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Unsafe Is Unacceptable
MaryAnne Arcand
Don’t shoot the
messenger!
By MaryAnne Arcand
Road safety is a passion for me. My sister was killed in a
single vehicle crash at 17 years old, and I’ll never forget the
impact that had on our family. I still keep waiting for her to come
through the door. Losing someone in a vehicle crash leaves a big
hole in your life, a space where that person should have been. My
personal experience is probably why I took on coordination of the
Forestry TruckSafe program.
The Forestry TruckSafe program is part of the BC Forest Safety
Council. The Safety Council is a non-profit organization, not a
part of the government. Our funding comes from a portion of
the forest industry’s remittances to WorkSafeBC, as well as other
sources. Our goal is to eliminate fatalities and injuries in the
forest industry in BC. The Forestry TruckSafe program, of which I
am director, addresses issues in the transportation sector of the
forest industry – log hauling and transportation of forest industry
workers to and from work, including silviculture. My job is
essentially that of an “advocate” or “watchdog”, working on
government and industry to fulfil their obligations to safety on
the roads. Another aspect of my work is to provide information to
truckers and other industry drivers about regulations, policies and
changes that will affect them in their work, and to work with them
to create a culture of safety on the roads. So don’t shoot the
messenger! I didn’t make the rules, I’m just trying to help
everyone understand them, and change them where need be.
As Director of Forestry TruckSafe, I look at all the different
aspects of road safety in the context of the forest industry: safe
roads, safe loads, safe trucks, and safe drivers. Each of those
four have hundreds of issues attached, everything from engineering
and maintenance, to driver education and training, to driver
health. In 2005 we held two Forestry TruckSafe summits, at which
all the players, including drivers and driver reps, identified the
issues that needed to be worked on and created an action plan. I’m
still working on that plan today – and while many of the smaller
points are being addressed and we are seeing changes, the bigger
ones that involve government and regulation and jurisdiction have a
long way to go.
I spend a lot of time on the road, all over BC, listening to
truckers, and passing on information that will hopefully be
helpful. I also do a newsletter bi-weekly, which we send out by
email or fax, that helps keep truckers up to date on what’s going
on in the industry regulation-wise, trends, opportunities, and a
section called, “Your Voice”, where truckers’ letters and opinions
are posted. If you’re interested in receiving it, go to www.bcforestsafe.org/trucksafe
and click on the link to subscribe to “Rumblings”.
What I hear from truckers across the province runs in several
common themes: road maintenance (actually the lack of ), roads not
engineered for current volumes and configurations, inconsistent
“rules of the road” and radio calling procedures, inconsistent
application of regulations, fatigue, cycle times and rates. I also
hear a lot about the need for better training and monitoring of
drivers.
I can’t do anything about rates, but over the next series of
issues of Pro-Trucker, I will be explaining what we are doing or
trying to do with a lot of the other issues identified by truckers.
I’d also like to hear from you, either in response to an article or
an issue, or just what you think is wrong with the system and what
needs to be done. You can contact me at arcand@bcforestsafe.org
or (250)612-2267. I’m looking forward to hearing from you.
And remember, “Unsafe is unacceptable”.
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