Document 2JQ01YR39R0p37kdQ2K82q87N

TRANSACTIONS 29th NATIONAL SAFETY CONGRESS Via wfl GENERAL AND INDUSTRIAL SESSIONS CHICAGO OCTOBER 7-11, 1940 NATIONAL SAFETY COUNCIL, INC. 20 North Wacktr Drive, Chicago CoptrtaM, 1940, NiKomI StMr Cornett. Ic. ^n I'rlr'tnd In H U. S. A. P L A IN T IF F 'S Foreword THE Transactions of the 29th National Safety Congress and Exposition of the National Safety Council, October 7-11, 1940, are published in two volumes. Volume I contains the General Sessions and the meetings of the various In dustrial Sections of the Council. Volume II contains the Street and Highway Traffic, the Commercial Vehicle, the Transit, the Child Education and the Home Safety Sessions. Volume I is distributed automatically to all industrial mem bers of the Council. Volume II is sent to members who are believed to be interested chiefly in the sessions it contains. However, other members of the Council may obtain Volume II upon request. Many Council members have found it advantageous to dis tribute copies of the Transactions Volumes to the individual executives, foremen and supervisors of their organizations, who make use of the practical safety information the vol umes contain to organize accident prevention programs. The volumes contain a vast amount of standard reference ma terial. Extra copies of the Transactions may be obtained as follows: Volume I, one to 10 copies at $2 each; II or more copies 51.75 each. Extra copies of Volume II may be had at 75 cents each. THE Transactions are a condensed record of the proceed ings of the Congress. The papers and addresses and many of the discussions have been edited to delete extraneous matter, abbreviate the less important portions, and empha size those parts of particular usefulness in promoting effec tive safety organization and other accident prevention meas ures. The volumes are, therefore, a somewhat abridged ver sion, compact, practical, and of particular value to the stu dent, the supervisor and the executive in achieving more thorough accident prevention success. The original manu scripts are available for additional reference, if desired, in the files of the National Safety Council. THE National Safety Council, at its Congresses, seeks to eliminate from discussion matters which are not pertinent to the aims of the Congress or which may be contrary to the Council's policies. However, it cannot accept responsibility for all the views expressed either in the papers presented or in the discussions based upon these papers. NATIONAL SAFETY COUNCIL, fnc. SO North Wacker Drive Chicago, Illinois Contents Council Officers and Directors.......................................... 4 Council Purposes and Program......................................... 9 Annual Meeting of Members.............................................. 11 Annual Banquet...................... 27 General Subject Sessions-- Agricultural Safety...................................................... 29 Building Maintenance.................................................. 47 Eye Protection............................................................... 63 Fire Control and Prevention..................................... 79 Fundamental Causes of Accidents........................... 91 Governmental Safety Service in Industry............107 Health Service in Industry...........................................119 Industrial Nursing..........................................................129 Maintaining Interest in Safety..................................151 Occupational Disease................................ 165 Off-the-Job Accidents .................................................1S3 Plant Transportation ...................................................197 Psychology and Safety (Early Morning Classes)......................................................................209 Safety Belts......................................................................245 Safety Supervisors.........................................................253 Safety Training ..................... 261 Visual Education........................................................... 277 Aeronautical Section............................................................. 285 A.S.S-E.--Engineering Section ........................................301 Automotive and Machine Shop Section.........................305 Cement and Quarry Section....... ......................................319 Chemical Section....................................................................327 Construction Section ...........................................................353 Food Section................................................................... 375 Marine Section........................................................................397 Meat Packing, Tanning and Leather Industries Section ...................................................................................427 Metals Section ........................................................................445 Mining Section........................................................................497 Paper and Pulp Section.........................................................549 Petroleum Section..................................................................591 Power Press Section..........................................................., .625 Public Utilities Section......................................................... 635 Refrigeration Section............................................................659 Rubber Section.........................................................................671 Steam Railroad Section.........................................................697 Textile Section.........................................................................723 Wood Products Section......................................................... 739 Safety Exposition Exhibitors.............................................743 Index .............................................................................................749 National Safety Council, Inc. HONORARY MEMBERS Association of Ikon and Steel Engineers Robert W. Campbell Ltw R- Palmer OFFICERS (1940-1941) Col. John Stilwell, President Ned H. Dearborn, Vice-President for Education I. W. Millard, Vice-President for Finance and Treasurer G. T. Hellmuth, AssL Vice-President for Finance and AssL Treasurer Walter S. Paine, Vicc-Frcsidcnt for Industrial Safety Lew R. Palmer, Vice-President for Community Councils and Public Relations _ A. V. Roh'Veder, Vice-President for Home Safety R. T. Solensten, Vice-President for Membership Leslie J. Sorenson, Vice-President for Public Safety W. H. Cameron, Managing Director and Secretary EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE (1940-1941) H. J. Aldrich, Spencer Kellogg & Sons, Inc. j. I. Banash, Past President . j ii j H. K. Bennett, Safety DepL, Automobile Club ot Rhode Island C W. Bercqoist, Past President H. W. Boccess, Sinclair Prairie Oil Company H. E. Bolt, South Bend Civic Safety Council Chas. S. Bowden, Public Utilities Section F. \V. Braun, ASSE-Enginecrlng Section W. H. Cameron, National Safety Council, Inc L. C. Campbell, The Koppcrs Coal Company Robert W, Coipbeu., Past President . D. B. Chant, Ontario Pulp & Paper Makers' Safety Association Ned H. Dearborn, New York University Lewis A. DeBlois, Past President Marcus A. Dow, Past President Harold F. Enlows, The American National Red Cross Cadwallader Evans, Jr., Mining Section D. D. Fennell, Past President H. J. Griffith, Jones & Laughlin Steel Corp. E. E. Grover, Columbus & Southern Ohio Electric Company Harry Guit.bert, The Pullman Company Julien H. Harvey, Greater New York Safety Council G. T, HELLMUTH, Chicago Rapid Transit Company 4 OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS, Continued Harold G. Hoffman, New Jersey Unemployment Compensation Com mission Walter G. King* Past President Wil G Kkoelk, Milwaukee Safety Commission John E. Long, Past President Thos. FL MacDonald, U. S. Public Roads Administration Robert A. McArthur, Public Service Coordinated Transport D*. Miller McCuntock, Yale University I. W. Millard, Industrial Gloves Company Chas. A. Miller, Petroleum Section Harold L. Miner, E. L du Pont de Nemours & Co. Hon. Eliot Ness, Director of Public Safety, Cleveland E. J. O'Brien, Jcl, Louisville Safety Council Walter S. Paine, Aetna Life & Affiliated Companies Lew R. Palmer, Past President" G E. Pettcbone, Past President G. H. Pfot, General Electric Company Albert S. Recula, Industrial Relations Counselors, Inc. R. J. Rogeluth, Construction Section Lt. Col Henry A. Renincer, Past President A. V. Rohweder, Duluth, Missabc & Iron Range Railway Company Charles B. Scam, Past President Frank T. Sheets, Portland Cement Association Carl L. Smith, Greater Cleveland Safety Council C. R- Smith, American Air Lines, Inc. R_ T. Solensten, Elliott Service Company Leslie, J. Sorenson, Traffic Engineer, Chicago Col John Stilwell, Consolidated Edison Company of New York. Inc. John M. Sylvester, Lehigh Valley Safety Council' J. R. Tenney, Steam Railroad Section G P. Tolman, Past President George G. Travek, Greater Chicago Safety Council V. I. Trotter, Automotive & Machine Shop Section Dr. C H. Watson, Past President A. W. Whitney, National Conservation Bureau R. V. Wright, Railway Age Magazine Arthur H. Young. Past President DIRECTORS (1940-1941) H. J. Aldrich, Spencer Kellogg & Sons, Inc. Frank E. Ames, Marine Section A. L. Armstrong, Rochester, N. Y. Vern W. Aubel, Safety* Dtv., Syracuse Chamber of Commerce J. I. Banash, Past President D. A. Barrett, Camegie-Illinois Steel Corporation Tknest W. Beck, United States Rubber Company 5 OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS, Continued H, K. Bennett, Safety Dept, Automobile Club of Rhode Island C. W. Bergquist, Past President E. F. Blank, Jones & T_ughli Steel Corporation H. W. Boccess, Sinclair Prairie Oil Company O. C. Boileau, Wood Products Section H. E. Bolt, South Bend Civic Safety Council C. B. Boulet, Wisconsin Public Service Corporation Chas. 5. Bowden, Public Utilities Section F. W. Braun, ASSE-Engineeriag Section Irvin A. Brinkman, Metals Section Joseph A. Bropjiy, Elizabeth Safety Council F. S. Brown, Standard Accident Insurance Company W. H. Cameron, National Safety Council, Inc. L. C Campbell, The Kopppers Coal Company Robert W. Campbell, Past President Raymond A. Carey, Evanston Safety Council Ray Carney, Kenosha Safety Council Robert I, Catux, Aetna Casualty &* Surety Company D. B. Chant, Paper & Pulp Section Dean M. Clark, Food Section Wil 1L Clark. St Joseph Safety Council Rdwakd I-- Cook, Rochester Safety Council J. E. Culunev, Bethlehem Steel Company Ned H- Dearborn, New York University Lewis A_ DeBlois. Past President C W. Dempesy, The Liquid Carbonic Corporation R. A- DittWar, Cement & Quarry Section Milton W. Dobrzeksicy, East Bay Safety Council C. R. Dooley, Socony Vacuum Oil Company, Inc. James 13. Douglas. The Philadelphia Gas Works Company Marcus A. Dow, Past President Ralph W. Ellis, Jjl. Springfield Safety Council & Hampden County Safety Council Harold F. Endows, The American National Red Cro*Cadwallader Evans, Jr., Mining Section D. D. Fennell, Past President Djl Hart E. Fisher, Chicago Rapid Transit Company Edmund Fttzcerald, Safety Divn Milwaukee Association of Com merce Victor B. Fitzpatrick, Richmond Safety Council Howard B. Fonda, Burroughs Wellcome & Co. (U.S-A.) Inc. Arthur C Frey. Worcester Safety Council Lyle H. Gut, Peoria Association of Commerce Safety Gonna! Randolph L. Gilman, Rahway Safety Council Henry J. Gorman, Blackstone Valley Safety Council W. A. Gkwftn, American Telephone & Telegraph Company H. J. Griffith, Jones & Laughlin Steel Corporation E. E. Grover, Columbus & Southerzi Ohio Electric Company Harry Guilbeict, The Pullman Company D. T. Harrington, U. S. Bureau of Mines 6 OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS, Continued Frank H. Harrison, International Harvester Company Juuen H. Harvey, Greater New York Safety Council G. T. Hellmuth, Chicago Rapid Transit Company J. G. Herbert, Greater Los Angeles Safety Council Harold G. Hoffiun, New Jersey Unemployment Gompensat inn Com mission J. Andrew Holley, Child Education Section Oliver Hopkins, Rubber Section S. B. Horrell, The Carey Salt Company Merrick Jackson, Employees' Publication Section W. Floyd Jackson, Delaware Safety Council Wvl F. James. Philadelphia Safety Council Jasper B. Johnson, Madison County Safety Council Thomas P. Kearns, Industrial Commission of Ohio H. H. Kelly, U. S. Interstate Commerce Commission Walter G. King, Past President Wm. C Knoelk, Milwaukee Safety Commission Wil S. Knudsex, Detroit Industrial Safety Council C L. LaFountaine, Great Northern Railway Company Roy Lee, Contra Costa County Safety Council Arnold Lockerby, Grand Rapids Safety Council John E. Loro, Past President J. W. Lord, Commercial Vehicle Section Taos. H. MacDonald, U. S. Public Roads Administration Hon. Arthur W. Magee, Commissioner of Motor Vehicles, New Jersey Roy S. Marshall, Seattle Traffic & Safety Council RL A. McArthur, Public Service Coordinated Transport H. N. McClellan, Berkeley Traffic Safety Commission, Ltd. Dr. Mn-i.ga McClintock, Yale University David L. Millar. Sl Louis Safety Council I. W. Millard, Industrial Gloves Company Chas. A. Miller, Petroleum Section Harold L. Miner. E. I. du Pont dc Nemours Sc Company R. B. MorleY, Industrial Accident Prevention Associations C. L. Murray, Masoo City-Cerro Gordo County Safety Council Gen. Daniel Needham. Massachusetts Safety Council M. C Nelson, Des Moines Safety Council Hon. Euot Ness. Director of Public Safety. Cleveland Frank S. Newell, Toledo Safety Council E. J. O'Brien, Jr., Louisville Safety Council George C A. Off, The Detroit Edison Company Walter S. Paine, Aetna Life & Affiliated Companies Lew R. Palmer, Past President David A. Patton. Newark Safety* Council V. G. Pendleton, Power Press Section C. E. PETTtooNE, Past President G. H. Prop, General Electric Company Judge Harry H. Porter. Street & Highway Traffic Section A. A. Rall, Refrigeration Section 7 OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS, Continued Albert S. Recuus Industrial Relations Counselors, Inc. R. j. Reigeluth, Construction Section Lt. Cot- Henry A. Rekixger, Past President A. V. Rohweder. Duluth, Missabe & Iron Range Railway Company Henry G. Schattner. Meat Packing, Tanning & Leather Industries Section Charles B. Scott, Past President Earl S. Shaktzex, Utica Safety Council Frank T. Sheets, Portland Cement Association John R- Sherwood, Baltimore Safetj* Council Dr. L. A. Shoudy, Bethlehem Steel Company Ernest L. Simoxds. New Haven Safety Council Adolph Skinner, Safety Dept., Nashville Chamber of Commerce Carl L. Smith, Greater Cleveland Safety Council C. R- Smith, American Air Line*;, Inc. Arthur V. Snell, Chattanooga Safety Council R. T. Solessten, Elliott Service Company Leslie J. Sorenson, Traffic Engineer, Chicago John B. Spence, Kansas City Safety Council E. C. Spring. Philadelphia, Px _ VT v . Col- John Stilweli.. Consolidated Edison Company oi N. Y.. Inc. Edmund C Stone, Western Pennsylvania Safety Gonna! John M- Sylvester, Lehigh Valley Safety Council J. R. Tenney, Steam Railroad Section Arthur M. Tode, Consulting Engineer C. P. Tolman, Past President Gforge G. Traver, Greater Chicago Safety Council V. I. Trotter, Automotive & Machine Shop Section Wilfred E. Vocixr, Albany Safetj* Council Dr. B. L. Vosburgh, General Electric Company J. C. Ward, Superior & Douglas County Safety Council Stanley Warzala, Chemical Section Dr. C. H. Watson, Past President W. B. Weaver, Textile Section _ r_ T. Ancijw White, Safetj* Div., Birmingham Chamber of Commerce S. E Whiting, Libertj* Mutual Insurance Company A. W. WHITNEY, National Conservation Bureau R. V. Wsucirr, Railway Age Magazine Arthur H. Young, Past President E. J. Zauft, Safety Bureau, Duluth Chamber of Commerce 8 Council Purposes and Program The National Safety Council is a non* profit cooperative association whose objec tive is the elimination of accidents. To ai'iiifw* this objective the Council advocates the following program of safety activities: 1. Creatine Interest in Safety. People will try to prevent accidents only when they arc convinced of three things: (a) that acci dents are really a serious problem, threaten ing personal happiness, industrial efficicncj* ami economic security; (b) that accidents don't "just happen," but that each one has definite; ascertainable causes: (c) that acci dents cm be prevented. The bask: require ment in a national safetj* program, there fore, is a dramatic and effective presentation of these facts to more and more people. 2. Finding Accident Causes. Accident causes are not the same in any two plants, in any two cities, in any two schools. They are not the same from one time to another. Every industrial plant, every city, every school and every other public or private or ganization, therefore, must study the causes of accidents in its own group, so that pre vention efforts always will be directed at the things really responsible for accidents. 3. Maintaining Interest in Safety. Peo ple retain interest in very few things of which they are not continuously reminded. Therefore, it is the task of the newspaper, the radio, the magazine, the school, the public speaker and every other educational influence to keep reminding the worker, the driver, the pedestrian, the housewife and the school child that freedom from accidents de pends on personal caution, and that the safe way is the right way and the best way-- from the standpoint not only of human sat isfaction. but of social efficiency and econ omy. .4 Engineering Improvement. Many accidents occur because equipment is faulty. The punch press is unguarded, the auto mobile brakes are worn, the stairway is crudely built, the propeller is defective, the stop sign is obscured. The avoidance of accidents, therefore, requires that safety be built into every piece of machinery* every home, every school building, every highway. We must insist that the things we buy-- whether a stepladder or a stop sign, a band saw or a blast furnace--be safe things. And we must be willing if necessary to pay a higher price because of this built-in safety factor, realizing that it is true economy to do so. 5. Training for 8afety. Many accidents occur because the injured person or some other person acts in an unsafe maimer. This unsafe act often is committed because the person involved never has been taught how to do the job in the safe way. Therefore, boys and girls, men and women, must be taught how to work, how to drive, how to cross the street, how to live safely. This teaching and training is a joint responsibility of industry, of schools and colleges, of gov ernmental groups and of parents in the home. 6. Supervision for Safety. Many who know well the safe method of performing an act nevertheless are involved in accidents because, due to hurry, fatigue, thoughtless ness or some other reason, they do not per form the act in what they know is the safe way. Therefore, we need good foremen in industry, alert patrol boys in our schools, diligent police officers on our streets, thoughtful parents in our homes. These, through wise guidance of those under their supervision, can greatly minimize the chances of accident. 7. Legislation for Safety. Avoidance of accidents requires the adoption and scien tific enforcement of sound legislation--legis lation on traffic, on industrial matters, on public transportation, on home construction and maintenance, and on many items of per- 9 10 29th National Safety Congress sonal conduct. Such legislation provides a standard to which a large majority of peo ple arc willing to conform and thus live together harmoniously and safely. It also provides a basis for requiring the conform ity of a small minority, who would not otherwise be willing to submerge their per sonal desires, for the sake of safety in the entire group. 8. Safety Responsibility. Leadership in every walk of life should involve leader ship in safety. Those who administer our industries, our schools and our govern mental agencies of every sort should carry on those activities so that safe products and services are provided for the general public, so that accident hazards for the persons directly involved are reduced to a minimum, and so that those persons, in all their public and private relationships, will set a personal example of safe living. 9. Safety Organization. Every organ ization, regardless of its principal purposes, can and should find some place for safety in its program of activities. Accident preven tion should have a large place m the activi ties of trade association*, chambers of com merce, service clubs* welfare organizations, educational associations and sandar groups. Every community and every state also should have one organization which takes responsibility for coordinating the safety ef forts of all groups mto a unified accident prevention program. 10. Leadership. This program of activi ties can be effective only with the interest and cooperation of everyone--men, women and children. It is the desire of the National Safety Council to provide national leader ship through which these safety efforts of all our people may be coordinated and made most effective. To this end the Council of fers fullest cooperation to all individuals, industries, organizations, communities and states that are in accord with Its purposes, ft likewise seeks cooperation from all these in canying out an effective national program of.accident prevention- Annual Meeting of Members MONDAY MORNING SESSION October 7, 1940 The Annual Meeting of Members of the National Safety Conncil, at the 29th Na tional Safety Congress and Exposition, con vened with President Col. John Stilwell presiding While the members assembled they had listened to organ selection* of patriotic and stimulating character. Each member found at his seat a copy of the following declara tion, which had been adopted for distribu tion as an expression of the attitude of the National Safety Council toward Safety and Defense of our Country: Our Part "We, the members of the National Safety' Council, come together in our Annual Meet ing today with a foil realization of the sig nificance of this occasion. "In this room are men and women from every part of the country--assembled in a united effort to save human life at a time when most of the world is intent upon de stroying it. "This 29th National Safety Congress and Exposition is symbolic of America and the principles and ideals Americans are deter mined to preserve--the fundamental right of every citizen to life, as welt as to liberty and the porsuit of happiness. "We join with all Americans tit abhorring the tragedies of war. Yet we do not for a moment subscribe to the doctrine that no principle, no Ideal, is worth fighting for. There may be times in the affairs of man or Nation when human life is not supreme --when it must be sacrificed if that Nation and the common welfare are to endure. "But this only strengthens our conviction that under no circumstances can needless and purposeless destruction of human life through accidents be tolerated. It b easy, when death and destruction are so common place, to confuse human values and to cheapen human Ufe. "Wc therefore pledge redoubled effort to reduce accidents of every land, and we ask the help of every American citizen. "Wc also offer the entire resources of the National Safety Council to oar country's preparedness program in the belief that in time of national emergency* an accident is unintentional sabotage. "We are ready to play our part." The Secretary of the National Safety Council, having reported that an official quorum of the members was present, the Calling of the Roll was dispensed with. Annual Address to Members By COL. JOHN STILWELL President, National Safety Council, Inc. On behalf of the Directors, Executive Committeemen and Officers of the National Safety' Council. I welcome you to this Anmtat Meeting of Members. I know that your experience will be enriched by parficipaticm in the Congress and that you will return to your duties better prepared for the increasing responsibilities before US. 11 12 29th National Safety Congress It has been a privilege to serve you as president during tbe past year. Through this association I have gained a new appreciation of the meaning of Universal Safety and of the Council's activities on behalf of the Nation and its citizens. As we meet today, Europe's tragedy--or rather the world's tragedy--weighs heavily on our hearts. I do not need to remind you that our own country is also facing critical days which will demand our utmost loyalty and devotion. The Republic is menaced from within as well as from without and the internal en emies are by' far the more dangerous. Nor are all of them foreign agents. Along with the fifth columnists we might include those who destroy the nation's wealth through negligence which leads to accidents. Employ ers who are indifferent to conditions in their sltops which lead to accidents and occupa tional diseases are giving actual aid to the enemy, as are those whose driving menaces other users of the highways. The world is seeing the destruction of untold billions of wealth, the aftermath of which will require penny-saving economies for years to come. Accident losses, which seem trivial in contrast to the destructive ness of war, will not be regarded as tol erantly* as in the past. But we must turn from this depressing picture of world affairs to the work at hand. We can serve both America and the world to best advantage by giving our best efforts to this job so that our country can main tain its program of daily life as well as defense And above all, we might well em ulate the courage of those across the seas who are carrying on business and industry in the face of perils we can scarcely imagine. Looking back over the busy year that is culminating in this 29th National Safety Congress and Exposition, we can sec many additional things which we should like to have accomplished, but we can also point to some substantial gains. From both successes and failures we can learn important lessons to guide us toward our objective--an acci dent-free America. The National Safety Council as the recog nized leader of the Safety Movement in America has a two-fold duty--to secure acceptance of Safety ideals by more persons, groups and organizations, and to make available to them the information and ma terials with which to realize these ideals. Out of long experience we have built a multitude of services which have great value to all those who use them in carrying on practical accident prevention work. The Safety Movement grows in power as our Council grows in membership and In the number of cooperating agencies which it enlists. During the past year the organized struc ture of the Council has been strengthened. The numbers of vigorous men and women who are the volunteer leaders in the Coun cil activities have been increased. The sec tional structure of the Council is broader, more able, more forceful. New committees, new groups for research, new studies and conclusions, are all factors in the strength ening of our program. Countless individuals and groups all over our country have given their time, their energies and their resources to effect prog ress in organized safety. Substantial gains have been made largely through their co operation and able assistance. Each year sees more of the units of strength, but the past year has emphasized anew the critical need for large numbers of new safety work ers, if we are to meet and contend effectively with -the forces of disorder aund destruction. As our country grows in population, in productive activities, and in the develop ment of new processes and inventions, the potential hazards to life are multiplied and changed. The single item of highway travel, increasing in size and complexity year by year, exemplifies the need for new methods and more vigorous control. Changes in in dustrial operations challenge our ingenuity in preventing occupational accidents and diseases. Jn looking back over the past year, wc must confess some disappointment. As 1939 drew to a close, we had high hopes of re newed activity and much greater gains in safety during 1940. The 800 lives saved in 1939 seemed small in comparison with the 11,400 saved in 1938. Today, we find that ac cident deaths have slowly increased so far during the months of 1940. This may be partly explained by increased travel on highways and increased employment in in dustry so that with actually lower accident rates we have a higher total number of deaths. We must not, however, accept these as excuses but, without yielding to dis couragement, must consolidate our gains and slmtuoi Meeting of Members 13 go on to new reductions. The sobering fact cleus around which others will grow until is that the war against accidents can be lost, safety becomes a national ideal and way of but we know it is within the power of the life. people in this room to see that it shall not Certain fundamental facts must be ac be! cepted to bring this about. The first fact is, Definite gains can be reported. Many in that accidents are a serious menace to all dustrial plants made gratifying progress mankind--so serious that they threaten the during 1939. The average frequency rate for life and happiness of every individual man, all plants reporting to the National Safety woman and child. Council decreased 5 per cent from 1938. and the severity rate went down 10 per cent. Compared to 1926, frequency showed a drop of 69 per cent and severity 50 per cent. Forty-six plants, each working more than 500,000 man-hours in 1939, reported to the Council that they 'vent through the year without a single lost-time accident The best 1939 no-accident record, 2,177,000 man hours, covers an average of 1,067 employees. The second fact is, that accidents do not merely "happen"; each one results from definite causes which may be detected and dissected. The third fact is, that there is a remedy for each accident, and that all accidents can be prevented by removing or safeguarding against the causes. The chief reason we continue to have so That record is excellent compared to any many accidents is that not all men and goal achieved in earlier years. women have accepted these fundamental Motor vehicle grade crossing deaths in 1939 were 1,303, the lowest since 1922, de spite the fact that there are now more than truths, or, if they do believe them, they do not work hard enough to apply them. Experience is a cruel teacher and safety twice as many motor vehicles as there were lessons learned by human suffering are at .then. great cost Only through careful, conscien tious safety study and work can the sad The scheduled airlines* record seventeen- lessons of the past be applied to prevent month period of operation without a death future suffering. ran well into 1940. We must not only believe in and accept Individual cities are continuing to es these principles of safety, but we must apply tablish records in preventing motor vehicle them every day of our lives. Where there accidents. Providence, Rhode Island, set a Is ignorance, ignorance must be corrected; record of 111 deathless days in 1938. In where there is apathy, apathy must be re 1940 it achieved a total of 156 days--the placed with interest and enthusiasm. The equivalent of almost 40 million man-days key-note is persistence. We must go at this without a death. Kansas City, Missouri, had business of safety as if it were a life-long 85 deathless days, equal to more than 37.000.000 man-days. In addition, the Coun cil has reports of 101 other places each with deathless man-day totals of more than 10.000.000. all recorded in the last three years. job--which it is! f have said that the National Safety Council must provide leadership. This re sponsibility is shared by every Individual in our CorntcH membership. Every professional safety worker has his own work to do in Many companies, fleets, organizations and his own job and locality, but, no matter other groups in Council membership have what this work is. I conceive that the re been only a little less successful. Some of sponsibility for leadership of each one of them have reduced their accident tosses by us extends throughout his community, em 50 per cent or more, and are working hard braces all other fields of safety endeavor, to continue these reductions. There is no and does not.cease until he has contributed truer saying in the field of Safety than this: his part toward the state and national pro "What one company, one group, or one grams which round out our American community has done, others can do." Safety Movement. One job that is cut out for us is to in crease the number of companies, cities, schools, civic organizations and individuals organized and working for safety. Each safety-minded unit needs to become a nu T have spoken of the great body of co operating organizations, groups and indi viduals whose influence is so important a force in support of Council ideals. Most cordial relations have been maintained with 14 29th Notional Safety Congress numerous national organizations engaged in specialized safety work. Contact has been maintained with safety organizations in Great Britain and Canada and we are hop* ing that some day the exchange of safety knowledge will again be world-wide. Work ing with us are countless municipal, state and national governmental officials whose influence and active participation in acci dent prevention work are essential to suc cess. The leadership of our national government has assumed a new significance in safety. The time may soon be at hand when gov ernmental leaders will assume broad respon sibility for better safety and health condi tions among workers producing materials manufactured for the national defense. Today all our members arc profoundly in terested in the larger part which the Council is capable of taking in support of govern mental measures for the conservation of manpower to increase and promote our national strength and safety. Our Executive Committee has recently passed a strong Resolution offering the Council's services to the Federal Government and other agen cies engaged in defense activities. Front the beginning, in all safety work, we have depended greatly upon tlw: skill of trained people whose labors have solved many of the problems in accident preven tion." Outstanding assistance has been con tributed by safety engineers, personnel men. traffic engineers, physicians, nurses, laboratory workers, statisticians, journalists, educators and other experts. \\*c need great numbers of new safety workers in every field of accident preven tion, literally thousands of new men and women who will devote themselves to acci- dent prevention problems. Here our job is two-fold--finding and creating specific jobs which will attract these people and enable them to serve efficiently, and training the people and placing them where they are needed. We need to multiply the numbers of community and state safety councils, go that every community and every state will have the advantage of local safety service. We need the active participation in organized accident prevention of every industrial company, every corporation and every work place, no matter how small. We need the public-spirited cooperation of every organ ized group. And finally, we need the power ful and sincere interest and influence of every public official and of every govern ment leader in each community, in each state and in our National Government. Our greatest obstacle has always been indifference and the spirit of defeatism. Now, with oar sense of values paralyzed by the wholesale destruction of war, the mental difficulties are multiplied. But if there should be any doubt about the value of accident prevention, even in a world that Kcms in anxEunent danger of collapse, let me cite the example of Britain where the safety organizations are carrying on vali antly m spite of wax's tension and alarm. And in revolution-tom Spain, accident prevention activities are coming back with the rehabilitation of industry. With such examples, how can we doubt the usefulness of our efforts? Our own firing line is wherever men, women and children live, work, travel or play, and their preservation most remain our constant objective. Other formal matters being disposed of in the regular manner, the President an nounced that the Executive Committee had appointed three inspectors of election, and that the Chair would also appoint these three gentlemen as tellers for the meeting, as follows: George G. Traver. Chairman; F. W. Rodenheber, and D. K. Finley. Motion was made and formally carried to dispense with the reading of the Minutes of the preceding 28th Annual Meeting of Members, since these had been printed and distributed. The President then called for the Report of the Nominating Committee, which was presented by H. J. Spoerer, Chairman of this Committee, as follows: Report of Nominating Committee "Complying with your instructions, we. the Nominating Committee, appointed by you. with the approval of the Executive Committee, and as provided for in Section 4, Article VII of the By-Laws of the Coun cil, and as further provided by Section 5, Article VII of the By-Laws, .present here with the report of the nominations for Di rectors to serve until the Annual Meeting in 1943. Annual Meeting of Members 13 "The names of the following Directors, whose terms expire October 7, 1940, are submitted for re-election: \V. H. Cameron, National Safety Council, Chicago. C. W. Dempesy, The Liquid Carbonic Corporation, Chicago. Jf&mes B. Douglas,..The Philadelphia Gas Works Co., Philadelphia. Harold F. Enlows, American National Red Cross, Washington, D. C. D. D. Fennell, Consulting Engineer, Chi cago. Howard B. Fonda, Burroughs Wellcome & Co. (USA) Inc., Tuekaboc, N. Y. W. A Griffin, American Telephone 8c Telegraph Company, New York City. Harry Guilbert, The Pullman Company, Chicago. Frank H. Harrison, International Har vester Compaq, Chicago. G. T. Hellmuth, Chicago Rapid Transit Company, Chicago. C. L. LaFountaine, Great Northern Rail way Company, St Paul, Minn. Thos- H. MacDonald, Federal Works Agency, Public Roads Administration, Washington, D. G R. B. Morley, Industrial Accident Pre vention Association, Toronto, Canada. A. V. Rohweder, Duluth, Missabe & Iron Range Railway Co., Duluth, Minn. Frank T. Sheets, Portland Cement Asso ciation, Chicago. No other ticket having been placed in nomination, when members were invited to do so in tiie usual manner, it was moved and seconded, and the motion was regularly carried, instructing the Secretary to cast the ballots for all the persons named in the Re port of the Nominating Committee. The Tellers of Election, by George G. Traver, Chairman, reported that a total of 2330 Votes had been cast in favor of the Directors named. The President then introduced the fol- .. lowing distinguished speakers: Safety and War By BRIGADIER GENERAL CHARLES H. BONESTEEL Chief of Staff, Sixth Corpv Area and Second United States Army, Chicago, Illinois It is a privilege and a pleasure for me to appear before you to discuss "Safety and War" because you and I have a good many things in common. You are interested in reducing industrial and traffic accidents among millions of peo ple employed in industry and driving or travelling about the country; in other words, you are promoting "Safety** among the civilian population. And that is a worthy and profitable endeavor that must go on, year in and year ouL As an officer of the Upitcd Stales Army, and particularly as Chief of Staff of the Sixth Corps Area, and of the Second Army, it is my respon sibility to see that all safety precautions pos sible are taken to reduce to a minimum accidents among the armed forces under my direction. I am sure there are many ways in which you, as safety experts of long experience, can help us achieve even greater safety in the Army, and I am hopeful that our ex periences may be helpful to you. As a matter of fact, our Army has been promoting safety for a good many years. Let me cite a few examples. When a recruit enters the military service, and regardless of previous education, he is taught the fundamentals of personal hygiene and of camp sanitation. This is important and pays good dividends, for by reducing die number of days per year lost by each soldier through sickness, each man's health is maintained at a higher level, and he is more valuable to his military organization and to himself. All'food is thoroughly in spected before it is cooked and served; the source of the water supply is Inspected and the water tested at periodic intervals. The soldier is not fed on hard tack and beans day after day, but is fed a balanced ration prepared by Army-trained cooks and bakers. Waste containers are provided, garbage is 16 29th National Safety Congress disposed of regularly, kitchens and mess- the ordinary* such as accidents or fires; halls are screened, cleaned and scrubbed, again--safety. and at all times kept in a sanitary condi Anti-aircraft units, which now constitute tion- It has been said that the "proof of the a part of our Coast Artillery, are given pudding is in the eating," and the fact that thorough and precise instruction and train Army fare is wholesome and nourishing is ing in the operation of the guns- If they proved by the gain in weight by a majority are firing at a target towed by a plane fly of recruits during their first two or three ing over Lake Michigan off Fort Sheridan weeks in Camp. We believe that healthy, for instance, all shipping is warned before well-nourished and well-trained soldiers con hand not to come within eight miles of tribute immeasurably to the safety of com shore, and the plane, which tows a sleeve panies, regiments and divisions of the Army, target at the end of a 1200 foot wire cable, Leadership in group health which the must be at a certain altitude and certain Army enjoys lias not been attained by any complicated procedure, but by the practice 'of preventive medicine through the medium of simple, well established methods and distance from the shore, before the order to "Fire" is given. Thus we provide for the safety of the pilot, the plane and coast-wisc shipping. means which have proven necessary for the "Self protection is the first law of na well being of any group. The fact that we ture," someone has said. This applies not can observe and control the soldier contin only to the individual, but to cities, states ually during his entire period of service aids and the nation as well. Nature has provided materially and is a dominant factor in keep many animals and birds with protective col ing him in good physical condition. The oring. or with a coat of fur or feathers principal means which we employ are: which' blend with the natural scenery, af Vaccination of all against small-pox and typhoid fever on entry into the service and further immunization of individuals when fording a high degree of protection from natural enemies. With this in mind, the Army years ago tested several different col indicated for specific diseases. Monthly physical examinations and oftener when special occasions demand. Instruction for all military personnel in hygiene, first aid and sanitation. Prompt hospitalization of the sick and in jured. Close, continuous contact and cooperation with local and national health agencies. ors and combinations of colors for soldiers' uniforms. The well-known O-D, or "Olive Drab" was then adopted as being the least conspicuous color when troops are operating in open country, fields and woods. And, reminiscent of the campaign in Finland last winter, some of our troops clad in white uniforms, have participated in maneuvers among snow' dad hills and mountains, to try their skill at defensive warfare in the whi And last but not least in importance is the ter time. Again--safety for our troops. full support which we in command afford the medical officers of oar service in all matters pertaining to the health of the Army. Only a few years ago riding In an air plane was considered a dangerous under taking, but today we fly from one part of the country to another with less concern In the combat units, the soldiers are in tlian used to be occasioned by going for a structed in the right way to handle rifles street car ride. In fact, today we have com and other weapons; in the right way to mercial airlines that have flown millions of handle and ride horses; the right way to passenger-miles without the loss of a life or operate tanks, airplanes and motor trucks, a ship. It probably is not necessary to re all in the interest of safety and efficiency. mind you of the pioneering which your Drivers of trucks, combat cars, caissons Army has done in the field of aviation. and other vehicles are instructed in the op Year after year, in cooperation with man eration of their machines on the road and ufacturers and civilian agencies, the Army in maneuvers, and maximum speed limits has ever sought better, faster and safer air are enforced, again to promote safety and planes. A great deal of study, designing reduce accidents. and testing must take place before the Army In the Camps, Posts and Stations, we wQl accept a new-type plane for military have a system of guards or sentries who are U5C- constantly on the alert for anything out of The men who are to pilot these ships are Annual Meeting of Members 17 selected according to very high standards. They are then given a three months' course at a Civilian School, where they learn to solo; then three months at Randolph Field, or some other training center, and they are graduated after another three months at Kelly Field, m Texas. It takes an average of nine months to train a pilot to the high degree of efficiency required by the Army, before he gets his "Wings." One of the mandatory regulations is that of donning a parachute even* time a student or pilot takes his place in the cock-pit, and every studentpilot has had hours of instruction and prac tice in operating his parachute, which may some day stand between him and death. The Chemical Warfare Service not only trains specialists in the handling of chemical agents in time of war, but also assists in training our troops to protect and defend themselves against the effects of chemical agents used by an enemy. This training in cludes practice maneuvers wearing gas masks, instructions in the use of special clothing and gloves in contaminated areas, first-aid measures to be applied to men who have been exposed to gas or chemicals, how to decontaminate an affected area, the post ing of gas sentries, and erection of warning signs and signals. In other words, we do everything we can to prevent our troops be coming casualties from the effects of the enemy's gas or chemicals. In more nays than most citizens realize, our Army has contributed to the comfort, security and safety of our countin' and our people. The Army pioneered and helped develop telegraphy, aviation, certain fields of medi cine and sanitation. An outstanding achieve ment in the latter field was the ridding of the Panama Canal Zone of Yellow Fever; helping to combat malaria in our own Soutli. and in many other ways the Army has con tributed to the future welfare and safety of our citizenry. About the beginning of the World War No. 1, as some writers designate it, the United States Government completed one of the engineering feats of the century--the Panama Canal. You will recall that one French company worked cm the project for eight years and failed; a second Frendi com pany worked on it several years and faded. Then, after purchase by the United States, the completion of the Canal was carried out under the leadership of Colonel (later Ma jor General) George W. Gocthals, an Army officer with an engineering background that was outstanding. Since the first ship passed through the Panama Canal on August 3. 1914, shippers and passengers have saved millions of dollars and millions of hours, and have made the passage from one ocean to the other with greater safety and comfort than was possible when ships had to go arotmd Cape Horn. And from a Military and Nava) point of view, the Panama Canal, as a factor of national safety to our coun try, has a value beyond measurement. In the camps and forts close at home; in far away Alaska, and in the Philippine Islands--in fact wherever there is a unit or detachment of the Uni*d States Army--our officers and enlisted men arc ever on the alert to perform their duties with the maxi mum safety to themselves, to government property, and to the civilian population. Through the Meteorological Service, by use of weather stations, by the use of radio, by long training and by a generous applica tion of good old American common-sense, the safety of men and property is always a consideration, whether the task be that of flying an airplane, firing a 16-inch gun, or pulling a truck out of the mud. We in the Army believe that such a program pays dividends not only in peace-time, but will also pay dividends, through the training and knowledge gained, if our Army should again, by force of circumstance, be called upon to function in war-time. Wc are fully aware that in lime of war accidents are even more disastrous than in time of peace. la terms of congestion alone, an accident can seriously hamper movement of troops and material, or bring dangerous delay in the top-speed production of vital defense industries. It is heartening to us in the service to know that we have available this vast re serve of experience and safety knowledge in the civilian ranks that the National Safety Council and other safety organizations have accumulated. In closing, I want to say that the Army-- vour Army--can be counted upon to con tinue to promote safety* in every way com patible with the fulfillment of its mission, which is to provide safety and security on land for more than 135,000,000 men, women and children to whom the United States of America is "home." 18 29th Notional Safety Congress Conserving Our Greatest Asset--Man Power By W. E. MITCHELL. Vice-President and General Manager, Georgia Power Company, Atlanta, Ga. We aic entering into a great program of National Defense It means a tremendous industrial expansion, a conversion to new fields and a building of the mechanical in struments of destruction or defense un dreamed of by as one year ago. if the program is to be successful, h means organization and training for mass production in new fields. It means the taking of hundreds of thousands of men oat oi their present work and their riptoocmcae by new. untrained people. The betttraacr alid efficiency of Cicrmjen'i wefamemJ prepa ration for their aXVaujic at wufld dumwtt*** J< a challenge to us who fcav< id-*ava prtdcd ourselves on our u>crtoetes ihkd' fw duetkm. Hut isn't it alw a chaMraf +*- oilier May? lWvn't a drive jwh aver before the ncer**> of a* rganuinn.i m every industry and m every e*wepfrH> the imcnsifioiikm and wrvr^htatum <W !afexy programs, to the end tiu* the dctnr job (and every one of * mrr tovofved m ) is done not ooh effciewdy a*d rm&dfy. km also SAFELY' The great number* of new employee* must be started o right *oo* W trotted to work safely as well as rapkfly Bctowwr v\e are preparing to defend ocrselves from I>ossib!c destruction doena't lessen the need to avoid injury* and death during the prepa ration. It seems to me the present situation presents a great opportunity* to improve our safety records, not simply because we like records, but because they will denote indi viduals saved from death or partial disability for useful work and to the enjoyment of their families. In other words, conservation of our man power. American industry is safety-minded. It has grown much more so during the past twenty-five years, as any of us who have been a part of it during that period can testify, and as the records amply prove. We Americans may be exceedingly careless of human fife and limb when we get behind the steering wheel on our broad highways, but not so in our factories. How can this great job of preparedness and safety be done? It will require-- A definite, complete, adequate and in tegrated plan. Thorough preparation. Full utilization of industrial knowledge and skillExtensive use of research and invention. Thorough training and discipline. Hard work and devotion to duty. .Any Safety Program, if it is to last and be worthwhile, must start from the top. It ma*t be genuine--do dash in the pan-- and tmn proceed from an honest and ?inerfr interest in the workman** welfare. T*`*r from a purely selfish viewpoint, it i> ..Lw, uod h--should only make it bhtt dkwtrable. | \ro^i act become mechanical, a lot of twem*. reports, etc. Accident prevention tnth*! W kept personalized, humanized and tramatiard. XfV ought to dramatise safely ntvrre * While a sound program must make a yefwacrwgt, lasting appeal to the intellincoce-->m* appeal to the emotions may often W the starting point Let's be as smart as Hriicr m appealing to the emotions. Intern* ****** he maintained. Hew methods. * i>c-r*r fVw-y are improvements over old one?. bu<iM be publicized. There mut be high morale or esprit de corps. To say foremen are key men is trite, but true. If they arc sold bead and heart on safety, the job is tw O-thirds done. Most of us have talked a lot about safety. All of us hare given it lip service, and some have done a really constructive job, but many of us are like that fanning community in Northeast Georgia that 1 heard about. They were experiencing a drought and they catted on Farmer Jones, a very successful fanner in an adjoining county, who was also somewhat of a preacher, to come over and pray for rainHc consented; they had a big gathering, and his prayer went something like this: "Oh. Lord, these people have asked me to pray for rain and so I'm praying, Lord, butl Lord, You know, and I know, and they ought to know that what they need isn't rain, but deeper plowing, more fer tilizer. and better cultivation." 1 ihink this applies to many safety pro Annual Meeting of Members 19 grams. Lots of wishful theoretical think ing, not enough sound, practical human understanding. Some 37 years ago as a young college graduate serving an 18 months* apprentice ship, 1 saw six or eight men who lost their lives through electric shock. Nearly every one of them was a preventable accident. Every one of these men was above the aver age in intelligence, all were college trained men. One night I carelessly stuck my finger too dose to an ammeter in a high voltage circuit. I only got the static but it set me tack on my beds and rattled my teeth. It was a salutary warning that white tape was strung around the test to keep tts oat of (huger, and that there seldom was a secmid chance it you got ortltw with die "juice.** Going from there to Bran! oo hydro electric power plant cuwserortiou. alnott the nr*t P&nacre word S learned was "Qui- dado"--Be Careful? For a fjatw it riai rf to be a k,<gaa, for wr bad to many x-rioo* or ueaJ imd--i that the taper- 4itiooi worfcantai u t nk4 com* amd beg us not to start amy arw wmk ow Friday. It ccxned that eveH' K* nd <* a Friday brought bod Iaefc, Ik* the trouble waw*t with Fnday me* w*fc *QaiAdg"; it much more rnnijftwirial We kads't learned to actually he careful. It was toogh school ing for a voaac tugriacr. box qpqncstiop- ahh it drove home certain lr*tocM that can never be forgotten. The pawng years have oojy served to make me have a greaser respect for the hazards the electrician and lineman face daily, a greater appreciation of the impor tance of sound safety work and an under standing of the importance, and ultimate economy of sound operating practices and training in accident prevention tn a neces sarily hazardous business and the value of these as real conservers of man power in the truest sense. If the time to moke friends is before you need them, if the time to prepare for tear is in time of peace; then certainly the time to prevent accidents is before they hapPen l This means the ground work of any sound safety program must be well thought out, painstakingly checked for its weaknesses, thoroughly organized, and last, but far from least, constantly and consistently followed up. The warring nations have taught us how effective propaganda can be and how far it can penetrate. If so effective for sub versive purposes, why not equally so for desirable aims, such as safety? Let's make better use of it! It is particularly difficult today when our hearts and minds are so full of what is hap pening in Europe, where England, hardly bigger than the State of Illinois, stands aloce with her fleet and that handful of magnificent youngsters of the Royal Air Force, the last barrier between the totali tarian tyrant and our own rich, unprepared country. Belatedly, we arc now awakening to the danger of our present position, to the need of extraordinary measures tor National Defuse, for National Unify and a willingness to sweat and sacrifice such as our founding fathers displayed 165 years ago. The time is desperately short; it`s nui credit, it's not money now, but gruelling hard work by every one of us that is needed. We may be soft and unprepared, but ne are not rotten at the core; we arc tootwl at heart, we have the facilities and can train off our surplus fat, harden our muscles and do this great job of preparing oor National Defense in a way that wifi surprise the world. Courage and broomsticks won't stop tanks or dive bombers. In the present mad world our only hope t$ to be so strong none dare attack us. As Roger Babson says:--"Planes and gnus are not enough for National Defense. Physical fitness of recruits is not enough. To succeed, the entire country must experi ence a Spiritual rebirth. Only righteousness will save a nation." How those quiet words of King George-- "YVe have just begun to fight All ot us must trust, as I do, in the help of God to bring victory to our cause" stir our hearts! The trouble with democracies is that their emotions are quick but their minds arc dilatory. Therefore, we face the great job of training hundreds of thousands nf men, not simply as soldiers, sailors and pilots, but as mechanics, electricians--skilled work men of all types, and they must be taught how to protect themselves at the same time. So after all, perhaps it is fitting here to turn our thoughts to saving life; to training men: to building morale. In our speeded up program we*U need every 'killed work man. we'll need as never before even more 20 29th National Safely Congress loyal organizations, more willingness to sac rifice. We must prepare training programs to insure that the new men are ready to cake over the jobs made vacant by the shifts due to the National Defense Pro gram, which is now, thank God, gathering momentum! How better can wc conserve our man pmeer than through a sound safety pro gram f Surely we'll want loyalty and em ployee morale. But morale, or esprit de corp. isn't something you get by direct action. It must come as a result of certain conditions and attitudes of the management which denote the genuine and continued interest of management in the personal well sound safety program. It is management's first and Primary responsibility iti accident prevention to make the conditions of the work place physically safe. Only when this is done, can management successfully ask the workers to take their active part--and a very necessary part it is--in any safety program. When management does its full part, however, it is easy to get the em ployees to understand the importance of safety', and educational measures will be readily accepted and followed. The wages paid must be fair and odequote and there must be reasonable perma nency in the fob if wt expect the workman to become interested in accident prevention. being of every employee, and which thereby It is the duty and obligation of a company merits the employee's loyalty. I maintain to take the leadership in activities of this it should be the natural resutt of a sound kind from which the employees benefit safety program. The president or general manager cannot Safety isn't simply a slogan, something to make cartoons about and to dll files with records. It is much more than that] The steady reduction in industrial acci dents, fatal and otherwise; the development of safer operating practices, didn't just happen. I know there are still some slogan writing, swivel chair safety directors at their mahogany desks studying at great length their never ending reports and rec ords--fine, theoretical chaps who think they know a lot about psychology and social val- delegate the organisation of the safety pro gram to. some minor subordinate. This is not tile way management gets results in pro duction, or in purchasing, or q selling. Man agement must realize that the functioning of the safety program is just as important to efficiency in the plant as any other major activity, Accidents are pure waste of men, materials and money/ The primary objec tives of the safety program are to eliminate these needless wastes, and, therefore, safety is an important part of management's busi ue. hut who never wore a pair of overalls ness. and to whom the language and mental The nanagunent must take the leading proce^^cs of the normal, two-fisted me part in a program of accident prevention chanic, steel worker or lineman are the that amounts to anything. The management purest Creek, Don't misunderstand me, 1 believe in rec ords; thev are necessary details, and there is a place for psychology, but the main issue is making industry safer for those who make up its back-bone--our American working-man. It often means doing so when those whom wc are most anxious to protect think it is just a fad of the boss. That it is no fad is readily seen if you run through the files of the National Safety Council con ferences, ami note the men who have been most outspoken as to management's respon sibility. You will get further proof of the great interest in safety by scanning the ad Aar to initiate it, see that it permeates the whole organisation, give it emotional ap peal. and keep it alive and going after the first interest has died doom. You can em ploy safety directors to advise with the management, and with the men about good techniques; safety directors can help to carry out the policies of the management, bit/ they earft do the fob all alone, without the assistance of management. You can't hire a safety director and say, "Now, George, you do this job and don't bother me any more." Safety can't be bought, any more than you could go out and buy character For your business. vertisements in the National Safety News The fore>nan is the hey man in any safety- and seeing the many and diverse articles program, but he'll never truly enter into available for the protection of the worker it, nor sell his men on it. unless the superin and for the promotion of safer working tendents and supervisory staff, clear up to conditions. the general manager and president, are also These things I submit are essential to any thoroughly sold on the worthwhileness of Annual Meeting of Members 21 it. So f say a sane safety program must be organized from the top down. Has it ever been your job to work for several hours in a vain effort to resuscitate a fine, young lineman, knowing in your heart it was an unnecessary accident, and then have to go and break the news to a poor, frightened, crushed young woman, whose only means of support that man was? Unfortunately, that has been my painful duty a number of times. If nothing else had done so, this would have made me a firm believer in safe practices. Management must, of course, have strong hands upon which it can depend for carrying out the accident prevention details. But management cannot depend merely upon re ceiving reports. Management must meet with the committees, must participate in some of the investigations, must know per sonalty the procedure of training and most actually lead all employees in the campaign against accidents. Employees are sensitive to every attitude in the president's office. If safety is thought of great importance there, this attitude wiU certainly be reflected down through the supervisors and foremen to every employee. \i safety is merely a side issue; a half hearted experiment in the president's office, without question the supervisors and all employees will have exactly this same atti tude toward safety work in their work prac tices. Accident /rrtvtiliow u good business. Safe methods of work save money for the company. It is good enough business for the management ta give it full and serious attention. You all know that accidents cost money. In my own company we have a very active safety program. It has been carried on for years. We devote much thought and study to it. Our record has steadily improved, though we have occa sional lapses. Nevertheless, in spite of the fact that our employees are thoroughly trained in both the technique and spirit of safe work, we do have accidents. The direct measurable expense of these accidents to the company amounts to $40,000 to $50,000 per year. That includes only out-of-pocket ex penditures for medical treatment, hospital bills, workmen's compensation and funeral expenses. But that is only a small part of the total cost When an accident occurs, work is dis rupted, possibly equipment is damaged; if a new man has to fill a vacancy caused by an injury, there is a slowing up and loss of efficiency for a time until the new man learns his job. There is always the possi bility that the new man will make a serious mistake on unfamiliar work. When the injured man returns to the job, after re covering from his accident, he is still far from his peak of efficiency as a worker and docs not reach that peak again for a long time. These are what we might call indi rect expenses, but they are just as real as direct expenses. Looking at it cold-bloodedly, simply from a profit and loss standpoint, management owes fust as great an obligation to the stock holders to initiate, direct and stimulate safety work as to direct the production processes. You wouldn't turn over your production machinery to your foreman and laborers and say, "Here now, boys, you know how to operate these machines. Just go ahead and turn out our product and don't bother me with the details." You wouldn't hire a group of salesmen and tell them to go out and sell what they could and come back at the end of the year and tell you what they had done. To imagine running a business that way is simply ab surd. It is just as absurd to think of run ning a safety program that way. Safety is fust as much a part of the responsibility of good management as good operating prac tices or good sales tnelhods--cnd / may say it pays fust as good dividends. We go to great lengths to conserve our companies' physical assets; why not more attention to conserving its greatest asset--its employees ?- Here is another aspect of safety--per haps as important as the dollars and cent* cost of accidents. The safe way of doing a fob is, in the bug run, the best way of doing it. The safe way is the most efficient way, the least expensive way, and the easiest way for the men. A man who does his job safely will do a better job. If he Is in a manufacturing plant he will turn out a better piece of work. He will put into his work the ingredient of safety. Thus the safe workman is also a better workman. He has a sense of responsibility. 'It makes him a better citizen. A safe worker is likely to be a careful automobile driver; he is likely to be a safety man in his own home. He helps to reduce the frightful toll of traffic .accidents and home accidents insofar as his own conduct and his own influence extend. Safety work extends far beyond just 22 29th National Safety Congress slioumg a man how to do a job property and providing him with the right tools and safety devices. A foreman cannot be ex everlastingly practice, and imitate the best, and to discipline' -until definite habits are formed T pected to take the responsibility and carry Perhaps the most important dung about it out unaided. Nor will superintendents a safety program is that it Is habit-forming. and supervisors and safety directors con It forms habits of the right land, and there tinue the work, once started, without con fore, it builds character and makes better stat// s/tmuiotion from the management. men. A man -who has become oonsooaa* Safety training, in the larger sense of the of "tripping hazards" by reason of bb com word, extends into the workman's private pany training, doesn't leave a {ale of rub life. A man who is beset by worries over bish or an empty bucket on die dark base poor health, personal debts, or other do ment stairs In his home. Automatically,, he mestic or private difficulties, cannot do his puts the bucket or trash where it should best work. He cannot concentrate fully on be. It has become a habit. He does It with hfs job, but is distracted by his persona! out thinking about it. It has become aImam problems. This distraction and lack of con reflex action for him to follow correct centration make him a dangerous workman. safety practices in all the drcmmtaooef of Sooner or later he will have an accident his life. through inattention. Now you say, fine, but does safety really To get to the cause of accidents, manage work? What proof have yea that it w*B ment must assume a social responsibility conserve man power; that it will ieduce for the welfare of its employees. The execu labor turnover; that it will improve effi tive heads of large businesses are frequently ciency? Fair enough. 1 can ooly answer called upon to take the leadership in various from my own company's experience, where charitable and public welfare movements. we have had an active safety organstatioa By reaon of their executive ability they for the past 14 years, but from Georgia arc able to assume these responsibilities, and Power Company's experience, 1 can answer indeed they ought to do so for the good of emphatically ir. the affirmative to all these the community. Nevertheless, (and 1 think questions. many executives are inclined to overlook \Vc have handled our safety work with this point) their first duty' is to their own a setup of a safety council and a secretary employees. or director of safety, similar to those usu The workman naturally grows careless. Familiarity may not breed contempt, hut it docs dull the sense of danger. Mere talk won't rouse him. It's the foreman's Job to natch out for bira. Also the helper's. But his best protection ts thorough training In the fundamentals of safe methods of work. Then habit and Instinctive reflex action may save him in a tight spot. "Psychology," ally in vogue. Because of the hazards in volved in electrical work, special attention has beat devoted to definite, practical train ing in first aid and the prone pressure method of artificial resuscitation by every line and sub-station crew and by all in spectors, meter-men and appliance service men. Approximately 2fiOO men in these group* have had this training. Henry C. Link says, "is simply a scientific In the past ten years a great reduction study of habits and their formation; first had been made in fatal and serious acci so those habits may be better understood, dents, but we were still having too many. and second, so they may be better con So two years ago we reorganized our gen trolledHe proves it very simply and con eral safety committee, with the general clusively -with the question: "Did you ever manager as chairman, and the division man hear of a child being born with the agers and department-heads as members. multiplication table or the ABCs already in Under this group we orgoniaed two mam ins mind? These are habits and no matter sub-committees--the Electric Operating De how good a child's heredity, no matter bow partment Safety Committee and the Trans high his capacity at birth, these habits, like portation Department Safety Committee. most habits, can be acquired only through We placed renewed emphasis on the proper practice, repetition, imitation and discipline" training of ike men, on the foreman's re Are not a lot of our failures and disap pointments in connection with safety due to our failure to appreciate, to continue to sponsibility, and we continued our training in artificial resuscitation^ 2S63 employees have completed the standard 20-hor Red Annual Meeting of Members 23 Cross First Aid course during the past three years. They did this voluntarily aud oa their own lime. Aud 200 non-employees took the course along with our employees. didn't lose a minute, but went right to work and West is alive! Poyner brought him to in about five minutes. He has a severe bum, but he's all right." I went back to the We were not satisfied, for we had, it table. Mrs. Mitchell asked what happened i-cemed. an epidemic of serious accidents-- and my daughter said it sounded as though five fatal ones--in the summer and fall of someone were kilted but wasn't "Right" I The men were discouraged, for in the , said, "a man was dead hut he's alive again. last eight cases they failed to revive the It's the best news I've had about an acci men who had touched the "hot stuff." Then, dent in many a day." Nothing has so through my old friend, Mr. E. C. Stone, vitalized our safety work in the past five vice-president of the Duquesne Light Com years. pany of Pittsburgh, we learned of their suc cess with what is termed "Pole-Top" re suscitation. We decided to try it. Every serious accident that occurs on our system is promptly investigated by a com mittee, the majority of whom have no direct Mr. Stone kindly loaned us his safety responsibility for tbe work where the acci engineer. Mr. W. T. Hawkins, and two of dent happened. In this manner a more im hri regular linemen, Messrs. Ed. Rebel and partial, thorough and prompt report of the Frank Hartman, for a week. In August .of actual causes of the accident is made. It is Ian jear wc held a training school in At also this committee's duty to make specific lanta under the direction of these three recommendations and thus prevent a re oco and brought in from ten to fifteen currence. This report is mimeographed and linonen and foranm from each of oar sent co every division, where it is made the five outride divisions, and all of our fore subject of discussion, and believe me, these men and linemen (about 200) from the At dhcussiocks are free and frank. Many a fore lanta Division. These men didn't sxmpiv man who thought be had no responsibility look oa--they worked oa each other. Also, aad that the accident couldn't have been uc invited, about 50 safety engineers, line avoided, changed his mind before the "court men and foremen from other electric com- martial" was finished. An impartial, thor Itonics in the Southeast from Maryland to ough investigating committee can usually lxmisiana. attended. Along with tins train- nod the true cause of every serious acci bus. we stressed more than ever before that dent. The important thing is to prevent a the use of rubber blankets, pigs, etc., to recurrence by a thorough explanation and okw up all wires, was the one sure way dxscBSsioa of the accident with all other to prevent accidents. I cannot Speak too . crews liable to be caught in similar cir- highly of the excellent mstroctioa Mr, naawanrci Finn, prompt penalties for Stone's men gave os. The result--a new carelessness or infraction of safety rules interest m safety, more careful work, and a art appBed. In our business tbe foreman's belief on tbe past of the men that there first duty $ the`safety of his men and it wa< something to this safety staff. But tet me give you the smwL It bap* 1`eiKxJ last November 9th, and bow wcB I is oar endeavor to never let him forget that fact. In tbe regrtbrr ^aarterly divisional oper remember a. I was at dinner with link ating practice meetings, where all phases MttcbeD and oar daughter when tbe 'phone Tang, It was A. C. Hendoxn, Assistant Division Snfejkitodeot at Gofeambas, catt of the Ctfpqway'j operations, such as rural fine specifications and construction, cost of fuse replacements, servicing customers' ap- ing: "Mr. Mitchell, we have had a bad pKauces tomecessuy automobile expense, accident." Their iutmikat are to call me high fine axsd substation maintenance meth at the earliest nnuitrt on serious acckkne*. od*. efci, are discussed, safety and safe My heart sank tod I thought; "Another methods of doing difficult and hazardous fatality." Then from Henderson: Thotas Jobs are discussed by foremen as much as West was checking voltage on aa lljMO by engineers, and their effect upon costs volt circuit and in some way contacted a brought out. live Hire He was dead as a markera!. Mr. Mitchell, bat his buddy. Lineman Ptayner. who was opposite turn on the pole, had bud [lie training ha pole-top resuscitation and he Last fall we persuaded one of out ablest coostractkxt line foremen to take a job as safety engineer under our safety director. He accepted the job only when we showed 24 29th National Safety Congress him wliat an opportunity it offered not only to train men in safe operating practices, but also to do better work and to do it more some will say. Perhaps so, but if done with a genuine interest in the employee's well being, it will work wonders. economically. He travels from crew to crew Of course every person entering our em all over the state, spending' from one to ployment must pass a medical examination. three day5 with each, observing how they That's the very beginning of the safety handle their jobs and offering sane, prac program. Greater and greater care is being tical suggestions from his wide experience: taken in the selection of each new em checks up on their tools and protective ployee, not simply to be sure he is sound equipment, and makes safety something very in mind and limb, but that mentally he is real and very practical to a very live, smart fitted for the job. We hope wc are luring crew of hikers. This fall this man was pro him for life; we are going to Invest a lot moted to a still more important job and of time and money in training him, and will his .-successor as safety engineer is another incur definite obligations to him, which ob up and coming, able, young Jine foreman ligations grow greater with each additional who two years ago was a journeyman line year of service. man on his hooks. He knows his line work, But we don't stop with the initial or its hazards and the value of safety. Yes, entrance examination. Some years ago wc safety training prevents accidents and con started examining annually our trainmen serves man power. who were over 40 years of age. We were Our distribution costs per customer are as low today as ten years ago, although hours have decreased from 50 to 40 per week and wages have increased over 25 per cent. Yes, sound safely training and organ ization improve efficiency. Some 562 automobiles and 175 trucks have traveled 31,500,000 miles in all kinds of weather over all kinds of roads in all parts of Georgia since the last fatal accident, whereas the average for the State of Georgia for all vehicles is only 5,900,000 miles per fatality. Our record is nearly five and onchalf times as good as the average. This means real saving. Our appliance repair department, employ ing approximately 70 men, have worked 1,480,000 man hours since Feb. 14, 1929, the date of their last lost time accident. Cer tainty tee think safety training pays! A really complete and socially useful safety program involves, in addition to accident prevention training; such additional benefits as health and accident insurance, provision for hospitalization in case of ill ness. annual medical examinations for all employees over a certain age, credit union* through which employees can borrow' money at reasonable rates of interest, and SO on. One of the best things management can do is to become acquainted with the Per sonal problems of the individual employee* and to lake the trouble to advise with them about their difficulties. The executive should be a friend and confidant, as well as an employer. His office door should always be open to any employee. Paternalistic, astounded to find the number who had serious physical disabilities. We now apply this annual examination to all employees over 40, (approximately 2,000 people) of fice and field alike, free of charge, by phy sicians selected by the company. This has lengthened the useful life of many employ ees and probably has prevented some serious accidents. The value of these examinations is refleeted in a decrease in the death rate and improvement in the general health of employees as indicated by the decrease ui insurance claims during the past several years. Again 1 hear someone say this is too paternalistic. IVe call it plain good business sense. Does the stipend id the scmi-momhlj* pay envelope discharge the company's full obligation? J don't think sou In times of stress whether from outside political at tack, or labor disturbances, or operating emergencies, wc want employee loyalty' and usually get it. but let us not wait until these emergencies arise before we begin doing those things that create loyatty. Some times it does take a bad accident to wake us dp, but generally we believe in the ounce oi preventkm. This past year we added hospitalisation to the former Accident and Heatth Group Insurance available to employees. A great many employees have had needed opera tions performed that they had previously been putting off. Again we consider this just part of a sound, sane safety program, of genuine value in conserving man power. Another experiment we made last winter Annual Meeting of Members 25 was giving oral vaccine to 112 ot our older trainmen. The results were so striking in reducing lost time that wc are going to continue the experiment this year with this same group and in addition apply it to a group of 80 men in another department. ployees. Do they know that you go way beyond the letter of the law? That you try to rehabilitate the man and fit him into some other job? We consider this a very real part of safety*. I am thinking right now of a case where Because we found so many of our men a man cut into a "hot" cable and was ter in debt to loan sharks, we established eight ribly burned around the leg*. He was in employee credit onions under federal char ihehospital over three years. The expense ters. These unions have 3,447 employee was enormous. Tbe company paid it. The stockholders and nearly $200,000 in de company not only paid all compensation posits, which is almost constantly on loan. called for by the law, but set him up in Today company advances to employees in business at his request, and when the busi distress amount to $2,500 where it was ness failed, gave him a course in accounting. $25,000 a few years ago. We found that But he wasn't fitted to be an accountant. these employee credit committees soon knew Finally we took him back as a telephone and a bad risk and were much harder-boiled trouble clerk. Today he is doing a fine than the company. Yet any deserving em job as chief telephone operator in the sys ployee now knows he can borrow in reason tem load dispatcher's office--a happy, sat able amount* and at reasonable rates of isfied, responsible employee. Were the thou interest. sands of dollars we spent beyond the letter The men who work for you are far more important than your construction programs or budget problems; give more thought to them and their welfare and happiness. Pont patronize them. Treat them as you would want to be treated. It would help labor relations and safety* tremendously if execu tives would leave their offices more fre quently and get out into the shop or on the job and get their hands dirty* and maybe a smudge of grease on their faces. There is too muck distance bettveen top executives and skilled workmen. of the law wasted? 1 think not. Every line man and helper is proud to work for such a company. T could tell you of similar case* of rehabilitation and fitting crippled met* into jobs, but I think you get what 1 mean. "Gold," the old prospector says, "is where you find it" But Safety is where you make it. safety ultimately implies responsible men ami women, satisfactorily adjusted to their positions trt life, contented zeith their work. They have been trained to look out for Labor union contracts arc no bar to de serving and winning employee loyalty-- quite the contrary if properly handled. Example: Our Jitney competition. fhemseftvs and their fellow workmen. These people are good citizens and neighbors. Peo ple of this sort have pride in their jobs and in doing their work well. They are the essence of a successful business, individ But in spite of all the safety organization and all efforts to carefully select and train men, human nature being wlcat it is and our business bong what it is, there will be accidents. What then? Shall wc say there ually and collectively, they have character, a quality which you connot buy, though you can hire any number of people. So we are convinced of the value of Safety as a means of conserving man poxeer! is nothing to this safety business? No, if Preparedness and Aratfona/ Defense or** we are made of the right stuff we'll cany a definite challenge to American Business. on. But w*hat of the man permanently dis A challenge to the free etitcrprisc system abled on the job? Will you stop with the fhot tv* hove been so proud of. ft is a chal letter of the law. paying him the exact lenge also to management atxd to labor. amount demanded by the Workman's Com pensation Act? Haw you treat these mm will /rmv a tremendous influence on alt em Let ns all utilize every means at our command and toil together safely to protect all that America stands for! Following the delivery of these two outstanding addresses, President Stffwell thanked the speakers with a few gracious words, and then called for the Report of the Resolutions Committee, This report was presented by Charles W. 26 29th National Safety Congress Bcrgquist, Superintendent of Public Rela tions, Western Electric Company, Hawthorne Station. Chicago, and Past-President of the National Safety Council, and the Resolu tions were adopted, as follows: Resolution JlE IT RESOLVED. That in recognition and appreciation of the distinguished serv ices of Col. John Stilwelt as President of the National Safety Council during the past year, in which this cooperative association has made outstanding progress in service, in membership and in national influence under his leadership and devotion to the Cause of Safety, now, therefore, we mutually extend to him a rising Vote of Thanks, and assure him of the sincere admiration and good wishes of the entire Membership of the Council. Resolution BE IT RESOLVED, That the thanks and deep appreciation of the National Safety Council have been canted and are hereby extended to all the volunteer Officers, the Directors, and the Executive Committee of the Council, who during the past year have given so generously of their time, their energies and their resources, to the end that the National Safety Movement shall be ad vanced, and who through their counsel and their personal efforts have succeeded in fur thering so notably the service and the pres tige of this great organization. ADJOURNMENT Annual Banquet WEDNESDAY EVENING SESSION October 9, 1940 The Banquet Meeting for delegates and juc'ts at the 29th National Safety Congress and Exposition of the National Safety Council *as held in the Grand Ballroom of The Steven* Hotel, and overflowed into rooms adjoining; where some two thousand permn* were entertained and served. The room* bad been handsomely dec orated with the flags of our country and of Great Britain, and the stirring theme of Safety and Defense was carried out in music and in die entire program. President Col. John Stilwcll presided. After the serv ing of the banquet. President Stilwcll called upon John E* Long, Chairman of the Nom inating Committee, and Past-President of the National Safety Council, to announce the results of the election of officers. Chairman J.ong reported as follows: National Safety Council Officers 1940-1941 rresident--Coi~ John Stilwcll, Vice-President, Consolidated Edison Company of New York, Ino. New York City. Vicc-President -for Education--Nco H. Deaitoorx, Dean, School of General Education, New York University* New York City. Vire-President for industrial Safely--'SVai.hx S. Paine, Manager, Engineering & Inspec tion Departedt Aetna Life and Affiliated Companies, Hartford, Conn. Vice-President for Public Safety--Lrsur. J. Sobenson, City Traffic Engineer, City of Chicago. Vice-President for Finance and Treasurer--X. \V. Millard, President, Industrial Gloves Company, Danville, Iflinois. Pice-President for Community Councils and Public Relations--Lew R. Palmer, Conserva tion Engineer, The Equitable Life Assurance Sodetv of the United States, New York City. Pice-President for Membership--R. T. SoiixsTts, Vice-President, Elliott Service Com pany, New York City. Vice-President for Home Safety--A. V. Rohwedek, Superintendent of Safety and Wel fare, Duluth, Missabc & Iron Range Railway Company. Duluth, Minn. Assistant Vice-President for Finance and Assistant Treasurer--G. T. Hemacitth, Claims Attorney, Chicago Rapid Transit Company, Chicago. Managing Director and Secretary--'VV. H. Cameron, Managing Director, National Safety Council, Tikl, Chicago. President CoL John Stilwelf then pre sented the distinguished guest who was the speaker of the evening. Dr. Allen A. Stockdak, National Association of Manufactur ers, New York City, and Trustee, Emerson College of Oratory* Boston, Mass. Dr. Siockdalc's address was entitled: ``Safety and The American Way.** It was 27 28 29th National Safety Congress an outstanding contribution to a great Con gress--perhaps the greatest in the history of the National Safety Council--and Dr. Stockdale carried his audience to stirring -n~ heights ol eloquence as he mirrored national problems and human struggles in these dinicult times of American Safety and Defense. a 7/. 3.C. "Otkut ad}0URNMENT Agricultural Safety THURSDAY MORNING SESSION October 10, 1940 The session was planned as a Panel Dis cussion of pressing farm accident problems, to be preceded by a formal paper out lining farm accident causes and who may be responsible for corrective action. The ses sion was called to order by the Chairman, Harold L. Miner, Manager of Safety and Fire Prevention, E. L du Pont de Nemours & Company, Wilmington, Del., and Chair man of the Farm Safety Committee of the National Safety Council. Chairman Miner stated at some length the IHirposc of the session, quoting farm acci dent statistics from `Accident. Facts---siWO Edition." published by the- National Safety Council, and also paragraphs from the widely circularized pamphlet, "Organizing tor Farm Safety." also a Council publica tion. He called attention to the fact that 4,200 persons were killed in farm accidents in 1939, compared with 3,500 accident deaths in trade and service, 2,700 in construction, 1,800 m transportation and public utilities, 1,800 in manufacturing, and 1,500 in min ing, quarrying and oil and gas wells. Farm fatalities therefore were 27 per cent of all industrial accident losses. The farms also furnished some 25 per cent of all the non-fatal work injuries, and about 25 per cent of the economic losses due to work accidents throughout the United States. The chairman then pointed out that we know bow to prevent accident losses of all kinds, and that the National Safety Council and other public spirited organizations are be ginning to organize their resources to stop these losses. With this preamble, he intro duced the speaker, Mr. J. C. Mohler. Farm Accidents--Why They Occur and Who Is Responsible for Corrective Action By J. C. MOHLER Secretary, Kansas State Board of Agriculture, Topeka, Kan. There have been more fatalities from work accidents on the farms of the United States in 1940 than from the air battle that has raged over England. This statement is based on the average annual loss of 4,200 from farm mishaps and the newspaper re ports of deaths from bombing in Britain. While agriculture is the oldest, the largest and fundamentally the most important of industries, it is only within the past decade that it was found to be the most hazardous industry of all Compare the 4,200 deaths in farm work with the 3,500 deaths in trade and service. 2.700 in construction, 1,800 in transportation and public utilities, 1,800 in manufacturing, and 1,500 in mining, quar rying and oil and gas wells, the latest coun try-wide figures as released by the National Safety Council. It is true that the progressive influence of safety work during the past thirty years did occasion frequent inquiries concerning the status of agriculture; but it was not un til 1934, when Kansas took the first state census on farm accidents that definite facts were made available. This census showed one accident for each fifty farms, with an average of 4.7 persons injured for each 1,000 inhabitants; and that persons injured had been disabled for a total of 132,934 days, or the equivalent of 350 years of lost labor. This was an average of more than 40 days for each accident The toll included 112 per sons kilted and 127 others permanently in jured. As most of these casualties were males in the prime of life, trained for farm work and management, these figures had a special significance. 29 30 29th National Safety Congress It should be noted that these data pertain only to farm work accidents and do not in clude accidents in the farm home, which would greatly increase the total. Two subse quent Kansas censuses, the latest in 1940, confirm these facts, although there are strong indications that the farm safety program has brought about a decided decrease in both the total number of casualties and fatalities. The census also showed that about 29 per cent of the accidents were in connection with machinery and 20 per cent with live stock, the two major causes together accounting for approximately 50 per cent of the total. Applying the facts as revealed by the Kan sas census to the country's agriculture as a whole, on a per farm basis, the results are closely in accord with the fatality estimates of the National Safety Council and go to establish without doubt agriculture is our most perilous industry. Publicity emanating from various investi gations developed a widespread interest in die problem of agricultural accidents, and considerable concern. A number of agen cies. here and there, began feeling their way toward attacking tills problem. The first great impetus given to these endeavors was the recognition accorded by the Na tional Safety Council by incorporating in its twenty-sixth National Safety Congress, at Kansas City, in 1937, an Agricultural Safety Session, with a separate farm safety program, which has since been regularly continued; and the second momentous step was taken also by the National Safety Coun cil, when, after much study, it finally de veloped and recently published a comprehen sive plan of organizing for farm safety and a cooperative national program. This national program fills a great and urgent need, and with this well-thought-out pattern available, it is confidently expected that the states will promptly respond by working out a system of procedure along the lines it so clearly sets forth. In order to bet ter understand the problem, I must briefly quote from this excellent document: "It i* essential to recognize, first, that ac cidents do not `happen*--they arc caused. To prevent accidents, then, it is necessary to discover the causes and eliminate them. In general, there are two main causes of acci dents * 1. Mechanical causes, or faulty physical environment. 2. Personal causes, or faulty human be havior. "To apply these causes to farm accidents, or to accidents in any other class of human activity, is a simple matter. Mechanical causes are those produced by unguarded machinery and processes, by worn and de fective ropes, tools and other equipment, by faulty structures, boles in platforms and flooring, and similar hazards. `The personal causes of accidents are still more numerous, although they can be named in three general groups: (a) Lack of knowl edge or skill; (b) Wrong attitude; and (c) Physical or mental defect in the individual. These human faults include ail those com monly referred to as carelessness, thought lessness. ignorance, stupidity, recklessness, insubordination, `horse-play,' and man)* others. "The important thing is to recognize that all of these causes are within the realm of human control and that they can be removed or rendered impotent; first, under the name of `Engineering,* by removing the physical causes of accidents wherever possible, and providing safeguards for all hazards that cannot be eliminated; and, second, under the name of 'Education/ fay training die individ ual to use only safe tools, appliances and safe procedures, and so teach him by con tinual suggestion that he wilt consciously follow only safe methods in whatever he may do.'* Since the facts concerning farm accidents arc well established, the application of these fundamental procedures to farm work is plain, and also with respect to farm home, roadway and street accidents. This historical view is made to provide the groundwork or a common starting point tor a discussion of the most interesting and important part of the subject assigned to me--"Who Is Responsible For Corrective Action?" The best answer, in coy opinion, is found in the cooperative program of the National Safety Council. It is all-embracing, and I would recommend its careful study. I do not, however, intend to dismiss this ques tion so summarily. There is something of a very practical nature to be learned from what has already been accomplished in farm accident prevention that may prove exceed ingly useful in organizing and proceeding under the general plan of the National Agricultural Safety 31 Safety Council. Notable results have been achieved in recent years in some common wealths. with promise that future headway may dim their records of the past. Immediately, the State Board ox Agricul ture interested itself. It planned and carried out two state-wide surveys, in 1934 and 1935, which secured more facts about farm In order to ascertain how extensively accidents than had been marshaled pre farm safety work was being done and who viously. Much helpful publicity resulted was <kmtg it, inquiries were addressed to from the dissemination of these facts. They i very state. The replies from 41 indicate were basic--indispensable in the most intelli that in 2l states no farm safety work of any gent consideration of methods of attack. That kind is being done. In II some work is being was the beginning from which slowly de done, mostly by single agencies concerned veloped the organization that was perfected with special groups--as the Red Cross, state in 1937 by the president of the State Safety extension service, farm bureaus, the grange, Council appointing a Farm Accident Com 4-H dabs, farm security administration, etc. mittee. This committee was authorized to In four states very excellent work is being proceed in accordance with its judgment. It done with the various groups working sepa promptly evolved a plan which has been in rately and independently; and five other successful operation ever since. states are doing likewise with the addition of strong organized support as represented by agencies that qualify for state-wide leader-Inp under a broad program, These five are: Illinois and its State Ag ricultural Association; Minnesota, Michigan. Kansas and their state safety councils; and California through its Stale Bureau of In dustrial Accident Prevention. It may be possible that through lack of adequate infor mation I have excluded some states that should rightly be included in the latter list, and, if so, this is my apology. As single, independent agencies, I want particularly to pay tribute to the 4-H dubs and to the grange which art doing such effective work in many states. Care was exercised in the selection of the committee, and its personnel was composed of representatives of agencies whose co operation was regarded as of the utmost im portance. Hence, its membership consisted of the State Superintendent of Public In struction, State 4-H Onb Leaders, State Supervisor of Vocational Agriculture, Man aging Editor of Kansas Farmer, and the sec retary of the State Board of Agriculture as chairman. Incidentally, there has been only one change in membership, due to a new State Superintendent of Public Instruc tion, the only one subject to results of gen eral elections. Permanency of the commit tee is an important factor. Most progress has been made in the states attacking the farm accident problem in an organized way, and bence their experiences should be exceptionally valuable. Unfor tunately, time will not permit outlining the programs of each, and so, with your indul gence. I shall present the example of my own state, not because it is superior to others or as praiseworthy, but simply be cause I am most familiar with it and have some check on its accomplishments. So far as I know, no one was giving thought to farm accidents in Kansas until in 1933 when Dr. Earle G. Brown, Secre The character of the committee in itself may indicate what was in mind and decided upon: a scheme to enroll the youth of the state in farm safety--the public schools, the 4-H clubs. Future Farmers and grange juveniles. Realizing that it was necessary to supply them with something that was in teresting and appealing, a thirty-two page, illustrated booklet was prepared and printed. 100,000 copies, entitled "A Farm Accident Primer." It gave in a simple way, mostly in the form of questions and answers, rather full information about farm accidents, their causes and prevention. Details of county and state safety contests, which the commit tary of the State Board of Health, In an address before the annual meeting of the State Safety Council, invited attention to rural risks by citing from the vital statistics complied by his board, showing that in fa talities from occupational accidents, agricul ture led all others by far, and in some years was more than all the rest combined. This exposition was a challenge to action. tee decided to conduct to add interest and encourage competition, were also included, with the announcement of prizes for state winners. To aid hi the county contests, county committees were set Dp---composed in the main of the county superintendent of public instruction, the county agent and a representative of a farm organization. The State Superintendent of Public In- 32 29th National Safety Congress struciion sem the primers to the county su perintendents, who distributed them to rural scIkxi! teachers, the teachers in turn passing them on to the pupils. The State 4-H Club Leader saw to it that the members of this organization were supplied, and the State Supervisor of Vocational Agriculture did likewise in his field. The children were in structed not only to study the primers but to take them home and to discuss with their families the observance of safety practices, as well as plans for their entering the con tents. Every boy and every girl in Kansas who was enrolled in grade or high school or a regular member of 4-H clubs or of vo cational agricultural classes was eligible, and awards were based on personal accomplish ments in safety work on the farm, leader ship in community or school activities in safety, of which a record was to be kept and a report made, and the writing of a story of not more than 300 words on, "The Pre vention of Accidents and the Conservation of Human Life in My Community/' Interest was manifested in every' county. Thousands of youths were enrolled. Tt is estimated that practically all of the 175,000 farm families in the state have been reached with the safety gospel and mostly through their own children, many of whom became ardent safety champions. As it worked out, the youngsters in studying the primer to prepare for the contests not only became fully informed generally but their enthu siasm often resulted in getting the entire household interested. As a consequence, there was developed in many cases a family enterprise, with rivalry* among the members to sec who could make the best record. Achievements of some individuals were really remarkable, in one instance led to the improvement of the entire local community. Many rather timtlar examples might be cited. They make the finest type of human interest stories, too. Once the imagination of a child is captured, there is no estimating what may be accomplished. In addition to the individual rivalry, group competition be tween schools and clubs has been keen also. Quite a number of the county' committees provided prizes for the winners in the county contests, and the tops of these, indi vidual and groups, automatically become en trants in the state contest. These contests Itave been stimulating and arc a feature of the campaign. As a whole, however, the gratifying results must be mainly attributed to tile thousands of families who partici pated, not because of the prizes but with the principal object of making the farmstead a safer place. The judges in the state contests are chosen from the farm organizations, women mainly, are admirable cooperators, and one member of the State Safety Council, thus far its secretary- The annual awards are $50 gold watches to the winning boy and girl, given by Senator Arthur Capper, and a free trip to the American Royal Live Stock Show to the winning school or club, sponsored by the State Safety CounciL Each fall the win ners are entertained at the capital city and take part in a special radio broadcast. The newspapers, of course, give these events state-wide publicity, and they are the spec tacular feature of the program, as are the county contests locally. While the foregoing is a risurai of the or ganized effort stemming from the State Safety Council, the picture would be far from complete if mention were not made of what other agencies are doing, separately and independently, and full credit is given for their exceptionally fine work, as well as for their unfailing cooperation in the gen eral state program. Institutional activities are carried on most efficiently and in a com prehensive way by the 4-H clubs, and voca tional agriculture students and Future Farm ers, under their state leader and state supervisor, respectively; and by the grange, which features safety in its regular pro grams at their meeting houses throughout the state and which enjoys the unique rec ord of bring the only state that has won the national grange safety essay contest two dif ferent years. The extension specialist in farm machinery of Kansas State College has incorporated safety in the hundreds of co operative machinery* and rural life meetings held annually. It would require an article of length to do justice to the achievements of each of these; I shall have to be content to extend grateful acknowledgements on their praiseworthy achievements. The state farm bureau and the state farmers* union, while having no organized program, strongly endorse the campaign, and the former has been active in highway safety in connection with its motor vehicle insurance business. It should be noted, too, that the farm security adminis tration is doing excellent farm safety work in Kansas, as elsewhere. The more partici- /Igricultural Safety 33 louts, the better. Agencies proceeding inde pendently arc likely to have a special interest in llicir individual programs and a peculiar pride in their accomplishments, two great incentives for progress, and their opportuni ties for useful service are unlimited. Results have been secured. There is no yardstick by which they may be definitely measured, but an indication is found in the vital statistics of the State Board of Health. These show farm accident deaths in the past three years of 83. 57 and 61, respective!)', as compared with 109 in 1936 and the high of 112 in 1934; and also in the 1940 state-wide survey, just completed, recording a total of 2.119 accidents as compared with 3,235 in 1934 and 2JS6Q in 1935. The all-time low in fatalities was 57 in 1938, a decrease from the preceding year of over 30 per cent, and from the high year (1934) of 49 per cent In commenting on this record, the State Board of Health observed, "It is a strong indica tion that safety education is proving effec tive." So far as the Kansas program is con cerned, what has been achieved has been due chiefly to education. Engineering might have contributed, and no doubt did contribute in more or less degree. Unquestionably*, many fanners more closely checked their tools and equipment and facilities. Just what headway manufacturers have made toward further safeguarding farm machinery, I am not advised, but most assuredly they arc fully sensible of their responsibilities. As the National Safety Council has pointed out, farm accident prevention depends upon the two powerful forces of engineering and education. May the two operate together as an invincible tandem in promoting safety on the Farms of America. Panel Discussion CHAIRMAN' MIXER: In thinking about today's program. I was impressed with the fact that practically all of the occupations are represented in farm work activities. Wc have even the aviation hazard, as well as those of the machine shop, the use of toxic material's, and the handling of livestock. With few exceptions, all of the occupational classifications are found among farm haz ards and should be included tn the Farm Safety Program. It is a problem of ire-" mendous scope. vention, The American National Red Cros, Washington. D. C. T. A. Erickson, State Club Leader, State of Minnesota Agricultural Extension Di vision, University Farm, St. Paul, Minn. Kenneth H. Anderson, Service Director, National Committee on Boys and Girls Club Work, Chicago. E. \V\ Lehmann, Professor, Agricultural Engineering, I'ntversifv of Illinois. Urbann, III. Wc shall now proceed with the Panel Discussion provided for in our program. Our committee has suggested certain sub jects. various phases of the big problem, and the)* Itave invited a number of distin guished gentlemen here to present various views on these subjects. I take pleasure in introducing to you the following gentlemen: C. M. Seagraves, Director, Department of Safety, Illinois Agricultural Association, Chicago. H, G. Davis, Director of Research, Farm Equipment Institute, Chicago. S. H. McCrory, Assistant Chief, Bureau of Agricultural Chemistry and Engineering, U. S. Department of Agriculture, Washingion, D. C. Richard \V. Thrush, Assistant Director, First Aid, Life Saving and Accident Pre Association Safety Work CHAIRMAN MINER; The best plan will be to call individually upon these gen tlemen in turn. Mr. 5eagraves, may wc hear first from you? C. XL SEAGRAVES (Director, Depart ment of Safety, Illinois Agricultural As sociation, Chicago, Illinois): Our work in this state is confined almost entirely to Farm Bureau members and their families, of whom there is a considerable number. We have directed our work largely along pub licity lines. We have pointed out constantly, insofar as wc were able, the seasonable hazards, especially as farm machinery and livestock would work into such warnings, and in pointing those out we have used weekly 34 29th National Safety Congress ncw'i releases lhat go to all rural papers in the state--articles in our Illinois Agri cultural Record, which goes to all of our Farm Bureau members--posters that are placed in the Farm Bureau offices through out the state--and wc have also done con siderable work among the 80 rural youth groups which we have organized in that many different counties. N'ow, so far as the question indicated on the program here is concerned, "What can wc do to further the Farm Safety pro gram?*' insofar as it pertains to our or ganization, wc can do little else than what we have already done until such time as a coordinated program can be made available to us--when we will be told, "Here is what you can do because you are fitted to do it." after which we will go ahead and offer our entire cooperation. than we do from tractors, but until we know the comparative hazards involved in so many hours of handling tractors and in 50 many hours of handling livestock, we cannot feel confident in saying that this or that or the other is the most dangerous hazard. However, we do believe from the statistics we bave compiled that farm ma chinery needs some immediate attention in sofar as safeguarding devices are concerned. It is pretty bard to put boxing gloves on a horse's rear feet, but it is not impossible to install a back to a tractor seat, let us say. 1 believe now that I have opened a friendly relationship with Mr. Davis and so I shall resume my seat. CHAIRMAN MINER: What have you to say, Mr. Davis? Farm Equipment I would like to say here that after we re ceived the pamphlet on "Organizing for Farm Safety" from the National Safety Council, we would have been very happy to have had a follow-up on it saying, "Just wliat have you folks done as suggested in this report? Will you submit lo us some physical evidence of what you have accom plished?" From the wide sources of ma terial that you folks have available to you, l believe that we could make up a suggested typical Farm Safety Program and wc might even point out our place in it. In all our cooperative efforts (and I pre sume that this is true of all work) we have discovered that it takes just a little prod ding from tune to time in order to have folk* do something, and we would be will ing to go ahead and do more and follow \our suggestions On the thing. CHAIRMAN MINER: May I interrupt you for a moment, Mr. Seagraves? The only reason von didn't recei\re a follow-up was because of the problem of finances. We have asked for some additional money to carry on this Farm Safety program and I can assure you that In the future you will receive not only one follow-up but many. MR. SEAGRAVES: As regards the operations and occupations in which farm accidents occur most frequently, frankly, wc don't know. Here in this state we have -ome ideas of trends. We have more people killed from horse kicks, as a matter of fact. H. G. DAVIS (Director of Research. Farm Equipment Institute, Chicago. Illi nois) r The interest of the farm equipment industry, in addition to that of the general interest of every good citizen in movement# of this kind, has been, of course, specifically directed to our own products. We have made a considerable investigation of the farm accident problem. We made a survey some four or five years ago in which we cov ered the whole United Stales hot it was not a very intensive survey. It wa* made by subscribing to a clipping bureau service for farm accidents In all pans of the coun try. We tabulated several thousand dipping' to find out fust what problem was involved and to what extent our farm machinery wa< involved as an injury factor. I have been rather impressed, from the reports which I have heard and read of other surveys, that we had one that was as nearly typical as any survey would be. For instance, in checking with Mr. Seagraves* report, we found that we had about the same total percentages in cases where farm machinery was involved as an injury factor. Then we wanted to see what we could do to put the boxing gloves on the rear end of the tractor: in other words, we wanted to see to what extent these accidents were oc curring where the blame might be placed upon the machine. Wc knew that there were some fundamental weaknesses. We also be lieved that there are many ideas about safe guards for maclfines that sound very nice in theory but are not practical in operation. Agricultural Safety 3> We found among the accidents which were occurring that a great many very serious injuries and a good many actual deaths were taking place as the result of ft arson's clothing being caught up in the power takeoff of power-driven machines, and we immediately recognized that as a detect. While we are an industry where we do no standardizing--each machine is an in dividual production and is made without reference to any other machine manufac tured--we found that it was necessary to do a little standardizing in the name of safety m order to cover the power takeoff rod which goes from the power takeoff on the tractor hack to the operating machine that is towed behind it. We have 15 or 18 manufacturers who arc producing tractors in this country and a large number are producing machines that are operated with a power takeoff. Now it was a simple matter for the manufacturer if the machine to put some kind of a shield over this revolving rod, but when the far mer put the machine into use there was the necessity of connecting that shield with the tractor. It was a simple matter to do that when the machine and tractor were both made by the same manufacturer. But when one manufacturer's machine was bought by a farmer who owned a tractor made fay another manufacturer, there was no way to attach that shield to the tractor. As a.result, we devised a guard over the power takeoff on tractors that similar in all cases at that connecting point, and today when a farmer buys a combine or a power mower or a power cornpicker or any of those power machines from one manufacturer, he can still back the tractor of another man ufacturer into his machine by just turning a tumbuckle and he will be hooked up to it. We went even further than that. We went over our machines, I might say, with a fine toothed comb. We enclosed some gears that previously had been exposed, we put shields around sprockets, and we cleaned up tlte line completely until we felt that we were ab solutely safe. But we wanted to know whether wc really were or not, and so last year we devised a survey which we are now carrying on and we have had nine months' experience on that. To date I believe that we have tabulated 226 farm accidents where machines were involved. Now, this is a more accurate survey and a little more detailed type of information than you usually obtain in surveys. It is made by the individual manufacturer who made the machine that is involved in th accident. The whole affair is reported by a man who is quite familiar with the ma chine and who in his report mentions the point of injury, the date of the accident, the name of the person injured, his address, the type of machine involved, the nature of the injury, and the exact point on the ma chine where the accident took place. After that he describes the accident in detail, giving a clear word picture of how* and why it happened. Some of the other questions which this same fellow answers in his report are these: "Do you think this particular accident could have been avoided? If so, how?" If he thinks the machine was at fault in any way, he is to report that fact. "Was the machine running at the time of the accident? Wa? power takeoff under power? Were man ufacturer's guards removed? Was weather or the condition of the ground a factor? If so, in what way? Give briefly any state ment made by the injured. State your sug gestion, if any. as to how similar accidents might he avoided in the future." The*c reports are made up in duplicate. One copy comes to my office and the orig inal is sent to the manufacturer, where it is handed over to the engineering depart ment. Out of 226 accidents which have been tabulated, we haven't found anything further Jhat wc can do in the way of redesigning our machines. Now just a few words as to the educa tional feature. The first thing that we did when we became artivc in this accident cam paign -was to ask the National Safety Coun cil to prepare for us a statement which might be included in the instruction book that accompanies each machine sold, and this is the statement which the Council has prepared for us. It is headed, "Safety First": "Most farm accidents, just as most in dustrial. home and highway accidents, are caused by the familiar* failure of some indi vidual to observe certain simple and funda mental safety rules or precautions. For this reason farm accidents, just as other types of accidents, can be prevented by recogniz ing the cause of the accident and doin.tj something about it before the accident oc curs. 56 19th National Safety Congress ''Regardless of the care used in designing uni constructing farm equipment, there arc nanv points that cannot be completely safe guarded without interfering with the acces sibility and efficiency of operation. A care ful operator is the best insurance against an accident. The complete observance of -.nc simple rule would prevent many thou sands of serious injuries each year, and that rule is this: NEVER ATTEMPT TO CLEAN, OIL OR ADJUST A MACHINE WHILE IT IS IN MOTION." That warning is included in every instruc tion book that accompanies every new macljinc sold. I checked over with some o> our companies recently and asked them to give me a list of tools or machines that had these instruction books with that warning in them inside the package in which they were delivered. Then I turned to the census* bureau records, and I discovered that our annual distribution of these instruction liooktets to farmers throughout this country amounted to about two million a year, one of them accompanying each new machine sold. We have gone still further. We have a preliminary form of a poster which we are contemplating putting up in every' dealer* place ox business throughout the United States. Wc provided for transfers to be placed on the machines at the various danger -JKH-. with such warnings as: "Safety First*' . . . "Keep clothing and hands away from chains and moving parts" . . . "Stop machine to oil and adjust." etc., etc. Wc have purchased literally millions of these transfers and there arc- machines carrying anywhere from two to a half-dozen traits* icrs located at various danger spots. Wc have also prepared a number of rules tor safe tractor operation. There arc 17 of those rules, which are printed on a handy card. These rules, by the way, have been printed in all of the trade and occupational papers that circulate to the farm trade. TJie*e cards have also been purchased by oil companies and as they deliver oil to the farmer's place one of these cards is tacked up in his oil *hcd or in his tractor shed. As I have *aid. there are 17 of these safety rules. But I might say here that in the 30 fatal tractor accidents which we have tabulated this year, the observance of one or more of ihe*< rule? would have prevented every' one of thn*c accidents, with one ex ception. A farmer down in New Jersey was back ing his tractor into the shed when the seat spring broke. Of course, he was running in reverse. Perhaps a dozen or so seat springs break in the course of a year's time out of a million or three-quarters of a million tractors, and I suppose that a farmer runs Iris tractor in reverse probably one-millinnth part of the time that he runs it alto gether. In this particular case both of these things happened at the very same lime. Now that is the sort of work that we are doing. Wc arc ready to cooperate in any way that we can with you people. There i* nothing more in sight so far as wc can see at the present time in the way of additional progres*. 1 f we find something that is wrong tomorrow and that requires correcting, we will go right ahead and correct the fault. However, wc can't do some of the things that have been suggested to us. For instance, Mr. Seagravcs has suggested putting a back to a tractor seat. I don't know how you arc going to reach around the back scat of a tractor and adjust the levers. A back just can't be put on the seat. We have also re ceived suggestions regarding some auto matic mean* of turning the ignition on or off. We have made tests on that but we have been unable to find any way m which this can satisfactorily be done. I can assure you ot one thing, however: wc never pul a safety' device on a farm machine unless it is one hundred per cent safe. We will never lull a farmer into care lessness by* having him believe that because he has a certain device on his machine he is perfectly safe when we know that lie is likely to be injured when that device docs not work. We will cooperate with all of you in every way that wc can in this educational work. 1 do want you to know that our experience has shown us that more than 90 per cent of the accident* in which our farm machines arc involved are the result of carelessness on the part of the operator of the machine. CHAIRMAN MINER: h is certainly en couraging to find out what the farm equip ment people are doing, and I am deeply ap preciative of their attitude oF cooperation. I shall now call upon Mr. McCrory, As sistant Chief of the Bureau of Agricultural Chemistry & Engineering, U. S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, D. C. Agricultural Safety 37 Governmental Interest S. H. McCRORY: The Department of Agriculture is very much interested in this problem of farm safety. We have been working on some phases of it for a long time. One thing that has impressed me is the difficulty of finding oat accurately what hap pens when you have an accident; and if wc could find some way of getting better re ports on farm accidents and what causes them, such information would be very Helpful in planning safety campaigns. One thing that is perhaps needed more than anything else is a continuous educa tional program that will make farm people safety conscious. We have observed the need of that a great many times. I don't think wc have done as much in the past as we should have done along that line. However, I am sure that if we could educate the farm people to the dangers of many of the prac tices that they are following, we would do a great deal to cut down the number of farm accidents. To me accident reduction seems to be largely a matter of what you might call good housekeeping. If you keep your build ings and your equipment in good order, you do a good deal to cm down the possibilities of accidents. Many farm people do not ap preciate that fact. You see them doing a lot of things on many farms that they shouldn't be doing, and when you call it to their at tention, they will <ay. "Well, that's the easiest way to do it/* or something like that. And ( think that we must commence to educate the children. We have found in the Department of Agriculture that that ts one of the most effective ways of carrying out educational programs. Now. I think that these educational pro grams should be made as broad as possible. All of the farm agencies should certainly cooperate in them. 1 think, too. that it would be most helpful if we could bring into those programs the smaller manufac turers and agencies that are serving the farmers--such agencies as the public utilities and others who have rather frequent con tact* with farmers. Those agencies can do a great deal of good in preventing farm accidents by educating people in regard to what is happening, providing they arc in formed as to just what they should tell them. There-is a field there which hasn't been explored as fully as it might be and which, if opened up, might bring good re sults. CHAIRMAN MINER: In '39 or the latter part of '38, when the National Safety Council sent our first statement out to the various associations, we included all of the organizations either directly or indirectly concerned with safety--the National Electric Light Association, the National Electric Manufacturers, and all similar organizations --and we hope eventually to have all of the organizations either directly or indirectly connected with farm safety enter into the picture. Your suggestions have been very fine, Mr. McCrory. 1 shall now cal! upon Mr. R. W. Thrti-h, of The American National Red Cro*>. Pact Finding Is Important RICHARD W. THRUSH (Assistant Di rector, First Aid, Life Saving and Acci dent Prevention, The American National Red Cross. Washington, D. C.): The tiring which is of primary importance to us is how to stimulate or discover some means whereby we can liave a better system of fact-finding on this problem of farm ac cidents. You will perhaps recall the two reports which were made this past year. One was by Doctor Powers at Cooporstown, New York, and the other by Doctor -Baker, who went quite extensively into the matter in the State of Alabama; both of these were almost unique in that field with the exception o spotted reports that wc have had front different parts oi the country, a very good job having been dune in Kansas as well as in the State of Illinois. 1 have no doubt that those of you who have looked over the reports made by Doctor Powers and Doctor Baker were im pressed with the variety of the types of accidents those reports dealt with. For instance, on any reports from Kansas, let us say, you don't see anything about logging accidents; yet bn those reports from Cooperstown it was indicated that people had been brought into the hospital as a re sult of logging accidents, because during certain seasons of the year lumbering in a small way is a very' definite part of the ac tivities of those farmers and contributed to their accident problem. From a reading of Doctor Baker's studies any of you who are 3S Z9lh National Safety Congress familiar with conditions in the South will see that part of the country reflected in his reports. They are entirely different from what you might expect about conditions in Illinois, for instance; and both men refer to the fact that there is very little in the way of background, that there hasn't been much in the way of medical studies or scientific reporting on these accidents. Really, I am wondering how those who arc interested in this field can get very far on the job until we know where the enemy is? We go into our local communities, let u .'av, and we make studies locally. As re gards these service organizations, that is a sort of generalized term and somewhat diffi cult to define as to just exactly what wc mean. Anyway, thinking of these communin' group.', we can readily see that any such group can make local studies of accident problems. In a measure at least they can discover from local statistics the number of farmers who have been injured, certainly in case* where they have been brought to the hospital; but there ought to he a possibility in practically any community, where there i* local leadership through service groups of one son or another, of arriving at some plan tor discovering what has actually taken place in that county or in that particular district. Having found out something about the problem at hand, they can then proceed upon a program of education. These community1 organizations (l have heard them referred to as "pressure groups" although I do not believe that is a partic ularly good term to use) arc more or less independent, are voluntary in their nature, and they do bound local and state govern mental authorities to do things. This is a part of their function, apparently; A num ber of them are prepared to earn on defi nitely with programs, are prepared to make demonstrations of the effectiveness of a pro gram before the public at large Is willing to take on such a program. Take'the AntiTuberculosis League, for instance, or the private charities . . . you can name any list of things ... or the matter of volun teer fire protection; you may have a group of people interested in that problem who may carry on for a number of years before there is community wide or municipal recog nition oF the problem. So that always is a pioneering task for community groups of one sort or another. AI-a. some of them, you will find, are equipped with program facilities. The Grange, 4-H Clubs, women's dubs, parentteacher associations, the organization which I represent--alt of them have different pro grams which may be carried on independ ently or correlatcdly. This program of education itt farm safety just came to my attention the other day: It seems that there is a group of enthusi astic young chaps down in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, who are interested in acci dent prevention, first aid work, and all that sort of thing, and they have been carrying on a magnificent program down there for a number of years. Here is an example of what they arc doing; They have gone out into a given farm community (you may be familiar with those good old Dutch farmers down that way) and have selected six farm homes as spots for carrying on instruction in farm acci dent prevention. The first farm selected was one that was well equipped with machinery. In the evening the farmers and their wives and their older children met together on that particular farm and an instructor took them through a course of accident preven tion in connection with farm machinery. The following week they met again at another neighborhood farm, which is well stocked with cattle and horses and other livestock; and on this occasion the subject under discussion was that pertaining to livestock and the various means of handling it as well as the ways of preventing acci dents when dealing with livestock. On another occasion they met at quite a model modem farm home where they could find practically all the hazards which can be found in a modem home either in the city or in the country, and at that time home accidents were the subject of study and discussion. From this mode of procedure (and they have had enough experience so that they know what they are about), they expect that the entire community will become so interested in a group of efforts of this sort that they wilt be able to go right on through a first aid course, and then establish a first aid station as a sort of rallying point for their entire efforts. That is a rather good example of what a community can do with developed leader ship. Of course, our stumbling block is that of finding the proper leadership. How Agriculturol Safety 39 ever, I beBwt that ve must keep certain steps in mind if wc are to carry out this program satisfactorily. First of all, we must face honestly the problem that is before us, namely, that somehow or other we must develop in this cwmtiy a more accurate and complete system of reporting farm accidents before we can really begin to approach the problem intelb'geady. Wc must know where it is; we must know how different the situation is hi southern West Virginia, for instance, from that which exists in northern Illinois; and we must not generalize too much about our problem. You know, wc have been surprised at the results of some of the surveys which have been made in connection with home accidents, namely: that accidents weren't happening in many cases where we thought they were happen ing, and we may find the same thing to he true as regards farm accidents. Let os not overlook these community groups which may be the spearpoints, the agitators for this effort. Take advantage of all of them, whether they are organized very carefully, or whether they are very loose in their organization. All the way down from your service dubs to the town, let as say. from your Rotaxy dubs and Kiwanis dubs all the way down to even family reunions and family picnics wherever a group of farm folks come together, have them reached somehow, in some fashion, with the message of accident prwvmuon on the farm. CHAIRMAN MINER: I shall now call upon Mr. T. H. Erickson, who will speak to us on Stax* Safety Councils. Minnesota 4-H Clubs T, A. ERICKSON (Stale Club Leader, State of Minnesota Agricultural Extension Division, University Farm, St. Paul, Mitm.); First, let me say that until recently it was mv privilege to be the leader of the 4-H Clubs in Minnesota for a good many years. About six years ago it was ray privilege to attend the annual meeting of the State Safety Council and it struck me at that time that the Agricultural Extension Serv ice was a pretty good source through tvhich to teach farm people to become safetyminded. This, as yoo know, is the work that is bring carried on by the agricultural col leger in each state that are cooperating with the V. S. Department of Agriculture, and it is a sort of voluntary movement that gels in touch with practically every farm home in the country- So we added the safety* work as an activity to our agricul tural extension work in Minnesota, especially as a pan of the 4-H Club program. There was good reason why that proved to be a very effective way of putting across safety education. Those of you who have business relations and other contacts with farm people are no doubt aware that in our extension work we try to make contact with practically every group or force that is in terested in rural life. So we not only have the agricultural extension service hut we have contact with the public schools, with the farm bureaus, with the churches, with the Grange, with the Red Cross, with the county fairs, with the State Industrial Com mission, with machinery companies, with the rural electrification association, with the farm insurance companies, with the public press and the farm press and other groups, all of whom are interested in farm ac tivities. Now this 4-H program is one in which we try to get rural boys and girls to do definite and specific things; and among these things we have asked each boy or girl who is a 4-H Club member to do something along the line of safety work. In Minne sota wc have about 50,000 rural young peo ple who are members of these 4-H Clubs, members of 3.000 locally organized groups. Last year in our state they held nearly 30 monthly meetings. We have amongst that group of young people a volunteer force which directly or indirectly reaches prac tically every farm borne in the state. I simply want to emphasize that as a wonderful source of putting across safety education. Judging from my experience with these young people the last six years in the State of Minnesota, 1 believe that the thing we need more than anything else in carrying on farm safety work is to help farm peo ple, especially the young people, become safety-minded. We can make many rules and supply all the information and all the safety appliances on our farm machinery, but until we can get farm folks to learn bow to use them and how to be careful about all sorts of little things, we will con tinue to have many farm accidents. While it is true that machinery and livestock are the main causes of accidents on the farm, (here are many little things, such as the 40 29th National Safety Congress pitchfork around the bam and things of that kind, which are tlte cause of numerous accidents. Here i*> something which we did with the help of our 4-H Club members about six years ago: We asked them to make a survey of their own home and of their own prem ises and of their own farms, and we got together a wonderful report as a result of all their findings. Among some of the things which they found around the house were broken bottles and other 'pieces of broken glass which caused many accidents. They also discovered that there was a lot of ma chinery misplaced, that certain farm imple ments, by being where they ought not to be, caused a good many accidents. You would be surprised at'the number of hazards caused by ail sorts of little things on a farm which resulted oftentimes in accidents. These surveys gave us a good insight into many ol these matters. For in stance, one chap said; "For years the only stairway to the hayloft was a few strips of wood nailed alongside the bam door, and I remember Ikjw I used to fall down and get hurt while trying to get up there that way." Hundreds of different little hazards were reported by these boys and girls, and it was all voluntary'- No one forced them .to look these things up This past vear we had more than 30.000 of our 4-H Club members who sent in reports to the effect that they had done something in the way of studying safety conditions on their farms and had done something to correct whatever hazards ex isted on the place. U was my privilege to appear before the mutual farm insurance companies in the state. When the president began introduc ing our part of the program at that meet ing, somebody said that he couldn't see what connection there was between farm insur ance and 4-H Clubs and farm safety. In repl\ to that statement all I did was to bring out of my bag a bunch of these re ports from 4-H Qub boys and girls and then read what *omc of them had done. For ex ample, herc is what one of them said: "Before 1 took an interest in safety activity we used to keep the gasoline and kerosene in the same kind of a can side by side," and then he went on to tel! what used to hap pen sometimes. "Now the gasoline is kept in a red painted can with the name GASO LINE painted on it Before I took care of this hazard father used to start the fire in the kitchen stove every morning by pouring kerosene over it. But father and f have talked that over and we don't do that any more." I gave them dozens of other illus trations and when I had finished speaking, they said, "Why, those are the very things that cause large losses in insurance on farm homes, these little things on the farm." So we feel that it is a very fine thing, the cooperation which exists between all these farm organizations and farm people. There have been some very interesting and worthwhile exhibits by young people in Minnesota at our county fairs--and we have 99 of them in our state. There were over 300 demonstration teams made up of these boys and girls at our county fairs that showed some of the things that they had learned. For instance, a couple of girls showed how they poured kerosene into a lamp in a safe way; a boy showed how he handled a horse to avoid being kicked by the animal; they made these and a great many other demonstrations before the pub lic. Thousands of farm folks listened to these youngsters and witnessed these demon strations at the various county fairs. The best team was sent on to the State Fair, and at the Minnesota State Fair this year we had 42 county demonstration teams, every one of which made safety demonstra tions For the benefit o the public during the entire period of the State Fair We asked each one of there three thou sand 4-H Clubs throughout the state to bring up the subject of safety in their monthly meetings, so that the boys and girls might get up and talk on that topic, after which they would take back home with them the things about safety that they had learned. Reports have also been published in the local newspapers concerning the various things which these 4-H Club- are doing in the field of safety on the farm. [ feel that one of the best and most ef fective ways of putting across the farm safety idea is to carry on our work through the voting people. We may have to trait a year or two longer before we can notice any large results, but if we put on a program in which young people will take an active part because they like to do it. under voluntary leadership, then I feel certain that we are going to obtain some very fine results. That is the way we feel about it up in Minne sota- Even* community in our state is talk ing safety. In a great many of the farm Agricultural Safety 41 homes it is not only father who says to his son when the latter goes out with the car, "John, be careful. Don't drive too fast"; but the son says to his dad, "Remember, dad. we arc working on a safety program in the 4-H Qub, so don't drive too fast. Be careful and obey the safety rules/' If we can make this thing a family affair, we are going to accomplish a great many fine things. CHAIRMAN MINER: I am now going to call upon Mr. Kenneth H. Anderson, Service Director of the National Committee on Boys and Girls Qub Work, Chicago. Rural Youth Organizations KENNETH H. ANDERSON: We know that it takes a good team of horses to do this job of safety, that team consisting of education and engineering. Through the rural youth organizations of the United States a good job of education can be done, and I think it is highly important that that job of education be not something which just comes up at one meeting, intermit tently through the year, but that it be part of the every-day programs of those organi zations of boys and girls. Some time ago, I heard an individual talk about campaigns being tarried on for safety, and this person said: "We have been overdazrd and we are in danger of becoming overweak." I think that is very true. We can any on fine campaigns for either a day or a week bet they realty must !>c carried on every day throughout the year if they* are to become effective. This work through rural youth organi zations is being carried oq (o' the Future Farmers of America, by the members of the 4-H Clubs, by the juvenile Granges, by means of rural schools, by various divisions of the farm bureaus, by Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and Campfire Scouts, by educational and cooperative unions, and by means of a number of other organizations. These people are beginning to realize that accidents can be prevented- I think we need to remember, when working with farm folks, that we are confronted with an en tirely different situation than if we were dealing with a factory condition. You can not legislate safety for the farmer; you can tor the workers In a factory. For the latter type of people you can have rules and regu lations that will be followed. But in working with farm families, you need to make them enthusiastic about the idea of safety--I mean really enthusiastic about being able to prevent accidents, about being able to save lives through safety programs. We know that through vaccination thou sands of hogs are being saved; they no longer die because of hog cholera. We know that because of the work on Bang's disease, not many calves are now being lost in repro duction. And still we can't become enthusi astic about safety, it seems, wheat we are dealing with human lives in this farm safety program. As has been mentioned here, I think a fine way to reach these farm families is through the boys and girls. They are still plastic, they are still receptive to ideas, they become enthusiastic about tilings, and they can talk to dad and mother and put these ideas across to them where a grown-up person wouldn't be able to do it. It's a fine thing to educate the old heads who are now at work on this problem; they need such education; but these boys and girls are going to be our future farmers, our future representatives in all fields of endeavor, and not only will they obtain this education for themselves but they will be able to pass it on to their parents. Mr. Erickson told you something about the safety* program which they have in the State of Minnesota. Mr. Mohler told you something about the safety program which they have in the-State of Kansas. Now I would like to tell you just a little bit more about the work being carried on in Kansas, because they have really been doing a splen did job down there. In their case they do cany on safety work as a part of their regular everyday program. 