NANAIMO, BC, Feb. 8 /CNW/ - TimberWest Forest Corp.'s commitment to safety showed positive results for the fourth consecutive year with its Medical Incident Rating (MIR) dropping from 2.17 in 2006 to 0.53 in 2009, a decline of 88 per cent.

To view "Production Contractor Medical Incident Rating (MIR) 2006-2009", please click on http://files.newswire.ca/852/TimberwestMIR.doc

"We are extremely pleased that our focus on safety has shown such dramatic results," says Dave Whiteley, Vice President of Timberland Operations. "The contributions of employees and contractors have made this possible and we congratulate them for their efforts."

TimberWest attributes its success to making safety the first operating priority in everything it does. Regular briefings, safety reviews and training are a constant reminder of this focus.

MIR is a robust safety measure that takes varying levels of harvest activity out of the equation so it is comparable year over year. TimberWest's MIR goal for 2009 was .84, targeted as a 10% improvement over the previous year.

TimberWest strongly supports the BC Forest Safety Council's SAFE Certification program and has been SAFE Certified since the inception of the program in 2007. In coastal BC, TimberWest is recognized as an industry leader in contractor safety and requires that all timberlands contractors working on its lands be SAFE Certified.

TimberWest Forest Corp. is uniquely positioned as western Canada's largest private timber and land management company. The Company owns in fee simple approximately 322,000 hectares or 796,000 acres of private land and is in the business of selling timber products and real estate.

TimberWest has launched a redesigned website where you can learn more about the Company and its safety achievements. Visit www.timberwest.com for more information.