Quick Links
Customer Centres
Forest
industry forms safety council
BC Forest Safety Council to be permanent safety organization
Supporting documents
- Backgrounder (PDF 28kb)
November 4, 2004 — Nanaimo, Prince George: Forest safety is becoming a high priority for the forest industry and the Workers' Compensation Board (WCB) in British Columbia. Today the creation of the new BC Forest Safety Council (the Council) was announced simultaneously in Prince George and Nanaimo.
The Council's mandate is to work within the forest industry to eliminate fatalities and serious injuries and create an environment of working safely and encouraging improved health and safety programs, performance, and results.
The Council's key beliefs are that:
- All forest fatalities and injuries are preventable;
- The safety of workers is an over-riding priority; and
- Safety excellence is key to the long-term success of the industry.
Bringing together the entire forest sector under one organization, the Council will be developing programs and initiatives in four critical areas.
- Promoting Cultural Change to ensure that safety is treated as an over-riding priority and a shared responsibility throughout the sector.
- Promoting a Safety Conscious Legal Regime in which the laws, regulations and compliance programs encourage and support safety.
- Developing a Competent and Confident Workforce where workers are trained and certified and encouraged to work safely.
- Encourage Qualified Companies where safety programs are encouraged
and rewarded.
The interim senior officers of the Council are: Chair Jim Shepherd, Chief Executive Office of Canfor; Vice Chair Keith Playfair, independent contract faller; and Secretary Treasurer Ron Corbeil of the Steelworkers-IWA Council.
"The BC Forest Safety Council will be a permanent organization, dedicated to implementing and coordinating policies designed to reduce death and injury in the forests," said the Council's Chair Jim Shepherd. "The creation of the Council is our commitment that action will be taken on the Health and Safety Accord, to which all forest industry organizations and the Steelworkers-IWA Council agreed to support," Shepherd added.
"In cooperation with the IWA and forest industry, I commissioned the Forest Safety Task Force to find ways to reduce the unacceptable number of fatalities and injuries in the forest sector and the creation of the Safety Council is an important step," said Skills Development and Labour Minister Graham Bruce. "I fully expect with key industry stakeholders working together to address these serious issues that it will lead to a safer work environment."
|
For more information please contact: |
|
|
Tanner Elton |
Gladys Johnsen |