4-H Club mem bers are enrolled in projects. If a girl, for example, is enrolled in a canning project, she should know* how to use a pressure cooker properly, because otherwise she is likely to have accidents. A boy should un derstand that, unless he knows how to han dle the collar on a calf. He may get kicked, he may become involved m an accident otherwise. And so when some of these specialists come out of the colleges and go down there to address these young folks, they talk safety as a part of the regular 4-H Gub projects, because there are Je- 42 29th National Safety Congress mcms of safety, naturally, in their pro gram<. In addition, safety may be carried on as an individual activity in their regular con servation program. In many of the states they have a state-wide conservation pro gram of wild life in general, although it has become much broader than that in many respects; in fact, most of the youth safety' programs are broader than the farm safety program itself: they deal with home safety, highway safety, etc. As for the dub activities, there is a fine opportunity for cooperation there. For in stance, the members of the various clubs will get together and decide among them selves to put up stop signs at the entrance to their farms where accidents are likely to occur; or they will agree to mow the weeds down at the comers where accidents may occur; or they may even go so far as to go around to the different farms and help clean up the loose boards with nails in them and other accident hazards that may be found on a farm. Also, these individual club members do something else that is of the utmost im portance; that is, they make a farm and home survey of the accident hazards inside the house---the loose rugs, the chimneys which, because of their coodition, may cause a fire out on the farm, the steps in the bam, the loose boards in the bam, the ma chinery that is not kept in proper repair-- thereby bringing the whole situation right home to dad and mother, who are respon sible for the condition of things around their place. Mr. Mbhler has told you something about the scope of this situation, and l think the states he mentioned as doing a good general safety Job are doing a fine job of this through their youth organizations. There are a few others who are doing some work along this line, but in general a great deal of work still has to be done. Kansas, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, Illi nois, South Dakota and Maryland, this year for the first time, started a safety pro gram with the cooperation of their State Highway Education Boards, in which they are doing some rather novel things, 1 be lieve, in addition to the regular demonstra tions, and these things adapt themselves very well to farm safety. For Instance, in addition to having a professional driver conic out to their state club meetings and show' the boys and girls how to drive a car properly, ituw to signal properly, what the various highway signs mean, and then con ducting driver capability tests, they are hav ing playlets so that they can dramatize this situation. They also hare public speeches, which again provide a good opportunity tor dramatizing their program. They are also liaving posters and pictures, and in many states film strips and movie films arc now being made available in order to dramatize this situation. Through the Future Farmers of America the boys down in the State of Arkansas have the cooperation of the State Safety Council, and they are asking the farmers to put a red reflector button on the back of horse-drawn vehicles and to put some sort of a light on the back of other types of vehicles as they drive on the highways. The local chapters of the Future Farmers of America nave documents which they take around to the farmers, asking them to sign pledges and to read the literature which they arc given. Those who get 20 pledge#, or more, are awarded a certificate; those who receive 50 pledges, or more, are awarded a medal. May I emphasize again that I think there is a real opportunity for a greater job of education to be done in educating both the farm boys and girls and the parents through these youth organizations. Wc need more organization of the program, more coopera tion, we need more emphasis on safety' within the programs, and we need much more literature which is adaptable to rural situations. CHAIRMAN MINER: 1 shall now call upon Mr. K. W. Lehmann, Professor of Agricultural Engineering, University of Illi nois, Urbana, III. Agricultural Colleges E. W. LEHMANN (Professor, Agricul tural Engineering, University of Illinois. Urbana, I1L): I think the first things we need in promoting farm safety are certain definite goals, and when we think of those particular goals in connection with a safety educational program, wc need defi nite objectives. Mr. Seagraves, I believe, is the only Farm Safety Engineer on this discussion pane!; IgricuitnraJ Safety 43 he is directing the safety department of an organization in this state of some 70,000 farm members, and we are trying to co operate with him. We are also setting up a program as a pari of our own definite edu cational work. A lot of emphasis i being put at present on all sorts of conservation programs. One ot the things that we have uppermost in ouV minds is soil conservation, and it seems to me that during the last four to five years we have developed a more definite public consciousness along that line than ever be fore. Wc will continue to expand that con sciousness into all sorts oi conservation, in cluding the conservation of human life through safety programs. In the conservation of our wild life, as guards are provided to protect the opera tor. Fewer accidents occur because the ma chine itself doesn't require as much atten tion. One of the phases of our work at the University is to design safer farm build ings. Another definite objective we should have is that of discipline as related to safet;. There is, for instance, the type of discipline that is needed in relation to children, who have accidents while riding these dangerous machines, if you want to call them danger ous. Machines are made dangerous by the people who operate them because they are careless and because they permit their chil dren to ride on them. You have seen chil dren standing on a harrow or on the back end of a tractor while dad wasn't paying very much attention. We need a type of has been suggested (don't think that I am discipline whereby it would not be necessary getting facetious), we need some legislation to caution folks that this or that particular where education has not been effective (which is. of course, where wc usually need legislation). I am referring to the "Wild life" that frequents our roadways at night, machine should not be ridden on by chil dren--the sort of discipline which will make a child in the yard sense the fact that it Is a dangerous thing to be in the way when the kind of "wild life" that is resulting in dad goes into the garage to back out the a great mans- accidents. Too frequently wc car or into the shed to back out the tractor read in the papers about a group of boys and girls who were killed in an automobile accident. It is evident that when we come to a serious consideration of the handling of a machine we must realize that the prin cipal danger is dependent upon the operator of the particular machine, whether it Is an automobile or a corn picker. In other words, we need that sen** of discipline which will make one stay out of the way under circumstances like that. A man might look around, see that nobodv is behind him, and then begin backing his car out; but he cannot know that his child i* about to run across his pathway from some other position. So we need that orderliness, Let me then say at the outset that our and wc need these disciplines in the. home goals are to save life and property and pre and in connection with the various things vent suffering and our objectives are: first, we do. to reduce hazards and risks: and second, to The fourth objective is to develop the develop safer machines, safer buildings, and safety consciousness which wc have all been to engage in safer practices. talking about. This consciousness is de Now, when our friends in the implement pendent on the needs that we recognize; Ott industry tell us that they can't find any the facts tliat we gather together, on the more ways to make further safety im techniques that we develop, ott the decision** provements on the farm machinery which is -we make, and on the things we put into being manufactured, they are simply saying practice. they can't do it because there are certain Now, as far as educational work and an other factors involved; but whether they educational program are concerned, I shall have analyzed the situation to a point where mention just a few. things. The individual they have come to the right conclusion, that mu.st recognize his responsibility for safety. is another matter. 1 believe they are con We cannot save the individual from acci tinually looking for means of making safer dents, unless he himself does something to equipment. , Frankly, I Wrcve that every machine we now have is much safer than it used to be; that is, ft is <afer because it is operated with less difficulty and less effort, and more prevent them from taking place, I have seen things here this morning about which folks have been cautioned. I won't embarrass any body by mentioning just what it was that ! saw, but I have seen things right here in 44 29th Kational Safety Congress this room which I'm sure everyone of you will agree would not be considered safe, things which you gentlemen have probably told your children not to do on numerous occasions but which you have gone right ahead and done yourselves. You can sec what it is that I am driving at; namely, that there are individuals who haven't that consciousness in their minds which tells them that they must be ever on the alert, whether they are crossing the street, whether they are going down the road, whether they are going around the house, whether they are working on the farm, or whether they are doing'something else or going somewhere. It is indeed very difficult to measure the worth of some of the lives that are destroyed as the result of accidents. Take a man like Glenn Frank, who died recently as the result of a fatal automobile accident; when a life tike that is lost, t'rotn a national point of view, how can it he valued? What is the potential life of a child worth? It seems to me that we have to get the feeling in the minds of people that here is something that is worth conserving. Someone has said that "the measure of civilization is our concern for human life." Certainly if that is a true measure, then the concern ior human life in Europe today isn't very great. Probably it is an indication of the fact that our civilization is beginning to break down. Maybe it would be better to say that "the measure of Christianity is our concern for human life," because, after all, we think of Christianity as a way of life-- the sate way. Now, in trying to analyze this problem, wc know that wc need a lot of idealism in preaching any sort of program that is edu cational, and you must have goals and objeetives that people are willing to accept. I think that there are four steps in such a program. First of all, you must recognize the fact that you must have something which will motivate people's thinking and make them feel that H is important. When I have a class of students to instruct, for example, I want every person in that class to feel that the thing we are going to study and talk about is of importance to him In other words, you have to motivate each person's thinking apparatus and make him lccl that the thing you are telling him is of impor tance and significance to him personally. The second step has to do with the col lection of the necessary facts, but here, again, the mere collection of these farts is not the important thing; what is significant is the individual who is collecting those facts. The third step has to do with the ques tion of techniques. In any educational pro gram where action is involved we have to develop techniques. What are the techniques of alt these various things that the farmers do in connection with their various opera tions? Why are some practices more haz ardous than others? Finally, you must do something about it. This involves both decisions and action. In other words, unless the farmers and tl*c people who are going to carry on a safety program and gather all the facts together do something to make safety effective, you will not be doing a very good job oi edu cation. The end result of safety education is to have' safety, and it seems to me that we should keep these four points in mind if we are to successfully carry out our plan. As iar as our particular activity at the University of Illinois is concerned, I do want to mention one or two things. In the first place, wc have a new course at our University, a course in safety education. It was organized a year or two ago. I should like to read a statement by President Wil lard from the Safety Bulletin of the Division of Highways of Illinois, issued on Febru ary 13, 1939, in regard to this safety edu cation course. The statement is this: "The tremendous loss of life and the truly appalling number of injuries resulting from automobile accidents is so startling in itself that no further comment is necessary in support of new and aggressive traffic safety programs." He then goes on to mention other facts about traffic safety work in connection with this particular course, and stated: "Manifestly, the University can reach directly only a very small fraction of our people, but it is offering a special course for prospective high school teachers so that they will be prepared to teach certain prin ciples of safety to many people who are potential drivers of automobiles." Not only will the safety problem as ap plied to automobiles be considered, but other interests in safety will come up in connection with this course. Ayriculturai Safety 45 Wc also have a fire college at the Uni versity each year. This fire college is a one-week affair where the firemen from all over the state come together and are given a certain type of instruction. This is in charge oi the Department of Architecture. A further phase of our educational program is that practically every extension man and woman in the College of Agriculture of the University', tit one way or another, pays some attention to the question of safety. Wc also have an extension project that was organized about two or three years ago, and on the basis of this extension project there are a few of the farm advisors and their organizations in the counties that arc now setting up a rather definite program in which they are attempting to carry* out a lot of the ideas which have been expressed here today. These farm advisors in our state have a Count> Planning Committee, and this com mittee selects certain things on which em phasis is to be placed. Among other things they arc emphasizing the importance of conservation, and when speaking of the con servation program they invariably mention natural and human resources. In other words, they do not merely take into con sideration the natural resources but also the human resources of the state and the ques tion of using those resources properly. Now, I realize that, after all, the leader ship m the county, which must be developed to make it possible to carry out these pro grams, mut lake the initiative of getting the program Into their own county. I wish to call your attention to the work on safety4 l>cing done by the farm advisor m Macon County. Illinois. Timely suggestions on safety are sent out monthly in the form of letters. 1 realize that we may be late in getting this sort of thing started. Maybe it should have been started 25 years ago. Some of us who have been in agricultural education work re alize that years ago we were talking about terraces and contour farming. It was only after wc had the "big pushover" of a na tional- program that people developed a soil conservation consciousness and came to know about such a program. Now, those of us who are interested in safety must obtain the interest of all those agencies and people who in some way or another arc contacting farmers and are in terested in their welfare: Certainly the deal ers who sell farm equipment are interested in seeing to it that their machines are tint a hazard and are safe to operate. Certainly the lumbermen and those who sell the equipment that goes into the making of these farmers' homes and buildings are in terested in their being safe. Certainly the rural service engineers who are instrumental in getting electricity into farm homes want the use of electricity made safe. Therefore, I believe that all of these agencies have a part in the "pushover" of an educational safety program, and it is certainly gratify ing that we have so many of these repre sentatives here today. Accelerate the Program CHAIRMAN MINER: Professor Leh mann, you have summarized the discussion and established the goals for all -who are interested in farm safety programs in a splendid manner. One of the finest things which has come out of this meeting is the realization that there are many different approaches to this problem. 1 am sure that as a result a plan will probably be established, with the help of the itanel participants, to bring about the program that we have in mind. Arc there any questions ? E. J. BATH (Ohio Farm Bureau Federa tion, Columbus, Ohio): I just want to say that it, after hearing the splendid presen tations from these men on the panel, those of us who are in a position of leadership and responsibility can't go back home and do a constructive piece of farm safety work, then we are just a bunch of chumps. I want to express my personal gratitude to these men for what they have given us here. They have enabled me to go back to Ohio, not only with mobilized and crys tallized methods of procedure, but with a high degree of determination to do some thing about this problem. If we return to our homes with such determination, then 1 can see no excuse under the sun why we can't start a program that will help to greatly reduce the number of farm acci dents. CHAIRMAN MINER: I am glad that you received some help this morning. But we need your help in working out this pro gram. we need the assistance of every one of you in order to build up this program. 46 29th National Safety Congress MR. SEAGRAVES: 1 would like to sug gest that this group offer a resolution to the National Safety Council, to the effect that those of us who are interested in farm wel fare appreciate the time and effort which have been devoted to the upbuilding of this Agricultural Safety Session and that the National Safety Council be urged to ac celerate the program which has already been put into motion. . . . The motion was regularly seconded and carried. ADJOURXMEXT Building Maintenance FRIDAY MORNING SESSION October H, 1940 The session devoted to a discussion of problems in building maintenance convened with Chairman Frank M. Whiston, Man ager, Pittsfield Building, Marshall Field Estate, Chicago, and Vice-President, Na tional Association of Building Owners and Managers, presiding. Assisting him as CoChairman was W. Dean Keefer, Assistant Manager, Safety Engineering Department, Lumbermens Mutual Casualty Company, Chicago. The session was planned as a Panel Dis cussion, the Problem specifically being as follows: "What are the Common Causes of Accidents in Public Buildings and How Can They Be Corrected 7* Chairman Whiston opened the session by presenting to the audi ence the members of the Panel, as follows; Frank Morris, Assistant Vice-President, Liberty Mutual Insurance Company, Boston, Mass., who was selected to make a formal presentation of the problem. Will Cooper, Consulting Engineer, Glen view, Illinois. E. ft. Granniss, Director, Industrial En gineering Division, National Conservation Bureau, New York City. Rex E. Hieronymus, General Superintend ent, Aldis & Company, Chicago. Roy L. Hunt, Safety Engineer, Public Works Administration, Federal Works Agency, Washington, D. G K. A. Lane, Personnel Manager, Hotel New Yorker, New York Municipal Airport Restaurants, New York City. George Peck, Personnel Manager, Michael Reese Hospital, Chicago. F. W. Rodenheber, Manager, Louisville Safety Council, Loaisville, Ky. The Chairman then called upon Mr. Morris to present the Problem. Why Should We Prevent Accidents in Public Buildings? By PRANK MORRIS Assistant Vice-President, Liberty Mutual Insurance Company, Boston, Mrss. It's an easy thing to present a problem, but it takes a crew of experts to solve it. Why should we prevent accidents in Public Buildings? Because people get hurt?--not primarily. That might motivate us in a plant where we feel a responsibility to our neighbors, our fel1ow-workers, but that mo tive would hardly stir us to action with the public because we don't have any special feeling toward the public as people. We read over the coffee cup that John Smith got hit by a truck, but we arc only mildly interested because we don't know Jolin, so we say, "Too bad," and start for the sports page, but our eye catches another line--"The truck is owned by the Blanket Laundry Company," and right there we be come intensely interested, for we happen to be working for the company that insures this Blanket Laundry outfit We wonder if it was a new driver; had our safety pro gram been effective; what were the road renditions; and so on, including a thought perhaps that this would hurt the Blanket Laundry trade and that it would also in crease tihetr insurance rate. If you fall down stairs in the Hotel Stevens, I'll be interested in the cause and the cure because that will help us to pre vent falls on hotel stairs everywhere. How ever, if you should`fall down stairs in the Palmer House, I'll admit that Pd be much more interested because my company insures the Palmer House. So in back of any humanitarian desire that we may have to make a terrazzo lobby 47 48 29th National Safety Congress skidproot on a rainy night for the inebri ated convention delegate who slides in at 3:00 A.M., we have the concrete fact that accidents cost money, and although wc have no neighborly or fellow-worker feeling for this "stew" at 3:00 A.M. because we don't know him. but we do know the hotel owner, in fact we insure him, and we know that if that man or that woman slips and'breaks a leg, our policyholder's rates will increase-- needless expense will be incurred. The same goes for a store or office build ing--any public liability hazard. So there is one slant on this proposition--it' we can solve the problem we can save money. Although the insurance rates for Public Liability can be jockeyed around consider able, in general it can be said that if a building's P. L, experience is bad. its P. L. rate is high. In short, it pays dividends to make the building safe. Aside from the di rect insurance costs, you have the loss of good wtll and often the loss of patronage that follow an accident in a public building. The man who trips over a rug in a hotel hallway is generally a man past middle life, wearing bifocals and without too much to do, which gives him a lot of time to raise trouble about the rug. If a young fellow had fallen there* he wouldn't have been hurt and heM probably be too busy to mention it. In a department store if an elevator slides from the first floor to the basement and touches the bumpers, the ten occupants of the elevator have ten stories to tell by the time they get home, and some of them have the elevator dropping from the tenth floor. Among the ten you will be certain to And the matron past 50 who admits she's passed 30. She has three chins, weighs 75 pounds more than she should, she wears earrings, and Invariably--if the elevator slips the least bit--she has water on the knee. On the other hand we have people who really do get hurt and suffer and people who honestly think they get hurt but don't and really suffer nevertheless, and people who get hurt and dishonestly think they suffer, riot to mention the people who dishonestly get hurt. Those are problems for the claim ad justors, however--and the psychiatrists and courts. Our problem is how to remove the P. L. hazards in Public Buildings. Approach Must Be Different In a plant dealing with people in whom the employer has a direct interest--and we can enlist his interest on two counts: in the well-being of the people who make his busi ness and the saving of insurance overhead --we can do a bit of enforcement, some en gineering and much education, probably 510-85. In maintaining safety--removing hazards from a public building--our approach must be different. True our analysis of accidents and the discover}' of the remedies is the same procedure, but when it comes to apply ing the remedies wc find at once that we have quite a different problem than in a plant or with a fleet of trucks. Let's talk for a minute about the three E's of Safety! Enforcement-Education-- Engineering. Enforcement Enforcing--can wc do any enforcing ? We all know the difference between con trolling accidents among a group of com mercial-vehicle operators and among a like number of pleasure-car drivers. In the one we have organization with supervision, and a community of interests--in the other it is much a case of ever}' man for himself; if everyone else drove as wc drive wc wouldn't have any traffic problem--that's what ure dunk. The only other drivers we watch out for arc the women drivers, and that is not because chivalry is still alive, but because hi spite of her hand signals, it any, God alone knows what she will do. We are confronted with a somewhat simi lar problem with regard to the control of movement of the public in our office build ings. hotels, and stores. We can advise them by signs or by word of mouth--WATCH YOUR STEP--but we can't do anything about it if they don't. From some of the accident reports that you and I have seen, we marvel that human nature is so perverse. Wc put up a sign--NO TRESPASSING-- and it seems to invite people to trespass: their curiosity is aroused and they "--m see what there is about the place that < someone to put up the sign. And then they get hurt. In my state--because of some court derision. 1 presume--all $adh sign* must read--SO TRESPASSING--PO LICE TAKE NOTICE. We don't have signs reading--30 MILES SPEED LIMIT --POLICE TAKE NOTICE--oor--XO PARKING-POLICE TAKE NOTICE-- and the degree of our problem of enforce- ment is indicated--POLICE TAKE NO TICE. Building Maintenance 49 So we can toss the "enforcement" leg ot our three-legged "E" safety stool out of the window. A stool with two good legs isn't inspection and good maintenance keep it safe in spite of a public which, collectively, is not interested. too bad. lmt you can fall in two direction* A year or so ago I was downtown in Cin even with two legs left--Education and En cinnati waiting for transportation out to the gineering. Education |>o you we that sign over there on tin* fence reading--WET PAINT? Now don't yield to that impulse to go over and put vour finger on it to prove that the sign in wrong, but just stand here and watch the men, women, and children who step up and airport, for I had to fly to Washington to get to a certain city in West Virginia that night where I was to give a safety talk to the employees of the one large industry in the town. They had made a fine safety rec ord and I had to go there to tell them how- good they were. While l waited in front of this hotel, there was a great commotion^ in the next block, a sudden crowd, a clanging get paint on their fingers. The public doesn't ambulance, motorcycle officers and so on. believe in signs. So wc can't depend on When the crowd began to thin out, I went "education" and wc can toss that leg out the up ro discover the cause of the excitement window also--because people as the public and ! found a broken store window and con aren't interested in your opinion of their ability to take care of themselves. Your wife tells you to wear a topcoat today as you arc going down the front walk, but 1 guess you know that a little chill in the air isn't going to bother. I guess you can take care of yoirc!f. siderable blood on the sidewalk. A young mother had stopped to look at a dress in the window, and at that very second a stone loosened from the coping five stories above and crushed her skull, killing her instantly. 1 thought that my audience that evening would be interested'in the contest between Engineering the dangers of a large city and their safety So wc have one leg left--Engineering-- in an isolated town, but they were not. Cin and wc can do fairly well with this one- cinnati was too far away--it was in another legged stool if wc make certain that it is as state and even if they had known where it food a leg as it should be. You can fall in was they would have doubted if anyone `anv direction, but strange as it may seem could come that far in a day. Besides, there wc realize that fact and--we just don't fall. were no five-story buildings in their town. Depending on two-legged stools is quite dif In traffic safety we're drivers a part of the ferent--we can fall only in two directions, time, wishing the pedestrians would keep but we think those are the safe directions out of our wav; and then as pedestrians wc and over wc go. expect the autos to wait till we get across In short, wc must make our public build the street. As safety engineers dealing with ings as sate as can be so that any reason this problem in hand we cut see where the able person using due care will not be in public should do thus and so, but as indi jured. As I see the problem, we cannot de viduals of the 'general public, you and I arc pend on supervision or on educational means like everybody else; we are introverts--"it --the}' can be helpful in a measure* blit wc can't happen to me." And so our plans for cannot put too much reliance on them. safety in public buildings must be predi Make the building safe and by constant cated on little or no help from the public. Panel Discussion CHAIRMAN WHISTON: Mr. Morris. I wonder it you have some suggestion as to where wc should start with the public in our safety program ? MR. MORRIS: I have no definite id of where to start with the public. The problem is a tough one. I hope that we can get from this audience a lot of suggestions. You safety* men are on the firing line, and you probably know a wh*''* lot more about the subject than I do. ARTHUR BROWN (Palm Olive Build ing, Chicago) : It occurs to me that probably the greatest problem we have Has to do with 50 29th National Safety Congress two things. First, uur elevators; and sec ond, our swinging doors. Has anyone had any experience with swinging doors--for example, has a device been discovered to minimize catching one's fingers between the doors? CHAIRMAN WHISTON: I understand there are some double-acting doors which have a sort of rubber bumper inserted on each side of the door where it hits, and as a result, the softness of the rubber mini mizes the hazard. Other people have put a bronze raised edge on a bronze door and a piece of wood on a wooden door, so your fingers don't get over the edge. Mr. Peck, you represent a hospital organ ization. I assume you are very interested in seeing that doors are properly taken care of. Start Safety at the Door GEORGE PECK: We are, but doors are not our primary problem. With reference to Mr. Morris' statement that you should begin with the public, I would like to flip a lateral pass to Mrs. LaBelle, on my right, who is our Executive Housekeeper at Michael Reese Hospital. She is convinced that you can start safety for the public just inside the door, that is, regarding slipping on floors and so on. Will you take on from there? CHAIRMAN WHISTON: Go right ahead, Mrs. LaBelle. , MRS. ALTA LaBELLE: Mr. Peck asked me to sit in here this morning to talk about slippery floors. I am a little dubious as to where I should start, because I have never, fo my knowledge, had what I could call a really slippery floor. During the six years f have been at Michael Reese Hospital, we have had only four slipping accidents, and they ha\-c all concerned our personnel. No serious damage occurred, nothing more seri ous than a soiled uniform. 4 Some oi my boys say it is just the subdebs who fall on these wet floors because they do not observe that they are wet Mr. Peck says I should start just inside the door. I believe if everyone would have ample and correct mats just within each doorway, we wouldn't have any slipping pioblcms. because most of our problems are from wet feet and not slippery floors. I find that by having a double mat systemone in the vestibule and one just inside-- by the time John Q. Public or Mr. Acci dent gets inside, his feet are dry and there is no danger of slipping. As far as slipping within the house, it is all a matter of putting up barriers and that sort of thing. A. F. FLANIGAN (Pure Oil Building, Chicago, III): We have asphalt tile in quite a few places throughout our building, and we have done an untold amount of experi menting with different waxes on the market. If anybody has any helpful suggestions as to maintaining the proper appearance of asphalt tile floor, I would certainly be interested in hearing them. I have had a lot of experi ence, some good and some bad. CHAIRMAN WHISTON: Have you had any slipping accidents? MR. FLANIGAN: Yes. I have always contended that the wax people are barking up the wrong tree when they talk about waxes for tile floors. I believe they should get something that docs not have wax in it; then half their troubles would be over. I don't have any trouble with our terrazzo floors or the granitine. Most of our trouble is with asphalt tile. MRS. LaBELLE: Mr. Flanigan, I have quite a number of divisions with asphalt tile in them. We use wax very sparingly on them--just a very thin film, with a good buffing--and we have never had a slip case. We do that in the patients' rooms in the children's hospital, where we have children on crutches, wheelchair cases, etc, and never had a slip case. K. R. JENSEN (Baird & Warner, Chi cago, III); We have found that putting on wax sparingly is sometimes quite difficult. The building staff seemingly thinks that more wax makes for easier work. We worked around that by diluting our wax. They don't seem to know it is diluted, and they can put it down in any quantity and the amount of wax put down is very slight. We cut down our slipperiness about 80 per cent. CHAIRMAN WHISTON: That is inter esting. Mr. Legge, an exhibitor, is here, and he is an expert on floors. I wonder if he would tel! us what he might do in a case of that kind WALTER G. LEGGE (Walter G. Legge Company, New York Gty): I don't know of any wax that can be successfully used on Building Maintenance 51 a tile Boor. Some waxes may be non-slip over a short period of time, but after they are down for about two weeks, they become slippery, whether applied thinly or heavily. That has been my experience. CHAIRMAN WHISTON: Mr. Legge, have you a wax substitute? MR. LEGGE: Well, we have been rather successful in producing a compound that is used on asphalt tile floors in hospitals and office buildings. It is a matter of applica tion there, but first we must get the floors in condition by eliminating all previous wax from the floors in order to apply this correctly. After that is done, you will get good results from it. Then, of course, after the material is down, there is a method of maintenance which is giving good results. MRS. LaBELLE: What is thi$ material? MR. LEGGE: It is a composition of gums. F. W. RODEN HEBER: We have to start with the public. I know, for instance, that we have fallen over the rugs in this hotel not once but several times daring the past week. I notice that some of the rug* are still lapped. There should be some dis cussion this morning on why the supervision or inspection of properties is delegated to people who won't take care of them, and why someone higher up won't go to the trouble of making these inspections and hav ing thex corrections made. Wc have attacked the problem in this man ner: We have instructed all the bellmen in the lobby, all tlie assistant managers on the floor, or any other employee who has occa sion to be using the lobby or the public rooms, hallways or banquet rooms, to be particularly vigilant in watching for curled rugs and mats. I mean mats that wc lay down on rainy days. I believe the solution of that problem to attack it from that viewpoint. Wc have had considerably better experience since wv have made those employees accident-con scious. That does not entirely solve the problem, because after all, the human elfmem is there, but I believe if you impress safety upon the people who are working in your'public place, especially in a hotel, you wilt go m long way toward solving the prob lem. For instance, in our hotel, if a bell man i< walking down the lobby and see* something lying around, he is instructed to pick it up. If he walks by it and the bell captain notices it, the bellman is repri manded for not reporting it E. R. GRAXXISS: Mr. Lane. U there any advantage, each time you put down a mat. in reversing it so the curled edge will curl down the next time the mat is laid? I think there is an advantage there with rubber mats. As far as textile* anr con cerned. I don't know. MK. LANE: There is an advantage in that. IKit if you lay a mat down in a hotel lobby, especially if it is a busy hotel, it nil! be bound to curl after some constant u>c. Start with Ourselves \Y. \V. FLYNN (Aetna Casualty & Surety Co., Des Moines, Iowa): I think our problem, instead of starting with the pub lic. is to start with ourselves, and with budding maintenance. I think that more rigid supervision, of building maintenance is going to cut down on accidents as far as the public is concerned. CHAIRMAN WHISTON: We have a specific instance here this morning regard ing the carpels in this hotel. Does anyone have anything to suggest with reference to carpets and rugs that curl and roll on the cod? Another solution is to have your carpetconstructed so you can pick up that center piece and lay the rubber mat in its place Of course, it will cost you money, but that is one solution--to have the mat laid to fit right in. so you can take the carpet up on a rainy day. W. DEAN KEEFER: I would like to ask Mr. Lane a question. He says he trains his employees to be on the constant look out for bad conditions. In addition to that, do you have nnv inspection committee that goes around at regular intervals, checkin?; up on vour employees and conditions, mak ing sure that no one has missed the thing that might cause an accident? K. A. LANE: In the Hotel New Yorker we have had considerable difficulty with problems, such as are faced in the Stevens here today, with large groups in the house. MR. LANE: Yes, we do. MR. KEEFER: Who is on that com mittee? 51 29th National Safety Congress MR. LANE: That committee consists of eight department heads, who meet regularly once a month. Regular inspection trips arc made weekly by the medical department and myself, and about once a month we are ac companied by an insurance company en gineer. MR. KODENHEBER: You say you dele gate this to someone. Evidently that prob lem is delegated here, but still hasn't been corrected. Now why don't we--who are interested in accident prevention in buildmgs--<ve that those things are taken care of correctly? MR.i-LAXE: Let's get down to cold facts: Somebody in authority is not on the job: they arc not watching. When we re port thing* to the management. the> are lollowed through, and are taken care of, l>ccausc wc know that is the only way you can have accidents prevented. The human clement i< a big factor. You can lay down all the rules and regulations you want, and have all the committees you want, but if someone in authority doesn't follow up it i*n't going to be done. CHAIRMAN WHISTOX: Mr. Pendle ton. of the Massachusetts Safety Council, is in the audience. I wonder if he might tell us how they are educating the public. RALPH \Y. PENDLETON (Assistant General Manager, Massachusetts Safety Council, Boston, Mass.) : Well, on this ques tion of mats. I think there arc some mats with metal ends tapered and fastened to the mats, which prevent the mat from curling. In answer to your question, "What arc wc doing to educate the public?" I think sometimes wc are educating the public by making than more claim-conscious by not doing enough of this supervising and taking care of the engineering aspects Ive'forc they become claims. Wc put up signs naming the public to watch out for this and that, ami the public thinks. "Well, here's a pos sible way of getting hurt." I think I sec a growing consciousness of the possibility of a little easy money, and I think that wc should watch ourselves very carefully about spreading that sort of education. I think it should be done behind closed doors, in our own management meetings, etc., such as you have done in New York with your hotel group. MR. MORRIS: T had in mind that Mr. Pendleton might tell the audience about all the newspaper releases and the thousands of bulletins they scatter-all over the state of Massachusetts. Probably they are doing the best job on educating the public of any organization that 1 know. That is one good way of getting our message across to tlic public, because a local safety council cannot be accused of having any selfish interests, like an insur ance group, for instance, or a manufactur ers' association. A local safety council is supposed to be non-partisan, and they can do a wonderful lot to educate the public, and the Massachusetts Safety Council is do ing a whale of a good job in that direction. CHAIRMAN WHISTON: Many time-, in educating the public, you do it indirectly by educating your employees. For example, take your elevator men. If they arc prop erly educated, you will be surprised how the numbers of accidents diminish as a result of constantly bringing safety* factors to the attention of employees. MR. GRANNISS: I think it is time somebody said a good word for hotel em ployees. I have seen employees in this hotel standing over loose rugs and warning people to walk around the particular spot where they might trip. Somebody has done some work with the employees here. While that doesn't correct the rug condition, certainly there is a possibility of good will on the part of the employees toward the public. CHAIRMAN WHISTON: Wc adopted the thought of giving a cash award each month tor the best suggestion made. Em ployees ran out of suggestions after five or six months. JOHN S. SHAW (Hercules Powder Company. Wilmington, Delaware): Han anyone had any experience with carpet* on an asphalt tile step-up? Male Vs. Female Accidents DELEGATE SHROONER: Wc had a case in the Edison Building hall in Chi cago One-haJf is rubber tile and the other half is marble. When we first put the rub ber down, there was a little trouble for about ten days, due to the newness of it. but we gave close attention to the waxing. Thousands of people have gone over that little joint and so far we haven't had an accident. Building Maintenance 53 I might ask a question. What is the per of business because the men don't like them. centage of women having accidents, com But I want to ask a question that comes pared to men; and what kind of shoes do to us rather frequently. What is the proper they wear; and how do they* walk when treatment of a floor in a school gym, that is these accidents happen? used as a gymnasium all week long, and CHAIRMAN WHISTON: In Phila delphia, one large building, during a period of seven years--1933 to 1940--had 02 acci then used as a place to dance on Friday nights; but on Monday morning must be used as a gym again ? dents, 25 men and 36 women. The largest discrepancy occurred in slipping on dry Floors in the Gymnasium marble floors, with one male to ten females. On the other hand, considering those pinched in elevator car doors, there were 14 men to 2 ladies. In total, the ladies had a ratio of 2 to 1 over the men. CHAIRMAN WHISTON: I presume your problem 5s the slipperiness of tlte floor on Monday morning, is that it? Can any one answer that question? MR- SHROONER: Concerning this asphalt tile, the wax people themselves have admitted to us that they have their biggest headache over educating people, including MR. GRANNISS: I don't know whether it is a good thought or not- I would sug gest that you put suction shoes on all the children in the gym. the superintendents and managers, but par K. R. JENSEN: T believe borax i* used ticularly the people who actually do the on dance floors. work, to use the proper method of applying MRS. LaBELLE: Couldn't it be cut with the wax. The wax people have told me steel wool and a rotary machine? without hesitation that they arc far from curing slippage. Of course the girls who have these high leather heels with brass nails in them will slip on anything. Most of. our accidents were caused by people being in a hurry, and through some slight un evenness in the floor. R. L. HITE (Franklin Research Co., Philadelphia): Where you get into a pene trating seal-type of finish on a gymnasium floor, quite a number of rubber burns oc cur. We found it best to use the bakelbc type of seal, which gives you surface cover ing; and then use borax for dancing, be Concerning revolving doors, I would like cause it is too much of a problem lo wax to know if somebody has a governor that it juft for dancing on Saturday evenings will prevent a revolving door from being and tlien have to take it off again so that pushed very quickly, so you don't push the boys won't fall down the next Monday. person ahead of you out on the street or ridewalk. MR. GRANNISS: The speed of revolv ing doors is conditioned very largely by the MR. RODENHEBER: I can appreciate Miss Telford's question. As a general rule these Roots ar$ ordered, not with the idea of getting the best, but buying from some- adjustment of the rubbers on the bottom ooe who expects to be favored with an --that is. the frictional element determines the speed of the door. It is a matter of constant adjustment to keep the door so it order. We don't always get tfie approved type of flooring. will push at the proper speed. It isn't just the waxing that give* uf You asked for information on the amount of slippage by women, especially those with high heels, and those with high heels who were hurrying. Suppose we did find that out. keep What can wc do about it? the women out of hotels, or Wc stop can't them . trouble. It is the fact that someone buys a fancy floor for a school gymnasium because they have a certain amount of money to spend. Possibly the approved type of floor would be a great deal cheaper for a gymnasium. from wearing high heels, or stop them from Wc have recently built seven new junior hurrying. high schools, and all seven-have wonderful MISS MARIAN TELFORD (Director, Education Division. National Safety Coun cil, Chicago): What about the so-called "wedgies" solving the problem? I under stand "wedgies" are in danger of going out gymnasiums. They arc best suited for balls rather than to be used as gymnasiums five days out of the week. I think that is wliat Miss Telford is talking about. She knows if she stayed there and scrubbed that floor 54 29th National Safety Congress Saturday and Sunday, it wouldn't be cor rected by Monday morning. I think she would like to have an expression from this "roup that we don't have hardwood floors in p\ mnasiums. MISS TELFORD; That's right. CHAIRMAN" WHISTON: Based on your experience, does anyone have any idea of the kind of floor you think appropriate? ROY L. HUNT: I don't have any experi ence. except that we had somewhat the same trouble with the Interior Building in Wash ington. They made a recreational area there to bp used for games. They had some dances, and had trouble with slippery floors. They went back to the primary' principle that it was a recreational area, and danced the hest they could on it without any perma nent waxing or anything of that nature, be cause we had too many accidents in the 3yin work. I think that If a flnor is deHgnud for gym work and has to be used for dancing, they should probably make the best of it under the conditions of the floor which arc suitable tor the basic use. If you can't afford to wax it for dancing and then take off the wax, I think the safety of your pu pils is the primary' thing to consider. The inconvenience in dancing should be a minor consideration. ARTHUR EDWARDS (Chicago Park District, Chicago, Til.); We have different types of floors in our gyms throughout the Park system. We refinish them differently, according to the use they arc going to get. In many cases, if they would just put on borax sparingly, it would solve the prob lem. as it comes off very* easily. That is what wc do in all our gym* which arc also ti*cd for dancing. Accident Prevention Set-up CHAIRMAN WHISTON: Getting back to the hotel safety setup. Mr. Cooper, would you care to indicate what sort of setup you would recommend for accident pr-vention in a hotel? WILL COOPER: Well, 1 have kept quiet while this discussion was going on about slipping. It seemed to me that we were getting away From the subject of this meeting, in trying to give prescriptions for particular conditions. Wc could go on end lessly, because there are endless conditions to meet. Back in 1926, when this hotel was fin ished, wc joined the National Safety Coun cil. and we were the first hotel to go into organized safety work. The job was turned over to me, and none of us knew anything about it. The safety' convention that year was the first large convention at the hotel, and [ believe Mr. Stevens just wanted to make a gesture of good will toward the Council by joining it However, when we looked into it. we found that the accident rate in hotels was worse than it was in the big steel mills in South Chicago. It was a good deal worse than it was on some railroads, and, next to department stores, I think wc were classed as one of the most hazardous risks that the insurance companies had. We had no precedent to go on. so we started out along original lines. To sum it all up and make a brief story* of it. we held each department head responsible for the accidents that they had, which included not only the public but the employees. It wa* very simple. The whole job was done by myself and our head nurse in the medical department, who Is still here with the hotel. I wish I had her down here today, because she has had as much to do with it as any body. Whenever we had an accident, we simply made a brief record of who it was. where it happened, and how much it cost. In a few months we were able to classify where the most accidents occurred, by departments. We got those department heads together and showed them the records. At first wc would get an answer like this: "I know. I'm very* sorry about it. but that was an accident; you can't help it: nobody is to blame. It just happened." Well, after we Had heard that two or three times, we said. MXo more about that. You must find out the right wav to do these things--that's all there is to it. We will be glad to help you. but you must stop these accidents." *Tt is simply a way of operating." wc said, "a detail of operation as to whether you operate right or wrong. It stands to reason that if you are doing things so peo ple get hurt, you aren't operating the right way. If your head housekeeper and you know your jobs, you ought to know the right way to operate." Well, it was pretty straight talk, and some of them were very much crestfallen about Building Maintenance 55 it. But at the time we started this program we were paying the insurance company 65 cents per $100 of payroll. We were paying a public liability rate in just about the same proportion. In about two years, however, wc reduced the employers' liability rate to 15 cents per $100 of payroll, and the public liability* rate went down acordingly. Wc had no safety department. We had no safety committee. We had no safety meet ings. We never told the employees that wc were having safety meetings, and never got them together or talked to them. We put it absolutely up to the individual supervisor, and we got such good results that I think nearly all of the large hotels joined the Council as a consequence of that. Wc got the Waldorf, the Staffer chain, Mr. Hit2' hotels, and 1 don't know what others since 1 left. Did you ever get a regular hotel section started, Mr. Keefer? MR. KEEFER: No. We did in New York City, but not on a nationat bais. MR. COOPER: Anyway, how many hotel members does the National Safety Council have? MR. KEEFER: About a hundred. MR. COOPER: Now it was all done simply by holding individual supervisors down, as I have said, to the argument that if they were operating right, they wouldn't Jjiirl anybody. While I am on my feet, there is another thing that I would like to bring up here. Tt will probably hit a lot of you people like a bombshell. You insurance men are mainly responsible for the public accidents. How do you like that ? MR. KEEFER: I don't like it. MR. COOPER: Back in 1927 or 192S. we had a convention in New* York, you will recall, and we had a meeting on elevator shaft* How many insurance men were there? They just about took charge of the meeting. How many here are representa tives of casualty companies? (About 20 raised their hands.) Ill tell you why I make that statement. 1 have observed--not only in this hotel but with another large corporation with which I was connected for five years--that the public and "snitch" lawyers are encouraged to bring malingering and fraudulent claims because you people insisjt on paying nuisance values to them. Now of course a large num ber of your policyholders encourage that, as they don't want notoriety. I can give you one concrete example of it right here. We had a snowy day, with a big convention on here, and a lot of snow was tracked into the vestibule. The secre tary of the association holding the conven tion came in, she had snowballs on the bot tom of her feet, and she slipped and fell in the lobby and sprained her ankle. Mr. Stevens told me to see that she received every care. We took her upstairs and gave her a room and fed her, and did everything in the world for her. I don't know how much it cost us, but the insurance company said we would have to stand the food and the room, and they setr!<*d with her for something because of the accident, although we came to the conclusion afterwards that there were natural conditions which we could not guard against. I didn't think tlren. and I don't think now, that the woman had any just claim against tis at all. Wc paid as a matter of policy. A great many of these "snitch" lawyers --to use the vulgar expression--arc not com petent to go into court and fight a case. If they know, when they get one of these cases, that they arc up against something that they'll have to fight for. they'll drop it. One of the best things that any insurance carrier or any insured individual or cor poration can get, 1 think, is the reputation of being tough on those cases. Of course there are cases where the iniured person is entitled to some kind of settlement, and in those cases it is proper to go around and offer them what is right, hut pay no nui sance claims. Accident Claims Experience CHAIRMAN WHISTON: Mr. Granmsf. have you anything to say regarding the re marks of Mr. Cooper? MR. GRANNTSS: Undoubtedly insur ance companies hive been somewhat to blame for payment of claims which should not have been paid, or at least should not have been added into the actual experience of the hotel. In New York we recently had an increase in public liability rates. They have gone from 35 up to 55 cents per $100 of payroll That is quite an Important in crease in five years. I think they have gone 56 29th National Safety Congress up even farther since Frank Morris got those figures One important reason for the increase is the payment of claims that have not resulted from accidental injuries, or at least from conditions for -which the hotel was respon sible. We know of many such cases; yet the insurance company is not altogether re sponsible or even half responsible for the payment at those claims. For instance, when a customer comes into a hotel and suffers some injury while attending a banquet, the hotel will usually insist on payment of a claim of that kind. For example, there was a banquet in one of the main banquet halls of a leading New York hotel. One of the ladies, a very large woman---imbibed much too frequently, and two of her male companions decided they would put her in a cab and send her home. With a man on each side, she was walking through the lobby, talking rather wildly and gesturing, and as a result, she slipped from their hands and sat down heavily in the middle of the lobby floor. I don't think she wa<* hurt very* much, but certainly her dig nity and clothes were hurt considerably. It happened that she was the wife of the man responsible for bringing this large banquet to the hotel As a result, the hotel wanted to do everything they could to pacify the lady. Believe it or not, $9,000 was paid for that claim, because the hotel was afraid of losing that banquet business. It lias been said that the payment of these claims is a matter of claim settlement by the courts. They arc, but only to a certain ex tent. They arc largely the responsibility of the hold management in the making out of the preliminary report on an accident. 1 would like to read you something very qnickU. if I may. This is from a pamphlet put out by the American Hotel Association with the cooperation of the insurance com panies down in New York. Here is what they suggest be done by the hotel employee when he investigates an acident: 'Be courteous. "Don't argue. "Don't discuss defective building or equip ment condition*. "Don't talk about insurance or claim settlements. "Don't attempt any first aid yourself. Tf need for medical attention is apparent, call tlte house physician. If injury is slight or non-existent, don't ask for name or addre**. but fill out accident report form as far as possible. "Attempt to leant if personnel involved in accident committed any unsafe act or had any physical infirmity. Note bifocal glasses, run-down heels, alcoholic conditions, etc., and put in report. * "See that house manager or assistant is notified immediately." We have done far too much in our public buildings and hotels in encouraging claim payments. If a hotel wants to settle tor somebody's dignity, that certainly is ihetr business and they should be allowed to do it, but it is unfair to all hotels to put that in as a part of their accident experience account- It only boosts up the rate for the whole hotel industry, and really something should be done about It. The matter is more in the hands of the hotel management than in the hands of the insurance people. MR. COOPER :T think I stated that the insured were not altogether blameless in that matter. But I think it is the duty- of the casualty companies to educate the insured on those things. MR. GRANNISS: I think so, too. There have been flaws on both sides, but that has been the major reason, in my opinion, for the increase in public liability' rates for ho tels. Door Problems Again DELEGATE: T wonder if I might go back to the question of revolving door*. One gentleman asked a specific question to which I think our company has found the answer. We had quite a few accidents with re volving doors. There is a definitely safe governor on the market that can be put on revolving doors. We have had them on our doors for two years, and we haven't had an accident during that time. Prior to that, over a period of ten years, we averaged from 10 to 15 accidents a year. It isn't a question of setting the wipers up light, because if you do that, you get some slight frail person--when you have two of your leaves turning--who just isn't able to push the door around. Tf you loosen the wipers without some other mechanism, the door will spin. Wc made some tests In conjunction with Building Maintenance 57 3ur insurance engineers, and we determined that the absolute safe maximum for a re volving door was about- 15 revolutions per minute, A better figure, we found, was around 10. This governor is so designed that you can set it for whatever number oF revolutions you want. You can push it with your little finger until you get it up to tlial 10-revolution speed, and then it will slow down and you can't push it any faster. It can't be shoved in a hurry, because if you do. it sets. It definitely has solved our re volving door problem. J. P. O'HARA (E. I. du Pmu de Nem ours Jfc Co., Richmond, Va.): I don't know whether anyone has considered the problem of elevators in the same way I have: that is one of the things I came here to find out. We have several 2.000-pound elevator* in an industrial plant. We have recently set up a system of inspection and maintenance, with one inspection every month by our own men, and one inspection every year by the elevator people. I wonder if anyone could tell me if that frequency is too great r*r if it is not enough? CHAIRMAN WHISTOX: Does it col lapse under pressure? DELEGATE: Yes, it will collapse if you try to push -it too hard. It has the safety chain* on it. but it takes considerable more pressure than is sufficient to push it around with ease in order to do so. In other word*, they are panic-proof. MR. HUNT: You have to push two at once to have it collapse, don't you ? DELEGATE: Yes. You have to have two people trying to go different ways at the same time to really make it collapse. CHAIRMAN WHISTOX: What type of building? DELEGATE: It is a public utility build ing. and we have possibly four or five thou sand people in or out of these revolving floors every day. CHAIRMAN WHISTOX: That is very interesting.. How long have you had the de vice? DELEGATE: Two years, and we haven't had a reported accident. With this device, we can set the wipers so they just barely touch, and there is less chance tor children to get their fingers pinched because there is not much pressure and the fell part will bend over. CHAIRMAN WHISTOX: In winter time, of course, you must have the wipers Also, on the inspection of load cables, what has been the practice tn the pa-t. or doe* anyone know about the replacement frequency of cables on a 2,000-pound job? We have one elevator on which we are re placing the cables every* ten year*, ami an other elevator about every six years. I would like to know what a good figure would be on replacement of cables. CHAIRMAN WHISTOX: Mr. Hierony mus. you should be able to tell us something about that. REX E HIEROXYMOUS: It depends ujxm the miles traveled, I think. ARTHUR BROWN (Palmolive Build ing, Chicago, III.): How last do your car** run? MR. O'HARA: I can't tell you. Wc lia\c a report that is about two pages long which gives the speed and feet per minute. 1 can't tell you the size of the cables, but they arc 2.000-pountf industrial elevators. MR. BROWN: If the cars are alike and your sheave wheels are alike, the cable life should l>e alike. We very definitely Rise the life of our cables on our low-rl*c car* at about 20.000 or 25,000 miles per car. and if wc don't get that, the cable companies arc going io make an adjustment. On ottr highrise cars, we should run 30,000 or 35,000 mile*, and 1 have never had any difficulty in getting adjustments if they do not. light. DELEGATE: Just enough to prevent the seepage of cold air into the building. Wc also found we saved money on the cost of wipers because, not being set so tight, there is not much friction. Elevator Problems I f your cars arc in the same physical con dition and they have the same loads and same speed, your cable mileage should run close to the same mileage per car. I can't see any difference, unless there is a physical condition on the sheave wheels. MR. O'HARA: Do you have any thoughts, sir, on the frequency of the inspections wc CHAIRMAN WHISTOX: Does anyone are making? care to discuss the question of elevators? MR. BROWN: T can't say on yours. Ottr 5S Z9lh National Safety Congress inspection just never stops. I don't want to advertise anyone, but we have constant etc* vator service, and at least every three months the elevator mechanics must come to me with a report on the condition of the ele vator cables. How often did you say you bad them inspected? MR. O'HARA: By our own man. once a month; by the outside vendor, once a year. MR. BROWN: How many elevators have your MR. O'HARA: We have four 5-4 jobs and three 2-4 jobs. They are all 2,000-pound jobs.,. MR. BROWN: I would say it was de plorably low. MR. O'HARA: Do you mean it is not orrough or too much? MR. BROWN : It is not enough. Ours is a public building, and in our case the ele vators are gone over every day. J have two mechanics on 12 elevators, and they go over these elevators every day. It is true we have a terrific traffic in our elevators, but I would say that once a month is not enough for any elevator. If I were there, I would insist they be gone over at least once a wcek. MK. COOPER: I can't understand how anvbody operating elevators at all would limit an inspection to any definite time. Ele vators should be looked after constantly. If you only have one or two elevators, o that you don't have enough to keep a regular elevator man on your payroll, you had bet ter make a contract with some outside com pany to look alter them. But if you are oircrating any number at all, you should have a competent elevator mechanic on your pai roll to go over those things continually, oilints them and looking after them, so he can -i|>ot anything defective as soon as it turn* up. MR. O'HARA: Don't misunderstand me. We have three elevator mechanics on serv ice 24 hours a day. They make periodic checks of those elevators. What I am re ferring io is an inspection report, a 2 or 3paee affair which covers the whole works, set up hy the American Institute of Archi tect*. MR COOPER; I don't think that is worth very much to you. An Insurance company will do that much. MR. BROWN-: Wc have our elevator mechanic? check the elevators even* day. They check the cables definitely every three months, and the insurance company also checks tlc elevators every three months. T advice our mechanics that if the)* do not give me a report ahead of the insurance in spectors, God help them. So I would say that a never-ending supervision of elevators is absolutely necessary. CHAIRMAN WHISTOX; Mr. Hierony mus is associated with a large organization in this city, and has a large number of ele vators under his jurisdiction. Rex, will von say something on this subject? Replacing Elevator Cables REX E. HIEROXYMOLS: I will only attempt to cover one point, and that relates to the frequency of replacing the elevator cables. Tn the first place, it is extremely laborious, and it takes a long time to collect adequate information on the life of a cable. Cable? last a number ot years. The main factor in their length of life is not the mile? traveled hut the number of time? over the shiv. I had access to complete cable records made on a group of buildings in Cincinnati, covering some 25 or 24 >ear> of service, both high-rise and low-rise cars, and in cluding main hoist cables and governor cables. Captain McIntyre, who operates that group of buildings, found a variation of 300 per cent in the life ot cable* which op erate under apparently the same conditions, where approximately the same life might be expected. \Ye have records of cable life in our own organization, covering some 12 or 15 build ings. and we find the same variation in our experience. The variation is not explainable in am terms that we can think of. It seem? unquestionable, however, that th '(nation certainly will run from 100 to 3fX per cent in the expected cable life. We conclude, therefore, that to base the replacements of cable? on any kind of a time interval is either unsafe or extravagant. If the time internal is too short, it is extravagant; if it is too long, it is unsafe. Therefore we base our cable replacement on the condition of the cable. That relates primarily to the number of breaks in One layer of the cable, and also the character of the breaks--whether the broken wire sticks out or not. Of course we follow the prac- Building Maintenance oy lice of replacing m cable before It is con sidered at all possible that it might be dan gerous, but 1 think it is quite impossible to replace cables on a calendar basis. It should be done whenever the condition warrants it. Wc regard the inspection by city agencies as not of great importance. We rely a great deal On the judgment of the insurance com panies. In some cases we find it best to maintain contracts with the elevator cornpanic*. but we still make our own inspec tions. Your own inspections of elevator equip ment can't be too frequent They should be made daily. The more formal inspection?, where a report is written, may be suited to the.conditions you have, but certainly in 24 hour? comething could go wrong on any piece nf mechanical equipment, and elevator equipment is inherently the most dangerous equipment in the building. It is potentially the greatest and most disastrous hazard to which the public is exposed, and unceasing watch fulness i* the keynote for an accidentfree cx|K'ricncc. .MR. ATCHLEY: There is too much ?tres* placed on cables. The majority of accident? on elevators are caused at the hoMtu-ay entrance. People are always wor ried about the life of a cable. 1 have been in the elevator hurincss all my life, a? a mechanic. I am now inspect ing. There are no two elevators alike; no two operate alike. You can buy a hank of Ifi or 20 elevators, and no two car? will ntn at exactly the same speed- What wc have to eliminate are the acci dent* at the hoistway entrance. Tt is very seldom that there is an accident due to breaking of cables. Occasionally, yes. but when you get down to the accident record, you find mol accidents are at the hoistway entrance. DELEGATE McLAUGHLIN: rwonder if Rex couldn't tell us something about training the employees. Edocate tbs Employees MR. HIERONYMOUS: Something has been ?aJd here this morning about educating the pubHc. At the risk ot sounding a dis cordant note here, I want to sav that per sonally I am not at all hopeful of getting any place on educating the public. With repcct to office boildingf, your public is too variable and too independent, for one thing. The tenants in your building are not so variable; you have an opportunity to educate them to some degree. However, the public mostly has an independent attitude; they think they already know how to take care of themselves. I think the problem ha* to be approached entirely by educating the employees of the building, in whose hands rests the safety of the public When you have educated your employees, even with respect only to their own safety, you have accomplished some thing in the direction of educating them toward the safety of the public. The gentleman mentioned the frequency of accidents at elevator hatch entrances. This is the chief hazard of the elevator plant's operation. If you can train your maintenance employee* and keep the equip ment in good shape, all right, but you can't prevent a member of the public from try ing to duck in the door when he is really too late. You have to train vour operator* to be prepared to prevent the public from getting hurt. I think it ha* to be done by formal methods, by verlal instructions to vour men, by following up every accident and talking to the employee about it after ward, by watching for signs of weakness in your operations. You can have your starter or building superintendent talk to the op erators as a group when you want to bring tip the question of a certain accident. I think we have to educate the public or safeguard the public hy educating our em ployees. One factor that comes into this question constantly is the matter of acceptability. Certainly it Is possible to install office floors on which no one could ever slip, but you couldn't rent such a building to the public. That question came up a year or so ago. The stenographer of one of our tenants slipped in the lobby of the building on a wet day. Her employer had an idea on the subject, and said there should be a floor there that wouldn't allow people to slip. I talked to him about the matter and asked him what kind of floor he thought it should be. He thought it should be something like brick. I said, "You wouldn't rent an office in a public building that had a brick floor in the lobby." He agreed with me, but thought there must be some way of getting around the problem. This question of ac ceptability is really quite a problem. 60 29th National Safety Congress MR. LANE: When we employ a new elevator operator, he goes on the car for at least one full day. and in many cases two days, with an experienced operator; and then after he is given that instruction, he is turned over to a member of the engineering mechanical department, who further in structs and questions the man to determine ti he is good material for an elevator op erator. In other words, he is instructed both from the service and the mechanical angles. CHAIRMAN WHTSTON: Is there any follow-up to sec if a man continues to be a good- operator? MR. LANE: Definitely. That is followed up by the superintendent of service. B. A. SCHULZ (Tribune Toner, Chi cago. III.): What do you do when you hire an extra man for a day or two? How do you educate him so be doesn't slam the gate? MR. LANE: If He is only going to be hired for a day or two. he is put to work one or two days previously to the time the car is turned over to him. MR. SCHULZ: What if you are short one man? MR. LANE: We have reserve men on call for that--what we call extras, and are called in on the extra jobs. Then when there is a permanent job, they are given the perma nent job, and a new man is trained for extra work. CHAIRMAN WHISTOX: So far. as our elevators are concerned, we have a book called "Standard Practice." Each man is supposed to know all the rules and regula tions contained in that book, and wc have frequent examinations to see whether or not the men arc reading the book and actually complying with the instructions. It is only by constant attention that you can get them to do what you -want done. Are there any other questions with refer ence to public or employees' safety that you care to bring up this morning? E. C. PAINE (Railway Exchange Build ing, Chicago, III.): I have a thought on educating operators. I turn them over to the starters, and let the starters put them through the ropes until the starters are sat isfied they know the business. Then I take the operator up to the penthouse and edu cate him on what he is doing when he is improperly operating the machinery. In other words, we overcome repair bills by thoroughly educating that man as to what stunts he is putting that equipment through by just moving the lever. Training Washington Workers MR. HUNT: In connection with training, our problem is, I suppose, different from most of you men. We have between 400 and 500 elevators in Washington. Of course w*c have to keep a force going all the time, and we do train and put them through a training school. This training course in cludes courtesy, methods of handling the public, and preventing the public from get ting hurt at entrances, as far as possible. It also covers a knowledge of the equipment Wc describe the equipment to them, take them to the penthouses an some of the buildings, and then vre give them a test with a car on safety, as they may have emer gency conditions sometimes. Unless they can keep their heads under those conditions, they may cause trouble. Practically all the class get on a car \\ Jiich is allowed to go on safety. Of course they are thoroughly instructed that when the car goes on safety, they are not to release it, but instead should communicate with the elevator mechanic right away. They are trained in taking care of people in emer gencies. Wc had an emergency not long ago, and the Washington papers made a lot of it. All the power in one of our big buildings-- the Commerce Building--went off at about 11 o'clock in the morning. We had people In cars when that happened. Most of the cars were emptied very quickly, as the side emergency exits were available in most cases. However, we had people in one car for over an hour. They were between floors, and the bottom of the car showed just about six inche* at the hoistway door at one floor. We were able to pass water up to the ladies in the car, but were not able to get them out. AH the power was off, and the load was such that the car could not be al lowed to drift Generally you can release the brakes by hand and drift a car to a land ing. Our operator deserves credit She kept the people from having a panic for some what over an hour, in a car totally dark. There was just a little natural ventilation, because the fan had stopped. Thirteen pco- Bitilding Maintenance 61 pic were in the car, and the operator did a good job--they didn't get frightened, and came out without anybody being hurt. But it she hadn't had some emergency training, she might not have done as good a job as cials) labor organization*, (there again wc may solve the question of the elevator man who comes to you unprepared, not knowing about safety) and others in the promotion of safety in all of our buildings. she did. If someone would care to make a motion We try to prepare them for those emer to adopt that as a resolution, the Chair is gencies. We think our training is of great open to such a suggestion. value. Also, it convinces us of one thing-- iliat we don't want to use our elevator car* for fire exit purposes. We have decided that pretty definitely. It we have a fire emergency, we want people to walk down the stairs. Of course, that is all right in our building-, hut not in the very large build ing*. Washington buildings arc restricted to -even or eight stories. MR. COOPER: What do you mean by safety programs? CHAIRMAN WHISTON: l~ct me use one illustration. Take office buildings in downtown Chicago. So far as I know, there 1wl been no unified method nor has there ever been an attempt to promote any kind of safety at any of the office huilding*. Yes. we talk to our elevator men and engineers Sponsor Safety Programs and put large placards near the time clocks, etc. Frankly, the majority of people work C HAIRMAN WHISTOX: pne other thing regarding the work that has been done with reference to safety. Booklets have levn published, and endeavors have been made to acquaint the public and various line- of l*u<ine* with what they may do in a *afct> wav. There are four booklets. One i* "Automobile Service Station Safety In struction*." and wc also have "Restaurant ing in our office building maintenance are illiterate and can't read the sign*. I think it the operators ot those properties adopted a program and set it forth some way in book form and distributed these hooks lo the members of their organization, it would help very materially in educating the employees and* n time the public to safety con*riou*- nc*-. Safety." '`Safety in Hotels" and "Apart ment Houses." Unfortunately wc do not Safety Part of Operation l*avc copies here.'hut if any of you are in MR. COOPER: Safety * a detail of op terested in receiving copies, they can be Had eration. You don't get the elevator men all for the asking, from the National Con together ant! discus* how wc arc going m servation Bureau. 60 John Street, New York operate these elevators and schedules, etc.: City. That is the National Conservation vou don't get your janitor* all together and Bureau division of the Association of Cas ask them about how often you arc going ualty and Surety Executives. You may be to mop the floors or vacuum an office. The interested in some other particular branches point is that they take order* on how to do of safety, and no doubt by writing to this tho*c things from the man in charge, and 1 organization they will have what you arc looking for. T assume that wc sliould wind up thi* meeting with *omc sort of recommendation or resolution. I offer one for your com ments: think tltaf this socializing of a aiety pro gram. such as holding safety meeting* and pep talks, tends to shift the responsibility, and you get to the point where, to u*c the old proverb, "What is everybody'* liuriness is nobody's business." I think a meeting like this is a very* stood thing, but it it is the It i* suggested tlwt the National Associa plan to get tire employees together to talk tion of Building Owners and Managers and about it, I don't believe in it. all othrr groups operating public buildings such a* rur government, insurance corn- panic*. hospitals, eltu sponsor safety pro gram* at all their local, regional and na tional convention*, and cooperate with their community safety committees, with public officials, (and that i very important--too CHAIRMAN WHISTON: Do you have a suggestion to offer in lieu of that? MR. COOPER: Well, if you plan to hold a meeting of this kind, I think it is all right--a meeting of supervisors to take up problems, just as you would other operat frequent!) wc forget about the public offi ing problems. 62 29th National Safety. Congress MR- HIERONYMOUS: I don't think Mr. Cooper's remarks arc all incompatible with what you had in mind, Mr. Chairman. I therefore would like to make a motion that this group assembled here this morning adopt the suggestion you made, and that you. as Chairman of this meeting, com municate our action to these various groups you mention. In other words, the motion would be that the associations and various groups that operate public buildings cooperate with the National Safety Council and take some actual steps to further safety work in the buildings they represent. I make that a motion. CHAIRMAN WHISTON: Is there a second? (The motion was regularly seconded, pul to a vote, and carried.) ADJOURNMENT Eye Protection FRIDAY MORNING SESSION October 11,1940 The meeting for die discussion of prob lems of eye protection, which was sponsored by the National Society for the Prevention of Blindness in cooperation with the Na tional Safety Council, was called to order by the Chairman, Dr. Leonard Greenbnrg, Executive Director, Division of Industrial Hygiene, New York State Department of Labor, New York City, who presided. CHAIRMAN GREENBURG: The meet ing this morning is intended to be a very informal one. We have a chief speaker, but in addition we have a panel discussion which is completely and totally unpre pared. the idea being that many of you gentlemen in the audience have had a great deal ot experience with eye protection in industry. Some of oar experts who have been invited here will discuss various aspects and phases of this problem, based chiefly on questtons winch have come in to us from time to lime, but it must be clearly under stood that anybody in the audience can par ticipate in the discussions as he may wish. Finally, 1 want to say that tin: problem of eye protection in industry does not con sist of the gathering of data and doing nothing about it. I am very much reminded of the remark of our dear departed friend. Will Rogers, when he said that data are tike garbage; after you collect them you have t<* find something to do with them, and that is our problem this morning, to find just what we are going to do with these interesting figures. The first speaker of the morning js Dr. M. Davidson, who happens to be a confrere of mine in New York State and who for many 3-ears has been in charge of the eye work lor the State of New York Depart ment of Labor. Industry's Obligation to More Adequately Protect the Worker's Eyesight By M. DAVIDSON. M.D. Ophthalmologist. New York State Department ol Labor. New York City There are two aspects to this obligation of industry to safeguard its workers' eyes. One is to make the environment safe for the worker by eliminating hazards causing acci dents, and the dusts, fumes, intoxications and poor illumination, responsible for occu pational diseases. Safety measures have accomplished much since the turn of the cent u ty. The other aspect, that of making the worker safe for himself, his co-worker and industry*, has as yet not received the recogni tion it deserves. It involves proper voca tional guidance and advice for the applicant for employment with irremediable defective eyesight and for the worker who has ac quired it in the course of his employment. To reject him as an applicant when found with such a defect or to discharge him after employment, is obviously an inade quate social solution of the problem. It should be emphasized that errors of refraction are not considered here as consti tuting true defective eyesight, as long as normal visual acuity can be secured by cor recting the errors with glasses. Such errors prevail in more than one-half of the popu lation. When uncorrcctcd, they arc of course a handicap and a source of eye strain, par ticularly' under poor illumination. The true defectives are those with ir remediable defective eyesight, either in vis- 63 62 29th National Safety. Congress MR. HIERONYMOUS: I don't think Mr. Cooper's remarks are all incompatible with what you had in mind, Mr. Chairman. I therefore would like to make a motion that this group assembled here this morning adopt the suggestion you made and that you, as Chairman of this meeting, com municate our action to these various groups you mention. In other words, the motion would be that the associations and various groups that operate public buildings cooperate with the National Safety* Council and take some actual steps to further safety vfark in the buildings they represent. I make that a motion. CHAIRMAN WHISTON: Is there a second? (The motion was regularly seconded, put to a vote, and carried.) ADJOURNMENT Eye Protection FRIDAY MORNING SESSION October 11,1940 The meeting for the discussion of prob lems of eye protection, which was sponsored by the National Society for the Prevention of Blindness in cooperation with the Na tional Safety Council, was called to order by the Chairman, Dr. Leonard Greenburg, Executive Director, Division of Industrial Hygiene, New York State Department of Labor, New York City, who presided. CHAIRMAN GREENBURG: The meet ing this morning is intended to be a very informal one. We have a chief speaker, but in addition we have a panel discussion which is completely and totally unpre pared, the idea being that many of yon gentlemen in the audience have had a great deal of experience with eye protection in industry. Some of our experts who have been invited here win discuss various aspects and phases of this problem, based chiefly on questions which have come in to us from time to time, but it must be clearly under stood that anybody in the audience can par ticipate in the discussions as he may wish. Finally, I want to say that the problem oi eye protection in industry does not con sist of the gathering of data and doing nothing about it. I am very much reminded of the remark of our dear departed friend. WiU Rogers, when he said that data arc tike garbage: after you collect them you have lo find something to do with them, and that is our problem this morning, to And just what we are going to do with these interesting figures. The first speaker of the morning is Dr. M. Davidson, who happens to be a confrere of mine in New York State and who for many years has been in charge of the eye work for the State of New York Depart ment of Labor. Industry's Obligation to More Adequately Protect the Worker's Eyesight Bj M. DAVIDSON. M.D. Ophthalmoloriit, New York State Department of Labor, New York City There are two aspects to this obligation of industry to safeguard its workers' eyes. One is to make the environment safe for the worker by eliminating hazards causing acci dents, and the dusts, fumes, intoxications and poor illumination, responsible for occu pational diseases. Safety measures have accomplished much since the turn of the century* The other aspect, that of making the worker safe for himself, his co-worker and industry, has as yet not received the recogni tion it deserves. It involves proper voca tional guidance and advice for the applicant for employment with irremediable defective eyesight and for the worker who has ac quired it in the course of his employment. To reject him as an applicant when found with such a defect or to discharge him after employment, is obviously an inade quate social solution of the problem. It should be emphasized that errors of refraction are not considered here as consti tuting true defective eyesight, as long as normal visual acuity can be secured by cor recting the errors with glasses. Such errors prevail in more than one-half of the popu lation. When uncorrected, they are of course a handicap and a source of eye strain, par ticularly under poor illumination. The true defectives are those with ir remediable defective eyesight, either in vis- 63 64 29th National Safety Congress ua! Acuity or otherwise, who constitute the "human" as distinguished from the "environ mental" factor in accident prevention and in dustrial efficiency and who need appropriate attention. Their handicap may be merely a low vis ual acuity incompatible with their tasks. It may be, however, a lack of depth percep tion ; defective color vision, congenital or acquired; defective light sense, or defective indirect vision, and accompanied perhaps by a normal visual acuity. They are unable to perform certain task? effectively and be come unsafe in those operations particularly which require speed. Thus, lack of depth perception makes flying and driving any motor vehicle extremely hazardous, and the finer mechanical work and artistic and draft ing work difficult. Defective color vision is also a hazard in flyers and drivers and a handicap for signalmen, embroiderers, and in the chemical industry* Flyers, drivers of motor vehicles, sailors, miners and night watchmen need especially good light sense and indirect vision, and photographers and x-ray technicians find their absence crippling mologists to screen out the defectives and classify them as to cause. Merely deter mining the visual acuity and the mechanical application of eyesight 'testing methods by non-ophthalmologists are not adequate for the purpose. A survey of the examinations of eye* for compensation in New York City in 1939, front the vantage point of a rather large material and a uniform method of examina tion, is presented here. As an introduction to it, let us examine the available data as to the eye capital which the worker brings into industry and the inroads which industry makes on It Both differ widely between countries and regions, as to whether they* are industrial or agricultural, from the pres ence of endemic diseases such as trachoma. The data also vary' with age, due to progress in the art of refraction and correction of its errors, in diagnostic methods, and to better nutrition, all unequal in different localities. It is to be noted that the data are in terms of visual acuity only. Eye Capital of the Worker This group also offers a problem in Work men's Compensation administration. When they meet with an accident damaging their eves, they are, in the absence of knowledge of their antedating condition, perforce given the benefit of doubt We must not, how ever, exaggerate the extent of their over compensation. It is balanced moreover by the undercompensation of a considerable dement endowed originally with a visual acuity or 20/15 or even of 20/10 for whose loss, when they meet with an accident reduc ing their vision to 20/20. there is rarely pro vision under the law. This is obviously not the best kind of justice. It is clearly the duty of Labor, Industry, State Departments of Labor and other State Agencies to take cognizance of this group of defectives and, for medicolegal justice, of the supernormals, and to come to their re lief. Our knowledge of the real size* of the two groups, and of the frequency distribu tion of the causes of defective eyesight in the industrial population, is incomplete. The National Safety Council is at present "un willing to estimate eye injuries in occupa tional accidents without further study." Such knowledge, necessary for proper vocational guidance and advice, can be secured, with out great expense, by the routine examina tion of the industrial population by ophthal In 1925 Collins' figures for New York, Delaware, North Carolina and Maryland, when analyzed, show among male school children of 16 (less defective than younger boys and girls), with only 10 per cent fullr corrected for errors, as follows: 20/20 in cither eye, 70.8 per cent. 1-ess than 20/20 in one eye, 10.7 per cent. Less than 20/20 in either eye, 183 per cent. Serious defects in the lat two groups combined, 8 per cent. Tn 1939 an analysis by BtanVstctn of 920 visual acuity detenrunatiaas of school children in Chicago, 7-19, to screen out de fectives, shows the following: 20/20 in either eye, 68 per cent. Less than 20/20 in one eye, 22 per cent. Less than 20/20 in cither rye, 10 per cent Allowing for a large proportion of defec tive eyesight correctable to normal by glasses; of other defectives not entering in dustry of thdr own choice; and of still others rejected by industry', die eye capital which the worker brings into industry must be considerably better than 70 per cent good eyesight Eve Protection 65 New York Stmt* Figure* Averages For Blind 1925-30............................ ... 8 1930-34............................ ... 9 1934-39............................ ... 8 !n 1939........................... ... 11 Permanent Partial* 766 574 520 467 Temporary Disability 2189 1930 1265 1190 Permanent Eye Disabilities Vc of Ah Permanent Disability 2.56% 2.74% 2.24% The Present Situation Blind Past Annual............... Present.......................... Annual or on Basts of 20.000,000 workers.. .. 240 .. 80 .4 Per Million * Inclmlef unilateral indascrial MiodnesA. Permanent Partial* 15,600 5.200 260 Per Million Temporary Disability 37,950 12,650 632 Per MOlion Total in Round Figures 54.000 18.000 900 Per Million In 1928 McAuliffe reports defects, some correctable, among 5000, 203 pet cent. In 1929 a New York Central Lines survey finds defective, 20 per cent In 1933 Murray among miners finds de tects some correctable, 283 per cent. In 1937 Rainey among 15.000. in Chicago found defects, 14 per cent. illiteracy among the miners i> stated to account for the higher figure, and a rigorous selection by industry sbor the depression probably accounts for the lower figure. Rainey moreover succeeded in correcting to normal more than half of the defectives and in improving some of the other;. True de fective eyesight for Chicago today among workers should he accordingly not over 6 per cent With due allowance for both the depres sion and increase of population, the eye toll has been reduced to ^ is 1.5 years. Available fragmentary' figures for the test of the country indicate a reduction to about one-third for the past three decades. Multi plying the New York State Figures by 10, one can visualize the past and pretest situa tion. See table, "The Present Situation." The following summary of New York City Eye Examinations for 1909 includes examination? tor accidents occurring in 1938 as well as in earlier part of 1939, hence does not cover the same material necessarily shown m the New York State table. Number of examinations (1 and J/% per person)................................................. 3414 Number of persoas (7% females; 495 oW cases reexamined)..............2663 Persoas examined for first time (a09 subject to reexamination)...................... 2168 A. Persons with normal visual acuity m either eye..................................................1340 B. Persons with subnormal visual acuity in one or either................................828 C. Persons with permanent partial or total compensable defects....................... 440 (Non-compensable defectives among uninjured eyes .....................17 per cent D. Persons with non-compensable pre existing defects ......................................... 388 (Constitutes in relation to group "A," defective group of......................22# per cent The distribution in Rainey'sstudy is upon analysis somewhat as follows:Develop ment. 49%; Injuries, 8%; andSystemic, 43%. Fran the data available for the country as a whole it appears that the potential in- 66 29th National Safety Congress Analysis of New York State Closed Cases for 1939 (On basts of unpublished survey by Dr. Patton, Director of Near York State Dept, of Labor Division of Statistics.) Number Total Coat Average Per Case Total Cases........................................ Temporary Disability ..................... All Permanent Eye Disability........ Permanent Total Blind.................... All Other Permanent Disability- Cases for Comparison.................. .. 1,190 437 n $ 1,074,205 49,287 851,613 164,680 $ 644 (One death included) 41 1,824 (Head injuries included) 14,971 21,381 14,280,252 688 Summary of Distribution erf Defects of Group **C" Less than 20/40 in one or either eye 41.6% 20/40 to 20/100 in one or either eye 23.5% 20/100 and less in one eye 33.5% i { ! Blind 14% dustrial worker may bring with him into in dustry an eye capital about 30 per cent de fective. A large proportion of these defec tives are remediable by glasses. Among the industrial population the incidence of true defectives is somewhere between 14 per cent and 22.5 per cent, or aproximately 18 per cent. About 1/12 of this group is de fective because of industrial injuries in the past. On the basis of a vision of 20/100 or less, and of lack of binocular depth perception as constituting the group of serious defec tives, there are 6 per cent of serious defec tives in the industrial population requiring special attention in view of the National Industrial Defense Program, for the sake of efficiency and of accident prevention. Over one-third of this serious defective group is a hazard because of lack of binocular depth perception, and possibly a hazard out of proportion to the numerical strength of the group. In any survey of the industrial popu lation it is therefore extremely desirable to make a complete eye examination, to in clude the other elements of normal eyesight and not merely to measure visual acuity, as is commonly done. Eye Examination Program A survey of the incidence of true defec tive eyesight among the industrial popula tion in terms of its most important element, visual acuity, indicates about 14 per cent to 18 per cent, with most probably less than one half serious, defective*. The problem appears therefore smaller than it is usually envisaged, but it nevertheless calls for better knowledge of it, and, above all, tor atten tion. As part of the Defense Program, now acute, and for the sake of a more just ad ministration of Workmen's Compensation, a complete study of the problem with a view to meeting it is in order. Neither industry nor labor can be expected to carry it out with satisfaction to all concerned. Considering that some 10 per cent of workers of New York, and presumably else where, are annually examined or have a hearing at a Department of Labor for com pensation for all kinds of accidents, entail ing loss of time by the worker and expenses by tire State, utilization of the occasion and the facilities of the Department for the ex amination of the eyes of these 10 per cent, already there for other purposes, suggests itself as practicable and economical. These eye examinations, not [or glasses, but to screen out the defectives for voca tional guidance and advice, would entail for the country no more than adding or attach ing to State Departments of Labor some 150 ophthalmologists to perform the service, and a certain number of medical social workers Eye Protection Sunusuuy of Cause* and Distribution of Defects of Group |(D" (An Attempt at a Classification of a Sample of 55%) Better than 20/100 Developmental--47% Injuries--21% Systemic and Unknown--32% (includes senility, infections, glaucoma and simulation).. Total 100%...................... 28.2% 7% 1% 4% arc 25% 66.2% 20/100-20/200 7.5% i% 2.5% J.5% 4% 18.5% Stereopris Loss 3.2% 3.1 % 0.5% 1% 23 3% 12.8% 67 Blind 0.5% 0.5% 1.5% 2-5% to be furnished by cooperating Slate agen cies, such as the State Departments of Health, of Soda! Welfare, and of Educa tion. The execution of the program could be lodged either with a Workmen's Compen sation Division or with an Industrial Hy giene Division. The program could be expanded, should the need arise, to examine a larger sector of the population by increasing the staff. It can also be adapted for die general physical examination of workers. It should be borne in mind that the mere determination of vis ual acuity, forming part of physical exam inations in genera), is of no use, since low acuity* may be due to errors of refraction only, and normal acuity accompanied by de fects or disease^ The cost involved might be one-tenth of what it would otherwise be. The Panel Discussion CHAIRMAN GREEXBURG: It U in teresting that in a sate *oeb as the State of New York--and X asc that just by wav of example--we have a total of approxi mately 3,000 eye accidents a year, that at least one or two of these each year result in death, that about ten or fifteen result in permanent total blindness, permanent total industrial blindness, that about 500 result in permanent partial disability, and that there are a large number of temporary disability cases. This must be characteristic of prac tically all manufacturing states in the union, and a very recent, most interesting and valu able report which has come in from the state of Wisconsin, proves this to be essentially the fact. These cases in New York cost about $1,200,000 a year in round numbers, a fairly sizeable sum, and the average per case is ap proximately $650. When we looked into the cost of some of these accidents we found ihat in general handtools were associated with higher costs than some of the flying objects. In other words, in many cases of small flying objects the disability is not great and not serious, but as soon as a tool begins to come into the picture, usually the flying object presents a more serious haz ard. The average cost per case is just about as Dr. Davidson presented to you, jabout $650 for an eye accident and about $350 for other types of accidents. The Problem The problem then boils itself down to a real economic and social problem because of the economic factors involved--to indus try and the workman In the case of the in jury, and to society in general in the case of those persons who are permanently and totally disabled or who are partially dis abled on a total basis. 68 29th Xatio/uil Safety Cont/rcs.< 'That means that a broad-gage plan must he set up, both with reference to protection of workers and compensation for eye in juries and more particularly for standards of employment rejection. Now some com panies have a very broad-gage policy along lhc>e line? and they do not refuse employ* mem to a man because he has no vision in nne eye, but unfortunately some companies do refuse employment to such a man and it brings about therefore a mci<t serious problem. These and other problems which you may have in mind, and which some of our friends have had in mind, can be discussed very' freely and frankly before this panel. I will now present to you Mr. VV. T. Cameron, Chief Safety Advisor, Division of Labor Standards, U. S. Department of Labor, Washington, D. C., who will be the leader in our panel discussion of eye protection problem?. (Mr. \V. T. Cameron assumed the chair.) The Panel Members Chairman Cameron introuccd the members of the panel a* follows: and color blindness and so on. We have the job of keeping the eyes for our great de fense program, and so on. The second prob lem is: How are we going to make the l>cst use of these workers who now have some uncorrcctiblc defect? Where can they be placed? Where can they be used? How shall we provide them with opportunities to cam a livelihood? I think Xlr. Knudsen said the other day that our first bottleneck in national defense is going to be the lack of skilled and trained workers, so we arc going to have fewer of the labor supply waiting outside the gates, clamoring to get in, and wc are going to have to use some of these people who have previously been screened out of industry* or neglected because of some defect, in many cases a visual defect. Wc are going to follow the questions* as listed in the program, although wc probably will do some skipping around. First, in what operation? and occupation? do eve injuries occur most frequently? 1 shall call first on Mr. Keown to give us some information on that subject. Where Eye Injuries Occur Mrs. Eleanor Brown Merrill, Executive Director. National Society for the Preven tion of Blindness, New York City. Harry Gudbcrt, Director, Bureau of Safety and Compensation. The Pullman Company. (Tiicago. Dr. T. Lyle Hariett. Medical Director, Wcstimjhouse Electric and Manufacturing Company. EaM Pittsburgh. Pa, R. McA. Keown, Engineer, Industrial Commis-ion of Wisconsin, Madison, Wis. M. A Kroger, Director of Safety, Chevrolet-Gear, Axle and Forge Division, General Motors Corporation, Detroit. ' H. S. Simpson, Safety Director, Cater pillar Tractor Company, Peoria, III. CHAIRMAN CAMERON: As I set it, we have before us two problems. One is protecting the good eyes of industry*, and there arc a lot of them still left despite some of the figures that do turn up on lack of depth perception and lack of visual acuity R. McA. KEOWN: Mr. Chairman, 1 have a few figures. I am not going to give very' many of them because they have been covered pretty well already, but some of the most important.' In our Wisconsin eve injury cases wc find that the industries that cause the greatest number of injuries are the clay, glass and stone industries, and another important group is the metal and metal products. The paper and paper products contribute only about 2.4 per cent of all the eye injuries. Another group, a rather serious one. is the commercial and mechanical services like garage work, which account for -I per cent of all of the. eye injuries. As to mechanics, carpenters suffer more eye injuries perhaps than any other group, and hammers con tribute the greatest number of injuries as a tool. Dr. Greenburg mentioned the fact that m Wisconsin 23 per cent of all of the eye injuries arc caused by handtools; vet only about 4 per cent of the benefits arc paid on account of handtool injories. Eighty per cent of all of our injuries arc of a temporary* nature, and manufacturing contributes only about SO to SS per cent of Eye Protection 69 the eye injuries. Eighty-three out of every CHAIRMAN CAMERON: Dr. David -100 compensable eye injuries are temporary. son, will you take that question ? As stated by the New York figures, our number of eye injuries as compared with all injuries runs from 2.9 per cent to nearly 4 per cent That figure has varied between those two limits for quite a number of years, and the amount of benefits paid, however, runs from 8 to 10 per cent and that checks very closely. The cost of eye injuries in total DR. DAVIDSON: A very insignificant proportion. I haven't the exact figure. MR. BOYLE: Is it true, doctor, in the state of New York that if a person has syphilis and an accident aggravates the con dition he gets compensation for total blind ness? benefits is about two and one-half times as DR. DAVIDSON: According to our serious as for all injury cases. laws, if syphilis preexists an accident, lie CHAIRMAN CAMERON: I think we might have an actual example or two. I know that the usual procedure in industry is gets paid for the loss regardless of the pre existing condition. Aggravation is a ground for compensation. to go through the shop and make a list of all the jobs where eye protection of one Getting Employee Cooperation kind or another should be' furnished. I should like to call on Mr. Simpson, of the Caterpillar Tractor Company, to give tu >otnc examples of where eye Cases turn op CHAIRMAN CAMERON: I think this very logically leads to up to `'The pro and con of the compulsory goggle rule." Wc in heavy manufacturing. have bad several qtsrtkM turned m. The first ooc ts. "Any eye protecting campaign H. S. SIMPSON: It b our experience, depend? on the worker How do you gain and that of all industry, that accidents bis coopcwbcn* What V* the tcperrT-'or** happen where you do not expect them. If - place ta the program you do not expect to have as eye injury, you do not wear goggle*, and you end up in the Dr. Kaxtctt. I ibooSd kite to hv< you tell hospital with an injury and then the com U5 a aboot bow gam tbe worker's pensation. We have cmndefri adopting the cooperation at wearing goggles. Now we compulsory gn||k* rule bat we get up there lave two y here. We have one the mat and then we back. away. We have tried to ter of dw wearing of goggle? a con evaluate hazards. We say that the operator dition of employment. ja Bloc punching a on this rxrrat wear goggles, bat what arc we pan to do aboot the time keeper who stops by for am instant to get the man's time aod also one of his chips? time dock or anything else. We have the other problem of a setting campaign to get the workers Co wear goggles voluntarily with perhaps a Ktfit prrtttut now and then from the supervisor. Watt you take that first. Our erkm? eye accidents have been cases, Dr. Haxlett?. for instance, where a lock-washer exploded when the cm was being backed off with an air wrench. A piece of the lock-washer tore a bole m a man's eyeball. Normally, you have a devil of a hard time selling the man Hi the shop that there is any particular haz- ard there, bat he bc&eves it oow. Inciden tally, he is in oor employ and we do not feel that wc should discriminate against his lack of binocular vision. The nrielUgcitce level there takes care of many things. He has learned an awfully good lesson and he sees twice as fast with ooc eye. DR. T. LYLE HA2LETT: to regard to the employee, I think that we cam educate him by means of example. It has a very telling effect. We all fed that a great ma jority of the eye accidents can be eliminated if we do have proper protection. We still, of course, have the timekeeper or the engineer who may have an accident when walking down an aisle, but eye accidents tan be elim inated by making the employees more con scious of the effects of simple eye injuries. Often if the employees are shown a break-down of minor accidents occurring in FRANK K_ BOYLE (Brown-Lipe-Chapin Division, Genera) Motors Corp., Syracuse, New York): In the doctor's statistics, how many cases involved syphilis and do acci dents aggravate the condition? differoit divisions, it will make them real* ize the size of this whole problem. I think we can sell this to employees by gradual education, making them more conscious of the number of cases occurring during a 70 29th National Safety Congress period o time. This must be continuous. Bykeeping after it all the time wc feel that we can create a great deaf of additional interest in the conservation of eyes in industry* Goggle Difficulties S. WARZALA (Calco Chemical Division, American Cyanide Co., Bound Brook, N. J.): In our experience, there is no difficulty with the worker about the wearing of gog gles. The worker will wear goggles when ever we can furnish him a satisfactory goggle, but I do not know of any goggle manufactured today that you can call a sat* isf&ctory goggle for our purpose. Where you can wear a spectacle type of goggle and where you can wear a cup type goggle, perforated to provide ventilation, you may use that goggle very well; but where you must have a goggle that covers your eyes completely and have it practically hermetically tight, then we do not have a goggle on the market that will satisfy that condition. We have eye accidents in Industry largely because men cannot wear goggles all the time, and they cannot see in connection with their work the different places where they arc required to wear goggles; therefore, they get into trouble. In one case we had a drum standing on end, covered with a removable top. In the top was a hole about two inches in diam eter. Liquid caustic was kept in thi<- drum. The rod with which they mixed this liquid caustic was not available. An employee, wearing glasses like my own and having only one good eye, found a piece of pipe a half-inch in diameter. The pipe was about 43 to 46 inches long. The drum was about 40 inches high. He stuck the pipe into the drum. On the bottom was about two inches of this caustic. A crust had formed on top. As the pipe struck the bottom a drop of acid, believe it or not, flew through the pipe and under his glasses and into the good eye --mind you, into the good eye. T will give you another example. A man again was handling caustic wearing rubber goggles. They were rubber goggles that cov ered the eyes. Under one of the eyes there was an opening of about onc-cighth of an inch. A drop of acid found that opening, lodged in the eye and produced an injury. Wc communicated with the manufacturers of the goggles. They showed great interest and as a result they are trying a new* ex periment; they have sent us four goggles of different designs. We have tried them on 100 men. Seventy-five men were able to use one of those goggles so that they covered the eye completely. The others required other fits. , Now even in the fitting of goggles there hasn't been much progress; all of the goggles seem to be poured out of one mould, and if they do not fit, well, it is just too bad. The reason the workmen do not wear goggles >5 because there are no goggles that they can wear eight hours a day and do any work and under the circumstances we certainly cannot require it. I should like to see a goggle produced that a man will be able to wear all day long and have complete protection, not only against flying objects but also against cor rosive liquids and materials. CHAIRMAN CAMERON': Has anyone had any experience in relation to eye pro tection for the man who is handling adds and caustics? MR. BOYLE: I think that problem also involves the Interstate Commerce law. When empties are shipped, if there is any thing in those empties and the truckman suffers an eye Injury, the concern that is shipping them back is Involved. CHAIRMAN CAMERON: That is a very good point, the legal responsibility of the company shipping the containers. EDGAR N. GOLDSTEIN (Consulting Safety Engineer, San Francisco): I think tliat the idea of having one type of goggle that is going to do for every industrial con dition is expecting just a little too much. You cannot do that any more than you can give a carpenter one tool and have him do all the carpenter work that is necessary. However, some of the manufacturers make goggles with different nose bridge widths and if they are properly adjusted a man can wear a pair of those spectacles all day, just as easily as he can wear a pair of ordinary* spectacles that he may require on account of his eye condition, I want to ask if the present trend is toward 47 millimeter instead of 50 milli meter in order to afford better fit? Eye Protection 71 47 or 50 Millimeters CHAIRMAN CAMERON; The question is whether in the use of industrial spec tacles the 47 millimeter, which ts the smaller size, the more or less standard size, is better from an optical standpoint, although per haps not so good from a safety standpoint? Mr. Guilbert, will you answer that question? HARRY GUILBERT: Your question is a very good one. I am going to ask an ex pert to answer it, if I may. Dr. Davidson, of the Pullman Car Works, will you come here for a moment and answer the gentle man's question? DR. H. P. DAVIDSON (Pullman Stand ard Car Manufacturing Co, Chicago): It depends entirely upoo the size of the mao's face. Ox course, you cm decenter any lens, but vou have to take into consideration the build of the man. For instance, when you have a very small, wizened man, if you put a 50 millimeter goggle oa him, hU goggle would stand om like wings, so m that case you would have to put on the 47. If you have a man with a large face, then ypu would put 50 or even larger oa him. so-called executives than I have had with workmen. I am not an expert, but you can put my subject in a nutshelL It is preventing eye accidents. And the only way to do it, in my opinion, is to get every man in the shop to protect his sight, because there is not a man in this room or anywhere else who can lay down a set of rules and say that accidents are going to happen here or they are going to happen there or they were unexpected. Well, management, of course, is supposed to be intelligent enough to take care of the unexpected situations. 1 want to bring out oae very important point if I may. It is this: To get men to take care of their sight we must render a service to them. When you take an. auto mobile to a service station the attendant does everything but brash your teeth. Now in the average plant in America there is a tool room where men turn in their tools, but in this average plant where men are given eye protection the management leaves it to the men to take care of their eye protec tion and the men do not do It. That is what l call Mindividual control." You must sub stitute central control. MR. GUILBERT: I think that Dr. Gold stein made a very good point there about a carpenter doing a job with one took I think that most of its realize that there are hun dreds of thousands of torn in America today wearing goggles all day long. In our particular organization there are 25,000 men and women wearing goggles eight hours ft day. That is the seswu. Of course, it is im possible to make one goggle to suit every occasion. I that Walter King will bear me out on that, and be has bad a gnat deal more experience along those fines than I have. We umlced together on the problem over twenty years ago. But today, let me repeat, that* in oar particular case every man and every woman wears goggles whBe they arc working. Tf a visitor comes to the plant he protects his eyes or he doesn't get into the plant, and I mean superintoMkiMS rice presidents, foremen and everybody else. There is a sign at the entrance to each pbnt. signed by the president of The Pullman Company, that eliminates all arguments from some of the.'e wise guy* who come along and want to get into the plant without glasses. Per sonally, I have had more trouble with the Let me illustrate briefly. I took a tour through one of our shops the other day where there are 1,700 men and I scrutinized very carefully every man whom 1 passed. I was in every department. I did not see one of the 1,700 men without goggles. Even- pair of goggles that I looked at fitted the nun and were clean. Why? Because those men have the privilege of going to what urc call the goggle and respiratory dispensary-, any time of the day and night, to get what ca my opinion is the crux of the whole thing, and that is a proper adjustment. When vou buy a pair of glasses---and lots of the men here are wearing gtasses--what is the first thing that is done for you? They arc adjusted, aren't they, and they are contin ually getting out of adjustment. Even the fellow's in the office. Now what chance do vou think the in the shop has of keep ing his goggles in such condition that they fit him property all day long? He hadn't. MR. BOYLE: Mr. Guilbert, who adjusts the goggles in your organization? MR. GUILBERT: A full-time man, and he is doing a very excellent job. I could prove that to you better if you could talk to some of the men and find out how they feel 72 29th A atwrial Safely Congress about it It is very unfair, I think, to expect 5,000 men in a plant to be very happy about wearing goggles all day long and do a good job i you do not render this service that I am talking about. '`Cafeteria'* Service CHAIRMAN7 CAMERON: I think maybe wc have another answer here to that same question while we are on it. Mr. Simp son, of the Caterpillar Tractor Company, I think has a cafeteria wagon that goes around and fits goggles. Will you tell them about that, Mr. Simpson5 H. S. SIMPSON: We have the problem of some 160 or 170 acres of property, of which 70 acres arc covered with buildings. There is a lot of walking involved. Wc pay people to work, and if they are in the back end ot the sl>op, we figured that we could save money by using a push cart, like one of those ke cream carts, with a lot of dis infectants, etc. That cart is in circulation in each division continually on each shift. The operator of a cart goes right down an aisle and stops and talks to the machine operator, or whoever the person might be. One of those service men will cover from 100 to JSO employees per shift. There arc five people doing that. It means that I continunlly have my hands on the focal point of that many conversions with that many employees. There are a lot of duplications, but it gives one a very* good opportunity to know what the feeling is on certain things. It gives \ow a rather rapid return on the fittmu>. Chi this fitting proposition and on prescrip tion our safety glasses do fit very definitely into tlc program, but they them-elves are not the total answer. The goggle manufacturer cannot make brains for your men. Wednesday night five of our executives Hew in here, and the top man of the group had hi< safety glasses on. He had gotten 155 miles away from the plant and had not thought of them yet--so they must have hurt his eyes very much. 7n decenfcring, we have an overall geometric sign through the center of the lens and quite often wc can decentcr two millimeters each way. We like to go a little to the outside, but if we go too far, on the second shift where wc have artificial illumination we get hack lighting which gives you more trouble than anything else. CHAIRMAN CAMERON; We haven't answered vour question yet; we arc still hoping that we may get the answer. MR. WARZALA: I know that, Mr. Chairman. I think that in any intelligent dis cussion of the goggle question, we ought to make some distinction between goggles that are used in plants where corrosive liquids arc handled and plants that do not handle them. On the train coming to Chicago I heard about an interesting accident. An office girl was sitting down doing her work, and another girl standing in bock of her was handing her a piece of paper. In taking it, aomeliow the sheet of paper slit her eye. It came right across the ball of the eye. Tltc girl naturally blinked her eye and con tinued working and did not report to the mcdkal department that day. Site reported the following day and by that time infec tion had set in, and I understand iliat the girl right now is in the Eye and Ear Hos pital, in New York City. When you are handling corrosive mate rials die plain eye glass kind of a goggle will not do. Neither will the cup goggle with ventilation, that is. with screens, baffles or other things. We have used the nod-andshake goggles, but there is a complaint against them. It is a small goggle that fits tightly over the eye. The frame is filled with water. When the goggle fogs up and yoo cannot sec, you just shake your head and the water in the goggle washes it off There i< distortion of vision, headaches, and a lot of other things. Now these rubber cup goggles cover the eyes cwnpktefy. bat they are not satisfactory*. So in any di<caion of goggles that anybody makes. I -hook! like to see a distinction drawn. Let u* talk about goggles for non-corrosive material- and goggles for corrosive materials. Suggested Committee Study CHAIRMAN CAMERON: Ui k ^ Mrs. Merrill a question. Would it be pos sible to set up a technical subcommittee within the National Society that could -tudy this problem during the year and report hack to the Congress next year, or if there is a report in the meantime, could it be made available to the National Safety Coun cil? Eye Protection 73 MRS. MERRILL: I think, if we can have the cooperation of oar Industrial Ad visory Committee and ot the Safety Direc tors, that it would be posable through the National Society to cany a clearing of that to oar men wear goggles, we wish to speed this matter all possible. Wc just had another very hitter experience; one of our men had a tittle dost in his eye and the local doctor treated it for about ten days. informatido and to assemble material. I might say that we are eighty miles CHAIRMAN CAMERON: How docs away from any doctor, or at least from any that sound to you folks in the audience? eye specialist The letter continues: MR. BOYLE: I was in the Willis Morrell plant at Elmira to get the molt of an eye survey. This was prior to the time they made physical examinations of employees, A number of accidents had occurred and thev found that two employees were toaSbr blind in one eye and did not know it I will ask the lady if she has ever had tint ex perience. "As he did not improve, we sent him to a specialist and he reports that the man will have permanent impaired vision; probably due to improper treatment. As we told you. 60 per ryn* of our accidents are eye trouble earned by dost mod if we can find goggles fat i?w be worn underground without itqgpa* we want to start using them at once" MRS. MERRILL: 1 think toe that Par ticular question, the leader of the dssrw might want to ask someone else for m an swer. CHAIRMAN CAMERON: Yr% I h**e quite a few question* jnt on pfeywml ex aminations and bow wneb stre* "fconJd hr laid on the eyes. Let's try unk this equipment problem if we can. Is there any body in the audience who ha* smmSt a hometnadc goggle or something ehe tfcaf answers this caustic and cocrorive pfuMcw? Writ. I thought of a friend oi mine, a --pgrinltndent of a mine, who had had a great deal of trouble getting the men to wear the right type of goggles, bat he finally thought that he had solved the problem; *o I wrote to him so that 1 could inform nor mutual friend in California what he had done. This i what he says: "At one time we thought we had solved the problem with a certain type of glass goggle, but it turned out that due to certain air currents and conditions these goggles oo)v worked satisfactorily in one place. With Mining Experience the' -amc men wearing the same goggles and AT AMRAM (Hamfin & Ca, New York City): We have been discussing eye protec tion for various industries, and I dare say the industry in which they have more acci dent* than anywhere rise is the mining in dustry. According to Dr. Daridson. 28 per cent have defective vision, a larger percent bebug transferred to an+ther part of the wine, the glass fogged up immediately and it wa- impossible to use them successfully. "These glass goggles are much more sati<factory where there is a perceptible move ment of air, a* it seems to take care ot the fogging. age titan in any other industry. "Wc still use in most case* a very* crude 1 should like to go on record as saying wire goggle, which you are perfectly famil that I do not quite agree with the comment iar with and we all consider very crude." that this is perhaps due to inferior intelli DR if. DAVIDSON: Mr. Chairman, gence. In my work, which takes me to a may I say that I did not mean to reflect on few* mines--X am sot a mine inspector bat the intelligence of miners. I used that word nevertheless it is one of my duties and I am because Mr. Murray, who reported his find referring to southeastern Missouri, to Utah* ings. explained the eye incidence among 'and Nevada--I find that the miner is just miners on that basis and I was just quoting intelligent as any industrial worker. him. We have the greatest difficulty, especially A. H. TRESTRAIL (Pickands, Mather & out in the western mines, to get the proper tvpe of protection. X might perhaps illus trate that by a letter I hare just received Co., Caspian, Mich.): I have been in mining about twenty-one years. When vve first started out we had the goggle question. Wc from a mine superintendent who is oat in still have it somewhat- At first we tried to California. He says: get men in certain occupations to wear "Referring to oar conversation in regard goggles, and while wc saved some eyes that 74 29th National Safety Congress way, \vc found out that \vc lost eyes in other occupations. We finally came to the con 'usion that it would be necessary to have every man on the job,-whether underground or on the surface, wear goggles. At first we experimented with the screen goggles, but rbey were not satisfactory- The argument against the glass goggle was that it fogged. Wc got away from fogging largely by having proper ventilation in our mining places. The wearing of goggles is the hardest on the supervisor who has to travel from one place in the mine to another. Ha fellow is working in a warm place his gog gles become adjusted to that temperature and he does not have a great deal of `trouble, but tle supervisor, the man who goes from one temperature to another, does have trouble. We aim to have our tempera ture in the mine uniform all the waj* through, but that is impossible in certain types of mining, especially where you have heavy timber formation or bodies of ore adjacent to sulphur-bearing rock. We came to the conclusion that a halt a loaf is better than none. We do not claim that we are going to prevent anybody from becoming blind; we are not guaranteeing that; but if we can save 90 or 95 per cent of our eye accidents, we are going to do that. In case of eye injuries, we take our men by automobile seventy-six miles; we just simply put the man in an automobile and take him to an eye specialist. In a group of 600 men, wc have had within the last two years two eye injuries where there was a short period of disability. One of them ran as much as fourteen days. We have had compulsory goggle use in our mines now for two years, and in that time the maximum disability has been fourteen days. We haven't had any lost eyes. In the company's experience in the entire Lake Superior district, where we have ap proximately 1.200 to 1,500 men employed and our records are interchangeable; 1 know of only one case that a man had a severe eye injury while wearing goggles. T have also observed that the man who has to wear goggles with prescription lenses, somehow or other overcomes all the diffi culties that these other fellows complain about. C. A. De MONGE (Kelsey Hayes Wheel Co., Detroit, Mich.); I want to ask Mr. Guilbert what type of goggle he uses and whether the company pays the cost of fur nishing the goggles? CHAIRMAN CAMERON: The question is whether or not you furnish prescription goggles to your men, and if so, do you charge them for the prescription or do you furnish them free of charge, and what con trol do you have over them ? MR. GUILBERT: We furnish everything free of charge- MR. TRESTRAIL: So do we. MR. De MONGE: Do you nsc one type of goggle all the way through? M R. GUILBERT: No, the fewer types the better, in my opinion. Wc use prac tically one type throughout the whole or ganization with very few exceptions. MR. BOYLE: Mr. Chairman, have you ever heard of a glass eye exploding? CHAIRMAN CAMERON: Yes, I have. I think that perhaps a number of people who have worked closely with this subject have heard of experiences of that land. Does anyone want to sat* a word about glass eyes exploding? Goggles to Pit H. B. BENJAMIN: I happen to have bad that experience. I can also contribute some thing about the man who wears glasses and has (o wear goggles over them. For eleven years I have worked with goggles over my glasses. I found that the average goggle is not made to fit the average eye glass. You vk ill notice that those in the audience who are wearing glasses all have different style glasses. If every man wore the same style of glasses it would be easy enough for any goggle manufacturer to manufacture a goggle that would fit over those glasses, but that is not the case. So I took a pair of goggles that looked to me as though they were right, took them apart and I ground out and cut those protective sides to fit the glasses that I had. Now when I go to the doctor to have my glasses changed I take the glasses that I wear at the factory, also the glasses that I expect to wear on the street, and I have him make lenses for each pair of glasses. Then I put mv sides back on those glasses. You have noticed that some of them have high nose pieces and others do not. I hap pened to be foolish enough to buy a pair of those with a high nose piece one time. So I Eve Protection 75 took a pair of regular goggles asd made a Job Placement leather nose piece. I oat it oat so that it fit CHAIRMAN CAMERON: I think that properly. 1 do not use those any more be the matter of being seventy or eighty miles cause I like the pair that I made out of the away from an eye specialist may be COVCTCd other goggles the best; bat I loon those somewhat in this next phase of our dis goggles to men who want to visit the de cussion. "What are the bare essentials that partment. As to glass eyes exploding, a glass eye is hollow, like an egg shelL There Is a certain we must know about a man's eyes before job placement?" Dr. Haxlett, would you care -to comment on that question? amount of air in there that gets hot. In fact, DR. T. LYLE HA2LETT: I think that if one is in a very hot place, it almost turns most of us are interested in the basic prin to steam. If you step oat into cold air im ciple of visual acuity, which has more to mediately where a cold breeze hits that sud do with job placement than any other fac denly, it is likely to explode. I have had it tor. There are a few occupations, of course, happen three times. where color tests are necessary and also CHAIRMAN CAMERON: That is just the land of practical experience we need. Thank you. MR. TRESTRAIL: That is a good argu ment to convince any man that he should wear goggles. depth perception, but, as a rale, if we have visual acuity we should be able to place a man on such a job that he can carry on without any injury to himself or injury to other workers beside him. CHAIRMAN CAMERON: There is another question on that same subject here: A Study Resolution "To what extent does industry refuse em ployment to one-eyed men?" Does anyone ROY S. BONSIB (Standard Oil Co.. have anything on that subject? Suppose that New Jersey): The suggestion was made a good machinist comes in but he has only that this question of the development of one eye? Do you turn him down? proper eye protection should be studied by E. F. TINGLEY (United Gas Pipe Line the National Society. In order to focus the "Co., Houston, Texas): We do not hire ma thing, I think it would be well if we could chinists. We turn anybody down who hasn't state that it is the consensus of this session good vision to begin with. If they lose their that this thbc should be studied, possibly vision while they are working with us, we through the National Soctiey m cooperation take care of them from that time on out. with the National Safety Council, through Wo find %mc job to put them on where the Goggle Manufacturers Association, they won't hurt anybody, but when you are through the Bureau of Standards, and handling natural gas under high pressures other agencies that are m a position to con you want the man to see where be is going tribute to the details. I think that should so that he can take care of the rest of them. be done because Talking is new going to We do not have them all under one roof get us anywhere. In order to bring it (o a where we can say, "You do this and you do head, I suggest that that action be taken. that" Wc may have a man twenty miles CHAIRMAN CAMERON: All right from any other fellow and he has a job to All in favor of requesting that this group take care of and he must do it go on record as requesting that the National Society for the Prevention of Blindness, in cooperation with the National Safety Coun cil and the Bureau of Standards and the Safety Equipment Manufacturers Associ ation, set up a technical committee to study types and kinds of goggles for various jobs and that their recommendations be presented before this group at the next Congress, raise your hands. Opposed? It is carried. MRS. MERRILL: I am glad to have CHAIRMAN CAMERON: I will ask Mr. Kroger if he will make a contribution on this subject What do you do with men who come in with defective eyas? MR. KROGER: The gentleman has stated that we need physically fit men, but I should like to remind you that industry is doing things for a reason, and if they will take a one-eyed man on a certain job or they won't take a one-eyed man, surely something must have taken place in the past 76 29th National Safety Congress You cannot expect the boss to open a bag and let you dip your hand in as regards every one-eyed man who comes to the gale and asks for a job. We exponent* of safety realize that we have a rehabilitation pro gram in our forge plants. Ten or fifteen years ago out eye losses were terrific. Com ing to our employment office now and asking For a new job is like asking for threequarters of the stock in our company. We do not have such a thing as a new employee. The labor legislation took care of tliat, but we do this: We do not expect our doctor in examining anyone's eyes to tell us where the man should work. Wc feet that we know what kind of eyes arc required on a job. I think it is one of the greatest evil* to expect any doctor to know all about what is going on in your shop and what kind of glasses are needed for each job. He is out of order when he attempts that. 1 f a man coming in Itappens to be a clerk, wc have no restriction against his doing clerical work, or if lie happens to be a draftsman. We feel that we are able to take care ot" such one-eyed men. Our ex perience in the shop is very' much like the gentleman mentioned. Those who have lost an eye while employed by us we will take care of, but we will not take am others. But in my opinion, sooner or later we arc going to have to take them, and 1 hope that we do not get into the national defense program to the extent that we have to take too many until our brethren, the manufacturers, really find something that will take care of the one-eyed man as well as the two-eyed man. Depth Perception and Color Blindness CHAIRMAN CAMERON: I have another question in this same field: "Defec tive eyesight has been named as one of the contributing causes of accidents. Give actual cases where lack of depth perception or color blindness or other defects caused ac cidents.'' I understand that Dr. Kuhn is in the audience, who has made quite a study of this subject' and I am going to call on her. DR. HEDWIG S. KUHN (Hammond, Ind.): In direct answer to the question as to whether depth perception has caused acci dents, we have so many illustrations in our recent survey of 16,000 individuals and their defects in industry that I could quote them indefinitely. There was the crane opera tor who said, after he had had his depth perception and muscle imbalance corrected after six months of training ortboptically, "The fellows under me can now work with safety. When 1 first came in I could not tell within 20 feel where \ was* dropping my load. Now I can put it on a dime." An ingenious safety director in a large corporation who had a man with no depth perception wanted to prove to himself that there was a hazard. So he took away all of lire stationary machinery that he could pos sibly move away, destroying the landmarks with which this man had been working, and he said to htm; "Go about your bustncW But he couldn't drop his load within 15 feet of where he was supposed to after the removal of the permanent fixtures which had guided him in his job. Now with a crane operator who works with permanent fixtures, that is one thing; with somebody who works with changing conditions, like tractor drivers and auto mobile drivers, etc., it is another thing: we have never dug out the accident records on depth perception alone. But our charts sliuw how many more people with kKi-iimc accidents did have depth perception defecl. I ant going to interject here one or two statements that are. I hope, a coniribotkei to ihi* discussion. Our obligation to protect the worker'* eyesight we fed is greater than realised, and includes, as Dr. Davidson indicated, ad ditional factors besides goggles and the *tudy of accidents and data on acuity. His lasit of S per cent of serious visual defects was on a compensation basis, whereas 20'20 i* taken as normal. Our figure of 15 per cent of serious eye defects is on the basis of what we designate a practically normal vision from industry's standpoint and. therefore, includes also serious eye nttt*ck imbalances which interfere directly frotn a safety standpoint with that person's job. t think that ophthalmologists can learn and cooperate with management on what an in dividual's eye should do, because whai me are all done figuring it out with manage ment, we have to help them correct them, don't we? Tire concept is that visual performance, as ' Dr. Davidson indicated, is a varying function arising from varying demands of the job. We designate eyes for the job and Eve Protection 77 I have just two thoughts to contribute to this discussion. The first is that there is a direct correlation between visual perform ance ami accuracy, and accuracy is the same tiling as efficiency. The second is a reference io Mr. Cameron's statement of the shortage of skilled labor. I lake this figure out ol our project * into industry' just because they have onr eye. We take clerical workers and people like that with very poor vision if they arccorrected with glasses, bui it happens that otir particular industry' is very dangerous. MR. KROGER: I meant no slam at doc tors when 1 made mention as 1 did. 1 \si\\ *ay this to Dr. Kuhn or to any other ophthalmologist, optometrist, or any other According to statistics, if the efficiency man who attempt* to make fittings com of the present employed force of skilled mensurate with the classifications of work, labor could be increased three to five per give him to me for six month* and let hint cent, it would caned out the present lack walk daily- with me through the plant and of skilled labor or the likelihood of such a after he gets his mechanical knowledge amt -hortage occurring. Job training inside of education as to what i required of the ndu>r>, phi* tire proper type of physical worker, 1 will bet my shin he can fit gl*so< examination which includes visual per 100 per cent better than he did. formance aw an aptitude test, which means more than acuity, could accomplish tbi* three to five per cent increase in efficiency, and it would do this without any of the CHAIRMAN CAMERON: I think that you ami Dr. Kuhn should get together, be cause I think tliat she also ha* had a great deal of practical experience. I understand personnel problems, dislocations and moving of jobs, strikes, grievance committees, etc. While machine power has been geared up t *JO per cent of its efficiency, human power or efficiency has a* yet been geared wily to 40 or 60 per cent of its efficiency. that the National Society ior the Prevention of Blindness is going to make available the paper covering the results of a long series of studies performed by Dr. Kuhn to mem bers of the National Safety Council and of the National Society. MR. TINGLEY: I do not want you to Thank you Very much for your splendid me about not taking jreopV cooperation this morning. ADJOURNMENT Fire Control and Prevention FRIDAY MORNING SESSION October 11,1940 The session was called to order by the Chairman. Roy if. Godwin, Director of Safety, Philadelphia Electric Company, Philadelphia, who presided. Chairman God win welcomed the delegates and guests, briefly stated some o the problems of fire control and prevention, as experienced throughout the country, and then introduced the first speaker. What Fires of Last Year Have Taught Us By T. ALFRED FLEMING Director of Conservation, National Board of Fire Underwriters, New York, N. Y. In the field of fire control, there has been a rapid evolution. Fire chiefs and firemen arc confronted with dangerous conditions never heard of ten years ago. Never in the history of industry have so many funda mental scientific discoveries in processes been made. These have been introduced into our factories, occasionally without sufficient investigation of their chemical reactions un der different circumstances. We have there by subjected both our employees and the firemen who may be called in time of emer gency, to extreme danger from conditions which arc beyond their control. Bcioce introducing any new processes which may in any way involve a chemical re action, every business man should investigate thoroughly all possible chemical changes which may be anticipated. Workmen should be thoroughly acquainted with new elements, their use and the dangers possible, and such information should be conveyed to the fire chief of the dty so that he may have time to investigate the fire hazards, inform his men how to proceed in case of fire and give advice as to the safe use or storage of any material involved. Very large concerns comprising the chem ical industry* rank foremost in industrial re search not only in developing new materials but in safeguarding their processes. The fire chief is concerned chiefly with the smaller manufacturer or the converter who has never acquainted himself with the hazards involved. A few weeks ago in an eastern hospital, a lady who had entered for a minor operation was killed by an explosion in the rubber container of a cyclopropane anesthetizes This product is widely used in hospitals throughout the country and is considered one of the best anesthetics. It is extremely important that in its use every- precaution be taken to eliminate the possibility of static electricity. Unquestionably the incident re ferred to was caused by static electricity outside of the anesthetizer, creating a spark that ignited the gas inside of the rubber container, which ruptured the windpipe and the tubes leading to the lungs. This is the third fata] explosion from this product in one dty. Similar tragic results have been found in different sections of the country. A fire in a shoe store in New York City in March developed an unusual condition. Fire fighting was hindered by huge quanti ties of smoke which affected the firemen im mediately and rendered first-aid and hospital treatment necessary. The loss was exceed ingly Urge for a store of this type because of the inability of the fire department to properly cope with the flames under existing conditions. Various materials besides leather arc used m the composition of women's shoes: artificial leathers, nitro-cellulose ma terial used for box toes and heel coverings, bottom fillings, outer soles of crepe and other types of rubber, and various other ma terials, all put together b -ubber and nitro cellulose cements. It is easy to imagine the 79 so 29th National Safety Congress conglomeration of toxic gases evolved from such a fire. One of ihc rccem alloys used in industry, particularly in modem airplane and automo bile construction, is a product called downictaJ. containing irom 90 to 98 per cent magnesium, a metal which weighs only about tivo-iliirds as much as aluminum. The main other ingredient in the alloy is aluminum. In the form of lathe turnings, thin sheets, grinding or polishing dust, this metal is readily combustible. Ordinary hand ex tinguishers employing water, carbon tetra chloride, carbon dioxide and foam, should never I>c used on fires in this material. Ap plications of such extinguishing agents will intensify the fire and may cause an ex plosion. A junk yard in an eastern city took fire and the fire department immediately applied a stream of water to the blaze in a pile which was apparently nothing but old iron, with oil saturation. There was an immediate explosion and an extremely hot white blare which drove the firemen away from the property over a block. Not knowing what they had to contend with, they were com pelled to protect adjoining property and allow the. fire to consume the building and all burnable material on the premises It was found later that in collecting the scrap soinc pieces of dowmetal had been included from an airplane engine factory located nearby. Sand, talc or powdered stone should l>e kept near these products as the best ex tinguishing agent which can be used im mediately by lite operator. Modern industry is making use of new fluids besides water and steam for transfer ring heat. One of tbe*e is mercury' where controlled temperatures above 750 deg. F. are desired. Certain mineral oils and other organic compounds are used for tempera tures between 450 deg. F. and 750 deg F. With these substances, temperatures above 450 deg. F. can be produced ar atmospheric pressure, whereas with steam, this tempera ture would require a pressure of about 400 pounds. These substances arc combustible and unless their use is carefully safeguarded, serious results may follow. A recent example is a factory in the Middle \Vc5t where dowtbem was used. Poe to faulty circulation in ooe of the boiler tubes a rupture was caused in the fire box. Almost every conceivable extinguishing agency was used with scant results. It is es sential when any of these heat transfer fluids are used that the design and installation of the systems be entrusted to uone but fully cxperienced engineers. Proper circulation of the fluid in the boiler and welding of the joints are most important Steam or foam will extinguish such fires in confined loca tions. Four fires in furniture plants in the past year, the last one with a los* of $450,000, called for an investigation of processes used therein. Due to the recent popularity of bleached wood finishes, it was found that the industry had introduced a product known as hydrogen peroxide. The hazards involved in the process arise from the oxidizing prop erty oi hydrogen peroxide and the effect it has in promoting spontaneous heating of lacquer and other finishers. This product is usually applied in a spray booth, or other enclosure reserved for such use only. It is important that in any booth used for this purpose, all ducts and apparatus connected thereto* should be thoroughly dean, for the slightest material of a combustible nature left in the area may cause spontaneous ig nition. While discussing finishing processes, we note that some large manufacturers using heavier lacquers apply this product by the spray method at temperatures from 150 deg. F. to 180 deg. F. Steam, hot water, or In direct electric heaters arc used for tempera ture supply. It is claimed for this method that it reduced the number of coats required. Special attention should be given to the heating system used. It should be under thermostatic control and located where spray will not reach it. Precaution should be taken to avoid lacquer deposit on hot piping. A recent development in the automobile industry Has introduced the infra-red light rays for drying and baking lacquers in place of the oven system . This method em ploys a bank of electric lamps equipped with special reflectors. These lights arc played directly on the newly painted section, thus drying and baking the finish. The number and arrangement of these lamps vary with the kind and size of the operation, from a portable bank of ten 250 watt lamps for touch-up and patchwork, to a regular unit of 800 or more. It is important that all such installations be made in strict accord ance with National Electrical Code stand ards and that flammable vapor indicator test l>e made so that they will never reach the }:ire Control ami Prevention flammable range of the solvent mixtures fire started in the return air duct and spread employed. In one of the soy bean manufacturing establishments in die Middle West a fire caused by spontaneous combustion origin ated in a bin where cakes of soy bean meal were being stored. Around the manufacture of soy bean products we have always con sidered certain hazards natural-dust ex to the filter which was of steel wool coated with mineral oil. The burning of the filter melted the solder in the refrigerating coils which were installed in the main duct sys tem. This distributed toxic gases from the refrigerator in every room in the building which, coupled with the fire, endangered both life and property. plosion. gasoline or hexane gas used as a Besides being used as an anesthetic in hos solvent, and several others--but this is an pitals, a new use for ethylene has been found unusual example of spontaneous ignition. In for coloring, ripening and bleaching-of dif this operation soy beans were passed through ferent kind.