VANCOUVER, British Columbia (Reuters) - British Columbia's timber industry executives vowed on Tuesday to improve a safety record that saw more than 40 workers die in on-the-job accidents in the Canadian province last year.

Work fatalities have become a high-profile problem for an industry that produces half of Canada's softwood lumber exports, with some critics saying safety has suffered as companies try to cut operating cost.

British Columbia's forest industry had 43 fatalities and 110 serious injuries in 2005 in accidents ranging from loggers crushed by trees to log-truck drivers killed in crashes, according to the BC Forest Safety Council.

Canfor Corp chief executive Jim Shepherd, the council's chairman, called industry's safety record unacceptable, and warned it had to deal with the problem swiftly because the public was now watching.

"I believe that 2005 will be remembered as the year that the safety record of the industry finally received the attention and the outrage that it should have had many years ago," Shepherd told a Vancouver news conference.

The council said on Tuesday that a certification program it expects to be in full operation by the fall of 2007 would deal with problems such as inconsistent safety training policies between companies.

A council-funded ombudsman's post would also be created this year to protect whistle-blowers who report unsafe working conditions.

Firms that refuse to co-operate would be blackballed within the industry, and British Columbia Forest Minister Rich Coleman said they could potentially be barred from harvesting in the provincially owned forests.

Firms that gain certification would also qualify for reduced rates on accident insurance.

The executives stopped short of setting specific targets on accident rates, and acknowledged that it may be impossible to eliminate fatalities in what has historically been very dangerous industry.