by Bill Moore

everyone. We care about the safety of each other.
....“Safety meetings are held regularly and we have an annual fallers’ award night  at  a  local  steak  house  that  our wives attend. Also our power saw mech

.... That’s the way the fallers talk and think at MacMillan Bloedel’s Port McNeill division. And in the high risk job of falling coastal timber in B.C., one would have to say – they’ve got the right stuff.
....I recently had the pleasure of spending an evening with the 10 men of this falling team and enjoyed their enthusiasm and their attitude toward all matters of falling and bucking. They are professionals.
....As we talked it did not take long before it became apparent that their boss, George Marshall, was the catalyst of this group. The fallers put it simply: “We’ve got an intelligent organizer in George and we listen to him. We watch out for each other and we’re out to do a good job.”
....For those not familiar with the type of forest around Port McNeill and on the north end of Vancouver Island, it is made up of some very large, often over-mature, trees of Western Red Cedar, Western Hemlock, Balsam and Sitka Spruce. Cedars and Spruce can reach a butt diameter of up to 10 feet. The forest being old contains many huge dead trees, snags, that demand the respect of fallers.
....The sheer size of the trees and the generally difficult terrain would make the northern half of Vancouver Island one of the most hazardous areas in Canada in which to fall trees. The toll of young to well matured men, from novice to old timer, is testimony to the serious accidents and fatals that this rugged area has accounted for. One startling statistic concerning fallers and buckers in this North Island area and in the entire forested parts of B.C., has

been the seemingly large proportion of fallers fatalities, as compared with all other categories of logger in 1984 and 1985.
....The Workers’ Compensation Board of B.C. stated that of the total of 26 logging fatals in 1984, 17 were fallers. In 1985 of a total of 26 loggers, 18 were fallers.
....There are, and always have been conscientious people in our industry concerned with safety. We simply don’t have everyone convinced that it is a dangerous occupation that does not allow for being off one’s guard at any time. We have many dedicated safety people, from our smallest camps to largest, and from our WCB inspectors to woods foremen – but we still need more help.
....Certainly the fallers of MB’s camp at Port McNeill did something about the situation. They made up their minds they could fall and buck trees and not get injured doing it. Their bullbucker, foreman George Marshall, puts it this way: “There is a good working attitude between fellow workers and a positive attitude of believing in our safety program by all members of our department. The falling department does not set goals that can’t be realized. They approach all goals one at a time.
....“They begin their day at the power saw shop where the crew comes in a bit early and has a coffee and tells a few stories. A positive attitude is set and that carries on through the day. Color photos of all the fallers hang on the wall and we have old hand saws, spring boards and scaling sticks on display.  We  have  good  seating  for

anic, Geoff Harrop, is a real part of our team.”
....George sets up a good mood for the team and he has their confidence. He seems a fair minded man and obviously does not play favorites. The latter has caused untold problems among falling crews for decades in this industry.
....The Port McNeill falling and bucking job safety breakdown is con-cise and realistic. I wrote of their objectives at the beginning of this article. The breakdown goes as follows:
....Crew busses – Periodic inspections of first aid kits. If anything is missing notify ticket holder on crew and follow up!
....Falling Plan – In order to work as a team, everyone concerned should know the working procedure. Such things as minimum/maximum dist-ance between each other, in what order the fallers are along the falling face, who will listen for and check who, and which way everyone will be working along the face, and how far.
....Falling Procedures – As well as a team effort, well-thought-out individual effort must be given by each faller to provide a safe work area. Each faller should be able to leave his work area at the end of the day or when his quarter is finished with a great deal of pride and satisfaction.
• Work area brushed out.
• Escape path or paths
• Axe at base of tree.
• Safe and accurate undercut.
• Safe back-cut slightly above .... ....   .. undercut.

dents from 1980 through 1985. Seven-ty-one – nearly half – were fallers.
....Right now we need more examples of what can and has been achieved by those dedicated to a safer logging industry. And there are many examples in all parts of our province. All it takes is intelligent people following a program and getting results.
....The MB falling crew at Port McNeill exactly fits the above description. They have completed over three years of falling and bucking work without a compensatible accident. Let that excellent example stand out as an example of what can be achieved in

logging safety by team effort.
.... Here’s the team: Erik Spik, don Judd, Gerald Elliot, Rob Verbrugge, Steve McLennon, Ralph Newman, Weldon Sharp, Myron Paschuk, Don Cleaver, Ron Thompson and Geoff Harrop. With a special hurrah for George Marshall.
....Gentlemen, you are a credit to the name logger. You’ve got the right stuff!
Keep out of the bight,

The fallers of MB’s Port McNeill division have the right stuff!