- of fruit This is a combustible a dryer which removed all moisture, then gas and will explode when mixed with the ground and placed under a press for the proper proportion of air. The limit of flam removal of the soy bean oiL The remainder mability is 3.2 to 34 per cent of gas to air. in cake form was used for feeding purposes. The usual practice in ripening processes is It is barely possible that the high tempera to feed the gas from the outside in a pro ture oJ the dryer white removing all mois portion of one part ethylene to 1000 parts ture intensified the oxidizing qualities of any of air into the building, thus keeping the oil that might be left after the extracting mixture well below the explosive stage. It is process. It is suggested that if a small spray obvious that no open flame of any kind is of water had been applied at regular inter allowed within the building. We have many vals m the storage room, there would have examples of total disregard of these j-afety been no fire. The restoration of at least 10 features in the record of explosions, fires f>cr cent of the moisture would have and deaths which are the result. avoided trouble. Recently in a midwestem city a second in a very large plywood factory* in the explosion within eighteen months took Middle West there were three different fires place, completely wrecking a special ware in the sawdust conveyor. These caused con house constructed for fruit storage. Gas siderable alarm, even though they were ex stoves were used for heating and the eth tinguished before serious loss. The cause ylene lank was placed inside of the building. was static electricity' in the conveyor sys The first explosion did not seem sufficient tem, which was entirely remedied by the advice to the owners so the structure was proper bonding of the pipe and the introduc rebuilt and the same type of installation tion of COi gas from the regular boiler added. Last December, the second explosion stack. completely wrecked the premises and killed We have experienced a great deal oE trouble with the early type air conditioning system* and many of the earlier hazards found have been eliminated in the develop ment of air conditioning, which has been ucd in hotels, theatres and department stores. It is also being applied to industrial operations and frequently without the benefit of any of the later safeguards necessary in such an installation. In a textile plant in two employees. Common sense would nat urally dictate the recommendations referred to above. Heating by steam or hot water is perfectly satisfactory. All incandescent lights should be provided with vaporproof globes, the ethylene cylinders located outside of the ripening room bong connected bv steel or iron pipes which, of course, should be satis factorily grounded to remove any static charge. Massachusetts, smoke and soot from a burn The hazard of carbon monoxide is as old ing tar kettle in the yard were drawn as fire itself. It- is the result of incomplete through the air conditioning system into the combustion. Today carbon monoxide is one third, fourth and fifth floors of the building, of the most troublesome poisons in industry which were deposited on machinery and ma for there are few- industrial activities that terials in process, necessitating closing the do not at some point offer a poisonous dif plant until the equipment and madunery fusion of this gas. It is chiefly caused by in were thoroughly cleaned for continued op complete combustion in forges, furnaces, eration. engines, gas burners and myriad other places. In a printing plant in New York State Rcrcnt extended applications of gas burning 82 29th National Safety Congress in industry have increased the necessity for the Understanding and control of this hazard particularly where groups of appliances are used. There is danger to life if as much as .2 to 3 per cent of carbon monoxide if breathed from one to three minutes. Carbon monoxide poisoning is either acute or chronic. Acute poisoning often results in death, but im mediate treatment such as removal to fresh air, oxygen therapy, and so forth, often re sults in complete recovery. Carbon monoxide is treacherous, is both odorless and colorless, hence there is no warning. The younger and more active members of the department hre more susceptible to the effects of this gas than the older and more leisurely. The hazard increases with the rapidity of res piration. As the ignition temperature of carbon monoxide is above 1,100 degrees, it accumulates in a building until that tem perature is reached and the explosion fol lows. This is freqoastly called back-draft. An incident took place which proves the necessity of proper storage for chemicals in industn '1 operations in a factory in North Carolina where they were using small quan tities of red phosphorus and kept it, with other chemicals, in a cabinet with glass front In answering the fire call from this location, the volunteer fire department in the regular fire fighting operations broke the glass front and the force of the stream swept the chemical bottles to the floor. Mem bers of the fire department in extinguishing the last remnants of the fire, stepped on these chemicals and oa their way back to headquarters found their rubber boots had taken fire from the phosphorus on the floor. The fire burned intensely and six per sons were seriously burned before it was possible to remove the flaming rubber. In the meantime, the phosphorus remaining on the floor set fire to tbe plant a second time and the department was so depleted by tbe accident that the second response was too late and tbe building burned down. Years ago specific instructions for proper and safe methods for cleaning tanks used for the storage of petroleum products were issued and widely disseminated. These must have been completely disregarded in the following incident: A seven-comportment rectangular 26,000 gallon tank, installed eight years ago, was being used for different types of petroleum products. One of these, which had been used for fuel oil, was being cleaned. The owner purchased a wooden scoop and a papier-mache bucket with gal vanized metal handle. Under tbe super vision of the owner, three employees pro ceeded to operate. One entered tbe compart ment through a 16-inch manhole, equipped with liarness attached to a safety rope. An other prepared to remove the material as it was banded out, and the third operated the air blower. The operat or had only started when the explosion occurred. The owner, the man m the tank and the one in charge of the air blower were killed. The fourth man hap pened to be in the adjoining building at the time. The tank had been left open for a period of three weeks, making it possible for the accumulation of gasoline and other vapors caused by the delivery of thousands of gallons of gasoline into the adjoining compartment. There may even have been a small leak from corrosion. The spark may have been produced by contact with the bucket handle to the interior structural sup ports, or from shoenails, or like contact. Spontaneous Ignition and Its Control By A. L. BROWN Chief Engineer, Inspection Department, Associated Factory Mutual Fire Insurance Companies, Boston Spontaneous ignition is a common cause of fire. The importance of spontaneous ignition is shown well by the total estimated fire losses from this cause, based upon fire reported to State and Provincial Fire Marshals. For the United States and Canada combined these losses total $15,000,000 to $20,000,000 annually. Other estimates of the probable annual loss resulting from spontaneous heat ing and ignition are from 40 to 50 million dollars per year. The U. S. Department of Fire Control and Prevention 83 Agriculture reports as a conservative esti A not too technical conception of spon mate that the spontaneous heating of hay taneous ignition might be as follows: rauses an annual loss of $20,000,000 in farm "When a material starts to burn as the property in the United States. result of some action that has taken place Somewhat more accurate data in a limited field is provided by the experience of about 8,000 large industrial properties, mostly manufacturing plants, insured by the As sociated Factory Mutual Fire Insurance Companies. For a recent five-year period (1933-19.37) spontaneous ignition was re ported as the cause of 760 fires out of a total of 8,514, or a ratio of about 1 to 112. This relatively high ratio in ccxnparison with within itself, and -without having been ex posed to flame, spark or other independent high-temperature ignition source, it may be said to have ignited spontaneously." Usually such ignition occurs only after the temperature of some portion of the material involved has increased rather slowly from a moderate initial temperature until the heated material starts to glow or bursts suddenly into flame. other records is due mostly to a low ratio It is well to point out that not all action for other common causes such as smoking, which might be covered by the above de defective chimneys, overheated stoves and scription is necessarily classed as spontan furnaces, hot ashes and open fires, which eous ignition. For instance, the combination arc much more prevalent than they are of certain chemical substances may produce in carefully supervised industrial proper a very sudden and violent reaction with ties. flame or other indication of fire or explo The 1938 nationwide figures for the United States and Canada give an average loss ($3565) caused by spontaneous ignition over twice that of the average ($415) for all classes of fire losses. In contrast, the average amount of loss in the industrial properties, for the period mentioned, which was SI.190 for each fire, is only slightly higher than the average of $935 for all classes of fires. sion. Although such action literally is spon taneous it may be referred to more com monly as a violent chemical reaction. Although spontaneous ignition must be the result ot spontaneous heating, not all spontaneous heating results in actual igni tion and burning. Several factors, largely controller! by local conditions, determine whether or not actuat ignition and fire result from the spontaneous production of heat One reason for the high average cost of the fires occurring in all classes of property due to spontaneous ignition may be that spontaneous heating fires are less likely than many others to be discovered promptly. It also seems reasonable to assume that, in A number of natural processes produce heat. With our present knowledge of nat ural phenomena the more important may be classed as chemical, physical or mechanical, and bacterial, the latter being most often dic!o*d as fermentation or decay*. contrast with die high quality industrial It is well to keep in mind that many spon properties, conditions under which such fires taneous heating processes produce heat at frequently start are such that automatic pro a very low rate. If temperatures sufficiently tection has not been provided. Also, many high to cause ignition are to be reached, the spontaneous ignition fires start in large nature and the condition of the material quantities of stored, low value, materials producing the heat must be such that the not ordinarily well protected, often arranged heat is confined. It will then be expended > that manual fire fighting is difficult, and to a large extent in increasing the tempera which may have little salvage. ture of the material. If the heat is dissipated Spontaneous heating and spontaneous ig nition have not been very well understood, even by specialists in fire prevention. As evi dences of spontaneous heating may be ob scure after a fire has occurred, it is not surprising that the public in general con siders it a somewhat mysterious action, and a cause which often may be given because no other is evident and it cannot be readily disproved. into the surroundings as fast as it is pro duced. no dangerous, or even appreciable in crease in temperature will be evident. The most common chemical action produc ing heat is oxidation. Many natural sub stances have a tendency to combine with oxy gen and it is common knowledge that a large amount of heat is produced when some substance like acetylene gas, gasoline, or carbon in the form of coal or coke, oxidize* Sd 29th National Safety Congress or bums completely. When we speak of from the absorption of gas by the surface spontaneous hearing we do not refer to this of some solid materials such as freshly rapid and comptcte oxidation but rather to a formed charcoal. At the start of this action lower degree of oxidation which goes on no chemical combination between the gas slowly and often unnoticeably at tempera and the carbon is known to occur but the tures far below that at which active burn solid material may absorb a considerable ing will take place. As an extreme example, volume of oxygen or other gas and in doing the surface of iroa when exposed to a so a rise in temperature results. If heat moist atmosphere containing oxygen reacts retention conditions arc favorable, active with the oxygen slowly forming iron oxide, chemical oxidation may be started and fire or the common iron rust. The spontaneous result. heating of piled bituminous coal is a good example of a favorable relation between the romftorition and fineness of the coal, the access of just the correct amount of air and the insulating effect of a large mass of |>orou> material. Many factors affect the progress of spon taneous heating and all of these have not been sufficiently investigated to be well un derstood Some products formed in the early stages of heating unquestionably act as catalyzers to speed up the process which \mong common materials often found originally formed them. Even the presence uniier conditions favorable to spontaneous of moisture in proper proportion, or am- heating arc certain oils which have a par oxidizing agent or source of oxygen may aid ticularly strong tendency to combine with the start of spontaneous heating. If spon oxygen, such as linseed oil or other so-called taneous heating is to be prevented, it is es "drying oils*' commonly used in paints, and sential to know what materials and what also other vegetable and animal oils. Mineral conditions arc most likely to produce it. oils in the class of kerosene or lubricating oils have such a slight tendency to combine with oxygen under ordinary temperature conditions that spontaneous heating does not occur. Lacquers and other quick-drying fin isher usually harden as the result of evapo ration of volatile solvents. Neither the base material nor the solvent need to be of the drying oil type but sometimes materials sub ject to spontaneous heating arc used, so that .Mich materials cannot be given any general classification as to spontaneous heating ten dency. Recognized testing laboratories specializing iu the study of fire hazards have de veloped tests which they believe give re sults representative of field conditions responsible for fires. Bibliographies of Spontaneous Ignition obtainable from the National Protection Association, the Fac tory Mutual Laboratories, or the Under writers* Laboratories afford many references to a wealth of interesting and informative material. One type of spontaneous heating particu larly troublesome to identify and reproduce The heating of a pile of moist hay or de in laboratory tests is that which occurs in caying vegetable or organic matter is usually large bulks of material not ordinarily con an evidence of bacteria] activity. This spon sidered subject to spontaneous heating. These taneous heating is of a type that does not materials may be baled textile fibres, baled proceed directly to the point of starting a rags or waste paper, bagged or bulk ma fire because bacterial action is usually auto terials such as oil bearing seeds, or pre matically Wiled when a prolonged tempera pared animal feeds, and processed materials ture of more than 100 degrees F. is reached. such as chemicals, building and insulating If temperatures exceed this it is usually be materials, or coated and impregnated prod cause the initial bacterial action has pro ucts, some of which may be packed or stored duced new substances and induced the more while still warm from a manufacturing dangerous heating associated with oxidation. Tlib cn continue to a dangerous tempera process- Unless it is positively known that the material used in the small scale labora ture after bacterial action has ceased Hay tory tests is exactly like that being repre am! other agricultural products are subject sented, negative test results cannot be con to severe damage by spontaneous heating sidered conclusive. e\en if fire does not occur in 2II cases. The prevention of fires from the spon A not unusual type of spontaneous heating taneous ignition cause is simple in prin which probably should be classed as physi ciple. Although rules such as that of keeping cal rather than chemical, is that resulting oily rags in safety waste cans until they can Fire Control and Prevention 85 be safely and promptly disposed of will avoid fires due to carelessness in handling this class of dangerous material, the real preventive process is the old one of general education, that is, knowledge of what kinds of materials and what conditions favor spon taneous heating and then avoiding the com binations of these which experience or test show to be the most troublesome. From a practical point of view there are a small number of these combinations reiponsible for a large proportion of all spon taneous ignition fires. When present in bulk, oils cannot heat enough spontaneously to cause ignition. It is on!}* when the exposed surface is great and beat retention good that trouble occurs. Almost any spongy or loose material having an oil subject to spontaneous heating spread through or on it is inherently dangerous. In some industrial processes it may be neces sary to have such combinations; for ex ample, textile fibres or fabrics may be treated to improve manufacture or handling, or to produce insulating, decorative or mois ture-resisting qualities. In such cases some choice may be possible in selecting the treat ing materials and unnecessarily dangerous ones avoided. Tendency to heat spontan eously can in some cases be reduced by di luting the worst offenders with some much safer materials. Such possibilities must be investigated by trial and test. If hazardous combinations must be used, the manufacturing processes should be car ried on with this in view, accumulations of Hut and waste carefully avoided and the stock allowed to have all of Its "heating action" take place in advance of any accumu lation in rolls or piles. Careful watching may he needed for a considerable period to he sure that heating docs not develop. Spontaneous heating is greatly aided by high initial temperatures. Many materials which will not give any indication of troubtc at ordinary* atmospheric temperatures are certain to heat spontaneously if they are warm or hot. Finishing or curing processes very frequently include a heating or baking treatment. If so, safe oven temperatures must be selected and carefully maintained There is a natural conflict between the de sirability of bigh treating temperatures to speed up processes and the danger of such temperatures in inducing spontaneous heat ing. Even if fires do not result, the product may be ruined, and in this case it is cus tomary to cottsider that the loss is a "process loss" and not a "fire loss," a feature which may be quite important from an insurance point of view. Excess temperature alarms and special provision for heat control and ventilation are often arranged to guard against spontaneous ignition fires in ovens and dryers. When tlie processing of any combustible materia) or any other material subject to spontaneous heating is completed at an ele vated temperature it is essential to let the material cool to normal temperature by ex posing it in such a way that the heat loss from the surface can be rapid and direct. The spontaneous heating of coal is almost a problem by itself. As it affects the ordi nary user, the tendency to heat spontaneously is limited to soft coals and is not present in anthracite coal or in coke. Although the tendency to heat is influenced by the com position of the coal, the usual analysts i* not a sure indication. The amount of sulphur is often considered an indication of spontaneous heating hazard and possibly it is as adequate for this pur pose as any other that can be as easily .-c cured. Sulphur itself is not subject to spon taneous heating so tliat it is some related quality which appears to accompany a high sulphur content that is really important. Other better indications are not well under stood or easily determined. One per cent of sulphur is usually considered the value 011 the borderline between safe and unsafe coal. A proper method of storing coal is just as important as arc means taken to prevent spontaneous heating of other materials. Ac cess of air-to the interior can be greatly re duced bv spreading the coal in horizontal layers so that the lump and fine portions will be mixed and not segregated as occurs when the coal is just dumped in a conical pile which leaves the fine coal in the center while the lumps roll down the outside to the ground forming a very porous base. Com pacting the coal, as is done if it is spread with a caterpillar tractor, is an important secondary measure. The temperature in large pile.- of >oi't coal should be watched closely by thermo couple thermometers in pipes driven into the pile. A moderate amount of heating may be expected and docs not necessarily get out of control. If a temperature of above 125 degrees F. is reached the pile should be watched with special care. If 150 degrees F. 86 29th National Safety Congress is exceeded the heating is almost certain to continue until fire develops, so that at this temperature it is advisable to dig out the hot areas. Applying water to the outside of a pile is ineffective in stopping spontaneous heating- or fire. Several expedients have been tried in pre venting or controlling spontaneous heating. One large public utility covered a fifty foot high pile containing 120,000 tons with a water and almost air-tight layer of asphalt, applied hoc try spraying much as is done in road construction. This treatment ac tually stopped combustion in one pile and was considered an effective treatment justi fied for large piles to be in storage for at least nine months to one year. Promising results have been secured from the treatment of coal with mineral oil ap plied in a small amount by spraying while coal is being handled. This has not developed to a state of general adoption. Small amounts of coal in power house bunkers or bins should not be allowed to remain in storage where its initial tempera ture may be appreciably above normal at mospheric. Precautions to Be Taken by Users of Hand Fire Extinguishers By H. W. LANGE Assistant Engineer, Underwriter** Laboratories, Inc., Chicago Hand fire appliances provide the greatest saving of property and life of all fire pro tection equipment Fifteen per cent of fires upon which alarms have been given to the Fire Department are extinguished before arrival of Fire Department equipment Sixty per cent of the fires which the fire depart ment are called upon to control are ex tinguished with hand fire appliances. Fifty to 90 per cent of all the fires occurring in industry are extinguished with hand fire appliances without the necessity for railing the Fire Department In one large industry employing hand fire extinguisher protection, where over 3,000 fires occurred during the course of a year, well over 90 per cent of them were extinffitished with hand fire extinguishers. The fires which did not require hose streams in volved little or no interruption of business or the losses attributed thereto. The fire and water damage involved in such fires naturally were kept at a minimum, and the consequent losses of life and property were practically eliminated. The foregoing is mentioned to emphasize the importance of the proper treatment and handling of hand fire extinguishers. If properly distributed, maintained, and used it is possible that their record would ap proach perfection on incipient fires such as we arc at present considering. The first step, therefore, is to provide the proper extinguishers for the hazard to be protected- Generally speaking, we recog nize three classes of fire. A, B, and C Class A fires involve wood, paper, textiles, and the like upon which quantities of water are cfleelive. Class B fires involve flam mable liquids upon which the smothering action of the extinguishing agent is im portant; and Class C fires are electrical types requiring a nonconducting extinguish ing agent. There arc, of course, separate isolated problems. For a complete descrip tion of the classification system and the classification borne by the various types of hand fire extinguishers you may refer to Underwriters' Laboratories, Inc.*s "List of Inspected Fire Protection Equipment and Materials." Sparing is important too, for obviously if a suitable extinguisher is not rcadilj' avail able the incipient fire may soon grow to pro portions not controllable with hand appli ances. For recommendations as to proper spacing, reference is made to the Standards of the National Board of Fire Underwriters for the Installation, Maintenance, and Use of Hand Fire Appliances. Maintenance cannot be stressed too greatly. There is a tendency to assume that because an extinguisher has nothing to do until a fire occurs, it does not require attention. In asmuch as chemicals, pressure, mechanical parts, and other features having a bearing on proper operation are all subject to the ravages of time, and tampering or neglect, it should be obvious that frequent and intelli Fire Control and Prevention 87 gent maintenance is prerequisite to proper performance. Having an extinguisher that will perform as intended, another Important item is its effective application. Regardless of its avail ability, condition, or potential effectiveness, all may be lost by blundering application. Furthermore, additional hazards may be created, including danger to the operator. It is such questions with which wc are pri marily concerned here. As we have learned, the three major methods of extinguishing fire are cooling, smothering, and separation of flame from the fuel. By cooling we stop the generation of flammable gases, by smothering we cut off die oxygen supply which is necessary for combustion, and by separation of the flame from the fuel success is attained if no other source of re-ignition is present. The various types of hand fire extinguishers possess the above extinguishing characteristics, some in combination. It is important, therefore, to know by what principle you are attempting to ex tinguish the fire whoa applying an extin guisher. Different methods of attack are often required depending on whether you are attempting cooling, smothering, or sepa ration of flame. Otherwise, for example, cooling may be attempted with a device that has tittle or no cooling effect, smother ing may be attempted with a device discharging the equivalent of a thin stream of water, and separation of flame sought with a device that possesses no such extin guishing characteristics. For example, it is futile to throw a pail of water into a burning tub of oil. In addi tion to the splashing hazard, if the oil it hot enough, violent boil-over may occur causing danger to operator and to property. That fire is distinctly Class B, requires smothering treatment, or perhaps separation of flame, and use of an extinguisher bear ing classification "B" is indicated. Such ex tinguishers include foam, carbon dioxide, dry chemical, or vaporizing liquid types. If the oil were at a temperature above its autogenous or self ignition point, foam would be most effective, since the others pro vide only a transient smothering blanket and their cooling effect is not great. If attacking with a foam type extinguisher, the stream should not be directed into the liquid since the force of the stream may throw the burn ing liquid about, and the foam when emerg ing from below the oil surface would be covered with flaming oil, and thus break down rapidly without forming the effective smothering blanket intended. Foam streams should be directed against, the far inside wall so as to flow gently back up on the flaming surface. Directing the stream from a vaporizing liquid type extinguisher into burning liquid is as futile as the similar application of water. While this type extinguisher Is effec tive on small containers of burning liquids when the "freeboard" is at least equal to one-half the diameter of the container, it is necessary to attack by directing a forceful stream against the far inside wall so that the liquid is splashed back into the flame and thus create the heavy, fire smothering gas. Flammable liquid fires involving small quantities of liquid, such as a thin spill fire on motors or on floors, may be extinguished with this type extinguisher by dilution, a less common though useful principle of ex tinguishment. Larger area fires in bulk liquid (over 3 to 6 sq. ft) are not generally controllable with vaporizing liquid-type hand fire extinguishers. Close approach mast be made with both carbon dioxide and dry chemical extinguish ers which discharge their contents in cloud form. Such clouds are effective in smother ing and in separation of the flame from the fuel. When attacking a container, of flam mable liquid with these types of devices, it is important to extinguish the area immedi ately behind the front wall, otherwise fail ure may occur due to reflash over the en tire area. Should the vessel contain burning alcohol, it would be desirable to use one of the tatter type extinguishers, since foam is not as effective on the solvent type of flammable liquids as it is on oils, greases, gasoline, etc. Alcohol tends to dissolve foam rapidly and a foam blanket is thus difficult and in some cases impossible to form. Water or water solution extinguishers should not of course, be applied to fires in live electrical equipment. While tests have demonstrated that hose streams played upon live electrical equipment from a distance do not conduct current back to the nozzle, and this also holds true for spray type nozzles for shorter distances, such attack should only be made with thoroughly trained men under expert supervision. All wet chem ical extinguishers are water solution types 88 29th National Safety Congress excepting the vaporizing liquid type which employs carbon tetrachloride base extinguish ing liquid, a dielectric Carbon dioxide and dry chemical extinguishers discharge a cloud which is less conductive than air. For the common type of Class A fire, the extinguisher stream should be applied in a systematic manner. Indefinite direction of stream does not give the same effectiveness as planted attack. On vertical fires, attack should be directed at the bottom and prog ress made upward only after bottom areas have been definitely extinguished. Other wise, reflashes will soon reach original in tensity with portions of the extinguisher discharge wasted. Horizontal fires are prop erly attacked from the front with progress to be made only after front areas have been extinguished. There are certain hazardous chemicals which present fire problems separate and apart from any general classification. Those interested in problems involved in fire-fight ing phases of such chemicals are referred to "A Table of Common Hazardous Chem icals*' prepared by Committee on Hazard ous Chemicals and Explosives of the Na tional Fire Protection Association and American Chemical Society. Because of weight limitations necessary to retain jiortability, hand extinguishers have very short duration of discharge ranging in general from 15 seconds to one minute, de pending on type. `For this reason, it is im portant to know both the characteristics of the extinguisher and its duration of dis charge. It is desirable, therefore, not to start operation of the device until actually ready to apply it in a reasonably effective manner. Such reasoning, of course, also presumes acquaintance with the device pre vious to the emergency, since costly delay will be encountered if it is necessary to study the device while the fire rages. At this point it is well to point out the dangers involved in breathing fire gases. Each year many firemen lo^e their lives from this cause, and it has been claimed that loss of life due to fire gases far ex ceeds loss of life due to flame itself. Con trary to common reasoning, the danger is not confined to the simple lack of oxygen, the gases formed are seriously harmful, in addition, of course, hot gases lake their toll. The commonest gases formed are car bon dioxide and carbon monoxide. We like lo think in terms of carbon monoxide being the killer and carbon dioxide the smotherer. Nevertheless, carbon dioxide is a strong ally of carbon monoxide, because in addi tion to its help as a smothering gas it serves to increase the rate of human inhalation and thus gives carbon monoxide its opportunity of doing harm. Underwriters' Laboratories, Inc. publishes the following statement in connection with the listings of vaporizing liquid types and carbon dioxide types of fire extinguishers. "In using extinguishers of this type, es pecially in unventilated places such as small rooms, closets, or confined spaces, operators and others should take precautions to avoid the effects which may be caused by breath ing the vapors or gases liberated or pro duced." This statement may be considered as ap plying in the use of any fire extinguishing ap pliance. A I0-Ib. carbon dioxide extinguisher (90 cu. ft. CO*) while discharging pure carbon dioxide to extinguish a localized incipient fire with a high percentage of CO*, only increases the CO* concentration m a 15 by 15 by 15-ft room to about 3 per cent This is about the concentration of COr in the breath normally exhaled, and about the concentration of CO* theoretically* comput able for a small dosed bedroom in which two persons have slept overnight. The liquid from a 1-qL extinguisher evaporates to about 10 cu. fL of vapor. When a stream of carbon tetrachloride base liquid is applied to fire, it evaporates to carbon tetrachloride vapor which in contact with flame breaks down principally to chlorine and carbon. Chlorine is the gas which is sometimes administered to break up a common cold. Extensive breathing of it is, of course, not good for the human animal Under certain favorable conditions, hydro chloric acid gas in small quantity is gener ated by the application of carbon tetra chloride to fire. We have also established that under Tare conditions involving in tensely hot metal surfaces, phosgene is similarly formed, although in quantities hardly detectable by efficient scientific means. The fact, however, that phosgene has been detected has led to many bitter and unfair accusations. At the beginning of this discussion, men tion was made of the serious yearly death toll caused by fire gases. So far as I know, there has never been a case of death defi Fire Control and Prevention 89 nitely traced to phosgene alone as formed by the application of a vaporizing liquid type extinguisher, and there arc very few cases where phosgene has been shown to be a factor. This despite the fact that there are millions of vaporizing liquid type ex tinguishers in service, and that they approxi mately equal in number all other types of extinguishers combined- In hundreds of fire tests conducted. I and others have been repeatedly exposed for a short time to heavy* concentrations of fire gases with and without carbon tetrachloride application. There is no case of any of us having lost a day's work because of such exposure. Reasonably short exposure is one thing, long exposure another. It is agreed, however, that short exposure to hot gases can be quickly fatal. There are so many factors involved in dangerous fire gases that we should fully consider possible consequence^ regardless of the extinguishing medium employed. Let us now* take up the problems of main tenance, such as will guarantee safe per formance of the unit All extinguishers should be maintained in working condition by following the Standards of the National Board of Fire Underwriters for the Instal lation, Maintenance, and Use of First Aid Fire Appliances. The program involves fre quent inspection, to establish that the devices have not been tampered with or removed from their designated places, together with definite determinations at least yearly that the extinguishers are in working condition. Pump-type extinguishers require frequent trials to determine that the pumps have not been corroded and stuck. After trials of pump-type extinguishers, they should be placed back in service only after they have been properly attended to, and filled with the specific liquid intended for them. Vapor izing liquid type extinguishers for example, should never be filled with questionable liquid, or liquid which may have been ex posed in a manner which would make it possible to contain moisture. About once every year we hear of an in ternally generated pressure type extinguisher, such as a soda acid or foam type device, which ruptures when used in the field, some times with serious consequences. There are millions of these extinguishers in service, and while such accidents are less than "one in a million," none of us want that type of accident in our plant. The horrid details of such occurrences travel fast, but unfor tunately they arc seldom accompanied by reasons for the failure. As a result some arc inclined to be fearful of applying such extinguishers. Let us analyze the safety features which are built into internally generated pressure type extinguishers and see what further can be done to guarantee safety in this re spect. No labeled internally generated type hand extinguishers have shut off type nozzles, which arc involved In many of the accidents. The open nozzle is the "safety valve" for your extinguisher. See that it is not clogged or deliberately plugged, (there have been such cases), and that the screen within the extinguisher at the outlet has full free screening area. The regular charges for each extinguisher arc properly designed to devolp less than 100 lbs. per sq. in. pressure under normal oper ation at normal temperature, and less than the factory* test pressure of the extinguisher if the nozzle happens to be completely clogged, the temperature 120 F., and the ex tinguisher shaken. See that proper charges are used in your extinguishers. The parts of each extinguisher are prop erly designed to give the above operating characteristics. The acid feed in a soda-acid type extinguisher is regulated by means of a correct bottle and a correct stopple for the particular appliance. The combination of parts regulates generation of pressure. Break bottle type soda-add extinguishers are not a labeled type. Regulation of acid flow m addition assures nonacidic discharge. See that replacement parts, if any, arc de signed for the particular device in question. Each extinguisher of the internally gen erated pressure type is factory tested to 350 lbs. per sq. In. Hydrostatic strength tests on labeled extinguisher* show an aver age ultimate strength of from 500 to 600 lbs. per sq. in. Thus an ample margin of safety is built into the extinguishers. Some times the strength of these extinguishers is greatly affected by injury in service. This may occur by mechanical means such as being knocked off its hanger, or by ex pansion encountered by freezing of the solu tions. Such damaged extinguishers should be removed from service, and should nol be repaired until the cause responsible for thejr condition las been ascertained. Certain causes, such as freezing, develop permanent weakness which repairing cannot overcome. An ordinary soldering job is not an ef- 90 29th National Safety Congress fective way of repairing any extinguisher. See that your extinguishers are not exposed to freezing temperatures unless they are of the antifreeze type. Make sure that repair- ing when necessary is done only by a fire extinguisher manufacturer who will frankly tell you whether or not repairing -will restore original condition. "A Word to the Wise" The final feature of the program was a sound motion picture, entitled "A Word to the Wise," which was presented by T. L. Osborn, Jr., of the National Retailers Mo- tual Insurance Company, Chicago. The pic ture depicted in graphic style some of the causes of destructive fires which may be controlled by methods of common care and foresight. ATJinWRNMBhlT Fundamental Causes of Accidents TUESDAY MORNING SESSION October 8,1940 The session devoted to a discussion of the The second group was a Board of Ex "Fundamental Causes of Accidents" was perts, as follows: called to order by Chairman Edward R. Granniss, Director, Industrial Engineering Division, National Conservation Bureau, New York City, who presided. Psychologist--Dr. C. G. Schaefer, As sistant Professor of Psychology, Extension Division, Pennsylvania State College, State College, Pa. The session was planned as a Panel Dis-.. cussion. conducted by Moderator Granniss, Medical Director--Dr. Louis H. Frecht- with the assistance of two groups of experts. ling, Director. Department of Industsial Re The first was a Board of Practical Safety lations, Champion Paper and Fiber Com Men, including the following: pany, Hamilton, O. C. G. Bender, Safety Director, Kellogg Company, Battle Creek, Mich. L. P. Leonard. Personnel and Safety Di rector, Blaw-Knox Company, Pittsburgh, Pi. Charles A. Miller, Assistant to Personnel Manager, The Texas Company, Houston, Texas. Director of Training--F. W. Dalton, Chief, Trade and Industrial Education. State of Michigan, Lansing, Mich. Consulting Safety Engineer--A. W. Mcinke, Superintendent, Audit and Engineer ing Department, Indemnity Insurance Com pany of North Amcrira, Philadelphia. X. V. B. Ziegler, Director. Safety and Compensation, Aluminum Company of America, New Kensington Works, New Kensington, Pa. After a formal introduction of the' mem bers of the two Boards of Experts, Chair man Granniss outlined the method of pro cedure in the discussion. Panel Discussion CHAIRMAN GRANNISS: One of the great weaknesses of our accident prevention work, up to the present time, has been poor investigating, reporting and recording of accidents. The weakness can eventually be overcome only by unanimous use of a sys tem common to all industrial men. For tunately, through the development of the American Standard Code, accidents can be investigated according to formula, which will make it possible to consider accidents from any source on a common basis with all other accidents. Here are the seven steps recommended Tn investigating accidents: 1. The injury first attracts attention and its details, as far as they are known, are written down. 2. Next, the object, tool, machine, building detail or toxic substance that was most closely associated with the Injury and which was subject to correction, is named. 3. Following this is listed the part of the object, as the gears on a machine, should a part exist. 4. Next, the investigator notes if the ob ject or its part was associated with* the in jury because it was unguarded, defective, in the wrong place or otherwise unsafe, and names the unsafe condition. 5. Then comes the identification of the accident type. Did the injured person fall into the machine or was he struck by the object previously named ? 6. Next is shown the unsafe act which 91 92 29th National Safety Congress precipitated the selected type of accident-- the act which caused the injured to be caught in the unguarded gears or to slip on the oil on the floor--if such an act existed. 7- Finally, the unsafe personal factor which brought about the unsafe act--a_s perhaps lack of skill or poor eyesight--is determined, if possible. This is the system that has been used by the plant men here on the platform, by which they have named in their accident descriptions: 1. Agency 2. Agency part ,3. Unsafe mechanical or physical condi tion 4. Accident type 5. Unsafe act 6. Unsafe personal factor That, gentlemen, concludes the prelim inaries for our discussion. We will now go on with the work in earnest. The first acci dent to be reported by our Plant Safety Men will be given to you by Mr. C. G. Bender. r A Locomotive Crane Accident injury. The "unsafe mechanical or physical condition" was, first, the position of the step at the side of the crane, which, of course, encouraged the man to board it at that point; and second, the lack of some type of protective apron, which, in case a man hap pened to board the crane in the wrong posi tion might sweep him off so that only minor injuries would occur instead of a major in jury. The man was caught between two moving parts, or at least one stationary part and one moving part. The "unsafe act" was mounting the crane at the side, and the "unsafe personal factor" was inattention. In regard to prevention of accidents of this type, we must study our problem from two angles; first, the mechanical angle; and second, the unsafe act itself. In my opinion, the correction of the me chanical faults He in two classifications. First of all, the step should not have been oa the side of the crane bed. In other words, \vc havc an attractive nuisance, you might say, which more or less encouraged the man to get on at the wrong place. Secondly, an apron of some type should have been on the crane so that only minor injuries would have resulted. MR. BENDER: Mr. Chairman, the ac cident which I am to explain today, and which the experts will pass on, involved a helper on a locomotive crane. During the regular course of duty in our cold storage yards, a locomotive crane started toward the plant. It passed through a switch which the helper Uirew in order to allow the crane to pass, and then, following the usual practice, the enure stopped a short distance ahead .and 1vegan tn revolve the cab. The last time they <aw* the helper, he was located at die switch and was throwing it back to its orig inal position. However, as the crane cab revolved the operator heard a yell and real ized that an accident had occurred. Tt was a very serious accident, resulting in the loss of a man's leg. Jn regard to the unsafe act we consid ered that, again, this fell into at least two classifications. First of all. it should have been a definite rule that nobody should get on the crane, or no helper should get on the crane, at the time the cab was revolving; and second, there should have been a system of signals between the operator and the helper so that the operator would know where the helper was, before he started to revolve his crane cab. If .those various measures had been in effect before this accident the accident would not have occurred. CHAIRMAN GRANNISS: Dr. Frechtling, have you any suggestions as to this first problem? 1 have analyzed this accident as follows; The helper had run to the crane and had boarded the step on the side of the left front pan of the crane, and lie had been caught between the cab and the crane bed. DR. LOUIS H. FRECHTLING: I should like to ask Mr. Bender if he went back to his initial records of the physical examination of that individual, and if so, what he found ? My analysis is that the "agency** was the bed of the locomotive crane. The "agency part" was the cab of the crane Those were the two parrs, the brd itself and the cab, which were responsible, of course, for the MR. BENDER: We did do that, and the roan was physically fit. There was no physi cal defect in his body. DR. FRECHTLING: I am not thinking so much in terms of physical defects as I Fundamental Causes of Accidents 93 am of conditions that existed some time past that seemingly bad been corrected. For example; did this man ever have syphilis, nr did he ever have a condition which caused him to think less keenly than he previously had, and the like? MR. BENDER: Of course, we did find several points which might have entered into this particular case. We found that this man was not mentally keen, you might say, because of several home problems which existed at the time of the accident. The man's wife had been in the hospital for four major operations within a period of two or three years prior to this accident. The re sult was, of coarse, that he had several thousand dollars in doctor lulls to worry about, and that may have been a contribut ing factor in his accident, insofar as the tmsafe act wa> concerned. CHAIRMANGRANNISS: Dr.Schaefer, doesn't this throw the aeodent more or less into your field? There are some psycho logical aspects which it might be well to consider. DR_ SCHAEFER: There arc several questions I would be interested in asking. Wliat is done about those situations in which you suggest to people that they step cwi >tcpe. etc., and is there any study made of the negative suggestions, so far as the mcclianical Setup is concerned, that might cause accidents? Mr. Bender said that some definite rule should have been made that men should stay off that cab, or that there should have been some set of signals. Whose responsibility is it to make such a rule, and to enforce that rule, or that set of signals? Is it the re sponsibility of the safety director, or the responsibility of the immediate foreman? Is it the responsibility of the safety director to see to it that the foreman enforces safety rules? ! was also going to ask about any emo tional situation that might have occurred, hut Mr. Bender has already mentioned that angle. What is done for men who do have worries? You tnay say, "Well, we don't know about their worries unless they come to us and tell us." I might suggest that every foreman ought to be made aware of the fact tliat a part of the responsibility of his job is not only handling the material and ma chinery in his department, but also handling the men--handling is a bad word, dealing with them is better--and if tliat is part of his responsibility, then it is also part of his responsibility to find ways to detect those personal difficulties which the men have. The foreman should give the men freedom to come and cry on his shoulder, and one of his principal responsibilities as a supervisor should be to have a big, broad, well padded shoulder on which the men can cry* CHAIRMAN GRANNISS: I wonder, Mr. Dalton, if there isn't some question here concerning training tliat you would tike to bring out? Employee Training F. W. DALTON: Mr. Bender stated that he would devise some employee rules. 1 would be interested in knowing whether any instructions are to be given as to the inter pretation of those rules, even to the point of demonstration as to how those rules may be made most effective. I think we pay too little attention to how safety rules wilt be interpreted. For example, we put up a sign, or we give out some rules and regulations, and then we assume that we have completed our job. That isn't enough. Rules and reg ulations concerning safety practices should be demonstrated to employees, or interpreted to them in the light of previous accident*, or possible accidents. It is ray opinion " *t a lot can be done along that line. CHAIRMAN GRANNISS: Mr. Meinkc. is there any physical action that might be called to the practical safety engineer's at tention? MR. A. W. MEINKE: Mr. Granniss, you mentioned, in opening this meeting, that part of our objective is to set up some system, or introduce some system, whereby we can standardize the investigation of accidents. With that point in mind I wonder if there weren't two parts of the agency involved in the accident we are discussing? For ex ample, this man was caught bettwen two parts, the bed and the cab. Tn connection with the bed, I bclicve.it was suggested that the ladder be removed, so that would defi nitely relate the accident to the bed. Also, there was an unguarded deck on the bed of the locomotive crane, which should have been guarded with a deck swipe. In the cab there* should have been a rear view mirror. The absence of such a mirror might have contributed to this accident, be 94 29th National Safety Congress cause in that case the crane operator couldn't look behind him and see the man getting on the crane. Another thing, I wonder why this helper was so anxious to get on that crane? I wonder if the crane was rolling, and per haps turning at the same time? In that event, the operator might have been giving his at tention to the turning of the crane, and the helper might have been chasing the crane in order to get aboard before it got too far away. CHAIRMAN GRANNISS: That raises an important question. We are not only looking for tire means of prevention, but we also seek to ascertain whether or not the plant man is properly analyzing the accident according to the rules that arc set down by the code. These plant men, of course, have been given a copy of the code so that they may be familiar with the rules. Perhaps, Mr. Bender, in the light of thecc questions, you might want to change your analysis of the investigation. Two Causes MR BENDER: I would say this: The crane was not moving at the time of the accident The usual practice was being fol lowed. The crane was being brought to a standstill before the crane was to be re volved CHAIRMAN GRANNISS: H was a combination, therefore, of an unsafe physi cal condition of the crane and negligence on the pari of the employee. Before we turn this accident over to the audience for discussion, are there any fur ther comments here on the platform? DR. SCHAEFER: In looking over the code. 1 have been impressed by the fact that we arc very much interested in the mechan ical setup in the causes of accidents. I be lieve safety engineers have done a. great deal in this respect. Due to their vigilance we have reduced accidents very much, but I wonder why we don't include in that code more of the human factors. As it is, we hu man beings don't know enough about human actions and human nature. Are those fac tor* such variables that they are hard to put our fingers on. or is it just because we have never tried? Why don't we, in report ing an accident, report something of the habit structures of human beings, something in regard to the matter of attention, etc.? Why don't we give the same weight, or as much weight, to the human factors, or the maladjustments of human relations in cor recting accidents as we do to mechanics? CHAIRMAN GRANNISS: I can answer your question in part, at least We haven't so far included the psychological factor tn our accident reports because many of the men who investigate accidents aren't too well qualified in that respect. It takes a man with considerable psychological training to bring out those factors, the same as it takes a medical man to reveal the unsafe physical conditions involved in the accidents. Are there any further questions along this psychological line? MR. BENDER: T would like to ask Dr. .Schaefer a question. It is the usual practice, following an accident, to make a written report, which is sent not only to the man agement, but to all foremen. If a man is handicapped by certain social conditions, such as in this case, would it be a good idea to enumerate them in a report to be sent to all foremen? Is that giving information which might be embarrassing to the man? DR. SCHAEFER: I suppose it depends, first of alt, on how* honest wc want to be with ourselves in those situation*. Secondly, it depends upon how* much employee coop eration we can get. I think you safety en gineers recognize the fact that there was a great deal of antagonism to some of your work when you started, and there will cer tainly be more in this case, because you arc .dealing with the private lives of individuals. But there is so much that can be done with out going into the private lives of employees in such a way that you create a disagree able situation. T think now of studying not only this accident in which a man ha* lost a leg, hut of malting a study of vour nearaccident situations in which you aren't go ing to hurt any individual's feelings. If you will study those near accident situations, of which there are approximately SO to every' one in which a man is actually injured, you might be able to find those human factors and classify* them. When wc once get into the habit of accepting those classifications, we will get into the habit of putting them down as causes of accidents. We used to say merely it was the victim's fault, or some body rise's fault We used to report acci dents as being due to carelessness. We have gotten rid of that now. We break it down Fundamental Causes of Accidents 95 into various factors. We have made some progress. Going back to the question of whether or not wc are going to hurt people's feelings, 1 think perhaps it might be better to hurt their feelings a little once in a while than to put them in a position where their feelings can no longer be hurt, by killing them! CHAIRMAN GRANNISS: Mr. Meinke, Dr. Schaefer has mentioned the record of no injury reports. You handle thousands of accident reports every month. What would your reaction be to no-injury accident re ports? M R. MEINKE: There is a definite benefit to be derived from investigating no injury accidents. I don't know as I can say any more than that However, I would like to more or less sum op this case wc are dis cussing. It seems to me that the provision of a deck swipe on the bed of the locomotive tends to keep men out of the danger zone in similar cases. Also, the removal of tbe lad der is a good thing. I believe from a prac tical point of view that Mr. Bender has done enough to prevent an accident recurrence, but it also seems that there is still some thing further that may be done. We should delve more into the human element in acci dents. There is much that we can do in that direction. CHAIRMAN GRANNISS: Now, gentle men. we can discuss this for a few minutes from the floor. I wonder what the aodicooe thinks. C. \V. HAMMOND (New York Central System): We have a specific rule that cov ers such accidents* 'Employees must not step on cranes or other cars attached thereto, except when it is required. Ladder may be used only when man on crane is fully in formed." We live up to that rule, and there is no man injured. The employee may not be able to read or write the English language. Therefore, we have rules and wc go through all those rules and post them each day, and if a man is unable to read the rules, it is the foreman's job every morning to see that rules concerning him are read to faun, and that he understands them. ANDREW J. PERCIVAL (Westclox Division of General Time, LaSalle, Illinois): I would like to ask Dr. Schaefer if he would outline some simple steps we safety men could use to bring out those human factors without causing too much antagonism. The Hunan Factors DR. SCHAEFER: I should say that the first job of the safety director in dealing with the human element is to recognize the fact that he, as a safety director, is a staff officer, and that if he is going to keep the industrial organization functioning smoothly, his job is one of study and advising. The man's own foreman should have a good per sonal human relationship with each of his men. If he doesn't have, he is not making a success as a foreman, either in efficiency of production, or in safety. If he i$ art effective foreman, (hen I, as the safety director, have no business saying 'T have done this." I must stay in the background and get it done through the only man who can do it, the foreman. I know that hurts my dignity, but there are certain times when dignity ought to be shelved in order to accomplish result*. There are some foremen who are very good production men who are not too in telligent. We will have to recognize that fact It means, then, that we must study our foreman to see on what level we must ap proach him, and lie must be approached as an individual with whom we have good rela tions. The problem put before him to solve is not our problem thrust upon him, but his problem in which we are helping him. The foreman has the job of going oat to the in dividual men and knowing those men. He will never supervise them properly unless he knows them -as individuals, and knows how to talk to them on the basts of their personal problems. When he knows that, he can put anything across. He can not only train his men In their skills, which wc have held him responsible for, but he can also deal with those human elements which may get them into trouble. C. J. WEATHERSTON (General Mills. Inc., Buffalo, New York): Mr. Chairman, I would like to ask. two questions. Tn the first place, I wonder what we might have done had we known about this man's family condition? Would wc have laid him off due to that fact, or would wc have transferred him to another job, or just what would we have done regarding that situation? In the second place, I wonder if it might not have helped i f we had had a rule in 96 29th National Safety Congress effect that the helper hod to be in plain view of the operator before the crane was swung? CHAIRMAN GRANNISS: Mr. Bender, will you comment on the questions? MR. BENDER: The occurrence of such accident* constitutes one reason why we iiavc jH:rsonni'l departments. The institution of >vtemf by which employees can be helped and advised concerning their personal difficulties has a definite value in the pre vention of accidents caused by inattention. Had tlU man been assisted in this way, his accident might not have occurred. Had I been aware that conditions in his home were *nch that they were liable to distract his at tention while at work, I would have pointed out this danger to him and requested his cooperation for the sake of his own perMina! safety. MR. WEATHEKSTON: I want to make that just a little more difficult, Mr. Chair man. Let*6 consider this is the day follow ing his wife's operation, and this man has mental anguish. He just don't know his wife** condition. MR. BENPFR: Of course, that wasn't true in this case. MR, WEATHERSTON: I want to make it that way, if you don't mind. MR. BENDER: I think that is a question for the experts to answer. t'HAIRMAN GRANNISS: Would any one of the experts care to volunteer? DR. SCHAEFER: One suggestion I would like to make is this: Suppose you have had a lot of troubles, and a lot of difficulties, and you are not very effective in your work, and let's say effective rather than efficient. Suppose then something happened that interferes with your effectiveness. Cer tainly you don't want to be laid off, even for a day. While by temporarily laying off wor ried or troubled employees might save those particular men from accidents, the personnel manager i> going to stir up so much appre hension in the minds of other men that he wouldn't get them to talk at all, if they felt that having told the truth about themselves they would be laid off for a day. This would be inviting them to button up their lips, and they would just sea! the trouble up inside, and have more of it. Under such circum stance*, how are you going .to learn about your employees' personal troubles? Let's take the hypothetical case of the op eration occurring last night--the employee not knowing the results, etc. The question I would tike to ask is: If you were in that kind of a state, and you knew nobody could do anything for you about it anjliow, be cause it was your own personal problem, wouldn't it help you to just go to somebody in whom you had confidence and get it off your chest ? It seems to me, and I have dealt with a lot of foremen, that those foremen who are most successful in getting effective work done arc the boys who are known as approachable people. The men down on the floor wilt feel free to come to them and say, "Boss, trm not feeling very good about some thing today," and it just sort of eases their minds. 1 know how I fed when I'm in a tough spot. If there is just somebody I can talk to--t am not asking them for any help, I don't want them to pay my bills, I don't even want them to pit)4 me--I just want to id I them about it, to get, since we arc social beings, somebody else aware of the difficul ties that J am facing. It helps. CHAIRMAN GRANNISS: Docs that answer the first question? MR WEATHERSTON: It does very welL CHAIRMAN GRANNISS: Specifically, the second question is, had the man who was injured been in plain view, so that he could have been seen, would the accident have happened? MR BENDER: No. That was one of our recommendations. The man should have been m plain view. After the accident hap pened, that was one of the things we de cided must be done. A. R LAUER (Iowa State College. Dept, of Psychology, Ames, la.): I would like to suggest, touching upon the remarks made by Mr. Bender, and also Dr. Schaefer, that the personnel man, really scientifically trained, would probably be able to encourage the employee in regard to his troubles. I would like to point out, in the second place, that if the personnel man was really anxious to help, he would have a fairly good analysis of the individual's characteristics. Rsychology is one of the greatest factors in keeping us out of accidents. The employee might not necessarily have a weakness, but he would know4 his wife was ill, and he would be more freely disposed to accidents. If, under such circumstances, the personnel director would take those facts into account and call the man in and say. "Bill, I know your family Fundamental Causes of Accidents 97 is in trouble, and your wife is ill; you will liavc lo be a little more careful. I can't tell you specifically how to be careful, but. you Just be very careful in anything you do," if he would do that, accidents would certainly be forestalled. R> a. SCHULTZ (Detroit, Michigan): Handing people a set of rules is not a suffi cient safety effort on the part of the director of safety. I feel that each rule should have a separate handling, and that after a man is thoroughly trained and versed in the appli cations r e certain rules, he should sign those rules, only then receiving permission to op erate any particular equipment, such as cranes, elevators, and what not. After tliis procedure, all we need to do is check that the foreman is sure the man is observing the rules. More emphasis should be placed on the individuality of our rules, rather than on just handing out a set of rules. Steel Plant Accident t'HAlRMAN GRANNISS: Now. gentle men. we may have time for other questions later. But to carry out our schedule I must now a-k Mr. Leonard to give the next acci dent description. MR J. P. LEONARD: Mr. Moderator, the case I am going to di*cuss was an acci dent that occurred to an attendant in our steel plant. The employee was placing an empty sand box between an oven wall and a pile of plates. As the box was lowered to the floor by the craneman, the employee held to the side of the box, guiding it into the space lictween the oven and the pile of plates. The little finger of bis right hand was caught between the side of the box and the pile of plates, requiring amputation. This man could have held the end of the box and thus guided it into place, instead of holding to the side next to the plates. The rules are, and the men arc instructed accord ingly, to stand clear, and away from danger of being caught by loads: also, to see that Ilands and fingers are tti the clear when moving or replacing loads. I have selected these as the accident fac tors in the case: The "agency" was the sand box. The "agency part" was the side of the box next to the pile of plates. "Unsafe mechanical or physical conditions": None. "Accident type"; caught between. "Unsafe act": holding side of box next to the plates. "Prevention": supervision, and enforcement of rules. CHAIRMAN GRANNISS: Again call ing upon our body of experts, gentlemen, who cares to volunteer? MR. DALTON: I am concerned particu larly with the unsafe factor presented here, the wilful) disregard of instructions. Your first premise is that this individual was in the wrong spot. Some study of that indi vidual probably should have been made. T would like to know if this was his first dis regard of instructions. Had he shown any previous tendency not to pay attention to orders ? MR. LEONARD: This man had been in the employ of the company for five years. He was considered a very good man, and was not the type of man who had in the past ignored rules or regulations. CHAIRMAN GRANNISS: Dr. FrechiImg, could there possibly be any physical trouble in this man which might have had some bearing on the case? DR. FRECHTLING: I would rather say that' if you go back and review the acci dents you have had in that plant, I am sat isfied that in the majority of cases you will find that there exists a definite physical de fect. Persons with physical defects ordi narily don't ask for special consideration be cause of those defects, and yet we are smart when we realise that those defects do oc cur, and place such individuals in positions where their defects will not work to their disadvantage. CHAIRMAN GRANNISS: Gentlemen. ce thing wc don't want to lose sight of in analyzing these accidents, is whether or not we would place the same code analysis on the accidents. Wc recall that one of the ob jectives of this meeting is to aid us all in investigating accidents in our own plants, and in reporting them and having them com pared with other investigations on the same basts. Mr. Meinke, you are quite familiar with the code. Is there anything here tlt you would question io the strident analysis? MR. MEINKE: This is another accident of the type, caught in, or between. 2nd I feel that there arc two agencies. One is the sand box, and the other is the pile of plate*. If we consider both agencies, we might pos sibly discover another cause of the accident. .For example, I would like to know4 if the 92 29th National Safety Congress Fundamental Causes of Accidents 93 precipitated the selected type of accident-- the act which caused the injured to be caught in the unguarded gears or to slip on the oil on the floor--if such an act existed. 7. Finally, the unsafe personal factor which brought about the unsafe act--as perhaps lack of skill or poor eyesight--is determined, if possible. This is die system that has been used by the plant men here on the platform, by which they have named in their accident descriptions: 1. Agency 2. Agency part .1. Unsafe mechanical or physical condi tion 4. Accident type injury. The "unsafe mechanical or physical condition" was, first, the position of the step at the side of the crane, which, of course, encouraged the man to board it at that point; and second, the lack of some type of protective apron, which, in case a man hap pened to board the crane in the wrong posi tion might sweep him off so that only minor injuries would occur instead of a major in jury* The man was caught between two moving parts, or at least one stationary' part ami one moving part. The "unsafe act" was mounting the crane at the side, and the "unsafe personal factor" was inattention. In regard to prevention of accidents of lliis type, we must study our problem from two angles; first, the mechanical angle; and r **** am of conditions that existed some lime past that seemingly had been corrected. For example; did this man ever have syphilis, or did he ever have a condition which caused him to think less keenly than he previously had. and the like? MR. BENDER: Of course, we did find several points which might have entered into this particular case. We found that this man was not menially keen, you might say* because of several home problems which existed at the time of the accident. The man's wife had been in the hospital for four major operations within a period of two or three years prior to this accident. The re sult was, of course, that he had several thousand dollays in doctnr hill CORRECTION rho preceding document hoc been rephotographed to assure legibility and its image appears immediately hereafter. with them is better--and if that is part of his responsibility, then it is also pact of his responsibility to find ways to detect those personal difficulties which the men have. Tbe foreman should give the men freedom to come and cry on his shoulder, and one of his principal responsibilities as a supervisor should be to have a big. broad, well padded shoulder on which the men can cry. CHAIRMAN GRANNISS: I wonder. Mr. Dalton, if there isn't some question here concerning training that you would like to bring out? Employee Training Mr. Bender stated that imc employee rules. 1 knowing whether any given as to the interlies. even to the point i how those rules may I think we pay too * safety rules will be pte, we put up a sign, rules and regulations, that we have completed ugh. Rules and regsafety* practices should iployees, or interpreted of previous accidents It is my opinion that ig that line. NNISS: Mr. Meinkc. action that might be safety engineer's at ired It was a very* serious accident, resulting in the loss of a man's leg. f have analyzed this accident as follows: The helper had run to the crane and had boarded the step on the side of the left front part of the crane, and he had been caught between the cab and the crane bed. My analysis is that the "agency" was the bed of the locomotive crane. The "agency part" was the cab of the crane- Those were ihe two pans, the bed itself and the cab, which were responsible, of course, for the CHAIRMAN GRANNISS: Dr. Frccluliug, have you any suggestions as to this first problem? DR. LOUIS H. FRECHTLING: 1 should like to ask Mr. Bender if be went back to his initial records or the physical examination of that individual, and it so, what he found ? MR. BENDER: We did do that, and the man was physically fit. There was no physi cal defect in his body. DR. FRECHTLING: I am not thinking so much in terms of physical defects as 7 to sec to it that the foreman enforces rules? 1 was abu going to ask about any emo tional situation that might have occurred, hut Mr. Bender has already mentioned that angle. What is done for men who do have worries? You may say, "Well, we don't know about their worries unless they come to us and tell us." I might suggest that every foreman ought to be made aware of the fact that a part of the responsibility of his job is not only handling the material and ma chinery in his department, but also handling the men--handling is a bad word, dealing |KE: Mr. Granniss, you l this meeting, that part J set up some system, or iem, whereby wc can rstigation of accidents. With that point Ld mind I wonder if there weren't two parts of the agency* involved in the accident we arc discussing? For ex ample, this man was caught bettvecn two parts, -the bed and live cah. In connection with the bed, I believe it wa suggested that the ladder be removed, so that would defi nitely relate the accident to the bed. Also, there was an unguarded deck on the bed of the locomotive crane, which should liavc been guarded with a deck swipe. In the cab there should have been a rear view mirror. The absence of such a mirror might have contributed to this accident, be 94 29th National Safety Congress cause in that case the crane operator couldn't look behind him and see the man jetting cm the crane. Another thing, I wonder why this helper was so anxious to get on that crane? I wonder if the crane was rolling, and per haps turning at the same time? In that event, the operator might have been giving his at tention to the turning of the crane, and the helper might have been chasing the crane in order to get aboard before it got too far away. CHAIRMAN GRANNISS: That raises an important question. We are not only looking for the means of prevention, but we also seek to ascertain whether or not the plant man is properly analyzing the accident according to the rules that are set down by the code. These plant men, of course, have been given a copy of the code so that they may be familiar with the rules. Perhaps, Mr. Bender, in the light of the*c questions, you might want to change your analytic of the investigation. Two Causes MR BENDER: T would say this* The ranc wa* not moving at the time of the accident. Tire n*tnl practice was being fol lowed. The crane was being brought to a -tandstill it-fort* the crane was to be re volved CHAIRMAN GRANNISS- It wa* a ct mliination. thvreiurc, l an unsafe phy-i- *;1 rendition cf the crane and negligence on the pan of the employee- w i rum thw accident oxer to il*e auf*i->rr *.- *rr tbenc am* fnr- *:'t: ffB) ru-n:' liery we :be platform? -R >* H \Erk In Iriokms over the ~ii i '.a** un|rfr*-etl by the fact that ;u ar- \c-r-. much mtcr<acd in the median- V Mta;. t. the caue^ of accidents. I be- '*vxi *'?% engineer- have done a great \ru' : *v*pect. Due to their vigilance xvt :.a\e reduci accident* very much, bat I .w -r.de- wh> >v c don't include in that code nv-rc of ilit human factor*. A* it is, we hu man Irving- don't know enough about human action- and human nature. Are those fac tor* *uch variables that they are hard to put our fingers on. or ts it just because we have never tried? Why don't we, in report ing an accident, report something of the habit structures of human beings, something in regard to the matter of attention, etc.? Why don't we give the same weight, or'as much weight, to the human factors, or the maladjustments of human relations in cor recting accidents as we do to mechanics? CHAIRMAN GRANNISS: I can answer your question in part, at least. We haven't <o far included the psychological factor in our accident reports because many of the men who investigate accidents aren't too well qualified in that respect It takes a man with considerable psychological training to bring out those factors, the same as it takes a medical man to reveal the unsafe physical conditions involved in the accidents. Are there any further questions along this psychological line? MR.* BENDER: I would like to ask Dr- Schaefer a question. It is the usual practice, following an accident, to make a written report, which is sent not only to the man agement, but to all foremen. If a man is handicapped hv certain social conditions, -udt as in this case, would it be a good idea to enumerate them in a report to be sent to all foremen? Ts that giving information which might be embarrassing to the man? DR. SCHAEFER: I suppose it depends. fir*t of all, on how honest we want to be with ourselves in those situation*. Secondly, it depends upon how much employee coop eration we can get. I think you safety en gineers recognize the fact that there was a ertat deal of antagonism to some of your work when roil started, and there will cer tainly be more in this ca*e. because you are dealing with the private lives of individuals. But there is *o much that can be done with out going into the private lives of employees in *ueh a way that you create a disagree able titration. I think now of studying not only this accident in which a man has lost a leg. but of making a study of your nearaeddest situations in which you aren't troing to hurt any individual's leering*. If you will study' those near accident situation*. <*i which there are approximately 50 to every one in which a mao is actually injured, you might be able to find those human factors and classify them. When we once get into the habit of accepting those cIa*rifxatK*n*. we will get into the habit of putting them down as causes of accidents. We used to say merely it was the victim's fault, or some body rise's fault We used to report acci dents as bring due to carelessness. We have gotten rid of that now. We break it down Fundamental Causes of Accidents 95 into various factors. We have made some progress. Going back to the question of whether or not we are going to hurt people's feelings, I think perhaps it might be better to hurt their feelings a little once in a while than to put them in a position where thrir feelings can no longer be hurt, by killing them! CHAIRMAN GRANNISS: Mr. Weinke, Dr. Schaefer has mentioned the record of no injury reports. You handle thousands of accident reports every month. What would your reaction be to no-injury accident re ports? MR MEtNKE: There is a definite benefit to be derived from investigating no injury* accidents. I don't know as I can say any' more than that. However, I would like to more or less sum up this case we are dis cussing. It seems to me that the provision of a deck swipe on the bed of the locomotive tends to keep men out of the danger zone in similar cases. Also, the removal of the lad der is a good thing. I believe from a prac tical point of view that Mr. Bender has done enough to prevent an accident recurrence, but it also seems that there is still some thing further that may be done. We should delve more into the human element in acci dents. There is much that we can do in that direction. CHAIRMAN GRANNISS: Now, gentle men, we can discuss this for a few minutes from the floor. I wonder what the audience thinks. C. W- HAMMOND (New York Central System): We have a specific rule that cov ers such accidents: "Employees must not <tep og cranes or other cars attached thereto, except when it is required. Ladder may be oed only when man on crane is fully* in formed.** We live up to that rule, and there is no mao injured. The employee may not be able ro read or write the English language. Therefore, we have rules and we go through an those rales and post them each day, and if a man is unable to read the rules, it is the tortnua's job every morning to see that rule* concerning him are read to him, pid that he understands them. ANDREW J. PERCIVAL (Westdox Division of General Time, LaSalle, Illinois): I w-oetld Hlce to ask Dr. Schaefer if he would outline some' simple steps we safety men could use to bring out those human factors without causing too much antagonism. The Human Factor* DR SCHAEFER: I should say that the first job of the safety director in dealing with the human element is to recognize the * fact that he, as a safety director, is a staff officer, and that if he is going to keep the industrial organization functioning smoothly, his job is one of study and advising. The man's own foreman should have a good per sonal human relationship with each of his men. If he doesn't have, he is not making a success as a foreman, either in efficiency of production, or in safety. If he is an effective foreman, then I, as the safety director, have no business saying ,4I have done this." I must stay in the background and get it done through the only man who can do it, the foreman. I know that hurts my dignity, but there are certain times when dignity ought to be shrived in order to accomplish result*. There are some foremen who are very good production men who are not too in telligent We will have to recognize that fact. It means, then, that wc must study our foreman to see on what level we must ap proach him, and he must be approached as an individual with whom we have good rela tions. The problem put before him to solve is not our problem thrust upon him, hut his problem in which we are helping him. The foreman has the job of going out to (he in dividual men and knowing those men. He will never supervise them properly unless he knows them as individuals, and knows how to talk to them on the basis of their personal problems. When he knows that, he can put anything across. He can not only train his men in their skills, which wc have held uim responsible for, but he can also deal with those human elements which may get them into trouble. C. J. WEATHERSTON (General Mills, Inc., Buffalo, New York): Mr. Chairman, I would like to ask two questions. In the first place, I wonder what wc might have done had we known about this man's family condition? Would we have laid him off due to that fact or would wc have transferred him to another job, or just what would we have done regarding that situation? In the second place, I wonder if it might not have helped if we had had a rule In % 29th Notional Safety Congress rticcl that ihe helper had to be in plain view of the operator before the crane was swung? CHAIRMAN GRANNISS: Mr. Render, will you comment on the questions? Mk. BENDER: The occurrence of such accidents constitutes one reason why we have personnel departments. The institution of >.v<tns by which employees can l*e hcljKid and advised concerning their personal difficulties has a definite value in the preventinn of accidents caused by inattention. Had this man been assisted in this way, his accident might not have occurred. Had I been aware that conditions in his home were such that they were liable to distract his at tention while at work, I would have pointed out this danger to him and requested bis cooperation for the sake of his own per-onal safety. MU. WEATJIERSTON: I want to make that jut a little more difficult, Mr. Chair man. Lot*' consider this is the day follow ing his wife's operation, and this man has mental anguish. He just don't know his wife** condition. MR. BENDER: Of course, that wasn't i rue in this case. MR WRATHERSTON: I want to make it that way, if you don't mind. MR. BENDER: I think that is a question for the experts to answer. CHAIRMAN GRANNISS: Would any one of the experts care to volunteer? PR. SCHAEFER: One suggestion I would like to make is this: Suppose you have had a lot of troubles, and a lot of difficulties, and you are not very effective in your work, and let's say effective rather than efficient. Suppose then something happened that interferes with your effectiveness. Cer tainly \ on don't want to be laid off, even For a <lav. While by temporarily laying off wor ried ur troubled employees might save those particular men from accidents, the personnel manager is going to stir up so much' appre hension in the minds of other men that he wouldn't get them to talk at aj], if they felt that having told the truth about themselves they would be laid off for a day. This would be inviting them to button up their lips, and they would just seal the trouble up inside, and have more of it. Under such circum stance'. how are you going.to learn about your employees' personal troubles? Let's take the hypothetical case of the op eration occurring last night--the employee not knowing the results, etc. The question I would like to ask is: If you were hi that kind of a state, and you knew nobody could do anything for you about it anyhow, be cause it was vour own personal problem, wouldn't it help you to just go to somebody in whom you had confidence anti get it off your chest? It seems to me. and I have dealt with a lot of foremen, that tbo*c foremen who are most successful in getting effective work done arc the boys who are known as approachable people. The men down cm the floor will feel free to come to them and say. "Boss, I'm not feeling very good about some thing today," and it just sort of cases tlicir tm'uds. I know how I feel when I'm in a tough spot. If there Is just somebody I can talk lo--l am not asking them tor any help. I don't want them to pay my bills, 1 don't even want them to pity me--T just want to tell them about it, to get, since we arc social beings, somebody else aware of the difficulticc that k am facing. It helps. CHAIRMAN GRAXNISS: Docs that answer the first question? MR. WEATHERSTON: It docs very wcll CHAIRMAN GRAXNISS: Specifically. the second question is, liad the man who was injured been in plain view, so that he could have been seen, would the accident have happened? MR- BENDER: No. That was one of our recommendations. The man should have been in plain view. After the accident hap pened, that was one of the things we de cided must be done. A. R- LAUER (Iowa State College, Dept, of Psychology, Ames, la.) : 1 would like to suggest, touching upon the remarks made by Mr. Bender, and also Dr. Schaefer, that (lie personnel man, really scientifically trained, would probably be able to encourage the employee in regard to his troubles. I would like to point out, in the second place, that if the personnel man was really anxious to help, he would have a fairly good analysis of the individual's characteristics. Psychol ogy is one of the greatest factors in keeping us out of accidents. The employee might not necessarily have a weakness, but he would know his wife was ill, and he would be more freely disposed to accidents. If, under such circumstances, the personnel director would take those facts into account and call the man in and sav. "Bill, I know your family Fundamental Causes of Accidents 97 is in trouble, and your wife is ill: you will have to be a little more careful. I can't tell you specifically how to be careful, but you fust be very* careful in anything you do," if he would do that, accidents would certainly he forestalled. R. A. SCHULTZ (Detroit, Michigan): Handing people a set of rules is not a suffi cient safety effort on the part of the director of safety. I (eel that each rule should have a separate handling, and that after a man is thoroughly trained and versed in the appli cations of certain rules, he should sign those rules, only then receiving permission to op erate any particular equipment, such as cranes, elevators, and what not. After this procedure, all we need to do is check that the foreman is sure the man is observing the rules. More emphasis should be placed on the individuality of our rules, rather than on jun handing out a set of rules. Steel Plant Accident CHAIRMAN GRAXNISS: Now. gentle men. we may have time for other questions later. But to carry' out our schedule I must now ask Mr. Leonard to give the next acci dent description. MR. J. P. LEONARD: Mr. Moderator, the ca*< 1 am going to discuss was an acci dent that occurred to an attendant in our steel plant. The employee was placing an empty sand Ixix between an oven wall and a pile of plates. As the box was lowered to the floor by the craneman, the employee held to the side of the box, guiding it into the space between the oven and the pile of plates. The little finger of his right hand was caught between the side of the box and the pile of plates, requiring amputation. This man could have held the end of the box and thus guided it into place, instead of holding to the side next to the plates. The rules arc. and the men arc instructed accord ingly, to stand clear, and away from danger of'heing caught by toads; also, to see that hands and fingers are in the dear when moving or replacing loads. I have selected these as the accident fac tors in the case: The "agency" was the sand box. The "agency part" wa* the side of the l>ox next to the pile of plates. "Unsafe mechanical or physical conditions": None. "Accident type": caught between. "Unsafe act"; holding side of box next to the plates. "Prevention": supervision, and enforcement of rules. CHAIRMAN GRAXNISS: Again call ing upon our body of experts, gentlemen, who cares to volunteer? MR. DALTON: I am concerned particu larly with the unsafe factor presented here, (lie wilfull disregard of instructions. Your first premise is that this individual was in the wrong spot. Some study of that indi vidual probably should have been made. 1 would like to know if this was his first.dis regard of instructions. Had he shown any previous tendency not to pay attention to orders ? MR. LEONARD: This man had been in the employ of the company tor five years. He was considered a very- good man, and was not the type of man who had in the past ignored rules or regulations. CHAIRMAN GRAXNISS: Dr. FrcchtUiig, coutd there possibly be any physical trouble in litis man which might have hail some bearing on the case? DR. FRECHTL1NG: l would rather say that if you go back and review the acci dents you have had in that plant, I am sat isfied that in the majority of cases you will find that there exists a definite physical de fect. Persons with physical defects ordi narily don't ask tor special consideration be cause of those defects, and yet we are smart when we realize that those defects do oc cur, and place such individuals in positions where their defects will not work to their disadvantage. CHAIRMAN GRAXNISS: Gentlemen, one thing wc don't want to lose sight of iti analyzing these accident*, is whether or not we would place the same code analysts on the accidents. Wc recall that one of the ob jectives of this meeting is to aid us all in investigating accidents in our own plants, and in reporting them and having them com pared with other investigations on the same basis. Mr. Meinke, you are quite familiar with the code. Is there anything here that you would question in the atcident analysis? MR. MEINKE: This is another accident of the type, caught in. or between, and 1 feel that there arc two agencies. One is the sand box, and the other is the pile of plate* If wc consider both agencies, we might pos sibly discover another cause of tlic accident. For example. I would like to know if the 98 29th National Safety Congress place where the sand box was being set down was the regular location of the sand box. ? MR, LEONARD: It was. MR. MEfNKLE: Next, I would like to know if those plates were in their regular location. MR LEONARD; They were. MR. MEINKE: It seems that here there was no unsafe physical condition, but it would appear to me that there was a lack of sufficient room for hand clearance. Now, if we think of the agency as the sand box, we might put a handle on the end of the sand box so that the employee could take hold of that handle and keep his hands away from the exposed comer. If wc think of the pile of plates as the agency, we might move that pile of plates back. We might evoi make a mark on the floor, or set up some stakes on the floor, so as to limit the distance those plates could be moved in the direction of the sand box. We spoke of wilful disregard of safety rules. I wonder if we aren't quite often our selves to blame rather than the employee? I happen to have something here which il lustrates this point. It says; "The rules are, and men are instructed accordingly, to stand in (he clear, and away from the danger of being caught by loads." That means loads in general--any loads. In order to get the most out of accident prevention we should direct employee atten tion to particular loads, to particular situa tions. In other words, instead of generaliz ing we should be more specific If the em ployee we are discussing didn't have a spe cific rule in that regard, he probably didn't wilfully disregard instructions. He just failed to use his mind and associate the rule with the particular hazard. Mr. Granniss, a minute ago, joined the side of the experts. He said, Mr wonder if we had to have the plates there, and if we couldn't have any more clearance, or if wc could have provided that man with a glove?" Now. that is another thought on the matter. We want to get all of these angles in order ro be sure, and get all the fundamental causes. MR. LEONARD: Mr. Meinke mentioned that the men are instructed to stand in tlte clear and away from danger of being caught by loads. He stopped there. I stated further, "Also, to see that hands and fingers are in the clear in moving or placing loads." He left that out. Now, in a foundry we don't have a lot of room. As a matter of fact, most foundries are too congested. But get the picture here. Here is a condition that exists. Here is an operation that has been performed time and time again before, and no accident resulted. The plates are piled there permanently. The oven is there permanently, and it was be tween the plates and the oven wall that the sand box was going to be placed, and the same man had performed his duties mam*, many times before, and it was felt that there was ample room. The mere fact that the operation had been performed before, and the box had been put in and taken out be fore, was the reason I said that no mechan ical or physical condition existed. I wonder if Mr. Meinke, realizing that. >lill feels the same way about it MR. MEINKE: I apologize for not read ing the whole story, but the fact remains (list there was an accident, and we want to do something to prevent recurrence. Now. ii you can't have any more room, you can't have any more room, and that is all there is to it. We probably still could put a handle on the end of the sand box. MR. LEONARD: Pardon me for inter rupting you, but (he top of that box dear around is about three inches wide. There is a flat surface on the top. It is so constructed that had the man caught the end of the box instead of the side, and guided it in that manner, he would have been all right. A handle would be very nice, but a handle on a sand box like that would perhaps at certain times and places be a hazard m it self. This man could have taken hold of the top of that box, with that three inch steel piece across it, and guided it safely. MR. MEINKE: This man had instruc tions that he wasn't to put his hands in any exposed position while handling boxes? I think my best out on this thing is to turn it over to Dr. Schaefer. DR. SCHAEFER: There is one thing I am very much interested in. and that is that all of us have accepted wholeheartedly the idea that we ought to get rid of that word "carelessness" in reporting accidents. It isn't In here, except that it just popped up under an assumed name, "wilful! disregard." It is another one of those blanket terms. They won't allow us to use carelessness, so we Fundamental Causes of Occidents 99 must break it down into inattention, or a certain pattern of habits, or an emotional in stability, or a physical defect, or something of that sort, and It is a good thing to so break if down. But if you will stop to structions, but he seemingly never disre garded instructions before, and through that period of time he placed that box In there, and took it out each day. Now, how would you explain that ? analyze "wilfull disregard for instructions," DR. SCHAEFER.: Well, we might say, and ask yourself, "What does that mean to first, that the fact the man bad never had me?"; well, it means just about as much to an accident was to be considered as proof me as if somebody should say to me, "How that he had at one time paid attention. That is ait ash can?" isn't necessarily so because all of the factors I will have to stop and analyze it first, and if I stop to analyze that term "wilfull disregard for instructions," I get what one of an accident situation may exist many, many times without the accident happening, all the factors but one, perhaps. of the other gentlemen said a while ago. I Let's assume that he had given attention. get the idea that perhaps there is low in Let's go back and find out what the chief telligence, and I haven't adapted myself in factor involved is accidents for old em instructing this man, to the level of his in ployees is, when we break it down into those telligence. Or there may have been lack of human factors. Let's assume that the man attention, and whose fault is that? Well, it is intelligent enough to understand the in is certainly not the fault of the other per structions, that the foreman has given the son, because there is nothing you or I can instructions in an understandable way, that do about our attention. Attention only fol the man does not lack knowledge, and that lows objective situations which demand our there is no immediate emotional upset at the attention; and if a foreman says concerning time. There is one factor which is involved his men, or a safety director says concern in more accidents for old employees, (and I ing his man who has had an accident, "He mean old in terms of service) than any wasn't paving attention," he is just indict other, and that is momentary lapse of at ing himself. He must do something to direct tention caused by a familiarity with the sit employee attention. To accuse the other fel uation that breeds a contempt for it. "! low of not paying attention is just an easy- have been here a long time. Nothing has way out, or no out at alL happened to me," is an attitude that dulls If the man has a bad habit pattern, it is attention. our responsibility to know that. To say that I don't know what you can do about it, he wilfully disregards instructions is just but I know you will never do anything about indicting the person who is responsible for even that factor of inattention, which is Instructions. That person is not the safety probably a difficult one with which to deal, director. It is the immediate foreman. unless you first name it, and you aren't Then, going one step back, you may then indict the safety director for not understand ing his foreman well enough to give Him the idea that it is his responsibility to train his men. MR. LEONARD; Bearing in mind the naming It when you just say, "wilfull dis regard." In.fact, besides not naming it, you arc actually insulting somebody, either the man who is not wilfully disregarding in structions, or else the person who has prided himself ou being a good instructor in having gotien the idea across in the first place, and fact that this man had been steadily em having formed good attitudes on the part of ployed for five years, and doing this same kind of work every day that the plant worked, and had never met with an injury before, and yet this particular time be met with the injury of which I spoke, what category would you put that in rather titan wilfull disregard? That is. It is evidence in itself that the man must have paid attention to instructions which the foreman had given him, or he would have met with the injury before. Maybe there is a better term here to use rather than wilfull disregard of in that fellow. CHAIRMAN GRANNISS: Dr. Schaefer, in vour indictment of the term, "Wilfull disregard oL-instructions," are you criticiz ing it because the investigation of the acci dent was not sufficient, or because the term itself is a poor one? DR. SCHAEFER: I wouldn't care to criticize it on the basis of the analysis. That wouldn't be fair. In the first place, I wasn't there. I don't know how complete that anal 100 29th Notional Safety Congress ysis is. I am merely saying that we have unwittingly chosen a term that defeats os at the outset. It doesn't give us a chance to deal with the real problem. It blankets it, cover* it up. We can't do anything with it anyhow, because there just isn't any such thing, on the part of most people most of the time, as wilful) disregard of instruc tions. They just have not been instructed, or if they have been instructed, there has been a lapse of attention, or something of that sort. Once in a great while you will find a !>erson who gets himself into an accident situation who wilfully says "I am going to do this and see what liappens," but 1 don't believe there was anything of that sort in this'case. CHAIRMAN GRANNISS: Then in that rase, it is the accident investigation and not the term. If we had a hundred accidents, and many of than were wilfull disregard of instructions, and we were sure that the reports were accurate, we would have a very eriotis situation. PR. SCHAEFER: That is right. No Injury Accidents MR. METNKE: I was asked about the importance of investigating no injury acci dents That point comes in here, I believe. We owe a great deal to the Travelers and Mr. Himmick for the theory called "The Foundation of a Major Injury," in which a <tndy was made, and they found one major injury to every 29 minor injuries, and to every 300 no injury accidents. This was a major injury. A man lost his finger. I believe if we could really check into the matter we would learn that there had been some minor injuries in which he just skinned a knuckle, and I believe, also, we would find a number of instances in which the man grasped the corner of the box in an exposed condition, but it so happened that the movement of the box just didn't catch his hand between the two objects. Maybe instead of calling it wilfull dis regard of instruction* we should say "lack of follow through on instructions,"' 1 don't think this man thought about those instruc tions at all. He was just relying upon his subconscious mind. He grabbed hold of the hov and pushed it into place. When we issue instructions we should also follow through to see that the man knows why his instructions were given in the first place. CHAIRMAN GRANNISS: Mr, Ziegler, on the other side of the board, has a com ment to make. N. V. B. ZIEGLER: We are talking about instructions to employees. I am wondering how much actual instruction the average employee is getting. We can instruct our safety' committee members, and we can instruct our foremen. We have that pretty wdl covered. But in my place, at least, and I imagine it is true with all other safety directors, we have a great deal of trouble in getting definite safety instructions and in formation down to the last man on the floor. Is it right to give a man a lot of rules maybe ten years ago, or five years ago. and expert him to remember them, and always be governed by them? We are m the habit of forgetting, unfortunately: nr fall into habits of all kinds- Therefore, it seems to me that if we do not tell the story over and over again to our employees, warning them about the dangers and the hazards, and call ing their attention to the fact that they must always be on guard, if we don't get that message to them pretty often, we are not going to solve this problem. In our own plant wc are solving this prob lem to some extent by* Itaving small group meetings all over the plant, conducted by the foremen, and sometimes by the safety com mittee members, and very often by the em ployees themselves. We have small group meeting* day and night, twenty-four hours a day, maybe once a week, or once every two weeks, and in some departments, once a month, but we get ihc information to the in dividual so that he always is kept in the habit of thinking of safety. Wc do not alkm the employees to get away from that idea of safety. CHAIRMAN GRANNISS: If there are no further comments from the platform, then, gentlemen of the audience, the acci dent is yours for discussion. MEMBER: Was this the first time the employee had his bands on the end of the box instead of on the side of H? Could it have been set on the floor in such a position that he couldn't put his bands on the side of the. box, and therefore would have to put. his hands on the end of the box? Fundamental Causes of Accidents 101 MR. LEONARD: All we have to guide as is that the man himself told us that he always held the end of the box. As far as anything being on the floor was concerned, f wasn't there at the time of the accident The floor was dear with the exception of those plates. In other words, there was no obstacle to interfere with the man's standing in a position where he could be guiding the box from the cud instead of from the side. MEMBER: Why don't they make the boxes o that they can't get hold of the end or the side? It seems to me that is impor tant. A careful study of these boxes might prevent such accidents. Perhaps somebody slipped up on how die box should be con structed. CHAIRMAN GRANNISS: The sugges tion is made that possibly the box might be redesigned so that the operators couldn't take hold of it in an unsafe manner. I be lieve that is a thought to take home with you. MR. LEONARD: Yes. I appreciate that thought. But I must point out that these hoxe* get lieavy usage and some of them are pretty Heavy. I still feel that it is a matter of supervision from the standpoint that even if there is a handle or something like that on the box, a man still has an opportunity to do as this man did in this case. Per sonally. I don't fxdievc that is the answer to the problem. K. L. SMITH (Local Car Wheel and Railway Supply Company): I can't help thinking that if this working condition can't be clanged, and if it is allowed to continue, just by the law of averages, you will hurt somebody else again at that same spot. T have worked a little with my hands, and I know you can't be so perfect that you can keep your hands on a box in a certain place every time, wilfully or any' other way. If you are going to pick up a box, or guide a box. you are pretty apt to get on the side, as well as push on die end. MR. VERNON (Citizens Gas and Colce Company, tndiaoapolis, Indiana): Isn't it a fact that the man, in handling this box, was verv expert ? He had done this job hun dreds of times. Isn't it true, then, that tlicre is something in that case that decidedly be longs to the doctors on this end, some men tal quirk that would have permitted him to take hold of the side of the box, which he says he has never done before, although it is quite probable that he had done it many times, and gotten away with it? Isn't there some mental thing in this that Is the answer to this question? MR. LEONARD: 1 quite agree with you. CHAIRMAN GRANNISS: Dr. Schaefer, do you want to answer this question? DR. SCHAEFER: As the old Quaker said to his wife. "Methinks perhaps the whole world be a little queer, except me and thee, and sometimes I have my doubts con cerning thee." So perhaps we can say wc alt liavc those lapses of atteptioo- Let's assume that the man lad been prop erly trained and instructed, and he. usually paid attention, and usually did put his hands on the end of the box, and when he put them on the side, he didn't recognize the fact. I suppose it is perfectly possible for when the situation is a little different than usual, to do things a little differently, and 7 don't know tliat we can meet that problem. The best thing we can do is observe men in their general habits, and also in their habit* concerning specific things. If we. find that a man is in the habit of putting his hands on the side of the box, and getting away with it without getting hurt, then wc had letter change that habit pattern, which is a difficult tiling to do because it i* hard to change habits. I don't know that we can prevent every accident, but wc can aim at prevailing a great many of them if we will watch tho*e habit patterns as they are formal. That looks to me to be the job of the immediate supervisor, to study the fabits men haw as thev perform their work, and to make them aware that they have habits which arc un safe. The>' may not even know they have these habits, just as I don't know which arm T put into a coat sleeve first, although 1 ami *ure. from my study of habits, there i* one I always put in first. A Truck Driver Accident CHAIRMAN GRANNISS: The next man on tlie plant staff is Mr. Charles A. Miller, who will analyze an accident for us. CHARLES A. MILLER: Mr. Chairman, the case I have here today is perhaps very' common with all of us, as most of you in the audience drive a car. We have a truck operator in our company 102 29th National Safety Congress who lias been in our employ for 18 years. We have a system whereby we award "safe driving" buttons. We started this some five years ago, and this man had a clear record up to thr time of his accident, and received his award each year. But on this particular day he was returning to the bulk station after completing deliveries. It was his last call for tlie day. He was driving along a straight road, and he came too close to the curb, and the truck wheels hit the curb, which caused the steering wheel to Spin. He severely wrenched his shoulder to the extent that he lost some ten or twelve days' time. These are the agencies under which I have classified this accident: The "agency," of course, was the tank truck. The "agency part" was the steering wheel. The "unsafe mechanical or physical condition" was the hazardous proceeding. The "type of accident" is struck by. The ' unsafe equipment" was using equipment un safely: and the "unsafe personal factor" \va; the failure of the employee to concen trate on the job being performed. CHAIRMAN GRANNISS: Gentlemen of the Board, you have heard the case. What arc your comments? MR. DALTON: I would like to ask one qucri*n. This man had been a safe driver, with 18 years of driving experience. I won der if in the instructions at any time he bad been made to recognize this particular type of hazard--that of the wheel striking the curb and spinning the steering wheel as a result, the effect of speed, or the effect in other ways of driving against the curb? I have seen a great many books on driv ing instructions, and I can't recall any at tention ever being called to the effect of hitting the curb, and the resulting effect upon the steering apparatus. MR. MILLER: The speed, according to our investigation, was within the limit, and it is our supposition that had he been going fater perhaps the truck would have 'glanced off and the wheel wouldn't have spun, but by going slower the wheel spun. DR. FRECHTLING: Are we safe in as suming. since this man had driven for 18 years without having had a serious accident, that his vision was all that it should have been ? Secondly. I should like to ask whether or not the man had been on the job an overly long period, to ascertain whether the factor of fatigue may have been involved. MR. MILLER: Doctor, lie had not been on a long tour, and it was during regular hours. As to his physical condition, particularly his eyes, he was -wearing glasses. He claimed he had some adjustment on fats glasses some seven or eight months prior to the accident, but there is one thing which did develop there, to give the experts an insight on this thing. I think the question has been pro jected here from many angles this morning, and it is a fact that he had sickness in Ms home, that one of his grandchildren was quite ill. Having been on the job all day, and making his last delivery', he was anxious to get home, and we hit upon the fact that he didn't have his mind on what he wax doing. CHAIRMAN GRANNISS: Dr.Schaefer. I wonder if you have any observations? DR. SCHAEFER: I don't know How to keep your mind on your work. I suppose that the `best fortification in that respect is to give to men, or develop in them, an atti tude of safety-mindedness as a sort of gen eral protective habit I don't know that this attitude was Tack ing in this man but safety-mindedness is the best safeguard for an individual, when we can't stand alongside of him and tap him on the shoulder, and say, "Here, now, keep yourself safe." CHAIRMAN GRANNISS: Getting back to the analysis of the accident, Mr. Meinke, how docs the plant safety man's analysis coincide with your ideas? MR. MEINKE: I believe there was no unsafe condition. Outside of that, I would say the analysis, according to our rules for standard investigations, is O. K. Now, I may cause a few eyebrows to raise when I say this, hut if this man had cml}* one accident in 18 years, we probably shouldn't get too excited about it \Ve can't control all accidents. We can only try to re duce them. If this were a procedure that happened every year or two, or if a number of other drivers had this same sort of diffi culty, then the thing we would look for is what caused this man to turn his attention away from his driving. That is a hard thing to find out, but he might have been under some pressure due to this sickness at borne; he might have been hurrying. When you are under pressure, it seems as though sotne- Fundamental Causes of Accidents 103 body is pushing you, and he might have Mr. Ziegler, will you give us your accident been hurrying. description? With that point in mind, I wonder if he had to swerve to miss some car in the road, a pedestrian, or some other object. If he did swerve, that would cause him to hit the curb. Another thing that might have happened, we will say, was his doing something like making an entry in his book, something which took his attention away from his driv ing. If we realty want to control this type of accident, that is what we have to find out, just what the driver was doing that took his attention away from his driving. I notice it says here, "We have carefully stressed safe driving." That ts too general, I think. We should stress some particular thing, like "Don't write in the book when you are driving," or "Don't drive too fast through congested districts where you are likely to have to swerve to miss some ob ject, and hit the curb." CHAIRMAN GRANNISS: Gentlemen, time is getting very short. Have you a couple of questions we can take care of rather quickly? R. L. SMITH: What was the condition Punch Press Accident N. V. B. ZIEGLER: Mr. Chairman, this has to do with a young lady who got caught between a punch and the die of a single ac tion' press, and had the end of her finger amputated. Two girls operate this press. One girl was away from the press at the time of the accident and the press was not in operation. The injured girl was the op erator. She was removing some scrap from the die with her hands when she got caught the press turning over just once. There were no witnesses to the accident. The injured girl stated she did not know why the press turned over, and she did not have her foot on the pedal. The agency here is the "press"; the "agency part," the functioning die; tlie "un safe mechanical or physical condition," none; "accident type," caught between; "unsafe act" placing hand under die; "unsafe per sonal factor," violation of rules and instruc tions. Careful inspection showed that the press was in good condition, well guarded, entirely of the road bed, the traffic? safe to operate. We arrived at the conclu MR. MILLER: It was a m* street, with very heavy traffic. MR. SMITH: The road bed was safe? MR. MILLER: Yes, it was a good road bed. CHAIRMAN GRANNISS: Did you check for carbon monoxide gas? MR. MILLER: No, we did not. He had an open cab, and we didn't check that. sion, therefore, that *she must have had her foot on the pedal and unconsciously as she reached around behind the guard to remove the scrap the movement of her body caused enough pressure on the pedal to trip the press. Now, it wasn't necessary for this girl to use her hands to remove the scrap from the die. This is done by a properly formed wire, which was at the machine at the time of CHAIRMAN GRANNISS: Apparently the injury. there is uo carbon monoxide In an open cab. Arc there any other questions? MR. STEWART: How about shock proof steering? Isn't that effective? Wouldn't that be a means of preevuting accidents? MR. MILLER: Yes, our engineers are considering that now. MEMBER: I wonder if a check was made to determine whether or not he could see clearly, or was there an eye examina tion? MR. MILLER: There was not CHAIRMAN GRANNISS: Well, gentle men. u*e will go on to Mr. N. V. B. Ziegler. We placed the blame of the acehtait al most entirely on the operator. She violated safety rules, and iu our opinion, used poor judgment all the way around. The company probably could have extended the guard further around the die, which might have prevented the accident, but even so, the em ployee had no right to reach behind the guard and place her hand at the point of danger. She should have used the wire hook provided for the work. CHAIRMAN GRANNISS: From your description I two very interesting ques tions which I think will be liandled by the experts. First, the guard. Mr. Meinke, I 104 29th National Safety Congress imagine you have some comment ready on the mechanical protection afforded in this case, MR. MEINK: Yes, I would like to ask our friend just what is made on that press? The second question is, (he said it is fully guarded) I would like to know what kind of a guard is at the point of operation? Then I also have in mind that this girl might have taken the scrap on the die and thrown it to the floor and hit the pedal. I wonder i f there is a pedal guard ? MR. ZIEGLER: There is a small en closure, a bottle cap, we call it, for ordinary work. (But don't think of beer bottles right away, think of milk bottles.) The press was guarded sufficiently in the front, and on both sides of this die, so lhat (he operator could not get into the die from the front or either ride. She had to reach around behind it and come into the press from the rear, and get her fingers in under the die from the rear. This was absolutely unnecessary. Then, she didn't use the little piece of equipment that is provided for removing small pieces of scrap from the die. She just took her liands, thinking the press was standing idle anyhow; she took a chance, and got her finger taken off. MR. MEINKE: The other question was about the pedal guard. MR. ZIEGLER: No, there was no socalled guard on the pedal itself. I wonder if there is such a guard made. MR. ME1NKE: A pedal guard is just a lont piece of metal that extends over the pedal, *o that in the event a worker should bring a box of work over and set it beside the press, that box couldn't accidentally trip the press. MR. ZIEGLER: There wasn't-any box around. We think she must have uncon sciously had her foot on that pedal, and as I sav, the pressure of her body in twisting around and getting in behind to reach in under the die just might have caused enough pressure to make this press trip just once. CHAIRMAN GRANNISS: Arc you sat isfied, Mr. Mcinke? MR. MEINKE: No! Was this young lady standing in front of the press, or be hind the press when she reached in behind the die ? MR. ZIEGLER: She was in front of the press, and she reached around in back of the guard. I made the statement that perhaps tlic company -was a little at fault in not running the guards a little further around, but there is a condition where you must get into the rear once in a while in taking the scrap out, and we have tools for that purpose, and that is the reason the guard was not fully cover ing the press. MR MEINKE: t wonder tf it would be worthwhile to extend the guard to the rear? CHAIRMAN GRANNISS: We will as sume that you have been altogether satis fied that a perfect job was ddoe in guarding the press. The second opening we have. Dr. Schaefer, leaves you an excellent opportunity here. Mr. Ziegler said they placed the blame wholly on the operator for this accident. MR. ZIEGLER: No. I <aid almost wholly. CHAIRMAN GRANNISS: All right, ``almost wholly0 on the operator. DR'SCHAEFER: Mr. Ziegler knows ex actly what I am going to say. I have (old him many times that tltcrc is no question of placing the blame wholly upon anyone when it involves dealing with the employees. I don't care how much per sonal responsibility the workman has. it is still absolutely impossible for'the supervisor of that individual to dodge, to delegate any of his owti responsibilities in a training set up. Whether or not the supervisor can train all employees so that they will develop the proper habits, I don't know, but I know* a much better job could be done. You may say this person individually dis regarded all of the things she should have done, but that docs not say that you plare the blame wholly upon her. MR. ZIEGLER: I said "almost wholly." DR. SCHAEFER: It doesn't say you even placed the blame almost wholly upon her. You can never escape the responsibil ities which you have, even though you may not have clearly stated them tor yourself. They arc still there, and one ot the respon sibilities of every supervisor in industry, both moral and legal, from the top down to the bottom, in line supervision, is the safety of employees, and the responsibility for do ing everything that it is possible to do to tram each individual to be safe. Going back to something I stated before: most of us who are safety directors, have Fundamental Causes of Accidents 105 mane uic assumption that it is our job, and that we will do that training. The only job we have is to advise the supervisor as to the best methods by which he can do it, be cause in the final analysis, he is the only une who can do it; and that responsibility for training is there, no matter how much responsibility you place on the employee. I happen to know there is a lot of that train ing done at the Aluminum Company. MR ZIEGLER: Right. I agree with Dr. Schaefer. That training is necessary*- But I also want to say that these girls arc being constantly trained by their foremen, by their night superintendent, and also through the efforts of the safety- director, to never, un der any circumstances, put their hands un der these dies. But this girl did it anyhow. CHAIRMAN GRANNISS: Of course, the natural question then is, if it is never necessary for girls to reach around the dies, why not extend the guard all the way around so it wouldn't be possible? MK. ZIEGLER: That is a fair question. I explained that it is necessary, because quite frequently the material we are punch ing out is light, and sometimes it lodges in the die; you have to get it out of there; so we ha%*e a piece of steel, bent at the end, the proper tool for that purpose, and that tool is always at all times oo the press. That is the reason wc don't have the presses closed from the rear. But the girl didn't use the tool! That may or may not be an agent, or reason, but that is the way it is. The die is three-fourths of the way closed. CHAIRMAN GRANNISS: Dr. Frcchiling, you undoubtedly have something to say on this particular item. DR. FRECHTLING: It seems to me that there can't be any marked physical de fect that might have been responsible. Again you must consider the problem of fatigue, fatigue that sometimes comes from a glare from the material that is being used. Some times that may come from imperfect light ing on the object on which you arc working. Those things must be taken into considera tion. CHAIRMAN GRANNISS: Mr. Dalton, have you any comments ? MR. DALTON: All I can say is 1 don't like to see that kind of a press. ADIO VRNMENT Governmental Safety Service in Industry TUESDAY MORNING SESSION October 8,1940 The fc&ion was called to order hy the Chairman, Voyta Wrabetz, Chairman, Wis consin Industrial Commission, Madison, WIs., who presided. In his opening remarks the Chairman discussed briefly the scope and importance of the service which government is capable of rendering the various indus tries in the prevention of accidents, and par ticularly in assisting in the organization of standard safety measures. He then intro duced the speakers in order, as follows: Safeguarding Manpower for Greater Production By V. A. ZIMMER Director Division of Labor Standards, U. S. Department of Labor. Washington, D. C. We arc today engaged in ihc greatest safety campaign in the history of the world, a 10*billion-dollar campaign. Upon its suc cess depends the security and the welfare of. every man, woman and child in the western hemisphere. In comparison with this colossal under taking for the safety of civilization, any effort to save the lives and limbs of a few th^sand human beings may to the super ficial mind, seem trivial. In reality the re verse is true. Never has there been more urgent need for safety action than now. Wars today are won or lost in the factories. Planes, ranks and guns are factory products. Lo^t man-hours in the factory may mean lost battles in the field. Aircraft on order cannot repel enemy bombers. Unfinished tanks are no protection against a mechan ized invading force. They are effective only when actually on hand and ready for action. These vital implements for defense arc fashioned out of raw materials by human hands skilled in craftsmanship and trained in production methods. Here in this country we have raw materials aplenty; a supply practically inexhaustible. Too, we have ample iruinpower to operate our war ampleincuts, even against the rest of the world, if necessary. But our supply of trained mechanics is certainly not limitless, and in deed may not be ample if we are negligent in safeguarding against accidents and health exposures under a vastly accelerated pace of production. Accidents and other employment hazards under ordinary' operation of American in dustry annually cause about 16,000 deaths and one and a half million disabling in juries. These disabilities result in a billion and a half lost man-hours of production. Moreover, thousands of these disabled work men suffer permanently crippling injuries which not only make them ineffective for any future skilled production work, hut also render them unacceptable for any active military duty. No country can afford this labor wastage when preparedness produc tion is working. against a deadline. As it stands today under plans and ap propriations already' made, this defense pro gram will involve the employment of an estimated 4.300,000 men, over a period of four to five years. Of these, 3,000,000 will 107 108 29th National Safety Congress be skilled or semiskilled workers, and only 1.500.000 will be classified as unskilled. How to get and how to keep this vast army of> trained men in continuous, uninterrupted production is the essence of the whole de fense problem. tions. or failure of workmen to observe work practices. The substantial truth of this statement Jus been proved by the experience of scores of our leading industrial enter prises. Many of them have almost completely eliminated lost-time injuries incident to work Jt is imperative, of course, that we im operations simply by diagnosing the acci mediately speed up our processes for train dent causes and then removing the causes. ing more mechanics to keep pace with the demand for more output. Fortunately plans to this end are already well advanced, plans which are sufficiently broad in scope to in jure a continuous source of supply upon which industry may draw. The United States Department of Labor has its particular part ,, in the concerted drive to develop more re sources of sound craftsmanship so essential to the production of needed implements of defence. These resuhs were not obtained through the use of secret formula, patented proc esses or highly technical procedure, but through a practical common-sense applica tion of knowledge acquired through ex perience and intelligent observation. The only kinship to genius about these success ful programs lies m the fact that safety, like genius, consists of infinite attention to detail. It has already, under the sanction of the Congress, expanded its apprenticeship pro motion functions and is devoting its full facilities to the development of apprentice ship programs in industry. The Office of Education, the CCC, the Youth Administra tion, and the WPA arc all engaged in build ing up a reservoir of trained production manpower. But while wc are setting in mo tion the machinery to augment our skilled labor supply, we must concurrently make every effort to avid the unnecessary loss of men who are already skilled, and who are now engaged in important productive work. There would probably be no reason for the present concern about the conservation of manpower in industry' IF the safety lessons learned and applied by some of our largest con?ern$ bad inspired the majority of our industrial enterprises, including the large number of relatively small units, to follow suit. Unfortunately this is not the case, as shown by reference to the annual toll of deaths and injuries. These heavy casualties plainly arc occurring in the many opera tions wherein management, for one reason or another, has failed to adopt sound acci dent prevention methods. Mechanics arc not made overnight It may sharpen this point to keep In mind that four years1 time is needed to turn out the fullfledged machinist, which incidentally is ex actly the time required to produce a junior army officer in our greatest military school. We have already entered the first phase of a vast preparedness program which probably will not reach its peak for another year. Contracts for goods and supplies are being widely distributed among relatively small industrial units; new workers are being And incidentally, just as the officer is the key man in his unit of the Army, so is the -killed mechanic the key man in the pro duction unit. Replacement of either is too costly to be lightly regarded. brought in; older and more experienced mechanics are bring recalled after a long period of idleness or intermittent employ ment. Thus wc have the "green" and the "rusty" worker facing new and unfamiliar hazards, often brought about by changes in Fortunately there is no reason why indus processes and methods. trial accident and health haxards'shoutd con tinue to sap our supply of skilled workers. Every experienced safety man in the country knows by experience what arc the prevail ing causes of accidents. They know that every work accident has a definite cause, and that usually it is one that can be easily remedied or corrected. Those men know well that the old adage "Accidents will happen" is true only if there has been fail ure of management to provide safe condi Records have shown clearly that work accidents and injuries occur most frequentlyamong newly employed workers. The recent report of the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that industrial employment in this country increased approximately one-half million in the month of August, an increase larger than in any similar period since 1929. Along with the increased accident hazard incident due to this great influx of new workers, it can be expected that as the Governmental Safety Service in Industry 109 tempo of production increases, a substantial increase in accidents may be expected, even jmmiK the seasoned plant personnel. in the main, tabor wastage through work injuries is largely a small plant problem. H wc can prevail upon these smaller enter prises to adopt and apply preventive meth ods. so successfully used by leading indus trialists we will be able to reduce materially, or even eliminate the multitude of disabling injuries which fashion a dragline on pro duction. With this thought in mind, the Secretary of Labor recently developed and announced a plan whereby any industrial unit in the United States, no matter how small, that is engaged upon Government contracts, cut, without cost, have the advice, the counsel, and the technical services of leading Amer ican experts in the field of accident preven tion. Under this plan these experts wilt not be supplied from Washington. They will be ment contracts will continue to comply with all of the requirements of the States in which they operate. Neither docs the plan add any irksome or restrictive regulations to any existing Federal standard. It simply brings into play along otir entire defense production line the highly specialized en gineering and educational facilities which can be expected to wipe out that persistent enemy to the smooth flow of production, namely disabling injuries of our trained workers. Perhaps it would not be an overstatement of the situatidn to term this project an all profit pool, in which the Government, man agement and labor participate and share equally in the benefits. Management profits through uninterrupted and less costly pro duction. Labor profits by uninterrupted wages and earnings. Government profits by an assurance of on-time delivery of ur gently needed deFensc materials. supplied by industry itself. As part of this plan there has been set up From some of the forvmost industries in different sections of the country the De partment of Labor has secured the volun tary service of a group of highly trained, thoroughly experienced safety engineers, who stand ready to sene the Government and the Defense Program. These experts liavc placed their services at the disposal of am- plant management producing goods or materials tor the Federal Government. They stand ready to go into the shops and fac tories, and upon request, to appraise existing health and safety exposures, to analyze the conditions, and to give to management de tailed advice on the correction or control of tlic*e exposures. They will aid in setting up and instructing plant safety' committees; a National Committee for Manpower Con servation, composed of widely known indus trial safety* promotion experts, together with representatives of labor, having a primary interest and concern in accident control Aided by this committee, the Department of Labor has already prepared and issued a special bulletin outlining the major factors in the elimination of work injuries, as well as important information in respect to methods for controlling .health exposures through the application of relatively simple engineering devices and techniques. This bulletin is largely directed to the attention of the employer, who alone can bring about the proper physical conditions requisite for control of work hazards. ilxry will advise about methods of educating employees in safe work practices; they will suggest means for gaining the workers* co operation in accident programs. Special Bulletin No. 2 will be off the press in a few days, and it is directed definitely to workers in defense industries and will at tempt to show concisely what the worker In short, these safety specialists from can contribute to accident prevention pro within industry itself, will bring to small grams In this latter undertaking we have operator* everywhere exactly the same tal lud the full cooperation of advisers from ent and technique with which large industry labor organizations, who will actively assist successfully combats these human losses. in arousing keener interest of Tabor in the ! should like to make dear that this is not a policing project. Our voluntary safety' experts arc not enforcement officers; they arc not factory inspectors. The plan docs not supplant the regulatory' authority of the States as applied to all work places. It is expected that plants operating on Govern safety-for-defense movement. These bulle tins will be followed by a series of others dealing in greater detail with various specific exposures and information about acceptable and practicable methods of control. To summarize in a single sentence what I have said in this talk: If we are to be assured 110 29th National Safety Congress of prompt and continuous delivery of csseiirial weapons of defense we must not only train new workers and retrain older work- ers, but we must restrain accidents, which fritter away our supply of skilled hands producing these weapons. Maximum Allowable Concentrations of Dangerous Industrial Dusts and Gases By ALICE HAMILTON, M.D. Medical Consultant to the U. S. Division of Labor Standards, Washington, D. C. 1 have been asked to make a brief sum mary of our present-day knowledge with re gard to dangerous degrees of air pollution from gases, vapors, dusts and fumes, and the data which have been secured so far as to 4he maximum allowable concentration which can be assumed to be within safe lim its, below the danger point A few of the dangerous dusts and vapors have been stud ied intensively enough to afford us fairly full data on which to establish such standards, but only a few, and even with regard to them our knowledge is not complete, and it would be a great mistake to embody in legal regulations the standards which we are at present tentatively recommending, for it is certain that, as our knowledge increases through investigations in this field, we shall have to change our figures. T believe that the State departments of labor or of health which have adopted standards of allowable concentrations regard them as advisory' only, and that is right. The first attempt at the establishment of a maximum figure of air contamination by an industrial poison was made in England in 1910 by Duckering and Legge, who used the procedure since generally adopted; that is, they determined the amount of lead in the air of a workroom and matched it up with the record of lead poisoning in that roomIn this way they were able to state that, if the amount of lead were kept under 0.5 mgper cubic meter of air, there would be no serious plumblsm, no palsy or encephalopathy and only rarely colic. This amount, you see. was not to be taken as safe, only as free front serious danger. In 1933 our own Pub lic Health Service concluded that the amount of lead dust or fumes in the air should be kept 0.15 mg. per cubic meter for safety*. This was on the basis of an investi gation of a storage battery plant, and a sickness study of 2,303 men employed there. For "prolonged exposure," the figure must, it seems, be stilt lower, for some cases were found which had developed even at 1-2 mg. I belieyc the next important contribution in this field was made by the Benzol Com mittee of the National Safety Council, which, as you all remember, established 100 parts per million as the maximum allowable concentration for benzol. That figure still stands, though we have a good deal of evi dence that it is too high. You are probably familiar with two remarkable reports on in dustrial benzol poisoning which appeared in 1939; one from the Massachusetts State De partment of I^abor on benzol in the manu facture of shoes; the other from the New York State Department, on benzol in roto gravure printing. In both studies cases were discovered that had developed after ex posure to concentrations below 100 ppm. As a result, Dr. Francis Hunter of Boston de clared that, "If is doubtful whether any con centration of benzene greater than zero is safe over a long period of time." The American Standards Association has had for some years a committee on this sub- American Standards Association Committee Substance Cartoon, monoxide Benzol Carbon disulphide Parts pr Million Length exposure, iI 100 i 20 Notoer8bous daitg . 3 HgeJcogeiz sulphide 20 Governmental Safely Service in Industry m Scgtgaetod Standards _7*sr Illinois and Msss*i*a*Ha Baris fir Minion PMIffna ^Ci*rn*w _________ Illinois Substance [ Mea. Illinois j On*. ~ Aranoooia SO 100 Aniline 55 Benzol Carbon tetrachloride <*1oo--1 75 100 Chlorine | 0.35 ID Chloronapbthslenes Chlorodipbengls Chromic acid Gasoline Glycols hjdrachloric eckt Hydrocyanic acid Hydro/looric acid 1000 Z5 10 3 1000 10 10 3 Mercury Methyl alcohol Nitrogen oxides NHiobenzol Ozone Phosgene Pboapbioe Sulphur dioxide Tefrechloretbane Tetrochlorethgleae Trichterwtfxjfeoe Toluol Turpentine Xglot ZSqc oxide 100 10 10 100 100 100 T5 500 IOO 150 200 10 5 I 1 2 10 200 200 200 200 200 200 5 Ho5 5 1.0 id ai 15 15 15 15 15 icct, composed of Industrial physicians, ven tilation engineers, industrial insurance car riers and toxicologists, who are trying to set up standards for use in industry. So far we have dealt conclusively only with two gases and two volatile solvents, carbon monoxide and hydrogen sulphide, benzol and carbon disulphide. The limits adopted for the present are shown on the accompanying chart. Benzol stands at 100 ppm., chiefly because of the insistence of our insurance members that this is an ideal that n be realized practically while a more ;id standard would be rejected, and we ould be left with no standard at all. Myi, 1 am always willing to accept half a ii rather than no bread, but Manfred jwditch, of the Massachusetts Bureau of ecupationaJ Hygiene, is unwilling to go gher than 75 ppriL, and Yandell Heorter- n, of Yale, enters an emphatic protest minst 100 ppro-, saying that if 20 ppeth. is asible for hydrogen sulphide and carbon 112 29th National Safety Congress Teretwtiu* Standards Adopted Eg Ptfclic Autfaorrtaw Ior Maximara Allowable Goo- contrwtion Qf Silica Corxfarairag Dusts Auftaoritg MilUoo* q^lWKcW* p^C&FtgfAir Fre# Sitico Cocchtnt High. f*'Ve<Suru. Matioosl Silicosis Confer- ; Low cnee. 1936. f^Wdicol Com mittee. -------- -------------- ----5 ---30 ToSO-t Ditto. EngnccriDgGxmatf--. U. S. Labor Department1936 Division qf Labor 5- .........10 to 30- -- ----------- Standards- ----- -- ----- -5------ --------15-------------------------- (MeurYorh Cteparfraentcf f.