,If I spoke up, he might get sore. The chances didn't seem that bad, I'd done the same, He knew I had.So I shook my head and walked on by,He knew the risks as well as I. He took the chance, I closed an eye,And with that act, I let him die.I could have saved a life that day,But I chose to look the other way. Now every time I see his wife,I'll know, I should have saved his life.That guilt is something I must bear,But it isn't something you need share. If you see a risk that others take, That puts their health or life at stake.The question asked, or thing you say,Could help them live another day. If you see a risk and walk away,Then hope you never have to say,I could have saved a life that day,But I chose, to look the other way. 

Don Merrelldonmerrell@hotmail.com

Day of Mourning website

http://www.dayofmourning.bc.ca/

WorkSAFE BC

http://www.worksafebc.com/news_room/campaigns/day_of_mourning/default.asp

Canadian Center for Occupational Health and Safety

http://www.ccohs.ca/events/mourning/

“I Chose to Look the Other Way” Poem http://www.campus.manchester.ac.uk/healthandsafety/Poem/i_%20chose_to_look_the_other_way.pdf

BC Forest Safety Council

www.bcforestsafe.org

Day of Mourning links