__ Labor. 1940-- -----------------10........................................-100GoaiwcMcat 0<ftraHZt 1 cf Ffcjblic Health. 1936. ------1--5 - -..................- --...............- Cati/bmte industrial Aect~ . dent Cbmmbaion. 1936r - Wisconsin Industrial Caro* mission.. 1932.--................. Massachusetts Department -5----------------------- 5 -5------r~- 15---- -- 50---------------- of Labor 6* Industries 1940.......5-.......... \Q...............100--- CgtmHni 25 fotmdrq _________ _________ Nuisance __________________Posts impossible for benzol- Certainly it is to be hoped that ventilation engineering will pro gress to the point where a lower figure than 100 ppm. may be reasonably demanded for benzol users. The standard tor carbon monoxide does not need to be defended. This gas has been exhaustively studied bv the Public Health Service, by State bodies, by industry and by toxicologists in many universities. Carbon disulphide and hydrogen sulphide are the two dangerpus gases which mast be dealt with in the manufacture ox viscose rayon, and the maximum allowable concentrations given in the chart were established through carefn! studies made In' the American Vis cose Corporation, the du Pont Company and the Tubize-Chatillon Company. When it comes to the other toxic sub stances I have listed here, we can say only that the figures given represent our best judgment at the present moment, but we ad mit that that judgment is often based on something not far from guess work. Take the one on which X happen to be engaged at the present time, tetrachforcthane. We know it is the most dangerous of the chlo rinated hydrocarbons used in industry, and we have known since the first world war what its action is on the human body, for it was used by both die Germans and the British in airplane dope, and in both coun tries gave rise to cases of acute yellow atrophy of the liver; but, in spite o a voluminous literature and an impressive number of clinical cases, we find no in stance in which the amount of poison in the air was determined. Therefore, the standard, ten parts per million, Is based on Zangger's statement that this solvent belongs with Governmental Safely Service in Industry 113 aniline and nitrobenzene in the most toxic group. We have tittle data with regard to the other chlorinated hydrocarbons, except CC14, about which we do know somewhat more. As to the others, our knowledge comes chiefly from the studies made by pharmacologists who sought a relatively non-toxic agent for cases of hookworm in fection which is not the same thing as in Saranac Laboratory, they have found it possible to establish certain fundamental facts. For instance, the Laboratory* is able to state that the percentage of tuberculosis to be expected among workers in an establish ment where there is no special dust hazard, is 4.79 per cent. Tf the rate is higher, there is something wrong; of course, not neces sarily dust in the air; perhaps low wages. dustrial poisoning from fumes. Donald Cummings, of Saranac, urges the To pass over to that very controversial field, silicosis, 1 need hardly emphasize the fact, so evident in the accompanying charts, that there is still much confusion and tittle agreement among tltc authorities as to the amount oi dust containing varying propor tions of free silica that may be permitted tit a workshop. This is to be expected. Poison ing from gases and fumes, even if slow, docs not take fifteen years to make itself evident; silicosis may. Moreover, other factors, aside from the actual proportion of free silica, affect the dangerous character of a given adoption of two limiting concentrations of free silica; first, the "primary threshold," a Concentration of dust in which a healthy man may be employed throughout his work ing life without a disabling injury: second, the "secondary threshold," a concentration in which a healthy man will "inevitably contract silicosis if regularly employed for several years." General experience show* that the first is at about five million par* . tides less than ten microns in diameter; the second is probably at a level not higher than 100 million. dust. Take foundry dust. K may be rich in silica, running as high as the notoriously dangerous gianitc. yet. while consumption has (or centuries been the occupational dis ease of stone cutters, this has not been true of foundry workers. Recent brilliant studies of this particular dust, notably the one by Hatch and Moke, have provided an explana tion for the difference between foundry dust and other stlidous dusts, for it has been shown the silica content of the former is chiefly in the large dust particles, and as the particle size decreases, the free silica falls, till It may reach, for particles under 2 microns, only octe-fitrh or even one twentyfifth of the percentage m particles over 10 microns. This is, however, not true of the At the National Silicosis Conference held in Washington in 1938, this formula was suggested tor determining the maximum permissible concentration of free silica in the air breathed. Multiply the percentage of free silica by the total small particle dust count by impingcr. If the result is under 5 million, the condition may be looked on a* permissible. If it is over S million, the con dition is 10 be looked on as poor. For ex ample, 10 i*trr cent free silica with an av erage total dust count of 30 million particle.would mean 0.1 time* 30 million, or 3 mil lion, good practice; while 30 per cent free silica and 50 million particles would mean 15 million, too much. This formula cannot be applied to a dust with less than 5 per cent silica. foundry dust caused by sandblasting and by Both New York and Massachusetts have chipping, jobs which everyone familiar with made fairly recent studies of die foundry the industry knows to be dangerous. Steel industry and of work with granite, such as foundries are the worst, probably because quarrying and stone cutting, tunnel and more chipping is needed on steel castings. foundation excavating. New York recom If our knowledge of the minimum dose required to produce poisoning needs ampli fying, this is still truer of our knowledge of what constitutes dangerous dust concentra tions. Here the Public Health Service is do ing much valuable work. Their two monu mental investigations, of the Vermont gran ite industry- and of Pennsylvania anthracite mining, have carried us a tong way forward, and, in cooperation with the experts of the mends for dust containing less than 10 per cent free silica, 100 million particles; for 10 to 70 per cent, 10 million; for 70 per cent and over, 5 million. Foundry dust, averaging 20 per cent free silica, should be kept down to 25 per cent; the dust from abrasive blast cleaning, averaging 70 per cent down to 10 million. Massachusetts allows 25 million for foundries, 10 million for granite stone mills and 5 million for pure silica dust. 114 29th National Safety Congress Source qr Dust Percent gr'Qjwfe SuggestedStaton) (Thee Silica) InMillion Articles (Below 10 Microasjpw Goto Miow, Sootfa lyrics RA 4*. OR Cabic foot of Air. Metal Mines. BrokenHill Twyneliag, Sgdaetj. -Clatter G * Gold Mines, ttedwrio------222 ---------65 - *--1w. jW - j Imnion.Ctirii 90 _________ 5 StntrCiO^; 9to20 . e CD te SO Aoibnscdw rVnniijIi--is. *5 titO * Subuwcj sad ` CHiioJ.Oisw'fcrt'Gig IwlMHeM! -10 We mu~t not forget that the adoption of any of these standards does not mean that (here will be no silicosis among the work ers. In the South African gold mines, the free silica in the air was brought down to 3 to 4.6 million particles per cubic foot by 1933, but cases have continued to develop, taking *14 years now', on an average as against an earlier average of 9J4 years. In Barre, Vermont, the Public Health Service Found cases appearing after only ten years it 6-9 million particles and after 9 years, at 10 million. They have placed the maximum illowable number of particles at 9 to 20 nillion, which is certainly not extreme. I need not say anything more about the great need of careful studies of actual con ditions under which damage from poisons and dusts occurs in industry. It is in our country' that these studies must be made. The day is past when we could look to Ger many as the source of knowledge of indus trial toxicology. Now that authoritative position has passed to us. And this particu lar method of determining safety limits by means of a combination of experts in sev eral fields, chemists, ventilation engineers, and physicians is peculiarly American. No other country has made anything like the contributions to this branch of industrial hygiene that we have. But we need a great deal more. Governmental Safety Service in Industry 115 Standardizing State Industrial Safety Requirements By W. T. CAMERON Chief Safety Adviser, Division of Labor Standards, U. S. Department of Labor, Washington. D. C. The title of this address might well have speeding up our democratic processes to been "Democracy in Action** for I know of keep pace with modem industrial needs. no other place in omr National fife where There are still those, of course, wlto say democracy has gone to work in more typ that State Governments have no business in ical fashion chan h the fidd of dnebpng the field of industrial safety--that, given State industrial safety requirements. I imag enoegh time, industry itself wilt carry their ine everyone promoting the art of safety has methods and self-developed standards to at one time or another vxsaatUed himself tn every noolc and corner of industrial Amer the role of Safety Qiemcoe of the United ica. To these let me suggest that they trade States and. ** tmeh. has laid down the places with the State Workmen's Compen law** to ikfcfc afl fit* rmt\mK winch. sation Commissioner who is daily con- var after year are moewahle for identical frooted with an ever-increasing line-up of arrktrwN bafVemg tn the anw old way--* victims of accidents and see, if under these over andower cww By one etrukr h pea yag awfiad aeto- tnobtic hand ttgaali and *^pdardmad die method of maton* a left tare. Ym ant- tawed the Stake ft ladder. yea Kftir it a prnon eJtem>r to n Wig-- marfwir Bm than ym * to a eaiety mrrtinc hbr tlu and rralmeJ that abor 10,000 other plopfc Mto have wane good ideas and tSutf. white pfrtewi slower, the circumstances, be could refrain from "doing xwacthing about it"--from trying to speed up the spread of the Safety Movement. The Sum arc now definitely "in the swim" and have, as has already been demonstrated in a cumber of jarisdktkios. an accepted place ta the fight to prevent industrial accident* and occupabooal disabilities. The problem now is not whether the States Mould he promulgating enforceable Iknocnoc way at, after alt bent, -Democrat m .irtwH* to the heid of in dustrial esfefy regataeoa ** a slow educa tional prune** of *rgrve and take.** of trial and error. Tt mean* conso&og Use victim before involciag the penalty, coasahisg the industry which has to make the standard fit its process, the industry which has to foot the bin. and the worker who has to use the device and still get out the produc tion. There i$ no need to argue here the cause of-uniformity in State safety axles, rules and regulations. Resolutions of recent con ventions of the International Association of Governmental Labor Officials* committees of the American Society of Safety Engineers, statements of machine builders, guard man ufacturers, the American Standards Asso ciation and the National Safety Council, all stress the need for uniformity and the need for ironing out the discrepancies which already exist between individual State re quirements. It is rather my duty to point out what progress has been made and the methods which have proved successful in safety codes, bat rather that those code* which are developed shall follow a logical _ National pattern--free from conflicts and discrepancies: in other words, that they shall be consistent with regulations being put through by other States and now in use as self-applied standards by a large seg ment of industry. As we look over the methods emplou-c! by the 48 States we find a variety of ajvproaches. All are presumed to lead to the same end--to protect the worker from the mechanical and environmental hazards of bis job. Some States write the technical details into the basic statutes where, I*m sorry to sav, they stand frozen and unmolested while industrial progress rushes by. Others have laws setting forth the prin ciple that the employer is duty-bound to provide a safe and sanitary place to work. Under this set-up each inspector decides what is safe or unsafe with administrative guidance in the interpretation and applica tion of the law varying with each change of administration. 116 29th National Safety Congress Some depend solely upon recommendations having no force and effect of law and hope that, if given enough time, all workers will be assured equal protection from similar job hazards, whether the plant is large or small. But, 1 am glad to say, an ever-increasing number of States are putting "democracy to work'' on a plan which keeps pace with the modern tempo of industry--a plan where safety engineers, workers, regulatory bodies, compensation commissions and the public sit around the table and adapt and fit a set of National safety standards to meet the re quirements of the individual Slate and the industry within that State. The legislators of 28 States have realized that they cannot know all about the safe limits of pressure vessels, the requirements of a punch press guard or the intricacies of construction safety, and they have dele gated to an administrative board or com missioner the responsibility and power to work out the details. And what is equally important, they have, to a greater or lesser degree, written into the law delegating the rule-making power the democratic pro cedure by which the standards arc to be Icvcloped. Not all of these 28 States have made use of tins authority and in a few cases the legislature unwittingly did the job twice, and we find State? with perhaps the labor department and the workmen's com pensation agency both with the necessary authority. The Sixth National Conference on Labor Legislation, which met in Washington in November 1939, summed up the State's obligation in safety and the modern demo cratic approach to this end, thus: ''Adequate authority should be provided for the prevention of industrial accidents and diseases. The provision for reporting all disabling injuries and occupational dis eases should be compulsory. (a) "Every State should adopt a *lsic safety and health law which should: (1) "Require all employers to provide reasonable protection of the lives, health, and safety of persons employed in the Slates; (2) "Vest in the labor department or in dustrial commission the power to establish minimum standards of safety and health by the promulgation of industrial health and safety codes; (3) "Set forth the right of the enforcing agency to enter places of employment; (4) "Invest the agency' with power to tag or seal dangerous machinery and unsafe or unhealthful places of employment; and (5) "Provide for a penalty or penalties that may be applied in case of violation of the industrial health and safety codes. "The language of delegation of power must be specific and the law should provide for (1) public hearings in formulating the codes; (2) publication of the codes after promulgation; (3) administrative and court review; (4) the enforcement by the agency of the minimum standards; and (5) power, by the department nr commission head only, to make variations or exceptions from the standards (if strict compliance would work an unnecessary hardship or injustice}.*' Right here let me emphasize that, while the long-range program of every* State should be toward a revision of administra tive set-up'along the above lines, much can be accomplished with the use of present machinery if the will is there. This can be illustrated by a situation which existed in one of our northwestern States, where two State agencies have some inspection and regulatory powers, but in each case the lack of clear definition as to how far each could go had presented cither from taking action. When these two agen cies got together and expressed a mutual willingness to cooperate in establishing a single code program, it was found to their surprise that, operating jointly, they had all (he authority needed. Of course, this is un wieldy and cumbersome, but much history*, tradition and political consideration is in volved which may take years to change. In tltc meantime, however, the work is going forward and the accident situation in that State is being improved. From the standpoint of National stand ardization, I am pleased to report that re cent studies and field trips have revealed very little of the old attitude Chat conditions in a particular State were "vastly different" from those found in another. In past years this has been one of the chief stumbling blocks in getting governmental officials in particular jurisdictions to cooperate with other groups, on a nation-wide basis, m establishing rules and regulations, Wc arc at last on the way toward building a single group of rules and regulations which will Governmental Safety Service in Industry 117 be adopted and enforced uniformly through out the country. 1 know of no greater safety service that ran be rendered by State agencies to the cause of universal safety than the adoption by all States of, first, the democratic proc ess of code building, and second, the use of proven mechanical safety standards, as de veloped through the American Standards Association procedure as the foundation for State action on safety. WEDNESDAY MORNING SESSION October 9, 1940 The session, which was planned as a pane! discussion of State Industrial Safety Services, was called to order by the Chair man, Harvey Saul. Director of Labor, Rhode Island Department of Labor, Provi dence, R. T-, who presided. Chairman Saul outlined the objectives ami procedure of the meeting, and then in troduced the members of the Panel, as fol lows : J. T. Faust, Chief Deputy, Division of Factory Inspection, Illinois department of Labor. Chicago. H. D. Immcl, Director, Bureau of Inspec tion, Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry, Harrisburg, Pa. S. D. FCellcj; Chief Factory Inspector, Colorado Industrial Commission, Denver, Colo. R. McA. Keown, Engineer. Industrial r<viimicciMi nf Wic/wndn \fadtsoo, \\1s. E J. McCrossin, Chief, Division of Safety and Inspection, Alabama Department of In dustrial Relations, Birmingham. Ala. Harry Sain, Assistant Superintendent, Di vision of Safety and Hygiene, Industrial Commission of Ohio, Columbus, O. The program plan presented a number f service problems for discussion by the panel members, as follows: 1. Building Safe Machinery. 2. Using Accident Records to Guide In spection Activities. 3. Safety Contests. 4. State-Wide Vs. Regional Safety Con ferences. 5. Educational Techniques -- Exhibits, Filins, Posters, and Radio. (Unfortunately, since no record of the discussions was taken, no detailed report can be presented in these Transactions.) IDIO VRNMENT Health Service in Industry TUESDAY MORNING SESSION October 8,1940 The session was called to order by Dr. A E. Russell, Surgeon in Charge, Office of Syphilis Centred in Industry, U. S. Public Health Sendee, New York City, who pre sided. Dr. Russell, in welcoming the dele gates. briefly surveyed the general problem of adequate health service which might be given, and pointed out opportunities of this sendee. He then introduced the scheduled speafcrrs in order. First Aid Training as an Aid in Promoting Accident Prevention By HAST E. FISHER. M.D-, FACS. Chief Surgeon, Chicago Rapid Transit Company, Chicago Twenty-seven years ago, I, as a young intention to make doctors out of laymen or doctor fresh from medial school and hos to usurp the' prerogatives of the private pital training, was given the opportunity of physician. These first aid men were to func I becoming affiliated with the Chicago Ele- tion between the accident and the arrival of rasarti Railroads (now known as the Chicago the surgeon and then to assist the surgeon Rapid Transit Company). I was commit- in administering to the patient's needs. sioned to make a study of ways and means, From oar study of employee First Aid so that in time of accidents with resattam training and from the practical experience i employee injury, these employees would be dm lug these twenty-seven years, we have given immediate First Aid service by their been greatly impressed with the reduction fellow workers, until the arrival of medical of fatalities from electric shock, they being authority. relatively rare today. Complications result Experience bad shown that many useful ing from injury likewise were reduced to a lives might have been saved, bad rnrmedtate HMtwwMiTH and permanent unfavorable con surgical service ben available. In those ditions practically eliminated. The period early days, emergency service by doctors of coovafcsccoce from injury was reduced was not always at hand after accident oc miAXmf possible the return to gainful oc- currence. Accidents frequently occurred in capoDon of the employee m the shortest the field and considerable time would nec time compatible with safety. essarily elapse before the arrival of the doc Our -- * was attained only after care- tor. These intervals of little or no emer M fhoang with subsequent training and gency service generally determined whether dove imufinl supervision of our First Aid the patient would survive or pass on. Eif lywn. liacry obstacles had to be overcome colly was this true m those accidents an in AflW yioKfRDg day* in First Aid train- which electric cm rent was the causative ng #f the layman. The medical profession factor. Saving seconds meant saving finta. were skeptical that laymen could be trained It was soon apparent that there mnot he to reader mtrifigent and competent First devised tone medium of sendee to injnred Aii and they had good cause for their employee* until the doctor arrived on the duky judging from the bungling in those scene. It was considered practical In train tsdjr days by untrained laymen. However, the layman employee in the fundamentals of the lining years have proved beyond a First Aid service so that he would he com doubt that there is a definite place in indus petent m administering to the injured per try for the expertly trained layman in First son. At no time was it ottr desire nor our Aid. The present world emergency will 119 < 120 29th National Safety Congress have a definite specialized sphere in the de fense plans of oitr Nation for those men and women who have given so generously of their time and efforts in perfecting them selves in the fundamentals of life saving and in rendering intelligent first aid services. Teaching of First Aid to a person does not necessarily mean that he will become a good safety man unless he is grounded and trained in the fundamentals of accident prevention. Where statistics have shown that trained First Aid employees had a better safety record than those not having First Aid training this can be explained by the fact that,, any industry organizing First Aid classes must select those employees whose work records have shown them to be of the intelligence necessary to become good First Aid men. No industrial surgeon would endorse a plan of First Aid instruction unless his in dustry has a well established accident pre vention program, as a good safety man makes a good First Aid man. It is essential to bring to light here what my experience in industrial medicine and surgery and in accident prevention shows are the two basic factors in accident causa tion through man failure. First, the lack of visualization of accident possibilities before they arise; and second, the lack of self discipline on the part of the individual himself. With the explanation of these factors, I am confident that E will have answered the question, "Does First Aid Training Promote Accident Prevention?" What is tlie "lack of visualization in acci dent causation?" Simply that many persons lack the ability to foresee the possibility of conditions and circumstances that are.poten tial accident causative factors. For example, the worker about to perform a particular piece of work should be able to picture mentally just how he will go about the per formance of a given task, what tools the work requires, that those tools are m safe working condition. He should formulate in his mind the environmental circumstances in which he is to work, and quickly determine attendant hazards and what protection is necessary for safe work performance. He should be able, to formulate what possible conditions might arise, either on his own part or the part of others, that might make an otherwise safe practice a hazard. He should take a personal inventory of his own physical ability to do the particular work called for. Is he physically free from dis tracting elements such as pains, aches, triv ia! symptoms and physical defects, so as to be able to give full attention to his work performance without these diverting his mind from his work and so causing him to do something that will precipitate an acci dent His miad should be free from emotional disturbances such as fear, grief, worry, anger, hatred, jealousy, malice; In fact, any state of mind that may tend to cause in attention should be avoided. These strong emotions have a tendency to submerge the processes of thought that govern orderly performance. While the mind is distracted with these emotional states, accident causa tion may occur or work errors develop with the resultant waste of product and the em ployee's time. The motorist, before taking his car from his garage should visualize machine failure in the car by testing his brakes, steering mechanism, lights, and inspecting bis tires. Then he should make a physical audit of his ability to drive. Is he feeling well and in good spirits? Is bis mind free of disturb ing thoughts and his nervous mechanism functioning in a normal manner? He must also then visualize the possibility of unfurseen conditions arising while on the street from the actions of others, pedestrians and motorists, and be ever alert to act with pre cision and without delay. The value of visualization of accident pos sibilities is best evidenced by the excellent results obtained in accident prevention by one safety engineer, while in a similar in dustry another safety engineer has an un favorable record. Tbe former possesses the ability to visualize potential accident causa tive factors and correct them, thereby pre venting accident occurrence; while the lat ter, not having this ability, overlooks dan gerous conditions within his plant and does nothing' toward correction of hazards until after an accident occurs. The former is an asset to his company, while the latter is a liability. It is common knowledge that many per sons have limited mental capacity for ana lytical interpretation, and are therefore un able to foresee or mentally recognize dan gerous practices productive of accident oc currence prior to the actual accident itself. Health Service in Industry 121 Post accident investigations very often show - this to be a fact. Tbe second basic factor in the carnation of accidents is the lade of self discipline, which is simply the failure of the individual to govern his words and actions in accord ance with safe rules of conduct. The fellow who cheats himself while playing solitaire, tbe golfer who forgets to count all his strokes, the sodnridaal who hisses his dis pleasure in the darkened theater or throws missiles at speakers of his opposite belief, all are persons who tack self discipline. If a person lacks the ability to discipline himself in the personal things of life, it is reasonable to believe that he will have very little regard for safe practices in his home, at the factory or when tie is driving on the street and highway. We have in mind also the fellow who is considered in tbe shop as a safe employee with a good safety record, but who when away from the job wilt cross tbe street be tween intersections, dodging traffic and vio lating all safe traffic rules. He knows that he is doing wrong, but lacks self discipline of his actions. In the shop you have the employee who uses a defective tool, knowing that it is dangerous, but uses it because he lacks self discipline. Getting away with such unsafe practices without resultant harm to themselves, soon makes such persons callous and unrespon sive to safety instruction. In fact they are what is known as accident prone workers. Alt of us, none excepted, are accident prone at one time or another, in proportion to our ability to visualize potential hazards and to so discipline our actions that oar conduct will not be productive of accidents. Just because a person is given a course in First Aid does not necessarily mean that be will be influenced to work and act in a safe manner. It is, generally speaking, an irtcen* live to use care in his daily life, knowing the results of accidental injury while the training is still fresh in his mind. Should he lack the ability to foresee a hazardous situation and fall to have the moral stam ina to control his actions in conformity with safe practices, then he is a menace to his fellow man. In my experience I have seen excellent First Aid men become inj'ured in the plant and on tbe street, and investigation revealed that they were responsible for the accident. Their First Aid training did not keep them from accident cauAtiou. Then again, l have seen the First Aid man, as well as others who were safe men in their shop work, but were unsafe and accident prone while driv ing their motor cars. This may be explained that while at work they were under indus trial discipline and when they drove their automobiles self-discipline determined their safety. First Aid instruction can be beneficial to the individual if be has a comprehensive knowledge of the subject with thorough training in the principles of emergency serv ice. He should have periodical refresher courses to keep the subject always fresh in his mind, and he must have experience in rendering emergency treatment to patients. Then the most important factor is a thor ough course and training in accident pre vention prior to his First Aid course. Please do not think that I am minimizing the importance of First Aidt training; but where we find a First Aid man with a good safety record, I believe that man received his knowledge of what constitutes safe practice, not from the First Aid training, but that he was a good safety man before taking such training. The Control of Sprains and Strains By DR- J. J. WITTMER Medical and Personnel Director, Consolidated Edison Company of New York, New York City Quite commonly this series of so called minor injuries, which should also include contusions, is glossed over and thought to be of little significance. I cannot emphasize too strongly that tins is a very erroneous impression. When the sum total of the original Injury plus the after effects arc all counted, contusions, sprains and strains rank among the top notchers for total lost time and total accumulated cost 122 29th National Safety Congress There are several outstanding reasons for this. (1) They are treated with con tempt by almost everyone. (2) They rank highest in frequency. (3) Because they are thought of as being very simple--competent treatment is either not given at all, or cer tainly in a great many cases--postponed. (4) Commonly, the noticeable slight injury is covering up or masking a more serious injury which is coincidentally present, either in the immediate site or in some other area. (5) As a consequence of the fore going--complications are unusually common and the scqucHae of neglect are frequent and outstanding. only injure the scalp covering but also frac ture the skull and even damage the tissue in the brain. Therefore when the history shows that the accident is of a character that should result in a major injury--always treat the case as such, even though the external signs denote a very slight condition. It is far better to reduce treatment when it is proved that the injury b less than was suspected, than face the music of having to increase the treatment when you find at a later date that the con dition is greater than was first thought The symptoms of contusion arc pain, swelling and hemorrhage. The pain varies , Contusion* considerably with the individual and with Contusions or braises are caused by blows, the location of the contusion. Pain is crushes, or by friction. Io many cases there brought about by the local nerve injury is no break in the skin. A contusion is ac and by the pressure caused by the effusion companied by a flow of blood or lymph, or collection of blood or lymph. The dura causing swelling, the amount being in pro tion is generally about 24 hours and that portion to the severity of the bruise. It roost varies, of course, according to the extent commonly affects the soft parts of the body, of the contusion. including the cartilages and the covering of Certaih sites of the body are particularly the bones. We can best visualize what hap painful, the finger tips, testicles, knee mar pens in a contusion--if we stretch a piece gins, nerves and cartilage being the most of cord over the top. of a vise and strike sensitive. The lade has an extremely low the string a sharp blow with a hammer-- susceptibility to pain from cooturioo. the string immediately breaks--and if there were pieces of cloth or paper in the area between the string and the vise--these also arc tom. Likewise with the muscle tissue, nerve tissue, tendons, the tendon coverings, the lymph vessel and the blood vessels--in fact, all tissue between skin and bone can be Injured--from a slight shock to a complete Swelling is a rrmstawt symptom. Contu sions are always accompanied by hemorrhage of a varying degree. Hemorrhage hen: should be distinguished from congestion in that the former means the oozing of blood from its normal vessels into the surrounding tissues, and congestion means simply the accumulation of a greater amount of blood than normally in the vessels. severance--in the degree that the severity of the blow was applied. Keep in mind that the weight of the instrument is not the only factor--with weight, the force applied to the weight and the speed behind it arc all defi Certain individuals are more susceptible to hemorrhage than others. In hemophiliacs, subcutaneous hemorrhage or hemorrhage be neath the skin may be widespread and very difficult to control. Women are particularly nite factors in determining the extent of injury. Medical men should always take a careful history of the occurrence of the accident. I need not emphasize that a heavy* weight applied slowly and gradually will do very little damage while a very small weight, with great force (such as falling a long distance) or sharply applied, will do tre mendous damage not only to soft parts, but the bone parts beneath. A sharp blow on the abdomen can cause a tear in the liver, the spleen and quite commonly ac tually severs the intestinal wall. An ap parently simple blow on the head may not susceptible to subcutaneous hemorrhage. Areas of ecchymosb or in laymen's terms "black and blue" will result from an injury that may not bring about the same result in men. Treatment--First be absolutely certain that you are dealing with a simple injury of the soft parts. Take a detailed and complete history in all cases. Be sure that large blood vessels are not broken, that the tendons are not seriously affected and that the nerves have not been disturbed. Certain contusions, such as t^osc of the testicles, are accompanied by marked shock, and the first step in the treatment is to Health Service in Industry 125 comoat the shock by appropriate measures. After the shock, if any, has been dealt with, the contused part must be put at rest. Rest is nature's miraculous way of healing and the fact that a person has had osteomyelitis and those that have had it only need a slight contusion to have a recurrence. Extra pre cautionary measures must be used for this nothing bai ever been lost by putting an type of individual. injured part at rest for at least 24 hours. Sometimes a contusion will be accom Coottiska of the arm or hand calls for a panied by a blister. This is an extravasation ding. Contusion of a thigh or leg requires of lymph fluid into the layers of the skin. rot in bed. The injured part should be Its size can vary from a flat penny-like elevated to facilitate the reduction of the formation to a hen's egg. Because of the swelling. annoyance of its presence, some individuals In the early stages, a contusion is bene pierce these blisters and allow the fluid to fited by application of cold. Cold applica exude. Unless this process is performed tions tend to contract the bleeding vessels under unusually sterile conditions, it is the and minmiire the degree of hemorrhage or finest invitation to an infection that one can effusion. This is generally continued for have. The piercing of a blister when neces several boors or until the acute symptoms sary would best be left to a doctor. have subsided and no further bleeding takes place. Following cold applications, heat is applied to increase the amount of circulation in and about the injured part. This in crease in the circulation more raprdly re moves the products of the contusion such as blood and lymph, all of which will be carried away by the circulating blood. This may be well illustrated by allowing water to drop slowly upon a lump of sugar; sololion and disappearance take place slowly. If o*i the other hand the water is allowed to run upon the sugar in a small steady ream, the sugar is more readily dissolved Sprains Sprains may be defined as wrenches of joints, that is, minute injuries or ruptures of the individual fibres or of small groups of fibres of the ligaments which hold joints in place. Sprains are brought about by over stretching of these ligaments as in twists, falls or blows. The most common strain is of the ankle joint when the foot is sud denly turned inward causing stretching and tearing of some of the fibres of the liga ment*. However, all joints are subject to sprains. and disappears faster. Disappearance of the swelling results in relief from pain because there is no longer any great pressure exerted upon the nerve ends present in the injured area. (There are some cases where infection either concurrently or at a later date fol low's a contusion even though the sfcra'ttas not been broken. This infection may occor in the loose connective tissue or as is quite usual, in the periosteum, the covering of a bone. You may be surprised to hear that an infection can occur without a portal of entry. However, quite a few peopte, al though in perfect health, have infective organisms in their systems, but normally have enough resistance to hold this invading Here again I give the same admonition about a complete history as In contusions-- it is not the severity of the fall but the angle at which it occurs. The weight of the body above the fulcrum and the force ap plied to the body denote the degree. Sprains are commonly accompanied by fractures. The exertion which will tear a ligament can also tear away a small piece of bone from the joint. This piece of bone is usually the part to which the ligament was attached. It also can be strong enough to break the pointed and slender ends of the bone that form the joint. Every injury to a joint demands an x-ray. A sprain should be con sidered as the Siamese twin to a fracture until the x-ray shows no fracture present. army is check. Allow a contusion to occor, The symptoms of a sprain are immediate which causes the breaking down of the pain and a rapid accumulation of lymph, resistance in a particular part of the bod)* and the fifth column goes to work. The seriousness is further enhanced if the in fection occurs in the periosteum, because the next site is the bone. A bone infection, osteomyelitis, takes a long time to clear up. Again a detailed history will bring out and occasionally of blood, in the neighbor hood of the ligament involved and into the area surrounding the joint. A further im portant symptom is the inability to use the joint completely. However, being able to wiggle the toes does not mean that a fracture is not present. It is even possible to be 124 29th National Safety Congress able to walk with a fair degree of comfort and yet have a fracture of a bone present either la the ankle joint or the foot proper. Those motions of the joint, which require the use of the affected ligament or liga ments, are extremely painful. One of the cardinal signs which indicates that a sprain is present is that when tension is put upon the injured ligament, pain is produced but when tension is placxd upon the opposite ligament, (for instance, on the opposite of the ankle), there is relaxation of the in jured ligament and the pain disappears. Treatment--The treatment of sprains is extremely variable. Trainers and rubbers on athletic fields often employ widely different Trffcthods to their own specification. The principles which should underlie rational treatment of a sprain are, first, rest of affected ligament and the muscles or tendons which may be attached to it; second, meas ures directed toward improving the circula tion such as. heat and gentle massage or alternating hot and cold applications and. gradually early resumption of use of the sprained part. For example; when an ankle is strapped, the foot U best toward the injured side and an attempt is made to main intact fibres. The result is pain and a lim itation of function. A common example of this injury* is m certain types t "tennis leg" "riders thigh," etc. Strains are due to three factors which easily can be controlled. (1) The individual is not physically able to do tbe work in volved. Allowing a poorly developed rangy man to do heavy* manual work cannot but increase (he potential accident risk. Preemployment and pre-transfer physical ex aminations with the definite underlying thought that the employee must be physically able to do all the work that is required in a particular job are mandatory. An appli cant uhu has passed a physical examination for a clerical position is not necessarily eligible for work as a stock-man some months later. I must repeat from a previ ous paper--that the examining doctor most think of the applicant as a picture and the job as a frame. We must always be sure lliat tlic picture will fit the frame. This of course .obligates the doctor to know the size of the frame before he can properly put his picture into it (2) Improper handling and lifting of ina- tain it in that position by means of wide terials. This subject has been covered in a adhesive plaster. This removes the tension ver\' comprehensive manner in other papers upon the injured ligaments. The strapping of tbe National Safety Coanal. should be done so extensively that do mo (3) The materia] is heavier than expected tion will result upon the injured ligament or that something has caused the beam or or tendon, when active mothm soch as door to be o wedged that it cannot be weight bearing is attempted. readily moved. In these cases the man has A sprain takes many weeks to dear up. Putting stress on the injured ligament at too early a dale causes a recurrence and if repeated several times, allows a permanent relaxation of Ussoc--resulting is a joint which chronically dislocates at the slightest provocation. Strain* Strains are likened cocoewisui 10 sprains except that they snore often nrrofve muscle*. A muscle may not inaptly be fikeaed to a <t his muscles to poll against a definite amount of force. The force is much greater; the muscles are not ready for this greater pull and the result is a tearing of the tis<oe. A few <cwh* investigation, a compre hensive ida of what mast be done, a proper accommodation of mV the muscles to meet the <ittatMo wall this factor. TrcmtmrmS--ft v*s formerly believed that "teams leg** and ocher raptured muscle fibre injuries, je^uinai anfioc umaobilization, mid ihe cnufaV* vra* timed with consider large cable. Fibres of the mu^de corre able rngvrr Wriiw of the greet length of spond to the individual fibres or wires of the time le^uired tofcritgtlwthealay. Patients cable. Extreme tension upon tbe cable may cause parting or rupture of certain suaods or wires without the parting of the cable itself. Similarly', in a muscle winch has been overstretched, certain anode fibres wxD rupture or part without complete separa tion of the muscle itself. With tbe luptme of these individual fibres, hemorrhage oc curs causing pressure upon the adjacent wjtfa "kanit ke' woe al that time put in piaster cacti, to MMBofcSiat the leg, and they did taoi recover fee many months An Eng- fcsfa wwjpro* dtfcooacd that those of his jadoti who nrgVrwd to follow his instrue- tkm a* So ntnm rest recovered more rajedijr dam those who had their legs itn- mrJbili--l is piaster He felt that this fhtwimaou wk due so the fact that in the Health Service in Industry 125 immobilized muscle, scar tissue developed at the site of the small hemorrhages and that painful adhesions were produced be tween the adjacent muscle fibres. Accordingly, modem treatment of strains of muscle is as follows: If the pate is very severe, the patient is put to bed with the affected part elevated, at rest and subject to applications of hot, wet dressings. As coon as possible, the patient is encouraged to use the muscle in gradually increasing degrees. Occasionally, the application of a snug bandage over the affected area will prove to be a valuable adjunct to the treat ment Gentle massage should further hasten recovery. If stress is put on the part too soon, it is perfectly logical to expect not only an exacerbation of the original injury but further damage to the contiguous tissue. Summary There would be a definite decrease in the total lost time from work, a decrease in the ultimate cost and far less invalidism--if the patient, the supervisor, the safety engineer, and the doctor gave the proper importance to contusions, sprains and strains in the field of industrial accidents. This can be accomplished by: I. Realizing that this group of injuries are not minor hut that alt are potentially major. IT. With this realization take greater pre cautions for their prevention. III. Insist on medical treatment of every one at those cases regardless of how trivial the}* may seem. IV. The doctor must take a careful and detailed history of the accident before mak ing a diagnosis- V. A thorough examination of the part that might have been involved in the acci dent: In a hammer accident, only the hand, but in an automobile accident it should be from the hair to the soles of the feet. VI. In the case of contusions, an x-ray where more extensive injury is suspected, and in sprains, an x-ray in every case. VII. The involvement of other tissues such as nerve fibres, tendons, tendon sheaths, etc, must be ruled out before the contusion is treated only as such. VIII. The opening of a blister by a lay man should be considered an act for dis cipline. IX. Persons suffering from chronic osteo myelitis should not be in jobs where contu sions readily occur. X. A medical foltow-up on all cas<> to check: (1) A beginning complication. (2) A new condition which is only now becom ing apparent. (3) The beginning of an in fection. XI. Competent and thorough treatment until the condition has entirely cleared up. XII. Extensive and comprehensive educa tion of the worker that contusions, sprain* and strains should not and cannot bv treated with contempt, nor neglected with impunity. Light--Antidote for Accidents By A. K. GAETJENS General Electric Company, Cleveland, O. Light is instinctively reassuring to man. In its utter absence he gropes fearfully, wondering at each move whether an acci dent will ensue. In its presence he is at case. The marvelous sense of sight brings to iiim a complete and continuous report of his surroundings. He pursues his work with constantly renewed confidence in his safety. Such is an oversimplified statement of the relation between light and safety. However, light is needed for the amazingly complex function of seeing which is taken so much for granted. Consequently the quantity of light and quality of lighting {direction, dif fusion, source size and brightness) affect tremendously our ability to ncc. Everyone has been amused and mystified by the optical illusions which magicians use Of primary importance to this discussion is the fact that conventional plant lighting in many lo cations provides the same visual illusions. When the eye is sufficiently fooled or fa tigued by the effort of seeing, an accident is the logical result Safety engineering in industry consists essentially of mutually adapting the work man and his environment so perfectly that he can work without injury to himself or 126 29th National Safety Congress to others. It is generally recognized that the individual workman is in most situa tions the final arbiter of his own safety-- "a careful workman is the best safety de vice." Yet how much do we consider his ability to recognize his situation accurately and quickly? Psychologists have estimated that an overwhelming majority (over 85 per cent) of all mental impressions are re ceived through the eye. Therefore, this es sential sense through which so muds of our awareness of environment (the surroundings, work surfaces, tools, etc.) mast pass should be aided in every possible way. Industry in hiring a man is really obtain ing the services of a body, a mind, any skill in using these which he has developed through training and experience, and the five senses through which the man coordi nates bis activity with the remainder of the organization. Of these attributes the body, the mind, the stall and the senses of hear ing, taste, touch and smell are the responsi bility of the employee. Whether they are useful or useless to him and his employer depends entirely upon him- However, the sense of sight, which ,, has been shown to be all-important, is dependent not only upon him, through the selection of eyeglasses when necessary and other care of the eyes, but also upon his employers. For sight, alone of all the senses, is affected by an external agent, light, to an extent not fully known even today. And light, through the sense of sight, affects every activity of the workman, bis productivity, accuracy of workmanship, mental attitude (morale), and physical welfare. such conditions be can be accurately de scribed as "accident prone." Also, if an accident should occur, it is seldom recognized poor flluminatiou was a contributing factor. Everyone has observed men who faced windows ten or twelve feet away while engaged in intricate machine or bench operations. Window brightness may range from 100 to 1000 footiamherts, while it is rare tliat the brightnesses of the work ing surfaces are more than 10 to 50 foot- lamberts*--and they are often much less. A cap is tittle protection in such cases. These working conditions are extremely fatiguing to the eyes, yet they seldom have been con sidered contributory to an accident. Such ac cidents frequently list negligence or careless ness of the workman as contributory where actually an environmental factor, poor light ing, may be responsible in large part. For this reason it is obvious that aeddent cause reports, even the more carefully planned ones, do not present a complete pic ture of the relation between light and acci dents. As a matter of fact, detailed analyses of the accidents in which poor tight is listed as a contributing cause seem always to indi cate clearly that this cause is given only for a lack of light, and therefore does not include the great majority of cases where poor lighting may have affected the man's judgment by visual or nervous fatigue. Seeing is highly dependent upon external lighting conditions. It is necessary to con sider not only the visibility of the object of regard but also the brightness and bright ness ratios found in the entire visual field. Probably of greatest importance to the safety engineer, it minimizes and retards the development of fatigue. Good light is the one environmental factor which is funda mental to the efficient operation of the plant personnel, yet it is not accorded the impor tance it deserves or will obtain when a fuller understanding of its value is realized. In common with most other human be havior which psychologists have studied, short period tests often indicate compensa tion or over compensation by the subject. In other words, over relatively short periods a man can maintain a given rate of work under poor seeing conditions without appar ent detriment. However, this U done at the expense of his nervous and visual strength which eventually reduces his usefulness due to fatigue or impaired seeing ability. Under The visibility of any object is determined by four factors: (1) size of the object, or details to be seen; (2) contrast of the ob ject with its background; (3) brightness of the object; and (4) the time it takes to see. These factors are so interlinked that, for any particular visual task, if any three of them are established, the fourth is deter mined by the other three. Within our work world today both the size of the object and its contrast with the background usually are determined by the character of the work. Brightness and time are inversely variable since eyes require a definite time interval `A "fooUamhgrt" U the brichtneas of a surface which Is emitting or reflecting one lumen per square foot. One foot candle f|Ui"| upon a sur face baring a 100 per cent reflection factor would give tins surface a brightness of one foot!Hubert. Health Service in Industry 127 to see, just as a camera requires a definite exposure time to obtain a picture. It is possible to carry the analogy further since eyes sec more quickly with higher il lumination tiian with low, just as a camera requires a shorter exposure time under the midday sun than at dusk. If a wheel ro tating at constant speed is seen with good illumination, one obtains an impression in a very short time, daring which the wheel has not moved appreciably. By a rapid series of impressions we have the knowledge that the wheel is rotating at a relatively slow rate. However, if the illumination is sud denly decreased to a low level, but one fre quently found in factories, the wheel ap parently is moving much faster. You might consider that a camera under the same con dition would require a longer exposure time, excessively bright light sources. Consider, for example, the appearance of a microme ter when lighted by an ordinary lighting system in common use. The detail of the scale will be completely obscured by the bright streak on either side of it For metallic surfaces of this sort it is necessary to have the reflection of a uniformly bright light source over a considerable portion of the surface. There is extreme improvement when the micrometer is reflecting a large light source. Here there is no glare since the entire surface is uniformly bright and affords a background to the cut detail of the scale, which is similar in appearance lo a well printed page. Accurate visibility' meas urements have indicated a three-fold im provement in visibility due to this simple change. during which the wheel would have moved appreciably and blurred the negative. The eye goes through the same process, and thus we get a blurred impression--one which takes longer to obtain and in which' there is a longer time interval between impres sions. Consequently, the wheel appears to Accidents are frequently caused by un usual shadows which confuse. Again there may be plenty of light, but if it is from too small, bright sources, shadows will be ac centuated. This can easily be remedied by adequate diffusion of the light The new fluorescent Lumps, which have been widely be moving considerably faster under poor accepted in the two years since their intro illumination. duction. are excellent from this standpoint Consider the very large proportion of ac because of their large size. Light from such cidents which arc attributed, not to a single sources softens shadows to the point where material cause or unsafe act, but rather they are no longer annoying- Such long light which can be considered the result of a sources can also be used to advantage in pro chain of events which culminated in the viding the type of visibility needed for see accident. If foreseen and acted upon quickly ing machined surfaces. enough, the accident could conceivably have been averted. A split second increase in the of vision may mean a margin of safety. For tiit* reason, also, the ability to see qtneldy and accurately Is a definite factor m any safety program. Falls on stairways arc a type of accident prevalent and difficult to eliminate. In active working areas proper mechanical safeguards and education often are quite effective, whereas on stairways there is frequently a tendency to hurry, occasional horseplay, and In addition to poor visibility of the work other factors which tend to make an acci task, another frequent environmental condi dent more nearly possible. Have you con tion is excessive glare. In so many plants sidered the possibility of lighting the stair the first things one sees are either bare, un way properly and painting the risers a con- shielded lampsor lamps inadequately shielded . trusting color so that maximum visibility with small half-shades placed a few inches would be obtained? Here, as in many other from the point of work. In many cases the Tty are couscious of this glare and turn the half shades away from them or even paint the lamps, but in either case the lamp is exposed to the man facing him, with the cases where an accident may or may not occur due to the alertness of the man in perceiving his danger, maximum visibility is an undoubted- aid. More often than not the lighting consists of one lamp, either bare ony. detrimental results. This is unneces or in a shallow reflector at the head of the sary as there are supplementary lighting stairway. Often this is placed so that ob units on the market today which eliminate scuring shadows are cast by each step over this difficulty. the step below. Also, the steps arc com A much less obvious type of glare is that monly painted black, a dark gray or have caused by a metallic surface or reflection of no paint on them whatsoever. In either 12$ 29th National Safety Congress case, what one sees is deceptive and con ducive to accidents. Quantity of light is the factor most uni* icrsally controllable and also the most dif ficult to estimate in the entire illumination field. The eye is absolutely no judge of quantity since it is affected so greatly by its previous adaptation. However, there arc available today small, portable, inexpensive light meters which give an accurate indica tion of light at any given point. It is not to be expected that the safety engineer, with his multitude of responsibilities, should aho qualify as an illuminating engineer. However, with the aid of a light meter and a knowledge of the simple fundamentals, he can determine in many cases whether seeing renditions arc likely to be hazardous either for short periods or extended ones. The illuminating engineer has also bene fited in recent years by the development of a visibility meter which measures relative quantities and qualities of lighting in terms of seeing ability. This instrument has en abled field experiments and tests to supple ment laboratory procedures. Several types of brightness meters are now available which also extend the practical measurements which can be made of visual conditions. The publications of the Illuminating En gineering Society can be of great benefit in planning a lighting program. The I. E. S. "Recommended Practice of Industrial Light ing" discusses in more detail the various factors of illumination, the quantity of light which ts recommended for various tyjics of work, the necessity for an adequate program of cleaning and maintaining the lighting system, a discussion of natural light ing. of the various types of artificial light sources and a brief discussion of wiring. (Illumination is directly dependent upon the cleanliness of the reflectors. It is recom mended that a cleaning schedule be main tained which keeps the illumination above /5 per cent of its Initial value.) A summary of footcandle recommehdalions is included in Table I. These repre sent minimum operating illuminations as TABLE I Recommended Minimum Standards of Illumination for Industrial Interiors Minimum Operating Footcandle* Measured on the Work Precision Work........................................Over 100 Severe and Prolonged Visual Tasks..50-100 Critical and Prolonged Visual Tasks. .30-50 Ordinary Visual Tasks...............................20 Casual Visual Tasks.....................................10 Rough Visual Tasks........................... 5 many progressive plants have found econo mies in using much more light In this pub lication there is also reference to the many reports on the lighting of specific industries which have been worked out by representa tives of the industries in question in collabo ration with members of the Illuminating Engineering Society. Such reports are of great value since they correlate laboratory* knowledge with practical field experience. The following have been completed : Light ing In the printing industry; Gray goods and denim textiles; Shoe manufacturing; Candy manufacturing; Intricate production, assembly, and inspection processes; Silk and rayon throwing and wide goods weaving; Machining of small melal parts; Power Press Operation. The many benefits of good industrial light ing have been determined by progressive management Among these are increased production; a greater accuracy or work manship which results in an improved qual ity of products with less spoilage and re work; a more complete utilization of floor space; a greater ease of seeing, especially among older, experienced employees, thus making them more efficient; improved morale among employees which resulrs in a decreased labor turn-over; more easily maintained cleanliness and neatness in the ptant as well as fewer accidents. ADJOURNMENT Industrial Nursing WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON SESSION October 9,1940 The opening session for the discussion of industrial nursing problems was called to order by Joanna M. Johnson, R.N., Super visor, Industrial Nursing Division, Employ ers Mutuals. Wausau, Wis., and Chairman, Industrial Nursing Section, N.O.P.H.N., who presided. The Chairman called attention to the importance and breadth of the pro gram that had been scheduled, and then In troduced the speakers in order. New Concepts of Visual Performance in Industry By HEDWIG S. KUHN, M.D. Hammond, Indiana Perhaps the most dangerous person in to day's complex economic set-up' is the uncon scious saboteur. In industry, nun or woman, this employee is the eye cripple. His number is legion. His teck of visual co-ordination makes of him an unwitting and usually totally unconscious so-called "fifth colum nist.** Industry must give recognition to this employee because he is a potential threat to both safety and progress, as we see it in the effort to obtain maximum efficiency in onr national defense effort. He can wreck a re-armament program just as easily as the faulty depth register of his vision can cause him to misjudge the damp spot for a crane ladle of molten metal and snuff out the lives of a dozen workmen. The enormous complexities inherent in the understanding of the concept--industry-- makes necessary great divisions and subdi visions of knowledge and technique. Small worlds have grown to feed the needs of industry. Banking institutions, raw material markets, exactstaut scientific research efforts, transportation experts, technical* training centers, great purchasing concerns, gifted leadership in management, new leadership for the guidance of mass labor and skilted labor, organizations to study safety hazards, factories to supply safety shoes, goggles, wmh, and nurses and doctors to meet the human needs. Nurses and doctors must seek to accomplish their special technical task ex pertly, but always seeking to understand their obligations to the interests of industry as a whole, to develop tact, and adhere to policy and to seek ways and means of adding their special skills to serve the actual prac tical needs of industry. The productivity of the individual worker and the increasing complexity of power ma chinery has forced management to evaluate all factors that contribute or detract from the precision of the human being in the performance of his specific task. Industrial efficiency now demands the utmost of human efficiency. It is important to have this background in order to understand why medical findings in physical examinations arc now een to have a direct relationship to production and efficiency, as well as to health and safety. Let me outline what is meant by the phrase, `Visual performance.* Eye examinations now have to be geared to determine whether a given pair of eyes can meet the requirements o a given job. An overhead crane operator may have to . drop a load on an exact spot at an exact mo ment, 150 f*re-t from where he pulls the levers. To do this be has to have depth perception. A girl at a looping machine in the hosiery industry working at a distance of eight inches from'her eyes has to have a perfect binocular coordination, and ocular balance in order to sustain a sharp focus for eight hours. These are examples of two extremes in the demands made on eyes. How do we analyze an individual's visual 129 130 29th National Safety Congress performance in order lo determine who can be a crane operator, or a looper, or a stenog rapher or a machinist? Whereas the usual industrial eye examina tion has consisted in the past of vision taken on a wall chart, one eye at a time, it now includes four main factors,--visual acuity taken binocularly, (which after all is the way a workman walks arouad a plant), the plant as a whole and 9.6 per cent in ac cident cases. The rehabilitation programs for em ployees found defective in a visual survey of a given plant, and for applicants seeking training for skilled jobs in industry, is still another great field of allied service. And rehabilitation does not confine itself to get ting an employee to buy a pair of glasses or measurement of stcreopsis, or depth percep tion, determination of ocular muscle balance, and color tests. A person may have per fect vision and no depth perception--be Is not a candidate for the job of crane oper ator. A girl may have perfect vision and a marked muscle imbalance--she makes a j>oor inspector and a poor comptometer operator. have a cataract operation performed. Re habilitation, as welt as advance correction of existing defects, has tremendous possi bilities in training programs. You can train certain visual aptitudes, just as training de partments train other aptitudes. Muscle im balances and often minor defects of stere opus can be corrected by orthoptic training. This can best be illustrated by citing the A modern visual program and technique case of a young crane operator. He came of examining eyes in industry, which is based on evaluating these four visual apti tude factors contributes a great advance to to us with headaches and trouble. He had perfect vision but a marked muscle im balance, and had just completed a program safety. (The man on the ground whose of orthoptic training on the day before shouftder is broken by a crane load dropped Christmas. He said. "The fellows working on him is studied not only in regard to under me do not know* it but they have a where he was and what doing, bat the man good reason to celebrate. When 1 started at the levers of the crane is studied also.) training here, I could not tell within !0 feet It contributes a new' item in the deter mination of merit ratings, and promotions where qualifications now include physical aptitudes. It contributes a saving of dollars and cents in such departments as inspecting and assorting where direct statistical corre lations have been shown to exist between visual perfection and accuracy', it contributes to the size of the pay envelope in industries where piece work is done. It contributes in formation on which to base rehabilitation of how close I was to the spot where I was to drop my toad except as I judged by pil lars, stationary machinery, windows, etc. Now I can drop my load on a dime without any such assistance." Whenever this story* is told to the Safety Directors, their hair rises on their heads, just as yours and mine would if we were flying with a pilot who could not judge how far above a high ten sion wire he was while landing his plane. Now, one more vital fact just beginning needs in setting up the gTeat training pro to seep into the understanding of manage grams for national defense. The Govern ment will not want to finance the training of an individual who, when trained, will be ment. According to recent statistics, if the efficiency of the present employed force of skilled labor could be increased 3 to 5 per sure to be rejected by injury. It contributes directly to safety as we have been able to prove conclusively. In a special study where we analyzed the'visual defects in 80 per cent of the men involved in lost time accidents in a very large plant in 1939, we found a direct correlation in all five visual defects which make up visual performance and lost time accidents. The plant average of acuity uncorrected was 8.8 per cent, while the acuity uncorrected in the lost time accident cases was 19.2 per cent 1 Color vision, which means the read ing of red-green signals was 3.1 per cent in cent, it would cancel oat the present lack of skilled labor or the likelihood of such a shortage occurring. Job training made in dustry plus the proper type of physical ex amination (inducting visual performance, which includes more information than acuity data, as well as other aptitude tests) would accomplish this 3 to 5 per cent increase In efficiency. It would do this without any of the personnel problems arising when it is necessary to displace men now* at work, causing grievances and restlessness and strikes. Machine power in industry has been geared to about 90 per cent of its possible efficiency, but to date, human power has only Industrial Nursing 131 been geared to 50 or 60 per cent of its pos sible efficiency. In closing, may I emphasize the following specific concepts; first, that scientific but practical eye examinations for individual purposes must include testing the entire range of visual functions; secondly, that the data secured from such an examination is basic to the proper placing of employees, to their efficiency and level of production and to thetr safety; thirdly, that medical and especially ophthalmological consultants to industry have only begun to see the poten tialities of service not only possible and needed, but soon, I believe to be demanded of them by management, and; fourthly, that a program such as discussed is both preven tive of trouble, analytical of particular job problems, and also the real basis of rehabili tation objectives inside industry as well as among trainee applicants. Follow-Up of Findings on Physical examinations By O. A. SANDER, M.D. Milwaukee, Wii. Physical examinations of industrial work ers have been called the keystone of indus trial health work. They are beginning to be recognized as a major factor in the improv ing health of the industrial population. The guiding principle of any successful examination program is that it must mutu ally benefit both employee and employer. Its chief purpose must be to prevent accidents and illness. It should never be carried on with the idea of weeding out the unfit or of ridding a plant of undesirable employees. labor has objected to such motives in in dustrial and rightly so. Labor, however, has cooperated and will continue to cooperate with programs that are gen uinely based on the idea of prevention. Workers know that the)' will not be dealt with unfairly or discriminated against when the principle of mutual benefit is rigidly ad hered to. The Wisconsin Industrial Commission lias recognized the need of clarifying the pur poses and of establishing a more or less uniform method of industrial examinations by issuing a Plan of Physical Examinations in Industry. The Commission realized that engineering methods of preventing accidents have eliminated many hazards which for merly were the source of serious injuries. Moreover, improved hygiene and housekeep ing in plants and workshops have consider ably reduced the number of general diseases resulting cither directly or indirectly from the various occupations. In spite of these preventive measures, too many accidents and too much general sickness still were occur ring becau.-c of the failure of the human factor. Accident-prone persons usually are not so because of innate carelessness but because of some physical impairment which prevent* the necessary coordination between their mental and muscular functions. Those per sons who lose much time from their work because of illness should not be tagged as mere weaklings and discarded. Some physi cal defect or disease usually can be found a* a cause of repeated illness, which when cor rected will make such persons just as healthy and efficient as their fellow-workers. There is no more excuse for firing an acci dent or sickness repeater than there is for scrapping an automobile because one of it< cylinders is missing. Unless the source ot the trouble is looked for and corrected, an employer has not used his human machinery to the best advantage. That is the one and only purpose of physi cal examinations of industrial workers under the Wisconsin Plan of Examinations--to find the physical defects which may be the source of illness or accident, so that they may be corrected before the ^ickness or ac cident develops. That necessitates examin ing all employees in a plant or shop, not merely those who appear to be unhealthy or those who are exposed to special hazards. Unless all are examined, a dangerous focu* of infection or a serious physical handicap may be .entirely missed. Industrial workers are. after all, no different than other groups of adults. They are subject to the same dis eases and infirmities that all mankind is 132 29th National Safety Congress heir to. Industrial physical examinations arc general health examinations which hap pen to be made on a special group of adults. There is no more reason for examining only those exposed to special hazards out in the plant than there is for examining those working in the shop office. An office clerk with open tuberculosis is a much greater menace because of contact with fellowemployees than is a foundry laborer with silicosis. The fact has too often been over looked in planning health programs in in dustry. Before enumerating individual defects which can be found with the Wisconsin Plan of Examinations, I want to discuss the general subject of correction of physical defects, because, after all, that is where the industrial nurse fits into the picture. I fed that you are the only cmes in your plants who are equipped to properly follow up on examination findings to see that the doctor's recommendations are carried out Your training In general medical knowledge and in prevention of illness gives you an understanding of physical findings which the layman personnel directors can never ac quire. If some of you happen to be unfor tunate enough to be working in a plant where the personnel man has assumed the responsibility of such follow-up investiga tions, I feel it is your duty to point out to your employer the deficiencies in this most important phase of his examination program and to show him how much more effective you could be iu getting remediable defects corrected.' I have yet to see a plant in which a layman is the follow-up man where there is much follow-up done. Usually the doc tor's report is safely tucked away in a file and forgotten--and often has not h*yn read at all. Much of the benefit from such ex aminations has thus been wasted and very' little of constructive value has resulted. If one of the purposes of the examination r. **.rkers is to improve their health and c. . -ncy, then painstaking follow-up of the doctor's recommendations must be made in each case. Experience shows that most un skilled workers and many who have a re putedly higher intelligence level show the greatest unconcern about remediable physical defects. Often, of course, the reason why defects are neglected is an economic one. The bread winner, who theoretically should be the most desirous of maintaining his health, all too often neglects himself and in sists that his family's medical requirements be taken care of first. In plants with group health insurance plans, such problems are solved more readily than where no such plan exists. But regardless of the cause, physical defects usually are not corrected in most workers until someone in the plant assumes the responsibility of seeing that they are. The one who is charged with this responsibility must not only have sympathy and understanding but should know the sig nificance of medical findings. I repeat that no one can carry out such a job quite as effectively as the plant nurse. To you who now have examinations in your plants or who are contemplating such a program, whether or not you are the follow-up worker, I recommend a detailed study of the Wisconsin Plan. The pro cedure outlined in that plan was designed as a complete health survey to discover most of the major diseases and physical abnormal ities. Too many examinations in industry have been too sketchy and cursory to be of any value. Some actually have been harm ful because they created a false sense of security In both employee and employer. Every examination should be as complete as Is necessary to discover all major ab normalities, yet not too long and detailed to be impractical. In the past eight years I have used the procedures outlined in the Wisconsin Plan in the examination of over 18,000 Industrial workers and I am con vinced that it is an adequate and practical device for industrial health maintenance. The best way to study the plan is to see how It proposes to discover the more im portant diseases or physical defects: I. Tuberculosis. It now is well known that physical examinations alone will not discover more than half of the cases of active tuberculosis. Some special case-find ing method is necessary, preferably a 14 x 17 inch x-ray film of the chest The Wisconsin Plan suggests that every employee be xrayed regardless of whether or not his work Involves a dust or fume hazard. Although the expense of such a program might at first appear to be prohibitive, experience shows that x-raying of large groups can be done at a fairty nominal cost. Active and open tuberculous persons must, of course, be removed from their jobs and sent to a sanatorium. It Is here that a plant nurse can be of tremendous help in solving Industrial Nursing 133 the economic and social readjustment prob lems in the homes of such persons. Those whose tuberculous lesions are found to be inactive after thorough clinical and lab oratory* studies are kept at work. Frequently their jobs must be changed, particularly requirement for wearing glasses should be a flexible one and should depend on the visual acuity* required by the job each worker has to do. Obviously', a machinist requires more accurate visual correction than does a general laborer. if their regular work exposed them to dusts or fumes and if their work was unusual!}' heavy. Here also the nurse can be of much help in making these necessary adjustments. Such persons arc re-examined at rather fre quent intervals---every three or six months-- so as to detect any reactivation as early as possible. With such a plan the danger of infecting other employees through contact exposure is reduced to a minimum and tbc incidence of tuberculosis in the industry* will drop below that of the general popu lation. 2. Heart Disease, High Blood Pressure, etc. Persons found with heart disease re quiring lessened physical exertion require special placement at suitable work. Those with high blood pressure when it is accom panied by a damaged heart must occasionally be shilled to less responsible work where the safety of ocher employees is not jeopar dized. Crane operators often are shifted to jobs on the Boor for this reason, usually at a reduction in wage-scale. Such adjust ments arc made with the least feeling of resentment where the plant nurse has col laborated with the doctor in reassuring the worker that the change is necessary* m tbc interest of safety to himself and his fellowworkers. When special treatment is re quired, nurses can be of invaluable help m steering the patient into competent medical bands and ra w'"g that the proper treat ment is continued as long as necessary. With fuch control, it frequently is un necessary to require the worker to lay off during the treatment course. 3. Visual Defects, Under the Wisconsin Plan, tbc vision of all employees is tested both at 20 feet and at 14 inches. Those with impairment of the vision require spedal examination by a competent oculist to deter mine the Tbc practice of allowing opticians to make mass eye-surveys in plants is to be condemned. I have seen many eyes fitted with ghuw where the defect was due to unrecognized eye disease rather than to a correction error. Others with prac tically normal vision have had glasses sold to then unnecessarily, a procedure which a reliable oculist would never engage in. The This tollow-up work on vision is one of the most important jobs a plant nurse can do. Figures are available to show that a visual correction project in a plant will not only result in a reduction of accidents, but will actually speed up production. 4. Teeth and Tonsils. The teeth and ton sils are still believed to be potent sources of infection elsewhere, particularly of the joints and kidneys- Industry* generally has paid little attention to the improvement of mouth sepsis as a preventive measure of general sickness. If a reduction of richness absenteeism is one of the results expected from an examination program, then the eradication of these sources of infection should be part of the general follow-tip procedure. 5. Impaired Hearing. This has been known for years to be a source of accidents and should, therefore, be considered in any wellplanned health program. The Wisconsin Plan requires only a rough estimate of hearing, but mare and more plants are mak ing more thorough tests with an electric audiometer. When appreciable degree? of loss of hearing are found, such workers should be referred to a competent car specialist to determine if improvement is possible. Whcf it is not, it occasionally is necessary to change the job of such a man, when his safety and that of others depends on his ability to'hear well. On the other hand, for jobs not having such a hazard, deaf-mutes may be safely employed, tv* they* are in a number of plants under my super vision. 6. Hernias and Varicose Veins. I am grouping these two defects because they are the cause of more rejections on pre-em ployment examinations today than any other findings. Under the Wisconsin Plan they are not a cause for rejection and in my experience there is no reason why they should be in most cases. If a hernia is re ducible and can be held reduced with a tru*s, a truss is required for employment. Ex perience shows that a man with a wellfitting truss can do the heaviest kind of work without difficulty. Moreover, the old 134 29th National Safety Congress bugaboo of strangulation is largely a myth. Follow-up is necessary with such cases, so that they do not drift into the hands of quacks. Any reliable appliance dealer usually gives a much more satisfactory fit than will a mail-order house. The same situation holds with varicose veins. If the worker or prospective employee agrees to wear elastic stockings or clastic ]>amiage$, he is allowed to do any kind of work. Out of the thousands of varicose veins I have seen, I have still to see the first one break down into an ulcer where bandage or stocking had been worn. Insur ance company claim departments liave as sured me that they are not concerned about liability from either hernias or leg ulcers provided the special preventive measures are carried out The important thing is to dis cover them and support them. If that is done, they are not a hazard either from a safety or liability standpoint. 7. Diabetes. Although diabetes is not a very common finding among healthy work ers, it is found sufficiently often and the complications are sufficiently serious to war rant looking for it in every examination. Tn my opinion, a routine urinalysis is a necessary port o every health examination and should not be neglected. When even a trace of sugar is found, follow-up analyses should be made. If these are repeatedly positive, the worker should be placed in the hands of his family doctor for control treatment. Here also, there is no need for refusal to hire or for discharge of such an employee, because adequate control of dia betes is such a relatively simple procedure today. 8. Syphilis. No health program in indus try is complete today without a -routine blood test for syphilis. TTie Wisconsin Ptan advices it not only for pre-employment, hut for periodic examinations as well. Although it is one of the most valuable procedures with industrial examinations, it 'can be grossly misused, and has been all too often In our program, only infectious cases and those with central nervous system involve ment are considered unfit for employment. The vast majority of cases found are latent and without any open lesions or late compli cations. They arc asked to agree to carry on a complete treatment regime until they are cured, but they are hired or continued at their work regardless of their positive blood test. Experience has shown tliat it it Unwise to inform a layman employer or personnel man of such cases, because it is too easy for him to discriminate unconsciously against such an employee. The plant nurse, however, should have tin's information, be cause she is ideally fitted to steer the em ployee Into competent hands for treatment* and to inquire from time to time how his treatment is progressing. Cures have been much more frequent in plants where the nurse carried on such follow-up work. In plants not having a nurse, it is necessary that the examining physician assume the responsibility of contacting both the em ployee and the family physician from time to time to determine if the treatment is be ing given regularly. With the companies whose employees I examine, not one case of syphilis is known to the employers, su perintendents or foreman, yet approximately50 per cent of the positive tests have become negative, I repeat, that if a syphilis pro gram in industry is to be effective, the re sults must remain confidential and in pro fessional hands. This is more or less true for all physical findings in employees, but is especially advisable for syphilis. Other diseases and defects might be mentioned, such as the general contagious diseases, bone and joint deformities, etc, but the same general principles apply to them; which is. follow-up on examination findings, have remediable defects corrected, and place on more suitable jobs if neces sary- I want to make a special plea for a more common-sense viewpoint on pre-employment examinations. You as nurses who are serv ing industry can do much to change the general attitude of employers and employ ment managers on too* rigid employment requirements. Let the hiring depend more on the apparent ability* of the man to do the work expected of him rather than on labo ratory and clinical findings whichare causing no disability and which in all probability will not if they are corrected. Such a point of view is advisable not from humanitarian considerations alone, but also for the very practical reason that too many valuable workers have been unnecessarily discarded for less experienced ones. Such waste of human machinery is costly to industry and would be especially unfortunate now when all available skilled workers arc needed in the national defense program. Industrial Nursing 135 Morwnr. vppetsmwt employment re quirement* *tmI tw detov all industrial ex aminations mm dwrrp--i: Oar experience indicate* that t mo*t tfaao 2 per cent of all appfcwn for work have sufficient ab-, noruaffitk* to wvm their being rejected for work. Any figure appreciably higher than this wifi iiutttfj break op any cxaratroika program, regardless of the good work it may otherwise have accomplished. The principle of maximum benefit to work ers as well as employer must always be strictly adhered to, with new employees as well as old. 1 recommend to you and to your plant management the Wisconsin Plan of Examinations for its adherence to this principle. With it, any industry cannot help but improve its general employee health, which in turn will result in a general in crease in efficiency and production. Traumatic Neurosis By LEWIS J. POLLOCK, M.D. Chicago, Illinois In America an introduction to a mysteri ous condition was afforded the medical pro fession when it was observed that, follow ing railway accidents, many peculiar symp toms occurred in the absence of external evidence of trauma. The condition was then termed "railway spine." Erichsen, who wrote on the sobject in 1866 to 1875, later termed it "coocmoon of the spine," Sub sequent observation and study showed that oo physical change was present, even on microscopic and it was recog nized that the patient presented the same symptoms as in cases of hysteria, at that time remarkably described by Charcot, and In short, suffered from hysteria. The terms "railway spine" and "spinal concussion** gradually disappeared, and for than tras substituted "traumatic neurosis." As the Hysterica) nature of the disease was recognized, traumatic hysteria was com monly trcd. as were the terms "traumatic neurasthemaT and "traumatic hystcro- ncira<tixrx*ia."` One might subdivide the neuroses into groups as pqycfiasthenia, neurasthenia, anx iety states, hysteria, etc. The greatest num ber oi post traumatic cases are those of hysteria and m it the conditions of cause and effect are common to all the neuroses. In the coarse of association with indus trial roedidoe ooe becomes familiar with many symptoms, following accidents but not associated with evidence of actual injury'; pain, spasms, coatractui es, paralyses, con vulsions, etc It may be said that in hysteria every symptom of every disease or injury may be found. We have loss of memory, delirium, confused states and stupors. Wc may liave paralysis of one or more of the extremities, spasms, contractures, convul sions, pain or loss of sensation, dizziness, blindness, deafness, loss of speech, vomiting, diarrhea, incontinence or retention of urine, and symptoms without cud. It is natural to ask if ooc is confronted with one of these symptoms, how can it be shown that it is not due to real injury*? Disease or injury of the body or its or gans produces a disturbance of function of that particular part. This disturbance of function presents signs and symptoms pecu liar to Itself. The signs arc constant, and are associated, one with the other, in a con sistent and determined manner. For ex ample, a paralysis of the hand due to an injury of some of its nerves shows an atrophy in certain muscles and in these only, a paralysis in only these muscles, a loss of sensation in a certain constant part of the hand and definite changes of response to stimulation with electricity. * t injury* to the spinal cord produces constant and defi nite changes of the reflexes, paralysis of a sharply defined part of the body, loss of sensation with certain characteristics, and disturbances In muscle tone and bladder and rectal function. So with every part of the body. In hysteria there will be found absent such as would necessarily be present were the symptoms, such as paralysis, due to an injury or wc would find signs and symp toms which are adventitious and could not be associated with such a paralysis as the result of injury. In short, it may definitely be stated that a careful examination by a competent ob server can serve to differentiate an organic 136 29th National Safety Congress from a functional condition, a real disease or injury from hysteria. Naturally, one asks how is it possible to have a symptom such as a paralysis or even a pain, and yet not have any disease of the body or its organs? If a risque story be told in the presence of ladies, it is common even now-a-days to observe them blush. This blush is not imagined, wc see it, it is physical; and yet it is caused by an emo tion. Similarly, if one is frightened, he may be stricken speechless or motionless, his hair stand on end, his heart beat fast, he may burst out in a cold sweat, and he may even have a diarrhea. Here, too, we are dealing with physical changes not due to imagina tion, injury or disease, but to emotion. Some years ago amusement was afforded us by viewing the startling feats of hyp notists. A common enough bride was to make the cheek insensitive so that the sub ject felt no pain when a needle pierced it; or to produce a rigidity of the body suffi cient to permit one to break, with a sledge hammer, a rode placed on the body of a man whose head and feet only were sup ported by chairs. In such a hypnotic state any disability suggested to the subject would cause him to suffer from it Hypnosis is produced by suggestion and just as a hypnotized subject may accept a suggestion and feel and act accordingly, so does an hysteric. Some of these suggestions come from the patient himselE. If he fears disability he becomes introspective and at tentive to his general sensations. None of you felt the collar about your neck until I now mention it; now you all feel it Our skin is so sensitive that we can feel the lightest wisp of cotton, yet it is seldom that* we feel our clothes. We become inattentive to such feelings as experience teaches us are of no consequence. If I were to assure you that the feeling of a collar about your neck is indicative of impending insanity, and you believe me, you would feel your collar all day long. Much of the suggestion comes from with out. Consoling, anxious, and over-solicitous friends and relatives, injudicious examina tions by physicians, and re-examinations without end, conversations with attorneys, repetition of symptoms in court, observa tion of and acquired knowledge concerning other patients, all contribute to the hypothe cated picture. Such signs as loss of sensation, or a con centric diminution of the field of vision may illustrate the point. Before being examined, the patient has no conception of being un able to feel or to see only in a restricted field. When an examiner asks him "do you feel this?" the inference is that if an in jury or disease is present, the patient should not be able to feel the touch of cotton or prick of a pin whichever stimulus may be used. The patient is likely to respond doubt fully that he feels it a little, the next stim ulus less and finally he will be unable to feel over an area usually referred to a part injured as below the elbow or thigh, etc. The same is true of other examinations. The greatest care must be exercised by all who come into contact with a patient that new signs or symptoms be not carelessly suggested. What is the cause of hysteria? Is it trauma or injury? Is it shock, great emo tional disturbance, over-exertion, fatigue, or privation? Among the many lessons taught by the late war, many may be gleaned rela tive to hysteria. In this war a new type of destructive agent was used, high explosive shells. There were observed many cases of peculiar nervous manifestations which were attributed to the concussion resulting from explosion of shells dose at hand. These cases were therefore called shdl-shock. Careful observation by trained neurolo gists soon showed that grouped among such cases were patients suffering from various well recognized nervous disorders not pro duced by accidents of warfare; that the ma jority were suffering from hysteria. Here, therefore, was a huge experiment in hys teria. The first problem was to determine whether any possible physical change pro duced by the nearby explosion of high ex plosive shells was responsible for the hys teria. Evidently not, as the symptoms, tremor, paralysis, mutism, etc^ were found to have developed in soldiers in training camps, in the United States, on transports en route to Europe, In the S.O.S.. back of the lines and on the way back to base hos pitals from the trenches. Such cases are even now developing among our discharged soldiers. It followed that the explosion of shells alone was not responsible nor was the privation, hanger or exhaustion. Was it emotion? Apparently not; rarely were paralysis or other major hysterica! Industrial Nursing 137 symptoms observed on the battle field itself. Only after some time elapsed did such symp toms appear. In torpedoed vessels when the passengers were removed to rafts amid signs of disorder and carnage, and exposed to extreme hardship and privation, hysteria did not develop. Only when rescued did the passengers develop such a condition. Some illuminating observations were made. Soldiers were more frequently affected than officers. Crack regiments showed fewer cases than others. Men with severe wounds never de veloped it Prisooers of war did cot experi ence it Here, as m civil life, it was seen that the disease was a disorder of conduct It occurred among those men who were dis satisfied and fearful and who could not be faking, putting this on, that they hypothe cate their illness? It Is nut. They suffer just as much as if they were disabled from organic causes. Is the condition imagined? It is not. No more than the hypnotized per son Imagines that he can feel no pain. He feels no pain. The symptoms are real enough but they occur only because of sug gestion, not because of injury or shock. Usually the patient is injured or is in an accident, he experiences some pain or slight disability, he is fearful lest it be serious, he becomes introspective, attentive to himself, sensations which formerly he would dismiss are now indicative of serious ailment. His friends ask him innumerable questions with entailing suggestions. An enforced period separated from actual warfare by legitimate causes, as capture or injury. A state of dissatisfaction leads to the illicit motive back of hysteria in dvQ life; it may be due to Unrequited love, marital incom patibility, inadequate efforts to support a family, fear of discovery of crime, etc. In warfare it was due to fear of death and desire to escape. Following injury it may be due to several causes; fear of being severely injured, inability to resume occupation and of idleness occurs. He is examined by physicians, who, by injudicious questions suggest new symptoms. He is fearful lest be be unable to resume his occupation and sup port his family. Here in short is a wdl prepared field for the development of Severe signs of hysteria. He seeks compensation and legal advice and forthwith a hysteria develops. It does not occur immediately after accident; it occurs following a latent period during which time suggestion has had an support a family with ensuing desire for opportunity to act. pension; resentment and desire for compen sation, and more rarely for causes not asso ciated with either of these two, such as would have produced hysteria had any other "accident" than injury occurred. Thus, a woman oeariag mid-age in charge of a large number of telephone operators working under high pressure with attending fatigue, without adequate social contact or recreation, unconsciously fears incotnpeiency with subsequent financial difficulties and a kraely, single existence in poverty, receives a "crack" in the ear and develops a torticol lis; a yomg girl who. frequently repri manded by a harsh employer, slips and strikes the baric of her bead against the Boor, develops fugues, finds herself in an unknown part of the town upon a number of occasions when she starts for work, is only running away from her job. A man who prior to a manor injury was fearful of insanity, onconxioosout and of losing con trol of himself, develops a hysterical paral ysis of an arm, throwing upon his wife the responsibility of earning a living because she had been unsympathetic with him when he was earning it. Is it meant by this that these patients are It would appear that this description would fit a malingerer. Are these conditions the same? Emphatically not A malingerer is a willful imitator of disease for the pur pose of gain. One may not be able, by means at our hands, to say that this man is a malingerer or is a sufferer from hysteria. This inability is our own fault and not the man's. It would be the grossest of injustice to many patriotic and consciously willing soldiers to compare those who developed hysteria to one of the cases I observed in France in a man nicknamed "Bosco." He imitated a case of painful bent back and exclaimed to those about him. "Follow Bo5Co and go to Hoboken--fotlow Black Jack and go to Hell." Although back of both conditions is an illicit fnotive, the hys terical patient is not aware of it. Of course, exaggeration and prolongation of symptoms may occur along with hysteria. Frequently a malingerer may readily be detected and the condition at times easily differentiated from hysteria. What relation does compensation bear to hysteria? It has already been said that de sire for compensation induced either by wish 138 29th National Safety Congress for pension to assist in livelihood or by vengeful spirit, may provoke, engender or prolong a hysteria. How do we know this to be true? German statistics show that'in spite of medical and surgical methods pro gressively improving, the duration of in capacity in some ailments and in accidents is greater than it was in the pre-insurance days. Before the Netherlands adopted in surance, the German working man took much longer to recover than one injured iu the same way in Holland- When, however, the Netherlands adopted an accident insur ance, the duration of the illness suddenly in creased. Tn Denmark it is the custom to pay insured working men, lump settlements at a very early stage of their incapacity and 93.6 per cent recover from what is known as traumatic neurasthenia. In Germany, however, where the injured is entitled to a pension, only 93 per cent recover from the same disease. The introduction of the acci dent law in England in 1907 saw a marked increase In the number of accident cases, hi Prance accident cases have increased by onefifth and the duration of temporary dis ability if decidedly longer than before the ofieration of the law. Some illuminating observations relating to these considerations may be mentioned. Five or six months after the Messina earthquake there was not a single person suffering from a neurosis caused by the earthquake. No source of compensation was available. When, some years ago, railroad employees were not compensated for injury, they were eager to return to work following an accident and it was the passenger who was afflicted with a traumatic neurosis. The availability of com pensation. however, has caused the employee to develop such states as well, ft is a com mon observation among social workers deal ing with the poor, that if following illness, prolonged pension is carried out and return to work not encouraged or enforced, the individual becomes a chronic invalid and a ward of the charities. It has bcdti found that in a certain group of people investi gated. some 75 per cent of pauperism re sulted from illness and this state was fos tered by constant assistance without intelli gent direction of rehabilitation by labor. At first assistance is abhorred, avoided, reluc tantly received; then the morale weakens and assistance is sought, next it is expected and Anally demanded. Litigation holds out promise of reward and iosters the neuroses. Prolonged litiga tion prolongs the duration of a neurosis and prolonged forms of compensation work to die same end. Litigation is productive of ill effects through other causes. The pres ence of a patient before a board or court while his case is being discussed awakens a sense of resentment or distrust. A feeling that the corporation through its expert is trying "to do him." He develops the con viction that He is very seriously and perma nently injured through the histrionic efforts of his counsel and statements of ignorant witnesses. He has suggested to him new symptoms and promptly develops them. Some responsibility therefore, rests upon our legal system for the production of these neuroses. It was held by the Fourth Chamber of the Tribunal in France in a certain case, that the incapacity with which the workman seemed to be affected resulted not from the accident, but from the erroneous opinion which die man formed of the rights to which he was entitled by persuading him self that an income was necessarily due him. For this reason compensation was refused. Wbat is the result following a settlement of the case ? Although it is claimed by some that settlement always cures a traumatic hysteria, I believe that there are occasionally exceptions to this rule. At times a trau matic hysteria may persist many mouths or years following such a settlement. This is rare and is always due to such difficulties as would have produced the hysteria bad the accident not occurred. Such difficulties may be social snaladaptatsons or deep rooted fears. If judiciously treated these cases may be relatively rapidly cured. If a case of traumatic hysteria is to re ceive compensation, some idea of actual dis ability is necessary. A traumatic hysteria is curable. It docs not produce any permanent disability. The severity of the injury has no relation to the type of severity of the hys teria. Severe symptoms have no relation to the duration of the disease nor arc they any indication of a lasting disability. A paralysis of all four extremities may be cured in ten minutes, a slight spasm of the eyelids may last a long time- Harrowing experiences and extremes of horror or fright bear no relation to the severity of the illness. A complete paralysis may follow a slight sprain from stumbling and a Messina earthquake produce merely the winking of an eyelid. Whatever the svmploms, a neurosis is neu htdusirial Nursing 139 rosis and one case can be cured as rapidly as the others. However, differing in detail, all accidents produce, the same type of dis ability if they produce a hysteria. Obviously, if compensation is one of the causes, it must either be dispensed with or it must be given in an innocuous form. As an indication of this mention may be made of the coadusioa reached at a joint meeting of the Neurological Society of Paris and the Chiefs of Military, Neurological and Psychiatric Centers. It was voted that for hysteria, neither dismissal from service oor gratuities were Co be given. It has already been shown that early lump sum settlement tends practically to eliminate the long dura tion of these conditions. If existing laws are such as prevent such a settlement refuge may be taken in arrangements between counsels for apparently such a settlement in the ignorance of the patient Unfortunately, owing to the frailties of human nature this is frequently unsuccessful. Prolonged liti gation must be discouraged. After all, the . aportant thing is to get the patient well. A corporation lawyer remarked to me relative to this statement, "Perhaps from the medical standpoint, bat not from mine.'* He was decidedly wrong. As soon as it is recognized that immediate final settlement cures a hysteria, it will be found that the amount of expense, otherwise prolonged, will be reduced. The quicker the patient re covers. whatever the initial cost, the less, in toy opinion, wifi be the expense. Certainly, an early and final settlement is the ooly just procedure for such a case. In addition to this seven) essentia) features in the handling oi such a case stand out; an early and cor rect aDe*as by competent observers, avoidana of careless examinations and ignorant diagnosis and avoidance of prolonged litiqatioo and its ensuing chances for sugges tions and fixation, particularly when the pa tient is an observer of the trial of his case, and a quick return to some form of work. The necessity for early return to occupa tion cannot be overemphasized. Facilities should exist whereby i patient may be in ducted slowly into normal competition. Un der existing conditions many disabled indi viduals fear to attempt resumption of labor not only because of physical or menial in capacity but because their compensation would be reduced and if then they were un able to continue their work their economic condition would suffer. What is true of spontaneous illness is doubly true of trau matic illness. The problem of dealing with accidents of industry should be concerned more with the recovery of the patient than the doting out of compensation, awarding, as it were, the patient for continuous disability. The compensation feature should he over* sliadowed by that of treatment. It is neces sary to proride rehabilitation centers with proper facilities for diagnosis by competent physicians, medical and surgical treatment, physiotherapy and occupational treatment. Workshops tinder the direction of trained supervisors are necessary. Hare the patient may be gradually inducted into normal com petition; at first put upon simple tasks for a short time, be gradually becomes reassured and trained to resume bis own occupation, knowing that being tinder kindly and Intelli gent medical supervision no harm can come to him. By such methods patients may rec ognize that industries and the corporations employing them are as eager to produce in than a recovery as are they themselves. That they are more concerned with a repair of certain forces, as essential to them as inanimate machinery* than they are to avoid the payment of continued compensation. THURSDAY LUNCHEON SESSION October 10.1940 This luncheon session was called to order by Mrs. Christian Seabrook. R_N_. Local Held Supervisor. Metropolitan Life Insur ance Company, Chicago, and President. Chi cago Industrial Nones Association, who presided. Chairman Seabrook commented briefly upon the importance of the activities of industrial nurses, and (hen introduced Dr. E. W. Williamson, Associate Director, American College of Surgeons, Chicago, who, in the absence of Dr. Malcom T. MacEachern, read the prepared paper of Dr. MacEachem 140 29th National Safety Congress The Industrial Nurse's Perspective By MALCOLM T. MacBACHKRN, M.D. Associate Director, Americas College of Surgeons, Chicago The trained nurse in industry has the same motive as any other nurse--service to sick and injured humanity. Her position as an employee of an industrial concern does not alter that primary purpose; although she enjoys with the public health nurse more possibilities for preventing illness and acci dent than the nurse who works in a hospital. Also, a financial evaluation is placed on her services that adds to them a direct economic aspect. Tn a recent issue of Factory Management an article bore a headline in large type read ing "Small Plant Hires Nurse--Saves." It continued: "Lost time was cut 90 per cent when this 500-man plant gave up its hap hazard first-aid practice, acquired a resident nurse, set up a regular first-aid department Lost time due to injuries or sickness totaled 23 peeks in the year previous, compared with two weeks in the first year following the acquiring of a resident nurse in the Bull Dog Electric Products Company in Detroit And this didn't tell the whole story because workers' efficiency was improved by prompt treatment for colds and other minor ail ments." The trend toward appreciation of their value to industry* dollars and cents should remove the feeling that some doctors and nurses might have of being aliens in busi ness, of constantly having to try to justify their presence in the industrial scene. They' belong, and are an important aid in gearing industry' to maximum efficiency under the demands of periods of national emergency such as we arc in at the present time. Nurses have helped to transform our hos pitals from gloomy havens for the sick and dying to cheerful houses of recovery'- Ches ter S. Johnson of the Quaker Oats Com pany, in a talk at the Safety Congress two years ago said : "Management of industry believes that the industrial nurse more than justifies her self in the saving of money which results from proper care and treatment of people who are injured or sick. These savings ac crue, not only to the employer, but to the employee as well. The industrial nurse's opportunity to take the initiative in carry ing on a program of health conservation is unlimited. Management also believes that the nurse has a real function to perform in the modem program of industrial relations. She is important in establishing and main taining good will toward the employer." The Nurse'* Part Only in recent years hai relationship be tween management and workers readied the point of systematic organization and plan ning. Sen-ice in this field is a byproduct of the nurse's regular work, but apparently it is a main consideration to the industrial re lations department, for someone in outlining an industrial relations program recently listed eight divisions--employment, educa tion, health, safety, welfare, sanitation, re creation and rehabilitation--and the nurse was a prominent figure in every one of them 1 In industry it is extremely important itotc the nurse treats the patient, for the em ployer-employee relationship is affected by her manner, her receptivity to confidences, her ability to allay fear and to give helpful advice, her skill iu teaching, and her general exhibition of interest in everything that promises to promote the employee's welfare. In a talk on the industrial nurse and per sonnel work at the first annual Symposium for Industrial Nurses, sponsored by the Illinois State Department of Public Health, Mr. George B. Halletr, chief of the hospital department of the Western Electric Com pany told of experiments with improved lighting. With better light, production rose. Bat when bulbs were changed with no change in voltage, production rose anyway. The experimenters were forced to the con clusion that the very fact of being experi mented upon was the stepping-up influence There was improved attitude by employees when interested observation was introduced. This discovery led the company to in augurate a systematic interviewing system. Trained interviewers encourage employees to discuss their grievances and problems. The interviewing process itself--the relief it affords--is significant in their opinion. Grievances seem to shrink in importance Industrial Surs'wy 141 when communication throws a more objec tive tight on them. Since the nurse is dealing constantly with people who have some complaint, mental, emotional, or physical, which may either be caused by or be the cause of maladjustment to a work situation, they believe her capable of making an important contribution if she acquires good interviewing technique. Xfr. Hallett said: "Nurses are particularly well placed in the industrial structure to do this because of their professional standing, their nonauthoritacivc relationship with employees and supervisors, and their neutral mediatory position in the complex industrial structure." Thai statement leads a doctor to lay greater stress than he otherwise would upon the industrial relations aspect of nursing in industry-. The natural inclination of a doc tor would be to deprecate the trend toward the nurse scattering her energies by acting as a personnel adviser on all sorts of prob lems. He might contend that industry* hires nurses because they* want nurses, and nurs ing is what the nurse is peculiarly fitted to do. But it may be conceded that her verytraining as a nurse, and the position in which it places her in industry, should peculiarly fit her for this broader field. Cer tainly if she can help to relieve employees' mental and emotional, as well as physical, distress, she is thereby also improving their health, and is therefore still within the nursing sphere. We are simply making that sphere more comprehensive. Specific Functions Within the scope of the industrial nurse's work, consequently, are functions that di rectly and indirectly bear on health and safety- 1. Helping the physician in making preemployment and periodic physical examina tions. 2. Rendering first aid and subsequent case of industrial injuries and occupational dis eases as directed and supervised by the physician in charge. 3. Rendering reasonable first aid and ad vice to employees, suffering from non-in dustrial Injuries and illnesses while on dutyaccording to the policies and standing orders for such service. For further professional service employees should be referred to their private physicians. 4. Cooperating with the safety department by (a) Reiterating safety principles to on* ployces at the time of dispensary visits, (b) Re-explaining and re-emphaslaing to employees the program in plant sani tation when indicated. (c) Reporting all accidental injuries and occupational diseases that should be investigated from the standpoint of casual relationship and prevention. (d) Reporting to the physician for ex amination, and also to the safety direc tor, those employees who are accident repeaters or who seem to be accident prone on account of mental or physical defects. 5. Cooperating in promulgating an accept able program in health preservation and health education by: (a) Giving appropriate advice to indi vidual employees. (b) Giving talks to groups on proper nursing subjects. (c) Distributing literature on health subjects, (d) Encouraging workers to have pe riodic physical examinations where such examinations arc not already being made. (c) Assisting in developing adequate recreational programs and facilities. (f) Assisting in maintaining certain phases of the sanitation program by inspecting the plant cafeteria and kitchen and other places where sanitation is an important factor. (g) Cooperating with private physicians and with local health and welfare agen cies in activities designed to benefit the health of the worker and of the community as a whole. 6. Keeping adequate records by; (a) Recording all industrial injuries and occupational diseases. (b) Recording all employee visits to the dispensary for non-industrial in juries and illnesses. (c) Maintaining physical examination records as confidential information. (d) Compiling statistical summaries, at intervals, of the injury and illness ex perience, and reporting it to the indi cated officials. (e) Computing or obtaining annually the injury frequency- and severity rate. 142 29th National Safety Congress In this Use ox functions is indicated the limits beyond which the nurSe should not go in rendering medical service. It is also indicated that her opportunities are limit less in improving industrial relations, and even public relations, through her health and safety efforts. The public relations pos sibilities may be realized through the func tion that involves "cooperating with private physicians and with local health and we) fare agencies in activities designed to benefit the health of the worker and of the community as a whole." The duties of the industrial nurse vary considerably with the size of the industry and the type of community' in which it is situated. Some larger plants have nurses exclusively for home calls. In the small plant, these may come tinder the functions of the same nurse who assists with first aid and other work. In making home calls, it is sometimes possible to aid in improving con ditions and attitudes, thus rendering social service. Qualifications What qualifications should the nurse have to be successful in industrial nursing? We at the American College of Surgeons have a strong predilection for minimum stand ards. There should be a minimum standard for nursing in industry, to supplement the minimum standard for medical service in industry. This suggested minimum stand ard for nursing service in industry' is based upon qualifications formulated a year or so ago by the executive and education divisions of tiie National Organization for Public Health Nursing: 1. Graduation from an accredited school of nursing, as a prerequisite to employment in an industrial medical department. 2. Instruction and experience in surgical nursing, including operating room and first aid, or supplementary instruction in these types of nursing if thorough preparation was not included in the basic nursing education period. 3. At least one year of experience under qualified nursing supervision in a public health nursing service, to succeed an aca demic year of study in public health nursing in one of the colleges or universities whose program is approved by the National Organ ization for Public Health Nursing. 4. Registration under the laws governing trained nursing service in the state. 5. For the nurse in a supervisory position, successful experience in industrial nursing, part of which is preferably in the type of industrial work in which the nurse is to act as supervisor. 6. A working knowledge of the principles of teaching, social case work, community organization and resources, public health administration, industrial relations, person nel administration, industrial hazards, nu trition, communicable diseases, mental hy giene, and personal hygiene, as they affect the individual and his family. 7. An interest in and ability* to work with all kinds of people; good physical health and emotional stability*; initiative; good judgment; resourcefulness. 8. Qualities of leadership, executive and teaching ability, vision and imagination for the supervisor of other nurses. In addition, a special attribute the indus trial nurse needs is responsiveness to the stimulation of industrial activity-. Not every nurse would have this. Some feel more re sponsive to surroundings that reflect the attitudes and ideals of medical science, such as we find in the hospital. Perhaps only by trial could it be discovered whether the re action to the industrial situation promised to bring out the best that was in a person. And certainly a nurse and every* individual should seek a sphere of activity that clialfenges her or him to supreme effort. The Organization for Public Health Nurs ing declares that the number of nurses who through education and experience can meet all of the desirable qualifications is limited. A door of opportunity is therefore open in this field for many who seek a career of service. Replies to a recent questionnaire sent out by the National Safety* Council showed that 213 member plants had 565 full time nurses and 58 part time nurses The Hawthorne Plant of the Western Electric Company, employing some 13,000 people, re cently reported a staff of ten full time nurses, two technicians and three clerks, in addition to nine doctors. Opportunities Graduation from an accredited nursing school is essential. The next step is special training in the subject, and the National Industrial Nursing 143 Organization for Public Health Nursing has approved the programs in certain colleges or universities for courses of study in public health nursing, of which industrial nursing is considered ooe division. Doubtless some of these courses are so arranged that they can be taken as postgraduate work in spare time without interfering with employment. There has also been some talk of holding institutes for industrial health personnel. Last fall, in Chicago, under the sponsorship of the Illinois State Department of Health, a symposium, the first of its kind, for ihdustrial nurses, was held, and nurses from seven or eight states attended. Nurses should attend as many of the con ferences on medical service in industry as thej* can. They should attend sessions of na tional and local industrial nursing organiza tions, or those of sections of nursing and medical associations that concentrate on in dustrial problems. Knowledge may also be acquired through reading and through cul tivation of acquaintance with others doing similar work. Of course, knowledge of in dustry in general, and of the particular in dustry* and company, will be valuable. "Who's Too Small for Health Program?" is the name of a pamphlet issued this year by. the Committee on Healthful Working Conditions of the National Association of Manufacturers. The implication for the nurse is dear in the statement that the ques tion, "Can we afford a health program?" should be rephrased by the small plant to say. "On we afford tiai to have a health program?" They have it figured out that even in the smallest plants, a nurse could be afforded by utilizing her part time in other departments where she would still be available in case of emergency. Her "salary would be offset by lower compensation costs and higher production.*' Of course, the danger in such a situation is that the nurse may be expected to perform service for which she is neither by training nor by law equipped or authorized. That is a danger against which she "must guard, and always be sure to have medical advice before she undertakes any but nursing procedures and ordinary first aid. Advances in Industry The industrial nurse's perspective and her prospects depend, however, upon the outlook for medical service in industry as a whole. In 1915--only twenty-five years ago--the average expenditure for medical work in in dustry was SB cents per capita. Now it is over $6.00 per capita. With the impetus of the new committee which Mr. Beaver heads, the formation this year of the Air Hygiene Foundation, the in creasing efforts of the American Association of Industrial Physicians and Surgeons and the National Organization for Public Health Nursing, the continuing cooperation of the National Safety Council and the influence exerted by the many special and local organ izations in the field, there is little question but that the next twenty-five years will sec even more advance than the past in indus trial medicine. Especially when figures like those given by the United States Public Health Service can be produced which demonstrate that the expenditure by a company of $8.00 per man per year on a health program will yield a $12, or 150 per cent, return per year to that company. Industry gives ear to that kind of argument--all of us do in this practical age. THURSDAY AFTERNOON SESSION ' October 10, 1910 The session was called to order by Mrs. Christian Seabrook, R.N., Local Field Su pervisor, Metropolitan Life Insurance Co~, Chicago, and President, Chicago Industrial Nurses Association, who presided. Chairman Seabrook introduced Dr. Theodore JL Van- Delian. Instructor of Medicine, Northwest ern University Medical School. Chicago, who. in the absence of Dr. J. Roscoe Miller, read his prepared paper before the dele gates. 144 29th Notional Safety Congress The Heart and Heart Disease in Industry By J. ROSCOE MILLER, M.S., M.D. Chicago, Illinois Heart disease leads all others as a cause of death in the United States. Its morbidity rate can only be estimated but it is, of course, enormous. Cardiac ailments account not only for days lost from industry but also considerable curtailment of activity. The 300,000 deaths recorded each year from Itcart disease in this country represent count less days of partial or complete inactivity for a much greater number. These facts are quoted to point out that wc are not discussing a rare or unimportant entity but the foremost problem facing medicine today. Despite tliis dark picture there is a bright side and the cardiac should not be looked upon as a burden on himself, industry' or society. We are rapidly learn ing more about the prevention and manage ment of heart disease and the regulation of those who are so afflicted The main reason for the ascendency of heart TTauble in our mortality statistics, is that medicine has not yet understood, and therefore has not conquered the degenera tive diseases. We have learned much about their care and methods of prolonging useful life but until we understand the underlying causes we will be unable to prevent them. It is all well and good to say everyone must grow old. but there is a reason why some people age faster than others and why this aging process is more frequently seen in one organ or set of organs than in an other. Why do these things occur? The answer is the biggest challenge to medicine today. When it is answered we may again take the ceiling off the life expectancy in man. A child born a hundred or more years ago had to run the gauntlet of the diseases common to infancy; namely the dysenteries, food and vitamin deficiencies, and the acute infections. Then came childhood with its diphtheria, small pox and meningitis. Suc cessfully through these, the young adult could expect typhoid fever and pneumonia. Only after surviving these and many other acute infections would he cater the degen erative period where heart disease takes such a heavy toll. Today many of these infectious diseases are either partially or completely controlled. The control of typhoid fever has become an important measure in every community's sanitation program. An enlightened people no longer must fear small pox or diphtheria, and the death rate from pneumonia has fallen to a level undreamed of by our fathers. The result is that people are living to an age where arteriosclerosis and its at tending complications are our chief problem. The causes of heart disease are many and for the sake of continuity it might be well to discuss them from the standpoint of the age at onset. This necessarily makes us begin with congenital heart disease. This phase can be passed over rather rapidly because of the fact that it is relatively uncommon and it does not offer a serious problem to Industry. Since Uie heart is such a complicated structure it is little wonder that defects in development do occur. The wonder is rather that they occur SO seldom. If the defect is slight, such as incomplete closure in the septum between the two auricles it may go unnoticed and present no particular problem. If on the other hand the defect is great it is incompatible with life and the child does not survive. Diag nosis is usually easy and is made early. Its treatment can be dismissed from a discussion such as this. The second Urge classification which cannot be dismissed is heart disease which re sults from infection. Since the heart is called upon to propel all the blood circulat ing through the body It naturally follows that it is particularly susceptible to infec tions which enter the blood stream, m fact this is practically the only way bacteria may enter the heart. Accidents resulting in pene trating wounds of the chest and spreading infectious from the lungs and plesra may and do occur but they are uacomnoa Heart infections are usually blood borne, and up per respiratory infectious, tonsillitis. bron chitis, and rheumatic fever are the uxanwn offenders. Their effect is usually iwsidk>qs and chronic. The valves separating the chambers of the heart, or the bean and Industrial Nursing 145 great vessels, become involved, and the body sets about to heal the damaged member. This it does admirably by forming a scar, much as a scar is formed on the skin after a cut. This may lead to other difficulties, how ever. First of all the heart and its lining are thereafter more liable to subsequent infections and secondly a puckering takes place much as it docs in scars elsewhere and as a result the valves no longer come tightly together when they dose and a con dition commonly known as "leakage of the heart" results. In addition the valve no longer is soft and pliable but becomes rigid and consequently the inflowing blood is ohtructL That this obstruction puts an abnormal strain on the heart musculature is obvioas. The heart responds to the extra work by dilating and increasing the strength of its muscular walls. This process can continue to be effective only to a certain point, however, and when the time is reached when the muscle can no longer stand the strain, it dilates, often suddenly, and heart failure results. Now a heart so affected naturally has its reserve diminished. and a patient so afflicted can compare the status of his heart with his bank account Each day his heart builds up a certain reserve and each day he adds his earning to his account If his salary is cut the amount he adds to his account decreases and if his heart is dam aged his cardiac reserve is likewise dimin ished. If he lives within his means he will be able to continue a happy existence but it he overdraws, bankruptcy ensues In a similar sense the patient with heart disease can continue a useful life as long as he does not overtax his heart but lack of care in this regard will result in heart failure. The treatment then amounts to no more than building up the reserve. The recuperative power of the heart is enormous if it is given haU a chance, and if a patient's activities are curtailed and stimulating drugs, such as digitalis, are given an effective heart action can again be obtained. Now to apply these facts to the workman in industry. There are several ways in which industry can influence the prevention of heart disease due to infection. First by working conditions which help to prevent acute infections and secondly by examination of employees before and during employ ment. Discovery of hidden or unrecognized infections at the time of employment may prevent serious consequences later. In the same manner, their discovery by periodic examinations may* prevent subsequent cardiac complications. When a person is found to have valvular heart disease there is no reason why he or she cannot lead a full and useful life, re membering always that the cardiac reserve is diminished and tliat the heart should not be asked to carry heavy burdens. A se dentary occupation is certainly more desir able for these people, even though they are having no trouble with their heart at the time of examination. Already handicapped, it will perform better and last longer if called upon to do no more titan is abso lutely necessary*. Sudden failure of such hearts is unusual and there is no reason why employees with valvular heart disease cannot be placed in positions of responsibil ity, even where they arc responsible for the welfare of others. Such is not the case with heart disease due to arteriosclerosis. This form should be differentiated from the foregoing in that its cause and effect are different. It is of course seen in an older age group, usually appearing toward the end of the fourth decade. As has been said the heart's re sponsibility is the propulsion of blood throughout the body but at the same time it requires a blood supply of its own. This is supplied through a system known as the coronary' arteries. Unfortunately in arterio sclerosis, or hardening of the arteries, these coronary arteries are often the first vessels in the body to be affected. If the walls of the vessels become sufficiently hardened the flow of blood to the heart muscle is lessened. Pain is the result. This pain is character ized by sudden onset and is usually located under the breast bone. If it radiates it is usually to the left shoulder and arm. It usually comes as the result of unusual ex ertion and goes away with rest. This is angina pectoris. It is the heart's way of telling us that it is nat getting enough nourishment to carry-on the work we are asking of it and when we feel it is time to stop and take stock. This type of heart disease usually occurs in (I) men who are working under tension and (2) those who are overweight. There fore a readjustment in their work and mode of living is necessary. The prevention of arteriosclerosis is one of the strongest talk 146 29th National Safety Congress ing points for vacations. Freedom from work and worry or a short period of time is a fine prophylactic measure. The most important exercise for these patients is one which is performed three times each day and consists in pushing themselves away from the dinner table some time before they have eaten all they can hold. Reduc tion of weight is essential and since the heart sufferer should not perform strenuous exercise there is only one way to obtain this reduction and that is by diet Now suppose this condition does develop in an individual, does it mean that he is no longer useful in industry? Certainly not! If he is placed in the proper position he will be useful to indus try and himself alike. But his position should not require heavy exertion and he should be under the care of his family physician. In case he is indispensable to his business others must be trained to replace him allowing the patient necessary vacations for proper rest Lastly, it is unwise to put the physical welfare of others in his hands, since too often this form of heart disease results in sudden failure. If his job is one which requires his constant attention and where any lapse would endanger his life or that of other employees he should be trans ferred to other work. Symptoms of coronary heart disease vary and they might resemble symptoms re ferable to other organs of the body. When a coronary vessel becomes completely plugged it is known as coronary thrombosis. Typically there is severe oppressive pain, in the chest, frequently radiating down the left arm. This does not go away with rest and is accompanied by a fall in Mood pressure and signs of shock. This is the usual but by no means the invariable picture pre sented. Often the symptoms seem to come from the stomach, particularly in mild at tacks, or the sufferer may think be has "bronchitis" or gall bladder disease. One must be cautious of the man over 40 who complains of a sudden unusual pain in bis stomach. It may be his stomach, but again it may be his heart. An exaggeration which makes this point is the statement that heart disease in young men is usually stomach trouble while stomach trouble in old men is usually heart disease. Overdrawn, of course, but it contains enough truth to make it worth remembering. What applies to heart disease which is the result of hardening of the arteries is applicable to that resulting from elevated blood pressure. It occurs in essentially the same age group and its management is es sentially the same. The undamaged heart can long withstand moderate elevations of blood pressure unless a sudden undue bur den is placed upon iL However if the pres sure is sustained for a sufficient period of time and if it reaches an unusually high level the heart may no longer be abSe to push against this added load, and failure results. What has been said about harden ing of the arteries may be said also abqyt hypertension. It is compatible with IcJg and useful life, but it does require some curtailment of activity. As to the type of heart disease resulting from toxins only a few words need be said, as these are more often internal than ex ternal. Thyrotoxicosis may result in heart disease but as a rule it is a temporary re action. As soon as the thyroid is controlled the heart returns to its former stale. Drug and chemical injuries to the heart are un usual and present such a rare problem that they need not concern us at this time. With our modem methods of diagnosis the recognition of the various forms of heart disease important to industry is usually comparatively easy. Despite all the additions to our diagnostic armamentarium there is still nothing to replace a careful history and physical examination. The size and shape of the heart as determined by percussion and the x-ray will in itself give valuable clues as to whether there is any abnormality and what tie underlying cause is Thus rheu matic heart disease with a mitral stenosis trill result in a different contour from that seen in hypertension. The recent increasein x-ray examination of the chest for occu pational lung diseases should result in the recognition of more abnormal hearts. The pulse rate itself is often a good guide to the heart's condition. It can be stated as a general rule that a slow heart is better than a fast one or. to put it another way, when the heart beats 70 times per minute it is working % of the time and resting of the time in between beats. When it beats 100 times per minute it can rest only half of the time, and when it increases to 130 it gets only half as much rest as when it beats normally at 70 per Industrial Nursing 147 minute. In thyrotoxicosis, one of the card inal signs is a rapid pulse, and an increased pulse rate when at rest is one of the early signs of heart failure. Palpitation of the pulse will also reveal irregularities. Some of these may be harmless, but. they should all be investigated and evaluated. Examination with a stethoscope may be all that is necessary to determine the pres ence of SI valvular lesion, its location and CT**r The electrocardiogram, on the other kis of particular value in deciding whether degenerative heart changes have place and how far they have pro gressed. This valuable aid is often dis credited unjustly by those who expect more information than it is possible for it to giveTo understand and evaluate the electro cardiogram it is necessary* to review briefly the conduction mechanism of the heart. This has been likened to a telegraphic system, through which pass electrical impulses which initiate the heart beat. The electrocantiognnn measures the amount of this current, the time it takes to pass through the heart and the rode it follows. It is at once ob vious that it is of inestimable value in such conditions as coronary thrombosis and hy pertension where the conduction system may be damaged, but that it might lend little aid in valvular heart disease where the conduc tion system is intact. It is not an expensive procedure and should be used more ex tensively in older employees, particularly where heart disease is suspected. Another procedure of value in making a heart examination is the response of the pulse rate and blood pressure to exercise. It is simply and easily performed. The pulse rate and blood pressure are taken while the patient is in a resting state and then lie is required to do a standard exercise, one of the most common being 25 hops on each foot- Immediately after this exertion the pr.ior and blood pressure are again talon; both should rise, the former 20 to 40 per cent and the latter from 12 to 30 points. At the end of three minutes' rest, however, both should have returned to or below their prevkjos JcveL In some instances stairs of certain bright are used, or the patient is told to Mow through an aperture for a given kflgth of time. No matter what method is used it gives valuable information in little time and with very little apparatus. Vital capacities and circulation times are also used but while of value to the cardiologist they are not as well adapted to routine exam inations. There is a place in industry for those hav ing heart disease. In. fact those having an old, healed infection may well be as good risk as their more fortunate colleague. How ever it is important that the heart ailment be recognized and properly evaluated; and secondly that the sufferer be put at tasks for which he is fitted but which do not put un due stress on the damaged organ. They should never engage in occupations where there is a possibility of lung involvement such as may come from silicon particles, because a heart already damaged will cer tainly react poorly if the lungs too arc af fected. Likewise his job should be chosen with regard to the amount of exertion inci dent to it And finally periodic examina tions of these employees are particularly desirable. Lastly I want to say a word about the management of acute heart attacks while the patient is at work. These attacks arc usu ally of sudden onset, and whether due to a failing rheumatic heart or a coronary' oc clusion, the treatment is essentially the same. The first principle is rest, and this means in bed. Strange as it may seem, many patients with an acute failure or a coronary throm bosis are afraid to lie down lor fear they* will not be able to get their breath. The head should be propped up on two or more pillows for the patient's comfort. Morphine should be administered to these patients, it stops the pain and relieves restless ness. If an apparatus is available for the administration of oxygen it should by all mmth be given as it may save the patient's fife. Do not under any circumstance allow* the patient to walk to the car or ambulance which is to convey him to the hospital or hi* home. That extra exertion may he more Thm the failing heart on stand. And as has mentioned earlier, be on the constant lookout for heart disease masquerading un der bizarre symptoms. Early recognition of heart failure and in stitution of proper measures of control may save weeks and months of invalidism which result if the underlying condition is allowed to go unrecognized. 148 29th National Safety Congress Nutrition for Industrial Workers By MARY I. BARBER Director of Home Economics, KtUofg Company, Battle Creek, Mich. An observant personnel manager sizes up applicants at tlie first glance. Subconsciously his mind registers the presence or absence of good posture, straight legs, skillful hands, bright eyes, white teeth. The lade of any of these qualities may be caused by mal nutrition and the reason for it may date back many years. Nothing can be done to correct past mistakes or ignorances, but something can be done to improve them in the future. The physical examination given to new employees and the periodic check-up will disclose such obvious tilings as imperfect eyesight, dental caries, goitre or anemia. Man}' physicians send employees to the den tist or family doctor; but possibly neither may give advice on the improvement in food habits which will mean better nutrition. The nurse has a splendid opportunity to find out about the kind of menus served in the homes which she visits, or if she does not make home calls, she can get this information by talking with the people who come to her office. People have an instinctive confidence in a nurse. They do not fear her as the)* do the doctor:--he may find out that they need their tonsils out and recommend a painful operation. The nurse does not prescribe. She listens sympathetically. If she is alert she finds out much which is significant and which can guide the doctor in his diagnosis. A patient may be shy about talking to the doctor about being overweight--but not to the nurse. An overweight condition may be a contributing factor to less than 100 per cent efficiency on the job. Occasionally we find a factory where a nutritionist is employed. She, the nurse and the doctor are a combination ideal for carrying on a nutrition program. One large manufacturing plant has such a set-up. The nutritionist has conferences with employees v. ho have asked for this service or have been referred by doctors or nurses. She directs certain experiments such as the administra tion of cod liver oil or vitamin tablets to certain groups, comparing their lack of colds to those of other groups not having vitamin therapy. The nutritionist gives special courses for the nurses and helps them with employees' problems. She acts as ad viser to the cafeteria director. Here is a letter to employees typical of a nutrition program explanation; To the Vitamin Group "Our tablets this winter contain vitamins A, B, D, and G instead of the usual A and D of former years. "Why sene a tablet which contains vita* min B and vitamin G? Because recent stud ies show that these vitamins, in right amount, help to make us physically fit by keeping the digestive tract healthier, appetite keener, and nerves steadier. "There are foods rich in these vitamins, but people do not always get the right amount in their food. To make certain that the members of the Vitamin Group are ade quately supplied, we include small amocots of them in the tablets. "We could get the rest from oor food. Isn't it fortunate that wc can turn to the common foods like milk, green leafy and yellow vegetables, potatoes, oranges, toma toes, eggs, beef, liver, and whole grain cereals to furnish these vitamins? At the same rime, we shall be richly supplied with vitamins A and C. and the best proteins and minerals. "If your menus for the day include in ap proximately the quantities suggested the following foods with butter, whole grain cereals, and breadstuffs, you may rest as sured you will have better health and greater vigor. Milk, whole........................................................1 pint E&sr .......................................... .................. 1 Broccoli (or any green leaf vegetable) ....................................1 cup. steamed Carrots (or any yellow vegetable) 2or 3 small Potato, medium size...............................................I Orange juice (or 2 cups tomato joke) ^ asp Liver, or beef, or pork well cooked. 1 serving "There would be no harm in doubling the amounts of the items. Industrial Nursing 149 "If there is any question you wish to ask about your diet, the Medical Department will gladly discuss-it with you. "Cordially yours Nutrition Adviser Plant Norse." It is desirable to have a milk dispenser or snack bar available to all employees. This assures food served and eaten in a sanitary way. Nothing looks worse than people eat ing while working. Crumbs have no place in a factory work room. One factory which used to have a soft drink dispenser was persuaded to sell bottled milk also, bo a re frigerator was purchased. Immediately the workers began to buy white and chocolate milk. Soon the refrigerator (a very large one) was inadequate, so a snack bar was established. This particular plant runs 24 hours a day--4 shifts--with about 1,800 em ployees. Here arc the sales figures for June 1940 on milk products alone: 1,700 to 2,000 persons are served per day. Milk.....................................1,200 half pint bottles 2,400 pint bottles Ice Cream.............................................1,700 gallons Chocolate Milk.............1,800 half pint bottles Buttermilk.............................................180 gallons Coffee, sandwiches and doughnuts are also available but observation shows that the dairy products are the best sellers. In our own factory the snack bar carries individual packages of our own cereals and interest ingly enough, a fairly large number of peo ple who are working with them day after day buy them. Some public school cafeterias serve a combiuarictt of individual ready-to-eat cereal with a one-half pint bottle of milk for five cents. If a whole grain cereal is chosen this is as good value for the money as any coninnation possible on a counter. Many chil dren eat this as dessert. I have watched industrial workers go along the line in a cafeteria and often am astonished by the poorly balanced meals they choose--and sometimes pleasantly surprised at wise choices. Perhaps the solution is a combination or plate meal to be played up and made so attractive and priced so reason ably that it will be a voluntary choice. A well trained food service director can see that wholesome, nutritious meals are of fered. Industry feels its responsibility to its em ployees and has proved this by providing such things as sanitary working conditions, medical service, recreational facilities, etc., but for the most part a constructive nutri tion program has been omitted. Can it be ignored any longer if manufacturers wish to cooperate with government agencies and promote the American Way of living? The strongest argument I can give in urging in dustry to include nutrition in its thinking for 1911 is to quote Miss Harriet Elliott, Consumer Commissioner, National Defense Advisory Commission: "We have a job to do. You, and I, and everyone. Our job is this: To make Amer ica strong. "We have our lands to hold, our waters to protect, our skies to guard. We have these, but we have more. We have people. "We are rich in people. People who love and cherish our lands. Peopte who know how and. want to work. People who liave deep faith that here we have the greatest chance for life, and liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. People who know the fight for these is never won until it is won for everybody. "Defense is planes and guns. It is equip ping an array to man our military weapons. It is this, and more. It is building the health, the physical fitness, the soda! well-being of all our people, and doing it the democratic way. Hungry people, undernourished people, ill people, do not make for strong defense. "This, then, is our job, not all of it, but a vital port: Let us make every American strong, stronger than ever before, sturdier in body, steadier in nerves, surer In living." Out of 130 million people, 45 million live below the safety line because wc do not get the food we need. The reasons are because the income is too low; because of ignorance of how to buy, plan and prepare meals; be cause our interest has not been roused. Below the safety line means: Bodies that tire too easily. Bodies with minds that are slow to think. Bodies too weak .to fight disease. On or above the safety line means: Strong, straight bodies that can carry the load of a hard day's work; eyes that are sharp and sure; nerves that are steady, firm and unafraid. You can help to build a food route to safety by an educational program in your 150 29th National Safety Congress organization. This can be under the per sonnel, medical, nursing or home economics department--or better, with the cooperation of all of them. Optimum nutrition for every worker; helps for his family by setting up a food clinic to which problems can be brought: distribution of leaflets which give practical advice on. spending money and getting nutritional value for each food dollar; encouraging home gardens, home canning or cold locker-storage of surplus fruits and vegetables: setting up displays of adequate menus for a day; posting on bulletin boards items to stimulate interest in nutrition. There is some dietitian in every dty who will gladly help you with a nutrition pro gram (I am sure that I can speak for mem bers of the American Dietetic Association). The Food and National Defense Issue of Consumers Guide lists dty, county, state and government agencies ready to give service on this "Food for Safety" program. Again let me quote from this same maga zine : "AMERICA can dream that want will disappear. America can hope and live in hope that none will lack the food he needs. Wc can dream and hope, but we must also work. "Wc can work. "With our lands, and hands, and machines wc have built greatly. We have raised from the earth buildings that soar a thouand feet We have dammed gigantic rivers and made their waters do the work of millions. Wc have created cities and highways, fac tories and machines that arc the marvel of the world. "We have worked at many things. We must do more. "We must work at this job of getting everybody a chance to earn a livelihood that includes the food be needs. We must make sure that our farmers, the most abundant producers cm earth, will have the help they need to keep on raising food and saving soil. We must make our dollar* buy the best and safest meals for all. "This means work. "Wc can start in our own homes. Make food do all the job it can do. Make certain each member of the family gets the food that keeps him strong and wclL "We. can look at our own communities, discover where meals are poor, why they are poor, how they must be enriched. "We banish low incomes and waste, and abolish monopoly that chokes the flow of foods from farms to homes. "We have the talent to do all this vig orously, persistently, and in the ways of a democratic people. "We can make America strong by mak ing Americans stronger." adjournment Maintaining Interest in Safety THURSDAY MORNING SESSION October 10,1940 The session convened with the Chairman, H. R. Bixler, Assistant to the Manager. Industrial Relations, Union Carbide & Car bon Corporation, New York City, presiding. The program had been plumed as a Panel Discussion of devices and methods of main taining the interest of employees in active accident prevention cooperative work. Chairman Bixler introduced the members of the Panel as follows: Harry W. Darr, Safety Supervisor, Beth lehem Steel Company, Cambria Plant, Johns town, Pa. Robert F. Ferguson, Manager of Safety, Republic Steel Corporation, Cleveland, O. Everett A. Roberts, District Engineering Manager, American Mutual Liability* In surance Company, Atlanta, Ga. Roy L. Rollins, Director of Safety, A. E. Staley Manufacturing Company, Decatur, III. Harold F- Webb, General Safety Di rector, American Water Works & Electric System, Pittsburgh, Fa. The Chairman also called attention to a group of suggested problems, as outlined in the program, to be discussed as selected, which will appear as the discussions progress below. CHAIRMAN BIXLER: While it is not the intention of members of this Panel to do much more than "keep the ball roll ing" in this discussion, they are here to pitch in when needed. The proper place for discussion is on the floor. The first of the questions selected for discussion is, "Methods of Maintaining the Interest of Management and Employees." How can wc gee and hold the interest of management ? Thai is a very broad question. I shall ask Mr. H. W. Darr to begin the discussion of it. Management Interest H. W. DARR: Mr. Chairman, this ques tion is a most important one and it could very well be discussed here alt morning. But I will only throw out a few sugges tions. The first thing I want to say is, that unless you have the wholehearted attention and interest and backing of the management of yotur company, you might as well stop all your safety efforts until you do get it. The next thing I want to say is this: If you want to approach the general manager or president of your corporation and get his interest, you have got to forget first of all that he is an unapproachable lord of all; he is just a common ordinary human bring, the same as the rest of us. In the next place, you must invite his participation in safety activities, bearing this one thing in mind, that he cannot enter into a thing and express his interest in it unless he is a part of iL The next, keep him posted on accident frequency, severity and costs. We often talk about accident prevention work on the basis of a humanitarian issue only; but let us not lad ourselves into ' Sieving that man agement never looks at i..o cost sheet where accidents are concerned. He is vitally interested in costs. So it is necessary for us to keep him posted regularly on the fre quency. severity and costs of accidents. The next thing, have certain routine work pass over his desk, and have that pass over daily; not much of it, but just enough to keep it fresh in his mind that you have a safety organization that is functioning. Last of all, I think it is necessary* (and this is for you fellows to determine) to bring the general manager down to the level of the workingman and bring the 151 .yin ivanonoi ooyety congress workingman up to the level of the general manager so they can discuss their accident prevention problems on an equal basis. CHAIRMAN BIXLER: Are there any questions which should be asked Mr, Darr in relation to the points he has covered? He has opened this subject on a broad basis. If oot, let us proceed to the next question. This, I think, is a more pointed one. "If you could have bat one interest, which would you cover first in developing a safety program, that of the management or the men?" I will ask Mr. R. F. Ferguson to speak on that. ROBERT F. FERGUSON: Just briefly, Mr. Chairman, if I were to take ooe in terest--and I am a little bit surprised that some of the fellows didn't pop up and ask Harry Darr a few more questions on that point because it is one that is always a sticker--my first job would be to sell my management to the hilt. I would do a sales job. 1 would present that information to my manager in such a way that it would create an interest; it would be so easy for him to see that picture that he couldn't help but go along with the things I am talking about. If I can sell that manager I will take that stuff down to the man in the plant r will take it down through my super vision, if I have his support CHAIRMAN BIXLER; Any further comment on that statement? It is a starting point which many people wonder about in developing a program or selling a local management W. W. WILLIAMS (The Detroit Edison Company, Detroit, Mich >: In the event you can't sell management, what are you going to do? MR. FERGUSON: If I can't sell my management I don't deserve to hold my job. It is absolutely essentia]. Yqu can't tell me that any management would have a safety man on the Job if that man didn't have the ability to put safety information across. I thought somebody would ask Harry Darr here how some of these things are put across with men. What is the best technique, what is the best method? agree that certain safety information should be put across daily, but it should be so brief and concise so that he will get the picture quickly. Mr. Darr is quite right, management will look at the cost figure; - but don't carry that information down too far to the supervision. I am talking about a big corporation like flic one I happen to represeat. CRYMES PITTMAN (United Gas Pipe Line Co., Shreveport, La.): Why wouldn't you carry the cost down to the foreman? Each man Is responsible for die cost. ' Foremen Interest a Com MR. FERGUSON: Please don't fitfi- understand me. Naturally the foreman ts interested in his costs. But I ana ;n> of information being carried down aw ssdi a way that the man on the job gets the idea, "Well, hell, all the interested in is bringing down the coot They are not interested in pimmit acci dents to us, or from the btxnaoctartaa standpoint All they are interested io Is costs.** That is a thing that yon have to watch. If you get too much cost informa tion out, you get this other side of the picture. It is a thing the safety man must balance carefully. PAUL F. STEINBrCKER (UbfacyOwens-Ford, Charleston, W. Va.): 1 wonder if the gentlemen on the panel would sug gest some way, some objective method by which we could know, as safety men. that management is sold. MR. FERGUSON: I happen to be ex tremely fortunate In the fact that my management is sold to the lull. I think my particular boss did the job on that seven or eight years ago. I can't take the credit for that, although we have to keep going on. My management tries, not only tries but ray management actually does keep two jumps ahead of me. They want accident statistics. They want to know where we stand in comparison with other companies. They are right on top of this information all the time. I have one assistant vice-president who insists on knowing whenever a lost-time accident occurs any place in the subsidiary operations. That information is relayed to him immediately, and be immediately is in touch with the district manager of that particular plant, regardless of where it is in the United States. Management is alert,, if the story is presented to right, if the information is made interesting and brief so they can get it. You must remem Maintaining Interest in Safety 153 ber they have many, many other things on their minds; but safety to us must come first. CHAIRMAN BIXLER: I would like to ask Mr. Rollins to pitch in on this, too. ROY L. ROLLINS: I suggest, in order to tell whether your management is sold or not, that you keep some record of your batting average. If you have made ten rec ommendations and only one of them has been accepted, them you are not doing so wdL But if you have made ten and nine have been accepted, you have some idea that you are getting your story across. I don't think there ever will be any doubt in any one's mind as to whether he is having his recommendations complied with or not. If you arc, your managemmt is very probably sold on the job you are doing. R, L. SCHMITT (Louisville Car Wheel Railway 3c Supply Co.}: A lot of safety work is started in this manner. The insur ance company man comes around and tells the boss he is having a terrible accident record, and somebody in a similar line of business is doing much better. The boss says to somebody in his organization, "Well, you see what you can do about preventing accident*." When Bob Ferguson was hired on the job. his company was already sold. That is why they hired him. But a lot of people, and i imagine a lot of men in this audience, have gone on the job cold, didn't know any thing about it, and the boss didn't know anything about it. Mr. E. A. Roberts knows; he has had a lot of experience along that line. I would like to bear him say some thing about how a man ought to sell this safety job. E A. ROBERTS: Of course, I am a professional safety man. We find that oar batting average is higher, that we are suc cessful more times hi a green field which hasn't been cultivated, in presenting to man agement an economic reason for under taking accident prevention work. I think it can be taken for granted that no management has a lack of feeling for the human suffering Involved. I know of no cases where you could ever elicit from any manager a statement that he wasn't concerned in the welfare of his employees; but that concern too often is represented merely by a fatherly intciest aod not by an urge to look into the causes of that suffer ing. He reserves his emotions for feeling sorry after the accident has occurred. Con sequently, to stimulate the initial interest, the one thing which will put management's thoughts away from his daily problem is to place safety in the category of one of those daily problems. Consequently, in our initial efforts, w*e invariably try to present the picture to the management on an economic basis, show him the direct costs involved and the hidden costs involved, and go through the whole list of economic features in that fashion. Once his interest has been engaged by that particular thing which he is working on from day to day, then his interest can be translated into operating practices which will accomplish the end desired. Intercat by Employee* CHAIRMAN BIXLER: Let u* move on to another question in this relationship, con cerning the maintenance of interest of em ployees. 1 would like to ask Mr. Webb this question which has been submitted: "Should educational material be general or specific in nature?" H. F. WEBB: Mr. Chairman, I think educational material, for the most part, should be very specific. The more you tell yonr men about the hazards of their own particular job, the more interest wilt be aroused in the use of your bulletin boards. I found from experience that it is a good plan (this is old stuff; everybody here recognizes it as being quite old and estab lished) to change the bulletin hoard fre quently. Another question that occurs to me and a question that comes to your mind, perhaps, is how worthwhile are bulletin boards. I ask the question, how worthwhile is a show window to a shopkeeper? He has something to display. You men are safety salesmen and are trying to sell a commodity that no one really wants, that is, they don't want it very much until they have to have it pretty badly or wish they had it. rather. So, if you will experiment a bit with your bulletin board, you will find it quite effec tive. Use your specific posters. Make many of them yourselves. That is always a good thing. Take some photographs of condi tions In the plant It is always a good plan to intersperse general posters occasionally 154 29th National Safety Congress with a splash of color because, when you do that, those men who feel they have seen what is already on the bulletin board, instead of dashing by without having looked, will note that some change has taken place on that bulletin board and. as a consequence, will stop to sec what it is all about 1 think, from my experience, that specific posters are very valuable in getting across to the men your own problem. The bulletin board plays a very important part in any safety program. It is a valuable asset to the safety man, and it can be used in a multitude of ways, using all kinds of novel ideas in conjunction with your posters, to get people to see them. You know when your bulletin board is not getting over. When it is not getting over, you know that it needs pepping up. Certainly your own fertile minds will de velop pome manner of drawing or attracting attention to these bulletin boards. For in stance. by "soaping" the bulletin board, leaving a peep-hole, you will be surprised how many people, especially some of the male sex--well, we won't go into that, but curiosity is one thing that will attract Thar is one of the many ways to bring men over to the bulletin board, to your show window. You have something definite and very important to sell. If you can get them over there, and if your board is suf ficiently attractive; and if it points out very* specific hazards, then you are going to sell an idea to your men. MR. SMITH: I am wondering about using the bulletin board to point out home accidents and traffic accidents and tying them up because of the human appeaL MR. WEBB: Yes; very definitely. When a man is injured at home, he is of no use to an employer if he can't return to work. Safety Committees CHAIRMAN BIXLER: We would nowlike to take up the general subject of safety committees. On the subject of safety com mittees, we have this to start out with: "Is it ever a good policy to have a safety committee of workmen without the lead ership of a foreman?*' I will ask Mr. Darr to talk about that H. W. DARR: A committee discussing matters of safety, without' the leadership of a foreman in modern day industrial activity, I think is a -very dangerous thing to undertake. In the first place, you can waste a lot of time discussing anything if you leave it to a group of men without supervision. That takes the men away from production. If you have the men do this work on their own time, then you are np against another proposition. When men get together without proper supervision, there is a tendency for their minds to wander away to story-telling and telling of experiences and dates and one thing and another, and they forget the real purpose of their meeting. We have a lot of group meetings in our plant. We find that it is dangerous, unpro ductive, and a complete waste of time to have the men congregate to discuss safety matters without the leadership of some supervisor, their foreman preferably. CHAIRMAN BIXLER: That would seem to offer room for some difference of opinion. E. F. DILLINGHAM (Southern Indiana Gas & Electric Gx. Evansville, Ind.): Lots of foremen are not sold on safety, while thetr employees are. Lots of times in our safety* meetings, moo who investigate the accidents convince the foremen thev have done things they should not da. So, I don't believe the argument would hold good in all cases. C A_ KELSO (Aetna Casualty & Surety Co., St Lotus): What is your reaction in regard to having the safety committee com posed entirely of foremen? MR. DARR: Well that is an entirely different matter, but I do not think it is good policy at any tune to have a safety committee for genera! purpose work com posed of al] foremen. Wc must have the ideas and the expressions of men who are doing the work and those who are super vising the work. CHARLES H. ABEL (Kimberly-Clark Corp., Nmtah. Wis.) : What part does labor union representation play in the formulation of a safety committee? Has any of the board experienced that? CHAIRMAN BIXLER: Mr. Ferguson, will yon pitch in oo that ? MR. FERGUSON: I assume I may speak from my own experience. Largely, we do not believe entirely in the matter of safetycommittees, particularly in our larger plants. J must agree with Mr. Darr in this re spect. A foreman is hefd directly* respon- Momtaimttg Interest in Safety 155 sible tor his actions, and you can't pass inspection work or pass the investigation of accidents over to somebody else. We believe that safety work is primarily the responsibility of management. Wc do not believe that any of the other agencies have any part in that particular program except as to suggestions or recommendations or calling certain particular situations to the foremen's attention. MR. FRANSOW (Philco Radio Com pany) : We have a safety committee that we feci is functioning as a safety committee should. In addition to the management rep resentative, the foreman, the state depart ment of labor in Pennsylvania, our insur ance carriers---in addition to all that, wc also have represented tbe four unions that control our shop 100 per cent. Of course, that is a question open to controversy, but we have found it to be of great help. These representatives are. naturally, in the mi nority. However, they are in position to see and to hear and to take back to their group management's attitude, as far as safety is concerned. We therefore think it is a good and reasonable arrangement. CHAIRMAN BIXLER: Thank you. sir. for that comment. A. E. SMITH (State Industrial Depart ment, Minnesota): I was a railroad man before I went with the State of Minnesota, and the railroads of the Northwest used shop committees one hundred per cenL They worked their first organizations twentyfive years ago. We are still using them a lot in Minnesota. We work jointly with management. Safety Committee Personnel B. MOAS (Cuba Electric Company, Ha vana, Cuba): I would like to have the panel make a recommendation on how often the safety committee personnel should be changed in the course of a year or two. CHAIRMAN BIXLER: We already have that subject as a specific question to ask on our docket. Our question is worded this way: "How often should workmen's safety* committees be changed, and, when they are changed, should they be changed wholly or in part?" I will ask Mr. Roberts to discuss lhat. E. A. ROBERTS: Since the whole ob ject of having plant safety committees is to disseminate information throughout the personnel, it would be my thought that in the organization plans of the committee work, a definite procedure of changing the personnel should be set up. The rapidity of the change or the rate of change is, in my mind, in some degree dependent on the rizc of the plant. There are industries which arc large enough to warrant the per manent retention of one or two individuals, such as the personnel manager and the vice president in charge of operations, if you please; someone reasonably high in manage ment should be retained as a permanent member of the committee. As to changing the others, it would be my thought that the tenure of office should be not less Ilian three months. If the organ ization is large, probably you will achieve a more rapid dissemination of information through changing each three months. If the organization is smaller, l would suggest the tenure of office be six months. Then, in the original set-up or in you*reorganization, if that be necessary, I would suggest that the terms be staggered. If it is an original set-up and you are dealing with a five- or four-man committee, 1 would suggest that ooe member, preferably someiKjdy yon are going to utilize as a leader just to get the thing under way, be ap pointed for a six months* interval; the next best member for tbe yearly interval; and the next one for eighteen months; and the next one for two years; so that you would have a gradual infiltration of new members throughout the period of activity. If it seems desirable to maintain a more rapid turnover, then yon would have two terms for six months and two terms for a year; but it is always desirable to keep within the committee a leavening of men who have had experience in tbe work so (hat they can prevent useless and wasted effort on the part of the new members. ROY L ROLLINS: In answer to that question, part of the answer depends on what you want to do with your safety com mittee. or what job you want your safety committee to do. Some safety committees are set op to act directly on the ground, to make inspections and to help tarry on education. I haven't been in this work long, and I remember when I first started I was pretty well bewildered and didn't know what was going on. The same thing is true of your new com- .56 29th National Safety Congress nitteeman. If he is going to go out and riakc inspections and find hazards and aterapt to correct them, the longer he stays tn the committee, the better job be is going o do. But if your essential purpose in etting up a safety committee is to educate he personnel of the committee in the hope hey will carry the education back to the nen in the plant, then they slvould revolve -ather rapidly. I think Mr. Roberts' suggesion of three or four months is a good hingr. In that period you will have time o get over to them the ideas you want licm to have. Committee Authority CHAIRMAN BIXLER: Here is another ingle on this subject of safety committees hat I think you would like to hear men* Joned at least. "Should safety committees x given authority in the execution of safety suggestions?" I wonder if Mr. Darr would ike to hit that one. H. W. DARR: Mr. Chairman, that dexuids entirely on what the nature of the suggestion is. We must remember this: Ft is the general manager of the plant ,vho keeps his fingers on the purse string. He delegates his authority to his subordjiatcs, in the form of superintendents and division managers or leaders, and they in urn delegate their power to the foreman, uid the foreman has supervision over the workman If the committee is made up of all 'work men and they make suggestions, I think their power to execute those suggestions should t>e limited to the expenditure of time only. When it comes to the expenditure of money, I think thqr should look to higher mthority before they go ahead. G. SCHUMACHER (American Nickel ed Co., Peru, 111.): We have a small plant. [ think we have a marvelous set-up. First, we have a committee, consisting of a mem ber of the management, a member of the group of foremen, a member of the union and. a member of the employees. This is called our primary safety committee. This committee meets once a mouth. Through the plant we have what we call safety in spectors. These inspectors are members of each department. They report all hazardous machinery and so forth. At the end of each month these reports are presented to the safety committee who acts upon the suggestions. Since wc have a member of each department and management has its represcitation oo there, they can make sug gestions as far as expenditures are con cerned- We find this to work out very well. C. J. WETHERSTOW (WashbumCrosby Company): Don't you think that conditions sometimes influence the set-up, and what will answer the purpose of one plant certainly won't answer for another? In our particular organization we have two committees. One committee is made up of foremen and the supervisory staff. The other octe is a union committee. We have no control as to the time when that personnel will be changed on that com mittee, and j-ct the plan seems to work very well, the proof of it being that over a period of years we have dropped our lost time experience from 36 accidents in a year down to two or three. So, as I say, I think conditions influence the set-up. MISS MARY LOU SCOTT (Jos. E. Seagram & Sons, Louisville, Ky.): I would like to ask you if you include your plant nurse on your safety committees. If not, why not? CHAIRMAN BIXLER: We should have <otoc comment on that point. MR. DARR: I want to say first that this gentleman hit the nail on the head when be said that the different plants, loca tions. size, formations and so on should govern the type and kind of safety com mittees. That is absolutely true. For ex ample. the company I represent has 15,000 men in a plant right miles long, and it would be absolutely impossible to have a committee of four men cover that plant. We have about six or seven different com mittees and some of them have as many as 65 men. Whenever those fellows get lazy on the job, of course, we take them off. Wc have no set time, but we can al ways tell when interest begins to tag. When they know that is going to happen, they are not so anxious to be taken off the com mittee. They will keep on their toes. Now, as to the nurse, we have a number of nurses in our plant They are very good and efficient nurses. While they are not members of any of these committees, we invite the nurses into the meetings of these committees frequently and have them talk Maintaining Interest m Safety 157 to the committeemen on their side of the problem. They give the committeemen a great deal of light on the nurses' and the doctors' side of industrial work. J. P. LEONARD (Blaw-Knox Company, Pittsburgh, Pa.): When a superintendent lias charge of an entire plant, I would like to recommend a plan that has worked quite successfully for us. We have six plants, the smallest one approximately 100 employees and the largest around 1,200 or 2,300, the other four ranging in between. Our safety committees are selected from the rank and file of employees from the various departments. The chairman of the committee is selected from that group. The secretary of the committee is the safety director of that plant, or the man in charge of safety. The superintendent of the plant sits in at every safety meeting. That is very important. He is able to answer a lot of questions that are brought up by the safety committee. We also have our nurse or the first aid attendant as a member of that safety com mittee. In some of our plants we have nurses, and in others we have a first aid attendant. They are active members of the committees. Each' one makes his or her report at the safety committee meeting. In regard to changing the personnel of your safety committee: in addition to the size and condition of your plant, you must also take into consideration how long you have been carrying on a safety program, because much depends upon that The farther you arc advanced, the greater differences there will be in your set-up and the way you conduct your meetings and how you handle your committee. We have some com mittees we have been carrying along for a year, because we have not been in safety work very long, and they are making prog ress. la other plants, when we find a fellow has faded to keep up interest, we change the committee. It is also a good thing to pot oq year safety committee (one or two is enough; one w a small committee and two oo a larger committee) men out in the plant whom you know are not any too writ sold oo safety. Bring than into your safety committee and make them mem bers of it. Give them something to do. They m turn will pay dividends to you. Safety Rule Book* CHAIRMAN BIXLER: The next gen era! subject is that of safety rule books. Our first question under that head is: "How and by whom shonld the subject matter of safety rule books be assembled? How much detail should there be in this selection?" I will ask Mr. Rollins to lead off on this subject. ROY L. ROLLINS; I am aware that, there is a difference of opinion as to whether you should have a safety rule book or not. With your permission, I am going to as sume that you do want to have a safety rule book and that you want to have a good one. So the question is, by whom should it be a&sembtoi? It is my feeling that in a democratic country, public opinion is the court of last resort That bring true, none of us is going to obey very well or very* willingly any rule or law that wc don't agree with or that we don't feel we have had a rhanre to be heard on. For those reasons, I believe that the more people who participate in the formation of a safety rule book, the better the rule book will be and the more nearly it will be obeyed. In our own plant, about three years ago. wc frit that we wanted to have a safely rule hook. We bad not had one before. The matter was discussed in our safety committee for three or four months, and we talked about it from every angle, what was good about it and what was bad about St. Finally, we formulated a tentative set of rules. We had those rules mimeographed and sent them out to all of our foremen and a.sistant foremen throughout the plant and asked them to put them on the bulletin board. We asked any employees who might have any suggestions or corrections or ad ditions to submit them to us. As a rcuh of that procedure, we got back some 65 ideas which were worth discussing. Out of those 85 ideas we found about 16 that were good and really, necessary In our rule book. I honestly feel that the method of formalalion of your rule book is marc important than the rules are themselves. If you feel that you had a hand in getting these rules together, you arc going to be sympathetic with them. 1 don't think any one man, the safety director or safety engi neer, no matter how well he may know his subject, can get across as good a set of rules as one that is gotten together by discussion 158 29th National Safety Congress and questions among your entire working force. I would like to emphasize that you especially ask your foreman and assistant foreman for suggestions on the basis that they are the men, after all, who are going to have to enforce these rules. If they are not sympathetic with the rules, certainly they won't be enforced. CHAIRMAN BIXLER: How about some comment on this interesting subject? W. T. CAMERON (U. S. Department of Labor, Washington, D. C.): X agree with Mr. Rollins. I think the democratic pro cedure is the only way that we can get ac ceptance of these rules. I would like to ask a question. How often should the old rule book be thrown out and begin the proce dure over again, to again work out this same process that you admit is better than the actual rules themselves? MR. ROLLINS: It is my feeling that that will be decided by conditions in your own plane. If conditions in your plant are just the same today in relation to labor, in relation to equipment and everything else, as they were when you made up your rules, if the rules were good in the first place, then continue with them. But condi tions change in your plant; you have new equipment; you have new processes and new work methods. Maybe as you go along with your rules and attempt to enforce them, you will find that you have some "bugs'* in them that should be straightened out. So probably as a general answer to Mr. Cameron's question, we ought to be on the alert for those things all the time. I have a small file in my desk in which I keep notes on our daily safety code. I think sometime within the next six months we are going to revise our rules and incorpo rate a number of new ideas that have come along, and get rid of some of the difficulties we have found. S. WARZALA (Cairo Chemical Division, American Cyanamld Co., Bound Brook, N. j.): I should like to ask Mr. Rollins, if he had to do it over again, would he employ the same method in the formulation of his safety code that he did? MR- ROLLINS: I do have the feeling that we would probably do it much as we did before, that is discuss it in the safety committee and allow the safety committee tn formulate a skeleton or plan of action upon which everybody could work.. There is more possibility of good suggestions when you have something to suggest. You say, "Here it is. Do you like it or do you not like it?" The men are going to have an opin ion on that. If you ask a man point-blank, "What is a good safety rule?" he may be stumped. I believe I would do it as it was done before. JAMES R. BYRUM (American Rolling Mill Co., Middletown, Ohio): Gentlemen, we do not have general rule books. In the formation of what wc call our safe prac tices, we only consider the men involved, who would be Interested in a particular practice. We don't think a man in the ship ping department should be bothered to try to pick out of a rule book, which contains a lot of rules that pertain to an open hearth, rules with which be is concerned. In the formation of our safe practices we began with our foremen and our safety department We sat down with the man we thought should know all of the practices of his department. We took plenty of time. We tried to get all the "bugs" out of it that we possibly could. After we made a transcript, that in turn was taken by the foreman to his particular group of men. They tore this whole thing apart. Between the men who had to do the job and the man who had to supervise the job, we felt we had a pretty good cross-section as to the proper way to do that particular job. Finally, that was put into a graph, and we reviewed it again. It finally was made up into the form of a safe practice book, but it was not bound. I think a lot of us make the mistake of binding rule books. We tried it once. Two weeks after we bound the book we found we made a mistake, with no chance to cor rect it at all unless we put out a new edition. This book is made up of pages, any one of which can be taken out, thrown away, rewritten. We have made it very flexible. That has minimized the expense and trou ble, and it has made our program very flexible. JAMES A. DOWNEY, JR. (Stoss Shef field Steel & Iron Co., Birmingham, Ala.): Maybe we are not all talking along the same line. As I understand it, a safety rule book is one thing; a safety code is another thing: safe practices is another thing. I wonder Maintaining Interest in Safety 159 how many in the audience have their own safety rule book? CHAIRMAN BIXLER: Those who have company rule books, hold up your hands? (Majority*.) MR. DOWNEY: Well, we have, too. I think the gentleman who spoke of safe prac tices is on the right track. When you make a rule and say, "Don't ride the elevator" and then you ride it, it is like the fellow who came into our shop ooe time and wanted to see the superintendent The sign said, "No admittance." He let him go in. He broke a rule right to start with. So, if you arc going to make a rule, stick to iL Violation of Roles CHAIRMAN BIXLER: The last com ment ties in very definitely with another question which I would like to have dis cussed. Jt is: "How should wc cover pos sible violations of practices not specifically recorded in the rule book?" i will ask Mr. Darr again to speak on that s H. \V. DARR: Mr. Chairman, I believe I was the instigator of that question. I put the question there to find out what to do. About three or four months ago 1 got bold of a rule book. I was looking through it. I think 1 counted up to seven or eight hun dred, and then I stopped, but among other rules there was one like this: "Don't use a ladder with a broken rung," and "Don't take short cuts" and "Don't do this and don't do that." That was the sum and sub stance of the whole rule book. The fact of the matter is, in our plant we have no rule books, and I don't believe in them. 1 be lieve in getting the basic principles of safety in the r~t'TWl< of the men. Then you don't have to "do them" and "don't than" to death. When they violate the rules that are not to the rule book or in the alibi book, I would like to know* how to deal with them. CHAIRMAN BIXLER: Does someone have a further comment on whether there should or should not be safety rule books? How many do not have safety rules, as a matter of practice? (Show hands.) It ap pears to be about half and half. . MR. WARZALA: I should like to ask the board of participants to tell us just ex actly how far should you go in your safe practices, in your safety code, or in your rule books? What should you include in it? We feel that if an individual is trained on the job, in the requirements of hts job, the safety features, the safe practices must be used right there, must be interwoven in the instructions regarding job performance. I cannot see very well how you can sep arate safe practices from job performance. Or do you men who have these safety rules describe in that book of rules the different job performances which, of course, include safe practices? CHAIRMAN BIXLER: Mr. Roberts has a comment he would like to make in that connection. MR. ROBERTS: Naturally, I can't an swer his inquiry from an operating view point since I am not an operating man. However, as an adviser, it is my thought that probably we are a little bit loose in talking of rule books because in a lot of organizations the rule book is an operating book. I am sincerely in accord with his belief that to procure the performance of operations in a safe way, it is much better, if you must have a book, to make it a job analysis book, an operating book, and, in that fashion, include your safety admonitions in the description of the job to be done. That is pretty well exemplified in the operating books of which we know the most, the railroad operating books, so-called rule books. In propounding a question which we have for discussion here: `To what extent should workmen be invited to participate in the formation of plant rules?" I thought it might be interesting to have a brief explana tion of a specific way in which a set of operating rules was developed, which has operated successfully over a period of three years and has resulted in a tremendous decrease in both accident severity and fre quency rates. The organization which I have in mind i$ not particularly a large one but rather a widespread one, in that" it operated some eight or nine quarries over two states. Man agement having determined they were go ing to do something about the high accident frequency, inquiries were made as to what could be done. Observation of the opera tion of these eight or nine quarries revealed wide divergences in the fashion in which various jobs were done; and the operations are such that there should be no wide diver 160 29th National Safety Congress gences. Consequently, it was suggested to the management that, as an initial step in enlisting the interest of the employees, the formulation of operating rules be made sort of a contest. Each employee was advised that the com* pany desired to set up operating rules* Several prizes were set up covering various classifications of work, and it was an nounced that the individual who presented tlc set of operating rules for his particular operation which seemed best suited would receive a small prize. So, the thing was run through as a contest. Many sets of operating rules were received. A committee consisting of management, a representative of the insurance carrier and, by fortunate circumstance, the state labor committee, reviewed these rules. An ex officio member, perhaps, was the state labor commissioner. The prizes were awarded. Then manage ment took all those rules and we went to work on them. From them we developed a rule book which seemed to incorporate the best rules which bad been submitted in the contest The thing was drawn up in a rough draft form. It was then submitted to the quarry* fore man. assistant superintendents and super intendents, to be passed on as to practica bility. They' made their comments. Then the close of that particular phase of the work was a direct question to each of the fore men, "If these rules were put into effect, would you be willing to enforce them? Do you know of any reason why they* could not be enforced?" Having eliminated a few more rules by reason of that test, they were drawn up, printed and sent out to the foremen in suffi cient copies so that each foreman could hand a copy to each workman under ht$ super vision with the direct statement, "You yourselves have said that these rules can be enforced. We shall expect you *to observe them." I am very happy to say that cases of infraction have been few and far between. To me, that is a logical, a sensible and a practical way to develop a set of operating rules. S. T. SICKEL (Northwestern Public Service Company, Huron, S. D.): I would like to go back to the question of discipline for infractions of unwritten rules. What way can we justify discipline in connection with union acts? Can wc put a discipline on it so the unions will accept it? W. T. CAMERON (United States De partment of Labor, Washington, D. C.): 1 am just a plain safety adviser and consultant and not a member of any union. I don't know how authoritatively 1 can speak, but if tlie union representatives have a voice in the building up of these rules, in the formulation of the rules, and if penalty for violation is laid down at the time the rules are formulated, I think you will find by and large that your union committees will back up the management in the enforcement of the penalty that has been laid down for violation of the rules. Labor unions all over the country are getting more and more safety conscious. They are forming safety committees within their own locals. They are formulating safety rules. I think that you can get good cooperation wherever your union people sit in ou the formulation of the roles and the penalties are laid down and agreed to beforehand. Safety Contests CHAIRMAN BIXLER: I think those re marks are a good closing to this particular subject. We will pass on to our next sub ject "Safety Contests." The first question is? "Should safety con tests be based on frequency or severity?*' I will ask Mr. Webb to lead off on that. H. F. WEBB: Obviously the severity rate is the yardstick by which*we are able to make progress. Wc can determine cost trends, and that makes it a very valuable vehicle for promoting safety among your management However, I think severity is a very diffi cult factor for the rank and file to under stand. In these years I liave noticed that the workers themselves are more interested in knowing whether or not we had an ac cident, and if so, how many accidents we have had, rather than trying to wrestle with this severity rate. I remember a number of years ago, wc had a contest in a very large plant. I ran it somewhat after the manner of a baseball box score. That attracted the keen interest of the men, and they were able to tell, with out trying to break down severity and know what it meant, whether or not they* did have Maintaining Interest in Safety 161 m accident or whether or not they had sev eral accidents. They immediately became nterested in knowing who was hurt and what we were going to do about it. I don't believe that contests should be short-termed They should be toog-termed zontests. There we come upon the problem of how we can make contests equitable when hazardous and non-hazardous departments ue working one against the other to win some coveted prize. That can best be dooe, I believe, by establishing an experience rate for each department; for instance, an aver age severity rate over a period of five years, yes, if you are able to have it, a period of ten years, and each department bucking its accident rate. The one, naturally, that makes the greatest percentage of redaction is tops in so far as the contest is concerned. But in placing contests before men and in attempting to attract their interest, their keen interest in the project, many dungs, of course, have to be done to augment just plain contests. In other words, it soon sags, and it soon dies if there is nothing done to stimulate it. Therefore, in any contest it scans quite essentia! to add some stimuli to malm men work a tittle harder. For example, on one of* our properties, (we don't necessarily call it a contest because we don't believe too much in contests, but, nevertheless, it is a comparative thing, and we do know that there is a contesting spirit among the vari ous units) the thing sort of bogged down. We weren't making too modi progress over the previous year. So we decided to stim ulate that contest a little bit and see if we couldn't improve things. We put out a simple letter, saying there would be an award to all groups who were able to work the months of October, No vember and December of this year without the occurrence of a lost-time accident. Oo tiie strength of that, in this particular unit, I invested a certain sum of money in some 2,500 to 3,000 automatic pencils, and I hope I am able to give that many out with the compliments of the departmenL A part of the rules for this award arc, that all departments are broken up into groups, nor too large and, certainly, not too small. For instance, a line crew com posed of eight to ten men is a group. If one man in that group has a lost-time accident, then the group as a vhole gets no part of the reward. In other words, it is meant to promote group effort. When yon promote group effort instead of individual effort, you are going to get, 1 think, better safety progress. CHAIRMAN BIXLER: May we have further comment or suggestion? Severity Vs. Frequency C. J. WETHERSTOW: I wonder if I. understood the speaker correctly when he said that severity was the yardstick to measure the success of a program but that the employees recognize frequency in a better way than they do severity? If that is what you mean, I for one take exception to that remark, and for this reason: I be lieve that severity is a matter of good luck. A man may have a very minor injury but there may be something following that injury that influences the result. I think the thing we are interested in is not the recov ery of the man, because we put that in the doctor's hands; I think the thing we are interested in is to prevent recurrence. I really don't believe that severity has much place in contests. I imagine there will be some who will disagree, but I just couldn't tit down and swallow that. C L. HIGHTOWER (United Gas Pipe Line Company, Shreveport, La.): This question caroc up about three years ago be fore an A.P.I. committee at Tulsa, Okla homa. It developed because there was some question as to which of two companies should be recognized for a good record. One company had a frequency rate of approx imately 2 with one fatality; another com pany had a frequency rate of approximately 23 and bad no fatalities. The question was whether the company with the lower fre quency rate, yet with one fatality, had a better record than the other company with a slightly higher frequency rate arid no fatal ity. So, a committee was assigned to make a study in an effort to determine whether or not some index rate could be developed that would t?k* into consideration both fre quency and severity. It happened that I was assigned on that committee. We came out with what has since been known and used by some of the petroleum companies as an index Tate, which takes into consideration both the frequency and the severity. Wc used the ordinary frequency rate, the num- 162 29th National Safety Congress bcr of lost-time accidents per million manhours worked. Then, we figured the number of days lost per 10,000 man-hours worked. Then we added the two and had an index rate. We are adding apples and bananas and coming our with fruit salad, but at the same time we are getting into that figure both the frequency and severity of acci dents. We have been using that as the de termining factor in our own company con tests for the last four years, and it has proved highly successful. MR. WEBB; I am afraid I didn't make myself entirely clear. In so far as these contests, I think severity is the proper basis tor competition where there is an inter company contest Where the contest is within the portals of a singly individual com* pany, perhaps frequency rate is die best thing to use because, as I say, it is broken down into perhaps more simple language; then all men can understand it The index system has also been used in Western Pennsylvania, but instead of adding the two factors, the severity was multiplied by frequency to establish the rate. M. L- WURMAN (Bayuk Cigars, Ina, Philadelphia, Pa.): How can you use sever ity in a contest if you haven't had a lost* time accident for eighteen months? MR. WEBB: You can't very well do it, of course. MR- WURMAN: Therefore, you have to have frequency. MR. WEBB: That is quite true. MR. BYRUM: The tiling that interests me very' much is the fact that our men are driving accidents down. Wc arc having to refine our approach as to how wc are go ing to determine how good or how bad we are. However, I think when we sum it all up, what we arc interested in is knowing whether wc are better this year than we were last year. Whether you .call it fre quency plus severity or something else-- call it what you will--we are interested in the fact that we are on the right road. We finally have come in our own plant to the place where we have to determine the po sition of any group by minor accident fre quency, not the major accident nor the severity. CHAIRMAN BIXLER: Mr. Roberts has a ready thought he would like to add to this. E. A. ROBERTS: Since the question seems to be what is the most satisfactory* way in which credibility can be given to both frequency and seventy, I asked the Chairman if I could present a thought which came out in my Textile Section Tues day afternoon, a method of scoring a plant contest. I thought the idea was good. This plant is located in a state which has con siderable interest in baseball. They decided to pick out teams in the mill and give them the names of the contesting teams in the baseball league. There being eight teams in the league, and it being a small plant, the name of every individual in the plant was thrown in a hat, drawn out and put into right piles; so we had eight teams. The method of scoring interested me. Incidentally, the contest was a daily one, following from day to day, and culminating in the end of the league. It paralleled the league's activities, so that each day you had two teams opposing each other. Should an accident occur to a member of one team, an accident requiring first aid at tention only, that counted as one point against them; in other words, the opposing team scored one run. Should an accident occur which required a doctor's attention but no further lost tune, that counted as two runs against them. Should an accident occur which involved both doctor's atten tion and some lost time, that counted as three runs against them. Should one of the members of any team, or any member of any team incur a minor injury' which should have had first aid attention, and it was found out, they didn't get away with it; that counted as four runs against their team. At the end of the period the runs were added tip. In that fashion the standing of the various teams was ascertained: at the end of the season, the team standing was ascertained. Then the batting average of the whole league, or the nan average of the whole league was added up, and that gave them an index to be used in the next con test. As you sec, this does go a little bit into the matter of severity, in that an accident involving lost time meant one more run. To my mind, the beautiful part of the thing was the penalty which was attached to not reporting a minor injury requiring first aid attention. Maintaining Interest in Safety 163 Suggestion Systems way. In this particular case, this super intendent will take that suggestion and tell CHAIRMAN BIXUER: Our next subject involves suggestion systems, and this ques tion which has been proposed: "How do you dispose of suggestions of no special merit in a suggestion system?" Mr. Darr. the man, in the presence of the other fel lows, "We will take this under advisement. We will oonsider it, and we will let you know." Possibly the next day. or that af ternoon, he calls that man into his office, H_ W. DARR: Mr. Chairman, some pats him on the back and gives him credit years ago we had a suggestion system in for at least taking part in the meeting, but our steel plant. We invited the workmen, tells him in a diplomatic way that the sug foremen and everybody to write out their gestion was no good, it was not practical; suggestions and deposit them at a certain but he should look around and maybe some place, after which they were gathered op, day he will get something that is all right gone over by a committee of superintend and, when he does, bring it in. ents, and a cash prize awarded to the best suggestion, with other minor cadi prizes down the fine, possibly right or ten of them. Here is what I am trying to get at: Every* suggestion that is made by every workman in the plant has to be treated in a courteous After a few years that system petered and diplomatic manner became, when you out; then wc began inviting suggestions on once turn down a man and belittle him in a non-remunerative basis. At first we didn't the presence of his fellow workmen, you get any; but gradually it began growing have mined a good worker. when the men in the plant began to realize they were doing something for their own good and not for cash. CHAIRMAN BIXUER: We will have to close the discussion on this particular subject. Mr. Dare's remarks have covered Now, the question is, when suggestions it rather well. However, will you hold up come In and they axe found to be worthless, your hands, those who have safety sugges what to do with them? Practically all our tion systems now in effect ? Now*, those who suggestions are made in meetings with the do not have them, please hold up your superintendent, foreman and other work hands. There is a slight majority of those men assembled in wbat we call a safety who have suggestion systems. I would like meeting. to ask one final question concerning the I will give yon two actual occurrences in section m oerr program relating to special ray own steel plant, and you can judge for activities. yourself which Is a better way to handle it. Quite often the question is asked: "What A group of about 40 men. with the super effect do such things as credit unions, mu intendent, assistant, and several foremen tual sickness benefit plans, hospitalization were discussing various safety matters. One plans, and the like, have on safety?" I will of the workmen made a suggestion pertain ask Mr. RoOkxs to express a thought on ing to his particular job, something that would lighten his work. It didn't appeal to the superintendent who was chairman of the that point. Employee Welfare Systems meeting. He said, "I wish you would keep your mouth shut You talk too damn much." That fellow told me taler that if be lived and worked in that plant for another hun dred years, he would never make another ROY L ROLLINS: On the matter of credit muons, in the first place I would like to tell 3*oo an experience that wc had in 1933. We hired about 80 men. Those men had been out of workman the way from three months to two years. We were aware, suggestion. very' shortly after- we hired them, that they Now, we have another superintendent owed a number of bills. We had some gar who, when a suggestion is made, and it has no merit, and be knows it has no merit, takes it on this basis: He considers that the man believed he was doing something that be thought was for the benefit of the company and himself. Whether or not it has any merit, it has to be treated io the sense nishments served on us shortly after they went to work. We had wage assignments served on us, and one thing or another. It looked like a bad situation. We got each one of those men individually into the credit imki office and talked to him about his financial situation in a friendly way. We 29th National Safety Congress found that those 90 men had an average debt of $450, they had come to us with that debt Men with families, working on a laborer's job, naturally went into the low est paid jobs in our organization, and a $450 debt was pretty big for them. Wc worked it out this way: Alter they had been with us a short time and we de termined that they were the type of men we would want to keep, we got the men and said: Xmv, let us see what your bills are; $50 to the doctor; $35 to the grocer; so much for rent, one thing and another. So wc got hold of those various creditors who !xad leaped on them as soon as they went to work and wanted their money and said, "Here is the situation. This man owes $450, and he probably is not going to live long enough to pay it off. If you force him too iiard, he is going into bankruptcy. Can't we compromise these debts and get you some thing for your money and get the worry off this man's mind?" In many cases we were able to do that successfully; say, we compromised the $450 worth of debts for something like $300 total. We gave that man a $300 loan from our credit union. I have had the experience of filling out some of those loan applica tions, sitting there and figuring with the man who is going to get how much money. You get all the compromises arranged, and when the deal is finally completed and you pul through the loan and these bills are paid off, he gets up from the desk and stands off and you can see trouble slide off his shoulder, and he says, "Thanks." Well, you have done that man a favor but. certainly, you have done yourself just as great a favor because you liave taken something off his mind that was bound to handicap him at his work. He is worrying all day about the debts he owes, and he is worrying about what will happen if bis check is garnisheed and what is going to happen to-his family. He is worrying about what is going to hap pen about his job. Will his employer get tired of this business and fire him rather than fool with the bills? But you aid him to pay off those bills, you have taken a big load of worry off that man's mind. I don't think it is necessary for me to argue with you that wony certainly plays a very important part in accidents. 1 am not able to tell you how many accidents those men would have had if we had not taken care of their financial difficulties. But 1 think we not only did a job for them but a very big job for our safety program at the same time, by getting rid of their financial worries. I feel that the credit union is almost an integral part of our safety program. This business of hospitalization and sick ness benefits works out in about the same way. It you have a man working m your plant on a fair))* kmr rate job, he U not making a great deal of money and has a number of family responsibilities. His doc tor says, "John, you are going to have to have .your tonsils taken out" The doctor's bill for that is going to be $25, $50 or pos sibly more, ilaybe he is going to have to be off work for two weeks, and there will be a hospital bill to pay there. That is a pretty tough load. If John knows that during the time he is off he is going to receive a definite sick ness benefit, if he knows be is going to receive hospitalization benefit, be is a lot more apt to be willing to go ahead and have the tonsils taken out; and. again he has done both himself a favor and you a favor by correcting his physical condition. So, I believe both of them do play a part and help out the safety program. CHAIRMAN BIXI-F.R: Ladies and Gen tlemen: Your continued interest this morn ing, I know, is of sufficient satisfaction to the members of this panel that the Chair man need do no more than to rum to them and say "thanks** on behalf of the Pro gram Committee. We are glad that there has been as much, if not more discussion from the floor as from this panel. Please remember that a good part of the discussion this morning will be published in the Congress report. ADJOURNMENT Occupational Disease WEDNESDAY MORNING SESSION October 9, 1940 The meeting on Occupational Disease, planned as a Panel Discussion, was called to order by the Chairman, Walter S. Paine, Manager, Engineering Department, Aetna Casualty & Surety Company, Hartford, Conn., who presided. Panel Discussion CHAIRMAN PAINE: At every meeting that T have attended in this Congress some one has raised the question of industrial dis ease. This is a subject which has been maligned in some cases and has been a fan tasy on the part of others. This, however, should not in any way destroy the realities that arc back of the industrial disease prob Considered as Industrial Injuries?" This will be handled by H. A. Nelson. Director df Workmen's Compensation Department, Wisconsin Industrial Commission of Mad* i>on. We all regret that severe illness keeps Dr. Paul Brehm. Supervisor of Industrial Hygiene Unit of Wisconsin State Board of lem. Health at Madison, from being prevail. In the discussion of this broad problem, wc have asked the medical profession and the law to help us this morning. Each phase The panel will be opened on "Health Hazards in Spray Painting.** Dr. Walsh. of the problem will be discussed on an or derly basis. We have assigned as the first speaker for each of these subjects one of the men on this platform. After he has finished his preamble, wc will ask the members on the floor to present any question they may. have on the subject. We have the following subjects to be dis cussed: "Health Hazards in Spray Pamtmg." Dr. Eugene Walsh. Associate Super Spray Painting DR. EUGENE WALSH: Palming is a topic dial has received considerable atten tion. There has been an increasing number of hazards imported into the trade. Mou of these have received wide attention, par ticularly in the past few years. It has been incident to the wide use of the spray gun and of the lacquers, particularly. Many of visor of Medical Service, International Harvester Company, Chicago, will open this subject. "Fatigue and Its Relation to Occupational Disease." This subject will be taken up by Dr. Norbcrt Enter, Director of Labora tories, Mount Sinai Hospital, Milwaukee. "The Toxic Limits of Common Solvents." This subject will be opened up by Dr. Elston L. Belknap, of Milwaukee. "Lead in Industrial Processes." Dr. Bel knap will also handle this subject. "Skin Affections." This will be handled by Dr. M. J- Reuter, Dermatologist and the solvents and products used in the paint industry have known toxicitics. Others are in the experimental stage, so far as use and so far as their hazards to health are con cerned. In the old days of brush or dip or flow painting, still widely used, solvents of rather low volatility were employed, and the Haz ards associated therewith were sot as great. However, when we come to the Spray gun, particularly in its use in the recently devel oped lacquers, we come into a host of new solvents. The quantities used per year in lacquers Syphilologist, of Milwaukee, Wis. The last, but one of the most important, will be "Should Occupational Diseases Be and solvents in the point industry in the United States reach astronomical propor tions. Many, many tons are used. 165 166 29th National Safety Congress In (h< paints we have the following haz ards: first, the pigments. There has been a growing trend definitely away from leadbearing pigments toward non-lead pigments. Many of the nondead pigments have their peculiar hazards. Many of diem are rela tively innocuous and can be used with rela tive immunity. So far as (lie fluid constituents of paints, arc concerned, in the order of volatility in general, we have; first, the solvents which are, largely, for paints; the paraffins, oils and vamisb; varnish with some turpentine or some spirits of various and sundry types. The lower the volatility, of course, if it is a toxic product, the greater the toxicity'. The ordinary paints and lacquers can be considered together because the problem of the solvents, largely, is what we wish to deal with. The solvents used are relatively low boiling products which volatilize read ily, such as acetone, ethyl acetate, butyl acetate, amyl acetate, and so forth. Next, (lie paint must have a diluent. In the ordinary paints--oils, turpentine or spirits may be used. In the lacquers--alcohol, toluol, xylol, mineral spirits have been used. In the past, benzol was used. VVe are glad to say that there is a growing trend away* from the use of benzol, which has cumula tive actions in the human individual, result ing in the low grade chronic toxicides due to a depression of the blood-forming organs. There is a definite trend toward less toxic diluents. The next essential part of the lacquers in cludes the driers, such as ethyl lactate or' cellusolve, monomethyl ethers and various other chemical products of known and un known toxicides. Also, there must be a fiexilizer or a substance giving flow tp the plastic. These are relatively high-boiling lowvolatility products, triphenylphosphate, cas tor oil, camphor and others, again of known and unknown toxicity. The toxicides of the various individual products are often known. It is not the toxicity of the pure product, however, that we are often concerned with. It is the prod uct which is used commercially. It is often the impurities in minute quantities that add to the toxicity. For example, we may say there is, in the case of xylol, some question as to its inherent toxicity. However, since benzol is so frequently a contaminant, we do have some benzol toxicity to be consid ered when xylol is used. Also, when we have two substances which are used to make a paint or lacquer fluid, its toxicity, result ing from the combination of the two sub stances is not usually that of a summation of the individual toxicides of the two. That is, if wc have two products {A and B), A of one-plus toxicity, if we wish to use that terminology, and B of one-plus toxicity*, we may get a resulting toxicity of three-plus, or something of that nature--just to use an arbitrary form. The methods of control are: First, the substitution of non-toxic products such as. we mentioned in getting away from leadbeariog pigments in paints. We arc fortunate to have alert chemists in the paint industry, who are alive to this problem. They are constantly striving and working with the in dustrial hygienists and the physicians in de veloping non-loxic products, so far as both pigments and solvents are concerned. Another factor that has been considered and is of importance today in reducing toxicity is the mechanical development of the spray gun. Many years ago, in its in fancy, no precautions were taken. The en gineers weren't particularly interested in it. A man would spray with one or another, spreading the toxic substances about. Today, however, with the development of lower pressure spray guns, with the development of engineering methods of control of vapors and fumes and dusts incident to the process, we have less toxicity. If an individual corporation is alert in ob serving and controlling the hazards present; very little toxicity need be encountered in most processes. This includes, of course, the precautionary methods for the individual, when I speak of the industrial hygienist and the engineer's phase f the problem. Tf an individual is working in a place where en gineering methods are not feasible to control the vapors and toxic products, then the in dividual must have his respiratory* protec tion to prevent inhalation. Most of tbc solvents which are used have a narcotic action, and their action is by way of ab sorption through the respiratory tract. Tak ing away the fumes is the way of control. I have very* briefly outlined some of the major points. Do you choose to pursue this question ? CHAIRMAN PAINE: Discussion will be carried on from the floor and also from Occupational Disease 167 the viewpoint of the panel. May we proceed on this subject, namely health hazards in spray painting? EDWARD SMITH (Jewell Alloy & Malleable Co., Buffalo, N. Y.): No mention was made about spraying whitewash. show oo the x-ray. Most of them are stopped by the mechanical aids in the nose and upper respiratory tract, that is the hairs, the alia oa the lining of the respiratory tract and, as such, are coughed up, rather than persisting m the respiratory tract. DR. WALSH: Spraying with whitewash is a common procedure. As whitewash is largely calcium, it i$ a relatively innocuous substance. It is irritating to the respiratory tree and may be followed by a chronic cough. Not infrequently there are contam inants in whitewash which may have toxic products in them but, ordinarily, white washing is a matter that is done today, next However, if one is using paints over a long period of time, it is conceivable that a chronic bronchitis might result However, here one is on thin ice. There are many other factors incident to the causation of chronic bronchitis that are equally as, or more, important than the products used in the paints, either the pigments or the sol vents. week, and perhaps a month hence. It isn't MR- CARR (Eastman-Kodak Company): done in most industries day after day. The In spray painting m rooms, using lead-free exposure is relatively infrequent and the gasoline as a solvent, we have noticed as hazards are not great Likewise, most of the whitewashing pro cedures are done in large, open, airy rooms. That isn't true of some Conoels, of coarse. If it is done m closed rooms, tunnels and much as 450 parts per million of aromatics, and we find that many lead-free gasolines now sold contain a large proportion of ben zol. xylol and toluol. I wonder if much at tention has been given to that fact? places with poor aeration, it b advisable, if DR WALSH: That is a problem, it the process is to comma* any length of true. Certain fidds of ail partierdariy those time, to have the todmdual protected m bearing the oaphtfekmic arid oils do, in their some manner. Just a simple draft of air or cracking pmri mn. remit in benzol in con a mechanical dust type respirator probably siderable portions, m MWt instances, in the would be usable if the exposure is to be of gasoline. The itraight paraffin ofli may re any length of time. sole in wwse bwaaol bwr woe o cnoch. It is a factor to br cownfcuA ft depends brgeiy X-Ray Bmuiatlom open the amom* of textot present- In mmk instant** it ha* bee* a*d to rmt a* high as DR. ROBERT U. BURNS (Minnesota 10 per cent in certain gtoofioev That is not Stare Medical Asm, Sc Pm!, Mtrm.): Are usually true. there method* by x-ray examination from time to rinse or from year to year that will show progress of hwlitil trouble a* a re sult of these paint jahafatiops? DR. WALSH: Thee are those that would answer your question in the affirma There is owe tactor to be considered in gasoline*, and that is the difference between benzol, which t* the ring-stiucnue and ben zene, wl h si a straight hydrocarbon, and relatively iarocaow. It has some toxic prop erties. bat they are transitory, largely. tive. Most roentgenologists, however, rather scoff at the idea of malting a diagnosis of bronchiectasis by x-ray. The shadows which we see in tbc x-ray axe largely those of the blood vessels and fit*etas structures of the hag. it is trae, however, if an individual is using some paints which hear silica--and one paint that 2 dM not mention is that used in tbc pmeehun industry, stika-bearing paint that is another problem. If you arc using a riSea-bearing point, you will grf the characteristic changes of silicosis. However, for the ordinary pigment, so fitt/c is absorbed^ so few of them produce progressive changes to the lung, they rarely Benzol has developed a chronic toxicity. This particular subject is receiving attention now. but very little bas been produced to iodkate that benzol b a definite toxic agent in the gasolines prodneed. But if the aro matics were up to ab6ot 450 parts per roillioo, you certainly are on the borderline of toxicity. 7 dunk it should be redoced, if it is at all possible; by ordinary methods. At least the men should be watched very care fully for blood changes, so far as benzol exposure is concerned. MR CARR: In that connection, it has been necessary for us to go to a respira- 168 29th National Safety Congress tory protection of the supplied air type, sup plied also with a charcoal canister at the man's waist, so that -when he breaks the connection temporarily to go back in the room, he still has the protection of the char coal canister. The connection, when broken, automatically shuts off both the air supply and also the air connection, so that he can not breathe the room air. MR. WALSH: That certainly is a fine arrangement. DR. ALICE HAMILTON (Division of Labor Standards, U. S. Department of Labor, Washington, D. C.): In the Division of Labor Standards in Washington some two or three years ago, when I was visit diluents used in the lacquers which we are now employing. The, process is very much the same. There has been some change in the kngtb of tune required to dry these lacquers, but the constituents are the same as they were. W. H. KRAUSE (Alfis-Chalmers Mfg. Company, West Allis, Wis.J: There have been recent changes In regard to the diluents used in paint Quite a few of the larger oil companies are now producing hydrogenated naphtha. These do contain considerable quantities of benzol and toluoL I wonder if there had been any experiments made with regard to the toxidtics? ing automobile plants, I was told they were making a change in their coatings. I wonder Benzol Frowned Upon whether that has proved to be true? They told me they were substituting synthetic resins for nitrocellulose and as a solvent were using hydrogenated petroleum prod ucts which had very low volatility. It seemed as if that were going to be a revo lution in coating in automobile factories. I should like very much to know whether that change has been made. DR. WALSH: I should have mentioned, when we were speaking of toxiaties of sol vents, that the medical profession frowns upon the use of benzol as a solvent or di luent in any proportion. We just don't Eke benzol, regardless of its percentage, became it is so easy to get out of hand, and the chronic effects of Us poisoning come on so slowly and so innocuously, they creep op CHAIRMAN PAINE: Can anyone an swer the question of Dr. Hamilton? DR. WALSH: I would like to say to Dr. on you before you know it It requires rather close observation wherever there is any benzol or toluoL Hamilton concerning the substitution of So far as the hydrogenated naphthas are synthetic resins for nitrocellulose products concerned, it has been said that the hydro in the automotive industry particularly, genation does not change the chemical struc most of us receive all of our information ture of the naphtha, and it does not increase, concerning the newer development of haz particularly, its toxidty. If it is in relatively ards from no person other than Alice Ham- * large quantities, 400 to 500 parts per million, jlton. If anyone in the room can answer the question, 1 am sure that she can. She beau tifully reviewed the entire literature in a publication that she produced in 1936 called then there is the problem of the toxidties inherent to the hydrogenated naphtha itself. But we would much prefer not to sec ben zol at all. "Recent Changes in the Painter's Trade*' which is Bulletin No. 7 of the U. S. De partment of Labor. It is a beautiful presen tation, and it is worth while for any of you interested in the paint industry to read it Concerning the question at hand, I know of no particular changes at the moment that have been instituted in the industries that I have been acquainted with. I do know that such things arc in progress. As Dr. Ham ilton suggests, I think that they are changes in the right direction, in many instances. CHAIRMAN PAINE: Dr. Hamilton.did you wish to say anything else on the sub ject? DR. HAMILTON: T think nou My study of the subject is four years old. I thought perhaps very important things had come to light since then. Apparently benzol is still a 'lurking danger which arises in all sorts of unexpected ways, especially as we use more cracked gasoline than we did before. 1 quite agree that it is something that should be avoided. DR. A. L. BROOKS (Fisher Body Di vision, General Motors Corp.): We do quite a lot of spray painting. I believe there has been no radical change in the solvents and We always advise the substitution of toluol, when possible, for benzol, but I don't think any industrial physician would be will ing to give a clean bill of health to toluol. Occupational Disease 169 We arc beginning to look upon it with more suspicion. Dr. Gammon of. the du Font* Company believes it is much more harmful chan we have thought hitherto. I hope he will, as thc_years go on, accumulate more accurate knowledge about it so that we may perhaps encourage its disuse, also. I think definitions of the term "occupational dis ease." Now, any disease will produce fatigue. It is almost synonymous that disease limits the output.or.the-capatity for-work of the in dividual who has been affected. What we must recognize today is that fatigue may that probably would be in the right direc tion. MR. GUMMAR (Barrett Company); I would like to offer one minor observation. Commercial toluol, as sold in this country* does not contain airy measurable amount of benzol. CHAIRMAN PAINE; We will have to pass on to the next subject: "Fatigue and Its Relation to Occupational Disease." This sub ject will be opened by Dr. Xorbert Enzcr, Director of Laboratories. Mount Sinai Hos pital. Milwaukee. also constitute a state of disease. In other words, that wc recognize fatigue as a func tional disorder which must be treated, which must be recognized and corrected, and its causes eliminated. The mechanism or fatigue is grounded in a very complex explanation which is not yet clear, and probably won't be clarified until a great deal of investigative work has been done. But in the past few years a con siderable amount of investigation has been done, most notably at the Harvard School of Industrial Hygiene under Dr. Dill; and in Europe, up to recent times, a great deal of Fatigue and Occupational Disease work has been done, particularly in Ger many and latterly in Russia: die object be DR. NORBERT EN'ZER: At ten-thirtyin the morning I generally have a very low ing. in the European investigations, to find out what circumstances of employment con tributed to fatigue, to correct those cir level of activity aad suffer from fatigue. cumstances of employment to prevent fa Fatigue is a sate of bodily 31 health, of tigue and, hence, to increase the output of transient character. It is evanescent, as we %be individual in terms of his occupation, understand it aad as the term is commonly without sacrificing any quality of his health. used but. so far as industry is concerned, fatigue is that state of the individual at work which makes it impossible for him to perform w bat may he considered an average good output. Now, the thing that we lack at present, so far as Us applicability to the practice of industrial medicine is concerned, is a yard stick of fatigue. A number of investigations are going on in that direction, and I think It is characterized by certain symptoms. It before long something will come of it. is characterized under idea1 conditions of investigation by certain objective findings which I will elaborate in a moment Broadly speaking, two main channels of investigation are bring carried on. One is a state of fatigue relative to the muscular In the strictest seme of the term, I sup pose an occupation*! disease is that condition which can be greedy traced to some agent or circumstance > m*lryira.uf which can be labeled as the ramative factor of the dis ease. But as our fcorbeo wade** and oar concept of disease beeernes Wader, and as we interpret the word ~<*eae~ as it was originally used in the Greek ww. a stetc of capacity* of the individual. In other words, we relate muscle strength to the load- The other is a form of fatigue which 1 think is going to be more important as time goes on, and is related to the nervous system. That arises out of the fact that fatigue is pro duced by agencies which impair the ability of the brain to send impulses to the peripheral muscles so that work may be variation from health, or db-emse. ibezx we performed. must regard an occupational disease as any Now, monotony* of work may* be the state of ill health which ha* been contrib greatest contributor to fatigue. I use that as uted to by ctrcnnastancrry of mint an illustration. For example, we found out, Under that definition there is hardly a disease which, under some state of affairs, couldn't be related to what the man is doing; Those arc the two extreme in one small investigation, that individuals employed at work which called for dexterity and mmblcness and a high degree of mental alertness fatigued in less than a twenty- 170 29th National Safety Congress four-hour period. Iu other words, if a cer tain standard of measurement was applied in the morning before work began, the same standard applied at the end of the day, wc could demonstrate in almost all individuals so tested that they had experienced fatigue, and that that experience was definitely re lated to the ability of their nervous system to regulate their muscular activity in co ordination. It has been pointed oat, and we have been able to show in some small investigations, that if it cocid be arranged that this job could be done in the sifting position, the output would be increased and the individ ual would suffer less fatigue. It has been shown that, in jobs which' call for a to-and-fro movement between more or less fixed positions, without much Now, in jobs which call for a stationary position, manipulation of instruments, or monotony of exercise, that land of fatigue must be recognized by the industrial physi cian. opportunity to rest, if the period is broken hourly or at hour and one-half intervals, and simple freedom of motion allowed to get out of the range of what he was doing, rest is instituted and fatigue is relieved. The occupational disease, conversely, may produce a fatigue which may not be recog nized unless tire individuals arc subjected to critical examination. For example, we have noted that individuals with a mild type of hypertension, increased blood pressure, have in many instances a lower fatigue threshold than individuals whose blood pressures are normal. Or an enlarged heart, due ta valvu lar disease, a leaky valve, will produce the We have been able (o show that the appli cation of bathing, in certain lands of indus tries, will produce a diminution of fatigue and raise the capacity of the individual to resist his industry or his job. Those are some of the features of the occupational aspects of disease, or the industrial aspect of fatigue,, rather. With that casual intro duction we can go on and attempt to answer some questions. same phenomenon; or individuals with dia betes or individuals that have a low* basal Tests of Fatigue metabolic rate, because of a thyroid gland disturbance, or individuals who are ab normally obese will all show variations in their fatigue thresholds. CHAIRMAN PAINE: Are there any questions from the floor?. This is an inter esting subject. Tiie only way that aspect of the subject can properly be investigated is to approach it from the medical point of view first Ex amination of the individual becomes the im portant thing. It is important to apply crit ical standards of evaluation, then to attempt to correct them by medical program. The industrial factor of fatigue, which I mentioned first, calls for a recognition,that certain kinds of work can produce fatigue, and then to apply methods which will relieve it. I want to illustrate just two; DR. WALSH: I should like to ask a question in relation to various tests of fa tigue. The psychologists have all had people putting round pegs in square holes and all that sort of thing, rapidity of processes. That is one method that is not my concept of the way to measure fatigue, but it brings up one point; namely, the relation of fatigue to the mental status of the individual. Again, the psychological yardstick may be applied. What is the relationship of the in telligence quotient of the individual to fa tigue? Does the person using his miud iu If we recognize that a certain occupation his work fatigue more readily than one do produces fatigue, we have discovered things ing physical activity in which no mental ef which wilt relieve the fatigue. A man whose fort is required? job calls for standing at a bench, in more or less one position, doing the same job over and over again, will have fatigue which can be relieved if he can periodically sit down, because his oxygen consumption in the sitting position is greatly reduced over the standing position, and he performs vir DR. ENZER: If I may restate the ques tion, I think Dr. Walsh really wants to find out whether individuals of low IQ, so to speak, experience the same phenomenon of fatigue under the same circumstance* as an individual of high I,Q. tually less work within himself. Conse DK, WALSH: That is right. quently he has available greater reserves of DR. ENZER: I would say be doe*, al energy for his performance. though that Is not generally recognized. Occupational Dirt-arc* 171 BEX JOHANEK (Connor Lumber Co^ Wakefield, Mich.): Do you not think a lot of this is caused through improper food? sensitive to sound, because we could pick out from a group of 'individuals people whose flicker phenomenon was greatly de pressed when their ears were stimulated; DK. ENZER: Wc are now ncopunq which suggests, perhaps, that such individ that nutrition plays an important part m uals work best m a quiet atmosphere. That nervous fatigue bemuse we know theme axe certain elements in food that are important for the integrity of the central nervous sys tem. Bnt we have been able to show in some preliminary experiments and from some sur veys that, in a general way, food intake, ex is a speculation. Another type of individual constitutionally wasn't affected at alL His dicker phenom enon was exactly the same rate. The third individual had his flicker phe cept in an extreme instance, is not important, nomenon raised; in other words, he was but in acute instances it is. What do I mean by that? An individual who has been de prived of food for longer than he is nor mally accustomed, in other words, if his stimulated by sound. I think casual exam ination amongst yourselves will probably bring to light illustrations of the individual who can concentrate on reading a book while meals are separated by too long a period of time, fatigue will be produced. We showed that on ourselves. We took no food from early morning until late at night and were able to show increasing fatigue. the radio t* going on and understand both of them perfectly satisfactorily. Somr, when we fatigued these individuals by their routine work--in other words, we conducted the same test m the morning and We were also able to show and tins b got a certain base Inc value; then they did well known, of course--that there are cer their day's work, and we tested them at the tain kinds of food which give some tem porary relief from fatigue, most notably the sugars, carbohydrates, am) a good dml tasks end of the day--we foond that fatigue ac centuated the direction of their natural con stitutional tendency. In other words, the m- been done on the proteins of <Set Bnt in the fifArtl to whom stimulation of the ear sense that I hare tried to lay the nbtcct depressed the flicker phenomenon found this morning, diet is a factor so fatignt be that depress**: increased at the end of a cause it becomes a disease state, and a dfeease state induces fatigue. Diet w3l prabes a state of fatigue if we haw ow acme disturbance m the habits of dart. day's work. PAUL 11. HARRIS (Western Austin Col, Anrora, 01): Does the human system lave the ability m any way to build re Factor of Naim sistance to this monotony, so It doesn't affect futigne other than the infusion of glucose MISS MARY LOU SCOTT <J*- E- or the increasing of the oxygenation ? Seagram & Son, Louisville, Ky.): I would DR. ENZER: That Is a phenomenon like to know the effect of factory noise in regard to fatigue. DR. ENZER: Noise Is a factor m fatigue. We demonstrated that objectively in a sci entific way in a laboratory, m this manner: We tested individuals for the flicker phe nomenon rate which, as I said, constitutes our base line. Afterwards, we stimulated their ear with a sound of a regular inten sity, rhythm and rate, the object being to see whether we could faligoe one center of the brain and in that way effect fatigue in known a$ adaptation in a physiological sense and. in the social sense, it is a question of gettiug used to your job; bat the unfor tunate part about getting used to yottr job is you are not the same today as you were five years ago. In other words, the individ ual today can't get used to the things he was used to five years ago. Age is an important factor an that direction. The longer the in dividual is at a fatigue-producing job, sooner or later there will come a time when his fatigue becomes manifest. another center of the brain, or whether we could distract one center from the other. We found that this investigation brought to light two rather interesting things, or I would say three, perhaps. One is that there are, constitutionally, individuals who are We have found that our so-called fatigue testing standards showed no important fac tors, so far as age was concerned; but the older individuals had a lower threshold to the thing that produced the fatigue than the younger individuals. In other words, it is 172 29th National Safety Congress not entirely true dial experience with a job is a guarantee against fatigue. rmlUon class. The most recent report classes them as 400. s CHAIRMAN' PAINE: In order that you The third group of 200 parts per million, may not be fatigued, I am going to change include the following: Methanol or wood the subject. I*am asking Dr. Belknap to take alcohol which, as you know, may have a the two next subjects, 3 and 4: "The Toxic serious effect on vision and cause blindness; Limits of Common Solvents" and "Lead in toluol and xylol, tctrachlorethylene; tri- Industrial Processes," and dwell on those chlorcthylcnc and turpentine. subjects as one. The fourth group, which has dropped to Toxic Limits of Solvents 100 parts per million, include carbon tetra chloride and ethylene dichloride. L DR. ELSTON L. BELKNAP: Mr. Tlien the fifth group of 75 parts per mil Chairman, I know there may be several-dis tinguished guests but 1 am sure that we m the medical profession always feel peculiarly honored when Dr. Hamilton is in the audi lion, benzene and dichlorbfcnzeue; and finally nitrobenzene, which we, fortunately, actu ally use very rarely as a solvent, is 5 ports per million. ence. If there has been anyone who has I think it is important to remember that been responsible for bringing to the atten these solvents, if in sufficient concentration, tion of American industry and the medical may kilL This is is contradiction to the profession the importance of toxicology* in other subject that I have been given, which industry, I think it is Dr. Hamilton. is lead, which very rarely kills. These sol I will emphasize a few of the toxic limits of the common solvents, so-called thresholds. While these limits have been more or less agreed upon by authorities in this field, par ticularly soch as Doctors Drinker, Haggard and Hamilton, there is no threshold that is arbitrarily perfect, and the actual derision of whether or not the solvent has been toxic is the observation of the patient who has been exposed to that solvent, by a physician who must determine whether or not there has been a temporary intoxication and whether or not there has been a residual. Dr. Walsh has really very ably covered the subject of the hazards of spray paint ing, and solvents which are the chief hazards * vents Idll, first of all, by simple suffocation, if they are used in an enclosed space, such as in a vat. But the sinister element of the solvent, of the toxic solvent, is the fact that U affects the central nervous system because, as you know, these solvents are Ed solvents, and our nervous system is largely made up of fatty tissue or lipoid tissue; so the nerv ous system is very easily affected. We have involvement, therefore, of the eye, one of the most highly developed nervous struc tures. Then we have central nervous system involvement, paralysis, inability to walk. Also; we must realize that some of these solvents actually damage the liver and the kidney, causing an acute Bright's disease. It Is thought that some of them maj* cause of spray painting, but I will mention a few cirrhosis of the liver. which 1 have grouped in increasing order of toxicity. Fortunately, one of the best solvents and one of the most dangerous is not included As an example of probably the least toxic in the list at all now, the tctrachlorethykne solvent--I say least toxic because no solvent group used in the airplane industry in the > not potentially toxic; in fact, some go so past. That had the peculiar ability to attack far as to say that aQ good solvents are toxic every part in the body, including the heart --there is gasoline It has been stated' that * muscle. That; too, is said to be a contam 1,000 parts per million is a safe limit for inant of some of our other solvents. It has continued exposure The matter of contam been ^ mentioned that possibly the former ination by other substances such as benzol contaminance in trichlorcthyleae was really in 5 to 10 per cent in certain gasolines, cer the reason why trichlorethylene had orig tainly would alter that safe threshold. inally had a rather bad name. The next group of solvents which are slightly more toxic, are the amyl and butyl acetates and ether which are allowable in 400 parts per million. Some authorities still state that they belong in the 1.000-part-per- I think one of the most important things to remember in dealing with the control of a good solvent is that we are dealing with a potentially dangerous substance and not make any effort to conceal that fact from Occupational Disease 173 any one in the factory** We of the medical profession have always felt chat we like to put our cards on the tabic. We know that it is a great deal simpler to follow the ancient axiom and tell the truth. So that I admire, for instance, the benzol company which puts on its barrels, the word "Poison." 1 am not in a position to know whether they more or less did that because they were told to, but 1 know they do it. more than thirty feet away, they were doing spray painting, and they were doing it prop erly. Instead of exhausting the spray over head and bringing it right hack in the worker's nose, they had their suction under neath the objects to be sprayed and took advantage of draft as well as suction. They had good engineering equipment and staff, but they simply didn't know what they were using in this particular instance. I think there are many otiicr companies that should put the same label on their prod ucts. In this connection I would like to tel! of a case that I was asked to see, where a young boy. in the middle of the summer, working in a shop which made motors, sud denly became very sick, bad severe headache, was dizzy, and had to stop work. He was T had another experience with a man who was a so-called neurotic. 1 think most of you can spot the neurotic, if you have had airy shop experience. This man certainly was. He had been to half a dozen doctors. One told him he was going to die, and another one said there was nothing the matter with him. working with a substance which he regarded Again I demanded to see the shop. Wc as harmless. When I first heard of the case I insisted I would want to see (be process and sec the plant and get my information firsthand rather than attempt to talk to some foreman bv telephone. (The medical profession as a whole is learning that it can only fulfill its responsibility by demanding the right to !cimw all about the exposure of the patients < oat come into their hands.) found he was spraying an aluminum paint with a harmless solvent, a diluent, with good suction and a good spray gun. How ever, on farther talking with him and con firmation from the foreman, I found he was the one man in the shop who was delegated to clean the spray guns at the end of the working day. He would sit down and squirt material, which he called chloride, in and out of the spray guns, and lean over the vat he was working with. Finally, he noticed he When 1 went into the shop I found that began to get happy and whistle and sing, this worker was using a large paint brush, and he began to look forward to the experi dipping it Into a large bowl of liquid, which ence at the end of every day. However, he 'hen slapped oo the motor to get the finally he noticed he was getting weak. He grease off. On this particular ben day he was dragging one leg, and his heart was evolved the idea of setting a fan, which ordinarily, perhaps, blew the fumes away from him, directly opposite the bowl of material and blew the fames directly *** bis face. He got cooled, and then he got sick. going very last. Well, this illustrates one other sample. This was a Urge corporation. Yes, they were using chloride. Finally, after great difficulty and 1laving to go to the treasurer of the 1 asked the foreman what was in that material, and he said be didn't know exactly; it was stock material, perfectly safe, as far as he knew. I said, "Well, I would like to know what it is." So these was considerable organization and going into the files wc lound that this was a material which they had bought from a supply house in another city, and they did not know what was in it. Wc finally found out it was ethylene di- upsetting of routine. We finally went out chloridc. into a shed in the yard, completely dark; we finally got a flashlight, and we found a barrel of benzol marked "Poison" The course of that indivfdual is interest ing, in that we put him in the hospital. It eventually cost that company quite a lot of Mow, no one in that shop knew what they were doing. There were a dozen other work ers each doing the same thing but who, fortunately, had not gotten this brilliant idea of the fan. money. I was in this to find out all I could learn about the action of that particular substance. I put the man in the hospital three or four weeks and did a number of delicate tests on him. The curious thing about this particular shop was that in another department, not Well, he came through, and interestingly we found that he had an opportunity to de- 174 29th National Safety Congress velop a cold once or twice. Every time tie did, he developed jaundice. Then, of course, we did liver function tests and found reduc tion of that We found he had a weakening of the heart muscle. We found a definite loss of the reflex in one ankle-joint, showing a definite involvement of the central nervous system. plants, when I came there about ten years ago we were having an incidence of about 24 lead cases per 100 employees per year, which corresponds pretty well with the per centage of IS to 16 reported by the Public Health Service in work about that time. In five yeaTS, by cooperation with the medical department, the engineering depart We were able to get all the physicians to agree that this man was considerably dis abled. that it was due to his occupation. You will understand, I was seeing him not for himself but for the company. I think a good many of them thought I bad been a little generous to this malingerer. This man went ahead and got a large settlement I don't know* anything further about the case except that I did hear that the man died and that the death certificate said "cirrhosis of the liver and heart failure." Unfortunately, we didn't have an autopsy to confirm it In my opinion, the toxic solvent is one of the most dangerous substances and it may* seriously disable and kill. Lead in Industry As a preface to the subject of lead in in dustry" I would like- to say that T am not specializing entirely in industrial medicine. I am one of that increasing group who feel that industrial medicine is not a specialty in itself but is merely a division of internal medicine or diagnosis, the large field of medicine which in private practice corre sponds to or is correlated with the field of general surgery. I am glad that a large pro portion of my practice is still private prac tice. 1 am also consulting' medical director to one of our industrial concerns in Mil waukee. with branches over the country, so that I have an opportunity to see lead and other toxic materials. When you see a man who has said, "I have lead poisoning," do not forget he may have some other disabilities and diseases, such as acute appendicitis, gallbladder, kid ney colic and so forth. In my private prac tice my interest has been sharpened so that I always make an effort to take a very care ful occupational history on a patient, even though he may come to me purely as a heart case, lung case or what-have-yoti ment and management, we dropped that to an incidence of 2 per 100, and for the past five years we have had no cases of lead poisoning at all. We arc still handling lead, and we are still handling it in large amounts. I think that in the storage battery indus try, probably, men are exposed potentially, at least, to the greatest concentration of lead for absorption directly into their bodies than in any other industry. ] am glad to report that, having followed this particular group nf workers of about 80 for this period, at the end of ten years they are certainly just as healthy and, in many respects, I think healthier than the general run of the popu lation. Of course, we have reduced their lead absorption, but at times it will break down the physical resistance and respiratory protection. They occasionally have large doses of lead Many of these workers were persons who had had lead poisoning or seri ous lead absorption in the period of ob servation. Lead is one of the most widely used socalled poisons in well over 200 industries. I think there is no doubt but in the large industry the hazard is well controlled. First of all. it is recognized and then every effort is given. Mo expense is spared to study the men and to reduce the continuance of any exposure. However, in the small industry, which is the major portion of industry in this country, lead is continually cropping trp. and even silicosis, which got the center of the stage in recent years, certainly in Wis consin, has now taken a back step, and lead has come back into its own, together with the ever increasing use of solvents. I would like to stress again the danger here is one of non-recognition, that we hare our trouble in the small plant, not in the large plant. I will rapidly run through the types of industry where I have seen lead poisoning occur and in which it is an im portant factor. In this particular plant in Milwaukee, which began by having and still has, as a large proportion of its work, storage battery The most important is the storage battery industry. Then the streamlining of our auto mobiles and trucks where, after welding, of Occupational Disease 175 course, as many of you know, they were at first smoothed off by lead paste which, after it cooled, was then ground by machine grinder and produced a great amount of finely divided, mhzlable dust. This brings up the fact that the most important hazard in any lead industry is the point of inhalation. Remember that lead dost inhaled is much more dangerous than swallowed, and that very rarely are lead compounds absorbed through the skin, perhaps with the one ex ception of tetrachloride fluid which is an have seen a great many men in one particu lar type of ship industry, cutting up old ships outdoors in mid-winter, and 1 have never seen men leaded up so rapidly. Of course, this is an old story. The Navy found this out twenty years ago when they scrapped many of the old ships. Unfortu nately, some people in industry, as weU as doctors, arc not very good on keeping up on their own work, by reading, and experi ments have to be made again. In the smelting of lead or zinc ore and organic and fat soluble substance. It is rather arousing that many plants, smaller plants, particularly, have had to give up machine grinding of welded joints. Here is a return of modem industry to the scrap metal, lead poisoning occurs. In pot tery malting where a glazed mixer is used, one most usually Is exposed to lead. In the printing industry we have beard a great deal of lead poisoning. borse-aad-boggy stage. They are going back I had an opportunity recently to make a to hand filing where, of course, the particles survey of a group of printers with the Wis are heavy and arc too large to be inhaled. consin Industrial Hygiene Unit. They went The problem can be licked, however, even into an analysts of the air, and l examined by machine grinding, if one uses respirators die men. To be sure, our list was not large, it has always been said that lead poison ing was very common in painting, ify ex perience in ordinary painting nowadays Is It is very rare, particularly on inside painting where lead has been substituted by other some 30 men in fourteen different printing establishments, but it was striking that all of these men were in excellent health and, as far as I could see, there had been no great deal of turnover. substances, such as titanium, zinc and so However, there are one or two spots in forth, which are harmless. On the outside, the printing industry that are danger spots; however, lead is still used, in many instances, that is, of course, the man who remelts the because it is the one substance that will old type metal or who saws it, if he uses a stand the weather. machine saw. I think it is interesting, going Here we come again to the question of finely divided, Inhalahic dust where men bum off old paint in private homes; not in the large installations, of course, or sand, cither by machine sanding or by hand sand ing. There we have the question of finely divided dust which is inhaled. You must remember that dost when inhaled passes di through our records of printers in the State of Wisconsin, for a great number of years past, we have bad only three cases, one of which was realty a serious case, and that man was one who remelted--he was the for gotten mao, worked down La the basement on a kettle, where nobody paid any atten tion to him, and there was no protection. rectly into the system and immediately cir In passing; I will simply name soldering, culates throughout the entire body. and that occurs very frequently even in the 1 make a recommendation, therefore, that any worker that has gotten bis lead by burn ing off or sanding, be given a respirator for that purpose, even though he is an outside worker. In the wrecking of old buildings and old slops, of coarse, there is the constant pres ence Of lead absorption when the steel has been coated with several coats. It ideally forms a fume which is so fine as to be al most invisible and is absorbed directly into the system. The only way that a worker doing that can really protect himself, In my opaiioo, is to use an air-line respirator. I evaporated milk industry out in the country; tempering of metals, brass foundries, ink malting, insecticides. This potentially may occur in leaded steel when it is scrapped. Then I would class as fhe final one, the risk which says they have no lead hazard. That is the place you should look particu larly. As I said, the important portal of entry is through the nose. If we bear that in mind, the problem of control of lead poisoning Is really not difficult. If, of course, your en gineers reduce the exposure to 1.5 milli grams, I don't think you will have a case of 176 29th National Safety Congress lend poisoning. However, as a matter of practical interest, I think it is very difficult to set there in ordinary industry, and I would more or less formulate 3 as a safe level. 1 think it has also been found by other workers. However, if you get over 3 you certainly have the possibility* of serious lead absorption. I want to emphasize that mere lead ab sorption does not mean the man has lead poisoning. He may have a lead line, may have lead in the urine, .08 milligrams per liter, but that does not make lead poisoning. That is merely evidence of absorption. He must have, in addition, clinical symptoms of one of the three types of lead absorption. As a final word in TCgard to the role of the medical profession in its cooperation in industry, it seems to me that the medical man should first of all be responsible to the highest man in authority in the plant, so that he can go direct to him with any prob lems that arise, and before any new pro cedure is used or any new chemical, have a conference with the physician to see whether there is any possible danger, whether there are volatile solvents or lead, so that the danger to the men may be prevented before it happens. statically controlled so the temperature of the lead does not exceed 500 degrees ? DR. BELKNAP r That is a good prac tical question. As wc know, lead melts at a much lower temperature when volatilized. In my experience, lead does nor really vola tilize until around 1,000 or 1,100 degrees. In this group of workers that I am fol lowing, some years ago, large lead pots, two or three feet in diameter, were unhooded be cause of certain changes in technical pro cedure, and the plant never got around to the hood. I disapproved of that and re peatedly said they would have cases of lead poisoning there if they didn't hood. They said they would just as soon as it was prac tical. It has never been practicable, and I am here to say we have had no lead cases develop to the point of disability, and we have had very little lead absorption result from that. The same men lave worked there for ten years, dipping lead out of the pot, incidentally, at temperatures ranging usually from 850 to 950 degrees. In this group of linotype workers we found no evidence of lead absorption in some of the shops where they Iiad no suction. I would not say in my own experience that hooding is necessary at 500 degrees. I am not making a pica tor absolute sub stitution for and avoidance of the use of lead. I think industry cannot get along with out the use of lead, cannot get along without the use of a number of these solvents: but if industry is forewarned, and if the worker is informed correctly so he will cooperate in the use of protective devices and, finally, the medical profession is allowed to see the pa tient as often as they see fit. perhaps every two or three weeks, then there need occur no occupational disease in industry. ~ CHAIRMAN- PAINE: Are there any questions on either one of these subjects that you would like to ask? MR. HOTTER: What is the effect of the * smell of kerosene on the worker? Is that a permanent effect or just temporary? DR. BELKNAP: As far as I know, there is no ill effect from the inhalation of kero sene. R. S. SKYRM (Employers Liability As surance Corporation, Boston): Would Dr. Belknap recommend the direct venting of lead pots on linotype machines where the pots are electrically heated and thermo MR. CARR: I wonder if there is any evidence to indicate the toxic limit for butyl alcohol could be raised above that given? We had experience over some twenty years with the same group of men, working in concentrations from 200 to 400 parts per million, and under careful examination they have shown no Indication of trouble. One other question is whether much work has been done on toxic limits of dioxene? DR. BELKNAP: I think Dr. Hamilton will have to state if she recalls whether we have toxic limits established for dioxene. DR. HAMILTON: Dioxene is the trade name for diethylene chloride. No toxic limit has been established for that. We considered it a fairly safe solvent until some very dis astrous cases occurred in England from over-exposure, causing five deaths. Since then we have looked upon it with a good deal more suspicion. There has not been enough work done oa it to establish any maximum allowable concentrations. DR, BELKNAP: In regard to butyl al cohol, the butyl radical acetate is much less toxic than ethyl or methyl, particularly. So 1 would be interested in your point of view. Occupational Disease 177 i think probably it could be made at safe limits. MR. GUMMAR: 1 want to endorse com pletely the principle of maximum clearances of safety standards in engineering, but they should be based on factual data. As regards toluene, there have been enormous quantities used in the lacquer industry since spray painting came into use. It is sprayed into the air as fine mist, and even though it evap orates at a slower rate than benzol, if you inhale the mist, you get severe effects, if it is toxic. [ have employers in four states, New York The problem confronting the physician is to determine the relationship between the skin disease and the occupational environ ment, to discover the nature of the offending agent and to adopt measures designed to cure the condition and prevent its occur rence. There arc many predisposing causes of occupational dermatosis, such as uncleanli ness of workrooms, of clothes and of per son. Previous skin diseases as, for example, eczema, are potent factors, because individ- uals with eczema react seven times more frequently to external irritants than noneczematous individuals. The skin of the State, New Jersey, Ohio and Connecticut, young and old is more susceptible to irrita who for the past sixteen years have not had tion and infection than the skin of persons any reported cases of chronic toluene poison in middle life. Dry stria is more vulnerable ing; yet Ohio in the past sixteen years has had over 69 cases of poisoning from gaso line in the petroleum industry. As to the experimental results, I can find no experimental data indicating the toxicity should be such a low value. Some of the to irritants than oily skin. The skin of certain parts of the body is especially sensitive, for instance, that of the eyelids and genitalia. Anything which lowers the normal threshold of resistance of the >kin may act as a predisposing factor in the confusion arises from the failure to dis production of dermatitis and of infectious tinguish between chronic and acute poison lesions. These factors include bruises, marked ing. It is a fact that in extremely high con sweating and maceration, prolonged ex centrations. toluene and xylene are more posure of the skin to water and especially toxic than benzol; that is, if you go into a to alkalis and repeated scrubbing of the skin. chamber where there are 20,000 parts per These agents tend to remove the normal million, you would be unconscious quicker protective coats of the skin, that is the outer from toluene and xylene than you would homy layer, and thus expose the sensitive with benzene, but that is an entirely separate epidermal cells directly to irritating materia], phenomenon from the slow chronic poison A point fairly recently emphasized is that ing CHAIRMAN PAINE: The next topic will be "Skin Affections** and that will be handled by Dr. M. J. Reuter. individuals with common athlete's foot arc much more prone to occupational dermatitis of the hands. Apparently this infection of the feet acts a a sensitizing factor. Skin Affections The actual causes of occupational derma toses are mechanical, `physical and biologic DR. M. J. REUTER: When wc consider to what extent the skm of the worker is exposed to Injuries, the action of chemical irritants and the various infectious agents, it is not surprising that occupational skin dis eases arc a major problem in industry*. The United States Public Health Service esti mates 69 per cent of occupational diseases are skin diseases. They carried out a study in 100,000 workers and found, in the course of a year, that one per cent of these workers were affected with some slrin disease as a result of their work. This did not include bums, splashes of adds and alkalis, and the ordinary pus infections of scratches or abrasions. agents and chemical irritants. Mechanical agents produce bruises and lacerations, as well as friction and pressure resulting in various inflammations and thickenings of the skin. The physical agents which may produce an occupational dermatosis are heat and cold, either dry or wet, electricity, ultraviolet rays, either from the sun or artificial, and x-rays or radium. The biologic agents arc the common bac teria, fungi and parasites. For the most part, however, occupational affections of the skin are the result of con tact with irritants of a chemical nature. 178 29th National Safety Congress usually acids or alkalis producing simple in' flammatioo of the skin. As a subject for discussion, I might say that probably cleansing agents used by the workers are one of the most potent factors in the causation of occupational dermatitis. CHAIRMAN PAINE: This is a subject in which there are a number of men inter ested. Will you expedite your questions? DR. ENZER: I would like to ask Dr. DR. REUTER: I have had very little occasion to pass on a question of cancer of the skin arising from alleged contact with some carcinogenic agenL C. T. DENSMORE (Koppers Co., St. Paul, Minn.): I would like to hear a little about the effects of coal tar and creosote oils in relation to cancer and what-not, and also the inhalation of the creosote va pors - Reuter to say a work about skin cancer in occupational exposures. Skin Cancer DR. REUTER: Regarding the develop ment of cancer from coal tar and creosote, I have had no experience. We do know' that coal tar is the nearest to the skin and docs DR. REUTER: Ewing has set forth five postulates which must be fulfilled before accepting trauma as the cause of given can cer. Ewing states: "First, the authenticity and adequacy of injury must be estab lished." That is, the patient's statement re garding injury must be substantiated, and there must be actual tissue damage. "Second, the previous integrity of the produce an inflammation about the hair follicles called folliculitis. It is undoubtedly due to the plugging of the follicles with the tar and perhaps some stimulation of the epidermal layers of the skin from the tar, which sets up this inflammatory reaction around the hair follicles. T think the same is true with creosote. But, regarding the actual development of hypertrophic lesions of the skin, particularly cancer, I have had no ex wounded part before the injury' must be established. "Third, the cancer or tumor must arise at the point of injury. perience- DR- BELKNAP: As for creosote, I ha\ e had no actual cases brought to my atten tion. As far as I know, the fumes would be "Fourth, there must be a reasonable time limit between injury and the development of the tumor." That is, if the tumor develops within two or three days after the injury, it isn't reasonable that in that short a time a tumor could have developed. "Fifth, the positive diagnosis must estab lish that there is an actual tumor present and the nature of the particular tumor." CHAIRMAN PAINE: Dr. Ewer, do no more irritating, possibly, than causing an irritative cough. I know of no cases, really, of acute chronic bronchitis or other car cinogenic results. CHAIRMAN PAINE: We will leave any other questions to the end of the ses sion and hear Mr. H. A Nelson. Industrial Commission of Wisconsin, on the question: "Should occupational diseases be considered as industrial injuries?" you want to speak to the point? DR. ENZER: I thought Dr. Reuter might Disease Vs. Injury say a word about the increasing attention H. A NELSON: Mr. Chairman: The now being givfeu to highly complex chemical question which I have been assigned is sus agents which have the property of inducing cancer in the experimental animat We know of certain agents which have that property hi the human. The commonly known one is tar cancer. We know also of certain aniline products which would produce cancer of the skin, of the urinary bladder, and so on. I think that subject is highly complex, but I think it should be brought to your attention that in the dermatology of today we deal not only with dermatitis but also deal with tumors. ceptible of treatment in several ways. We can treat it in a highly technical way and quibble about the court construction of the word "injury" or we can treat it in a gen eral way and ask whether occupational dis eases should be compensated. That is the real crux of the question today. It sometimes astonishes me that thirty years after the passage of compensation acts we are still disputing this question of whether we shall compensate a condition which may cause disability and which arises Occupational Disease 179 out of industry just as clearly as does an accidental injury* There are various ways of meeting the problem. One, of course, is to do nothing about it and that is what about eighteen states in the Union are doing. They are not compensating occupational diseases at all. Out of the other states there are a few which are compensating all occupa tional diseases, and some of them are com employees who have this accrual of dosage, it may be that In periods of depression the expense to him will be rather great for the time being, and that must be met in various ways. Employers are humanitarian. Most of them would like to do these things but they are also in competition with each other, and that means there must be laws and regula tions for the compensating of occupational disease if the job is to be done in a satis pensating by schedule. Now, schedules are usually designed so that there are a great many diseases which are named, but very generally you will find that they leave out the one occupational dis ease which causes the most disability. For example, silicosis is left out of a great many of the state laws which have schedules. Therefore, silicosis, which is a serious oc cupational disease U not compensated. When we go bade to the prime principles of workmen's compensation, we wonder why the compensation fathers didn't face the question at the time the compensation acts were passed. That was the time to do it Either through inadvertence or, in some cases, through design, occupational diseases were left out of the taw's pretty generally, but accidental injuries were to be compen factory way. Another reason that is often given is that industrial commissions and accident boards are unable to decide the question of occu pational disease, as to causation, between the process and the final condition which re sults in disability. I think that is a rather fatuous objection, in view of the develop ment which has been made in medical sci ence within the last few years. 1 think those questions are no more diffi cult to decide than the questions of aggra vation of pre-existing conditions which are clearly under the law. if we may ascribe them to accidents, and also to the obscure conditions which are ascribed to accident* and as to which compensation boards and commissions have to make decisions every sated. 1 thuak that was largely because of day. the rather violent split from the old common law* system and leaving out of consideration Can Stamp Out Disease the question of negligence. It was a rather violent split, but it is surprising that in all But the most glorious thing that has been of these years occupational diseases still re accomplished by occupational disease laws is main uncompensated in so many states. the fact that employers have become con When we consider the nature of an occu pational disease, which is usually a slow, insidious process, over which the man him self, the employee, has no control, but over which the employer, as these physicians have told you this morning, has the entire power of control, there seems to be ouc hundred times more reason why the em ployee who cannot protect himself in any possible way should be compensated for oc cupational disease rather than for acciden scious of the fact that they can stamp out occupational disease. I am glad to <ay (hat in Wisconsin we have practically stamped out silicosis, that in a few years more it is going to be practically a negligible tiling. Dr. Belknap has shown you how lead pois oning can be almost entirely eradicated. That is the glorious thing which wc liavc achieved through tlie passage of occupa tional disease laws. I want to give a very few figures showing the drop in silicosis in the State of Wisconsin tunce 1933 to 1939. tal injury. 1 suppose there is no question but that the real crux of the matter is that of ex pense to the employer, and that comes be cause of the so stated accrued liability. Here has been an accrual of dosage which finally oeiinatcs m disease, and this accrual is scadt that the disease may come at a given aoccoeoL If the employer has a large number of These figures are the percentages of com pensation which were paid in silicosis case6 as compared with the total. In 1933 the fig ure was 9.4; 1934, 8.8; 1935, 7.9; then 5 and 2 and .9 per cent, and, in the year 1939, 1.3 per cent which we figure is getting about on a level. I think there is no question hut that the public is demanding that occupational djs- 180 29th National Safety Congress ease be compensated. The trend is coming on. I believe that industry and society will be gratified when the problem has been solved by whatever methods may be adopted and suited to the different states. taken. Disability due to sickness over the ten-year period was'calculated and seen for each individual man. There certainly was no marked difference in sickness rates and in disability rates in the welders as compared CHAIRMAN PAINE: Are there any questions you want to ask Mr. Nelson be fore we 90 into the general discussion? to the general run of employees working at their side in the same plant and in the same economic situation. ADOLF AMRAM (Hamlin & Co., New York City). We passed a compensation law in New York State some two or three years ago. Perhaps you recall that first we passed a most illogical law, the all-inclusive act which acted most disastrously not only to in dustry itself but to the workmen. You are familiar with the history and the recall of that act. T dare say in a number of states it is absolutely right and proper the compen sation act should indude silicosis, but It should include silicosis on a schedule basis, When you are considering welders who are cutting painted materials, lead-bearing paints, or who are welding in confined spaces, you have a different problem; bat for the ordinary welding group, working in a large, airy room, with ordinary precau tions and ventilation, their health is just as good as any other group of workers. If they are cutting paint or toxic coatings of any kind or lead-bearing steel, or if they' arc working in a confined space, then additional respiratory protection is necessary. as I think is the case in Illinois. MR. NELSON; All states are not as fortunate as some other states. I think we arc showing generally throughout all of the tatc that the problem can be solved. Protection for Welder* So far as the question that was rampant a few years ago, that is the development of so-called fibrosis of the longs doe to weld ing, we have not found this to be the case. Dr. Enzer and Dr. Sander at Milwaukee have had occasion to examine at postmortem a few of these individuals who have been welding for long periods of time in confined CHAIRMAN PAINE: We have a few minutes. Anyone in the audience has the privilege of asking this panel of doctors any questions they want to raise on these main -ubjectf. J. S. GREEN (Edgewater Steel Co., Oakmont. Pa.): I would like to ask to what evtent an ordinary* welder in a small plant should be protected? Once in a while there will be a hardening material which has poisonous results. Other times there will be flame cutting of paint on a product which will raise some noxious poison. To what ex tent would a welder or a cutter have to be protected? CHAIRMAN PAINE: The question isr how are we going to protect, and what is the exposure to welders on new material or on old material that has been painted? I will a.*k Dr. Walsh to answer that ques tion. DR. WALSH: Within the past couple of years wc have had occasion to go over airroup of about 1,000 welders. Of that group some 300 have been welding for ten or more years. They were gone over from the clinical point ot view. X-ravs of the chest were spaces, usually. They did find there was an increase of iron in the lung hut no fibrosis causing harm. Recently, we also have examined another group of welders, that is a variant of the welding trade, scarfers, in the continuous production of sleet These sorters use a long torch and blow out the defects in the billets rather than chiseling them out. This group also, while it is an infant in the group of welders, apparently have no health haz ards of any consequence in their trade. In other words, I think if ordinary precau tions, so far as ventilation and so forth are concerned, we need not be concerned other than if wc arc using lead or chromium or some of the toxic materials. CHAIRMAN PAINE: Dr. Enzer will speak for a minute an the subject and then Dr. Belknap will follow' him right up. DR. ENZER: T want to seize the oppor tunity to make some comments relative to the general attitude of this panel discussion. It is most important that in any approach to the problem ol industrial health we re member that a statistical analysis of croups is not a true criterion of tire health of the individual. In other words, just like the sur- Occupatlonal Disease 181 gcon who might boast of a 99K per cent as those which simply have mill scale on recovery rate from a specific operation, the them. individual who happened to belong to that $4 per cent constitutes 100 per cent mortal ity for the Wivklturf. There is a very sharp R. J. WOODHOLSE (Continental Cas ualty Company, New York City): I ltad a case a short time ago that I was called upon contrast there. to investigate. The man worked in a small Now, when we talk about safe limits of toxic solvents, safe limits of toxic agents, safe limits of an industry, we roust remem ber that the problem is not going to be solved by a blanket generalization of a problem, bat by a careful and meticulous analysis and stodj of the individuals ex posed to the industry. I know of no other printing plant where he was assumed to have contracted lead poisoning. After mak ing impinger teats which proved negative, an award was given by the commission to the widow in the amount of $13,000. The lead was melted around 650 to 700 degrees * and the experts proved that toxic fumes were not liberated. way that this can be done except that in dustry realize that the profession of medi cine forms the keystone to the solution of these problems. DR. BELKNAP; I simply wanted to am plify what has already been mentioned, and that is when a welder or cutter works on material that has been painted or coated with lead, he, of course, probably will ac quire lead absorption in a serious fashion about as quickly as, if not quicker than, in any other way. It is very simple now, with the respira tors wc have available, for a shop welder, whenever be is doing that type of work, to use such a respirator. In my own particular series of cases one of our cases of lead ab sorption was a welder who had been re pairing some ovens containing a targe amount of lead. Also, I had occasion recently to sec half a dozen cases of cutters who were cutting up tanks in a large chemical plant. These steel tanks had been lined with lead. They could not understand why the men were getting lead. They went through the lead with a torch 3000 or 4000 degrees and they absorbed lead exceedingly rapidly. It is not a difficult question to solve at all but it is a matter of having perfect confidence in what the work is for and preparing for it. I wonder what yardstick the referees used to measure those cases, in the face of such expert testimony. MR. SKYRM: I would like to know the relation of hemlock poisoning and poison ivy to skin disease. DR. REUTER: Poison ivy, of course, is the most common plant that causes derma titis. Hemlock is occasionally the cause. Poison ivy is an intense irritant to most people's skin. It is a question of whether in itself it is not an irritant to all people's skin. We used to think we knew the cause of poison ivy dermatitis, but more recent work has tended rather to disprove that wc do know the actual cause of what it is in the plant that produces dermatitis. Apparently it is a water-soluble fraction rather than an oil. Its relation to occupational disease de pends on what the individual is doing. If he is exposed to it in his occupation, for ex ample, as a farmer, WPA worker, lumber man or any occupation that keeps an indi vidual out-of-doors, and he contacts poison ivy, it certainly would be an occupational disease. Poison ivy dermatitis is apt to be a much more violent dermatitis than that from hemlock. MR. CARR: In connection with welding, we have had instances of zinc chills from CHAIRMAN PAINE: Mr. Gumaer, will you repeat your question? work on galvanized iron. We have also bad nitrous fume poisoning from the use of coated electrodes. P. W. GUMAER: The question was, what is the basis of the comparatively low maxi mum concentration of toluol in the absence I would also like to call attention to a relatively new development, that of the flame cleaning of metals before painting, by the use of a special oxy-acetylcne torch. That includes previously painted metals as well of any reported occupational disease ca^e.s and are there any experimental data to war rant such a low concentration where such experimental data deals with chronic poison ing and not with acute poisoning? 182 29th National Safety Congress DR. BELKNAP: The question is, The American Standards Association has whether toluol is really as toxic as I inti a committee at work in this field, with a mated il might be, being permissible in only 200 parts per million. Is that right, Mr. Gumaer? MR. GUMAER: Yes. DR. BELKNAP: As far as the official authority of that is concerned, it is taken from the code for safe concentrations of certain toxic substances used in industries, whose authors are Bowditch, Drinker, Hag gard and Alice Hamilton which appeared in the June 1940 issue of the Journal of In dustrial Hygiene and Toxicology. 1 do not know whether there is any prac tical experimental work backing that up, but inasmuch as toluol and xylol are very closely related to benzol, I assume that the authors felt that it as yet could not be given an entirely' safe record, for instance, com pared to gasoline. I will say, among a group of workers who have been working with adequate protection tor several years with toluol solvents, I have seen no general reaction. DR_ HAMILTON: May T speak to that for just a moment? That presentation to which Dr. Belknap refers was got out simply because a small group of us felt that we might as well let the public know what was our best guess at the present mo small subcommittee. We have just finished dealing with two gases and two volatile sol vents, carbon monoxide and benzol and car bon disulphide and hydrogen sulphide. There we have been able to get pretty accurate figures because we have data to go on. We are now Hying to deal with twelve others which are going to be increasingly important in the munitions industry. We hope to be able to give out more accurate figures then. But it is a very difficult prob lem. You see the only way we can get any accurate figure is by having a combined .inquiry made try the physicians, the chem ists and the ventilation engineers, because we have to know how many cases developed in a given workroom at a given concentra tion, and also at what concentration do no cases come. We could do that with the four I have mentioned, but it means, as you sec, a great deal of Careful study in the factory and in the physicians' examining room. Bringing those two together, we can do it with re gard to lead; we can do it pretty well with regard to mercury, and we have pretty good data with regard to zme oxide fumes in galvanizing iron and brass foundries and zinc smelling: but the rest of the substances still are more or less in the realm of guess ment will) regard to maximum allowable' concentrations of the most commonly used solvents. It is founded very largely on guess work. work. CHAIRMAN PAINE: May I, in your belialf and in behalf of the National Safety Council, thank the gentlemen On the plat The quantity of 1,000 parts per million for gasoline is guess, and so is 200 parts of toluene. Wc are hoping that we shall be able form who have so kindly led us in this dis cussion? Will you express that thanks by giving them a rising vote? to give more accurate figures presently. . .. The audience arose and applauded. ADJOURNMENT Off-the-Job Accidents WEDNESDAY MORNING SESSION October 9, 1940 The Panel Discussion on Off-the-Job Ac cidents was called to order by the Chair man, Julkn H- Harvey, Managing Direc tor, The National Conservation Bureau, New York City*, who presided. CHAIRMAN HARVEY: It is a pleasure to welcome you here this morning. By way of introduction, I simply want to make clear just what the National Safety Council has lu mind by the phrase "Off-the-Job Acci dents." All too frequently in previous ses sions of this kind there has been a feeling that we were thinking in terms of "com munity" safety work. In one sense we are thinking of safety work on a community basis, but in another definite sense we are thinking of a program whereby an indi vidual industry or company will consider the problem of accidents which occur to its employees during the hours when they are away from work. This movement had its inception some seven or eight years ago, following several survey's which showed that a very great preponderance of acci dents occurred to employees after they had left lhe job, as compared to those which occurred while they were at work. 1 recall one illustration in the East, where a well louown national organization with many thousands of employees was doing a good job of safety work in its plants. De spite that fact, during a five-year period, 37 of their employees had been killed while at work, but during the same period 204 of their employees had been killed "after the wbistfc blew." We found that situation repeated in many instances. Proceeding on the theory that industry is closer to its workers than other organizations can be, and that industry has been able to do a good job of accident pre vention within the walls of its own plants, wc felt that It might be possible for it, through a special program, to energize its employees and do something to extend the hours of safety beyond the plant. In oar program this morning, we intend to lake up certain problems, which will appear as they arc developed by our Panel of Safety and Industrial leaders before you. This will, however, be an open meeting, and vve expect to have many excellent sug gestions presented by persons in the audi ence, who will also ask the panel questions. The panel members are as follows: Mrs. James E. Shoe, Past Slate Chair man, American Home Department, Illinois Federation of Women's Clubs, Joliet, 111. Leslie J. Sorenson, City Traffic Engineer, City of Chicago. Harry E. Bolt, District Commercial Su perintendent, Indiana Bell Telephone Com pany, South Bend, ImL, and President of the South Bend Civic Safety Council. Ralph W. Pendleton, Assistant General Manager, Massachusetts Safety Council, Boston. Edward P. Durfee, Assistant Manager.. Insurance Department, Consolidated Edison Company of New York, Inc., New York City. A. G. Bungcnstock, Director of Safely. Western Electric Company, Kearny, X. J. R. H. Balensiefer, Safety Engineering Manager, Hardware Mutual Casualty Com pany, Stevens Point, Wts. We will now proceed with the discussions: The first of the specific problems to be dis cussed will be: `The Value of 'Off-Duty' Safety Programs." I will ask Mr. Durfee to give us his ideas on that subject. Value of the Program E. P. DURFEE: Mr. Chairman, I don't know how the title "oftthe-job accidents" originated, bat I do know that- our present company program has what wc consider real value. It dates back about four or five years when our general surgeon, one day, was laying his troubles on my shoulder. He told me that the chairman of the board was after him because our sickness payroll was approximately 3 per cent of our total annual payroll, which is $90,000,000. The thought 183 184 29th National Safety Congress struck me tiiat it wasn't fair for the gen eral surgeon, in taking the toll of absentee ism to say that employees were absent always because they were sick. We started to find out, from that day on, exactly why our people were off duty. It was amazing to learn that an most of our plants, if a fellow fell off a chair or fell off a ladder at home, his wife would go to the phone, call up, talk to the superin tendent, tell him that John was sick; and then the timekeeper would mark him down as being sick. And thus it was that 3 per cent of our total payroll was being charged up to sickness. The first thing we did was this: We took our payroll sheets and right in the center we put, "If absenteeism has been caused by an accident off the job, answer the fol lowing questions: Where? When? How?" It was amazing to find out, after a period of twelve months had elapsed, that among 22,000 employees we had had 478 lost-time accidents in the plant and 610 accidents while off duty. 1 can't stress sufficiently the importance of promoting what I call off-the-job safety work. Of course, I know that many of us in the safety field feel that if our industrial technique is successful, we will give our employees enough training while at work to enable them to carry on over the rest of the day; but apparently it is not working out that way. The only pitfall that I can see in the program is tiiat we must not become what we might call over-paternalis tic--we must not create the idea in the in dividual's mind that we are trying to tell him what to do while he is off duty. Therefore; I can't urge and advocate too strongly tying in your off-the-job accidents with your industrial program. Within the next year wc hope to take these accident reports which wc have now, bring them right into the plant, and discuss them with the foremen and superintendents in exactly the same way we discuss our industrial accidents. CHAIRMAN HARVEY: I failed to mention that we will have a discussion from the floor following each problem presented. I would now like to hear either from members of the panel or from any one in the audience. Is there any question anyone would like to ask Mr. Durfee based on what he has had to say to you? MRS. JAMES SIME: May l ask Mr. Durfee what it is that a company gains by spreading safety among employees' fam ilies? MR. DURFEE: In my opinion, they gain more from an economic standpoint than they do from our industrial safety pro gram. In the first place, it helps to build up morale among your employees; and sec ondly, I am inclined to believe that it has a considerable economical value. In many companies in case of accident not only docs the man stay off the job, which no one can figure in dollars and cents, but he is paid while he is off work; and in a good many cases he is paid more while he is off as a result of sickness or accident off the job than while he is off as a result of an in jury received while at work. Voluntary Information W. R.* TUTHILL (American Seating Co.. Grand Rapids, Mich.): We emptoy about 1,300 people. Do I understand that you get the information voluntarily from these em ployees, including all the details as to how the accident happened and why ? MR. DURFEE: That is true. MR. TUTHILL: There is, then, no reluc tance on their part nor any disciplinary' measures used in securing information to the effect that it was an accident, even though it might sound foolish ? MR. DURFEE: That is right. The re sponsibility is placed on the shoulders of the timekeeper. That is his job. ERIC W. STUBBS (Illinois Bell Tele phone Co., Chicago): What was the per centage of your sickness disability due to off-time accidents? MR. DURFEE: I would say that about one per cent of our absenteeism is due to off-thc-job accidents and two per cent is due to sickness. So you see, you have a two-fold function there: you can not only help your medical department but you can help your own safety record too. L. J. SORENSON: You say that in the middle of the payroll sheet you have a cer tain form which asks the questions, How? and Where? and Why? MR, DURFEE: Yes, just three ques tions--How, and Where? and Why? Off-the-Job Accidents 185 MR. SORENSON: And the employee furnishes that information when he returns to work, I suppose. When you get that; what do you do with it? MR. DURFEE; We haven't gone that far yet. What I hope to do eventually is to bring that information right back into the plant and talk to the foreman. Don't forget this: Your workmen's compensation laws are going to be broadened, and we are going to be charged with absenteeism in the future which today is strictly sickness, so we might just as well recognize that fact and de velop our program so that will take care of these cases now. I hope we can do that with the proper technique without getting them sore--I hope we will be able to discuss the matter with the foreman just exactly the same way in which we discuss an industrial accident with him. QUESTION: I would like to ask what is so unusual about the fact that there are more accidents off the job than while at work? The average workman works 1,960 hours a year, sleeps 2^00 hours a year, and has about 3,800 hours a year without re straining safety influences such as be has on the job. So why shouldn't be have more accidents outside? CHAIRMAN HARVEY: Let me answer that question. There is no reason why there shouldn't be more accidents off the job, but it is a challenge to us to see what we can do to bring that ratio down. There is no particular obligation on the part of a con cern to guide the employee during the hours be is away from work. But from another standpoint, isn't It worth our while if we can do something to reduce the number of those outside accidents? Wc know that for many years we have been hammering away and hammering away about home acci dents. and street and highway accidents; but if industry, which has carried the orig inal torch for safety in this country and has done such a wonderful job in its plants, can do something to improve accident con ditions among its people after they have left work, that is surely something worth while. SAME QUESTIONER: I happen to live in a community where they are more or less idle in the winter time; we have a lot of people who like to go siding. The result is that each winter we have 10 to 15 people with broken legs. What can you do about that? It's a sport accident. CHAIRMAN HARVEY: We will agree that we are going to have sport accidents, and of course, we don't want sport stopped. I think before die morning as over you will probably hear a number of testimonials from those who have done work along this line and who have accomplished some worth while results. MR. DAVIS: Is there any specific thing Mr. Durfee does to avoid the impression of a paternalistic attitude on the part of the management? Employee Teamwork MR. DURFEE: We don't do anything specific But there is, as I have said, the real pitfall in this intensified program that you may develop. You have got to keep in mind the fact that we have got socialized legislation today we didn't hare ten years ago; we've got employees organized on a union basis; and when you begin to de velop this program, you've got to avoid this pitfall. As to just how you are going to do that, well, that depends upon how you set up your program. In the first place, you have to get hold of your supervisors and start your pro gram and tell them what this thing is all about and then have them create the im pression among the employees that you are just as much interested in their safety while they are off Che job so long as they are on your payroll. CHAIRMAN HARVEY: I think, too. that one of the surest ways to do that is to bring your employees into the program by haring them serve on committees to carry on the campaign. In that way you make it not a management program so much as it is one in which the employees are all join ing together In an effort to accomplish something. MEMBER: One gentleman has said that he thought that we couldn't do much about off-the-job accidents because of the fact that the restraining influence stops at the gate. I don't think it does. We have been hammering away at this thing for more than 20 years in order to form safety liabits in the minds of our employees. Therefore, don't you think that they take these safety habits along with them beyond the gate? 1S6 29th National Safety Congress CHAIRMAN' HARVEY: Any other questions? If not, let us pass on to the sec ond topic of discussion, "How to Promote and Conduct Contests,'* and coupled with that is still another subject, "Cooperation with Safety Councils, Chambers of Com merce and the Like." On these two more or less joined prob lems I am going to ask Ur, Bolt; who has lived with this particular phase of the prob lem for years in South Bend, Indiana, to give us his ideas Contests and Cooperation HARRY E. BOLT: The technique of or ganized safely is to get people to do what is good for them and to make them like it. Well-intentioned persons sometimes make the mistake of acting on the theory that people naturally want to do what is good for them. Of course; if this were true, think oi the many amusements, such as the dis tilleries and the breweries and the man ufacturers of women's shoes, that would have to go out of business! But the theory also that you have to beat people over the head to make them act safely---that theory doesn't work either. Americans like to take chances. That's what built this country* That's what keeps the Stock Exchange and the Kentuclty Derby and some of the poolrooms going. Tell the average American that he should act safely, and he'll say, "I'm no pantywaist." Tell him something is against the law, and he'll break his neck to violate the law just to prove that he is a man. But tell tins same American that unsafe driving is unsportsmanlike, appeal to his sense of chivalry about women and children--now we're getting some place. We've got to make people like safety-- perhaps not safety for its Own sake but courtesies that result in safety. Wc'vc got to create new customs, new patterns of social behavior. Etiquette is more powerful than a policeman's club. The man who breaks every speed law on his way to the office wouldn't dream of going to work without a necktie. Nov.', the only way you can set a new style is to give it lots of "oomph." You can't do it by preaching, but you can do it by the same means that a new brand of cigarettes is sold--in the newspapers, over the radio, from billboards. You haven't the money to buy this space and time. You have to chisel it That means that you have to be on darn good terms with the newspaper publisher, the radio station operator and the owner of the billboards. Also, since you can't expect them to give you both their space or time and do the work besides, you have to hire your own publicity man; only if you have a safety council, 3'ou will call him an executive sec retary. Of course, he w'ill have other chores to do, but publicity is the most important, for you have to change the public mind. As an example. South Bend has just fin ished a traffic safety contest with Salt Lake City. During the 62 days of the contest, we got publicity of various kinds that would have cost us almost $7,000. For one thing, we got fifteen and one-half full newspaper pages of stories, pictures, editorials and cartoons. We got people interested in safety. They didn't care so much about bow many people were lolled as they did about beating Salt Lake Gty! But publicity alone won't do the job. The Safety Council must depend On the police-- on the traffic engineer--on the school sys tem, including the FTA---on various civic and luncheon clubs, such as the Elks, Amer ican Legion, Rotary, Kiwanis, Chamber of Commerce, traffic commission, moior dub, churches and industrial, financial and retail organizations. In short, it must make con nections with virtually every organization in town. In conclusion, in talking about the Safety Council through which organization we carry on most of our activities in South Bend, its main job is to create a public demand for safety; to coordinate its work with other organizations. These jobs arc too big to accomplish without a permanent, cohesive organization. Our Safety Division of the Association of Commerce includes a Commercial Vehicle Section, the South Bend Safe Driver's League, the Industrial Safety Section, a section devoted to special proj ects, such as contests and campaigns, and we are also planning on the creation of a Home Safety Section. CHAIRMAN HARVEY: Mr. Bolt, I would like to ask you this: You speak of the Safe Driver's League with which in dustry is cooperating from the standpoint of off-ihe-job accidents. Would you tell os Off-the-Job Accidents 187 something about how that works? Do you work it with the individual industries, who in torn work with the drivers in their own plants? I don't mean drivers for llieii com pany but those who drive automobiles in a personal capacity. MB. BOLT: That is closely related to the first subject and one or two questions concerning paternalism. Some two or three years ago we got about 24 of South Bend's leading industries to have each and every one of their employees who was a driver of a private motor vehicle sign a so-called ten-point pledge to drive safely. These were the workers, not the drivers of commercial vehicles, who belonged to those industrial organizations. Through the police department we re ceived a record of all traffic violations, such as failure to stop at a stop sign and so forth. When any one of these employees was arrested for any traffic violation, he received a letter from the president of the corporation. The president would say that he was very sorry to hear that he had been arrested for a driving violation and that be hoped it wouldn't occur again. Some of the firms go so far as to call the man in and talk to him privately. We had a meeting the other day of these various industries and we asked them if that was causing any difficulty with their em ployees, and every one of them said that it had not caused any difficulty at all. CHAIRMAN HARVEY: I think the ex perience along this line in South Bend has been outstanding and is of quite general in terest. Do these individual industries of your group who have employees entered in this contest carry on any campaign by way of bulletins or posters on the subject in their plants? MR. BOLT: We furnish each industry* each month with a record of die standing of dial industry for the month, in which the number of arrests for violations is set against the total number of employees who have signed the pledge. This record is posted on the bulletin boards in all depart ments of chat industry. Some of these firms employ as many as 7,000 people. MR. BOLT: Well, there is a lot of his tory that goes into that hut, you know, m most any city you can find several indi viduals who have a lot of weight by virtue of their standing in the community and by virtue of their standing in the Association of Commerce. In our case we happen to have Mr. Paul G. Hoffman. President of the Studebaker Corporation, and frankly we just sold the idea to him or he sold the idea to us, and then he along with a few others in South Bend sold the idea to the Asso ciation of Commerce. In fact, l believe that he personally financed the Safety Council for about three months, and after that we reorganized our Association of Commerce and included the Safety Council as a di vision of the Association of Commerce. Of course, once it is in, you just prepare your budget accordingly every year and keep going along and doing a good job so that you will be able to pay for your salt. MR. PENDLETON: Do you really think, Mr. Bolt, that it is essential to have a Safety Council? Do you think it has a place in community life? MR. BOLT: Yes, I do think so. You have your tuberculosis association and a lot of other activities which go in for the re duction of deaths along other lines; and if you are having 20 to 35 deaths in your dty from automobile accidents and perhaps only 15 deaths from tuberculosis, it seems to me that a safety program is just as well worth while over a long period of time as an anti-tuberculosis association would be. It seems to me that any dty of 100,000 popula tion or over should have some kind of a Safety Coundl that should be a part of the Assodalion of Commerce to insure a con tinuation of support by the civic budget and the retention of a permanent secretary, because you can't get atong without a per manent secretary. Safety Lecture* CHAIRMAN HARVEY: Another prob lem that we feel will be of interest to you folks is that of "The Value of After-Work Safety Lectures." I shall ask Mr. Ralph Pendleton to speak on that subject. MR. BALENSIEFER: How did you con vince your Association of Commerce that safety is a worthwhile project for an As sociation of Commerce? RALPH W. PENDI-ETQN: I assume that you mean lectures dealing with accidents to our employees after working hours and lectures which are held after working hours. 188 29th National Safety Congress You know and I know that when school Is out there is a general feeling of whoopee among the youngsters and they no longer feel any restraint; I think that our working people are simply grown-up children. Also, it can be said without argument, I believe, that about 25 per cent of our population arc employed by industry. As regards our employees, have you ever noticed, when the whistle blows, the mad stampede for the clock? It seems that they just can't get out last enough. And I believe there is the feel ing among them, "Well, we no longer have to do as they tell us." As one of the speak ers said yesterday afternoon, "Every' indi vidual likes to feel that he has an oppor tunity of self-expression, and he treasures that feeling more jealously than he does the feeling of protecting his security." Also, wc must take into consideration the fact that less than 25 per cent of our peo ple are receiving the benefits of safety in struction in our plants--I even question whether all of these people are actually re ceiving safety instruction--and we must realize iliat these people are associating with the other 75 per cent who perhaps know nothing about safety, never heard of it probably, and have the general idea, "Well, I'm in my own home now* and I'm going to do just as I please here." Perhaps they know nothing about safety engineering, etc So now we are getting right down to brass tacks. How* can we sponsor and what can we sponsor in the way of safety lectures after, working hours? Last night and the night before the National Safety Congress spon sored an after-work safety lecture. If you were there, you will agree with me that they* were both wonderful lectures and very helpful. Yet less than 3 per cent of the delegates of this convention attended those two lectures. Is it any wonder that wc have difficulty, then, in sponsoring after-work safety lectures in our plants? And if we do, I sometimes wonder if we spend enough lime as advance agents in building up the attractiveness of such a program? Now, there are a number of media by which to present after-work safety lec tures. However, I know of no better me dium than that sponsored jointly by a safety council or by a first aid division of an in dustrial plant and the Red Cross or the Bureau of Mines. We know that the fre quency of accidents in plants which carry on an intensive program of iirst-aid training is in direct proportion to the number ot people trained in our plants, and we know that they take safety a lot more seriously when they learn about it that way than they do by just listening to sporadic safety* lec tures as such. In Massachusetts we are sponsoring a number of courses of foremen training-- training foremen to become better safety leaders, conference leaders, training instruc tors and so forth--so that they* can go back to their plants and teach safety* and cer tainly work in a program of off-the-job accidents. I think the weakness is that so many times we fail to come down to spe cific cases and fail to make use of specific cases in our own communities. Wc are miss ing a wonderful bet when we let those things pass, because then we are not talking generalities, we are talking about something that everybody knows something about. I believe that we must teach safety teach ers, and wc can do that in a number of ways. Courses of instruction on industrial safety are becoming available more and more in universities, and upon other phases of safety work; that make these safety* teachers better informed and better qualified to go back and do the job in their own plants that they see being done in such a plant as Mr. Bolt has outlined here this morning. I think that that is about all I can say*, except to add that now, more than ever, we must realize the violent necessity or carry ing this kind of a program in view of our desire to conserve manpower for national defense. MR. DURFEE: How would you go about developing a program to get the worker's family out to these lectures? MR. PENDLETON: Well, that is a tough one because in some communities, such as in Massachusetts, employees are not cen trally located to plants, as a rule. There are very' few instances where employees live within an easy radius of the plant. But such a program is a desirable thing to cultivate and I think that it has to be set up by working the safety features in very subtly, ft must primarily be entertainment because there mast be some bait to get them out. The program must be attractive but the safety man in charge of such a program must not lose a golden opportunity like that by failing to bring right down to such a Off-the-job Accidents 189 group the importance of off-the-job acci dents, although he most be careful not to try to do too much at one meeting. I think that such a meeting is desirable once a year, if it is possible. CHAIRMAN HARVEY: If there are no other questions, we will pass on to our next topic, which has to do with the subject of "Parking Facilities and Car Inspections." I will ask Mr. Balensiefer to discuss that problem. Parking Lots--Inspections they can be turned off by the man who has charge of the parking lot. 3. It gives employees peace of mind while they are at work because they know that their cars arc safely provided for. L It avoids the rush for parking spaces at the beginning of each shift. 5. It provides parking facilities dose to the plant or place of business. 6. It avoids the necessity of parkingcharges. It also avoids the possibility of getting arrest tickets, etc. R. H. BALENSIEFER: Mr. Chairman: Any consideration of the "off-the-job ac cident" problem would be incomplete if we failed to take into consideration the portion of each working day which an employee must devote to finding a place for his car near his place of employment, and to leav ing this parking place at the clo>e of the work day. Closely related to these problems is the question of the condition of the vehicle he drives. and what is done to insure its safe operation from a mechanical as well as from a personal standpoint. Much has been written and much has been raid on these subjects at previous Congresses and in safety publications, but new viewpoints are always beneficial, and the problem is certainly one of increasing importance. The tendency of industries to seek less crowded sections with better ex pansion possibilities, lower rents, and lower taxes has encouraged and necessitated (he added use of automobiles in getting to and from work. If any considerable number of employees are concerned, then an imme diate parking problem presents itself, and even small groups can hardly expect to park safely or for long periods of time on the streets or roadways near places of em ployment. There arc many advantages in companyowned parking lots, both to employer and employee. 1. There is less possibility of lost time due to parking accidents. 2. It will provide a means of supervision for that parked vehicle, thus resulting in less chance of fire or theft. If the windows have been left down and it should start to rain, they can be clo.*cd. If inadvercntly the lights on the car have been left burning, 7. It permits the control of traffic for safety when arriving at or leaviug work. 8. It helps in the enforcement of local traffic ordinances relating to parking areas, parking time, etc. 9. It facilitates traffic safety education through the use of regularly changed safety posters, bulletin boards, and so forth. 10. It permits the use of a marked or fenced-off walkway from the car stalls to the plants or offices so that employees need not buck genera) traffic after cars arc parked. 11. They can be lighted during evening and at night to discourage thefts. Too often this phase of employee relations is neglected, and our meeting today, if it docs nothing else, should serve to call at trition to the possibilities that adequate parking facilities offer for the control of off-the-job accidents. Periodic car inspections are required in many cities apd states. Where the results of such inspections have been published, they show that many vehicles arc rejected at first inspection. It is difficult to determine how soon after an inspection approval a vehicle again develops faulty mechanical equipment, and surely inspection alone will not eliminate "mechanical failures" as a cause of traffic accidents. Inspection pro grams which are compulsory, periodic and continuous will help, but too often inspec tions are not required or are voluntaryWhere inspections arc compulsory employees can insist that their cars bear the required inspection stickers. Where not compulsory but where provided by state or local author ities for voluntary use, the same require ment can be made if employers provide parking facilities. If no such compulsory' or voluntary' inspection service is available. 190 29th National Safety Congress then employers can still assist by one of three different methods: (1) They can provide the equipment and do the inspection work at no charge or at a nominal charge; or (2) They might rent inspection equipment and do the work free or at a nominal charge; or (3) They might cooperate with state or local authorities in securing the necessary testing equipment. In the insurance business we sometimes think that these inspections do not gt> far enough. Car inspections should always inelude a check of the following items: 1. Wheel alignment 2. Steering mechanism 3. Tires 4. Wheels and Tims 5. Window and windshield glass 6. Windshield wipers 7. Heater 3. Window or vision obstructions 9. Rear-view mirror 10. Lights and spare bulbs 11. Hand and foot brakes 12. Turn indicator, where required 13. Warning signal 14. Floor boards, door covering 15. Wiring and engine cleanliness 16. Tightness of exhaust system 17. Defrosting apparatus Some companies with large garages and repair facilities, which must be maintained for their own vehicles, have arranged to have minor car repairs made for employ'ces at nominal costs, but such arrangements are unusual. However, I think wc will all agree that any employer who provides adequate supervised parking facilities for his em ployees and who makes car inspections a requirement for the employee to use' these facilities, has contributed much to the re duction of off-the-job accidents. CHAIRMAN' HARVEY: What Mr. Balensiefer has had to say about the topic lie discussed struck very much to my own heart because of the organization I repre sent. We have been a joint sponsor, to gether with the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators, of a motor vehicle inspection code, and have recently completed a Muter Vehicle Inspection Manual which is a guide to dries and mu nicipalities carrying on Inspection work. We all know that mechanical defects play a part in accident causation but it is pretty difficult to always determine whether some thing fitechanfesdly wrong was responsible for an accident However, it is reasonable to suppose that the condition of an auto mobile plays an important part in the greater Or lesMr frequency of accidents. As M. Balensiefer pointed oat, a car may he inspected and found all right one day, and yet a month later it may -not be in good condition. The thing that must go along with Inspection is the building up In the mind of the individual car owner and driver of responsibility that he should keep his car in proper condition. I recall an experience we had with one of these `'Aftcr-Tbe-Whistle-Blows" cam paigns in New York City some years ago when we developed a simple little car in spection Clank. Those blanks in quantity were distributed to every plant participating in the "Aftcr-The-Whistle-Blows'* program. Employers took those 6x9 pink slips and passed them out to the employers, merely suggesting, in case they had their cars in the parking lots, if perhaps the}- would like to make an inspection of their cars. The su perintendents of those plants told us that during the noon hour they* would find these men hurrying through their lunch and going out to their cars with the pink slip in hand and checking each question carefully' and answering it correctly. That, to my mind, is an excellent way of making a driver, in spection conscious. V. I. CALKIN (American Scaring Co., Grand Rapids, Mich.): We have been get ting along pretty well as tar as the condition of our automobiles is concerned. But one of the problems which we haven't been able even to begin to lick and which causes illfeeling among the men is where some in dividual hits or damages the car of one of his fellow workers and doesn't report the fact. That always causes ill-feeling and disturbance,, but thus far we haven't been able to fashion any appeal that gets across. I would like to ask the speaker if he has any idea of any kind of an appeal or sys tem which would get some results in that respect? MR. BALENSIEFER: That is a tough one. We have a.parking lot back of our Gff-the'Joh Occidents 191 home office, and we are confronted with the same problem. I think that one Of the SUF swers to that would be to have your parking the picture. Just purely mechanical causes will probably always be credited with only a small portion of automobile accidents. lot supervised, to have somebody eui there CHAIRMAN HARVEY: The difficulty when the employees are coming \& and taw is that the methods by which accidents arc ing work who might spot such things or investigated vary so *n the different slates who couM regulate traffic at that time, Bftd vary 50 in *hc cities within the states MR. CALKIN: Yes, if he catches the man, we can take care of it all right, and wc have done so on a number of occasions. But there are several shifts and the men go in and out at different times Kftd we don't have a supervisor there alt the time, MR. BALENSIEFER: It seems to 8 that the best thing to do in such a case is to have a man out there at the time the shifts are changing and the men come and that it U impossible to get any very ade quate notion of the exact state of affairs. , You might find a percentage running from 3 per cent all the way up to 15 per cent, and wc do not as yet have any definite con ception ok the real situation. However, as a practical proposition, it is quite obvious that <ars wear out just like the human sy.steni does ami just like everything else docs. You and 1 have to go to the doctor even.' so often in order to get a checkup and see to it that We are in proper condition. The MR. CALKIN: Well, suppose the su same thing should be done in the case of an pervisor is stationed at a certain end of the smomobile. I can sec no reason why it lot at which point the men are going to leave shouldn't be. Even without statistics I think the place. At the other end, perhaps almost that it is reasonable to suppose that the a block away, is a chap who is ready to imperfect mechanics! condition of automo leave. Seeing an opening behind him. he biles plays its part in this big over-all prob backs out in between two other cars and shoots out between them. However, in doing so, he hits somebody's rear fender. We haven't touod any means whereby we could catch the fellow in a situation like that lem. MR. PENDLETON: We all know that many employees driving to and from work, who are involved in accidents, aren't cov ered by workmen's compensation, but I MR. BALENSIEFER: One of the an wonder if an employee, such as a salesman, swers to that is to have your cars arranged using a company car on bis way to work, in such a way that there will be no backing is covered by workmen's compensation ? up of any ors--in such a way that all the}' will have to do is to go ahead and out. Also, what about the company's liability on these company-managed 'parking lots? MR- BOLT: Mr. Balensiefer mentioned How* does that work in the case of accidents car inspections. We don't have them in that occur on the company's parking lot South Bend, but I am wondering if he and what is the situation in that regard knows why it is that very few of the sta with respect to workmen's compensation? tistics put out by even the National Safety MR. BALENSIEFER: Well, ii is trac Council indicate that many accidents are that a large percentage of workers do not caused by cars not in proper condition? come to a particular place of employment Do you have anything on that--as to why every* day. There are people who do outside it is that you seldom have anybody tell us installation work and there are salesmen and that 20 per cent, let us say, of the accidents arc caused by faulty brakes or faulty others of that type; and the usual interpre tation of that is that when a man leaves mechanism? home to go on the job, .even though he MR. BALENSIEFER: Chairman Har vey could answer that better than l could; although I have heard it said that the only accidents which arc charged to mechanical failure are those where that was the sole cause of the accident. However, it is pretty difficult to attribute an accident simply to that cause because the human dement is also concerned. Also, judgment and reaction time and all these other things enter into is not required to be at a particular place every day, he is under the status of work men's compensation from the moment he leaves his home until he arrives at his first call. Those who come to work at the same place every day come under the Workmen's Compensation Act when they step into com pany property and not before. At least, that is the usual interpretation of the law, al though it varies a good deal in the various 192 29th National Safety Congress states according to the interpretations made by their industrial commissions and their courts. I think that a safe rule to follow is this: that when a man finds himself upon company-owned property, he is taken out of the category' of off-the-job accidents and placed in the category of on-the-job acci dents. MR. BUNGENSTOCK: I have an inter esting variation on that. A fellow got into his car in a company parking lot one day bat was unable to start it, and so he got out to see what the trouble was. As be did so, he slipped on the running board and hurt himself. The legal department ruled that to all intents and purposes he had left the company property and that, therefore, it was not a company liability. L_ J. SORENSON; I think a point was made regarding vehicle inspection that will never be borne out by statistics. When a man or a woman dies, a doctor by a post mortem examination can fairly well tell you whether that individual's heart failed and why it failed and just what it was that caused his death; but when a car hits another car or some fixed object or rolls oil the road, it is quite difficult to say, after the accident, whether or not the steering mechanism was in good shape, whether or not there was a loose wheel or something else was the matter with it So if you were to examine the records made by very excel lent accident investigation police officers, you would still be misled by the information, because after the accident has occurred the damage to the car will not tell whether or not that car may or may not have been perfect mechanically. Home Safety Inspections - CHAIRMAN HARVEV: We will nowleave the street and enter the home. We have with us today a representative of the Western Electric Company, an organization that has been quite farsighted in its desire to do something among its own employees as regards off-the-job accidents. I shall now call upon Mr. A. G. Bungenstock, who will speak to us on "Home Safety Inspections." A. G. BUNGENSTOCK: The question of home gaiety inspections is a rather old one and I don't think we need to dwell much on the value of it Those of you in industry know the value of inspection, whether it is of a product or of anything else. I don't need to tell you .what the conditions are in most homes with amateur electricians doing wiring in their spare time and with mother getting up on aU sorts of chairs to hang up pictures and curtains, etc. The place is really a shambles when you look at it from a safety standpoint. Now the question is, what can we do about it? I think that your home inspections can be encouraged in a number of ways. We have been rather successful in distribut ing home inspection blanks to our people and asking them to bring them back to us all filled out. Certainly we are going to get some value out of this thing if they actually see these hazards and see them well enough to write them down on a pad or even if they only have to check them. Your schools are doing a good job. When you get a youngster bringing home a home safety inspection report, that acts as a pretty good prod to mother and dad. He wants to know why we accumulate newspapers down ut the basement or up in the attic--why our electric cords aren't fixed up according to standard methods--why wc hare thing;* lying on the stairs--so tbal we really feel that wc are getting some very fine co operation from these youngsters. Now, this thing cannot be done overnight. It is a long, hard process, that of teaching people to check up on tbdr homes. Also, there is one other value from a fire protec tion standpoint In any community, if you will communicate with your fire department headquarters, they will be glad to said a fireman up to your house to look over the premises and see whether or not there are any dangers in it from a fire standpoint, whether or not there are any fire hazards. We just have to keep on plugging along at this thing, doing an educational job 24 hours a day, in order to see if we can't get results. I read a little story the other day that nicely illustrates the point A little young ster had an errand to do, and he lived On a farm some distance outside of town. It was evening and quite dark, so the father said to the boy, whom he was sending on an errand into town, "Take this old lantern along with you to light your way." "But it won't shine all the way into town," said the youngster. "No, that's true," said his dad. "but it will shine about three steps ahead of you. After you take those three Off-the-Job Accidents 193 steps, it will shine the next three steps, and so you will light your way all the way into town." Well, that's what I think we are going to have to -<to in our home safety program: keep working at it . . . take three steps at a time . . . and we are sure to see the light ahead of us for the next three steps. CHAIRMAN HARVEY: Mr, Bungenstock, have you been able to evaluate the results of the work that you have done in this field m any way? MR. BUNGENSTOCK: Yes, wc Iiave, to this extent: We are noticing a very defi nite drop in off-the-job accidents since we have been hammering away at this thing. It has been coming down very gradually. trying to make these home inspections. They didn't think so much of that suggestion of mine. However, I still believe that it works out all right Your women's clubs can also do a lot along this line. Get out and talk to than and tell them about these things. And if we get them ait prodding each other, the mother against the dad and the children against both parents, we will really get somewhere. CHAIRMAN HARVEY: We will pass on to our next topic which has to do with cooperation with public officials. Two mem bers of our panel are going to discuss that subject, one a city official himself, the other a citizen who takes a keen interest in civic affairs. There was a question raised a short while ago which, while it does not deal with home accidents, is closely allied to it, and that is the question of siding accidents. In I shall first call upon Mrs. James Side She is the Fast State Chairman of the American Home Department of the Illinois Federation of Women's Clubs. the winter time in New Jersey we have a lot of folks who like to ice skate, and we Cooperation with Public Officials get quite a few broken arms or legs on the part of fellows who fall on the ice, men who haven't been on skates for the last 20 or 30 years and who suddenly become quite youthful, I think very definitely that we have to teach people to limit their activities to their age. Now- 1 don't want to detract from the enjoyment you may gel from indulging in MRS. JAMES E. SIME: I am sorry that we haven't more women in the audience, be cause I feel that the women's clubs and the Illinois Congress of Parents 2nd Teachers and all other state organizations of women's clubs have tried to carry on this program of home safety, pedestrian safety* and now off-duty safety. certain sports, but I think you are going to have to know when you can do certain things and when you can't do them. For instance. 1 can't go out and play football any more, although I used to do so. Yon sen. I'm getting too old. In the same way yon have to temper your activities, whether it be in the field of sports or in any other field, to your age. The General Federation of Women's Clubs, including those of the 48 states and the Illinois Federation of Women's Clubs, have cooperated together very closely in the same land of a program to promote public wel fare. The women's clubs are urging their members to be advised on the official traffic surveys in the community and the efforts that are being made for the prevention of MR. DURFEE: What local agencies can accidents; to sponsor school safety contests; you ose to help you promote this home in to organize junior safety councils; to sup spection plan? MR. BUNGENSTOCK: I mentioned the fixe department for your home inspections on fire hazards. I also mentioned the school children. 1 have spoken to a number of P.T.A. groups on this question of home safety and sometimes I get a few come backs. In two particular Instances, for ex ample, after suggesting this idea of getting a representative of the fire department to come out to your home and look things over, I have found that the men from the fire department were nearly run ragged port vehicle inspection campaigns, safe driv ers' schools, uniform and sound traffic laws, courses in sportsman-like driving in high schools and safety teaching in ele mentary schools; to encourage the placing of suitable markers on thoroughfares for institutions and recreational coders; to study the following subjects pertaining to the seven-point highway safety program: (1) legislation; (2) motor vehicle administra tion; (3) enforcement; (4) engineering; (5) education; (6) training personnel; and (7) research. 194 29th National Safety Congress It is only by concerted action that any thing definite can be accomplished. The difficult task is to arouse the public to the gravity of the situation. On Monday afternoon, when 1 was in the Traffic Engineers* Conference, I was quite surprised to hear Sidney Williams say, "Traffic accidents should concern us more than sabotage or fifth columnists." That statement is something for us to think about. In ray opinion the "Off-The-Job" Safety Committee should include representative women who are interested, and especially some of your women employed in your plants, for I'm sure that they will help wholeheartedly in trying to make their com munities a safer place in which to live. After you have organized and learned the real causes, eliminate the causes. We have heard that said so many times, but I donT believe that we can have it brought to our attention often enough. Don't have a safety campaign once a year or once a week or once a day. Drive hard day aiter day, month after month, year after year. To select outstanding people for a Safety Committee, choose one who desires to be of real service, who has imagination and the courage to do the right thing. While 1 was walking down Michigan Boulevard this morning I saw a good many* delegates to this convention (I could tell them by their badges), men who are sup posed to be tops in safety work, walking across the street against the red light. Just thick that over tor a while. I have a friend here in Chicago who said to me, "Hildegarde, do yon ever walk against a red light?" I said, ``No, T don't, because I don't know what-would happen to me if anything came along and' struck me." To which she replied, "Well, I guess I'll walk right alongside of you all the time and then perhaps I'll be able to get across the street too." CHAIRMAN HARVEY: Before calling for any questions on what Mrs. Sime has had to say, I am first going to introduce to you Mr. Leslie Sorenson, City Traffic Engineer of the City of Chicago. L. J. SORENSON: You heard Mr. Durfee speak of the interest of industry in offthc-job accidents. Well, that subject could be elaborated on and we could go along for hours telling you about the value, not only from a selfish standpoint but from a civic standpoint, of the prevention of off-ihe-job accidents. We could tell you of the rela tionship of the employee to his plant in respect to off-the-job accidents. It costs money for off-the-job accidents the same as it costs money for on-the-job accidents, and that money is passed on into the product and into the wages which the workmen re ceive, so that everybody has to take his share of that unnecessary overhead cost. However, I am not going to dwell upon that; I am going to talk to you about the other std^ the public officials* interest in off-the-job accidents. Viewpoint of Public Officials Now we all think of public officials as individuals who are situated by office to regulate to some extent the acts and habits of men and women upon public thorough fares. Have you ever stopped to think that the construction of your home was regulated by public officials, to sec to it that the walls stood up and that the roof didn't cave in on yon ?--that the water connections were made in such a manner that you would have no contamination in your water supply?--that the sewage was inspected and so regulated that \ou had sanitation within your home?-- that the wiring which went into your home had to meet certain specifications so that there would be no fire hazards ?--that when you went to the theatre or into vour office building (he elevators on which you rode were built along certain lines and according to certain specifications so that the lifts wouldn't drop and kill any of the passen gers.' 1 could go on and on in that vein. Public officials have been into your homes, they have been into your factories and they have been on your streets, all because of this matter of safety. And I believe that public officials should likewise be concerned with off-the-job accidents; they should be concerned in the safety of a citizen whether he is at work, whether he is in his home, or whether he is walking along those public thoroughfares which arc regulated by gov ernment. I think that government's responsibility can never stop in the safeguarding of life and limb for all the 24 hours of the day. I am surprised at a lot of fine safety engi neers in industrial management who seem Off-the-Job Accidents 195 only concerned with traffic conditions just adjacent to their plants. In all my 26 years of work in my present position, during which I have perhaps received 25,000 or 30,000 letters and suggestions and complaints and criticisms, I have yet to receive more than a half-dozen communications from some industrial plant management wherein they show that they are concerned with safety on the public highways remote from their particular plant; and in most of those instances these men have been connected with the safety movement. We have plenty of them from the Western Electric Com pany which is located right here at our do* limits, and those requests and complaints and suggestions come in from all parts of our city, because those men have been con nected with safety organizations, because they live and breathe safety, because they are interested in safety not only from the plant management's angle of accidents within and adjacent to tbeir plant, but they have the full and true picture of safely. The gentleman from Stevens Point a short Mlule ago spoke about the storaging of cars by the management of Industrial plants, and while he was doing so I could not help but think that my experience has been a sad one with that sort of thing. Not because the principle isn't right, not because it ia*t perfectly proper for management to provide the convenience for their employees of off-thc-slrect storage; but the point is that generally they locate those parking lots right across the street from the plant, which is located on some busy thoroughfare, so that hundreds of automobiles are pass ing by while the workmen try to cross over in Older to get to work. Some thought should be given to that subject of off-thestreet storage by safeguarding the man when he gets out of his car after parking it and walks over to the plant entrance. I don't believe that we can approach this problem of safety, whether it be on the job, off the job, in the home or on the street, unless every one of us has a full knowledge of the meaning of the word safety. I am going to give you just one illustration of a good example of safety, although there are hundreds of others throughout our country which I might mention. Dallas, Texas--unless there has been an accident in that city within the last 24 hours--has just passed its 130th day with out a motor vehicle fatality. That is a long time to go without a fatal accident. It I were a statistician, perhaps I could tell you just how many man-hours were saved for a. cilv the size of Dallas. Weil, a short time ago, after they had established a wonderful record, an old colored fellow was injured about two o'clock in the morning on one of the streets of Dallas. Ordinarily this poor old colored man would have been hustled off to some state institution as soon as the ambulance got to where his body lay and the usual procedure would have been fol lowed. But at three o'clock in the morning that colored man was lying on a cot in a hospital with the finest brain specialist in the State of Texas and five other doctors gathered around him . . . there were three squad cars of police officers outside . . . the Mayor was phoning every once in a while from his home . . . citizens who had heard about the mishap were calling up continuously. Evcrytnxly was anxious and worried about that man. Citizens were calling the pre?, calling the telephone operators, to see if they could obtain any news or information concerning the welfare of this colored man. A little child was injured a few days later and the same interest was exhibited. One hundred anJ thirty day.-, without a fatal automobile accident! The motor bus com pany and tiie City Transit Company fleet operators arc jittery as to what would hap pen to them if the first fatality in Dallas was caused by one of their men after such a long safety record. That is safety--that is cooperation. It hasn't been left in the hands of the public officials to do the job; it hadn't been left to the plant management to do the job; nor has it been left to the mother in the home to do the job; but everyone in the city of Dallas has assumed the responsibility of this task because each one understands what safety means. And when %ve have tliat sort of a cooperative spirit among all of us, we are going to have home safety, we are going to have public safety, and \vc are going to have industrial safely. CHAIRMAN HARVEY'; Are there any questions anybody would like (o ask of either Mrs. Sime or Mr. Sorenson? MR. BALENSIEFER: I would like to ask Mrs. Sime a question. She said some thing about this matter of walking against traffic lights. Do you think, Mrs. Sime. (hat 196 29th National Safety Congress (hose violators should be given tickets just as though they were traffic violaters? MRS. SIME: I think we should carry r*u a program of education and remind these jaywalkers that we arc going to issue tickets for violation of this jaywalking--I mean, wc will educate them for a certain number of weeks and then issue these tickets to them and see what we can do about it. And if we will eliminate jaywalking, I believe- we will reduce accidents 33per cent. Don't vou think that is right; Mr. Sorenson? MR. SORENSON: Yes. MR. DURFEE: Mrs. Sime, because of your keen observation as to what you wit nessed on Michigan Boulevard this morning, T have an old barnacle for you to answer: Can you tell me whether, in your opinion, women are worse drivers than men? MRS. SIME: Well, let me tell you tins: Husbands say yes. But the policeman says no. And then the cops will say that they mil never stop a speeding woman driver because when they do, she begins to talk, and they get enough of that sort of thing at home. MR. SORENSON: Mr. Chairman. I think I could amplify that a little. Of those people killed in the United Slates last year a* a result of auto accidents, 78 per cent of them were male and 22 per cent of them were female. MR. STUBBS: poes that mean, Mr. Sorenson, that the women lolled more men than the men killed women? MR. SORENSON: No, 1 believe I can agree with Mrs. Sime: that the ladles arc better drivers according to my experience and obfervation; and 1 will say this, too, that they arc just about 75 per cent better walkers. CHAIRMAN HARVEY: I should like to say that in the field of highway safety, we have gone tar in the last few years, wc have made many advances; and I think that a great deal of responsibility is being assumed by the regularly constituted author ities. I believe that in every community these officials fboold be encouraged m their work, because ofttimes they may need en couragement. I am thinking not so much of the traffic mginccr as I am of the en forcement authorities, who need the -weight of public opinion behind them, and it should be up to every civic organization to aid m creating that public opinion. W. A. JORDAN (American Rolling Mill Co., Ashland, Ky.): Mr. Bolt, in a city of about 35,000 population, what agency of the county should one contact with regard to organizing a city safety council and ob taining their help in getting that city safety council to affiliate itself with the National Safety Council? MR. BOLT: I'm sure the best information would be secured from a representative of the National Safety Council, who will tell you the specific division to which you should write, explaining your problem; and i have no doubt that they will give you plenty of assistance and plenty of literature inform ing you as to the best method of procedure to follow. You might do that before you leave this convention. CHAIRMAN HARVEY: You might get in touch with Paul Strieker. He just lives and breathes this thing- MEMBER: We have been here for three days and wc have remarked several limes about the control, both of the pedestrians and automobiles, which is to be noted in this vicinity. [ would like to ask Mr. Soren son if it is all based on police or public control, or if be gets the cooperation of all the traction companies, taxi companies and citizens in general? MR. SORENSON: Wc are very fortu nate here in having the complete cooperation of the transportation agencies, the cab com panies and the fleet operators. About the only place where cooperation is lacking somewliat is on the part of Mr. John Citi zen, who doesn't do it intentionally, however. He doesn't mean not to offer cooperation, but he is so busy these days, with so many thoughts of other matters on his mind, such things ms politics, war and what not, that he becomes careless and forgets to do the right thing. There is no such thing as lack of cooperation in this city'. That is one of the reasons we have been able to do many of the things which we have done. CHAIRMAN HARVEY: My friends, wc will bring our session to a dose. On behalf of the National Safety Council and oo be half of the members of the panel here this morning, I want to thank you very much for your attendance. ADJOURNMENT Plant Transportation TUESDAY MORNING SESSION Octobers, 1940 The session on plant transportation prob lems was called to order by the Chairman, R. L. Leffler, Chief of Safety Division, Camcgie-lllinois Steel Corporation, Pitts burgh, Pa., who presided. Chairman Leffler briefly commeuted upon transportation as one of the chief sources of accidents in some types of plants, and a cause many in juries in all industries. He then introduced the first speaker. Industrial Hand Trucks--Their Safe Construction and Use By C. S. ZIOLKOWSKI Manager, Insurance Department, Montgomery Ward ft Co., Chicago To most of us, the sight of a man push ing a hand truck along an aisle does not bring any immediate impression of a dan gerous operation,-such as would the sight of men handling molten metal in a steel mill or blasting in a mint Of coarse, actually the use of the. hand track does not involve the potential hazards of the steel mill or mining jobs. But it is because we so often take the relative safety of the hand truck operation too much for granted, that the number and severity of the accidents resulting from it are far above what they should and would be if we gave the problem the study and effort it deserves. I have been unable to find any national statistics showing the frequency or severity of accidents resulting from the operation of hand tracks. This very lack of accurate statistics often contributes to our feeling that no serious safety problem is involved. However, I know from experience that, in addition to numerous temporary disabilities, unnecessary deaths and permanent disabil ities have resulted from the unsafe opera tion of band trucks. From hand truck accident records avail able in some states and industries, we can conservatively assume that where large hand trucking operations are involved, an average of about 10 per cent of all employee acci dents are hand truck accidents. We also know that in one case where real accident prevention effort was applied to the prob lem, only 1 per cent ol all employee acci dents were hand truck accidents. Because of the varying sizes of Ivaini trucking operations, my suggestions here must be of a general nature. Much of the information is known to some of you and others with very extensive trucking opera tions have probably dealt with the problem in much greater detail. However, it will prove helpful to all of US to review and discuss what some organizations have done toward safer use of hand tm-Vs. In its practical sequence, wc shall first look into the structural aspect of the prob lem. The first decision to be made relates to the design of the truck. Pre-fabricated trucks adaptable to most needs are available and a careful selection should be made of those best suited for the type of material to be handled. If the ready-made trucks cannot handle the job safely (which also means that they probably won't do the job eco nomically) a truck designed to fit your special needs should be developed. You will find (he manufacturers of hand trucks glad to tend you their specialized facilities in the solution of your problem. The time spent on its development and the higher original cost of such a specially de signed truck will in the long run repay you in decreased cost of accidents and other operating economies. Once the general de sign of the truck is selected, we should then look into the structural qualities which will 198 29th National Safety Congress give it the longest possible "trouble free" life. First, of course, is adequate strength of its frame, axles, and wheels to carry the in tended maximum load safely. Consideration should next be given to the materials of which its body is to be constructed--this to be determined by the operating conditions to which the truck will be exposed--acids, fumes, moisture, heat, cold, etc. and the kind of materials to be transported. The axles and wheel bearings are very important items. The load which will have to be pushed on the truck wilt be heavy enough without adding to it unnecessary frictional resistance because of poor bear ings. The slightly higher original cost will be more than offset by lower maintenance cost, increased safety and general efficiency in doing the job. The same is true of wheels--and par ticularly the traction surfaces. The width of thit surface and material of which it is made should be chosen only after giving full consideration to lhe floor surface on which it will be used A wheel surface which is too lrd on the floor snrfacc will necessitate frequent floor repairs. Unfortunately, be tween such repairs, the pits and holes pre sent a serious hazard to the trucker. In some cases where wood floors are used, rubbertired wheels are advisable. Between the two evils of wear on the track wheels or wear of the floor, 1 would choose the former be cause it is usually more easily and more per manently corrected. Other points which frequently apply are the handles on soar-wheel trucks--which should be cotnnerweigbted or provision made to book them in an upright position In order to ebnaate the stumbling hazard when handles are dropped to the floor. The iwo-wbed trucks should be provided with knuckle guards on the handles to prevent injarim to land* as m njolt of eriknc ***-- aginst columns door jattnbt. or other objects. Wheel brakes <kk two-whed trades wit] de crease the hazard when and un loading them F<*rr-wh*d tracks, particu larly those with ofcd tide eaclcoare*, if pamtrd with a eufc* aharpty nrmtnsrriig with tlw general celvr jcfaeaw of *?ca m winch they are twi eiO diauatt or at v*w mtntmiac coIWj arbdeau revolting from on* impkiyi * faohtre to Me the truck Micm rtxKtgh To assure yourself of starting out with the safest new equipment, it is of course essential that you have your purchasing agent's close cooperation. After getting safe trucks, you should put into effect a plan of maintenance which will keep this equipment in safe condition. Although you will require the truck operators to check daily and re port to you any dangerous defects, the most effective control of maintenance will result from a regular thorough check-up by experienced maintenance men. For this pur pose it is advisable to number each truck and keep a maintenance record of it. This will give you and your purchasing agent accurate information as to the cur rent condition, over-all performance and maintenance cost of each unit. This regular dheek-up by your maintenance man should be a thorough one--everything from sound ness of frame to missing cotter pins which were replaced by nails. The most frequent points needing attention will be wobbly or damaged wheels, cracked handles, grease or oil in wheel bearings, replacing nails with cotter pins. Defective trucks should be taken out of service until repaired. If you provide safe hand trucks and main tain them in safe condition, your effort and investment will still return only partial re sults if you do not provide safe trucking surfaces and safe areas in which this equipment is used. Trucking floors should not be slippery or rough; they should be free from holes, ruts, or bumps; they should be clean and clear of obstructions; trucking aisles should be wide enough to permit trucks to pass oe another without crowding. Whenever possible skids or truck ing plates (particularly those used between kndmg dock and freight car) should be provided with permanent stops to prevent their slipping and falling between dock and car. Doors in trucking aisles should be provided with glass panels; t lurking aisles AnnM have adequate oaner-bcad ; the danger of "blind** comers can be re duced by warning signs or mirrors. Provide regular storage space for trades to avoid any excuse for their being left in aisles and creating a stumbling hazard- We are now ready to rwwwW the mTM* important part of oar problem--the track operator. The ralne of the safe and floors mentioned so far is very if die operator of the truck does not use it safely. Plant Transportation 199 The flrst step is the selection of the em ployee for the job. If the major part of his work is to be trucking, he should measure up to the physical and mental requirements of the job. He should then be instructed and trained in the safe way of doing the job. The following are a few of the most general safe practice requirements which should be observed by truck operators: Never overload truck. Load material se curely so that it cannot fall off. Don't load too high. On two-wheel trucks, balance the load over the wheels. Push truck, do not pult it Do not push truck too fast Use truck whenever possible instead of carrying heavy weight materials to avoid hernia or back sprain. Do not permit any one to ride on truck. Wear safety shoes. Check truck each morning and report defects to fore man. Give warning when approaching "blind corners.** You will have additional rules which will apply to your specific operations. After the operator's original training and instructions, the foreman, who should of course be thoroughly acquainted with all of the safety rules, mast carry on with the education during his daily contact with the trucker. This training and education of the em ployee is a continuous problem. The com plete cooperation of the foreman is of course essential. In some organizations where trucking is done only as a part-time job of many employees, it will be possible to improve the safety and efficiency of the hand truck operations by' combining all trucking work into a separate department. This department would be a full time truck ing unit and would do the necessary truck ing for the entire plant. I have commented on the lack of hand truck accident statistics. To more effec- , lively guide your efforts, you should keep complete and accurate records of the fre quency, severity*, and causes of accidents resulting from your hand truck operations. A frequent study and analysis of such rec ords will point out to you where your ac cident prevention plan needs adjustment, addition, or greater emphasis. To attain the desired results, the sugges tions made here on the safe construction and use of hand trucks must be part of a sound company safety program, affecting all phases of the plant's operations--a program which has the sincere backing of the top management and which is administered by someone whose job it is to see that it is functioning effectively. Within such an at mosphere of "safety," the application of these suggestions for the elimination of hand truck accidents will succeed. Electrical Hazards of Overhead Traveling Cranes By VICTOR E. SCHLOSSBERG Assistant Superintendent Electrical * Power Departments Inland Steel Co., East Chicago, IruL I consider boarding and leaving a crane the greatest hazard of the crane. The first thing any authorized person should do who wants to board a crane is to sutrract the attention of the craneman. Please X said "authorized person." Persons authorized, or whose duties do not re quire them to go on cranes, should keep off than When the craneman has been notified the person should proceed to the landing platmno and wait for the crane to arrive. All tw&ag platforms should be so located that a mm may stand on them without danger rf bjwr. When the crane arrives, the crsmaxi shook) pash bis protective panel stop button, pull his main cab knife switch and come out of the cab so the man desiring to get on the crane can sec him. The crane man should also watch for approaching cranes. The man desiring to board the crane may now do so safely and once he is on board, the craneman should keep him in sight at all times. To leave the crane the same general pro procedure should be followed. Now let us assume the crane is broken down in the middle of the runway. If no other cranes are on the runway, and the runway is walkable, then it is necessary' to give the repairman permission to wale the runway. Of course, if there is another crane 200 29th National Safety Congress on the runway the repairman boards the second crane in the approved manner, has the craneman move the crane alongside the one that is down, push his protective panel stop button, pull out his main cab knife switch and come out of the cab to watch the repairman safely board the crane that is down. The above procedure is one which is dif ficult to enforce, but once the men get the habit a serious potential hazard, which may cause a fatality, is eliminated. Now' let us consider another hazard, the proper connection of lifting magnets oa overhead traveling cranes. The magnet should have its own fused safety switch in the cab which the craneman can readily pull out when the magnet is be ing connected, disconnected or the magnet cable is* being repaired. Where in the sys have it installed ahead of the main cab switch. Here we have the problem of not being certain that the magnet is disconnected from the line when the craneman leaves the cab. While on the subject of switches we should consider the heater and light switches which have lo.<g been a bone of contention. Present practice is to connect them ahead of the main cab switch and to remove all combustible material from the crane cab. It is also safe practice to provide a main switch right off the cocnections from the collector rails which will disconnect every thing oo the crane. There is one exception to this; a separate extension light connection ahead of the switch may be permitted. All men should be instructed never to go on the top of any crane without first locking out this main disconnect switch. tem should this switch be connected? Let's begin with what we have in the cab. Present practice is to provide a main cab knife switch in each crane cab and the stop and start pushbutton for the crane protec tive panel. If it is not too large the crane protective panel itself is included. We have spoken of the removal of all combustible material from the crane cab. This is a definite hazard and requires con stant effort on both the production and main tenance departments. Bridge walkways must also be kept dean and free from grease and oils. Lately thcie has been a tendency to elimi nate these features but those who favor this have been unable to answer such questions as: (1) What would you do if a controller jams? (2) What would you do in case of grounds, shorts, or other failures which allow the motor to run after the controller has been centered ? (3) What would you do when making a combined trolley and hoist motion when a single unit lacks out by overload? * There are simitar problems, however, these are enough to warrant keeping the main cab switch, as well as the protective panel, with its stop-start pushbutton in the cab. Where is the best place to connect the magnet? If it is installed in the circuit after the protective panel, every time the protec tive panel opens the load is dropped. Hence it should be placed ahead of the protective panel and after the main cab switch. Tins allows the retention of the load when the protective panel operates and it insures the magnet being disconnected from the line when the craneman leaves the crane. Some would Another hazard is escape ropes. Escape ropes might be necessary in some locations. If possible; these locations should be altered so escape ropes are no longer necessary* They also present a problem In deterioration as well as in teaching men how and when to use them. Let us discuss the proper method for pro tecting a crane undergoing major repairs where there is more than one crane on the runway. There is only one safe method. In addition to warning the crane operator bumpers should be placed on eacli side of (tie crane on each raiL Signs should also be placed in each adjacent crane cab reading. "Bumpers on Track.** Also, "Danger, Men Working Above," signs should be properly placed. This method works very well if there is not more than a single shift involved. If the job requires more time than the usual sliift .'omeone should see to it that all cranemen coming on duty are personally instructed that bumpers are on track. Some engineers insist on a red light on the bumpers. Ex perience indicates that tins will not replace notifying craneman. Where should bumpers be stored? Some insist that a set be kept on every' crane, Plant Transportation 201 while others put them in charge of the re pair gang. A new idea is to provide a box at the top of every runway staircase with four bumpers in it. The bumpers are taken out of the box on the way to the job and are replaced after the job. a hazard. This is trying out machinery, when it is not working properly, to locate the trouble. This is being overcome by teach ing men to recognize faults when the equip ment is down, and use the trial method only as a last resort. Some prefer torpedoes ahead of bumpers. Others believe: (1) when they go off they shock a man and may cause him to lose his balance, (2) chat after going off they are not replaced, and (3) to be effective bumper settings must be closer or torpedo settings wider. This ought reqnirc too much space. Building Clearance. New buildings should be constructed so a man can ride the bridge with room to spare On certain cranes, like pit cranes, be should be able to ride the trolley without danger of injury. Places to watch clearance are the gusset plates and on the sides of the roof truss. On new build ings designers sbonld made certain that crane height is such that the hoist limit switch need not be locked in order to service any unit in the building. Wherever possible clearance should be provided between the building columns and the crane trucks. Care should also be taken, where the trolley Centering devices on controllers are in stalled for the benefit of operating men. Years ago the electrical man regarded the centering devices as his protection and as fast as they were installed the operating . man would make them inoperative. But when the electrician took the attitude that the centering device was installed for the benefit of the operator and le/l than in operative if the craneman objected, the ob jections ceased. If at any time a centering device is taken off any unit the operating man should lie held responsible, not the elec trical man. All the operating man has to do is to blow for the electrician ami repairs will be made. When a good substantial crane safety limit stop was developed the steel mill elec trician was happy. However, they have boomeranged like everything else that prom ises too much. The cranemen began over comes alongside the cab, that there are not collector staffs hanging down, or that the cables do not come so close to the cab that they endanger the craneman. One praiseworthy development is the prac tice of slanting the front of the cab and installing full length glass. This gives better visibility and keeps the craneman entirely inside the cab. Standardizing controller po sitions has also been a big factor in elimi nating accidents. A definite hazard to electrical men is servicing the main collector shoes. When cranes were first built the collector shoes might have been installed above the crane where it was neocssary to run the trolley in and stand on it to service them, or the shoes might have- been below the crane where a man had to hang like a monkey to service them. Present day construction places the collector shoes in accessible locations where they are below the crane trap doors that ate put in the bridge walkway through which a man can drop to a caged platlorxo working them, using them as a normal stop on short clearance hoists. It must be ex pected that even with the best of care there would be some failures, hence, failures will surely occur when the chance it multiplied by increasing operation from approximately six times a day to 240 times a day. The occasional failure of the safety limit stop leads some to the belief that they should he eliminated and that the craneman should Ik: held responsible for running blocks. The best course is 'to continue their use and to train cranemen not to use them as a Mop for every lift. A hazard that is present not only mi cranes but all electrical apparatus is that of flashes which cause eye injuries and burns. On some automatic controls the moving armature sometimes jama pa the arc shield. The electrician in making repairs raises the arc shields and stands in front of the board to see if the contactors work. This is a dangerous practice and should not be toler ated. When the arane is outside and its hot rails are subjected to ice, two sets of collector shoes should be provided. This is to pre vent accidents due to the loss of power. Some maintenance men recondition the commutators of their motors while on the crane. This is an unnecessary* hazard. Any commutator that need* conditioning should Trouble shooting on cranes always will be be sent to the shop. 202 29th National Safety Congress Another common electrical hazard is exposed controllers in crane cabs. All master controllers should be completely covered. AU manual controllers should be covered, or, be so located that when the craneman leans against them he cannot touch any Hvc parts. On modern cranes all electrical controls should be placed in dust proof cabinets, so located that the electrician can watch their, operation without placing himself in a haz ardous location or interfering with the crane man's duties. A hot weather crane hazard is buckling of the main runway collector rails. Buckling is not caused directly from heat but only comes after rail creepage has moved all the rails against each other in one location. The best way to eliminate this is to anchor the rail at predetermined places on the runway. Provisions should also be made at suitable points with strain insulators to prevent the rail from leaving the supporting brackets. There should be a separate switch conven iently located on the floor for feeding each runway and if the runway is long it should be sectionaltzcd so a section can be de energized. If the main runway feed is trolley wire instead of rails the floor switch should be a fused type. The trolley wire should be moved back and forth frequently to pre vent It from wearing through where it rests on the support spools. Brakes. In some places crane brakes are repaired by mechanical men. in others by electrical men and still others by crane re pairmen. All repairmen shook! be fre quently cautioned not to try to make brake adjustments with a suspended load. They should also be cautioned not to release the brake preparatory to changing the hoist motor without properly blocking the gearing. The Travel Brake. Most cranemen stop their cranes by plugging the motor and for normal purposes a crane would hot need any travel brake. However, there is always the sudden emergency that makes a brake necessary. The hydraulic brake fits the problem best for stationary cab cranes. The craneman should be encouraged to use the brake instead of plugging. The traveling cab crane presents another problem which is best answered by dy namic braking. This can be supplied for power failure only. It also can'bb controlled through the master controller and used for every stop, or. it can be controlled by means of a separate foot control. It will not completely stop the crane but it will considerably reduce its speed. Stiff leg cranes, such as pit cranes and strippers, are always provided with a slip gear so their trolleys cannot lift off the runway. However, even with this feature the trolley is subjected to shock which may knock trolley slides off collector bars. This annoyance can be eliminated by the use of trolley wires. Ail wiring should be in rigid conduit. Where wiring runways are used care should be taken where the wire enters the runway to avoid grounding. Where wires leave the back of the control board care should be taken to see that they arc mounted on in sulated brackets. Codes should be rigidly followed. If the main feed on the crane is so small that the power house circuit breaker does not protect it against fusing, then the main crane switch should be fused. Overload circuit breakers should be set high enough to protect motors against flashovers and wiring against fusing. For D. C cranes with mill type motors, the setting is usually 300 per cent of the hour rating. This also protects the crane me chanically. Clothing. No man should be allowed on a crane at any time with loose clothing. Short overcoats should be kept buttoned at all times and tool belts worn on outside. Over coat belts should not be worn. Long over coats Should not be worn, Lighting. Crane lighting should be ar ranged so lamp changing is easy, l-amy* should never be changed with the crane in motion or with the power on. The best method of mounting crane lights is under a hinged and guarded seetioo of the bridge walkway. Drums. Magnet drums should also be lo cated so that the electrician safely service them. On many cranes we have in stalled small caged platforms between the girders at the end of the crane the magnet drum faces. The electrician has the trolley racked over to that end and services the magnet drum from the platform. Trolley Shoes. Always lockout the main top switch before changing trolley shoes. Always, check, to-see that new shoes will not strike a bracket and never try to hold more Plant Transportation 203 than one shoe at a time. Always keep one hand free. All motors and other parts that require changing should have hand holes so it will not be necessary to get underneath the troHey to remove the bolts. In rare cases units, like limit switches, may be fastened with tap bolts. Motors. In dtanging motors make sure danger signs are in place and bumpers are on tracks. Rigging should be adequate, and pinions, brakewhcels and other parts should be secure. The repairmen should wear bats and take particular care to avoid bums. Grounding. Exposed non-current carrying metallic parts of all electrical apparatus should be properly grounded. Grounding wires should be ample in size. Miscellaneous Suggestions. Blocking of faulty electrical contactors should not be al lowed. Blocking of overloads, overloading of fuses, over-tightening slip gears and overloading of cranes should never be per mitted. The tonnage capacity of cadi crane should be plainly marked on the crane tor each hook so it can be read from the ground and no one but the superintendent or his im mediate assistants should be authorized to make heavier lifts. Electrical heaters should be located and guarded so they cannot start fires or cause bums. Our preference is for the space beater type where the conductor If com pletely covered. This type should also be protected by a guard. As a last, but important, suggestion I be lieve that rules regarding crane operation should be posted m the crane cab. Atso, the cranemen should be continuously checked to make certain they know and obey them. Industrial Power Trucks--Their Safe Use and Operation By C.'E. WOOLIEVER Assistant Personnel Director, Buick Motor Division, General Motors Corp., Flint, Mich. Safety begins with design in the power truck field. The designer should always provide a generous factor of safety from the standpoint of the human bong ex pected to operate the truck and also from the standpoint of the work which the truck expected to d<x When a designer fails to take into consideration these safety func tions of bis product he is not only display ing his own inability, but also giving his company a bad reputation as a business firm. I believe that much good would result from a comprehensive study, conducted jointly by truck manufacturers and truck users, for the purpose of agreeing upon and Setting up certain obviously needed stand ardizations. Automobiles are highly stand ardized in regard to the gadgets you must operate to make them run, but at the same time they retain their `'make" identities in a highly competitive market. Power trucks can do the some. The lock of truck control standardization contributes much to accident rates and in creases cost of operation through damaged equipment and slowed down efficiency of operators who must change trucks often. Large users of trucks in some cases have been forced to restrict their purchases to a very few makes of trucks in order to estab lish any semblance of standardization in their plants--a fact which tends to eliminate wliolesome competition among power truck builders. We have in daily operation in our plants nearly 200 power trucks. Fur the last four years our lost lime accidents involving power trucks have been as follows: Year 1937 1938 1939 (940 Accidents 10 3 2 None > Days Lost 141 30 54 None Here are a few* of the standards required in new* trucks we buy. Riding Position. In normal operation the operator should be facing in the direction of travel with the platform ahead. The position of the operator should be such as to allow* him to see the end of the platform in lowered position. This permits him to spot his truck accurately when picking up 204 29th National Safety Congress a skid or coupling to a trailer. Many acci dents have been caused by the driver not being able to spot the platform under the skid. The operator In riding position on the truck should be well guarded to prevent in jury to himself in case the truck should be accidently backed into airy obstruction. This guard should be high enough in back to givr ample protection, and low enough on sides to allow the operator to quickly abandon the truck in emergencies, such as sliding off a dock or down an elevator shaft. Tn certain operations, where high lift trucks are used in stacking materials, ments and lessens the danger of control ficezing in operating position. The improvement in control design has not only lessened the hazard of truck opera tion but has resulted in cutting down the operating expense. In the older models con trol maintenance ran as high as $30 per truck per year. It is advisable to locate the battery charging plug readily accessible to the operator, so that he can easily and quickly pall this plug to disconnect power from the track in case the control should accidently freeze tn operating position. it may be advisable to use some method of Steering. Standardization of steering is overhead guard rail to prevent injury to a very important item. We think that each operator from falling material. In trucks truck in the same plant should have the used for transporting small dies, platforms same type of steering. Some wlieel steer should be arranged so dowel pins can be tracks are right hand or left hand steer; placed to prevent dies from sliding off plat either is optional with the manufacturer. forms white in transit. Rubber pedal pads If the load, is always ahead of the driver should be provided for the comfort of the and he turns the wheel to the right, the operator. A bade rest that is adjustable truck should turn to the right. This causes and comfortable might be designed along less confusion among oar drivers especially the lines that are furnished on so^ie of the when you consider that cvexyooe knows how older models of rear control fork trucks. to drive an automobile. Steering mech Visibility. Visibility should be as good as possible. Some accidents are the result of the operator not being able to see dearly where he is going, especially in narrow aisles and in other places where accurate spotting anisms should be designed to give minimum shock to steering wheels, when any of the truck wheels strike a small obstruction on the floor. Brakes. Oo the whole; brakes on all is necessary. In the new type center-control makes and models are quite satisfactory. fork and ram trucks much improvement Recently there has been little trouble due has been made, but there are still some to brakes not bring equalized, and grabbing types that can be Improved by new design. has been almost eliminated doe to improve Controls. The subject of controls is al ways a popular one. We think the two pedal system is the safer. This compels the operator to be standing in operating position before the truck can be moved. Both pedals must be depressed before any traction movement is possible. Speeds can be controlled by foot or a combination of foot and liand control. In the combination control we prefer (he first speed only to be foot operated and the remaining speeds to be hand control with a return to neutral each time (he brake is applied. This com pels the operator to start on the first point of the control which gives a safe accelera tion. It is advisable to provide a mechan ical interlock to prevent reversing when in traveling position, but this docs not prevent returning to neutral position at any time. The introduction of a magnetic or me chanical circuit breaker in the circuit saves the burning of the contact fingers and seg ment in linkages and quality of fining used. However, no brake is better than its state of repair and adj ostment. Any study of the failure of the mechan ical element would not be complete without considering the maintenance problems of power trucks. We have found, where there is decentralized control of electric trucks, that not enough specialized attention Is given to the maintenance of trades. Maintenance becomes a rather hit and miss proposition when handled in many separate depart ments. Often (rucks axe misused, repairs are delayed too long, trades are improperly lubri cated. battery charging and servicing of power units are handled by inexperienced men. This results in high of operation and more accidents. With con trol we obtain better maintenance which re sults in fewer breakdowns, reduced acci dents, and more efficient use of the tracks. With centralized control, tracks rm he Plant Transportation 205 shifted from department to department or from factory to factory to meet peak load cooditioos. More skilled men can be em ployed in a centralized location specializing cm power track equipment than can be em ployed m numerous locations trying to main tain a few tracks along with other responsi bilities, Records can also be kept in a central location which will definitely point out weaknesses in certain parts of trucks which should be corrected, and will defi nitely put the finger on any continued mis use of equipment in certain working areas or by certain individuals. The volume of contacts in a central location will call at tention to conditions which in scattered loca tions would be overlooked as possibly hap pening so infrequently that the difficulty would not be noticed. Other advantages of a centra) location are: reduced inventories of spare parts, more accurate cost statistics, and more useful performance records of individual trucks. Further reduction in accidents from fail ure of the mechanical element in power tracks must come largely through improved design, better maintenance and servicing facilities and policies, and from more ade quate records which enable us to definitely locate recurring mechanical failures. The second accident cause is the failure ot tlie human element. In the early days of power track operation, it usually tell to the lot of ooe of the hand truckers in the de partment to be g'vcn the operation of a power truck. He was shown the controls and hoty they operated and then was left to his own devices to run It or wreck it according to his luck. As the trucks became more numerous in our plants, accidents such as pinching the operator between trucks and walls or other objects, trucks falling into elevator shafts, trucks running into other employes in the aisles pinching them between stock contain ers and causing the truck wheels to pass over the feet of workmen, and many similar accidents were being caused in such large numbers that something had to be done about it. In our plant we were faced very directly with this situation in 192S. It was in the early part of 1926, after a survey of trucking and material handling accidents, that we set up rules for our truck opera tors and restricted the operation of power tracks to authorized persons. We approached the problem by surveying the types of accidents which had been oc curring, and then set up rules to govern the operation of trucks. We called into con sultation the foremen from our various plants who were directly responsible for factory truck equipment and with their help agreed upon a set of rules. To be easily remembered by the average operator, these rules should be few in number and very clear and understandable. In order to limit the operation of trucks to certain men we set up a numbered badge system. The badges were marked "electric truck operator" and were worn in plain right by truck operators while on duty. The op erators were also issued special license cards. Our procedure was to call the men together in small groups and instruct them regarding the rules, impressing upon them the responsibility of handling electric tracks in our factories. Wc called their attention to the type of accidents which had been occurring most frequently and outlined the remedies we proposed. Each man was also given a special medical examination CO test his vision, hearing, and general ability" to operate tracks. Each man's familiarity with the truck equipment he was to operate was vouched for by his foreman. The results of this program reduced our accident rates to a figure far below* that we expected to attain for several years to come. Through the following years we have con tinued this plan with some variations to maintain and improve on the early results. We found there was some reluctance to wear the badge authorizing the truck driver to handle the truck; also occasionally these badges would become lost and as the num bers were stamped in the metal they* could not be easily replaced. This caused us, after a few years of operation, to do away with the special badges. The original card which we gave each operator was sometimes re tained after a man had been transferred from electric truck operation; and it was so large it was inconvenient for him to carry it except in a special windowed Icatheret case which wc furnished him. Sometimes this authorization card would become mis placed or not carried. In the course of time a man who was physically fit when issued the card might later become unfit to operate a truck be cause of ill health, failing eyesight, etc 206 29th National Safety Congress This caused us to change our system. At present our truck operators are issued small permit cards which they may carry- conven iently in billfold or card holder. This card is issued in two colors. Any employee issued an operator's permit between the months Of April and October is issued a green card which carries the man's name, block number, the date the card was is sued, and the signature of the physical ex aminer and safely inspector. Any operator who is issued a card between October and April is given a buff colored card which carries the same information. Our procedure now requires that every operator must have a permit of the right color for the period. This involves rechecking physically and a visit with the safety inspector one each six months. The safety inspector maintains a file of all cmpio3'ccs who have been issued permits and keeps a record of any complaints or minor accidents. Before issuance of the permit for the next six months, accidents and com plaints are discussed with the operator and he is cautioned or reprimanded as occasion may require. If he has set up a good safety record he is given encouragement to main tain it. This gives the safety inspector a chance to know personally the men handling electric trucks in each plant. Very definite standard procedure is set up for the han dling of new hires and transfers, so men cannot he placed on trucks without meeting the requirements in connection with the is suance of permits to handle power trucks. A copy of the rules is given each driver at the time the permit is issued. Briefly these rules are: 1. Qualified Operators. Qualified opera tors are interpretated to mean only employ ees who are properly authorized to operate trucks. The operators are cautioned that throughout the time they are assigned a truck, from the time it is taken from the charging room until it is returned, they are responsible to see that no one operates the truck except themselves or another opera tor who carries similar authorization. 2. Position af Loads. Loads should al ways be carried in front of an operator ex cept in the following instances: hauling trailers, backing out of narrow aisles, going down steep inclines, or when load obstructs view. We explain to the operator that it is important to acquire the habit of driving the truck with the platform or load in front. 3. Elevators. Some of our worst power truck accidents have been caused in connec tion with elevators. Our operators are in structed to always approach and go onto an elevator with the platform ahead. With the platform ahead, should the elevator fall when the load comes oo the platform, the operator always has the opportunity to step away from his trade and save himself, where otherwise he would have no chance. The operators are instructed when neces sary* to wait for the elevator, to stop from six to ten feet from safely gates. This Is to give the operator the opportunity to steer to right or left and avoid the open shaitu-ay. Violation of these rules is not only dangerous to himself but also endangers passengers who may be riding on the ele vator. We found, after one or two experi ences, that when an electric truck runs into the shaftway, in falling, it goes through the platform of the elevator as though it were made of cardboard and usually ends up tn the elevator pit. 4. Repairs. Each operator i instructed that he is responsible for the mechanical condition of his truck while in his opera tion. He is instructed upon taking the truck from charging department to satisfy himself it is in good condition by trying brakes and steering. If the truck is not in proper state of repair or develops some trouble, he is instructed to return it immediately to the repair department In other words, an alibi that the truck was not operating properly is no excuse for him should an accident occur. 5. Signals. Wc caution each driver not to use horn signal unnecessarily but to reserve its use for such rimes as the signal is neces sary, and then to give the pedestrian the benefit of the doubt for occasionally he may run across a man who is deaf. 6. Aisles. We impress upon the operator that It is only the man that controls the truck who may avoid an accident and that he must be alert at all rimes when his truck is m morion. He is instructed to approach blind comers with caution and to use judg ment in crowded aisles. 7. Passengers. We do not allow pas sengers to ride on the platform of the trucks with the exception of a helper who may be authorized by the foreman and then he must ride in soch a way that he does uot obstruct the view of the operator. In early Plant Transportation 207 days we had to discourage maintenance crews from riding on trucks to their work. Many accidents were caused when the direc tion of trucks was changed without warn ing to rite passengers, causing them to lose their balance and fall from platform of the truck. 8. General. We tell the operators that they are driving a truck which weighs more than the average automobile and is a very powerful piece of equipment. They are driv ing this piece of equipment under traffic conditions which are much more serious than we find on public streets and high ways. There are no particular rules for the employees who walk in the factory aisles ami they must maneuver their trucks in such manner as to not injure fellow em ployees or damage machines and equipment. They must be alert for the safety of others throughout their working areas. We caution them to be courteous and watch the patli of travel of their trucks at all rimes when it is in motion. They are cau tioned not to overload their trucks and to familiarize themselves with the load ca pacity of the elevators and floors in their working areas. If there are any special hazards, additional instructions are given to cover these. Lastly we caution them to report any minor accidents, to either equip ment or men, immediately to thetr foreman. ADJOURNMENT Psychology and Safdty (Early Morning Classes) The roar Early Morning Classes at the 29th National Safety Congress and Exposi tion. held in Chicago, October 7-11, 1940, were arranged to discuss the many human shortcomings and failures in the field of Psychology and Safety which every execu tive. safety man and supervisor meets with continually in his efforts to prevent accidents. The lectures were delivered in the Grand Ballroom of The Stevens Hotel, before two thousand or more delegates and guests, oo each of four successive mornings, Tuesday to Friday inclusive, by Dr. Harold S. Hulbert. IfD, RA.P.A., of Chicago. Dr. Halbert is well known as a psychia trist, writer and lecturer, and has appeared many times in the past years before mem bers of the National Safety Council and at the National Safely Congresses. In 1931 he delivered a series of lectures before Psy chology Classes of the Congress similar to those of this Congress, his subject being "Healthy Thinking versus Accident Risk." Again, in 1933, he conducted the Early Morning Classes at the Congress, his subject being "Mental Training for Safety." Dr. Halbert was introduced by W. H. Cameron, Managing Director of the Na tional Safety Council. His four lectures, which have had his personal editorial re vision for these Congress Transactions, are presented below in full. Mental Mistakes Which Cause Factual Accidents Lecturer--HAROLD S. HULBERT, M.D.. F.A.P.A. Chicago. Illinois LECTURE I Mental Health--Its Foundations and Its Termites When we deal with an individual, we must realize that he has a certain constitution. I think you all have in your bands the mimeo graphed copies of some diagrams which 1 asked to have prepared for you, because 1 cannot draw' very well on my blackboard here. (See Pages 2-6.) In Figure 1 you will see that in every per son there are two integrating triangles-- there are some male and some female char acteristics, the male characteristics showing personality strength, and the female showing personality beauty and aesthetics. The av erage man is part way between. 50-50. where 209 L the two triangles exactly overlap, at the ex treme left as you look at the drawing; below is a cross section of the average per son where, if the outer circle is the mascu line entity, then the inner irregular figure is the female components in him. I mention this to show you that in every one you should not be surprised to find cer tain strengths and certain, shall I say, soft ness, gentleness, tenderness, etc. The mere fact that we are all here engaged in this wonderful movement, largely humanitarian, although of course not wholly so. shows tliat we all do have within us an apprecia tion of the nicer things, including substan tial health and the preservation of it Now, men. wc will talk largely of men, will distribute to the right and to the left of that average man line, according, to the human graph, three, twelve, fifteen,* forty, fifteen, twelve and three per cent. Some men are very much more masculine than others, and some very much less; there is room in the world for all such persons. I mean to say, if there was a run on a bank and I wanted to send some boy down there to get out my funds, I certainly would not pick an effeminate boy, a soft boy, to do that. I would pick a Jack Dempsey type of boy to go down and "elbow his way in" toward the head of the line. And yet, if 1 had a diplomatic errand to do 1 would pick a man more toward the center line, the 5050 line. Going on, we are often asked which is the greater, environment or heredity. Figure 2 shows my concept of that. There are again two integrating triangles. You will notice in Figure 2 the stippled places marked "I": those are the characteristics in an individual which are due to his inheritance. They can not be modified by any environment or in fluence. On the other hand, {marked 2) toward the right you will find a shaded por tion with lines. There are parts of various individuals which arc responsive to the en vironment, irrespective of his hcritance, or his race, or family training, or particular family ancestry. The outlines of the triangles are waving lines, for inheritance is not perfect: no child resembles perfectly any one ancestor, but some do resemble certain ancestors more than others. The lines of the triangle rep resenting environment too are waving, be cause no child, as be grows tip. receives all the environmental sitmoli that are impinged against him, c.g.. sometimes he is too dull or too distracted to notice wfaat is going on. You will notice that the larger part, the Psychology a>ul Safety 211 fig. 2. Heredity vs. Environment fcrts 1 and! are pot modifiable by any environmental influences. Parts 2 and 2 are wholly controlled fay environment, irrespective of in* heritance. Part 3 is mixed variably. H stmoU he H and as congenital development modifies later maturing, hence immaturities. E staid he E and -t, as environmental stimuli may not always register as expected. +1 [ more, or In fact they should fat -- | j less, or OCj [ (Ssterted. diamond shaped part of Figure 2 is a vari able composite of inheritance and environ ment. That is true of all of us. All the men and eroplojecs who look to us for guid ance are modifiable to a large extent. If we were to try to describe personality that would not be complete, those two tri angles. We would have to add in there, as in Figure 3, additional factors which de termine what sort of person a man is, con sidering hi* constitution as well as his in heritance. Constitution is the type ot build, and body, and function of body, and function of mind that wc get from our ancestors and from our family. We should include, also, on the left, the health of the individual: not only his present state of health, but his previous states of health. Perhaps he has had typhoid, or some other sicknesses, and ma>bc he is now suffering a mild anemia. Those things will modify his personality and reactions at any given moment. To the right we have the environment, and in the environment I want to include instruction. Instruction should include for mal schooling so far as the individual learned as things were presented to him. Instruction ,o includes parental instruc tion, and no c'ni'J ever feds that his parentarc perfect-- iot while they are living. Then we have the -tiformal instruction from other persons ifian in -chools; and there is a star (). and where there is a star is where you come in. the informal instruction we give to a person, and to the per-on- associated with us. Then under instruction I also want to in clude the instruction an individual gives himself. That- instruction lie gives himself Fij. 3. Miti {Dints 1. and 2.. and amplifying them: "WHO IS WHAT" may he charted thus: Heredity and Constitution and Health (past and present) and Age ~ EnritMMrt. Parental tsuraty tostractiai Wmal* SeU.fe. Cenktinns S. is Sprritmsity, ReSpcsty. Esthetics. F.W. is Free WiB if MWen. Psy. is PsycMcyy, hcMmy kakits. aid AnOaUe Memories. 212 9tk National, Safety Congress is a very variable thing. If heM&s* hid~*i; ' that the people do hare some freedom of bad night troubled with dreams and night* choice, that they can more or less decide for mares, and he tries to think out something themselves, and that endoertues and experi the next morning, his conclusions are quite ences do not totally determine one's makeup. apt to be blue and troubled, uncertain, and I doubt very much if free will is of impor rather pessimistic. The instructions one tance at any given moment I think free gives oneself when he b in the best of will is attained largely by our resolution health are better and sounder. The con bearing on the future, that the individual clusions one draws from experiences in life decides now, "I shall at some future time constitute what we call convictions: you do so and so, be more careful," or whatever cannot change a person's convictions. it might be. Furthermore, I might tell you that it is impractical to ever ask a person, "How did you arrive at such and such a conclusion? How did you reach this conclusion?" He cannot tell. It is too complex. From below the other half of that triangle is marked psychology, and psychology means habits, the cause of aptitudes, things which are distinctive to the individual; and if you will, please, mark oo that, or put in a star Well, heredity and constitution on the one after the words "available memories," be hand, and health and environment on the cause you, by talking to your people and other hand, do not explain an individual leading them one way or the other, create very totally, so let's add some other factoru of which we are sure. On the top, in Figure 3, there is a little triangle which J have memories which will modify, and which they can use in modifying themselves in the future marked "S," which means spirituosity or a sense of rightness of things. I want to tell you. although that is a small part, it is a real factor in every individual's makeup. We do have a sense of right, and it does modify us very much, and it isn't always moral right we are talking about. There arc a good many standards of right. There are many things which are right, such as paying vour debts, which is a very noble thing, and seeing that all who owe you money pay vou, which is equally right, but not so noble. Figure d is another way of trying to de scribe that very complex central zone that we had in Figure 3. where all these tri angles meet. It is a graph of expectations. Of this triangle the largest part is the base, and that Is the ancestral and racial expecta tions. My ancestors a thousand years ago, if they were forward-looking at all, figured they would have more offspring in the land of Israel, and that their offspring could carry on certain culture, traditions and traits. Xow you see two triangles pointing up. One is free will or volition. I maintain what religion teaches--there are beliefs to the con trary--that there is such a thing as free will, .. v \ That is true in the things we are doing today; e.g., the fact that we have a democ racy in this world that is angry and torn, so angry that it is not doing good thinking. In ttaabove, n 3 [(MraaT) aad to 4 (Group-)), the star Mates rterc ae. Mer it) fa industry, etc., my endrfy tkese. rtn are under our authority. Original Horn Psychology and Safety 213 Established Heme Fit 5. Effect of the borne: really ten) tomes, viz. tie tone where to was bred and torn and raised, aad the tone to tags to, expects to and does develop. wherein it is much like an angry individual person. The fact that we want to live peace fully with each other U not thought out by each individual. We feel that because our ancestors had that expectation, and passed it cm by word of mouth on down, down, down the line; generation after generation. I would say persons are more reactive than they appreciate ha doing dungs which were expected of them by their ancestors. The middle stratum of that triangle in Figure 4 `is the family and the group's ex pectation. I would say, in all modesty, and the same thing applies to each one of us, within individual variations, that before I was born, my parents decided that they should give the child (he best education they could give him, and expect him to establish a nice home of his own, following our stand ards, and ways: and that is the way it worked ouL I did get an education, and I have established a home, and I claim no credit for it That urge, that drive, was passed on to me by my family. But they also figured, about 1900, or thereabouts, that the next generation would pay off some bond issues--and 1 am doing it Now at the top, the apex, the thing that distinguishes ooe's mental features from an other's is the difference of one's own ex pectations for himself from another's ex pectations of himself. I expect 1 shall al ways drive on the right side of the road. I expect that I shall be a good citizen. 1 expect I shall pay my debts. I expect I shall play some of what I call gulf (but my fam ily doesn't). I act according to my own prior expectations of myself, and to that extent I am not a free individual from moment to moment In Figure 5 I try to illustrate the effect of the borne. Now, if you please, when you think of an individual, please think of hi* two homes; the home from whence he came, where he was bred and bom and raised, and that is the major part of the paper this rooming; and, second, the home which he belongs to, and expects to develop, and actually does develop. You will see that these homes, these tw^ triangles, overlap, and as one diminishes proportions the other grows. The figuring is not perfectly true. The drawing is of small importance: it is just a graph. I would say that the home he intends to does not begin quite at the base of the triangle at the left. The influence of his original home never terminates during bis life. Now, Figure 6. I urge you to study this. In order to understand me. realize that the individual's social fife and industrial life overlap, and they may be charted somewhat StcU fit S- Steal and industrial He depends on background: It n(ht to cturted ttos: 29th National Safety Congress as~\ve have them in Figure 6. That chart, a? you see, is a variable. His social life be gins in the home from whence he came, and diminishes as he grows old, very far over into the right, until it finally tapers off. The industrial life does not begin at birth. It begins in the habit training at childhood, and it stops before he dies^ if lie lives his full span of years. You will notice that there arc times when his industrial life is greater in influencing him. in engaging his attention and work, than his social activities. Please do not for get that point. There are a great many men in industry who are more keen about their job than they are about their borne. Their homes become well established, and there is no longer any great problem there, and they are focusing themselves on their jobs, and .on promotion, and the social contacts which grow out of their work. And yet the home life may intrude at times to interfere with business and professional progress. Now, if you should add all these together, super- we have and what we are--in heart and blood pressure, memory, strength, previous accumulated faith and trust, and oar faith in ourselves. It is only after a battle that a battleship can go into dry- dock and be replenished with (new) ammunition: it must fight its fight with what it is and what it has." There are many types of constitution. Let me mention a f* w different constitutions. Constitution has its origin in the home. Let me mention a few and show how it de termines an individual according to the build of the individual himself. There are per sons with constitutionally small hearts in large bodies; those persons may be named "slow motion." There are persons with big hearts, and they are restless and in compe tition, and if there isn't any competition or fighting going on, they will start one. There are persons with low blood pressure, and they have been called wall Sowers and house plants. There are persons with tiny blood vessels, constitutionally: they are born that Fie. 7. Superimpose them all together and there is as MtresGif coastefcttoa, not charted, entitled PERSONALITY. impose them one upon the other, and 1 ad mit there are many other factors too; (I couldn't chart it, but maybe you can men tally) then you have some sort of a graph of what we call PERSONALITY. <Fig. 7.) In adding these things. I want to say, do not be discouraged at individual differences such as are pointed out, because we are all more alike than we are unlike each other. There are three places at least, marked with a star (*) where persons are modifiable, even though there are limitations to modi fications. `I do make this point, and I think ''T ctur be qtfbted: I think the record is sound bere, and*'pot jus{ my own opinion, viz: ^We each'must meet the stresses of life, not with a bolstering drink, but with whtt way and they arc nicknamed "sissies." There are persons who are constitutionally anemic, and those persons lack the ability to polish their efforts, to go over and over and over again, and get things into first-class shape. They make several efforts, and then they are through. Indolence n. Fatigue We must draw the line between indolence and fatigue. Indolence is a constitutional trait, whereas fatigue is an acquired condi tion from mental disorders sometimes, or stresses at home, or from physical disorders, diseases, excesses of alcohol, or one thing or another. I reserve the term "lazy" for those who indulge themselves by wilfully and inexcusably others to do for Psychology and Safety 215 them what they arc quite able and capable of doing for themselves. Now, to show the difference between indolence and fatigue, I quote Dr. W. Norwood East in the table en titled "x. i ^inclination for Work," on page 8. I do want to say that the young men entering the Army nowadays, entering in dustry nowadays, are apt to be indolent, not front constitutional reasons, for many of them are fine boys, but they are indolent be cause they have not been trained to work. The}1 have not been trained in habits of in dustry. They do not know the joy that comes from working 12 hours, and then put ting in an extra four. They have not had that experience. They have not had the ex perience of working 8 or 9 days a week. Medically. a doctor isn't a Gass A man un til he has been through an epidemic and learns he can and must work about 56 hours without stopping. So these boys who are indolent from deprivation have to be trained, and forced to work; they need a particular kind of forceful leadership to counteract this deficiency in home and neigh borhood training. They, like indolent per sons, are apt to be quitters. They are apt to be tired before they go to work. They arc apt to be fatigued when they work. Oxygen Want Besides constitutional indolence, there is one thing that must be mentioned. That is, there is such a terrific variation in persons in their ability to take in and to use oxygen. I think most people are average well fed, but 1 should say there is a greater disparity between the oxygen metabolism in them than in their food- intake. In many cases where people do not get enough oxygen, it may be because of bronchitis from smoking too much, or from a nose and throat con dition. Maybe they have a lung disease. Maybe they have poor posture. There are numerous reasons why. We have recently, in the last four years, tested people's abilities and reactions during oxygen deprivation by putting people in sealed chambers, or by sending persons up in airplanes to high altitudes or in chambers which have correspondingly low atmospheric pressures. These are some of the conditions which ensue when the oxygen intake and use is diminished, (and what I say now you will see in your workers, but to lesser de grees, if you please). I quote Dr. J. H. Quastel. Oxygen deprived persons talk about the same things, and their conversation does not go from one thing to another. Tliey are emotionally unstable. They may be irritable without much provocation, or boisterous, or weak. They make stupid er rors which can be shown in a number of arithmetical tests. Their impulses may be primitive and uncontrolled. While they are thinking the same thing, like a wheel on dead center, they are not receptive to new. ideas. Those of you who have to teach per sons, and then find out wfiat they have learned, are always astonished and disap pointed at how poorly some of them have learned, although they seemed bright: that may have been because of poor oxygenization. If you care to read a wonderful book, read "Blow All Ballast," by Nat H. Barrows (Dodd Mead, N. Y., 1W0). On page 120, when he was describing the deep sea divers going down to bring up the U.S-S. Sqoalus, the submarine which was sunk, the air pressure was 100 pounds to the inch and the divers were not getting much oxygen out of it The authorities said, and I quote: "At that depth a man has the mental ability of a child and the working efficiency of an old man in his dotage." To a lesser extent, our sub-oxygen people arc deficient mentally and physically. What can be done about these business associates of yours when they are not as bright as they should be? It is very simple. You recommend two things: Get outdoors and walk at least an hour or two a day, and get outdoors and sweat at least once or twice a week. They do not have to buy medicine from some pharmacy. Hygiene is the treatment: natural, primitive hygiene. Five Type* of Error* There are five types of errors, and the homes from whence our children come into industry, and the homes they establish while in industry, do not teach these five types of errors, nor how to avoid them. The first type of error is doing the wrong thing. I think that is generally recognized. The second type is omitting to do the right thing. That is rather largely recog nized. The third type is doing too much of the right thing--overdoing it. 216 29th Notional Safety Congress DISINCLINATION FOR WORK (By Dr. W. Norwood Eut--modified by Dr. H. S. Halbert) Fatigability ' Indolence May be a symptom of mental deficiency, or Related to physical disease: e.g. endocrine glands imbalance sexual or other excesses chronic infections tuberculous glands ioci of infection constitutional asthenia low blood pressure incomplete convalescence head injury blood disease (anemia) nephritis (Bright's disease) adenoids, tonsils, and malnutrition (inch allergy) Mental disorder Psychological reaction to conscious difficulties, or repressed conflicts as guilt complex feeling unwelcome inferiority shame of self of parents, etc. Inate constitutional disposition resembling the indolence of certain primitive race* whose wants are few and easily satis fied. Recent development in the fife of the indi vs. Habit of mind, acquired as the result of vidual. precept, example or circumstance. Though- it may restrict capacity for work it vs. i not inconsistent with ambition. From wrong placement, inadequate train ing, unsympathetic supervisor, enthusi asm is dulled so that work and all asso ciated with it has, in time so many accumulated associations of harshness, discomfort, and inadequate reward that work is shunned. Ambitions vs (An indolent person) Postpones commencement oi task as long as possible; Expends minimum of energy; Is exhausted when work is completed. Failure causes disappointment, especially if vs. No concern if task is unfinished. results are a matter of concern and it Unable to appreciate the satisfaction of fulfillment is coveted. accomplishment. - Tires as quickly at play as at work, for vs. Success at play; for play is undertaken energy is soon exhausted. with enthusiasm and energy. -Sleeps badly. vs. Sleeps welL Generally irritable. vs. Not necessarily irritable. Display of temper when forced to work. Psychology and Safety 217 The fourth type is doing too little of the right thing; and I want to stop for a min ute on that. You safety personnel do not take to yourselves sufficient authority. You do too little of the right thing. I think in* your work around your various plants, etc., you should go just as far as you can, until you are stopped from above. Instead of pausing to ask the tops, "Can I do this?" and "Can I do that ?" please take authority. You have terrific responsibility given to yon and with that responsibility comes some authority, an undetermined amount. Find out by going as far as you can. Why? Because people like to rely on certainty. Workers and others look to you for rules and guidance in safety. If you expect extra authority, certainly this is the way to get it. They will like it; if you are a little bit timid about asserting yourself, perhaps it is because you don't have enough oxygen. So if you would sell your car and walk an hour or so a day, and sweat twice a week, maybe your blood pressure would come up; then you would feel like taking too much authority. If you go too far some one will stop you. Same with local or com munity safety councils: Take to yourselves authority; stand on your own feet, yet co operate with the higher authorities. The fifth type of eiTor is wrong timing, doing the right thing at the wroog time, too late or too early. We could spend an hour on illustrations of wrong liming. You do not have to look very far for them. The best of us have seen examples of or have been guilty of wrong tuning. Objective Evaluations We should make objective evaluations of the persons who come to us from these very inadequate homes. By inadequate, F mean the homes that have inadequately trained the men for industry. Look-at the men objec tively. Look at them. Watch what they do, and do not listen to their excuses. Realize that these objective evaluations must change: one must not form a permanent opinion of any man. The mistake we are apt to make in dan dling the individual persons who come to us is to over-expeel, to expect juotc of them than they are able to deliver. The penalty of over-expectation is disappointment From disappointment grows mutual disappoint ment He becomes disappointed in you. From mutual disappointment groWs hostility, and from that grows mutual hostility. Then leadership is gone when there is a state of mutual hostility between you and the group. Don't expect too much from a person. See what he can do. Persons have, as you look over the mimeographed drawings of Figures l to 7 inclusive, profound limitations. A false premise always leads to a bad and upsetting conclusion. So often we in our hearts are building false premises. We say these men who are working at our plants are "our younger sons." They are not our younger sons at all They are our younger neighbors, working together with us. We should treat them as our neighbors;' but when we try to buy their loyalty in advance by certain things we would like to do for them, such as we would do for our son* and sons-in-law, we should not be astonished if they turn out to be neighbors and not young sons continuously. You cannot buy future loyalty by past actions. Dlversamcnts The home, if it is to support the indi vidual, should encourage him to have four diversements, four things to divert his mind: tvVo winter diversements and two summer diversements, or two outdoor and two indoor diversements. These should be diversements where a man has some oppor tunity to express himself, to express his personality, because I tell you, gentlemen, the desire for self-expression Is greater and more important than the desire for security. In a diversement, any one of the four, the individual man finds happiness in carrying on his own ideas, and that happiness and that enthusiasm and certainty in betting on himself. "I am pretty good, I can work out problems.'1 This increases the rate of speed of thought and the height of intelligence and the breadth of the individual's vision; such persons are not accident prone. Just pastiming and self-entertaining are poor. The smart man uses the early morning hours for self-advancement before the group gets under way. The smart man is inter ested in entertaining himself, to be sure, and entertaining others, and being entertained by them, but he is also interested in ad vancing himself seriously. Self-Discipl ine Therefore, importance is placed upon self-discipline to avoid the unwholesome, and to improve the intellect, and to seek a good auditory* environment, i.e., to turn off 21$ 29ik Sationat Safety Congress the radio or torr. the co-venation when things which coroc into cor grinds and ears are loathsome and not good for tts. Authority In order for the indmdoa] to assume growing responsibility at work, he must take to himself authority at borne. He must grant authority to others in the home to run their departments, he must trust the integ rity of human nature and trust his children, but he must keep certain authorities to him self. Time after time we see fine men who are whipped and discouraged in business when something goes wrong, and they never reestablish themselves. They take subor dinate jobs, and they do a poorer job, al though they work harder. In those cases we can trace out the fact that they have been whipped at home, crashed at home: things have gone wrong in spite of their efforts. Usually after this happens twice they quit trying to exert authority. A dear friend of ours lost his wife and three children in a steamboat disaster on the Hudson River, It did not crush him. Later he had another tragedy enter his life: one more child died. Now be is whipped. He has had two accidents of the same kind happen to his mind. He is a whipped per sonality for life. There is no repair. So I say that the individual who is whipped at home, who less other people de cide when he should wear hit railten or whether he should wear hat to# com. ami not smoke too much. ric. it wfc##d at business. You can fippv mu #>a*e ifrird; they arc egeotk- |cn-- wW wm have wane authority m kumu m tm mg to liavc author**y Uiiwu. means he vakn hi* mm 4wtmum, m4 Mfr- rng one * cws i acter Patrice* IkMMiwaw Homes send so us perww.ii wfc* in another way, .*,, nmm wfc* p* MM rick and do rv< trww beau** #w -rit- is parole**, or p+n+m wh*. kptm u- completeh- varr*Va*d (>W * *>4towto> r per-on* who are t hnwwr m 4mnf domestic retatkm*. r ssfc fcaHniaMy, or arsons who haw wot tM Hume w per- sonal problems. That pexmom * they-------- to us in industry are auainua, uace, fa tigued: they arc irritable, they are Mac they are touchy. ad they are no good after three o'clock in the afternoon after an ordi nary day's work. In fad. Aej ought not to be at work at alL What can we do for them? Well, I maintain anyone who ifcklff That somebody he has to associate with does not look well, has a Utile resporwahiEty toward that person. II he can possibly do it, he should send him oa an errand where he has to walk, and when he comes back in about a half hour, send him to another part ot the plant, etc. He will probably stop for a malted milk on the way, then he will prob ably be brighter and more secure for him self and others for the rest of the day, I am not recommending that we send to a doctor this person who looks just a HtUe under par in health or emotional balance. I recommend hygiene, ordinary hygiene. Conclusions Now may I draw some conclusions? 1. A. man is what he is, whether or not we know the complex reasons why he is so. _ 2. The home from whence the man comes, either his ancestral home, or the home that he has established, does not prepare him for industry, has not taught him the various personality traits or the manual skills that industry requires. Furthermore, that home does not support ridtrstry. If he comes home and describes some troubles, the family would probably ay, "Wdl, you are right. Paw. You ought *o have told him so. I am glad yon did U if you got fired.** The home should be taught to reaHze that industry and good toOaiatiQD is thoughtful and is not saerificiri of people, and that the wives and iftilif. fd others, should tell the man: "4W1, you had better listen to what the itovriiit rod." and encourage the man to do Wacr, to fit m. Wutry most, therefore, since the homes 4* wet scad us men properly equipped, teach ^e ws: and I want to lump all your toadbrigs under one beading: Teach them mmal*. Teach them the normal things to do under rad) and such circumstances. Tench then the normal way to mfrt or h*--ri that problem, because when we have wm#ht Cm we will take up fix some of oor Hrthcr lectures) men what industry needs, whether it is safety practice, which is on our minds today, or whatever it is. when we hove taught men normally, then those men become predictable. We can anticipate what Psychology and Safety 219 soefa a person is going to do. That is glorious. That is our goal, predicting a per son. X Are we learning abont the management of others? Let me quote a case. This was in London in 1750. A woman was hanged, and the same day a boy was half hanged and then beaten. The woman had stolen three fish; and the boy roamed the streets. She was his mother. The courts did this saying, I quote: "Perhaps this will be a lesson to him.** We are learning. Our social progress from that time to this is tremendously great. Anyone can see it The State of Illinois today is mourning the passing of a great man. Governor Hor ner. 1 knew him. I am proud to say. Count less others knew him in one aspect or an other. We respected him because he knew bis subject, the law; be understood oar prob lems; and be was a gentleman. We knew he understood human nature, and guided and shaped it foe the benefit of humanity; for such men in oar time we are thankful. We can say: "Throughout harsh and selfish lands Comforted by saintly hands - . . Man is thankful for the past Gifts like fire, seeds, happiness. Wisdom, teaching, nature unmasked. Sympathy, tenderness: These redeem our darkest time And revive oor hopes sublime."* *Thc foil quotation, from which (his t* an ex cerpt, Is available n request to Dr. Harold 5. Hulbcrt 30 No. Ukbicaa Ave., CbicafO. LECTURE II Mental Hygiene of the Industrial Worker Before I start this Bsoraxoc** talk. I have been asked to exphia two tbiuga. The book to which I itfcrdl juioihy --tocring is "Blow AH Bribct** the rocw of the sub marine U.&& S#ahu I frankly, an a fncMfrr way. toll you that it you read tbac book mm are gome *> be shorter ca dwy thaw if you wwt to a Safety Cmmnrrnu. It aril horn you # 1 was also arikad m taplw dw graphs we used yoiudh W yap wdl mom** owe angle oner thava tmferi Twtto Madk- bourdX * yahr 4fet mi ocher trip#t wtodtod *ZM ** ton to your kit. ami finaa tiw mm a--riur, you will then get tfr* gtaoh that >* had m your hands on dha m graph"* 9m My MfK cbu wfcaramg ''The MWntri Hygiene of 4m hUtotriri Wqriwr Gfc&gausd Owntonttn of Mmpsostone and the Safety* wry Senf U there a basic philninphy which to fair tot advantageous alike P the work--rr and Ins perwjual con>tettat*s* and to inA-fry and the nation A Three-Point Basic Philosophy Some of oor people come to us without any philosophy. They have no central nu cleus aroood which to hang their thoughts. They were noc given one at home. Their parents had none. They had a vague idea of doiLg right and being dutiful and being obedient and so oo. bat no concrete phflosop*y- Now industry,, the various, specific indus tries, apparently have no basic philosophy. I wonkf tike to bring to your attention xwwrtwing which has been rather carefully worked out and which is generally appli cable. her--tot if persons can learn this, be r--|hr it by yoo aod learn it at home, if you can puss it on to your children and others, you will find that it is very easy to teach them to detail the application of it. Aod. as wc are gathered together under the Baig of safety--national safety as a na tional asset--Ht is wdl to have this in our minds because it emphasizes that persons mart net kmrt--must not hurt themselves and must not hurt each other. 220 29th National Safety Congress A BASIC PHILOSOPHY, IN THREE PARTS Fair and advantageous alike to the person and his constellation, to groups and to the nation. (Based on Dr. Hardy Clark, modified by Dr. Harold S. Hulbert.) **** 1. (When. A child up lo the age of 0, or at any time thereafter, should be taught ami trained, or if not so taught and trained a person should teach himself.) IA. TO DO ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING WHICH IS GOOD FOR HIS OWN BEST INTERESTS (provided he docs not hurt or wrong anyone thereby); IB. TO AVOID ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING WHICH IS CON TRARY TO HIS OWN BEST INTERESTS (especially to avoid the unwholesome and to avoid self-indulgence); and IC TO AGGRESSIVELY ATTACK ANYONE OR ANYTHING WHICH MENACES HIS OWN BEST INTERESTS 2. (When. A child up to the age of 9, or at any time thereafter, should be taught and trained, or, if not so taught and trained a person should teach himself.) 2A. TO DO ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING WHICH ENHANCES HIS OWN GROUP'S BEST INTERESTS (provided he docs not hurt or wrong anyone or any other group thereby) ; 2B. TO AVOID ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING WHICH IS CON TRARY TO HIS GROUP'S BEST INTERESTS ("bis group" will be in turn his family, his clan, his gang, his school, his church, his community, his town, his societies, all schools, all churches, his new home, his state, all stales, and his own Nation.); and 2C. TO AGGRESSIVELY ATTACK ANYONE OR ANYTHING OR ANY GROUP WHICH MENACES HIS OWN GROUP'S (GROUPS') BEST INTERESTS 3. (When. A child up to die age of 16, or at any time thereafter, should be taught and trained, or if not so taught and trained should teach himself.) 3A. TO BE TOLERANT 3B. OF THE EXPRESSIONS OF OPINION JC. 3D. OF WELL-INTENTIONED PERSONS OF OTHER GROUPS: and 3A/ TO BE INTOLERANT OF AND TO AGGRESSIVELY ATTACK 3B.` PERSONS AND GROUPS 3C.' OF BAD OR OF HOSTILE INTENTIONS. Psychology attd Safety 221 I do want to comment on some of the parts of a "BASIC PHILOSOPHY" which I am presenting here. Point IB: "To avoid anything and everything which is contrary to his own best interests." Once we have trained our workman on that point, we can use It to say. "Now, if you handle a stepladder this way" or whatever the hazard is "you are risking your own best interests." Point 2A is of considerable interest, and I want to explain that An individual should be taught and trained "To do anything and everything which enhances his own group's best interests." In a child's life it runs somewhat like this: He should be trained to do anything and to help the family, to answer the door bell, to help wash the dishes, to do any chore at home. His idea of his own group enlarges, and he should do anything to help his brothers and sisters and cousins, and, when he goes to school, anything that doesn't hurt others, anything to help the school. He learns to be fair and not step out of bounds, because the referee might see him, and that would hurt his team's chances. His idea enlarges so that his group in cludes all the persons who live on our side of town, all the persons who go to our church, all the persons who go to any church, all the persons m our town, in our community*, in oar state, all the persons who belong to our society, to the lodges or to whatever the father and mother belong --all such clubs. Finally, in the develop ment of this idea of being loyal to his own group, the idea of the group becomes the nation: that is patriotism. A person should do anything and every thing which will help his nation, and not do anything which will hurt it I am very sorry to say that the human mind has such pro found limitations that it is not able to react dynamically to an idea of international brotherhood. Patriotism stops at the national border. We can think about international brotherhood, but masses of persons cannot react to it. The basis of patriotism is the simple thing that a person should do any thing and everything which Is beneficial for his own group. The third part of this basic philosophy is >*ot related to safety. It is put in here be cause it ts the third part of such a philoso phy. America's Two Commandments Now, if I can rephrase this, I can say that there are in our country, in our culture, two great commandments. The first one is: "You may and you should help yourself and your group, provided you do no hurt thereby." The tendency would be for persons to think that the second commandment is that you may and should help others over and beyond your duty. I say no, that is not our second great commandment in America. The second commandment is: 'You may and should permit others--permit others-- to help themselves and help their groups, their own groups, provided that they do no hurt thereby." Repeating, then: the first is to help your self, and the second is to permit others to help themselves--always circumscribed by "it must not hurt." The point that wc should help others is the hallmark of nobility in America. Su perior persons only grasp this idea that we should help others. We do not have lords and barons and other such ranks in this country, but we can identify high grade and superior people, and that is one of the ways in which they can be identified. They go out of their way to help others. Positive Intercommunication If we arc to with other persons, it is quite important that we think clearly and speak understandably. I would say that the Inability to speak understandably is the greatest handicap of our people. \Ve are not able to communicate our ideas one to an other fully nor exactly. You can think about four to seven thoughts per second; you can talk about two thoughts per second. The person who is listening to you will listen to about, oh, a fraction--I don't know --maybe a sixth of what you say, and the rest of the time he is thinking about other things, about himself. How, then, can you get your ideas across to the other person? I recommend, in the first place, that you be very explicit: that when you are talking to persons you do not talk in an involved way. T recommend, be cause of the limitations of the human mind, that you talk conclusively. Only when a person challenges what you say should you give the reasons for your conclusions. 222 29th National Safety Congress Ordinarily he will assume that you have thought it out, that you have reasons. If you will talk slowly, . . . staccato, . . . one idea at a time and briefly expressed, . . . with a pause between, ... to let it sink in, . . . you catt communicate your ideas better. Please, when you are talking to oilier per* sons, make it easy for t!>cm to think, to agree, to follow. Do not express yourself in such a way that they have to rearrange your ideas before tlicy understand them or can use them. An old story illustrates this point as well as any episode 1 know: A foreman was showing a new workman through his part of a large paint factory', and he explained to the man in passing. "In ease of Are, do not leave that door open" They went on to other things. Well, there was a fire sometime later. The inquest brought out the tael that this workman remembered that the foreman said "something about that door being open in ease of fire." < Remember, the foreman had said, "hi case of fire, don't leave that door open.") So, the workman opened the door. Paint factory fires are dreadful things, black, noisy, scorching, stinking, frightful. The foreman should have said to him: "In case of fire, shut that door!" Then the man could have received that idea and kept it in the storehouse of his memory, could have brought it out at any lime that it was necessary and could have put it into action without rearranging the thought. So, I urge you to talk in positive terms. The subconscious mind, a contrary, selfish, horrible part of all of us, does not serve us very well. To help that, I urge * that we speak 50 that there can be no misunder standing between our selfish subconscious mind and our sociable, dutiful conscious mind. There is a tendency to condense too much what we have to say, a tendency to con dense into symbols, a tendency to have a flag, to have a star, to have a sword and sickle or hammer and sickle, if you wish-- f don't care much for it. I tell you to be very cautious in using symbols, because only one-third, roughly, of persons will react to a symbol, and the other two-thirds become blind to it; it has no significance to them, although we may think it does or should it is so much better to use words which cannot be misunderstood. In your words, of course, talk in positive terms, what you want people to do. It is very much better to say "Be careful," than it is to say, "Don't be careless." As I told you, this tricky subconscious mind will take that word "careless," the morbid, the negative, will contemplate "carelessness, carelessness, carelessness-" un til pretty soon it is dictating to the con scious mind, "You be careless." But it you will talk in terms of both these two fractions of our mind, "Danger, keep off, high voltage," there can not be any conflict in the man's mind. "This is dangerous." Every part of him tells him so, and lie will react as though tin? thing were dangerous. Depersonalized Statements and Mistakes In this dealing with employees and how to make things stick, possibly 1 can use an unpleasant illustration that was brought to my attention recently. A question was asked me in a vojitVrcnce consisting ol a group something i:kc this one only it was smaller: "What be done about a man when the women em ployees complain that he acts improi*eTh and hothers them?" A depersonalized statement is the wa> ;o handle it. Stay in your own sphere when you are talking officially or authoritatively to persons. Now, of course, it you want to discipline him, if you want to put him ax a disadvantage, there is a technique to that Some persons care for it; other? do not. The technique is to have him walk up. not take the elevator, two floors, and without waiting or pause come right into your office "on the carpet"; he will be breathless and not able to express himself. But the major thing is not to converse with him but to give him a depersonalized statement. You must not talk about him. He is on the defensive. You can not talk about tlie girls. He will not know' exactly about whom you arc talking. You may talk about the Company, yes, something like this. Say to him: "When women employees com plain that they are bothered, we give the man one warning to behave himself, for we cannot condone any disrupting influences within our business. That is all. Good-by." Psychology and 6 ty 223 It he does not go, you may go on and say, `You may, but you need not, sec me next week to discuss this. Good-by." And, if lie still lingers, "Sorry to have to take this up with you, a good workman ami one otherwise having a good future. Good-by" You Have only talked about your Company viewpoint. You are speaking ex cathedra You cannot be argued back. No one can argue hack against rules. I mention this here because there arc other types of men lliat need to be warned. Some of them are the heedless men, the men that are somewhat accident-prone, pos sibly from inattentiveness; they could do better. Others arc the careless men. Others are the slovenly men who are dangerous. And. if you care to extend this into per sonnel work, the cynic who is a mild agi tator. who is a grumbler, who is upsetting things: the alcoholic man; those who be little everyone's efforts; the defeatists; and certain impetuous persons. <"all him up. Issue a statement. "We can not condone any disrupting influences within our business. That is all." The man is en titled to one warning, but do not talk about hmi. talk about the Company. Why do I emphasize this so much? Because it is some thing we all know and yet we hale to face the fact that all mistakes must Iks paid for over and over and over, and perhaps end lessly. and may involve the innocents who also must pay. "Mistakes are what hurt." That i the definition I am using here today. Did I give you the illustration of two friend? of mine in Oak Park playing card* one Thursday night--two businessmen? It developed in the conversation that they were each going to Omaha. They decided to go oct Morviay morning. They met at the Oak Park Avenue station, each carrying a medium weight overnight bag. They felt quite good that they were there six minutes before train time, but the ticket agent said. "This train does not stop at Oak Park Avenue; U stop? at Wisconsin Avenue. That is four or five blocks down." They hustled and almost ran and got there in time, feeling pretty good, sort of winded. They got on the train and had a big breakfast.. . . and both were side. The man who later found out he had heart disease was hurt by the hurrying and carrying Us hag. The man who found out later he had diabetes was hurt by the too big breakfast. So, I use that as an iBns- tration that a mistake is what hurt->. i am not Mire that we can say that a ceit^in thing is universally a mistake. I think it is quite apt to be selective. Fair Description In handling tnen, I think you should be very careful in the words you use in de.Ncribing the man, even in the words you use to yourself in describing tire man. liecause a person has a certain pcr"oij.ttit\ trait, let us say, we can give it a good mune or we can give it a bad name. We can *a> he is a very persistent man, or we can -ay he is stubborn. It uc give that trait a pleasant name, we have a pleasant attitude toward that man from now on. If we give tliat same trait a horrid name, we have thereafter an attitude oi aversion to that man. If we are talking to someone else and uc usc an uncomplimentary term, like saying ht is stubborn, he is a squarehead, or what ever it is--then not only are we hostile to that man and his future hut persons we talk to will be, and they may quote us. So, a great deal of hostility arises against the man, all tiny hostilities, but a thousand mills add up to a lot of money, even though we can not count any one. So, I recommend that we be most careful in giving properly descriptive titles to men and to tlteir traits, lest we prejudice ourselves to their detriment and our" Attitudes My next point is, and 1 really ami truly hope that you can accept this, because the more >ou see of human nature, the truer th- thing is, (with a three or four per cent exception to the rule) : You may assume that everyone does His average best, even if it i" a jxxr best or a poor effort, considering what he is ami what he ha?--(refer to the vanoa- graphs which \\e used yesterday morning, his constitutional assets and liabil ities. and so on). A'-ome that everyone docs his average best. This is particularly true, gentlemen, in dealing with women employees. They average best efforts much more of the time than men do. If a person's poor best isn't good enough, then you can do two thing?: You can increase his knowledge and you can tracreax his shall with his own hands, not teflmc him what to do hut having him do it onalcr roar eye? 22-* 29th National Safety Congress Leadership If you take the attitude that everyone is doing his best and he can be helped by knowledge and can be helped by certain practice or skill right under your super vision--"Now, let's do it once more" and re peat it occasionally--you will find that the person responds to your leadership. Before a workman or anyone else can accept you as a leader, he has to sense that in you is an approval of him as he is, and the poten tiality of greater approval of him from you if he measures up and grows the way you want him to. He will not accept you as a leader until then. Fear It a Poor Whip You can not handle men with fear, unless they are feeble-minded, and who wants to associate with--oh, how shall I say--birds of that type of feather? No, leadership means-that there is approval in advance and greater approval waiting if a person does better. From childhood up, persons take attitudes towards others. May I illustrate? My nurses in my child guidance and other clinics know that they please me when they bring me bon mats for my collection. Here are a few children's definitions expressing atti tudes: "A mama is wot pulls splinters out" In other words, except when children (workmen?) are in trouble we adults (su pervisors?) are static in their radio of life. "A papa is wot picks you up after you fall down, and den tells you about it" Is that not a definition of God? "A aunt (pro nounced ant) is wot has charge of you but can't whup you." How about that, you Safety Engineers? "A unde is wot says, `Go ahead, Ktd,' before you try." An encourager. Wc should be "uncles" .to many younger men. "A gran'ma is wot feeds you between meals." In spite of pediatricians' diets? "A gran'pa is wot protects you when you shouldn't have." I need man)*, and you? cf. Tolerance. Yes, attitudes arc taken. It is wisdom for leaders to use their best discretion in the forming of their attitudes. Development of Business Character This approval that is mutual will grow, depending on a great many things, but one thing I want to mention. It will grow as he sees in you that you are decisive, that you can make up your mind and you can, within reason, stick to it, and that you encourage him to make some decisions within his capability of making sound decisions and that you allow him to stick to his decisions. Now, decisiveness c; character is--and 1 use those two words as synonyms--very im portant in business. Irritability A thing that will distress you from lime to time in these people that you have to work with is their irritability. We know many of the causes of irritabil ity. The cbiefest cause is pain. A man has troubles at home, or he has some debt trouble that causes him pain. Yes, we know many of the causes, but I want to put you oa your guard. Look for the causes oi irri tability in normal things missing from that man's life. Of course, you look to see what wrong things are present, but I want you further to see what right things are absent or insufficient One source of irritability is particularly psychological and causes persons to be acci dent-prone, and that is when they are baffled, when they can not carry oat what they want to do or expect to do, when they are finstated. An illustration of that: A man was prom ised the opportunity to be transferred to the New York office, and he rather counted on that. Mind yon, he had not proposed the idea in the first place: it was proposed to him. He began arranging his property, maybe selling it. He began looking around. Bat it did not work out that way. No one from the Chicago office was transferred to the New York office. He was not displaced by somebody else, but he was disappointed. His type of irritability showed itself in slowness, in disinterest, in heedlessness--I mean that in the sense of unreliability. You could tell him to do something next Wednesday and he would not do it He would not be reli able to his trust He did not go on strike nor do the opposites He simply didn't have the internal yeast to keep him bubbling up with activity. He became not only accidentprone but he became a disappointment to those who relied upon him. Mental accidents in the front office, gen tlemen, are more dangerous to the business, I believe, than manual accidents in the fac tory. Psychology and Safety 225 Accident Pronenesa Is a Personality Characteristic A question comes up now, "Should we keep persons who are accident-prone?" It was my pleasure to have come across A Study of Acddent-Proneness Among Motor Drivers, by the Medical Research Council of England, published in London by His Majesty's Stationery Office, price nine shillings net. Report No. 84. They studied the bos drivers of London, thousands of cases. Some of them they studied by psychological tests; some of them they studied by- their work record. I would like to read to yon their conclusions, if I may quote, realizing that reading is not al ways good taste. "The accident records of several groups of motor drivers have been examined to see if the distributions of accidents are consistent with the hypothesis that some people are more table to accidents than others under coodhkxu of equal exposure. It is dear from the data that accident proncncss among motor drivers is an important factor in the causation of accidents.** We know that. "By psychological tests it would as though some persons are accident prone- By batteries of tests, differ ent lands of tests, it would seem like some persons would be accident-prone." I tell you there is no warrant for drop ping persons from industry because tests show that they are accident-prone. But that information should be retained in oar minds to be used later along with other criteria. "The persons who bad a high accident rec ord throughout their employment had the highest accident records in the first two years of their employment." In other words, you can tell in two years if a man is acci dent-prone. It is best, therefore, to ase the man's accident record over two years. Whether you use psychological tests or use super visory opinion of him, it makes no differ ence. They agree very welt If be ts in the lowest group, say the lowest tenth of the bus drivers in accident records, who have had the most accidents, AND if be is in the lowest tenth of the employees as judged by tests or by the supervisors' opinion, then that man should be dropped. "Accident proneness was shown to mani fest itself in all kinds of accidents and throughout all conditions of exposure." "This accident proaeness of certain men persisted even though they gained in experi ence and years of employment. The man who is accidcat-pronc from the beginning, although he will be less liable to commit accidents as he gets more experience, still will be an accident-prone man and will have more than his share of accidents." Can I summarize that in my own lan guage? Well, I have in part. Use two points of view on a man before you let him go--his record and the opinions of those who know him best Fascinations and Indecisions My next point is a difficult one and does not come up very* often, but 1 want you to realize that the persons under your leader ship will need help here, because on these two points the human mind cannot do at all well. If a person is fascinated by something or some wrong person, he himself cannot break that fascination. He needs an outsider to break in and be rough and bawl him out and dress him down and scold him, and so forth, very abruptly, and spare no feelings, and tell him to stop it and get out, it is un seemly, and so on. He may be fascinated by the danger of a certain piece of machinery* A few per cent of otw people are fascinated by high heights, dangerous machinery, treacherous women, or what-not, or fas cinated by some contemplated plan for mis take, like- stealing money. It takes an out sider to break right in like a roughneck and stop him. Don't be nice to these person* who seem to be alt engrossed in something that they shouldn't be thinking about "Block that kick! Rough 'em, STOP 'EM!" The second thing where they need your help, and this time you can be somewhat more delicate, but you must be very, very authoritative and brusque: People are un able to choose the lesser of two evils where they desire neither of them. Our whole life has been so pleasant, so comfortable, we have grown up with the idea, "Shall 1 buy a Dodge or shall I buy a Bnlck? Both arc splendid cars.'' "Shall I marry Isabel or shall I marry Hazel? Both arc lovety girls." 226 29th National Safety Congrest That s tlie way we have grown up. We have offered to our children, our parents offered to us, the world offers to us count less choices, countless options, both nice. But occasionally we are confronted w,tb an option where neither one is desired, neither one is pleasant. The market is fall ing and a man holds two kinds of stocks. "Shall I sell one and get the money to pro tect the other?" As Jack Cleary, a friend of mine, said to me one time, "Hal, why can't people take a little licking now to save a big licking later? They hang onto their stocks and lose them both," "Shall I go to war? Shall I send my boy to war? Shall I get married? Although I am not very much in love, still he (she) is available, and I think would say yes." "Shall we let this man go? He is a rather valu able employee in many ways but he is a detriment in many other ways and a bad example" This choice of two evils confronts our people occasionally. Wc are going to take it up more at length tomorrow, but I want to say today that that is one of the places where the human mind cannot of itself alone function well. Hew Ideas hiay Be Either Good or Bad Along tins line of fascination, may I say that new ideas, even poor ideas, are often presented to people in a fascinating way. They lead men astray. There arc certain paranoid persons who feel they have a mis sion in life to perform, that it is right to do wrong because of their missions, and they will infiltrate themselves into our plants and into our universities and other large groups, and so forth. They have a palaver that sounds pretty good to the unsuspecting and to persons who never studied logic or never acquired logic without study. They arc plausible. I am not referring to the Townsend Plan or any one thing, but 1 mention that only as an illustration to guide your thought These people, these paranoid leaders, have a pro gram, "Let's destroy and build again. Why should so-and-so make so much more money than wc do ?" and so on. "Why should they have parking privileges, and we can't ?" You know how it goes in the plant A lot of our young men and a lot of our older men who can not be found guilty of being round thinkers, will follow, will be infatuated with this idea, fascinated, wreck the plant, wreck their own future, wreck their homes. - I saw a boy recently, a lovely boy, an only son; anyone would love to have hm as his own. His father was one of these paranoid leaders of a weird Idea who had wrecked a targe factory in a subdivision where the people lived. There is no joy there any more; no one gained. This poor boy U shunned in high school; everyone hates him. because they hate his father, because his father ruined the community. Speaking ot him, ray host's son said, "I try to do things for this hoy. He is nice. I gave him mv other bow and my other quiver of arrows. He is a real good marksman. Some of uboys are trying to do nice things for him. It is just tough to sec how that boy and his mother and his sisters are suffering from his father's folly." How, l urge you, in trying to break this infatuation, this fascination, to make use of this 'philosophy, this three-point philosophy, in talking to persons who tend to follow a new idea. Say to than, "Will it hurlf If the new idea is going to hurt, then if the person has already accepted this three-point philosophy, he will say, "Well, .sure, it will hurt, Therefore I guess 1 will have nothing to do with it. There must be some nonhurtful way of working out our concept." Immaturity The immaturity of persons is their great est handicap. The thing, the one thing in you, gentlemen, that dissatisfies you with yourself is dial you are not equally mature in all ways, that you arc pretty good in some lines and not very good in other lines. You may be very good at golf and not very good at poker or conversely. You may be good as a student and yet do not express yourself well Perhaps you are a very lovable, affection ate husband and a splendid father and yet you are not a good money-maker and not alert to pick up the extra shillings here and there, so you may prosper and mature equally. None of us is wdl rounded, but we can excuse it in ourselves. When it is in someone else who is very brilliant liere and very unreliable here, and so forth, we find fault; we are mad at him. cross at him. We do not want him around. He is a great disappointment. That is our fault We did not sire him up fairly. Psychology and Safety 227 Did you ever buy a second-hand car? If you haven't really, gentlemen, it is a won derful experience. Your right front tire, let us say, is not very secure, not very good. It is the weak one of the four. As you drive through the paths of life, you are going to have bumps with that right front wheel. So, in evaluating another person, he is not a flat tire, but he may have parts of his make-up here and there, and so on, which are not equally developed and reliable and comparable with other parts. Are you going to fight him? Are you going to hate hira? No. You have to live with him. You have to get along. Just make use of his assets and, if his liabilities are nonhurtful you can enjoy him very, very much. People Obey Tbc next point is that people obey. You don't know that. I tell you that you can give orders and people will obey them, and they will not resent them very much, espe cially if they are depersonalized orders. Peo ple do obey. Every minute of our lives we are obeying something, the physical laws ot gravity, of physiology, and what-not We took up expectations, the threestrattan triangle, the fact that we obey what people or others expect of us, what we ex pect of ourselves. The only question is, who are they going to obey? Do they select well the persons they are going to obey? That is your duty, to see that it is easily done. We people lead to obey. I want you to believe that they want to obey. They want authority that is well in tentional. If they take exception to it. they may discuss with you the why. They will not ask you many why's. They will not even think many why's, but in America they are entitled to ask why if they want to. It is a nice way to live. Promotions and by study. All of you here today are learning by study at these large congresses, and you are learning by observation in your plants, but you are learning from the ex perience of others. Wc tend to promote persons who are "regular guys." A "regular guy" is a per son who is predictable, who engages hunseli in ordinary activities. He does not join in any freak minorities. He plays golf, he goes to church, supports his family, goes to con ventions, belongs to the lodge and to his service group, and his whole life history from years past is just like other person*. On the basis of being like the rest of us, he has also developed higher, like the spire of the church is above the high roof--he has developed those special things which make him valuable to us In industry. But for the man who has not a life his tory of being an orthodox or regular fel low but is sort of a queer dude in many, many ways--thumbs down! He is not pre dictable. I would consider promoting persons who have settled their own problems, making some necessary compromises and adjust ments, but have settled their problems in such a way that they are still free agents to go ahead and be progressive. I would consider persons who have good hygiene, and good hygiene- includes being alert, and persons who are alert and thought ful, are, of course, not accidcnt-pronc. Strange how this characteristic comes back again and again. I would consider persons who have "font: and brains." If you have enjoyed those stories of the gobs on the West Coast, one had force and one had brains, you know wbat E am talking about. Persons who are awarded leadership are persons we can trust. Preview Some persons are going to be promoted. Their safety record is a part of their credits. I think l would put it about first If we were to consider who should be promoted, I would say, first and foremost, those per sons who learn or benefit from experience and do not repeat their mistakes. Second, I would consider persons who learn from the experience of others. There are two ways to do that/ by observation Tomorrow's lecture will be on "Mental Hygiene and Individual Differences Com plicated by Divided Loyalties and the Un usual Stresses of the Times." That is going to be controversial. I am going to say things that some of you are not going to like. I think a great many persons like Tom Kearns are going to agree. So, if I provoke you tomorrow, it is only to start certain trains of thought. 228 29th National Safety Congress LECTURE III Mental Hygiene and Individual Differences Complicated by Divided Loyalties and the Unusual Stresses of the Times The first point this morning is to review a few of the things we said in two previous talks and tie them together. We said that personality is a complex thing, and we tried to make a quantitative chart of triangles that were imposed on each other, showing the effect of health, constitution, environ ment, instruction, spirituosity, free will, and the psychology of the individual, including his own memories. We said that personality is a complex against a background of home but realty is two homes, the borne from which he came and the home he longed to establish. We said that personality reacted against a social background and industry, and that the social background and industry them selves overlapped. We said that an individual is largely what he is because of his expectations, including the racial expectations, the group expecta tions, and his own expectations of himself. Now, when we speak of the group and its expectations of him, wc should say "the groups," because on this question of divided loyalties, there arc several groups, all ex pecting things of the individual. These groups overlap in a very irregular way. We said in the very' simple philosophy, the basic philosophy that we offered--1 ad mit there are many finer ones, but I think that this is a necessary' fundamental one-- we said, among other things, that an indi vidual should do everything and anything good for the best interests of his group, pro vided that it does not hurt. We also said that no one is able to do well in deciding which of two bad things to do, or which of two things to do where there is a bad factor or bad factors in each. We also said that men award leadership to those who already approve of them and from whom they can and they may* earn more approval. I want to say to you that loyalties, like all interests, fatigue. It is a point that you must remember in your campaigns for safety, that interest in this particular cam paign fatigues: or. restated, interest in this campaign, as presented, fatigues. We said, further, that loyalties cannot be bought and that men, therefore, at times at least, follow strange ideas and strange leaders. So much for review, trying to tic those things to gether. Let us go on. Duality, Ambivalence Some of us arc aware in ourselves, un fortunately or uncomfortably, and aware in others most uncomfortably and sometimes unfortunately, that the mind takes a dual attitude toward things. That is normal. Whenever an idea comes into a person's mind, the opposite idea comes along also. When an emotion enters a person's mind, the opposite emotion enters also. Usually, however, we are not aware of these op posites. Nervous persons are. and we have studied them. A person, a woman, for example, loveshates a child; a child loves-hates his father: a man wants to comply with the rules--oh, to hell with them 1 Ideas cocnc in opposites. 1 mention this now so that later I can tie it in under the heading of the word "ambivalence," the rule of opposites, the law of opposites. If you expect a person to be consistent and faith ful in carrying oat his own assignments, whether they are assigned by himself or by others, you will be disappointed because of this ambivalence. There will be times when he will revolt against what he has been habituated to react towards. Over-Expectation* Now. when we have over-expectations of. a person, expectations which are not ful filled, or not fulfilled cceststently, there is disappointment. Let me give you the rule of the sequels of over-expectations. Overexpectatiocs lead to disappointment. Dis appointment leads to nuBtiul disappointment, kintal cBsappointineK leads to hostility on the part of the leader--hostility at the per son who has disappointed. Hostility leads to nuifiuJ hostility; and teamwork is gone. It does not matter whether we are talking Psychology and Safety 229 about a child who has been transferred from one school system to another, or If a man who works in another factory is sent to work with us, or a man is fresh from home. We think he comes from a fine home, and he will make a fine workman; his father is a good man and his mother is a saint, and we have high expectations of this young man. If our expectations are over and above what his hitman nature, constitution, and so on make him, then we are going to be dis appointed, and pretty soon thete is trouble between us. There is actual rebellion. There is actual disloyalty towards us. 1 do not mind the disloyalty of the employee towards management, but what I do object to is the fact that the employee rejects not only the personnel but he hates a certain supervisor, he rejects that man's teaching, that man's instruction, that man's supervision. He goes contrary to what he is told and taught. Comparisons Sometimes we hurt ourselves and burl others and hurt the relations between us by making a specific comparison. No person could or should be specifically compared to any other one person, because do two per sons are identical. Every personality is historically unique, and when wc compare one person with an other, then we have an over-expectation as a rule, or possibly an under-cvalaatioo, which is almost as bad. )Ler me make it clear. Suppose .that from this very fine home from which this young man came and made rather good in business with us, his younger brother "years later also came to this same company and was employed--having the same home, having the same cultural op portunities, having (he same parents, the same ancestry; that is what we think. Of course, persons do not have the same iden tical ancestry. No person represents bis ancestors equally. A child represents the composite of his progenitors in various ways, but we think he is identical with the other boy. and we expect the same of him. It turns out that he is a quieter child or a more restless child or a more flippant child, and we think we can iron that out, and wc proceed to try to do so. Then we compare him with his brother. Some time, when he Is a little in wrong with the su periors, we say to him, in what we think is a stimulating way, "Why aren't you as re liable in your work as your brother Jack? He has been here three years, and he is one of our grandest workmen." You offer that specific comparison in the hope that it will stimulate him. stimulate him to live up to his older brother's standards. It does not work, it can not work. All you are doing is, reviving a domestic feud. He does not like his brother wholly; none of us like even ourselves wholly! He does not like his brother wholly. He goes on strike against his brother, goes on strike against you, goes on strike against the very things that you are trying to coach him to do. You must never compare one person with another; especially, you must not compare out loud to the individual; even in your own heart, you should not. It is proper, it is fine, it is good, it is therapeutic, it is stimu lating. it is helpful, it is corrective, to com pare a man with his group; to say to this boy, "Of our apprentices this year, you arc the most frequently tardy." That hurts; that is corrective; it is factual. But when you compare him with his brother and say, "He is always here on time and you are the slowpoke," he will be slower. So, specific comparisons hurt Let us go on. False Premises--Bad Results My next point is a delicate one. I am very much embarrassed to talk freely bciore such a large, intelligent, diverse group as this, and if I am restrained in what I am saying, it is because I am handling an em barrassing situation. I hope you wilt try to understand me without my speaking too frankly. My point is: False premises lead to bad results. We have mentioned this before. Assume that a company gets the false idea that: "These workmen are our sons in industry, and we will do all for them that we would do for our sons. We will furnish them maternity service for.their wives and coming children. We will furnish them z hank; we will put in equal money with their deposits. We will furnish them a cafeteria. We will do everything in business for these young men that we would do if they were our sons because, figuratively speaking, they are our sons." Well, gentlemen, that is a lie. They arc not our sons. They are our successors in business, true. That does not make them 230 29th National Safety Congress our sons. Tlicv arc our young neighbors, and we should do all for them that a kindly and intelligent and well wishing person would do for a neighbor's son. But wc would keep fundamental the fact that they are working for us for money, and we are employing ti>em for money, for our mutual profits, but they are not our sons. When we indulge them, when we act as if we are grandfathers to them, or granduncles; when wc ignore certain primary truths that the employment is here because ride finan cially needs the other, and when we put in things which are untrue, then we are going to find, to our great hurt, that they become disloyal to us at times. W ell, even otir sons and daughters become disloyal. Our sons and daughters mariy the funniest people! (That is what they said about us, too.) After our sons and daughters have taken up following strange ideas, then they move away from us. They have de scried us. Can 3'ou imagine anything worse than that? T had one mother who put on an awful act. I happened to be present She had a temper tantrum in front of her son because he had been calling on a girl who belongs to the church oE the same denomination, across the river, and she argued. "There are just as nice girls in our church P I hardly need to tell 3'ou that he ran away to get married; he couldn't get cooperation at home; where upon site had a stroke, and the picture was amplified. So, if even our own sons arc not going to be totally loyal to us, wc must not be aston ished when these persons, whom wc have falsely regarded as our sons and patronized, turn out to be disloyal Please understand me (his morning: ] do not care if they are chi/oyal to us as individuals; I do care that they are disloyal to our teachings, our >afety teachings and our other teachings. Possibly I can illustrate that point of dis loyalty, when they leave, in the case of tru ant children. As you know, I have several child guidance clinics in some ot the bigger cities around here. We hare this problem of the truant child. This is almost always found, it is the rule. The child who runs away from home because he has been ham mered at or, as the child says, yammered at. about being home early, is the child who, when truant, is up all night. The child who has been nagged at, before running away from home, about being honest, is the child wbo becomes the ttoei. The child who has been scolded and warned azad over-scolded about being modest, is the child who be comes ddnqscnt In other words, to quote ooe of oar school reports: "When the child transfers bis geography, bis locus, from here to some other region, he abandons 'par ticularly the standards of that home. He goes diametrically opposite.** So. to avoid persons going into rebellion against our teaching, let us see that our thinking about them and their relation to ti> is a true premise, not a false one. Pasliming A great many of our people, ourselves too, pastime together. Tiey do things to pass the time. It :n&y be bridge, or some of us like poker or pinochle. I know folks who play golf together and swim together. It is a delight, but I want to tell you that pas- timing together is not constructive; It is just a way of passing the time. If there is coincidental hygiene, as in golf, if you don't keep score too strictly--! told you about the time I played golf with the minister, and it was the first time we ever pla>ed. He had his derby hat jammed down on his head, talking all the time while he was playing and while I was playing. He kept score. (We bad a nice time.) Toward the last, he said, "Let me borrow your penal, Doctor. There is no eraser on mine. 1 made a mistake in the score." I said, "There are no erasers on gotf i>ciidls." He said, "Now I understand why they say the game of golf is hell.** Passing the time together contains so much of minor consequence that it is not worth comparing with constructive, tangible, mutual efforts along some sideline. Let me illustrate my thought. 1 recently had an oportunUy to examine a lovely book let pat out by a company here in Chicago. They have up in the country, up near Wis consin, a summer lodge .and some cabins. Their employees go up there in small groups, ten, twenty and so on, and spend week ends. I want to tel! you that, from my view point, the men and women who went up there and constructed that summer camp and had something tangible to show for their results--they built a fireplace, they built this and that--got more out of it and Psychology and Safety 231 they are more loyal to their company* than the persons who just go up there now and pass the time. It is a place to go, but there is nothing tangible. Sensitivity My next point is that we are unconsciously sensitive to and receptive to and reactive-to the stimuli that our ancestors were. That . will explain to 3*ou why it is so easy for some persons to revert to type. Lei me give you some illustrations. Ail Armenian child who was being brought up by some kind Greeks did not do well We transferred her to an Armenian home where a foster child was welcome, and the child did well because her personality traits of a racial nature were offensive to the Greeks and would be perfect^' sympathetically understood and not frowned at by Armen ians. We had a Montenegrin child that we placed in an Albanian American home. We thought they were alike. That is where 1 made a mistake. I did not realize that Mon tenegrins were mountaineers and particu larly stubborn and the Albanians were on the coast and, therefore, more acquiescent, more given to compromises, as persons on (he coasts have to be. We had a Sicilian child who was adopted into a Danish home. The Danish people were swarthy; the Sicilian child was swarthy. Conduct that was ordinary childish activity to the Sicilians was regarded as a temper tantrum by the more complacent Danes, and wc had to re-transplant that child. Transmissible Cultural Traits Now, it is true that people can accept superficially a culture that is not their own. I am emphasizing the word "superficially." f think one of the most interesting ex amples of superficial---and sometimes that is enough--acceptance of another culture was an experiment by Boas. I hope 1 am telling this story correctly. Anyhow, 1 tell it to illustrate the point Professor Boas was one of America's most delightful absent-minded professors. He was just grand that way. He might stop lecturing before his class and apparentl>a look for a handkerchief, go out in the cloak room where he left his topcoat and about three months later Columbia would get a cable from the Philippines, "I found a new tribe. Please send me $4,000." He is an anthropologist. He studies pcople. In 1891 or *92 or '93, he studied a certain school district in Brooklyn, and he found the children there short, with round heads, black, glossy hair, big upper lip, blue eyes, playing Irish games, using Irish oaths, swearing by the Irish saints; in otlicr words, an Irish community. He was there in 1923, which is quite some time later. He had a lecture in Brookl>*n and decided to walk back over the bridge, talking to himself as usual, "1 have been here before. Yes, 1 have been here before." He kept that up for a while. He passed a school building and said. "I know. I re member, the time the British fleet had its review in the river opposite the University', the same time as Chicago was having its Columbian Exposition. 1 must come back and study these children again some time. Yes. 1 have been here before." He went back after a few days. I do not know what prompted him, what he lost this time, but he went back. He went back and he found the children short, as before, with ' round heads as before, glossy black hair as before, two full lips, whereas before they had one full lip, the upper one, and brown eyes--an Italian group--playing Irish games, using Irish oaths and swearing by the Trish saints. In other words, the Irish developed a culture there. They moved out; the Ital ians moved in. The culture remained. The point is that we can teach our per sons ideas, and they will transmit them from year to year, generation to generation, among the employees that follow them, but that is superficial It helps. But, I am telling you, m case of strain the individuals tend `to react according lo their ancestral pattern. Divided loyalties Xtrrr we come to the major point of this morning, the illustration of divided loyal ties. We have already said that persons can not decide wet) when things are unpleasant and they have to decide one against the other. To explain divided loyalties. 1 think 1 will give jou 3 few examples. A rather nice man was widowed and continued to care for his mother, who was a sweet old lady who had nothing the matter with her. He continued to care for his daughter who was now a second year high school girL Then came a financial reverse, inability to earn as before. 232 29th National Safety Congress He had either to put his mother in an old folks' home--and she had not broken down mentally--or he had to take his daughter out of high school and deny her her future, ah though she was bright enough to get through high school and have an ordinary future. What to do? No one had given offense. He had divided loyalties in his heart; he had to decide one way or the other, and he could not. Another case of divided loyalties. A man had been working for some $17-something a week as a tracker's helper, and then in time became promoted to be a trucker and was earning $34 a week, which is just twice as much. Well, he could fulfill his life's ambi tion now. He bought a car, an old car, I do not know why truckers have to have cars. (I know the greatest problem in the life of a physician is how to keep out of his car. If we could stay out of our cars and walk more, we would live longer.) Any how, he bought a car. It had been his am* bition for years. Then, within a few weeks, he came to the boss and said, "I got to have a raise." "You just had a raise, you got double." "I have got to have a raise." "Well, why?" "Got twins." Now his divided loyalties, "Shall I keep the twins or shall I keep the car?" His boss frankly told him to sell the twins. I don't know that I agree. Divided loyalties: There was a very dear friend of mine born in Germany, educated in' this country, who visited back home at times. He was and is a very fine, high grade man. Then for three years, 1914-1917, Ger many was at war with the Allies, and the United States was not in the war. The poor doctor had a case of divided loyalty, "Where is my loyalty, to the Germans or to the Americans' viewpoint, though we are not in it?" It was tough going. We helped him to decide one way or the other; he became pro-American; whatever America is for. he should do. We went into the war, and he became a U. S. Army officer and was a verv successful one. He came to me one time and said, "Now I am in trouble. They want me to go down to Carolina where there is a prison camp for German officers and take care of them because I know their culture and their idioms. Shall 1 go?" I said, "No. You have settled the ques tion once. It took you three years and pretty nearly wrecked you. Do not reopen iL Do not place yourself where your loyalties can be divided and pulled by them and pulled by us. and so forth." He has thanked me for it. Divided loyalties: A man got divorced and married again and misses his first wife some in some ways. I recommend that, when persons get divorced, they get 100 per cent divorced. In fact, I sort of like this 100 per cent proposition. I know a lot of folks that are not 100 per cent unmarried until they get married, and persons who are not 100 per cent married but they try to fraction it Their loyalties are divided. Here is a girl who is semi-engaged to two men. Each one has certain fine advamages. She has divided loyalties; she does not know how to make up her mind. A very dear lady, one of the sweetest per sons on earth, satd to me, "When we got married, I became a Republican and my husband became an Episcopalian." Then, in all sincerity, and I do not think she thought she was funny, she said, 'T would like to vote for a Democrat just once, because I think there are good men in that party too." Well, anyhow, sbe settled her divided loyalties between her husband and herself on these two issues. So, we have man}* cases of divided loyalty. The conclusion is that human beings, as we arc brought up nowadays and trained by our homes and in industry, are not trained to be decisive. We are not trained in what I call character, meaning decisiveness, nor are we sufficiently trained in mental selfdiscipline. Is it not silly? There is a tendency' for persons to believe what they think instead of believing what they know. They may think fearfully and then they believe fear fully*, or they may think wishfully and then they believe their wishes. In either case of course they get into trouble, because they are not strict in their self-discipline. It is important that persons think according to the facts. Facts arc ugly and facts arc hard to get along with, but you can get along facing, recognizing them. No one is going to incur a breakdown if Psychology and Safety 233 he thinks according to the facts of life, in stead of semi-paralyzing himself by his fears or falsdy enriching himself with wishes with cooseqooc* disappointments. Thinking factually there is oo need for making comparisons. Yoa do not have to compare two dnufs: in fact, the bright people do not as they are with things they fear or wish they were. Yoa ask a woman who has a son and daughter, or several sons and several daughters, which are better, boys or girls? Sbe has never compared them, so she can not answer. Sbe says, "Do you mean in the matter of expense? i think boy* are. They have more demands. If you mean expense for clothes, girls are," but when you size them up. by and large, which are better, she does not know. In other words, we do not have to compare. We can think facts, boy* are this way and girls are that way. Ambivalence Going back to this point of ambivalence, because we take an opposite attitude towards a thing, (one in the subconscious mind and one in the oonsaoas mind), there is a tend ency to tarn against propaganda or educa tion which nags at us, or persons who nag at us. I think you know the definition of nagging. Nagging is talking negatively about the same thing for over two weeks ax a time. Because of this ambivalence, there is a tendency to easily turn to the primitive, which I have just mentioned, and none of us are too mature. We are none of us too well adolesced. Wc are not too mature nor well adolesced, when we are out of our orbit. When we get out of our orbit, we arc apt to show embarrassing immaturities, hurtful immaturities. It is because of this that mass suggestion has its good and bad effects. If you can get a person out of his orbit, out of his routine, and get him to come to a meeting of a certain kind, and so on, and gush over him a little hit and ap peal to the primitive in him, he is quite apt to react in a primitive way. Now getting turn out of his orbit may be done for his benefit or be done for some selfish benefit of exploiting him. Again, on this ambivalence, this thinking in opposites, this being contrary though we do not want to be. is rather characteristic of our thoughts at those tunes when we are half sick or not quite convalesced. Now. most persons find thinking very difficult. I believe it is probably one of the hardest tasks that human beings assign to themselves, and it is almost impossible for the average person to think a thing dear through. I doubt if we can do it, and I know we are all too lazy mentally to try to do it very long. We do not discipline our minds. Let me give you an example in your own life. If you think it is easy to think a thing through, and I say it is hard, try' this ex periment. Suppose that you had not mar ried the person you did but simply broke that engagement and married the next per son who came along. You do not know what your life would be like. Think that through. I will give you a hundred years. We are not able to think complex things through. That is simple. You know what your life is since you got married, your assets, liabilities. What would it have been otherwise? So, I say people tend to turn to the primi tive. What can we do about it? We should train people to trust their leaders who are specialists, if those leaders are well intentioned, and by "well intentioned" Hulbcrt says they do not hurt anyone in carrying out their ideas. Loyalty up! People must be trained lo lie loyal to their leaders. Loyalty down! Is it not unfortunate that sometimes some of these hurtful agitators are so loyal down to their gang? They gush over them and wc do not. In fact, here is a meeting, maybe subversive, and'so on, and some workmen go to that. Here is a. safety meeting over here. When they come to the subversive meeting, everybody pats them on the back, and says, "Gee, you're a grand guy. Have a drink," and make much of him. When he comes to the safety meeting, we say, "Be sure and pass in a card." That is the wel come he gets. We liave to be loyal in order to get loy alty. so the men know we are loyal to them. Loyalty down! I think I spent half the time, when I was in the Navy as an officer, getting hospital corpsmen out of trouble; often thc>r were on the verge of a court mar tial. I had to be loyal to them when wc were at sea. You can not hire and fire at sea, you know: you have to make the most of what 234 -9th National Safety Congress you have. You cannot hire and fire your self--the same idea. You have to make the most of what you are and what you have. Social Instinct My next point is the social instinct. Groups always welcome new individuals. Loyalty downl I will say I was loyal Groups always welcome new individuals! down to those men, especially my own little 1 want you to say that often to people. coxswain. My duty was to take care of They need to be told. Of course, groups three hundred insane in case we were tor must welcome new individuals, or after one pedoed ; after that, to try to take care of of that group's generation it would cease to me. My small boat, in charge of this little exist coxswain, was to be on the starboard side Now, this welcome lasts or endures only aft, and after I took care of my patients, I as long as society's eleven requisites are met was to swim over there. I hoped he would This group-welcome endures as long as the be there. Was I good to him, getting him individual is agreeable. An agreeable person out of his scrapes? Loyalty down! You bet. is one who agrees on all unimportant things, at least, and tends to agree in principle. Loyalty Does Not Imply Hate Second, welcome persists as long as the in Mow, some people get the idea--and this is erroneous and wc must correct it--that loyalty to your group means you must hate sonic other group. No, just because you are a Methodist, you do not have to hate the Baptists. You can be loyal Methodists with out any kind of hate. The intelligent per son--please understand me--hates, yeshates circumstances, not persons. Primitive anger is personalized and wants to destroy; civilized anger is wliat we call determination to hate a situation and correct it and get over it and stop it, like we hate these acci dents that mutilate so many fine people. dividual conforms in action, acts as be should, acts as the others dtx. A fine ex ample of that was a man, a friend of mine, named Mack, who moved from Oak Park to Virginia. The day he got there he became a Democrat Three years ago he came back to Oak Park and instantly became a Repub lican. He conformed to the pattern of his group. The welcome of society for tlte individual endures as long as the individual is respect ful of authority* and of the preferences of others, I think one of the definitions of a gentleman is, "He respects (he preferences of others"; and as long as the individual is 1 do not know bow you are going to de fine the word "criminal." Believe it or not, I am an editor of a law journal, the Journal respectable. You can make your own defini tion of respectable; one person defined it ai "not misbehaving publicly." I would say not of Criminal Law and Criminology'. In our excusing in advance his own mistakes. I editorial meetings I have never heard the would say a respectable person does not neg wise men define a criminal. You can make lect his hygiene. I would say a respectable your own definition. I think a criminal is a person is ooe who is stricter with himself person who is willing to hurt someone else than he is with others. I would say a re for his own gain. That makes a person a spectable person does not indulge himself in criminal. There is also the super-criminal, too many eccentricities, who is moderate and a person who desires to hurt, because of his not extreme. bates. Going on, this automatic welcome which A person who lias a lot of anger in his system is a very dynamic person to be sure. I maintain that the greatest criminal of to day is the most hating man in Europe; his rages are historic and umbrellas will not keep you dry nor protect you from them. the group extends to persons is enduring as long as the individual is derisive, takes a Strong stand on things, but it is a thoughtout stand, not an opinionated stand, i.e., not jumping to conclusions. We can rely on persons who take a certain attitude. Wc know they mean what they say. That is Point 3 in this philosophy, that we should be tolerant of other persons and not hate them just because they are differ ent. Hate infectious, hate pneumonia, hale cancer, hate iniquities, yes, circumstances, but do not hate people unless they are bart ers. As long as the individual is food and is understandable, he remains welcomed. Un fortunately a great many persons who otherwise think fairly well do oot tfwnlr very well because they indulge in wishful, antici patory thinking. They rehearse to themselves in advance; "What am I going to do ut Psychology and Safety 235 certain circumstances?M When the time comes, they stammer and blush. It doesn't pay to be anticipatory emotionally, to think in advance wuihtully. It spoils latw team work. This welcome endures as long as the in dividual is useful. To be useful, an indi vidual has to be strong, as strong as he can he, optimum not maximum strength, through hygiene not through iron pills; j-trong enough to carry a load, not to be carried by the group. Nothing annoys me more than when I am head of a group, like commander of an American Legion Post, than to have some guys just pay dues and not be able to get them to serve on com mittees. I would rather pay the $5.00 back and say, "Join some other Post. I want a group of reactive, useful persons." The individual must be productive; he must be reactive. Wc do not like the inert, the passive, the old stone-face. The welcome lasts as long as the individ ual permits self-expression, by himself, by others, by other groups. Welcome lasts as long as the individual doe* not hurt. There are many implications of hurlSummarizing: Groups welcome automat ically. The welcome endures as long as the individual agrees, conforms; is respectful, is respectable; is decisive, is lucid; is useful, is productive; is reactive, and permits selfexpression by self, by others as individuals, bv his group and by other groups; AMD DOES NOT HURT. Loyalty Up and Loyalty Down, Loyalty to the Rules My twelfth point of these fourteen this morning is that loyalty up means that the individual is willing to follow the rules. Loyalty down means he is willing to help others follow the rules, and loyalty to him self means that he will follow the rules, such as safety rules, when he is not under supervision. So, wc most train and educate our people in loyalty before we can trust them to fol low the rules when they are alone or away or unsupervised. That ties in with that basic philosophy which you can use in your vari ous plants. Groups Resemble Individuals in Health or Sickness My thirteenth point is that groups can be sick and discouraged and reckless and disharnionic In other words, groups can liave a neurosis just as an individual can be dis couraged or sick or reckless or disharmonic or have a neurosis. Why? Because groups are made up of people. Therefore, groupwill have the characteristics that people have. The treatment for a group neurosis is the same as the treatment for an indi vidual who has a neurosis. Never mind the technique. It is, basically, an adequate physi cal hygiene. Get them busy and get them outdoors and make them sweat. Second, mental hygiene, strict self-discipline. Do not be discouraged, because groups can have a neurosis and they can get over it. A great many groups can be well, can be extra well, can be courageous and, at the same time, hateful. They can be in wdl integrated harmony with themselves, from the same causes that an individual can be superior, be cause they have a sound cure, sensible and understanding head, and strenuous, ener getic activities. If we could make our working people work their bodies harder, either at work or when they are off work, we would not have so much trouble. It is so healthy to sweat. Integration My fourteenth point is that 1 am trying to tie together our first two lectures in this. Tomorrow, as one person said, is going to be the jackpot I said, "I hope so." These* lectures integrate; tliey interdigitate, not just with themselves, but if what I am saymg is sound or, in so far as what I am saying is true, then this expression of our nebulous ideas, that 1 am trying to put into words for you, will fit in, will interdigitate. will integrate with your own knowledge and vour own experience. 236 29th Notional Safety Congress LECTURE IV Personality and Its Modifications--Habit Patterns, Adult Education, Its Techniques and Its Limitations We must not make mistakes in technique in modifying others. Practical psychology is an excellent offset against heedlessness and indifference. limitation in the capability of persons; that they cannot all learn equally well because they have different personality* factors in their makeup. Habit Patterns Leaders* Morale First point: Because of his constitution and personality factors--and those were graphed in our first lecture, in considering the tilings that add up to make personality --every individual tends to have his own pattern or his own way of doing things or reacting. My next point is to keep you from being discouraged, because if you lose your morale in your training of persons in safety, the whole department is greatly weakened. You must not get discouraged. And I have said that one of the things which discourages us and leads to disappointment is over- It he is constitutionally slow, his pattern expectation. Wc tend to expect more of a may be carefully deliberate and cumber person than that person can ultimately de some ; or he may be the opposite; or can be liver. described in any number of ways. But each individual tends to follow his own pattern. Limited Educability This habit pattern is extremely hard to change. So that you may not over-hope, overamiclpatc and over-expect of a person, let Education me describe a few of the many types of persons who have definite limitations in their It is easy to develop new habits. It is educability. easy to train a person into new habits, if there arc no resisting ones to displace. I Wc have the "no" man--the opposite of the "yes" man. Whenever we present an can restate it---re-education is vastly harder idea to him, he says "No" and if be is your than education. superior that makes it tough. These people Education is slow. Adult education is. find fault with an idea, say it Is not Prac slower. Adult re-education is slowest tical, it is too expensive, they do not sec I urge you, then, to be very* patient and how it can be worked out, etc- yet to be very persistent, and to repeat your educational training as often as necessary. We will take up some of those points on repetition in a moment. Needs Now these persons who tend to say "no* before they 533' "yes" are, as a rule, per sons of limited educability. They really can not Iearn new ideas easily, and they raa3* not be able to learn them at all. Just be cause they say "no" does not mean that your I have tried to indicate to you that there arc various men who need various educa tions, because they come from homes which have not trained our men for the particular idea is bad. It might be or it might not be --probably it is not--but it means that they are not able to grasp these new* ideas. The smart person tends to say "yes" in industries in which these men are placed, exceptions, of course, being where the son principle to all oew ideas, and then says, "Let's study it further." He considers the follows his father's footsteps. pro's long before he considers the con's. He Our men come to us untrained in the personality traits which are necessary in an industry, just as much as they come un trained in manual skills and dexterity. I adds all the pro*s up together, and then he adds in his contra-ideas and things against it; then weighs them, and maybe votes "No." tried to indicate to you that there is some Tlic highest type of thinking is called by Psychology and Safety 237 the lawyers tand ! do not like their conceit at all) "judicial thinking." I believe the highest type of thinking is called "scientific thinking." (Our conceit.) The highest type of thinking is technically the ability to sus pend one's final judgment until all the data are in. The ability is to suspend final judgment, but in the meantime-- until we finally make up our minds--we have to have some ideas to work on. When a patient comes into a hospital, he is not immediately diagnosed but is given what is called the working diag nosis. Then after the X-rays are taken and the laboratory and clinical tests are made, the final diagnosis is made and the patient is treated. When he leaves the hospital, he comes out with a discharge diagnosis, the final diagnosis. But if a person does not have a working diagnosis when he comes in, he may die for lack of any kind of treatment. So when a new idea is presented to you, you should form a working opinion on it. It need not be final; you can vote it down later. I want to restate this. The smart person considers the pro's at some length before he consider* any of the contra-ideas. Another type of person is the inelasticminded man. Hxs mind will not stretch to include any new ideas. He nay be a good man. 1 know of a case, a carpenter, who was "sot" in Ms ways, and you could not teach him anything new. As he grew older and a little mote "*oi." be began to have a very bad record. He would not permit guards on his phae, and so on. You cannot teach that type, t would like to put them all on an island--maybe the Canadians would lend os the Thousand Islands. 1 could fill them, couldn't you? Then wc have another type of man who cannot be educated very far--the man who has complexes. 1 will tell you how you can identity a complex. It is like a mine in the North Sea. You can always differentiate a log in the water front a mine--the mine explodes. When you loach on a person's complex, you get an over-emotional reaction all out of proportion to what was talked about If you know a person with a com plex on this or that 1 would advise you to go around it Yon cannot modify him in that respect Other persons whose hroitarions of abilitv are well recognized are those who are dull or weak or asthenic or anemic, or whose heart or kidneys are not functioning well. Another group takes in those who are tense and anxious, depressed, and irritable-- usually front domestic causes. Another group, and the group we first recognized out of all these groups, is com posed of persons with low "1. Q."--intelli gence quotient. If, for instance, a person could not get farther than the sixth grade in school because he could not do long di vision, you have a right to suspect him of being feeble-minded and mentally deficient, and you cannot educate him. You can only train him. Mental Digestion We realize that the human mind cannot digest and assimilate ideas as well as the gasfro-intestinal tract can digest and assimi late foods. The mind is tbe weakest part of our whole body: it is tbe most recent in the history of evolution. Tbe mind differs from the gastro-mtestinaJ tract because it has no refuse disposal system; therefore when wrong ideas get in the mind, they tend to stay there. That is why we must not make mistakes in dealing with other per sons, because mistakes have to be paid for --they cannot be eliminated. The intent may be forgiven, but the debt from error must be paid and paid and paid. Rule of Thumb My next point is an unpleasant one to many peoptc, and that is this: About onethird of the people you meet are of wbat we call "rule-of-thumb" type. They want an exact rule on this and an exact rule on that. They are not able to grasp principles and apply the principles to the immediate case; they want a rule for It. They are very disappointing people. They (end to abide by the rales faithfully. That is why we have rules, and that is why you should have rules for your men. When persons are half sick or half con valesced, then about half of ail people be come "rule-of-thumbers." And when we say that one-third of us well people like the rule of thumb, and it includes side as well as the well, wc can sec where two-thirds of our people want specific rules. These "rule-of-thumb" people want tbe last word only, just as a lawyer wants the last decision from the Supreme Court. The lawyer does not want all the previous de- 238 29th National Safety Congress cisions and rulings, he wants to know the law--the last word. So for your rules' sake, do it this way: Never mind putting in "Don't do it this way or the other way"; don't say "There arc several optional ways" ; say "Do it this way!" That is the way they want it. To "do it this way" is pretty hard for the "rule-of-thumbers," so 1 want you to break points, but the sum total must add up to 14. Do not go beyond that. I recommend further that you do not teach more than one of these points at any one time in dealing with your people, unless they arc the kind of people that we arc here. Give them only one point a day; one point a week is plenty. down the job into its various steps, and B. The same point must be taught 7 time* have your rule on each step: "Do it this over, because the human mind does not fix way." into itself the ideas tliat it is receptive to Adult Education until they have been repeated for a total of 7 times. Now in teaching these points 7 My next point is the one that some of m3 personal friends have asked me to enlarge upon a hit--practical hints on adult educa tion, which I have grouped under A, B, C, D, E, F, G and H, A. The capacity of the human mind is only 14 ideas relative to one thing. Fourteen points bearing on one topic are as much as the human mind can hold. If you have 16 or more or endless number of points, they will get confused. That means, gentlemen, that in your safety work, although you may times over, you ought to use 7 di/Terent methods. One person I know is accustomed to using signs around his plant, and he is right, it is one of the 7 ways of teaching 'these points. Another per^n is keen on giv ing orders, another likes personal instruc tions, another is strong on rehearsals, and these are all good. Use your own imagination in the matter of the 7 ways you are going to teach each point I would say that it is dis advantageous, in general, to teach the same point oftener than once every two weeks. have subordinate points, you will have to C. In adult education, where you want to >tudy out for yourselves the 14 points of get a result and not just have a dispersing safety in this factory, shop or whatever. You of information--where you want to get can teach those 14 points over and over for things done and get a result--it is best done three years or whatever, but you must not in small discussion groups of from 11 to 15. add in any 15th or 16th. You must coniine With more than that, they begin arguing; your safety Instructions to 14 points. You one says "That reminds me of an experience may have subordinate points if you wish. in Pittsburgh," and someone else says "That Vow a smart lawyer realizes that the capacity of the human mind is 14 points; and If he is talking to a jury, a smart law yer will say something like this: "Gentle men, our case rests on the following points: I. (and lie names the point and docs not discuss it, 2. (he names the point and does reminds me of an experience in a factory in New Orleans," and so on, and when they get to reminiscing, they are not on the topic you want them to be. They are lost. You can hold a group of 11 to 15, but you can not get unanimity of result or action in groups larger than 15. not discuss it), 3. (he names the point and docs not discuss it). 4. (he names it and gives it a paragraph), 5. (he names it and gives it a paragraph), 6, 7, 8. 9, 10, and on up to 14." He names each and gives each a paragraph. Then he comes back to Point I. renames it, and gives it many paragraphs. He renames Point 2 and gives it many para graphs, Point 3 the same. Thus after cover ing all 14, he says "And on those points, gentlemen, our case stands or falls." Of course if he is talking to the judge, he can give the judge 4 major points and 10 sub ordinate points, but it still adds up to 14__ the judge belongs to the human race, too. So you may have three or four major Now take our local or community Safety Councils. Take some city where we have none. I do not know any cities where we do or do not have them, so we will just pre tend we are talking about Milwaukee. I was there three days ago. In the confer ences to organize a Community Safety Council in Milwaukee, do not have over 15 men. Have about II at your first meeting. At your next meeting, have II or 15, not identically the same persons, but with some going from one batch to the other, and have an executive committee when you arc through that comprises a small number, around a dozen. Too large or too small a committee does not work right. Psychology and Safety 239 D. Is thru aa discussion groups or edocarioMl jpvapa* at is very important to speak htd#y md *> use words which will convey jvar acaMSg---wards which have the MMt fifttAcaocc 10 your listeners as to yourself. That oi course, is the great failore m afl our inur^omsonmcation. For a nation <U fcrifjb* |U|tu do not get along very wdi Umk we do not understand each other. t* a word which I think is snspty jo ouiin:|iiin<. again, of the mother lode of logw. hue the men who are doing jrioocera^; work io semantics say it is all very new. do doubt If 50a want to read a tough book oa semantics, (1 had to read it four times) try "The Tyranny of Words" by Stuart Chase. Aim! don't blame me if it is hard, I told you so. It is a book on scnantkSv on using words with identical meaning to others as to you. So often we arc apt lo use the same word to cover en tirety different situations. You talk about "faithfulness," which might mean one thing to the auditor of a bank and something en tirely different to a troubled wife. So in your small discussion groups, use words and phrases--or, better still, illustra tions--so that the}* will understand what you mean. And, of course, talk in positive lan guage. Talk in short sentences. Talk with a pause between sentences, or at least between ideas, so that the ideas can fix In tluar minds. You most realize that the person who comes into this little discussion group to learn has a headache from the din of the world and the din of his memories, which is made worse by the din of the conversation at the conference, and by your voice. Have pauses in your talk, so attention can re vive; it wiU ootyr take the matter of a split second. E. Talk with them with authority from your knowledge and from your prestige. Often use the word "we." They do not know who "we" is: they do not know whether yoa mean you, or yourself and the editor of Scientific American, or yourself and the editor of the Encyclopaedia Britan nia, or whether you discussed it with your oldest son. but it lends a lot of prestige. We have a very fair way of handling that "wc" question. "We," in medical sci ence, means that the doctors agree on this point. "1" means that I disagree or I am pioneering, and there is no support yet or there are contradictions from the others m our guild. Jfust say "We think so," or "We have found this," etc. Men need to be taught the dements of logic--that X plus Y produces Z. "If you do this and this, you will get this result Failing to do this, or doing too much or too little, or doing it at the wrong time, will give you bad results." They need logic. F. Repeat from the basic principles up. * Repeat your safety instructions every gen eration. Now a generation may be assumed to be plus or minus 7 years, on account of turnover. A generation at college is five years. If v\c did not take in any new stu dents within five years, tltcrc would not be a Waba>h College, for instance. A genera tion of the human race is about 18 or 19 years. Tbatcis about how often we start having a new crop of babies. A generation in indusuy about 7 years. So every 7 years you have to begin from the simplest principles and teach safety. Do it smilingly and do not feel that it is a burden, that "I have covered all this before and now I have to do it again." Do not take that atti tude. Schools have a first grade every year. It is an opportunity, and you may even do it better as you go over it every 7 years. G. Do it pleasantly. That is a good way in adult education, to do it pleasantly. 1 do not mean softly. Do it with crisp authority, but still pleasantly. Use absolutes when you can. Use figures. When you cannot use ab solutes, then of course you can say some thing like this: "It is certain that if it is done so-and-so, then this will follow." even if you cannot prove it numerically. H. And here is where some of you differ from roe, and I like to differ from you then. Avoid pathology. Avoid the morbid. Avoid negatives. Tell them positives; tell them what to do. I do say that it is alt right oc casionally to do an autopsy, so to speak, on a social situation where arvaccident follows, but study the prevention of accidents if you want to focus men's minds on safety. You may have to study the causes of accidents, but do not teach the causes of accidents to your workmen; teach them the causes of accident prevention; teach them the causes of safety. We know that the human mind will think about what it hears, and we know the hu man body will do what the mind is thinking' 240 29th National Safety Congress about, so it is best to tell them what you want them to learn. Then they will follow safe procedures, and they will tell others in their squads, etc. But teaching them, gentlemen, does not quite complete the point of the subject There is the duty always on you to ascer tain if your men have learned what you have taught them. It is good procedure to go through the shop and see them and talk to them, and see If they have learned. I want to reiterate the A, B, C, D, E, F, G and H which I have just outlined to you. Tell most men that "this is the one best way to do this maneuver." Do not tell them "this is a good way to do it** Help them do it best . Convictions My ninth point is that 85 per cent in struction on any point is enough to give a man or men. After you have gone over 85 per cent of the procedure in educating them, then ask them how to perfect and finish the maneuver, and you will get the nicest re sults. You do 85 per cent of their thinking for them. You transfer that thought to them, then you get them to do 15 per cent more. It doesn't have to be the highest 15 per cent--it can be the remaining 15 per cent-- but m each case the man reaches the con viction that "this is what I thought out; the foreman and I were talking this over, and we worked out a darned good plan on this." He will carry out that plan because he has the conviction that he has added to it. Do not-tel! him you let him figure it out. Conviction--people like to explore, like to experiment, and we should let them, with great caution. Let them make some decisions on how to finish a thing, and as they make decisions, they develop business character, character which is an asset. Oxygenate Ten. In the meeting with your small group of a dozen or so In your adutt educational conference, please use your eyes--e-y-c-5. Look them over. Look at their color. Look at their faces. Look at their eyelids--are they a bit droopy? Look at their chests-- are they sitting humped up, or really breath ing sometimes? And if they are sitting shallowly, and not breathing well. If they are a little bit dope)', they may get a bit sleepy. Somehow or other, get more oxygen into them. There is no tax on oxygen, it is the freest thing there is. Give them some coffee, not food. Coffee will wake them up. Or put a pencil and paper in their hands and borrow the pend! bade. They are hold ing the paper, wide awake, and in the back of their mind are wondering what it is at! about. It works--no fooling. Get men who arc slumped over to go to the blackboard, if you have one in your room, and show just in relation to the factory driveway and the fireplug where this happened- You know, and the rest know, and be knows, but he will come back wide-awake. Get oxygen into them. They will learn more; they wifi like you more. To Talk Is to Believe and Remember And in this conference, my next point is to get the man to talk. I hate to use the word "recite," but yet that is exactly what I mean. Get the man to recite. We have learned that persons believe what they say. Get me straight on that, however--they do not always say what they believe, or we would have a lot of trouble in life if we all said what we believed all the time. But if a man says something--if you formulate his nebulous thoughts and crys tallize them into a statement, and he issues the statement--he will believe that thing from now on. He will remember it, also; it is a part of his life. It is an integral factor in him, provided that he is formulating his own thoughts on the subject, and provided that he is responding to his own thoughts. That is not true if you provoke a man to say something. If his statement is a reaction to your stimulus or provocation, then it is not an integral part of him, and he may or may not remember it. He may remember it in a distorted fashion, and act in a distorted way. No, my point is to get each man to talk--'and In my heart I mean to recite--his thoughts on this thing as we go through the hour and one-half discussion period. An hour-and-a-half conference with tilts dozen men is the right length of time, if you stop in the middle of it for some coffee, as I said. Summarizing a Session In summarizing a session in this adult education, you tie it all together. AH that has been said at the meeting has to be sum marized, and they look to you for that And if you possibly can, gentlemen, give them something to take home--something tangible, even if it is a pamphlet on the Psychology and Safety 241 same thing worked out by the California. Bell Company and you represent the Illinois Bdl Company. But give them something to mice home that can be a nucleus for their thoughts. In the summing op, it is important that you not only summarize the conference and like group emotions, are safe and sound and trustworthy. I think that we can trust people when they think. I know we can trust people--groups of people, masses of people --when they think factually, according to facts, and not wishfully nor fearfully. Avoid Bre-Detall* tie it together, bat that you tie it to some You must not lay out your 14 points in thing basic in the philosophy or code of your too great detail in advance. You cannot say company, or some philosophies of their own. to yourself, "Well, 1*11 have among the men That it, you can say "This is in accordance in our plant GO hours a year to spend on with what the Church teaches," or "This is safety, and I will use 13 of them on floor in accordance with the views of the Amer safety," etc.; with your infinite (only it ican Legion,** etc. You have to tie it to isn't) present wisdom, you cannot outline a something that is already a landmark in whole year's program. You had better teach their lives. Duty to Anticipate One of the safety points that we can stress (and now I am going to offer you one of safety and find out what they have learned. If they have not teamed, go back over that. Have a vague plan of time, but have a defi nite plan of points you will take up. the 14) is that it is the duty of everyone to L'Envoi anticipate. That is a legal phrase--the duty to anticipate. Having anticipated, it is your Now in closing, I want to express to you my appreciation of the invitation oi the duty to react. Council and of all of you to present some The IDinois Supreme Court says if you gleanings of psychiatric understanding of are driving down a boulevard and you see a human nature--things which are normal or green light at the next crossing or a block normalizing. It has really been a high honor. ahead, it is your doty* to anticipate that it I have met quite a number of you, and 1 may turn yellow, or stay green. It is your admire your personnel very much, as well duty* to anticipate that the pedestrians may not wait but may start ahead of time. It is your duty to anticipate that there may be traffic coming from the right or left. The Supreme Coart is always three or four laps as your goals. Perhaps because people may be a liulc bit %hy or diffident. I can possibly express something which you feel but do not feel free to express. I must quote from "A behind. Things well established, they accept, and things frivolous never reach them. I have the most respect for the law, prob ably, of all the professions, in its better Child's Definition of Love." "Oh, fee the beauty of this beautiful thing! I own it more than anyone else owns -it, but I can somewhat share it." moments. In this reaction after they have antici pated, they must not think wishfully and they must not think fearfully. Those are two big mistakes that people make That is one of the 14 points, gentlemen. You work out the others according to your needs. Unimpaired strength and unmutilated health, therefore, ate lovely and beautiful. Accident prevention by all means--mechan ical and psychological--contributes to Amer ica's finest It is a noble effort, for our pres ent and Cor our future, to have unimpaired strength and unmutilated health, which the Group Conclusions My 14th point is that group conclusions. individual owns more than anyone else but which he can somewhat share. ADJOURNMENT 242 29th National Safety Congress INDEX LECTURE I. PAGE Topic Mental Health--Its Founda tions and its Termites,--Physical Health--Effects of the Horae.. .209 Constitution and Personality...........................209 Constitution--Male & Female Compo nents ; Human Graph of Distribution.210 Environment vs. Heredity..............................211 "Who Is What,*' Charted..................................211 Expectations...........................................................212 Effect of the Two Homes.............................213 Social and Industrial Life Overlap..... .213 Personality--^Constitution and Mentality.214 Indolence vs- Fatigue...........................................214 PAGE Intercommunication, Positive, Quotable. .221 Statements, Depersonalized.............................222 Descriptions ........... 233 Attitudes ................................................ 223 Development of Business Character___.23+ Irritability--Civilize Anger into Deter mination ........................... 224 Accident Protteness--London Study-----225 Fascinations: Indecisions................................225 New Ideas .................................. 226 Immaturities............................ .....226 Promotions ..............................................................227 LECTURE III. Oxygen Want .................................. 215 5 Types of Errors................................................215 Objective Evaluations vs. Over-Expecta tions ............................................................ .217 Uiverseracnis .........................................................217 Selt-Discipline; Good Auditory Environ ment ....................................................................217 Authority; Character; Decisiveness....218 Half-Sick or Half-Convalesced.................218 Topic Mental Hygiene and Individ ual Differences Complicated by Divided Loyalties and the Un usual Stresses of the Times-- Loyalty includes Self-Loyalty and Group Loyalty, and Those Include Safety and Accident Prevention. TTht--e t->R--ec:-i-p---r--o--cvi.t-y o-f -Loyalty Uj Conclusion* : A Man Is What He Is...............................218 Homes Do Not Prepare for Nor Sup port Industry........................... 218 We Atc Learning Management...............219 Tribute to Governor Homer......................219 Poem .....................................................................219 Review: Personality Is a Complex..........228 Expectations.......................................................228 These Groups Overlap..................................228 Philosophy, in 3 Parts..................................228 Indecisions .....................................................228 Men Award leadership...............................228 Loyalties................................................................228 LECTURE II. Duality--Ambivalence--The Law of Op Topic The Mental Hygiene of ihe posites ...............................................................228 Industrial Worker.---Obligations Over-Expectations ..........,...............--. .228 and Opportunities of Management Specific Comparisons................................ 229 and the Supervisory Staff- Is there a Basic Philosophy Fair and Ad vantageous Alike to the Workman and His Personal Constellation and to Industry and the Nation ? 219 False Premises Lead to Bad Results..229 Pastitning vs. Constructive, Tangible Mutual Efforts ...................................... .230 Sensitivity ............................................................231 Transmissible Cultural Traits................231 Ba*ic Philosophy, in three parts....................219 Divided Loyalties, Illustrated................231 Self interest, a b c............................... .220Ambivalence Again ...........................................233 Group interest, a b c..................................220 Propaganda. Fails ...........................................233 Tolerance, abed, and a' b' c'------...220 Primitive Reactions ......................................233 Two Great Commandments in U. S. Not Three ..................................................................221 Out of One's Orbit........................................233 Poor Thinking When Sickly....................233 Psychology ana Safety 243 PAGE Thinking Through .........................................233 Trust Specialist Leaders.............................233 Loyalty Does Not Imply Hate....................234 Criminals Hate and Wrong...................... 234 Social Instinct--Groups Welcome.............234 Society's Demands ..............................................234 Agree, Conform ............................................234 Respectful, Respectable................................234 Decisive, Lucid.................................................234 Useful, Productive .......................................235 Reactive, Permits, and DO NOT HURT ............................................................235 Loyalty--Up. Down, and to the Rules.. .235 Group Diseases and Group Sturdiness.. .235 Integration..................................... 235 LECTURE IV. Topic Personality and Its Modifica tions--Habit Patterns. Adult Ed ucation, its Techniques and its Limitations. Safely Training. We must not make Mistakes in the Technique of Modifying Others. Practical Psychology is an Excel- - lent Offset Against Heedlessness and Indifference.............................. 236 Habit Patterns AreIndividual....................236 Education. Adult Education. Re-educa tion ........................................................................236 Need for Education, Yet Limits to Edu cability* .................................................................236 Morale ........................................................................236 PAGE Mental Digestion..................................................237 Rule of Thumb....................................................237 Practical Hints on Adult Education... .238 14 Points Is Memory Limit*--1 Thing a Day................................................... .238 Each Point 7 Times Over..........................238 Small Discussion Groups...........................238 Repeat Each Industrial Generation, i.c^ Every 7 Years...........................................238 Semantics--Clarity of Thought.............239 Authority and Prestige. '`We**..............239 Manner--Pleasant, Crisp; Use Abso lutes ...................................................................239 Avoid Pathology* ............................................239 What to Think................................. 239 Ascertain If They Learned......................240 One Best Way.......................................................240 85% Instruction Is Enough for Convic tions ............................ 240 Use Your Eyes. Make Them Oxygenate.240 Recite: To Talk Is to Believe and to Re member .............................. 240 Summarizing a Session.....................................240 Duty to Anticipate..............................................241 Group Conclusions, Like Group Emotion*, Are Safe............................................................241 Avoid Pre-Details................................................241 L'ENVOI .................................................................241 Appreciation .................... 241 Love, Defined, in a Child's Terms....241 Unimpaired Strength and Umnutilated Health--Sharable ....................................241 Safety Belts THURSDAY MORNING SESSION October 10, 1940 The session for the discussion of safety belt problems was called to order by the Chairman, W. P. Yant, Director, Research and Development, Mine Safety Appliances Company, Pittsburgh, Pi. and Chairman, Steering Committee of Research, A.S.S.E.Engineervng Section, National Safety Coun cil, who presided. The discussions were planned as a sym posium, to meet the wishes of Council mem bers who desired information on the con struction, installation, use, maintenance -and methods of testing various types of safety belts, anchors and terminals. The Chairman, after a few' brief comments, introduced the first speaker. Safety Belt Anchors--Design, Quality, Placement and Maintenance By J. L. MANES Safety Director, Sun Oil Company, Dallas, Texas When an employee falls from a derrick to bis screaming death, immediately the safety department, the supervisor, and the manage ment make the statement: Tf he had only used the safety belt, this would not have oc curred." Rarely is any mention made of that most vita) link which connects the belt with the derrick, known here as the tail line anchor. When safety belts are mentioned, where do you associate their use in the derrick? Poa.bty your thoughts were the same as mine--that their only use is on the tubing, thribble. or fourblc boards. Yet, the records show* that most fatal accidents, due to falls, occur during periods of rigging up and tearing down the rigs. In an effort to determine the causes of these fall accidents, a survey and personal contact was made. From 133 superintendents, foremen, engineers, gang pushers, and drill ers, representing two thousand years of ex perience, we found the following: 1. That in drilling, and in some produc tion operations, two and three men were re quired to work in the derrick at the same time, and invariably only one safety belt was provided. 2. In some cases, safety belts were pro vided, but not used. 3. In many instances, the tail line was not even tied, and, in questioning the worker, he stated that, being in one part of the der rick only a short time, it was too much trouble to tie and untie. 4. Without exception, every tail line used was the manila rope type. 5. We found belts m some cases which had been m use for as long as 14 years. 6. Last, hut by no means least, the care and maintenance of the safety belt* and anchors were given only a passing thought. A study of our findings convinced us that a change was necessary in our tail line anchors to make them more adequate and flexible to meet all requirements and situa tions. Unquestionably the .greater number of problems encountered were in the design. We realized the. necessity of standardizing on our tail lines as to length, convenience, adaptability, elimination of cumbersotneness, ease of inspection, and something in which the worker would have confidence. Many of the supervisors and their derrickmen were reluctant to change from the old 245 2A6 29th National Safety Congress method oi uring manila rope tail lines tor a)! purposes. On one occasion, a man was seen ascend ing a 122-foot derrick with 26 feet of the one-inch rope tied to the safety belt, swing ing" hack and forth. On another occasion, we observed a man going to the top of the derrick to land a crown block with 22 feet of one-inch rope tied to safety belt and wrapped around his waist. To overcome this problem, it was decided that a wire cable seemed to be the solution. This is a iVuich 7x19 tinned steel aircraft cable. Each end of the line is braided around a steel egg-shaped thimble and soldered with a steel snap hook at one end and a -K-inch liy 2-inch steel ring at the other. They are easily attached and detached, and can be made into varied lengths for any place needed in the derrick. It was found that steel cable was not-de sirable for all purposes. For tubing, thribble, and iourble boards, we designed a one-inch throe-strand manila rope, 14 feet long. This rope is braided around the steel eye through the D-ring of the safety belt The specified length of 14 feet eliminated the hazards en countered in climbing with the extra long rope. It also allows the worker all the free dom needed in performing work on each >ide of the derrick. Where extra rope is allowed, the worker will tie the rope near the end, leaving 8 or 10 feet of extra slack lying directly behind him on the boards. Extra slack in tail line anchors presents senous hazards. At the time of the survey, I was told of two fatal injuries occurring in the same company one night apart. The travelling block caught in the slack of the tail line anchor, jerking the man from the board, breaking the anchor line, and allowing the man to fall to his death on the derrick floor. Selection of the proper material was our next problem. Our object was to design a tail line anchor that was lighter and easier to liandle, yet we did not want to sacrifice any portion of the safety factor. The wire cable decided upon is a A-inch 7x19 tinned steel cable with a tensile strength of 4,200 pounds and weighs 654 pounds per 100 feet. A number of breaking tests on this par ticular cable show a breaking point of 4,600 pounds. The standard steel snap hook and the 4x 2-inch steel D-ring each are rated at 2,400 pounds test. The 1-inch 3-strand manila rope lias a tensile strength of 8^00 pounds and weighs 27 pounds per 100 feet No doubt, many are wondering why use tail lines of two different materials and three different lengths. It is impossible to design an anchor tine which will serve all purposes. The location of the derrick where the work is to be performed is the factor which deter mines the material and length to be used. The 1-tnch manila rope is used by derrickmen working on the tubing, thribble or fourblc boards because the men say it is easier to hold onto while leaning over the boards to rack pipe or tubing. It is also used in the crow's nest, when rigging up or tear ing down. Usually the third man is neces sary* in landing or taking down crown block and in "stringing up." In this operation the tail line is anchored to the cross bar of the gin pole. The 8-foot wire tail line is used by the second man working in the crow's nest and is anchored to the cross bar on the gin pole at opposite side from where manila rope tail line is attached. It can also be.anchored to derrick girt, brace, or leg, by either pass ing soap end through ring of tail line and at taching to belt, making an 8-foot tail line; or passing snap through steel ring of belt into ring on other end of tail line, making it endless and reducing the length to 4 feet. In some cases the 8-foot wire cable may be used at the same locations mentioned foi l-inch manila rope; cither tail line used is to be anchored in the center of angle iron girt, one girt above the board on which the man is working. When three men are sometimes required to work in a derrick when "rigging op" or "tearing down," the "third" man is required to work just under or below the water table, assisting in passing the winch-tine or cat line from below the water table up to the men working above and then assists in putt ing the line back to the derrick floor. He is also in the derrick installing light-wires, or assisting in landing the mud-line stand-pipe. For these operations a 5- foot tail line is furnished with a snap hook on each end which can be anchored at any point in the derrick where the man may be working. This line is also used on rod boards and stabbing boards; for use on the rod boards the tail line is anchored to the first girt above the rod board, when it is used on the Safety B cits 247 Mobbing board the tail line is made endless around safety line assembly which stretches across the derrick from girts immediately above the stabbing or swabbing boards. There are some who question the neces sity of using safety belts and anchor lines while working on top of the derrick where they are protected by a run-around- The following accident will show clearly why we have included the top of the derrick. In March, 1939, at 11:30 a. m., a mar ried man, father of two children, was killed when he fell through the top of the der rick. He had gone into the crow's nest on top of the water table, preparing to lower the crown block. He had wrapped the cat-line around both sides of the one sheave block. As he was the only one in the der rick, our conclusion was that he knelt down, or was in a squatting position on the Ibeam of the crown block or I-beam of the water table, bracing himself with one hand, and reached under the crown block with the other hand in an effort to get hold of the loose end of the cat-line to complete tie on crown blocks. It is virtually assumed that the .right hand, which was bracing him on the lower part of the I-beam of the crown block slipped off, leaving him in such a posi tion (hat he was unable to catch hold of anything with his hands. He fell headlong to the ground, falling between the crown block and the water table, a space of 33 inches. The life and condition of the anchor lines will depend upon the care taken of them. We have provided each drilling rig and production gang with a box of 24x24x24 inches for storing, maintaining, and moving safety belts and anchor lines. In some pro duction gangs where a box is not conven ient, this equipment is carried in a regular gunny sack. Unless some means is pro vided and instructions given for the proper maintenance of this equipment, it will be given treatment that will make it unsafe for the work for which it was designed. Re cently I observed a gang that, even though instructions, outlines, and information had been given them, was hauling the safety belt and anchor line on the bed of the truck without any protection whatsoever, with a 300-pound floor block bouncing up and down on the belt and anchor line. Specific instructions have been issued by our executive vice-president that all safety belts and tail line anchors, regardless of condition, are to be replaced after 18 mouths' use. The date of purchase is stamped on the snap hook of each safety belt; a record is made by the safety department, and a new tine ordered when the 18 months period ex pires. Other than a daily inspection by the appointed derrickman. we make no other tests. Important Factors in Testing Safety Belts By S. V. JAMES Engineer, Underwriter*' Laboratories, Inc., Chicago What I have to say concerns chiefly window cleaners' belts, but the important factors involved in testing these safety belts apply equally to belts employed by construc tion workers and others, who require pro tection against falling while engaged in their routine duties. The land of testing I have in mind, is that which should be employed in making the preliminary investigation of a belt to determine its suitability for the job. I do not mean the kind of routine check testing which should be performed by the owner of the belt at intervals during its period of service. The kind of testing I have In mind is usually testing to destruction in order to determine the limits of the strength incor porated in the belt and its attachments. The logical way to develop strength tests of such equipment is to consider the types of service to which the belt is to be sub jected and thereby to predetermine the strength necessary to safeguard the life of the wearer. In ordinary routine use a safety belt has very little to do and, therefore, is not sub jected to any great amount of stress. A window cleaner normally has both terminals of his belt attached to the window anchors and is leaning tightly against the ropes or straps while engaged in cleaning the win dow. The wearer of a safety belt in con- 248 2S>th National Safety Congress struction work imposes no stress whatever on the belt during his ordinary duties. It is only in the case of some accidental slip ping that the belt is brought into operation as a protective appliance. A window cleaner may, for example* step out onto the window sill, get one belt ter minal attached, and then slip off the sill and fall. The terminal ropes can usually slip through the fittings of the waistband until the terminal at the opposite end of the ropes is brought up against the hardware of the waistband, thereby limiting the free fall of the wearer. The energy acquired by the man in falling must then be absorbed with out breakage of belt, terminal straps or anchors. Neither must the anchors pul] out of the window frame. The heart of the matter is the absorp tion of this energy so as not to impose too great a stress on the belt structure or sub ject the wearer to a sudden stopping which will lead to serious bodily injury, even if it keeps him from falling to the ground. The various ways in which this absorp tion of energy may take place in the case of a window cleaner's belt of the usual waist band terminal rope construction are: 1. In distortion or bending of the anchor. 2. In distortion, stretching or tearing of window frame, if anchors arc fastened to it. 3. In stretching or bending of the ter minal fitting. 4. In stretching of the terminal ropes or straps. 5. In stretching of the waistband. 6. In the slipping of the ropes through the hardware or fittings attached to the belL 7. In the distortion of the body of the wearer. My discussion of the method of testing belts will be limited to a consideration of the consequences of the first six of the ways, leaving the seventh, namely, distortion of the body of the wearer, for discussion by medical authorities. Basing consideration, therefore, on the emergency conditions under which a belt is subjected to maximum stresses and strains, some items must be standardized in order to proceed with a workable test method. It is necessary first to know the average weight of the person using the belt It seems reasonable to assume 150 lbs. as a representative figure. Some window clean ers may weigh considerably more, but some weigh less and the precision involved in making.such tests is to assume a fairly gen eral average figure. Besides weight of the wearer, the other item of primary importance is the probable distance through which he wili fall before bringing the belt into action as a protective device. A study of belts shows that under the assumed condition, namely, with one ter minal attached to an anchor and the wearer standing on the sill, he may be expected to drop a distance of five feet before bringing the other belt terminal against the hard ware at the back of the waistband for the beginning of the absorption of energy neces sary to stop the falL We shall assume, therefore, these two basic conditions. 150 lbs. weight and a vertical drop of five feet. Naturally a belt must have a margin of strength over and above the ability to stop a falling weight of 150 lbs. after it has dropped a distance of five feet. We need to make sure that a belt embodies a socalled factor of safety. To determine this we must Subject the belt to a punishment greater than that to which it will be 'sub jected in actual emergency use. There are two ways in which we an inflict greater punishment, namely, by increasing the weight of the test load, or by increasing the dis tance through which the test load is allowed to fall before subjecting the belt to its pro tective action. We will rule out any attempt to increase die drop or distance of fall because the falling weight acquires a greater velocity the farther it falls, and this adds some un predictable complications; and because the greater length of terminal rope or strap required for the longer fall introduces a greater amount of stretching and resilience in the terminal rope assembly, whkfa would unduly favor the performance of the belt, and, therefore, give a false indication of tbc protective value incorporated m it. There fore the only thing to do is to increase the load beyond the 150 lbs. which has beat as sumed to be the weight of the wearer, ha testing belts at Underwriters* Laboratories I have followed this assumption and have as a result of contact with other engineer* vitally interested in this problem decided that a factor of safety of five is a reason able test requirement This makes it necessary to pod a toad of five times 150 lbs., or 750 lbs. ro the waist- Safety Belts 249 band of the belt for test purposes. The pro cedure then is to subject the belt to a load of 750 lbs. dropped five feet This lest must include, of course, the anchor and its attach ment to the building wall or window frame as well as the belt structure itself. I luvc already pointed out some of the way* in which energy has to be absorbed by the belt and its attachments in order to check the falling wearer. Obviously, the test method must take these ways of energy absorption into account in order that the belt may be given a reasonably fair test The mounting of the anchor to which the belt terminal will be connected for test pur poses most, therefore, be made just as it lifted by a sling snrroonding the test bag until one terminal of the belt can be at tached to the anchor which has been secured in position ready to receive the terminal. After attaching the one terminal the load is lowered slowly until it hangs by the ter minal ropes from the anchor. The lowest point of the load is thereby determined. The load is then raised five feet above this low est point A quick-release hook employed in connection with the supporting sling is then tripped and the load allowed to fall freely until it is brought to rest by the ter minal ropes or until failure of some part of the assembly lets it continue to fall until it strikes the floor. win be installed in a real building. A section I have not had an opportunity to make of window frame or, in some type* of con many tests of this nature, but I have found struction, a complete window frame is neces sary for this purpose in order to simulate tbc real supporting strength upon which the anchor attachment may be expected to de by experience that it is possible to construct a belt of the ordinary type which will with stand this punishment. Whether or not the wearer of the belt can safely withstand the pend in an emergency. The resilence of the shock of such a fall is a thing which I terminal fitting; the terminal ropes or straps, and the waistband of the belt are of course inherent in the design of the belt itself. The distortion of the body of the wearer, which, in my opinion, is of considerable importance in the study of this subject, can only be ap have not had and probably will not have any Opportunity of determining. Objections have been raised to this test an the basis that it is unnecessarily severe and imposes upon the belt and the anchor proximated and can be introduced by the use of a test load or weight of a nature uch that it may be readily deformed in a manner similar to that in which the human body is deformed under the same conditions. U would be unsuitable, obviously, to em ploy a test load made in the form of i hollow-steel cylinder having a diameter ap proximately equal to that of the body of the usual wearer and loaded so ms to give it the desired total weight of 750 lbs. Such a test load would not yield or deform at the point of attachment of the waistband of the belt and would, therefore, probably subject the belt to a much more severe shock or impact condition than it would be stresses which would not in any way give a real indication of the ability of the equip ment as a life-saving device, and that any attempt to design a belt which would pajs such a test would lead to impracticably heavy or clumsy construction. If considers* lion is limited to belts of the usual waist band terminal rope type, these objections arc, of course, to be given serious considera tion. It is a well-known fact that if energy is absorbed through a very- short distance correspondingly large stresses in the ma terials arc required and, therefore, corres pondingly large amounts of materia! must be supplied* in order to withstand these stresses without failure. subjected to with a human body in actual An obvious method of overcoming this service. An effective compromise was found difficulty would be to incorporate some form to be a strong canvas bag filled with small of energy absorbing mechanism such that steel balls to a total weight of 750 lbs. It the energy would be absorbed through a yields and deforms and at the same time is considerable distance rather than in the strong enough to withstand the stopping few inches available in the usual construc action without failure of tbc test load itself. tion, and thereby subject the materials to a Io making the drop test, the method of procedure is as follows: the belt is first placed around the test load and the waist band buckled in place as it would be around the waist of a wearer. The load is then much smaller loading, In this way it might be possible to reduce the total weight of the apparatus so as to overcome the objec tion of excessive weight and clumsiness. Just how this shall be done, I am not pre- 250 29th National Safety Congress pared to say. It is entirely in the bands of inventors and manufacturers specializing in this type of equipment Briefly summing up the matter, we must base our development of test methods for safety belts upon the emergency conditions of service; we must standardize on our test weight and our test dropping distance; and we must then superimpose a test severity great enough to show a reasonable factor of safety, which we have set at five. The redesign and reconstruction of conventional belts to withstand such tests present prob lems of considerable difficulty to manufac turers, but such a condition does sot pre clude a radical improvement in design which will take into account the important need for energy absorption taking place through a distance sufficient to permit a practicable belt. It still leaves unanswered the probable ef fects on the wearer of being suddenly stopped in his fall, but obviously these ef fects will be of less serious consequence tf his fall is stopped gradually than if it is stopped suddenly as in the usual type* of construction. Safety Belt Materials By A. S. SOUTAH Vice-President, R, H. Buhrke Company, Chicago Basically our experience as a manufac turer has been that the heavy steer leather now used generally for safety belts is en tirely adequate for the purpose. Leather has its advantages and disadvantages. Some of tiie advantages arc that leather lends itself 10 case of fabrication and good appearance of finished product. When used as a safety strap in conjunction with belts it slips easily on the poles and other materials. It is easily cleaned and can be kept in good condition tor a long time with proper care, and when properly cared for it seldom has to be abandoned from a standpoint of wear. It usually is abandoned due to some form of abuse. Some of the disadvantages are that the average person not familiar with handling leather can easily mistreat It and make it useless for the purpose. I refer particularly to the too rapid drying of belts that have become wet. When the belt is placed too near heat a complete chemical change in the fibers occurs, changing it into a hard crys talline substance which is very brink and would necessitate abandoning the belt Also it is subject to deterioration caused by bums due to carelessly bandied hot tools or metal. It Is easily cut by the edges of sharp metal and also by climber gaffs when used as a safety strap on a pole. It requires frequent cleaning and periodic oiling to keep it m good condition. Because of some of these disadvantages engineers decided to experiment with a man made product into which could be built defi nite qualities and strengths. The government bad experimented suc cessfully with linen web for parachute work. Originally this was made by the cross weave process of a type of yam which would establish a breaking strength of 2800 pounds. The webbing being inches wide and ap proximately A inch thick and quite flexible. This provides a breaking strength per inch per width of 1600 pounds. The breaking strength of heavy steer hides usually is established at 3600 pounds per square inch of cross section area, which would give you a strength of 672 pounds per inch of width on this leather suitable for safety belts, as suming wc use a thickness of A inch. One of the large utilities, having door considerable research work on this belt prob lem, has established a minimum strength of 650 pounds per inch of width as being satis factory for safety belts and safety straps; and the reason they established this mini mum strength test rather than a cross sec tion area test was because of the fluctuation in cross section area strength at different parts of the hide. It might interest you to have an idea about the strength of the heavy American steers which we use for safety belts and safety straps on the basis of ooc inch sam ples, disregarding the thickness of the hide. In making these tests we select one sample from the shoulder near the backbone, one sample from the middle of the bide about Safety Belts 251 six inches from the backbone, one sample from (be butt near the backbone, and one sample from the center of the lower portion of the back near the break where the belly has bus cropped off. These are tested in units of four, one of each of the samples mentioned being cut from a different hide. we do not propose to attempt to give an opinion as to the relative merits of either product in service as the relative merits of either could better be handled in a round table discussion with engineers who have used both. However, from our observation, tiie trend seems to be as follows in various The average results of 13 tests selected at classes of industry: random having been made over the past Window washers seem to prefer the three years gives us an average as follows; leather belt usually 3yi inches or 4 inches From the shoulder: average 852 pounds; wide. This is probably due to the fact that minimum of 730 pounds; maximum 995 pounds. From the middle of the hide 6 inches from the backbone: average 1,115 pounds; mini mum of 785 pounds; maximum 1,520 pounds. From the butt: average 817 pounds; mini mum of 670 pounds; maximum of 1,050 pounds. From lower portion of back near the break: average 1,203 pounds; minimum of 1,010 pounds; maximum of 1,460 pounds. However we are still faced with the fact a man is constantly leaning back into his belt and the leather takes the form of his body and therefore gives him greater com fort. The same can be said of linemen. Linemen almost exclusively use leather, al though there arc two companies I know* of who are experimenting with fabric. In other industries such as the oil fields, mines, steel mills and other large industrial plants, the demand seems to be more di vided, depending on the particular engineer's feeling on the subject- Although the trend seems, to me, to be towards the flexible that the linen from a purely tensile strength standpoint is far superior to the leather, even in the early development; but now the government has developed a new type of weave and the easiest way to describe it will be to call it a "herringbone weave." This type of weave combined with a special yarn required, produces a tensile strength of 5,000 pounds. The webbing still remains the same size as the early type; namely. 144 inches wide and approximately A inch thick, but it is considerably more flexible and this surplus strength over that normally required provides a larger factor of safety* linen, because the men wear these belts as an added garment and therefore the light weight and flexibility appeal to them, par ticularly where shoulder straps are used. Due to the present national emergency f am told there will be no linen available be yond tlte stocks which the manufacturers have at present, so we will have to prove to the government that the preservation of man power in our industrial plants is of sufficient importance to release quantities of linen for the purpose of producing web for safety belts, or go to a substitute. particularly where the safety* engineer has However in the event that the government set up periodical test practices. These tests wfll not release linen for this purpose, I am usually are several times more severe than very happy to say that wc have in conjunc could possibly be applied in norma} usage, tion with our weavers been able to create a but this great strength permits the periodic cotton webbing which will be about the lotting, assuring definite sifety to the same size and the same flexibility as the wearer. On the other hand, leather < fully capable, when the belt is properly made, of providing the amount of protection nccesaiy. It most be given more reasonable tests. That is, more nearly to the maximum toad the belt might be required to handle in nsc. The reason for this being that extreme tests on leather will have a tendency to stretch the fibers beyond their elastic limits, which might result eventually in the belt breaking down in service. present 5,000 pound linen wck Test sample broke at the jaws of the machine at 3,690 pounds. This is far above the strength I had hoped for in the light flexible web of this type and is certainty more than suffi cient for our purpose. The web probably has a natural strength rating of about 4,500 pounds, tf the web was processed for test, but I like to make these tests under ordinariconditions and consider the strength of the web the weight at which it breaks whether it is at the jaw or between the jaws. Talking from a manufacturing: standpoint In each belt there must be Mimt method 252 29th National Safety Congress of attaching the worker to the point of op width, which still gives you 200 pounds more eration. In the case of a lineman he uses strength than the established requirement what >ve term a safety strap which goes for leather, around the pole and hooks into both dee rings ou his belt Like leather it has its advantages and dis advantages. It will stand considerably more While the use of leather still predom mechanical abuse without appreciably af inates, investigation into a man-made substi fecting the strength- It is not easily cut nor tute has resulted in the limited use of two easily burnt, and the third advantage is that products. The first was a very heavy and the fabric material can be designed ahead of firm woven linen web about 2 inches in time to meet any specific strength which width and <V inch thick, having a breaking may be needed. Its disadvantages are that strength of about 7,000 pounds, treated to it is subject to wear and as a result gets preserve it against moisture and mildew due rather shabby looking, even though it will to the fact that it was used outdoors. While still hold up until two layers have been worn this product gave considerably more through. Most fabrics that have bees de strength than ever would be required of a signed for this purpose do not slide easily safety strap in use it was not popular be on poles. cause of its stiffness and lack of ease in adjusting. I know of three utilities who are using rope safety straps made of H inch rope About 18 years ago two utilities tried out which has an established breaking strength a safety strap made of an impregnated of 4,400 pounds. In industrial plants rope folded canvas similar to transmission belt is used almost exclusively, to the best of mv ing. This product was not popular with the knowledge, either in J5 inch with a breaking men and it was dropped, but after several strength of 2,650 pounds, % inch with a years the idea was again revived and as a breaking strength of 4,400 pounds, or 4$ inch result a very desirable type of impregnated with a breaking strength of 5,400 pnends. folded fabric strap has been developed depending on the requirements of die par which U more flexible and easier to adjust ticular job. because it can be used with a tongue buckle if desired or a special type of slide buckle For the hardware required the consen which increases the strength of the strap sus is that the mild steel forging is the most because of the elimination of the buckle holes. The fabric has a breaking strength desirable. In this type of forging brittleness is entirely eliminated. The drop forged snaps of 3,000 pounds or better; it is inches wide and $4 inch thick. This gives a tensile strength of 1,700 pounds per inch per width of the folded fabric as compared to the ac cepted requirement of leather of 630 pounds. are usually tested to 1,200 pounds, showing no distortion at this load, although it is my observation that they will go to 1,500 pounds before they start to distort, and will puD to about 3,000 pounds before you can distort the nose sufficiently to allow the keeper to It has been established by practical use escape from its seat. The dee rings and that these folded fabric straps are safe un buckles are also scheduled to stand a load til two layers of fabric have worn through, of 1,200 pounds without distortion, the ac which would theoretically leave half the tual strength of coarse being several tsrar* original .strength or 850 pounds per inch of the undi.slortbig load. ADJOURNMENT Safety Supervisors FRIDAY MORNING SESSION October II, 1940 The session for the discussion of safety supervision was called to order by the Chair man, H. W. Boggess, Superintendent of Safety, Sinclair Prairie Oil Company, Tulsa, OklaL, who presided. The Chairman briefly commented upon some of the more out standing problems of supervisory training and direction, and then introduced the first' speaker. What the Foreman Can and Cannot- Do For Safety By C. A. BOUGHNEK Director of Safety, Gary Sheet and Tin Mills, Camcgie-Illinoia Steel Corporation, Gary, Ind. This discussion assumes that accident pre vention is distinctly an operating problem. It is our considered opinion that it is so designated in most plants. Being a problem of operation, quite logically the impetus given it will originate in management, and regardless of names or job tides, accident prevention will eventually become responsi bility of the foreman. In order to avoid any misooderslanding about the "foreman," we shall refer to him as a supervisor who directs men. Too often supervisors are prone to think of safety not as an opportunity, bat as an added responsibility, something apart from their already varied and exacting duties. But accident prevention effort goes hand in glove with every other supervisory activity, n be controlled by exactly the same meth ods. and frequently by the identical effort that is used to control production, costs, and quality-. There must be, first of all, painstaking instruction backed by employee support and day-by-day supervision that is both sufficient and efficient- The mere fact that a supervisor must ac cept the responsibility for accident preven tion docs not mean that he must personally watch over each member of his group every Hour of the day, any more titan he would be expected to stand beside each workman to see that he does his work properly. Actu ally, the supervisor is responsible for the result*, and in tike manner is responsible for carrying out the program aimed at the re sult It is obvious, then, that any safety program, to win the support of the foreman, must be designed so that it will be* a help and not' a hindrance to him. Above all, it must be in keeping with good industrial re lations. We are now faced with the problem of building safety organizations under new con ditions. There can be no doubt that the supervisor and the employee alike have felt the impact of the sudden social and eco nomic swings which industry has undergone. In too many cases the net result may be a change in philosophy that will tend to in crease the feeling of indifference on the part of the employee and a feeling of helplessness on the part of the supervisor. With a job to be done that is exacting as to quality requirements the supervisor ob viously would pick the most dependable em ployee to do it He would make sure the employee was folly equipped and properly instructed before starting. Under these conditions the chances are a hundred to one that the job will be done well and safely, because the same elements that assure qual ity are a guarantee against aeddent Lack of instruction, or failure to follow instruc tion. permits improper methods to continue. 253 254 29th National Safety Congress These will cause mishaps to men that result in injuries, just as they cause mishaps to materials that result in spoiled work. We are constantly reminded that accidents to men and accidents to material spring from the same source. The time has long- since passed for using shotgun methods in preventing accidents; what we need is sharpshooting practice. 5. Maintain constant contact with saietv organizations so as to benefit by new idea's or the better application of old plans. 6. Conduct safety meetings, huddle or group, as may be permissible. 7. Listen to, answer, and act on construc tive suggestions. 8. Publicize all accidents. There was a time when accidents were so 9. Give specific, definite instructions. .numerous that almost any kind of effort, if aimed in the right direction, would show results. As the number of accidents has de creased, however, the problem has become more specific, and wc must adjust our meth 10. Personally investigate any injury be fore signing an accident report. 11. See that tools and equipment arc in safe condition. ods to suit these conditions. 12. Arrange immediate hospitalization of Two things are necessary: First, we must convince ourselves that accidents can be any injured man. 13. Be a good-housekeeping advocate. prevented. Ask yourself, for example, howmany accidents have occurred in your plant, or within your knowledge, that could not have been prevented. Wc all know too wen that after an accident, means can be found to prevent the same kind of accident from occurring again. Second, we must train our selves and those who work with us to an ticipate the probable accident and do some thing about it, or wc may send men home to face their families and their futures as cripples. Let me suggest that each job, regardless or its nature, be thoroughly studied for 14. See that rules and regulations are given to, and clearly understood by alt em ployees. 15. Know in detail the plant policy and procedure on safety. 16. Arrange to conduct safety tours and good-housekeeping inspections by safety committeemen in different units. 17. Visualize all operations from the stand point of accident possibility. 18. See that all new or borrowed men are instructed. 19. Arrange training programs. accident possibilities and that a definite; In most of these items there is sufficient systematic method be followed to make sore material for plenty of discussion. We will that something Is done about it before an choose a few to discuss briefly. A complete accident occurs. At first this may seem to investigation of all accidents, whether seri be a large order; yet if it is done in an ous or not, by the supervisor will bring out orderly and systematic manner it can be some startling points. Too often we accept accomplished quite easily. For example, if a storyr from an injured employee and be one job or operation is covered each week, cause we feci it could have happened that a total of more tlvan fifty different jobs can way, we record it that way; but if we at be taken care of within a year. When we tempt to reconstruct the happening, the consider that this work would be carried on various factors will appear in their true by each department along the sam? lines, it light. is apparent that the task is not at all im A persistent effort to get all the facts in possible. volved in an injury will immediately con Now let us mention the things a foreman can actually do to help the safety program. 1. Study his equipment. vince any employee that there is a real inter est in knowing how it happened. The actual reconstruction of the practice or the meth ods involved may lead to the adoption of a 2. Assist in formulation of a safe pro safer, more efficient procedure. Il may also cedure. prove that our safety training is neither 3. Enforce safety rules. properly adapted nor progressive enough for the situation and show os a better way. 4. Watch for, correct, and, if necessary, discipline for unsafe practices. If any employee is injured on his job. it is a fair assumption that somewhere in the Safety Supervisors 255 sequence of operations there is a gap. Of course, some human dements enter into the picture, and a real investigation should show' what corrective measures are desirable or practicable. If investigation shows that a method in use permitted commission of acts which resuted in an injury, tbc indication is clear that the method must be altered so as to be safe and efficient The story told by an employee to his fore man at the origin of the injury or accident, and the answers given at the First Aid Sta tion may not sound like the same case. A good foreman can materially assist manage ment in meeting all situations involved by making sure that sufficient facts and spe cific data are at hand to meet unwarranted claims or complications. One cannot be too careful as to the minute details of when, where, how, why, with witnesses whenever possible. If the safety bureau functions in the case, all facts are sifted into a record for future use. due to faulty or unsafe practices cannot be overlooked or denied. This statement may bring a protest from foremen to the effect that they cannot stop accidents when an employee is injured the first time a rule is violated. If actual in vestigation showed that employees were in jured the first time they violated a rule, then it would be a reasonable protest Innumer able investigations, however, have shown that rarely does an accident occur the first. time an employee violates a safety rule. If is more clearly indicated that the employee had been repeatedly doing the unsafe thing that caused the accident Usually such em ployees will evade the facts and state that they have not been admonished for their violation even though the foreman bad ob served their actions. If the foreman in stantly stopped unsafe practices as soon as they commenced, there would immediatelv be a lessening of accidents occurring in his department. Be sure that all the facts are positive facts, not hearsay. Take sufficient time to get all the answers and related points, even putting down more than might seem essen tial if it has a bearing on the case, as others may apply parts of records they feet are most advantageous to their interests. I have spent considerable time on this point, and feel it is worth it This matter of complete records is particularly important in large industries or plants, since correct, careful, and adequate reports are fundamental to a good safety program. Now let us look at another item for a moment. 1'Watch for, correct, and if necessary, discipline for all unsafe prac tices." Here we have a very controversial point However, a rule with no penalty at tached is hardly workable. If the foreman instructs and shows the man how to do a job the safe way, and the employee refuses to comply and accept some responsibility, then we must use an unsafe practice report to record such violations. Instructions may be written or typed, and may he lengthy or brief. These depend upon the particular op eration as well as tbc company polity. Given working conditions which have been made as safe as is humanly possible through suitable equipment, proper safeguards for the hazardous features of such equipment, proper plant layout, and adequate light, the responsibility of the foreman in accidents A complete session could be allotted to this subject, and still there would be con flict as to the application and sensibility of such training program. The program prop erly administered is a definite reflection of what the employee himself actually does. Of course, there may be some resentment at the inception of the plan, as the employees may fed that someone is trying to "get something on them." However, if they un derstand that their practice is wrong or dangerous, and have been told in a proper manner, they should have little resentment. Needless to say, a good "tool" for the fore man is sound diplomacy and sensible jus tice, which must be evidenced in impartial handling, writing, and transmission of safety matters. Personalities or discrimination have no part in a safety program; fairness must be the keynote. As an unsafe practice is checked, dis creetly stop the employee performing it, show him the right way desired and pre scribed by the company, fhen tell the em ployee it will be necessary to make a report of the unsafe practice. The real reason for this is to make the employee safety-con scious, and also to create a feeling that con stant vigilant supervision is an integral part of a co-ordinated safety program. Unsafe practice reports should be used to help edu cate employees, and not as a part of any disciplinary program. 256 29th National Safety Congress The scope of the program and the re sponse to it will be limited if it is associated with any purpose other than education or training. In some cases only supervisors sign, such reports, and in others the signa tures may be omitted. Properly used, re ports will serve as a guide or teaching aid. but they cannot be used if ever abused. This method has worked successfully and merits careful consideration. The very common way of classifying acci dents into the two groups of mechanical and non-mechanical does not go far when it comes to placing the actual responsibility for the accident causes. Classifying accidents according to whether they were caused by physical conditions or by unsafe practices produces two groups, the responsibility for which rests largely with the foreman. In the first group, management itself has not discharged its full responsibility until the best and safest working conditions possible have been provided through the liberal use of physical safeguards. men welcome these "specialists'* and will ingly accept their suggestions and criticisms in a fair, open-minded way. The foreman can request this service, and the trains given should be under his supervision. We are using this plan successfully and to real advantage. Wc can spend a few profitable moments on a few more of the suggestions listed and one of these might well be "See dot rules and regulations are given to, and understood by all employees." Most plants have printed plant rules and safety regulations. Tteat should not be handed to a new man mini he is given some personal word of explana tion. We should remember that at this par ticular time, the employee is probably very receptive to anything connected with the success of his new job, and easily impressed and definitely sold on the safety rules if somenoe assists him in understanding bow they apply to his job. The time involved m doing this can in no way be considered wasted.* Now look at some of the other sugges tions to help a safety program; particularly "Assisting m the formation of and arrange ment of the training program." It seems self-evident that the foreman should know the right way to handle this work, and there fore should have a lot to say relative to the materia] used in the training as well as the procedure that shotdd be followed in actu ally doing the job. Experience may give us better ways, but until these arc demon strated, approved, and set up, the training program should follow the best methods im mediately at liand. Directly correlated with these is the transmission of definite, specific instructions. As nearly all men preset at this meeting understand just what is here involved, no time will be spent on ifi How ever, it means just what it says--definite, specific; leave no doubt, be definite; be care ful to miss nothing, and'be sure that in structions are dearly understood. In some groups of employees we sufficient illiteracy to make the problem more difficult than in the better educated group. At one time the speaker was serving as chairman of a court of inquiry investigating a lost-time case, and it seemed evident that the supervision concerned was lending to develop employee responsibility from a rule violation angle An eye witness was being questioned about the safety rules. It was soon brought out that he either didn't know or was purposely evading an answer. A copy of tbe rule book was given to him and the chairman asked him to read rule 5. The in vestigation disclosed that the man could not read and consequently never had an actual knowledge of any of our printed rules or regulations Here was a real failure on the' part of a supervisor; one that explains why delivery of tbe rule book or posting of de.partmental rules docs not terminate; or even intelligently start instruction. In addition to the assistance a foreman may give in developing the training pro gram, he should also take advantage of spe cialists, such as, crane or tractor instructors. These are special trainers who are practical operators of more than ordinary possibili ties and experience, who will assist other employees in their crafts to a safer and more efficient solution of their daily prob lems. It has been our experience that the A great deal could be said about foremen who tolerate men on the job without pro tective equipment. This may involve' shoes, gloves, wristlets, goggles, tongs, leggings, etc. Practice and experience, some of it very bitter, has set up sensible safety standards which should be rigidly enforced. Do not relax on these matters or your men will rightfully feel you are not particularly in terested in Safety. Safety Supervisors 257 Little has been said about what the fore man cannot do for safety, but it is our opin ion that if we get the foreman to do all be can. do, little will be left undone. Safety is good sense applied to the safe and efficient way to do a job. It is not fad nor fancy, but reality. It is nothing the company owns or produces, but is "Von"-- your body. Industry recognizes its respon sibilities and is trying to convince its em ployees that they should be safety-minded in their daily tasks. It makes no difference what your plant has in the bank; money can not replace a lost finger, as there are no spare parts for a human body. The foreman can consistently talk safety to his men at any time. His attitude toward safety will be tbe attitude of those who work under his supervision. He can explain de lays or loss of product, but he can't- explain an accident. The desire to have a good safety record is the wish of every plant management, and all loyal employees should co-operate. No plant wants the stigma in the community of being derelict in the care of its-employees. Any foreman ran do plenty for the plant safety program and at the same time have an efficient unit. There will be times when in spite of all efforts we will have accidents. Help your men to know all about their jobs, discourage the chance taker, demand ob servance of plant and departmental rules. Then you can feel assured as you leave the mill to join your family in your home that all your employees aTe enjoying the same privilege, and that you had a part in it. The Safety Supervisor's Part in the Investigation of Accidents By A. H. ZETLINGER Safety Engineer, Tbe Colorado Fuel & Iron Corp., Pueblo, Colo. All safety roads lead to the prevention of accidents, and the accident investigation road should lead exactly to that destination. It has been my observation that it is often very beneficial to investigate near accidents, as well as actual accidents. Pertinent to this thought I might say that we are calling an "incident," -where a personal injury happens, an accident. In reality any mishap is an accident whether there is a personal injury or not. Now, relative to the safety supervisor's part in these investigations, he should see dial the investigations are made. In cases where other members of his organization have been trained to conduct the investiga tions properly, the supervisor himself may not always be obliged to do the work per sonally. However, especially in younger safety programs, men, the injured and others, may feel reluctant, afraid, or non-coopera tive, to the extent they do not tell all they know about the accident. In these cases, through tact and sympa thetic understanding, tbe supervisor can get these men to dispell their fear or reluctance and really open up; if he will permit no browbeating, and convince those involved that the whole purpose of the investigation is a sincere effort to prevent accidents and not an attempt to place blame or liability. The supervisor must be able to make wit nesses at the investigation feel that it is no court where the injured is a defendant, and that there will be no humiliation; that the whole process is an honest effort to prevent a recurrence of the accident, and also to help others from having similar unfortunate experiences. AH in all the investigation must be friendly, sympathetic and cooperative. This does not mean that it shall be other than fair, prompt, accurate and thorough. The supervisor.should see that it embodies these qualities or all value may be lost. It should be fair that all data from both rides, that of men and that of management, shall be brought out, and the predominating feature, that of preventing future accidents, should be the only one to have a front seat. It should be prompt, because that prevents the scene of the accident from materially changing and prevents the witnesses from changing their stories, or from being influ enced by comparing notes with others. If it is not complete and accurate it does not per mit accuracy in forming conclusions and thus it defeats the very purpose of the in vestigation, tiiat of preventing other acci dents; for we all know that it is essential to learn the true cause. That will enable 258 29th National Safety Congress one to apply the proper remedy. Then, acci dent investigations will help in accident pre vention. When data that is fair, accurate and com plete is obtained, some may ask the best wav to use that data. Here we may differ, but on tilts point may I repeat tliat safety must be sold. Wc can say it needs no intro duction, there is an interest in it, and people are convinced of the need of it; perhaps I had better pause there in climbing this sales ladder. But remember we are not at the top of this Udder yet, and the product, in this case safety, is not yet sold. A desire must be created and then the prospect must resolve to possess and finally sign on the dotted line. Then and. not until then can we consider the sale made. After the investigation of the accident, after proper data are all assembled, then the supervisor can start to create the desire for safety. He can do this by advertising this data, which is nothing more than education. This gives him an opportunity to create de sire. Next, by using a "now, not later" appeal, he gets the individual, or individuals, to resolve to possess safety. Then they line up to pay the price, which is honest effort, and thus the sale Is made. The first customers should be the injured and his supervisor. Then by posters, letters, talks, meetings, etc^ other employees are informed and educated to the point of & real desire to prevent getting hurt. Next they reach a point where they* resolve to possess safety and thus they are sold. In a desire to prevent waste and other loss by accidents, members of management can be interested and subsequently they resolve to possess safety and thus the)* are sold. Even some of the safety Supervisor's own staff.will be benefited by the accident investigation for it should implant and maintain a greater enthusiasm for the sale of safety. And so the safety supervisor by proper steps in salesmanship uses the data obtained from accident investigations to get men and man agement to play greater roles in the preven tion of accidents. Now the supervisor is not the whole show in the prevention of accidents, but he should be a good ringmaster and so direct the show* that the real actors, men and manage ment, will all play their parts better. The benefits obtained will reach much further than the job. The community and the home, as well as the industry will be far freer from the curse caused by accidents. Good material comes from every* investi gation and after the sale of this material is made and the goods delivered then the su pervisor or his agent must return to the customer to make certain he is using those goods to the best advantage. If he is, a pat on the back is fine. If he isn't, then a differ ent pressure must be applied at some other point for tbc delinquency. Down will go accidents and up will go efficiency. Thus your safety program works its way onward and upward. Now, by way of review, let's state again that the safety supervisor should sec that accidents are investigated; that the investi gations are fair, prompt, accurate and thorough; that the true purpose, that of pre vailing accidents, be kept in the foreground; that there be no browbeating; that the in vestigation be on a kindly, sympathetic and sincere basis; that the data be well adver tised and also used, otherwise as sales points to further sell safety. Thus this data can be turned into stepping stones to get men and management to play better roles in the prevention of accident*. Finally by checking back to determine how the whole thing is working, the Safety Supervisor has played his role in the investigation of that accident. Perhaps to all this you'll say "I'll try." Honestly, gentlemen, tint is not enough. Two football players were out for the same position on the college team. Those fellows were both about the same size and age; they were in the same class and bad about equal football experience. One eve ning before the first game on the schedule, the coach approached tbc one and said, "Those fellows coming down here Saturday are big and they're fast. Can you stop them?" "I don't know, bat I'll try/* was the reply. By all ordinary standards of com parison, we may accept that answer as pretty good. Later the coach approached the other candidate in the same manner and asked if he could Stop them. His reply was, "You're damn right I can. Run them out here." We don't need that kind of language, but w*e do need that land of spirit, even in safety. There isn't any need to tell you who got the position, you've already guessed that Nor do I need to remind any safety super- Safety Supervisors 259 visor .ha, he is the ringmas.er of ,he fy show. that he is the sales manager of the force Hfag .'^/^^rdln^ly. things and should proceed accorotngj Just What Is the Safety Supervisor's Place in the Operating Organization? b. j. j. PLZAK Claims Manager, Consolidated Water Power & Paper Company, Wisconsin Rapids, W5s. (Editor's Mole; Mr. Plzak spoke extem poraneously. The following is a brief out line of the highlight* of bis speech.) The safety supervisor is a "Wajs and Means'* committee in his organization. U should he his responsibility to develop a bet ter understanding of human relations in his organization. The objective being to prop erly direct the activities of the employees. You in your work as safety director must weigh carefully the problems of management and the employee. Management is interested in producing a product as efficiently as ]>os sible--at a low cost and to provide a market for it. The employee's interest is to make this possible so he in turn can earn a liveli hood for himself and family. Your part, therefore, sitould be and m be to help achieve these objectives by providing the TIk human element is much the same the world over--there being correspondingly little -i.ffercnce among workers of one indus employee with all necessary' facilities to make possible this accomplishment under the safest conditions and through the safest try and another. However, a safety director is and has to he just a little different. He has lo be an average man, a diplomat, a statesman, a man who knows the answers correctly to any question raised by the men in his organiza tion and if he does not know it is wise to admit so. His knowledge has to be shared-- "for him alone lo know and not tell others is a gross sin." The safety director, if a good one, gives his organization spirit--through his own en thusiasm and through the personality dis played by him in his work and contacts with practices. This is indeed a big order, and \ou can't do it overnight. You must start at a be ginning and work toward your goal. How*? 1. Get a definite foothold in your organ ization. 2. Know company policies thoroughly. 3. Set up a budget of operation--a defi nite program. 4. Convince your executives that your program is a good one. 5. Identify yourself with all departments. (What safety supervisors need is more iden men in the organization. To do this job right it is well first to analyze the program of the safety director: In the first place, your safety program is an expression of yourself. Basically you must have a sound safety program, sound policies--built upon a foun dation of honest principles. You must place this program on die same level as you do production and distribution. Of course, there will be some overlapping in your pro gram but there is in every* good program-- so why worry about it ? This fundamental program can't be bought --nobody can command it--nor wish it or write a formula for it--but it can be and most be created by* you) tity.) Such departments as: employment, en gineering. purchasing, technical, med ical, etc. 6. Go about honestly* in taking care of all your obligations and responsibilities. Some of your responsibilities should he; 1. Know the employment standard, and confer frequently with the employment de partment as to suggested changes in uch standards. 2. If you have physical examinations in vour plant for your employees, be sure you arc familiar with the program. 3. Be aware of and follow through all mechanical inspections. 260 29th National Safety Congress _4. Keep a close contact with your first aid department--study especially all minor cases of injury, - S. Be familiar with all of the engineering standards of your company and the safety codes of your state. 6. If you have opportunity, develop a job analysis in your organization (care should be taken to do this job wdl). 7. Study job placements. 8. Follow up the injmy cases and be aware of the type of job an injured em ployee returns to. 9. Afford your- organization every possible means of education in accident prevention and higher health standards. You are a sort of good will emissary in your plant. You are the Ways and Means Committee. Remember that the success of your safety program depends largely upon the amount of attention you devote to it and the method of your procedure in its admin istration. ADJOURNMENT Safety Training WEDNESDAY MORNING SESSION October 9.1940 The session for the discussion of prob lems in safety training was called to order by the Chairman, Professor R. J. Greenly, Chairman of Trade and Industrial Educa tion, Division of Education and Applied Psychology, ,, Purdue University, Lafayette, Ind., who presided. CHAIRMAN GREENLY: For the last few years we have spent much of our time discussing the matter of gadgets and rails and guards, and other mechanical phases of safety. There is a need at the moment for thinking more in terms of the human fac tors in safety and we this rooming are to think and talk about these human factors. We, the members of the panel, have not re hearsed what we are going to say. We want to present to you an informal discussion, and you have the privilege of asking ques tions. For we want very definitely to pro voke thought, to have you raise questions, and take a part in answering them. This panel Is going on record as believing that teaching is learning, and, therefore. dramatically speaking, the job of the safety director and the job of the foreman and the job of the manager is to learn the worker. Now, to learn the worker, we must know something about the worker himself, not only the content we are going to present to him, but, more important, the tilings that make up the man whom we are learning. We are going to face the embarrassing truth, and facts that are sometimes embar rassing will be brought up. The chairman then introduced the mem bers of the panel, as follows: P. A. Alberty, Secretary. The Ohio Fuel Gas Company, Columbus, 0. H W. Boggess, Superintendent of Safety. Sinclair Prairie Oil Company, Tulsa, Okla- P. N". Bushnell, Manager, Safety and Per sonnel Department, Missouri Portland Ce ment Company, St, Louis. Roy S. Bonsib, Chief Safely Inspector. Standard Oil Company (New Jersey). New York City. Panel Discussion CHAIRMAN GREENLY: Now, your program presents a number of problems tW ire are to discuss. It might be well first to name these general subjects, as follows: Methods and Techniques. Programs for Supervisors. Employee Training. Reaching Employees In Remote Locations. How to Organize and Conduct a Training Program. Are Merit Rating Programs Helpful in Safety Training? In the matter of techniques and methods of training. I wonder whether we first should not discuss some of the techniques that are being used in training persons in a afety program. Mr. Bushnell, will you <larl that off? Will >ou suggest some of the technique* that are now being u-cd that arc familiar to you ? Techniques and Methods P. X. BUSHNELL: Well, first lei me say that my experience is with smalt plants. I want to make it clear that 1 am not one of the big industrial men with thousands of employees on line productions. What I have to say has grown out of experience with small plants with limited facilities for ex pert personnel administration. So we have to do the best we can with our own limited force and experience. One of the techniques that we use, the most important one, in developing the whole 261 262 29th National Safety Congress background of our safety work is that of reaching the foremen through panel discus sions such as we are having here. CHAIRMAN GREENLY: Do you use your panel technique to give out informa tion to the foremen or do you try to get foremen to express their experiences there? MR. BUSHNELL: We do both. Wc make every effort to get expressions from our foremen by provoking thought on their part and discussing problems growing out of their own experience. It may sound a little elaborate but, for instance, we require every foreman to report in writing on every first aid rase, not critically but constructively, and in getting his comments wc often find that he has entirely missed the point in hi* approach to the man. We find that that forces the foreman to learn the attitudes and reactions of his men, it gives him a little practical experience m human psychology, and in our foremen training meetings we di>cu with them some of the approaches that wc think they may have muffed or need a little coaching on. CHAIRMAN GREENLY: Now. Mr. Albcrty. what other techniques do you use besides the panel method in your plant? R A. ALBERTY: It has been our policy, in lieu of a rule book, to get from our em ployees, through meetings with as many as are selected as being the best procedures that we can decide upoiu CHAIRMAN GREENLY: Are there any other techniques that are used ? H. W. BOGGESS: Mr. Chairman, methods and techniques, it seems to me, should be considered from the viewpoint of the persons you have in mind to train. You may be interested primarily In a program to train your supervisory force or you may have as a problem the training of the em ployees. The technique as wc employ It is a little different in either of those instances. If you are to train your supervisors there are certain general techniques that you fol low and there are a great many specific techniques. The ones you have been dis cussing so far have been specific Other spe cific techniques that go along in the full program of training supervisors--and so far you have talked only of supervisors--may include your investigation of accidents. Right there you can do a good training job while you are investigating. It may also include the inspection of properties. While those inspec tions arc being made by your inspectors you can do a good job of training- CHA1RMAN GREEXLY: Would you call that a technique of job training? MR. BOGGESS: Absolutely. wc can get together, the building of codes. Those codes are to outline the best method, if there is a best method, and if there arc t*.\ r. or three methods, to attempt to select ik* as the method to be used by our com* pany. These codes we think are more prac tical than the rule book and are therefore Incoming the basis for the continuance of the practice or the method that wc use in teaching incoming employees. CHAIRMAN GREENLY: How do you get those codes? By having your men write them? CHAIRMAN GREENLY: All right. Roy, are there any new* techniques that you have to add ? R. S. BONSIB: First, I should like to correct the impression that seems to exist that because a company is big it can do more than a small company. After all, any big company is made up of smaller units, and the same technique that would apply to a big company would apply to a little com pany. T think the essential thing in (raining is MR. ALBERTY: No, the leader, some times the vice-president, conducts the meet ing, and he asks leading questions that get the answers, and those answers are reported when they seem to fit the building of this code. CHAIRMAN GREENLY: More or less Hit* conference method. that you start the employee right in the be ginning. Catch him with a few* words of in struction before he starts on the job. I think that is very essential in training technique. Before the man ever starts (o work have somebody delegated, to give him a few in structions, because never again while the man is with the company is he in such a receptive frame of mind. There isn't a man MR. ALBERTY: It is the conference here who does not remember what happened method that brings it down, however, not to the first day he started to work. the entire discussion but to those points that CHAIRMAN GREENLY: Do you need Safety Training 263 to be careful about not giving him too much at one sitting ? MR. BONSIB: Yes, you arc right, we do. We were told by Dr. Hulbert this morn ing, that a man can grasp only a few things at a time. Imparting Information CHAIRMAN GREENLY: Now, we have, more or less, two or three techniques before us, one where yon are giving the new worker or the old worker information as to what it is to be safe. Can we go a little farther with more specific techniques? What do wc do in imparting information after the man is on the job? MR. BUSHNELL: We use group meet ings. It ties in pretty much with what you said about job training. When we have an operation to perform, wc feel, as one gentle man expressed it, there are two or three ways to do it. Wc think there are any num ber of ways to do almost any job. Our ideal objective, which we never will reach but which we always try to impress the foremen we will continually work toward, is to find the one method that will rule out as many accident possibilities as possible, and the technique we use in doing that very often is to gather a group of workmen on a job and go through alt the steps. We break the job down into Us elements, and take up each element and analyze it to sec the various ways of doing it and the men themselves agree on the best way of doing it When they have agreed on the best and safest and most efficient way of doing it, it is pretty hard for them later to give any excuse or reason for not following the procedure that is set oat. That seems to me to be the basis of your codification of practices. CHAIRMAN GREEXLY: You have made several very interesting statements, it seems to me. Wc have analyzed the job and we have tried to teach the individual how* to follow through. He has learned habits. Do you have anybody to follow through there, to find out if he retains or has developed a new habit in the right way or if he falls back to the old habit? MR. BUSHNELL: I think often he does fall back to the old habit; quite frequently, I am sure he does. There is where your foreman and your supervision come in. The foreman has to be sold cm these practice routines and then he has to be sold on see ing that they are followed. That is the nub of the problem to me. I haven't solved the problem of how to routinize a man after he has established work practices. CHAIRMAN GREENLY; Mr. Boggcss. do you want to go along with that a little bit ? Have you had any experience along the same line? MR. BOGGESS: I think the problem of keeping your routines and your safe prac tices followed up depends entirely on the supervisory force that has continual con trol over the employee while he is actually doing the routine, and you must depend on that supervisory force for the result. You come right back to your point of beginning when you do that; that is, the necessity of training the supervisor in the first instance. CHAIRMAN GREENLY: Would you say also that your supervisor has not been very* well trained to do that? Look how your supervisor came up. He has been a mechanic for the most part and tomorrow he is told by the superintendent he is going to be boss. Yesterday be was in overalls; tomorrow morning he has to be able to instruct the men m all these routines and techniques. MR1 BOGGESS: The fact that he is a foreman does not give him capabilities. Those things he must leant by study and the few* who come by it naturally are a very small percentage compared with those who do not come by it naturally. They mast be trained. CHAIRMAN GREENLY: I am con cerned with developing that point a little farther because the supervisor has been brought into the discussion on several oc casions now. I am particularly concerned with knowing whether or not the foreman is able to teach. Ability to Teach MR BONSIB: It seems to me my con ception of a foreman is that he is a teacher because, after all, the teason he has been given that job is that he knows more about it than somebody else; otherwise he would not have been given that job and, therefore, * knowing more than others he should be a teacher. We look upon the people who know more than we do as teachers, at least we should, and consequently it should, be a teaching proposition. However, a mistake that has been made very often Is that we took upon safety as a separate thing. It is 264 29th National Safety Congress just good operation. Get your supervisory force to consider this fact, that accidents interfere with jobs, interfere with their getting their work done. Get them to accept that the test of their good foremanship is the ability to get the work done, and any thing that helps to get that work done is good business, it is good for them. Tie it in with the job, stop talking safety but talk good operations. The same things that cause inefficiencies and the same things that cause high costs are exactly the same things that cause accidents. When the supervisor looks on it as a matter of getting that job done quickly, efficiently and economically, it is going to be done safely, and I think if you can get that idea across to him, the second step is to see that he gets it across to his subordinates, and then you are going to get results. It is a question of close cooperation. do that job economically and efficiently'. I am going to keep repeating that because I do not like to see safety set off in a division by itself. It should be woven into and made an integral pari of that foreman's job to get results and he cannot get results if he neglects to do anything to make up that job. MR. BUSHNELL: I can sec that the foreman is in for a ride this morning. 1 have never heard a meeting yet talk about safety or safety training, or any other kind ol training, that the foreman didn't get ridden down the highway. But I disagree with what Roy said about the foreman hav ing won his place because he is a better man, because he has demonstrated that he can get along with people. We can hang a few signs, perhaps, on the management for the way they have picked their foreman, it seems to me. I know that in our industry CHAIRMAN' GREENLY: Roy just said we have some mighty fine foremen and we that the foreman is the readier and he has have some other foremen too. been elevated to that particular job because he knows more than anyone else in that or ganization. Would you go along with that statement 100 per cent? In other words, He might be selected for the foremanship job because he knows more about a job. Well, how about all the jobs within a department? A gOod illustration of what I am trying to say is the story* of certain football coach. As I have heard the story, Zttppke, of Illinois, never did make a first team. He wasn't a good football player but he is a mighty good coach; and I think there are a lot of all American football players running MR. BOGGESS: It seems to me that Mr. Ronsib is speaking of an ideal. Ideally the supervisor, the foreman, is a teacher; but he is made foreman primarily because of the around who couldn't get jobs teaching high school football teams because they do not know how to teaclt, hut they are good--flay ers. information he has and not because of his Now tve transpose that situation into in ability to impart that information. He cer- dustry and we have exactly the same truth. tainl}* has come up in the usual instance There are some mighty fine mechanics who from the gang, knows the work and knows material, but he doesn't necessarily know men at all. He may never have been edu cated in the technique of handling men, and that is what we need--how to teach those men not to have accidents, how to instill and impart the information necessary* to keep them from hating accidents. are foremen now but they should still be expert mechanics. They would be doing the company and themselves a lot more good and all the men at work around them. It seems to roe. Because foremen once were competent workmen and still are competent workmen that doesn't make them teachers. In this modern day and age we need teach MR. BONSIB: I question this matter of ers. the ideal state. I do not think it is ideal. I think ic is just good common sense. If a foreman has been able to get along with We have gone through an evolutionary period. We had working foremen, foremen were brought up because they could drive people sufficiently to be selected as the fore and get the work out and they did work man of that job, then he certainty knows themselves, and now we have industries his stuff and he certainty should know how where we have non-working foremen. They to get it across. If he doesn't get it across are simply supervisors aod they should be he is not going to be able to get his work teachers, but ability to work is not neces done. How is he going to get his work done sarily ability to teach. if he does not have ability to tell the man how to do the job? The point is, he should MR. ALBERTY: In the process of your foreman's doing his work properly there are Safety Training 265 some jobs that are more important at times tlian others. I do not believe that a mere blue print is sufficient. A superintendent wbo knows his foremen has some foremen who are better than others, as bas been stated. However, in the important jobs that come up occasionally, not constantly, I think one of the most important things a superintend MR. BUSHNELL; We have no choice. We hold them on company time; further more, we consider it part of job training. We do not separate safety, it is part of job training; and if a company does not want to accept the responsibility for training its own men l do not know who should do it. The men can't. ent can do is to tell the foreman he is go ing to have a certain job to do and then ask him how he is going to do it. Then if there is any part of it that he has left out, or that can be improved upon. Call the fore man's attention to it aod then have the fore man repeat again what he is going to do, to make sure that he has a full understanding of the importance of that job. I speak of this as a necessity particularly in Uie gas business where we deal with ex tremely high pressures and immense chances for something to go wrong. Even the slight est thing might cause a terrible accident. CHAIRMAN GREENLY: Well. I think possibly we pretty well agree with that, but I wonder now if they are going to carry on. as part. of their duty as supervisors or whether it is just going to be happenstance. You see, we want to gel down to the dis agreeable truth if we can. MR. BONSIB: I have gone ou record that 1 believe in not setting safety as a thing apart. It should be a part of job training, and that can be done either by the super visor or in the group meetings which prac tically every company has with their fore men. Problem of Company Time CHAIRMAN GREENLY: On company CHAIRMAN GREENLY: I should like time? to throw out another thought We have had MR. BONSIB: On company time. a great many safety meetings, with foremen responsible for holding safety meetings after working hours or during working hours. I want to ask the panel whether or not they want to suggest some ways to overcome the difficulty we are facing, where the Wage and Hour Bill has given us some trouble about holding safety meetings after hours. Or does the foreman just pat the worker on the back and say, "Work safely today because tonight when we are supposed to have our safety meeting we have to pay you time and a half if we have the meeting." Would anyone like to grab hold of that point and see what the techniqnc is of having safety meetings held? MR. ALBERTY: I might start some ideas about this. I believe that if in holding the .meeting off time there are outside speak ers and entertainment, the situation is re lieved. I believe that it is becoming more and more necessary to consider safety in industry. At the beginning of safety work some years ago most meetings were held CHAIRMAN GREENLY: Production stops. MR. . BONSIB: Their subordinates arc supposed to look after things while they are gone. I do not think it would be good busi ness to stop all production just to have a meeting; however, the meeting should be held as job training. I think that everybody should be interested in accidents off the job. Industry has done a grand job of safety on the job, but the accidents off the job are the accidents that, cause the trouble. You can lose a man's services just as quickly if he is killed off the job as you can if he is killed on the job; therefore, safety meetings that have to do with the man's safety off the job and the safety of his family can be held off the job, but safety on the job should be a regular part of job training. Don't for one instant let him think that safety is not part of the job, but that it is good business to get the job done effectively, economically and efficiently. off time, but I believe that now most meet ings are held on company time because of The Training Program the importance that has been given to safety. CHAIRMAN GREENLY: If we arc go CHAIRMAN GREENLY: Is there any company represented here that does it dif ferently? Do you hold your safety meetings on company time or after? ing to do it on the job, how* are the super visors very definitely instructed what to of fer? Is there a continuity of instruction, is there a yearly program, and so on? 266 29th National Safety Congress MR. BOGGESS: The one particular way teaching techniques for which the foreman that we do it may not be applicable to all is responsible. types oi industry. In the oil producing busi ness we have our men congregate near a point where the work is to be done that day, where the work is laid out, and the men arc instructed. This gives us an ideal oppor tunity to tell those men--for instance, we are pulling a well today, we are pulling it with certain equipment. Then definite and specific instructions as to routine and proper MR. BONSIB: The Humble Oil Com pany has developed a very efficient training plan. The safety director is here and I think that this group would be much interested in having Mr. Roaper tell us some of the things that they have done. I know that they have been very efficient in the training of their field personnel. handling of that equipment is given at that Training Field Personnel time and becomes a part of the job itself. CHAIRMAN GREENLY*. Who does that ? R. B. ROAPER (Humble Oil Company): I do not think that our technique is much different from anybody else's. Of course, our MK. BOGGESS: The foreman. He'is in first approach is through our foremen. Wc structed and told how to do it in the fore have monthly supervisory conferences that men's meetings. are held on company time, for which a pre CHAIRMAN GREENLY: And the fore men then arc instructed by whom ? MR. BOGGESS: In supervisors' meetings by conference panels and by rules and in structions and even.* other way. He gets that as a constant source of information in monthly meetings. pared program is sent out from the Houston office, our headquarters. Those conferences are conducted by leaders who arc selected from within the organization, and they have to do primarily with leadership and per sonnel problems and the handling of men. I might say that we promote our foremen, not necessarily from the standpoint of their CHAIRMAN GREENLY: Do you do it ability or knowledge, of the job, but more anj* different from that? from the standpoint of their ability as lead MR. BUSHNELL: Yes, wc do it differ ently. We haven't gotten that far. In our industry we have a twenty-four hour opera tion seven days a week. Wc can never shut down unless all business stops, and we have some operations that we just cannot shut down, meetings or no meetings, training or no training. It is a source of considerable anxiety as to how to properly instruct. I would 533% to add the instruction after the original training period and keep these men properly informed. But we haven't found the solution j*et In man>* of our Operations wc do shut down for these meetings, wc shut down departments and sometimes we shut down whole plants, but in our cement manu facturing we cannot shut down the whole plant, we can shut down certain depart ments. It is a problem f do not know how \<> handle. The way we are trying to approach it is llirough the foreman, by properly instructing the foreman, but we haven't developed, to my satisfaction at least, a proper check on how that foreman is translating and import ing whatever information we are getting over to him. I think that One of the weak links In our own chain is checking on the ers and men who can get the job done. We have found that we have plenty of experts in the business in the way of mechanics and others, who can do the job if they have the proper leadership; and, approaching it from that angle, we have these monthly supervisory conferences in which these prob lems are discussed by the men themselves and the conclusions that are reached arc then passed on to each individual foreman in the form of a supervisor's manual. The content of that manual is the result of the conferences that are held with the groups. Now then, getting dawn to the em ployee, in addition to having monthly meet ings of all employees--and. Incidentally wc hold them on their time as wc have * for twenty years and I do not think that it con flicts with the Wage and Hour Bill, be cause I believe it has a provision in it that any program on safety that is sponsored by an organization such as the National Safety Council or the American Petroleum Insti tute is permissible. In addition to those monthly meetings of employees which the foremen also attend--and, incidental!}* we work twenty-four hours a day--wc hold for that group every day, on every shift and every tower, a five, ten or fifteen-minute Safety Training 267 safety meeting, that is conducted ordinarily by the supervisor in charge but by the em ployees also. At those meetings specific jobs are discussed, safety rules and safety codes are discussed or anything having to do with the job is discussed, and we have found that that has been really effective. MEMBER: How often do you liotd those meetings? MR. ROAPER: On every lower, that is, three times a day. Wc change towers every eight hours, and on every* one of those towers one of these meetings is held. Whether it is in a machine shop or boiler shop, or wherever it may' be, the foreman in charge when he starts the lower (we will say at seven o'clock), has a safety meeting of five or ten minutes and sometimes they last even longer if they get into an argu ment about how* to do a certain job. MR. BONSIB: I want to emphasize the value of that five-minute meeting at the be ginning of the tower or shift, because the men are coming in, they have been off the job, they have been out of the rhythm, the swing of the thing, and the fact that they* have that meeting right at the beginning of the shift starts them off right. It is very effective. Merit Rating System CHAIRMAN GREENLY: 1 warn to ask now, just what place the merit rating sys tem has in the safety program ? MR. BUSHNELL: You probably are a lot more familiar with it than I am. We have been very cagey about introducing the merit rating system because we did not feel that our foremen were ready for it. We feel that any merit rating system that can not be property admmastered is much worse --I want to emphasize that--than roue be cause there are all lands of pitfalls. So for the entire past year in our foremen training meetings we have discussed merit rating plans, procedures, techniques, and methods. As yet we have not decided oo a merit rat ing plan, but we have gotten a tremendous lot of value, we feel, out of the discussions with the foremen because it is something that they really tear Into; they get quite ex cited about being pot on the spot to rate any man. When they get Soto subjective fac tors, like attitudes and the tike, we have some good discussions and they aH realize that they arc judging tfaczr men differemSy. The best thing we liave gotten out of it in the year we have talked about it is the realization on the part of the foremen that they do judge their men, judge everything that they do, and that the}* allow & lot of prejudicial thinking to come into their judgment and none of them judge the same way. It has given them an awareness of that fact which in itself is extremely valuable. CHAIRMAN GREENLY: Have you had any experience where the merit rating system has been equated and then evaluated as far as the factors involved are con cerned, SO that you know more definitely where the training of your workers should have its beginning? In other words, if you have rated your man you know whether he is accident prone, whether he hats low productional levels, and so on? MR BUSHNELL: We have a lot of opinions about it, on the part of individual men. Through the foremen there has been agreement on certain factors on which they think the}' need training. My approach is to tcO the foremen that in going through this procedure and program we are trying to find the first, most vitally important thing that we need to teach and to concentrate on. The next step will be how to teach them. CHAIRMAN GREENLY: Mr. Albcrty, have you bad any experience in your plant with merit rating and how it affects safety ? MR ALBERTY: The only thing we do that might be termed merit rating is about once a year to chan each employee. That is done by the district manager in conjunction with the superintendent. Merit rating of an other load, that we do about once a year, is to pot on some sort of a campaign. The last one was a campaign with the slogan, "If I were boss," and every employee was given the right to tell what be would do if he were boss. They brought in a lot of valuable sug gestions; and some pertinent criticisms too. Souk fellows were told just about what they were thought of. We gave cash bonuses for suggestions that one in that were ac ceptable. Another thing we do that may be consid ered merit rating is to give each driver who has earned it, a "No accident" driver's cer tificate at the end of the fiscal driving year and also a merchandise award. When first talcing up the certificate idea it was learned that it might fall flat, but those certificates arc highly prized. If you ever want to find 268 29th National Safety Congress out how much grownups are like children just skip a merchandise award to one of the employees who is entitled to It, and you will find that he will be right after you. termining his skid on the job and his safety on the job. Formulating Objective Test* CHAIRMAN GREENLY: Mr. Boggess, do you want to elaborate on that at all? MR. BOGGESS: We have been very cautious about adopting any merit rating program. As far as we go now is to give a dinner once each year to certain groups who have plied up a certain number of accidentfree hours. We feel generally that the busi ness of giving prizes, eta, is treacherous, that you can get results without it and that it may involve you in a lot of criticism that you can otherwise escape. CHAIRMAN GREENLY: Have you had any experience with it, Mr. Bonsib? MR, BONSIB: That is something we have been studying a long time and I do not think we have the answer yet because, as Henry says, there are a lot of pitfalls. Some of our units have tried various things but as a whole we have not adopted it as a general policy. 11 seems to me that the best way of rating a man is his record. You can kid your wife and your boss but you cannot kid your rec ord. and I think that is the basis upon which any merit system should be founded. But we are still studying it We have a lot to loam about it MR. BUSHNELL: We have, of course, kept individual files on every man and a record of every* accident or injury or near injury, from slight scratches on up to lost time accidents. We have felt for a long time that it would be quite unfair, even ex tremely unjust, to rate any man on the number of first aid injuries he has had. We haven't gotten >t_ very well under way as vet, but wc are going to adopt a system of rating every injury case, or rather, classify ing every injury case. At the end of the year or two years, we can look at the man's card and wc can say that that man was In the first aid dispensary fifteen times; ten of those times with things that weren't at all significant, tliat did not indicate anything about his attitude or about his willingness or his ability or skill or anything else; but five of them that did. We might find that a man has made only three visits to the dis pensary because of some minor injuries but all three of them are very significant in de CHAIRMAN GREENLY: I should like to step out of my chairman's role for a moment and suggest a technique to you. We have had some fun with it in two or three plants with which I have been working where we tried to discover what it is that the foreman as well as the worker really knows about the safety practices as well as the policies of the company. We have formu lated objective tests, using either the truefalse or the multiple response question. These tests were presented at oar group meetings at the beginning of the meeting. The persons in attendance were asked to check the right answers and then the person in charge would give the right answers to the man who checked the particular test. From (hat point on our instruction would begin. Individuals can confer for hours and get nowhere (as is often times true of pan els). You get together and you find that you have not decided on any specific problem. With the testing technique you know where you should start because of what your audi ence knows and what the? do not know. T may say that it has created a great deal of interest on the part of those who attended tlie meetings. I think that you will find an article in next month's Personnel MagasSmc which will give an analysis of that technique and some of the test questions. Now I should like to go oo a little farti^r. and ask the panel members regarding the way they are checking up on what their employees do know about the safety prob lem within their plant, whether there has been any remedial work or any checking to know whether the? have done anything that is worth while Has any man on the panel done anything about that or are you letting your records speak for themselves? Safety Consciousness MR. ALBERTY: In one plant where wc changed the head of the safety committee, which we do at various Intervals, we found that so many things of a minor nature had been overlooked, we went in for everything possible that could be found. For instance, a boulder in the grass or a board in a walk way that might be slightly uneven. Those reports were made by the employees who Safety Training 269 saw them, also by committees that were selected to make these inspections. The re ports were made on a report that we call "Unsafe Practice and Conditions Report," Almost five hundred of these minor things were found, most of which have been cor rected. In the process l think we imparted a great deal in the way of safety conscious ness to all of the men at the plant. MR. BOGGESS: There is one particular thing that we started about five or six years ago that may be under the category of checking up. In holding meetings we have tried to bring up specific operating prob lems. I have before me one particular ques tionnaire on internal combustion engines that wc used in all of our employees' meet ings a few years ago. Questions that are in volved in the operation, in the starting and in the care of those engines, arc asked and those men who did not know the answers got a good checking over. Their supervisors instructed them individually on the points involved. You might be interested in some of the questions. For instance: "Name the two types of internal combustion engines and describe the strokes, whether two-cycle or four-cycle type, and describe the mixing and introduction of fuel'* Right into the Specific safety problem, for many of those things do result in accidents. I mean the failure to know the timing of engines, etc. When wc found men who were bluffing their way through on the job as to the proper procedure then the foremen went to work on them. MR- BONSIB: One of our New Jersey plants has been issuing a quarterly ques tionnaire that has been very* effective be cause those questions are carefully phrased so that they cannot give a "yes" or "no" answer. In most cases an answer has to be given that requires some thought I am very much in favor of those quarterly question naires. They are a good check-up. Another good check-up is a careful re view of your safety committee reports. They also show you whether or not the ideas are getting across. CHAIRMAN GREENLY: I have here a question or two that we have formulated on that technique. Here is one that is repre sentative of the questions that are used in conferences on unemployment compensation, lor instance: "In Indiana the limit of bene fit which employees can obtain in one year under the Employees' Compensation Act is $325. Is that true or false?" Here is an other one: "If an employee reports for work in your department under the influ ence of intoxicants, should you send him to the hospital for observation; notify the su perintendent or supervisor of plant protec tion; ask him where he got the liquor; wait until he sobers up and then send him home?1* Now, it is rather interesting to find out how those questions are answered. This par ticular questionnaire was prepared by a training director in one of the industries in Indiana. The men as well as the superintend ents are agreed that such questions make their meetings much more simple and spe cific Also you will find that it gives you something around which your conference can be built. I am also particularly concerned this morning in finding out whether there is any difference of opinion as to where the safety director and the training director of a plant fit into a merit rating system. Have you had any difficulty there, any member on the panel? MR. BUSHNELL: Our safety director and training director and all those other di rectors are all one or two guys; that is what I meant when 1 talked about the small plant. CHAIRMAN GREENLY: Do you have any differences there. Roy? When you have a training director as well as a safety di rector, is there any conflict between the two? MR. BONSIB: There should not be, but I do not think that the safety men should be asked to get in on the rating business. CHAIRMAN GREENLY: Mr. Boggess, have you had any experience on that? MR. BOGGESS: Well, I got into an awful argument last month down in Dallas. Texas, on the same question. Some of those hecklers who caused trouble there are sitting here on the front row: Maybe we had bet ter not get into it too deeply. CHAIRMAN GREENLY: What I am trying to ask here is: Should the training director be responsible for setting up a training program for safety? MR. BOGGESS: I think that would de pend upon the policy of your organization. I see no reason why he should not. 270 29th National Safety Congress MR. ALBERTY: Wt have both a train ing director and a safety director. The train ing director gets up the programs for train ing and the safety director follows through to sec that the work is done properly. At least, they try to do that. In other words, the refinement of the work is safety work. It if that over and above just doing the job. It if doing it absolutely correctly. CHAIRMAN1 GREENLY: We have been throwing out some hints on what is being done by the members of the panel. I think possibly we will get a great deal more from this meeting if we now throw it open and ask you folks in the audience if you have questions you would like to raise? I should like now to entertain a question that comes from the floor. Attitude Training CHAS. S. BOWDEN (The Ohio Public Service Co., Alliance, O.): I should like to ask what training has been done in the mat ter of attitudes? T wonder what the gentle men of the panel would say about getting the men to do the things they already know how to do The second thing is I think it is a little dangerous always to consider train ing as a matter of meetings. I think that wc should recognize that maybe the ideal situa tion for training, as the old educator said, is a student here and a good teacher here. loth of them sitting on a log, working to gether. CHAIRMAN GREENLY: Mr. Uoggcss. haw \ou done any attitude training? Will you define what you mean by "attitude"? MR. BOWDEN : Attitude is the desire on the part of the individual to carry on what he knows or thinks he knows about the pol icies of the company which pays his salary. MR. BOGGESS: Do you mean, sir, to .ucl back to the fundamentals and the rudi think that maybe you do not have to study so much. What I should like to know is how do you keep them pepped up on the subject of safety? How do you keep their minds open and receptive for all of this stuff that you are putting out to them. MR. BOGGESS: I think in the first place that that is only an assumption, that his attitude is all right* when he first goes to work. It may appear that his attitude is all right and he may accept everything you say. but at the same time it may not be. I think die best way to keep men pepped up on this question of safety is to give them a part in the formulating of the codes and in decid ing on the methods to be employed in doing the job. That has been our experience. Keeping Them Sold CHAIRMAN GREENLY: Now the other part of the question that you raised is, what is being done to keep them sold, to keep them pepped up? MRi BOWDEN: I think the gentleman's answer is the one I wanted to bring out, I should like to have your opinion as a trainer. Is not the ideal situation in training not to have training but just to have man-to-man intercourse? CHAIRMAN GREENLY: I might sav that where wc are setting up training in in dustry-, wc are particularly seeing that top superintendents are brought into the advisory committees. If the top superintendents are not sold you can do nothing else about it, and it is surprising to find that top super intendents are somewhat difficult to sell In many instances. If the foremen give you the reactions they want to gjve you and nothing is done at the top, they say, "Why hold these meetings anyway? We told you about that long ago. You have the wrong group in this meeting. Bring the big hats in." Wc ments of whether or not a man is yet sold have heard that more often than I can tell on the safety program, whether or not he has the right attitude toward it, whether or not he is willing in his own mind- to adopt the policies and rules and regulations that you present to him. that you want to sell him? Ts that what you have in mind? you, and therefore I will no longer start a meeting in industry until I have had a series of meetings with the top superintendents. After all, they are the group of men who should be making the money and be inter ested in the safety of their men. If they MR. BOWDEN: As an illustration, when the man goes to work, as was brought out here, he is very open-minded, he is very re take it without too much concern, I am doubtful whether the men down the line will come through. ceptive, Iris attitude toward training is good. R. L. STAGGS (Commonwealth Edison Ten years from then his attitude perhaps is changed. He has been exposed maybe to the virus of some of the other fellows who Co., Chicago, III.): I do not believe that the gentleman's question was completely an swered a moment ago. T want to add to the Safety Training 271 answer. We have programs identical with the program that the gentleman heckler in jected a while ago. identical programs, but part of our program is telling the foreman what wc want him to know, and another part of our program Ls finding oat what he wants to know and giving it to him. Now, in these programs we have a two-way flow of information; one down to the super visor, and in our other program, the fifteenminute program that lie presented, down to the employee; but wc also make certain that the information that lie wants comes back to us through a tear-off slip or through the means of the meeting. We give that justas much attention as we do that information that we want to get down to them. So I would say in answer to this man's question, make certain that you know what your em ployees want to know and give them that also. CHAIRMAN GREENLY; I think that is a very fine contribution; I appreciate it be cause 1 think you are right down to the grass roots. R_ L. CONWAY (United Gas Pipe Line Co., Shreveport, La.): I should like to know if any organization represented in the audience has used panel discussions and has had supervisory meetings exactly as this is being conducted here today and as most of us have seen at various other times? I want to differentiate between this and the usual conference method, a* a great many of u* have been using it. CHAIRMAN GREENLY: I will try to answer part of the qootioo from my own experience. I like to tt<e the panel method, and have used it rather successfully, when we want to impart to the audience a certain amount of information. It is rather difficult when you waztt to get opresHom from the audience, particularly when ytm have a large audience. I had the experience a few years ago of trying to help sell an insurance policy for a large company. We had each member of the panel so schooled that be presented one special part of the po&cy to the men in the audience. I tfaaolt thax die panel method is more of information (firing than it is any thing else. I might say to yon that I have had 150 copies of the panel method that I have been utilizing nikpcographe J. If any of you would like to have a copy yon are welcome to it. Would anyone else like to express hi> ex periences ou the panel method? Roy, would you like to say something about it ? MR. BOXSIB: Yes. the panel method is very effective, as Russ says, with small groups because you will find that the aver age superintendent is not used to talking to large crowds and most people get sort of jittery* when they get before a group. The fact that they get jittery interferes with clear thinking. However, the panel method Has been very effective with small groups, and Mr. Roaper has mentioned one that has been used very* effectively in a small group but not in a large group. MR. MARRS (The Kellogg Co.. Battle Creek, Mich.): Mr. Bushncll said that he is entertaining the idea of establishing a sys tem of keeping some sort of a record of the number of times employees report to the hospital. If employees get the impression that every time they go to the hospital it is going lo be put down in a little black book, how can we overcome their reluctance to go to the hospital tor minor accidents which may develop into more serious conditions if not reported immediately? The "Big Stick" MR. BUSHNELL; As I understand it, you think (bat if the employee knows that you are keeping a record of his first aid cases or his injuries, his attitude may be >tch thar he will try to avoid going down there? MR- M X.KK5 That i* righr MfC Hl'SHXELL My only an-wer to thar i thar we haven't found it l> be to. Fur two year* we have been following the >ystem of mtVnc wrKten report* on every dispensary caw. Owe copy come* to my office immediately and ewe copy i- <nt to the foremap. and the focewsan i> expected to contact that man, even if it i- only * much a> a wratch, officially and sympa thetically and find owe exactly wbai happened. That m itself pir' tr* a tremendous base of training. I mean btrwvcn the foreman and the man. It beings up aO kind* oc thimes. We cannot stand aside and wait until some body is badly hurt before we do any advis ing. Wc go on the theory that any accident is evidence of something gone wrong in procedure. So wc are not concerned about the injury* except when it comes to the end of the year and we have to tell our presi dent how much oar insurance costs. We are 272 29th National Safety Congress not so much concerned with the injury itself as we are concerned with the circumstances of its happening, the thing that is evidence that an injury can happen. That evidence can come from a scratched finger or a turned ankle or anything else. It reveals all kinds of things to us about the mechanical equipment that has been overlooked, the little things. It reveals a lot of things to our foreman about attitudes. It gives our fore man an opportunity to talk personally to the man and get his reaction. Sometimes, it is a rather sullen, snarly one. You want to know that, if that is his attitude; and you will never know that be has a wrong atti tude until your foreman approaches him and finds out* In the two years that we have been keep ing such a record and have talked in safety meetings about first aid cases, I think that we have convinced our men that we are not holding it against them and they are not afraid to come in. However, I am frank to say that we do have a big stick, because the first rule that a man learns when lie comes to work for us is that he must report every injury under penalty of discharge for fail ure to do so. Well, we have never used that big stick, but it is there nevertheless. We were told when we started keeping these records, "You cannot talk about first aid cases because you will chase all of the men out of the dispensary." But in the two years that we have been keeping them we have found that not to he so. We have found that keeping these records has af forded us innumerable opportunities for the foremen to get close to the men and dis cover the things that this gentleman calls "attitudes" as well as physical defects. S. O. LAURHAMMER (Chain Belt Co., Milwaukee, Wis.); Have you generated among your employees sufficient enthusiasm so that they go to the first aid room every time they have a scratch? MR- BUSHNELL: Yes. I think so. gen erally speaking. We are not satisfied, of course. We find individuals once in a while who have a tendency not to repon, and that reveals attitudes. The foremen uncover them once in a while; they discover men who haven't reported for injuries, and in some instances infection set in and we found it out later. We have had cases of a man getting a little dust in his eye; he has tried to treat it at home and it has gotten sore and be has had to come in. We handle all of those cases individually. We haven't meted out very severe discipline to date, but I think that the men know that we mean busi ness about it and on the whole I think that we get very good voluntary response. Our foremen are very alert to this, too, and they encourage the men to go to the first aid room. As far as 1 know, oar fore men never reprimand any man when be says that he has to go to the first aid room, no matter how busy he is and under what pressure he is working. It seems to me that the attitude of your foreman is tremen dously important in this question. Our dispensary cases have increased tre mendously in the last two years. Now that may be evidence that they are doing more voluntary reporting. It may be that we are having a worse situation. I do not know. It is one of the two. I should like to thick that the tremendous increase is doe to a spirit and an attitude of cooperation aod voluntarily wanting to do something and to find out about it. I think that it has also had the effect of some men doing their jobs a little differently and avoiding minor in juries. CHAIRMAN GREENLY: Would you say that it is partly the way they are treated when they go to the dispensary? MR. BUSHNELL: That is right. Our safety man of our St. Louis plant is in the audience, and I want to say, for bis benefit, in his plant particularly 1 think that is very true. The way they arc treated m the dis pensary is extremely important as regards attitude and the way you take the informa tion down. We make every man describe what happened, the injury and the treat ment and sign the form. Nothing about It is hidden. He knows that a foil report is made of it I think that it would be a ter rible mistake to make a report and have it circulated around the organization and get to the foreman if the men didn't know about it This concerns the very essence of good employee relations. MISS LILLIAN STEMP (Lever Broth ers Co., Hammond, Ind.): Yoa mentioned before about working with the top super intendents. T am wondering, to avoid friction, how you are going to get to those top super intendents. Do you advise getting an outside man in, for instance, like yourself, much as they used to do with efficiency experts? Safety Training 273 Executive Cooperation ^.-AIRMAN GREENLY; The question is now raised from the floor, "How can we get these superintendents to come together without having friction and do we go out side and bring a man in?" In instances of a plant with an absentee owner, the safety di rector of the company may bring them to gether, and in many instances, of course, I come in from the outside and, therefore, that would be part of that answer. I find that where the company does it themselves, -wc have men rotate oo the committee and each superintendent is asked to hold a meet ing at which he presides. By so doing we make each man partially responsible for the job of the committee. C I- BURNS (E, I. du Pont de Nemours & Co., Waynesboro, Va.): There is a danger, we fed, in discouraging men from reporting injuries to first aid. Our company has adopted the practice of classifying very minor injuries as subminor injuries and those injuries arc cot held against the per sons who suffer them. Those injuries are investigated and if there is any reason wc should correct the hazards which caused them--and usually there is--the corrections arc made. A. EL PETERSON (Cbmrooawealth Ed ison Go., Gucafo): In our company wc have both safety men and training men. Fortunately, the training program follows mark that in bringing the employee in to report small injuries, we have impressed upon him that if be does not report a small injury, later it may grow Into something very significant and become a dangerous in jury. We have told them that they should report all injuries so that we can get their cases before the Industrial Commission adequately. 1 think that has had a good ef fect in bringing in small injuries. J. A DOWNEY, JR. (Sloss-Stieffield Steel & Iron Co., Birmingham, Ala.): Only one opinion has been given in regard to the time that the safety training meeting should be held or can be held. In a group like this I think that we can get a quick crosssection, and I should like to ask how many still do their training on the men's time? CHAIRMAN GREENLY: The question is, "How many persons in this audience represent industries that carry on their in dustrial safety training on the men's time and how many do it on the company's time?" (Mostly on company's time.) MR. DOWNEY, JR_: Under the old sys tem of our company (and we work with 65 per cent colored labor) we did a remarkable job of reducing our accidents, getting a fig ure of 890 down to 700, down to 600. down to 112. Then wc stopped our community safety* meetings at which we gave away pigs and baskets of food, and the number has gone up, I need some help. very doedy that of the safety program. First we have safety and then job training. Training by Participation To emphasize tiahiiug in public contacts, we separated that from regular job training. Then later we considered the job. So at the present time, so that you may understand the reSatsooshrp between the safety man and the training mam, all our .safety work in group meetings and conference meetings is under the training group. However, any question pertaining to safety is always cleared through the safety director. Tf there is any* question on safety operation, the safety man cocoes m. The same way, if be has certain special safety meetings and there is a question or procedure, he calls my group tn, the training group. I personally think that if that is dearly understood by the group there should be no question. E. CL FORSYTHE (Marsh fit McLennan Co., Indianapolis, Ind.): I think that the foreman's part in the training program, the selection of* the foreman, etc, have been brought out very forcibly. But there is an other question and that is, should education or training be by participation? I want to ask first your opinion as to whether that is advisable, and if you think that it is and that it is a good method of training, what methods and what procedures do you fol low? A man is more interested In a program and he learns more about it if he has a job In it and is doing some part of it. Do you skip the foreman sometimes and go down to the rank and file and make the workman himself a part of the program by giving CHAIRMAN GREENLY: Mr. Alberty, him a safety job to do? a member of the puaei has a point of view that he wants to present CHAIRMAN GREENLY: AJI right, Mr. Boggess, do you want to take that one MR. ALBERTY: It ought be well to re over? 274 29th National Safety Congress MR. BOGGESS: I think that question has been partly answered by this panel, to the effect that some of us arc using ques tionnaires: in meetings either of supervisory groups or of employee groups, where the employee is specifically asked the Question and if he does not know the answer digs it out, and if he does not know the procedure is instructed in the procedure. MR. BONSIB: A plan that has worked very effectively is to assign meetings to teams. A group of three or four men wall he responsible for the next meeting and for making up their own program. If they want help, they can get it on request, but there is no interference. It is very interesting to see the interest that is aroused, because of the old competitive instinct, to put on a better program than the previous group has done. That gives them participation and it works very effectively. CRYMES PITTMAN (United Gas Pipe Line Co., Shreveport, La.): We got the idea of using the panel discussion method for a roustabout meeting of eighteen men. Three or tour boys in that roustabout crew would not work right. I put them on the panel and they had to learn safety tn order to serve. DOMINICK COMOSA (Aluminum Com pany of America, Edgevvater, N. J.): In order to reach the rank and file, in the plant where I work, which has ten departments ranging from 50 men to 950 men in each department, we have established safety meet ings of the employees themselves in each department That is in the Edgewater. New Jersey plant We used to have departmental meetings with foremen and supervisors, and department heads would preside over them, hut we found that it was difficult to get to the bottom and to get the safety 'across to the rank and file. So we have instituted the practice of appointing safety committees throughout the plant, each department hav ing its own. They have a chairman, an assistant chairman, and a secretary, and they conduct their own meetings. The de partment heads or foremen can be in there if they want to, but they have no say. We have found tiiat so far we have gotten very y'Ood results. The chairman holds meetings once a month and writes a report to the department head and a copy is sent to the director. They make suggestions, which go to the chief engineer of the plant, and we take immedi ate steps to correct the defects which they point out about machinery'- But the main point of those committees is to teach the men on the job, and we fed that the em ployees themselves have more chance to contact their fellow workers. W. J. DENNISTON (Hyath Division, General Motors Corp., Harrison, N. J.): In the area from which I come we follow the general system of having what we call safety cabinets, and in our plant of 2,000 we Have one to every ten workers. The Newark Safety Council, of Newark, New Jersey, has training courses for these safety cabinets, and each year the men in the vari ous plants are sent there, and are given some training. They are given more in the plant, and they arc assigned to certain groups for which they are more or less re sponsible, thereby taking a very active part in the training program. CHAIRMAN GREENLY: Are there any more questions? How Convert the Foreman ? JOHN J. BURGER (W. J. Dickey & Sons, Inc., Oelta, Baltimore County, Md.): I should like to ask the panel what to do with a foreman or a supervisor, who is a first-class production man, who is a crackcrjack a$ regards efficiency, but who thinks that safety is a lot of so-and-so? Arc you going to put ibe heat on him? Are you "go ing to take him out and buy him a beer, or how are you going to bring him over to your side? MR. BONSIB: I cannot conceive of a foreman in these enlightened days who would think that, and I will bet that that fore man's costs are high and he is inefficient, because a man cannot have that attitude and be an effective, efficient foreman. CHAIRMAN GREENLY: Ts that a sat is factory answer? MR BURGER: No. MEMBER: I have been in safety work one week. I spent twelve years with J. Ed gar Hoover in the Federal Bureau of In vestigation, and I am now in safety work. I do not propose to say that I know much about it, but I believe that we are beginning to solve that question at the Wdrton Steel. We moved our safety program from the in dustrial relations building over the pro ducing department. We charge each man- Safcty Training 275 ager with the accidents happening in his plant. We charge him like we charge him with labor. We charge him like we charge him with material. He is tearing his hair to keep the number of accidents down; there fore, he will have some results and bang the responsibility on his foreman to put the educational program across. CHAIRMAN GREENLY: Docs that . -Ip you? MR. BURGER: No, not yet. CHAIRMAN GREENLY: I am going to ask whether Mr. Wcatherstone, of the General Mills, is here. Will you answer that question and give us a little dope on how you get down to the employee? C J. WEATHERSTOXE (General Mills, Inc.): 1 believe the question is: How to convert the foreman ? Well. men. I think in the first place you mm bring that fore man in with other ioremen who are inter ested and gradually sell him your ideas on safety. You cannot do it venught. We run into many cases that are discouraging to the supervisor of safety. Bat if we will be patient, if we will show that man record4 proring that years ago in that very depart ment there were many more injorio, and that through constant effort on the pan of the company the record las gradually been improved, that man can't help hot be con vinced in time that the safety program r< worth while. 1 feel sore that if yoo will just work on that man and work with him. not necessarily patting the beat on, hot patting him on the back and teJHng him that he U doing a good job, letting him know that he . is a good production mas and 'hat he i* capable of doing this ocher part of the work that you are expecting of hun. >oa w ill jert results. O. L. WEBBER (G*ry Wockv. < arnqnelUinois Sled Co.)' I *hPuM like t*. answer that question. I believe that if that foreman were involved in a lou-tinr acwlcn* and he were required to go over to the injured man's home, any time during the day or the night Other than the un' ntfcotor tone to be home, and impart the mtonnarioa to hi* family that be isn't cowing home, if yoo cannot sell him on safety then be isn't hu man. M. I_ WURMAN (Bayuk Cigars. Inc, Philadelphia. Pa.): Gentlemen, maybe I am one of those so-utd-so's. I am a general superintendent, and I tdl yoa that the an swer is to have your general superintendent insist that that foreman get into line. CHAIRMAN GREENLY: Now we are getting down to grass roots. R. H. LUCKENBACH Philadelphia Pa.) : We all work for a boss. He tells us to go to certain meetings. He pays die bills. He also has what are called "budget meet ings.** We all know what that means. A foreman spend* 98 per cent of his time with production and 2 per cent with everything else, time ranis, production cards, safety and what not Let's try if wc can to take that 2 per cem and make it rubber, pull it out so that vc can pot some safety into it. Let's these foremen that wc feel do not know anything about safety and call them into what c call an accident court, after they have had accidents. Call in a!-o the men who are directly connected with the accident4, the helpers, even the men who arc injured it they* arc able, the safety man and the superintendent and, if possible, the vice- president. That is? the first step. Let each one Itavc his say. 1 believe the foreman'4 face will be red. Then at the end o. he month let's have our budget meeting. Normally a foreman i> not invited to the budget meeting. It is the -uperintendent who has to do with the cost*. \t the end of the budget meeting. so that the superintendent do not know anything about tt_ the safety man should, if possible, invite two or three ut the foremen in who have rotten records Keep them outside the door, it you care to. until the time come4 ami (hen invite them in and di>cu*s in front of the management, including the vice-prohlenl and the superintendent, the accident- which have been had during the past month, the number of days lost, and what you suggest be done about it. I say the foreman's face will again 1k?cuene red. as well as the safety man's, lccame he i not excusable at all times. MR. DOWNEY, JR-: I want to give you the answer to that ofte and save you a lot of money. Bring that man with you to one safety conference and you will save your self a lot of time. He can pick it up right there. He will be exposed to it. and if he doesn't take it. you are wasting your lime to keep any foreman in your organization who has that attitude. Bring him up, if the boss won't bring him. That is the way I came to mv first meeting. 276 29th National Safety Congress CHAIRMAN GREENLY: I think cur lime has elapsed. We will take one minnte to sum up what was done this morning. Tt seems to me that in safety training we must teach something about many things and many things about something, and if we are going to reduce the accidents and the baz ars of industry, it is going to be done just like the Kingdom Come. It is going to de pend on just what we do as safety directors for each and even* individual under our supervision. We have discussed the hitman clement in safety, emphasizing that teaching is learn ing, that to make safety a working proposi tion the foreman must learn the worker and the job. Wc have heard from small and large plants, the human element is the same in all. We have talked of the panel as a method of getting information to and from the foremen; as a clearing house for com plaints and as a place for the building of >nfcty codes by the men themselves. We have emphasized the importance of a right beginning of the safety job and the worth of a whole-hearted follow-up by the foreman or supervisor. One plan discussed was to break a job down into its Anw^it^ and analyze them--to have the men them selves agree on the safe way and the fore men to sec that that way is adhered to. Wc agreed on the value of this plan. We de cided that the foreman does not a teacher and a learner of men just fay virtue of his promotion bat must be trained to teach and to learn. Wc found that most safety meetings arc conducted on company time. We spent much time in our consideration of the place of the merit rating system in a safety program; we decided that rewards are effective in motivating men to safety practices. The matter of reporting injuries received due consideration. The meeting ended with a lively discussion of what should be done with the foreman who though extremely efficient in all other matters would not co operate in safety. Your chairman wishes to thank fellow members of the panel and questioners in the audience for making this a profitable meeting. ADJOURNMENT Visual Education THURSDAY MORNING SESSION October 10,1940 The session devoted to a discussion of problems in visual safety education was called to order by E. I. Woodbury. Direc tor, Poster Division. National Safety Coun cil, who presided. Mr. Woodbury welcomed the delegates and made a brief statement of the plans for the meeting. He then intro duced the first speaker. The Practical Application of Photography to Safety By C. L. WAGNER Director of Safety, Duqaefne Works, Carnegie-Illinois Steel Corporation, Duqaesne, Pa. One of the major problems in safety edu cation is that of developing the most effec tive way of presenting pertinent information, ideas and safety suggestions to employees. This instruction must be conveyed in a manner as to enable them to understand the principles wc are stressing and to retain the ideas presented. Even though verbal instructions, job train ing, and written information may seem to be sufficient, we most remember that all men do not grasp or retain the printed or spoken word with equal ease. Consequently, we have done some experimental work along the lines of pictorial presentation and are convinced that graphic presentations are highly effective. Technically trained men respond at once to graphs. They see at a glance essential facts that would require considerable time and study to develop from written facts and figures. The average workman, however, is not a highly trained technician, and a still more simple presentation is necessary to reach him--something dramatic, that he can understand readily with little thought Volumes of descriptive matter can be written about accidents and unsafe practices, yet how can you expect a workman in the plant to read even a single page? These volumes may be condensed Into charts, fig ures or bulletins, and still not attract the worker. But when you illustrate the point by an actual photograph, you catch your man's eye. A dramatic pictured a short de scriptive headline or caption, and the reader makes up his own story around the idea you have planted. As an. example, consider an article on safety. If it carries illustrations it catches your eye as you leaf through the magazine. You stop and glance at the pictures; your mind immediately grasps the situation; you actually see the hazards as they exist; and then you read the article to see how the author solved the situation. But the chances are that immediately after seeing the pic tures you may have answered the problem in your own mind. Now--as a mental exer cise--try to reproduce the pictures by a word description which would tell the shop worker the same story I It is a safe bet that the illustrated article will have more punch and put over the in tended message in far less time, and with far greater effectiveness, than your printed story. That is one reason why 1 am going to use a series of slides in connection with this paper. Our first venture txr using photography at Duqaesne Works was to re-enact, where possible, all our- lost-time accidents. These pictures were projected from a film on a screen at our monthly supervisor*4 confer ences. Each accident was described in de tail, and in many cases the discussion would suggest corrective measures. This made a good start, but we did not like the idea 277 27S 29th National Safety Congress of using only lost-time accidents for our subject matter. Another objection was that the use of films was limited to the super visors and consequently did not reach far enough down the line. We had been using home-made posters at Duquesne Works for several years, but were not entirely satisfied with our results. As the new method of photographic presentation seemed to be working so well with the super visors, we decided to try a modification of the him idea and use reproduced pictures on the bulletin boards. The new poster, captioned "The Camera's Eve." is printed in attractive color combi nations and is 20x26 inches, ft appears sometimes only once a month, but usually twice a month, as the collection of suitable material warrants. From four to eight photo graphs are reproduced on each poster, illus trating unsafe practices selected from the supervisors* "Unsafe Practice and Safety Accomplishment Report." Subject matter selected for photographing is confined to practices not too dangerous to re-enact and of types most frequently re ported. These photographs are reproduced on the posters with suitable captions briefly describing the unsafe practices. Some are humorous, others satirical, and some of a subtle nature. Catch words and slang phrases of the day are used, and 'the poster has "caught on" to a gratifying extent. In fact, the posters are followed closely and we feel that even* employee in the plant reads them as soon as they appear. The originality of the idea, the snappy and different manner in which the unsafe practices arc brought to attention, and the attractive appearance of the posters, all com bine to make them both popular and effec tive. At first we attempted to confine each poster to some particular occupational, de partmental, or group hazard. However, we discovered that more interest was aroused by more diversification, so we arc now fol lowing that practice. The Use of Visual Aids in Accident Prevention By JOHN H. LEE Resident Engineer, Liberty Mutual Insurance Co., Rockford, III. Reduced to simple terms this is (he prob lem on which we are burning the midnight oil: "That John VV. Workman may go home to his family at the close of each day with all of his fingers, both eyes, no broken bones and a whole skin." That is the cornerstone of the National Safety Council, and all of the local safety councils and safety programs. Every day in every* city of any size John \V, Workman and several of his brothers leave the plant before the close of the day --or the close of the shift. But they do not go home. They go to the hospital--some times they are taken to the morgue* Jf ever we are going to keep John on the job until the close of the day. or shift, we are going to have to talk to John about it. He is the fellow who gets hurt The man behind the wheel is the one who stands the truck on its nose in the ditch. Up to date we haven't said much to the man-cm-thc-job about it. Always, from the beginning wc have been preaching to, selling and telling the "Big Man" or the management. Of coarse. v must first sell the management Bat man agement has long since been sold on safety They* will furnish anything, do anything they* can to prevent accidents. The foreman--bless his heart--whax a chopping block, what a punching bag he ha* been for safety speakers! We have been harping, hounding and pounding on the fore man for years. We have held him directly, personally responsible for all of the blood, bones, widows and orphans ground oca in industry. 1The foreman can help. He is cIoscm to the man on the job. But the foreman can't do it all. He has other things to think about and talk about. His big headache is produc tion. In spite of all the "Big Man" and tbr foremen can do, accidents pile up. And so, at long last, we are waking up to the fact that the man on the job is the mac to reach. The less talking and the more showing we do, the better. Not that hr can't Visual Education 279 understand what we tell him. It's just that it goes in one ear and out the other. "Apt Illustration Saves Lengthy Explana tion." The best, or most effective, method of illustrating is with the stcreopticon slide. I use a projector with an attachment for film strips. The 500 watt lamp will not bum the film because the light passes through the water filled bulls-eye and you may hold the picture on the screen as long as desired. Also you may shoot from die back of the room, if screen is large enough, plenty of light. A quick change from film strip to slide may be made by tilling the attachment to one side. The advantage of the individual slide is That you can change the sequence of the il lustrations. Caution: Be very sure that the picture is absolutely true to the mechanical set-up of the situation as it was when the accident occurred. The minute a certain picture came on the screen out in one of our furniture plants a man spolce up: "Look", he said, "the guard U tied back." "Yes," I said, "and that is why he lost that finger." I then went on to explain that the man took hold of the leg too dose to the unguarded knives and ran the leg against the cutting head until this end reached the stop clamped on to the end of the tabic and, of course, his fingers reached the knives before the end of the leg reached the stop. Up jumped the plant superintendent and he says: "Wait a minute with that picture. It couldn't have happened that way. That man is using the right hand head. You can see the other head at bis left. The right hand head always runs counter-clockwise, he couldn't have been pushing that leg toward the stop." Then the machine room foreman walked up to the screen and with his lead pencil pointed out the way he thought it should be. Someone in the crowd suggested that the slide might be turned around in the pro jector. The young man at the projector promptly turned the slide around. They said "Ah--that's more like iL" That helped me wriggle out of a tight place. Bat, gentlemen, the picture was right in the first place. / was wrong. I should have said that the man placed the end of the leg against the stop first, then ran it along the knives until the cut ran off the end of the leg. Visual aid, in this case was indeed most effective. It stimulated interest and brought out a profitable discussion. It was as though I had taken that group of machine operators over to the north end plant of B. X. Sc Co., taken them right into the machine room and grouped them around the shaper where they could see the >vhat, why and how of it. You just can't beat the old stercopticon, or still picture. // the set-up is true and you know what you are talking about. Better be sure of both. Another thing--be sure that your illustra tion is apt. Show something definite and specific, something that has to do with the hazards incident to tire operation of the ma chinery* in the plant where you are showing tire pictures. Don't waste time and effort showing a punch press set-up to the men employed in a wood pattern shop. We continue to speak of Visual Educa tion. Well, that's all right for the school classroom. I'd go easy on that word educa tion when you set op your screen in the mill room. Avotd giving the impression that you are coming in there to educate Mister Work man. He won't like that He will resent that. Movie* The movie moves too fast. "Off agin--on agin--gone agin--Finnigin.'* No one set-up remains on the screen long enough to regis ter, unless the action is repeated in slow mo tion. And a movie without an explanatory narrative is useless; the action is gone be fore the man has time to "figure out" what is right or wrong. I said a moment ago that our illustrations should have to do with the hazards of a par ticular line of work. It would be impossible to give a satisfactory? illustrated safety talk to this gathering on the hazards of your em ployment because no two or three of you are engaged In the same line of work. But--every' man in the room drives a car. For the purpose of this occasion we will assume that wc are a group of delivery* truck drivers. We all drive for the "Con solidated Laundry* Corporation." We have to go places, pick up and deliver. Let's just suppose that I am the route supervisor--or 280 29th National Safety Congress whatever they call the fellow that must answer to the big boss for all the jams you fellows get into. Things have been going haywire, we have had four crack-ups this month, all four have happened at intersec tions. We have all the known facts in each case but we are not going to spend too much time on a lengthy explanation of each accident (I will show several pictures.) Look, Walter, there is the coupe that you smashed up. You were edging away over there on the center line inviting the coape and the rest of the traffic to pass on your right. This fellow had every reason to sup pose that you were going to make a left turn--or at least keep straight on. Just as the coupe started to go by you, what do yon do but come this--'right square in front of him. (X) marks the spot A right or left turn from the wrong lane is packed with dynamite. Look, Norman, you were all set to make a left turn--over here in the left lane. O.K., hut you were coming too fast Didn't you see Susie coming into the crossing, edging over the line to turn left also? Your skid marks show that you were going too fast to stop when she cut in front of you. You didn't slide far--but far enough to tear off the bumper. Left turns are always difficult. Eddie, j*ou should know better than to cut corners like that. That four horse, hay maker turn that be was making was not so good either but that doesn't help you off the spot for cutting corners. Doctor says he is getting along all right but he won't be driv ing again for a week or ten days. Charlie, will you tell us what you were thinking of--or what you were looking at when you cut that caper going around the comer of State Street and Second Avenue? Did a piece of paper blow* up in front of the truck and scare it--yeah, made it shy like a young horse. Anyhow you crowded the car passing you over the center line and he went into the island and wrecked a front wheel. As you probably guessed these slides were made from diagrams found in an instruction book. I have suggested to the author of the booklet that he have an animated cartoon made up as a regular talkie movie to show the actual movements of the cars making die improper turns. The talkie part of it to be the clear, distinct voice of a narrator. The movement of the cars to be shown first at normal speed and repeated in slow mo tion. No funny stuff--no Pop Eye or Mickey Mouse. The slides to be used first for instruction, detailed information and round-table discus sion. Safety Posters--Their Development and Use By E. I. WOODBURY Director, Poster Division, National Safety Council, Chicago There is nothing so stale as last week's posters hanging askew with frayed edges, tom and covered with dust on an ill-kept bulletin board. The conglomeration of raessages, colors and titles do not even attract the attention of the casual passer-by; let alone convey the safety message intended. However, the plant bulletin board, in the right hands, can be made one of the most powerful factors in the prevention of acci dents. I firmly believe that a plant safety man can do more good with the bulletin boards at Jus disposal than through any other medium. The proverbial question, "What comes first, the chicken or the egg?" certainly ap plies to posters, the simile being "What comes first, the poster or the bulletin board?" It would be safe to say that a lopnotch poster has little value on an unattractive bulletin board. This is an old story--ooe, which we of the National Safety Council have been preaching for a long time--and yet the problem still exists. Not enough at tention is given by safety men to the effec tive display of safety posters. I recently visited the factory of a large manufacturing company. I saw bulletin boards on the plant grounds and within the various factory buildings. The outride hoards needed paint and repairs; the posters were small, faded and poorly placed. The inside boards were dirty, poorly lighted and poorly located. The management of this Visual Education 281 company is carrying on a safety program at considerable expense--paying good money for safety posters and wasting them on in ferior display* boards. Why does this wasteful condition so com monly exist? I feel it's because a few safety men are not yet convinced of the value of safety posters, nor are they aware of their fundamental purpose. Safety, after all. Is a matter of moulding irfiT*dg This business of interesting people and arousing their enthusiasm is as much a mass job as it is an individual one. It calls for the btnKUng up of favorable sentiments. Where one may lose out in an effort to convert as indiridnal, he may succeed in converting the majority of a group, and with that accomplished, complete victory is not far away. Business has recognized that fact for many hundreds of years. Only in business, it is referred to as advertising. Today, you can advertise and sell almost any product, in tangible as well as tangible- posters and the bulletin board arc your advertising vehicles in selling safety. It isn't a case of "safety must be sold"--it is a case of "safety can be sold/' Posters do the same thing for safety that newspaper and maga zine ads do for commercial products; they bring your product to the ultimate con sumer. In the case of industrial safety, the ultimate consumer is the worker. In discussing the purpose of safety pos ters, it might be said that they are the "shock troops" of the forces that are fight ing against accidents. They are meant to break resistance by instilling safety con sciousness in the worker's mind; they open the way for the other units of the "army," such as job instructions, safety contests, safety engineering, etc., all of which pro duce a receptive mood and willing assistance from the men in the plant. Since the ultimate in this hypothetical battle is to save lives and prevent injuries, it should follow that the real purpose of safety posters is indirect. Occasions in which a safety poster was directly responsible for the prevention of an accident dre naturally rare. That is one of the elusive things that never finds its way into concrete figures. On the other band, by incessant bombardment, posters accomplish what few other safety activities cut; namely, the creation of an acceptance of safety, prestige to the cause of accident prevention, and a hearty spirit of cooperation in the work undertaken to eliminate the hazards which precede the accident Creating safety posters today is a vastly different proposition than it was in the early stages of the safety movement. It is as es sential here as anywhere else to keep pace with the modem tempo and its high-keyed emotional appeal. It is not sufficient to por tray an idea in black and. white and hope that it receives ready acceptance from those who see iL An idea must first be simplified, emotionalized, given the necessary copy or slogan to tell the story effectively, and then illustrated. If the incorporation of these fundamentals successfully portray the original idea, the chances arc that it will be an excellent safety poster. The first-class poster must have one or more appeals to a varying number of emotions in order to have the story remain after-the reader gets past the bulletin board. Eye appeal must be a permanent considera tion in getting the attention and frequently this is done by the use of color. If romance can be worked into the scene, so much the better. For example, let us work on the likely hypothesis that the average workman is in terested in the score of today's ball game. Under such circumstances, would a sheet of paper with the two words "BE CAREFUL'' be as effective as a clever slogan incorporat ing the same words but carried through by a baseball or football illustration that is dynamic and forceful with action? The answers arc obvious, because engrained in the mental makeup of every human being is the urge of adventure, romance and excite ment. In the honest effort to urge employees to take precautions for their own welfare, we must never lose sight of the fact that we can't tell a man something and be certain that he has retained it-It is usually neces sary either to enforce your point (which is undesirable) or else sell him on the (den. Since safety is an extremely difficult and in tangible thing to enforce, the problem boils down to that of directly merchandising the idea by methods of visual education. Our poster production has become a highly standardized procedure. For pur poses of an example, let us assume that the need for a poster dealing with the hazard 282 29th National Safety Congress of falls lias been relayed to the poster di vision by the reviewing committee. The job is turned over to a copy man whose first action is to delve into the wellstocked files of poster data. After consult ing all available information, he consoli dates this technical knowledge into a more concentrated form. From this point onward, it is necessary to consider the lay-out and adapt the technical message to a "stream lined'' presentation which will most effec tively portray the original idea as well as adding necessary details either for illustra tion or attention getting values. The copy is then turned over to the artist for his layout comprehension. If possible, the artist is given free range in illustrating the poster idea. Our poster layout sketch illustrating falls, along with the other posters for the month's circulation, is then reviewed by a poster committee, made up of engineers, journalists and advertising men. It is the function of this committee to give technical criticism and suggestions on the relative merits of the poster as a sketch. Following this anal ysis, the finished drawings are completed, and after the engraving and printing, the poorer is ready for issue. Long cxjerience in developing safety pos ters has taught us several very important rules. Among them, that of avoiding the use of a negative appeal, unless absolutely ncccj-siry- Always unwelcome is the con tinual "Don't do this" or "Don't do that" phrase. It tends to breed resentment more rapidly than any other fallacy in human relations. Sooner or later it sets up a nega tive and resistant attitude in workers* minds and safety becomes a "pain in the neck** in stead of the protecting friend that it should be. Experience has demonstrated that there are two emotions inherent in men that are easy of access and which act as excellent mounding boards in appealing to a man's sense of reasoning. These are pride and family love. If a man can be stimulated to take pride in being a safe worker, one of the most valuable jobs in safety has been ac complished. Posters on "success through safety," "safety records," or "score sheets" arc an excellent approach to the sense of pride. In appealing to a man's love of his family, you undoubtedly touch one of the things in life most dear to him. "Heart appeal" pos ters, picturing the hardships and suffering endured by the wife and children of an ac cident victim are always powerful enough to cause a roan to think more than twice about tbe results of rashness or carelessness. We must bear in mind, however, that h? approach must not be overdone, as it will lose its force more rapidly than any other form of appeal. There is a general trend these days to use more and more cartoons on posters. Car toons on posters tie-in perfectly with the use of action pictures and they are extremely popular. There is a psychological reason for this, in that the average workman is the type of person who dislikes formality and undoubtedly absorbs information presented in a down-to-earth fashion. Of course, it must be considered that anything humorous will always demand attention and is retained. Another important trend is the growing demand for the incorporation of patriotism in safely posters; which brings up the very timely question, "What is a good patriotic poster?'* In the first place, it must be inspirational; in other words, highly dramatic, colorful, and powerful. In the second place, if must explain its purpose; that is, it must tell the reader what the poster is attempting to ac complish and what the reader can or should do in this attempt This simply means that the thought should be worded in the form of a challenge or pica. Thirdly, the patri otic poster should create a desire for action --it should stimulate the reader to do some thing about the situation! Bear in mind that the result of all these essentials must be simple and brief, yet cleverly presented--patriotic posters are no exception on that score! Patriotic posters, tying together safety and national defense, have a vitally important place in industry these days and it will be well to remember bow these indispensable requirements cre ate results. * In many instances the illustration on a poster is often of greater importance than the wording itself, and it is usually tbe part of the poster that draws the eye first. This is due mostly to the fact that the effective ness of a poster depends upon its intensity and simplicity. For this reason, a good pos ter illustration must be unique in treatment. It must incorporate qualities of boldness and Visual Education 283 be colorful and direct; and if possible it should be full of action. AH too frequently clever and valuable safety ideas are smoth ered by weak or complicated illustrations. Last year the National Safety Council distributed well over four million posters. Most of this circulation was confined to the North American continent. However, a great many of them went to all comers of the world. The very fact that our members have given these posters such a wide ac ceptance seems to be indisputable evidence that they are justified and that this method of visual education is being utilized and its importance recognized. So far this year, the average monthly poster circulation has been close to four hundred thousand. Let us assume that ten people read each poster (and that Is prob ably a very conservative estimate); then these posters reach aproximately four mil lion people every month. It is only natural to assume that the National Safety Council posters have the greatest coverage of any similar safety medium in the world today, and we feel certain that such wide coverage is of tremendous assistance in the education of people in the ways of safety. Thousands of workers in industrial plants see these posters every day; motorists on (he highways and the lone forest ranger miles from civilization, sailors on ships at sea, miners at 1,000 fret below the earth's surface, children at school and people in all walks of life arc taught safety through the medium of these posters. We're selling safety to four million people every* month, we must recognize the impor tance and purpose of this medium, so that it may accomplish the big job intended! ADJOURNMENT Aeronautical Section Officers 1939-1940 General Chairman--C R. Smith, American Air Lines, Jackson Heights, L. I., N. Y. Vice-Chairman--Majoe R. W. Schroeder, United Air Lines Transport Corp., Chicago, III Vicrdknrman--Jerome Lederer, Civil Aeronautics Board, Washington, D. C .^<<rf/dr^-EwAU> T. Paxton, Pan American Airways, New York, N. Y. Officers 1940-1941 General Chairman--Major R. W. Schroeuer, United Air Lines Transport Corp., Chicago, DL Vice-Chairmen--Tom O. Harms', Transcontinental & Western Air, Tnc., Kansas City, Mo. Jbeoke LroKiFi, Civil Aeronautics Board, Washington, D. C Secretary--Edwarii T. Paxton, Pan American Airways, Inc., New York, N. Y. WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON SESSION October 9, 1940 The session was called to order by Major R W, Schroeder, Vice-President for Safety, United Air Lines Transport Corporation, Chicago, who presided. After commenting briefly on the objectives of the Congress, and especially on the participation of the airtimes of the country in the nationwide campaign for accident prevention in all in dustries and pursuits. Major Schrocder in troduced the first speaker. Uniform Airport Traffic Control By MAJOR JOHN BERRY Manager, Cleveland Airport, Cleveland, O. Uniform airport traffic control must of necessity be Federal control. In 1929 there was installed at the Cleve land Airport, over the objections of the Air lines and the Department of Commerce, a control tower whose primary purpose at that time was to prevent collisions on the airport and to expedite the landing oi trans ports for plane-train connections. As traffic built up we developed a system for coordinating and distributing informa tion along the airways which centered at Cleveland. A record was kept of the ships on these airway?, the altitude at which they were flying, their destination, arrivals at their terminals and in a limited way carrying out the functions which have since bem de veloped by the Airway Traffic Control Sec tion of the Department of Commerce. The primary function of an Airport Con trol Tower is to supply information to the pilots of the varioas airplanes landing and taking off from an airport. It provides the order in which planes are to take off, when ever such action is necessary, and of neces sity determines the question of priority. The increase in numbers of privately op erated airplanes, coupled with student flying 285 286 29th National Safety Congress activities, lias presented many problems to the busy Airport. The transports, with their larger craft and their use of a wider range in landing or in circling to land, should at all times take precedence over any type of flying except in cases of great emergency. The question of a definite line of dcraarcation between the functions of the Airway Traffic Control operator and that of the Airport Control operator is still undefined. The approaches and the type of construc tion of the airports of this country vary* to such a degree that in mam' instances a uni form control will work a hardship. At Cleveland, with an area of 1040 acres, all flj'able, and with no hazards existing within 20 miles of the port from all direc tions, we arc subjected to the same ceiling and visibility limitations as any other ports that do not have such natural advantages. The efficient control tower operator is an extra pair of eyes for the pilot, in that his vision is unobscured, and it is within his power to discriminate which of several ap proaching ships he given priority in land ing. The in formation, not only of traffic in and about the port, but of weather conditions, altimeter settings, time checking are all available from the control tower to the pilot about to leave. Many claims have been made that the pri vate fiver is given little consideration in the matter of approaching and landing on major terminal*. This perhaps is true to the degree in which the private flyer has prepared him self to accept the facilities of a control tower. Radio equipment (and T am not prepared to slate whether or not the two-way radio he compulsory) must be installed as part of the regulation on every airplane turned out from the factory. For without the facility for receiving instructions the pilot not only is handicapped, but is jeopardizing his fel lows who may have equipped themselves to receive instructions and arc approaching a given airport at the same time. The smaller cities faced with the opera tion of a control tower are greatly handi capped, not only in the cost of its operation but in providing the necessary funds for the building of the tower and its equipment, despite the fact that a control tower is as essential to the smalt city where private flying, student training and transports jointly use the field, as it is for the major ports. Mr. Fred Smith, in his address to the State Aviation Officials at New Orleans-last year, cited the following essentials for Air port Traffic Control at all active airports: 1. Radio communications between the air port and aircraft on the ground on the air port or in the air in the vicinity of the air port 2. Visual signals, light, flag and panel if necessary, for communication with aircraft not equipped with radio on the airport or in the vicinity of the airport. 3. AH the equipment necessary' to enable the operator to give the pilots of aircraft information on wind, direction and velocity, altimeter setting, and, of course, a structure from which an operator can observe traffic so as to be in a position to give pilots cor rect information or instructions relative to the use of the airport. I take exception to the visual signal. As you know, for many years the National Air Races have been held on the west side of Cleveland Airport without interference with movements of several hundred transports daily during those three days. This is made possible solely by two-way communication. The visual signal, or light, thrown in the air in the direction of two or three approachiug ships for landing has been mis construed by each approaching pilot as ap plying to him, with the result that narrow escapes from collisions hare occurred alto gether too frequently. The question of separating flight instruc tions from busy airports and confining it to small fields sufficiently removed is one well worth)' of great consideration, as wet! as the licensing of airports so close as to re quire opposite means of approach. For ex ample the Kansas City Municipal Airport and Fairfax Field. One airport will require clockwise and the other airport will require counterclockwise landing to &vo:d collision. There are sufficient rules in effect under the Air Code to provide uniform method of control, if these rules are properly enforced; but the question of enforcement is too often not considered a primary local responsi bility. Aeronautical Section 287 Aith large numbers of your young col lege students taking advantage of the civil training course offered by the Civil Aero nautics Authority, congestion on Lite smaller fields is a problem. 1 am fully in accord with the theory that spiralling and the figure eight's, which are part of the training course, should be segre gated from all transport fields. But the question of the amount of traffic, whether it be private or transport, basically depends upon the facilities offered by an airport in its area and its available landing space For years, despite the great authorities on airport design and construction, I have con tended that the building of runways, whether 150 or 1,000 ft. in width, limits the available area to one ship for landing, and if dual runways are built we are still limited to two ships. In Europe the a11way landing area is still in use. At Geveland wc have retained and made available Lite entire 1,000 acres for landings and takeoffs--innumerable, simul taneous landings arc made daily. Again the question of uniform airport traffic control becomes b question of uniform airport de sign. The city of New York has recently de veloped a very elaborate and beautifully de signed major terminal, but because of con ditions m the metropolitan area sufficient land for the allway type of field was im possible to secure in the location in which it was desired to build the airport. Despite the fact that many millions of dollars have been spent on the construction of this port, and that It is in operation less than one year, congestion is so great, even though limited to airline operations, that it is deemed necessary* to provide additional ports in the metropolitan area for airline termini. The holding of aircraft at various alti tudes over a given port awaiting the clear ance of a landing area does not make for safety. Tbc personnel of a Control Tower de termines its efficiency. It is necessary for the man who is directing traffic to have a thor ough understanding of the clearances, speeds, gliding angles and maneuverability of the various types of aircraft, particularly those used for air transport. The question of phraseology is vital in efficient operation. Conversation should be limited and should be standardized. The Airway Traffic Control in operation under Federal control has performed an out standing aid to air navigation and the liaison between Airport Traffic Control Tower and the airway control operator must of neces sity be exceedingly close. The Airway Traffic Control Tower oinrrator on a busy airport is not competent to direct landings and takeoffs because of the multiplicity of airway matters which require his attention, and too, the Airport Control Tower must be given the responsibility for the landings and takeoffs of ships. In many cities privately owned airports have been established adjacent to terminal fields and are operated without any super vision and with little or no regard for the problems of the major terminal. No regu lations as yet seem to apply, despite the fact that under instrument weather all private craft may be grounded on terminal port, a ship descending through the overcast land ing may encounter a plane from the smaller field directly in his glide path and some day too close to be avoided. These small fields arc generally Ixyond she jurisdiction of the terminal manager and fall under the Civil Aeronautics Au thority supervision because of their location on a Federal airway. Yet despite the fact that the)* are a definite hazard there seem* to be no rule or law which would eliminate them. The co-operation of pilots is also vital-- no ship, even when cleared by its dispatcher, should start taxiing until given a clear sig nal by the Control Tower. The operator with unobstructed vision is in better position to determine the safety of moving the craft, and even after clearance has been given the pilot should stay tuned to the tower until lie is well removed from the zone of focal traffic. Many of the private operators feel that the installation of a radio in a ship is suffi cient to comply -with local rules. A re ceiver which works but part time, .due to lack of maintenance, is a greater hazard than no radio at all, due to the fact that though instructions may be given him he is unable to follow* them. 288 29th National Safety Congress Regulation of the Charter Operator By JEROME LEDERER Director, Safety Bureau, Civil Aeronautics Board, Washington, D. C. The following letter, altered to eliminate names and places, was received recently in Washington- "One day in August I wanted to take the evening plane from our local airport, but found that there was no plane available: Late in the afternoon the man in charge of reservations suggested that an arrangement be made with a company which, he said, operated under a special charter for carry ing passengers and employed licensed pilots, raying that he could arrange for'myself and associate to be delivered in Newark before dark for the sum of $50.00, provided we were at (he held by 5:30 o'clock Eastern Standard Time. We accepted this arrange ment and were escorted to a four-passenger plane, which took to the air about twenty minutes later. "After we had been in the air a while, it became evident that the pilot was not sure of his course, at one time circling over a river. He traveled at such a low rate of speed that it was dark before he reached Princeton, at which place he dropped down to an open space behind an industrial plant, where he inquired the way to the Newark Airport. They told him that the railroad alongside of the place where he landed would take him straight to the Newark Airport. When we raised the question' whether he was sure that he could land us there, he insisted that he could be there within fifteen minutes. Later on, he frankly admitted that he did not know where he was but apparently, finally, got near enough to the Airport to land us, unexpectedly, in the marsh at one side of the landing field. Both the other passenger and myself were injured seriously enough to require to be taken to the Hospital, where we were con fined for eight .days. "I am writing to inquire especially, how it could happen that the lives of two pas sengers could thus be risked in the hands of a pilot who evidently did not know his way in a plane which had no means what ever for communication with the field or for enabling the pilot to ascertain bis whereabouts and leaving him entirely de pendent for his direction upon what he could guess from what he saw below him." While this type of operation is not typical of the service offered by the better charter operators, it does discredit them and when considered with several fatal accidents that occurred in charter operations within the year it points out a definite weakness in the framework of safety regulation which has been erected by the Government to protect the air traveling public. A review of these fatal accidents revealed that they resulted from inadequate training and equipment or lack of restraint by the pilots in the face of bad weather. Therefore, it would seem to be the re sponsibility of the Government either to disclose to the public the safe operating limitations of pilots and ships used in char ter services or to impose restraint on charter operators by regulations. Special ratings or certificates, prominently displayed to show passengers the safe operat ing possibilities of aeroplanes and pilots would set the charter operator apart from all other aircraft operators. These would not necessarily restrict an operator to the limit of his qualifications. In the event of a bona fide emergency he should be permitted to take risks if he is willing to do so and if he takes the responsibility of informing his passenger of the risks and if the public safety if not endangered. This procedure would merely be a dis closure of limitations to give the public an opportunity to weigh the risks of chartering an airplane. But perhaps more definite regu lation is necessary. Charter operators are offering the public a growing medium of air transportation which might be con sidered in the same regulatory category as a chartered launch or fishing boat but which' is of a far greater utilitarian value and is infinitely more dependent on the experience and skill of the operator, and on the quality and adequacy of equipment The airplane charter operator should receive at least the same distinction in regulation that is given the operator of chartered boats. Both are offering their services and equipment to the public for a reward and the public has Aeronautical Section 289 a right in turn to expect special precau tions to protect its safety. Qualified operators should welcome the distinction of special ratings or regulations, since it would offer them greater prestige, it would strengthen the public confidence, it would put them in a better position to invest in special equipment and to provide better maintenance faalities, since all opera tors would be required to conform to the same minimum requirements, thus reducing the opportunities for cut rate competition. The charter operators would have an op portunity to build for themselves a safety record which would not be affected by acci dents In other forms of miscellaneous flying. Life insurance restrictions which have been a retarding factor in development of char ter business might then be eased. Proposals--General As a basis for discussion. I propose first certain fundamentals which in my opinion should be the basis of regulations of the charter operator; and secondly, some ideas on definite procedures which have been suggested or have been in use at some time heretofore. I am offering these as my own suggestions and not those of the Govern ment. Every* flight undertaken for charter pur poses should have a written clearance to show: 1. That a responsible mechanic certified that the airplane and its accessories were in airworthy condition shortly before take-off. (Note: A standard form listing the items to be checked with a definite system of fixing responsibility would be necessary.) 2. That the pilot was competent to make the flight (Note: For example, a pilot with little cross country experience should not be allowed to engage fa cross country char ter flights. His experience should not be gained at the risk of endangering the pub lic.) 3. That the airplane was adequately equipped with accessories and supplied with fuel, oil, maps and other material necessary for the flight considering the wind and weather conditions and unpredictable con tingencies. (Note: For instance a flight off the airways is not likely to have the ad vantage of accurate weather reports and the contingencies that may arise should be con sidered in the flight plan.) 4. That the weather conditions reported from reliable sources shortly before flight-- let us say 60 minutes--were good enough to assure successful completion of the flight, taking into consideration the kind of flying equipment and the experience of the pilot. (Note: For instance, only an airplane with an operating radio receiver and trans mitter and the necessary instruments should be allowed to depart into instrument con ditions and then only in accordance with cer tain rainimums in regard to ceiling, visi bility or icing conditions.) 5. That the airplane was correctly loaded and tltat passengers were not in such con dition as to interfere with the flight. (Note: For instance, intoxicated passengers must be left on the ground.) 6- That the flight was approved and cleared by a responsible person in the or ganization. (Note: A flight plan showing the weather conditions, fuel and oil supply, destination, alternates, intermediate stops, es timated time of arrival, cruising speed and altitude etc. should be made up and signed in duplicate, one copy remaining at point of departure.) 7. That, where emergency flights must be undertaken, through hazardous conditions, the passenger is informed of the hazards that are likely to be encountered, the quali fications of equipment and personnel to meet them, and agrees in writing to undergo them. (Note: The public too often assumes that a willingness by the operator to under take a flight indicates it is safe. If instru ment conditions, icing conditions, or similar conditions are to be encountered, the pros pective passenger should be told.) Proposals--Specific Attempts to control the activities of char ter operators have been made before. Sev eral years ago the Board of Aeronautics of one of the states Issued privileges to char ter operators who fulfilled certain minimum qualifications, as follows: Charter operators who comply with the following requirements may apply for and receive an approval certificate stating that they have complied with the requirements Sot such approval: "Aircraft: Aircraft must be cabin type properly certificated, by the U. S. Civil Aeronautics Authority and equipped with two-way radio, full compliment of blind 290 29th National Safety Congress flight instrument, night flight equipment, suitable cabin heaters and ventilators. "In addition, planes shall have a sufficient fuel supply aboard at time of take-off, considering winds and other weather condi tions forecast for the period of the flight, to "(a) Complete such flight to the point of the first intended landing and thereafter, "(b) Fly to and land at the alternate air port designated in the approved flight plane and thereafter, "(c) Fly at normal cruising consumption for a period of 45 minutes. "Plight Equipment: On cross country flights, pilot shall have following equip ment: "(a) Maps of all territory within 200 miles of the line of flight. "(b) Latest tables of radio ranges and weather broadcast scltedules. "(c) Hand flashlight "(d) Air sickness containers, chewing gum and cotton. "(c) Equipment required by the Civil Aeronautics Authority. "Pilots: Must be certificated by the U. S. Civil Aeronautics Authority as a commer cial pilot with necessar>* rating the weight class he is flying together with an instru ment rating. He must have a minimum of 1,000 hours of certified time of which at least 700 hours shall have been cross coun try and night flying experience minimum of 100 hours. "Operators shall keep on file with the State Department of Aeronautics a list of all pilots in his employ, either port or full time, showing the names, addresses, pitot certificate numbers and ratings Held by each pilot and shall notify the Department of any additional pilots employed, or any pilots dropped from employment. "Insurance Requirement: Operator must carry passenger liability insurance in the amount of $10,000 per passenger seat, public liability $10,000/$25,000 limits and property damage in the amount of $5,000. "Statement: The operator shall furnish to the State Aeronautics Department a certi fied statement from his insurance company setting forth the following: That the operator is insured by that company in the kind and amounts stipulated under `Insur ance Requirements.' That they, me com pany, will notify the State Department of Aeronautics in writing of any lapse, failure to renew, or change in the insurance which would effect the operator's agreement with the State Department of Aeronautics and/or any special agreements regarding the effec tiveness of such insurance. "Operation: Where operation is along a federal airway, operator shall file a flight plan and designate two alternate airports, and conduct his flight according to all now* known safely standards. "Rates: Approved operators shall adhere strictly to their published rates, a copy of which must be filed with the State Board of Aeronautics. "Maintenance: All aircraft, flight instru ments and equipment shall be maintained in an airworthy condition at all times. "Inspection: Approved operators shall have their aircraft inspected and recertificatcd by the U. S. Civil Aeronautics Au thority* inspectors at such intervals as may be required by regulation, and in addition, shall make their equipment available at all times for inspection by insurance company inspectors and the State Department of Aeronautics. "The operator shall at all times keep his books and records available for inspection by any duly authorized representative of the Stale Board of Aeronautics." Another suggestion recently submitted represents some ideas of a pilot with twenty-two years' experience who has given the regulation of charter operation consid erable thought. "Each person engaged in unscheduled interstate air commerce must possess a cer tificate of competency issued by* the Gov ernment. "This certificate should be based upon the competency of personnel and \hc ade quacy of equipment, maintenance and opera tion. "Certificates shall be issued after Inspec tion and approval of an operations manual provided by the applicant. The manual shall set forth: "1--Single engine equipment shall be re stricted to day-light contact flight only. "2--All aircraft shall be equipped with two-way radio and vacuum driven flying Aeronautical Section 291 instruments. (Equipment and accessories should be listed.) "3--Aircraft approved for instrument flight sliall have two or more engines and additional instruments as follows: "Pilots: All pilots shall hold instrument ratings and radio telephone operators' li censes. "Maintenance: All flying equipment shall be maintained by an approved repair station operated by the applicant or a station lo cated at the applicant's operating base. Operation: A flight plan shall be made for each flight--duplicate to be kept m the flight plan log-book, available for inspec tion. "Instrument flights shall be made only when the destination has a ceiling per mitting airline operation at that point and the flight plan must include two alternatives with a ceiling of 1,500 feet and conditions steady or improving. 'The flight plan should also contain other information pertinent to the operation. "Son-Conformity: In the case of a real emergency, such as the delivery of medical supplies, transportation of physicians or persons forced by necessity, the rules re garding the type of equipment and weather minimums may be disregarded provided that within twenty-four hours following the flight, the pilot shall report by* letter to the Administrator of Civil Aeronautics explain ing the conditions under which the flight was made and giving the names and ad dresses of the passengers." A charter service organized a few years ago operated with an excellent safety* record under the following stipulation*: Flight Rules "(a) Pilot shall obtain all available weather information along proposed route before taking off. "(b) No flights with passengers shall be made unless latest reports indicate a miniman) ceiling of 1,000 feet (1,500 feet for night flights) and minimum visibility of 3 miles, with no probability of icing condi tions, with conditions steady or improving: throughout the line of flight "(c) Pilots holding NSIR or SAT in strument ratings, and no others, may make intentional instrument flights with passen gers, under conditions in (b), above, if planes are equipped with sensitive altimeter and radio transmitter. They may make con tact, but not intentional instrument, flights in conditions less favorable than in (b) above', within limits agreed upon by Opera tor and A.C.S. "(d) The above conditions shall not apply to emergencies, when qualified pilots may go on instruments, but no take-offs shall be made unless conditions are within those in (b). "(e) Pilot shall fill out a flight plan for all cross country flights before take-off. One shall be filed with field management when possible, and with own office or other responsible person in other cases. File PX when practical, or required. "(f) Make necessary intermediate stops to insure reserve at destination of one hour's fuel in dear weather, two hours in other. "(g) Check ignition and motor R.P.M. before each take-off. "(h) Fasten all occupied seat belts before take-off or landing. M(i) Night flights only between lighted airports not more than 50 miles from lighted airways. "(j) No flying more than 10 miles from shore, seaplanes not more than 10 miles from water suitable for alighting, and not more than 10 miles from shore. "(k) No flying more than 100 miles be yond the boundaries of the United States "(I) Either Operator or Pilot shall can cel flight if either regards conditions as unsuitable for the flight contemplated. "(m) All Federal, State ami Municipal rules shall ic observed. "flying Practice: Treat passengers cour teously, follow their wishes as to heat, ven tilation, and altitude and other matters, pro dded their requests do not interfere with safe operation or are contrary* to these rules. Descend gradually, avoid steep banks, and avoid rough air,'even though some ground speed is lost in doing so. "Planes and Accessories: Shall be mod em cabin planes with night and blind flying equipment, and with radio receiver. Radio transmitter shall be installed on planes when required by A.C.S. "Flight Equipment: On cross country flights, pilot shall have following equip ment : 292 29th National Safety Congress "(a) Maps of al! territory within 200 miles of the line of flight. 41 (b) Latest tables of radio ranges and weather broadcast schedules. "(c) Hand flashlight. "(d) Air sickness containers, chewing gum and cotton. "(c) Equipment required by the Bureau of Air Commerce. "Maintenance: Operator shall maintain planes in accordance with the requirements of the Charter Service and its inspectors, who shall have the right of inspection at any time. "When requested by a Charter Service inspector. Operator shall withdraw plane from service for repair, and shall not operate plane for hire until repairs have been completed and approved by Charter Service inspector. "Plane shall be kept clean and neat, tanks shall be full and plane otherwise ready for immediate cross country flight, except when in use, or undergoing necessary servicing or repairs. "The Charter Service may withdraw ap proval of any specific plane or pilot, and thereafter said plane or pilot shall not operate under Airlines Charter Service name. "Pitots: Shall have 1,000 or more hours' flying experience. Shall only fly passengers for hire under weather conditions specified in classification assigned pilot by A.C.S. Shall use every' opportunity', when not flying for hire, to perfect or maintain blind, or instrument, flying technique, so that in emergencies they will be able to resort to this method of flight." The Pilot Problem To the more responsible and successful charter operators these suggestions, rules and methods of regulation arc not new. They practice them every day. Presumably each one is faced with the problem of se lecting pilots with sufficient experience and resourcefulness to meet the exigencies of Charter Operators. That is a problem which may be solved by certain changes in pilot training which are under consideration. While this is not the time to discuss that matter. I might say that hours of flying are not sufficient criteria to judge a pilot. His cross country experience, type and variety of airplanes, background of training are more important A pilot with 200 hours given under a planned program of training may* be a better pilot than one who has had 1,000 hours flying around an airport. Better training will require less regulation. Proposals for Safe Regulation of Charter Operator By O. J. WHITNEY O. J. Whitney, Inc., New York City Charter has been the title used for many years in the airport industry for practically all flying operations which were neither scheduled airline nor instruction of students. There has never been any attempt to set down a classification of charter flying, and it is my belief that before regulations of any kind can be made pertaining to this work, it must be defined and classified as that part of the iota! aviation transportation system. It has long been my desire to change the name from charter operations, and rather to call it non-schedule. It seems to me there is a closer relationship in the wording, and also it seems as if a closer relationship be tween that part of the total transportation system Is arrived at in this wording; also if it is to be regulated it should be classi fied as a commercial enterprise and identi fied alongside of the schedule airlines, and as a supplement to their operations. In the past, anyone who wished to hire an airplane would go wherever a plane or pilot was in existence, and hire the owner or pilot at a price for. any particular flight which he wished to make. There was no attempt on his part to find out whether or not the operator or owner of the plane had had any past experience in cross-countr' flying, or whether his equip ment had been thoughtfully prepared to cover the various types of flying which would be asked of it. Aeronautical Section 293 i he person hiring the airplane believed himself perfectly safe in that the airplane was licensed by the Department of Civil Aeronautics, and that the pilot carried a commercial license. On the face of it, this should be sufficient. Our experience in charter work, in which we have specialized for the past 15 years, has not led us to believe that this is true. Very few private owners see to it that their aircraft instruments or radio equip ment, or any other miscellaneous parts of the airplane, are kept in A-l condition, be cause they do not anticipate flying except in the best of weather; and if any of the equip ment should not be in perfect trim, they will have it repaired at their convenience. Very tew of the miscellaneous commer cial pilots are privileged to do a great deal of cross-country work and, consequently, do not become acquainted with the various air ports throughout any particular district or area. If a person hires one of these air planes, die chances of his completing a suc cessful trip are rather questionable. I do not mean to say that it will neces sarily be unsafe; but we do know of many cases where this type of equipment has beet hired for a flight of approximately 100 miles, and where the flight has been ex tremely longer than necessary because the pilot was unfamiliar with the territory, did not know the location of the airport at his destination, and generally speaking the whole operation was one of hazy and uncertain procedure. There are in the United States a few or ganizations which make it their business to charter airplanes, and in their setup they hayc organized operations necessary to gather the information and keep up with the changing conditions, so that when a ship is dispatched to its destination, it goes with the assurance of completing a flight in the shortest possible time. The pilot will know the location of the airport He will know its condition, size and many features which arc not published in the general CAA in formation. He will know the general char acteristics of the territory he is flying over, and will be flying with equipment that has been kept in readiness for him at all times. I believe that a word concerning our own setup might be in order here. We have a department which locks after all ground transportation possibilities at all the airports within a radius of 300 miles of our operat ing base. This department looks up informa tion concerning telephone numbers of the airports, who to contact, who to make ar rangements with for night landings (where lights and night facilities are not available). It is this department's work to have several automobile transportations available who know the shortest routes to the airports in our own city. All of the operating personnel, except mechanics, are required to take stand-by periods during the week. A schedule is made p for each month, naming the person who is responsible to answer 'phone calls for any particular day. Contact is available 24 hours per day. A check is made of each telephone call, and a record of all information requested is kept. Once a contact is made with a private clientele, a hotel, a club, or a business house, a record is made and a running contact is maintained. The operating base at the airport is under the charge of the chief pilot, who is respon sible to see that the planes are kept ready to go at all times, so that in the event of a call, it is only necessary for the pilot who makes the flight to roll the ship out and shove off. It is the chief pilot's responsibility to see that all pilot's brief cases, which contain maps, radio information, airport information and all other miscellaneous information per taining to flights, are kept up to the last minute, so that the pilot has only to grab his particular bag and leave immediately, feeling confident that whatever information he needs is in the bag. It is easy to see that if non-schedule fly ing is carried on with a serious intention of making a business of it, that it requires much more than a licensed airplane and a licensed pilot. In fact, it can be said that the licensed pilot and the licensed airplane merely do those things which are already planned for them to do, and the work which they actually do becomes merely a small part of the total. Now, if charter or non-schedule trans portation is to be identified with schedule operations and is to have a classification, it will be comparatively easy to set up regula tions for their operations. It seems to me 294 29th National Safety Congress that the question resolves itself into whether or not anyone who possesses a licensed air plane and a commercial pilot's license will be allowed to solicit business without having set up an organization to cover all the other tilings which 1 have referred to. to advertise themselves as being capable of carrying passengers for hire. It seems to me that it might be well to list these as be ing certified operators. However, I do not believe it would be advisable to prohibit a person from hiring T would not advocate restricting the out his airplane to anyone who wishes to chartering of airplanes only to those who have a complete organization. But l do believe that a distinction should be made between an organization which is prepared to render service to the general public, and merely an owner of an airplane. pay him for the use of it, provided no ad vertising material or attempt was made to promote such business. It would then be the responsibility of the person hiring the plane to know whether or not he was hiring the best available. The point is that the general public does not know and should, therefore, be pro tected against the chap who merely flics charter to gain more experience. It seems to me that the general public should be assured that when he reads an advertisement of a charter organization, lie lias reason to believe this organization has made a business of charter flying and that this business is supervised more closely than the average private owner may be. I would like to cite a particular instance in a large city, where a certain organization advertises itself as the charter organization doing the greatest amount of charter flying in that city. This, of course, is a mis-state ment. The fact is that this organization does not own any airplanes, and except for a few times in the life of its chief execu tive, none of its personnel has ever Tidden in an airplane. The organization actually is a ticket office which sells airline tickets, theater tickets, and now lias thought of the idea of selling charter work also. When that organization is fortunate enough to sell a charier flight to an unsus pecting public, it then telephones the various private owners at the airports to'find out who will go the cheapest; and when this is found out, they inform the pilot where to pick up the passenger. Needless to say, there have been a great many disappointments and a few narrow escapes from disaster. I would propose, therefore, that a classifi The largest charter operators undoubtedly are the airlines themselves. They would come into this latter classification as op erators who would offer to hire, but not be privileged to promote this type of work. It would be ridiculous to prohibit the schedule airlines from chartering equipment, as in many instances people who have large in surance policies would be prohibited from firing .with any operator except a scheduled airline. If a classification of non-schcduie op erators were put into effect, it would be possible for them to obtain the same status on insurance as the schedule airlines now have; and if this were true it would merely he a question of equipment between the non schedule operator and the scheduled airline. If the non-schedule operator wished to pur chase .equipment as large as the airlines have, he would undoubtedly find (he airlines only too willing to turn over each and all charier calls coming to their attention. In our experience we have Found the air lines themselves our biggest source of busi ness. In conclusion, I would propose a classifi cation of non-schedule operators, a minimum amount of flying experience for pilots ex ceeding that required for a commercial li cense, a minimum of equipment in the air plane to cover various types of flying con ditions, a minimum of organization other than pilot, mechanic or airplane, and a minimum amount of liability insurance. cation be made for charter operators and that certain standards of equipment, pilots and organization be required and maintained, and that only such organizations as live up to these minimum requirements be allowed If these requirements were lived up to, a supervision over the operations by the in surance companies and the government would assure the general public of as safe ride as he could hope to have on any airline. Aeronautical Section 295 Copilot Material and Their Training By OTIS BRYAN Chief Pilot, Transcontinental A Western Air, Inc., Kansas City, Mo. An important business man recently told me that if his factories were wiped out over night by- fire he could regain the loss and rebuild them with the minimum delay; but on the other hand, if he lost the personnel of his organization it would take years be fore they could be replaced. This indicates the importance of proper selection of per sonnel and proper training. Many of the operations men and -upervisory personnel of the airlines were at one time copilots. A copilot on the airline today nay be the man responsible for the safety' of the airline tomorrow*. Consequently, the importance of selection and training of these inen cannot be overestimated. The men that are available for copilots on our airline today fall into two distinct classes: the service (rained men who have been trained in the army or navy* training schools; and the commercially trained pilots who have received their training commer cially. Ilue to unusual world conditions at the present time, there arc not many of the, service trained pdts available. The army is not releasing any of their pilots lo accept commercial positions and only recently the navy and marine corps ordered their reserve officers to stand by for immediate mobiliza tion. Due to the indicated length of the un settled conditions at the present time, it is apparent that the preponderance of our co pilots must come from the commercial field. Ten to fifteen years ago the procedure in hiring a copilot was to pick from the group of known pitots and select the best man available. In the early days of airline fly ing. this was probably satisfactory'; hut things have changed appreciably since that time. We require of our present copilots a far greater knowledge of the equipment used, navigation methods, and judgment than previously. This has no doubt had a very' important bearing cm the safety record dial airline* have recently established. This has been attained from constant and rigorous selection of copilots and by training them to the highest degree. Yearly this problem be comes more difficult. The problems of air line firing have become more complicated. and the demands on the pilots have increased. Our fir.*"' roblcm to be sure that the men we srfret as copilots are capable of be coming captains and possess the qualities that will enable them to maintain airline flying at its high stage of efficiency. In selecting a copilot we give consideration to many items. The tangible ones are intelli gence. ability to learn, general education, health, professional training and such things arc fairly easily measured or tested. The intangible qualities such as judgment, stamina, leadership, initiative, tact, coopera tion, ability to function under adverse cir cumstances, are qualities which arc far more important than the first mentioned ones, but are much less easy to determine. Of these items it is my opinion that per haps judgment is the most important of all. We can teach a man to fiv, but we cannut teach him to develop good judgment. The man must Icam that himself. . The copilot, after he is selected, mu<l ac cept his job as one that require* constant training and development in order to qualify himself for the additional responsibilities that are sure to be his. An analogs* may be made between the individual pilot and a group of pilots; neither is a static body. Both arc always changing, either going ahead or backward. My company has taken steps toward such selection and training. We do not feel, by any means, that these steps are the final answer. There arc many things that we would like to know about thi problems that present themselves, and wi have certain plans for solving these prob lems in our selection of copilots. While th< group of pilots is not a static body, neither is our training program. We are continually revising and bringing `t tip to date in order to meet the high demand of our service. We conducted an interesting experiment in our training department at TWA in re gard to training, selecting, and grading First Officers. In a class of 11 men, partly military, partly' commercially trained, we gave a so-called intelligence test when they first entered our service. We gave them a series of examinations before giving them any training. These examinations covered zyo 29th National Safely Congress general education, airplanes and engines, in strument flight, navigation, and meteorology. We averaged the grades obtained on these preliminary examinations by each man. Then we proceeded with our routine pre-employ ment training of these men and averaged the grades attained during these classes. I sat in the class for one or two hours and observed their action, personality, etc, in the classroom. After these data were col lected, we arranged the group in order, first, as to their grades its the intelligence test; second, in order of the average grades of the preliminary examinations; third, in or der of the average classroom grades; and fourth in order of their apparent value from inspection in the classroom. Wc were much surprised to find that the group arranged itself in exactly the same order in all of these classifications excepting for two individuals who were in the center of the group, whose places were reversed in some instances. Since this experiment was conducted, we have watched the progress of these men on the line, and find that fitness reports being rendered by captains with whom these men have down are falling nearly into the same arrangement as did the other groupings. This leads me to believe that there is an inherent quality which measures an appli cant's desirability. I should like to see a simpler and more direct method of estimat ing this ability, whatever its name. For the present, it seems to me that the most im portant item in this connection is the ability to team, coupled with an age young enough to be sure that the man has ample time for seasoning before he is permitted to be in charge of a passenger plane. Training of the First Officers now being employed must be more extensive than was necessary before. The opportunity for the large numbers of pilots the airlines are hir ing to get training and experience in the type of flying necessary in airline work is very limited. A man. with a thousand hours o time in "Cubs' 'and "Aeroncas" around a single field has little or no conception of the needs of airline flying. Even railitarilly trained men, although they are much better prepared than commercially trained men, have been doing work of such different character than is required in the airlines that considerable training is necessary. Training of the new copilots in the pro fessional subjects, such as navigation, meteorology, instrument flying, etc., is com paratively easy since it is only a matter of presenting the information in a systematic manner and seeing that it is properly assimi lated by the students. To this end wc have classes which run for five weeks before the new First Officer is assigned to line duty. During this time we teach them Civil Air Regulations, our company's Operations Manual, company rules and regulations, the geography of our system, the characteristics of the airplincs wc use, etc. Practice train ing and drill is given during this time in the use of the radio communication circuit, in strument flying in the "link trainer." instru ment flying in our instrument flight air planes, in the mechanics of navigation as it is done on our line, and the use of the di rection finder, etc After the First Officer's assignment to line duty, he is required to complete satisfactorily a comprehensive program of training in navigation, meteorol ogy and instrument flying. Our navigation course is handled prin cipally by correspondence, using a text pre pared in our own company. Meteorology is handled principally by lectures; demonstra tions, and classroom work scheduled to oc cur on the First Officer's day off. This con*sists of approximately 60 meetings. The instrument flight course is completed by the average co-pilot in approximately 20 hours of "Link Trainer" flying, and approximately 15 hours of work under the hood in the in strument training airplane. Additional flight practice is given in regular schedule. At present we are depending almost en tirely on the experiences that a copilot gains through riding with older pilots, in order to determine whether he possesses the so-called intangibles, such as judgment. They arc observed very closely for actions that would indicate that they do not possess these intangibles. It is our opinion that if a man is closely observed daring his work for a number of years as copilot, it ^ definitely be determined, before he is placed on the left hand side of our planes as a regular first pilot, whether he possesses all the qualities we desire or not. Throughout all of the training of a pilot the importance of safety is never forgotten. It is my opinion that in developing the air line pilots today we are developing a newtype of individual. Aeronautical Section 297 Training Mechanics for Safe Air Transport Operation By T. J. HEALEY Supervisor of Apprentices. American Airlines, Inc., New York City. Two years ago American Airlines, Inc. seeing the need for trained mechanical per sonnel inaugurated an apprentice training program starting with 40 apprentice me chanics. Today there are 138 apprentice mechanics in training. Apprentice programs vary- in elapsed time from three to six years depending on the trade involved, number of working hours per month, etc. American Airline's ap prentice training program is a four-year plan. Credits for past experience, not to exceed one year, are extended those em ployees who have had prior training and/or experience in the military services of the United States or training in any one of the various approved aeronautical schools throughout the Country-. A sound training program of this nature starts with a careful selection of the indi vidual If a young man is in sound physical condition, single, between IS and 24 years of age, an American citizen, a high-school graduate, is inherently mechanically inclined, is not afraid of hard work and Is ambi tious, has good appearance, possesses a fair share of common sense, lias some origin ality, U witling to learn and, m addition, has a good family background, he meets our minimum requirements. After the ap plicant has been interviewed by the person nel director and the supervisor of appren tice mechanics, he is then given a thorough physical examination by the company doc tor. There is a surprising number of young men who appear to be in good physical condition and arc otherwise good material for our program but who have to be re jected because they cannot pass the re quirements of this examination. We try wherever possible to place the new employee in a particular phase of the trade for which Tic feels he is best quali fied. There are four classifications of ap prentices : 77ie Instrument Overhaul Apprentice Me chanic receives his entire training on the overhaul, repair, inspection, adjustment and calibration of all types of aircraft, flight and engine instruments from the lowly oil pressure gauge to the very remarkable and almost human automatic pilot. There arc a total of 44 gauges, instruments or indi cators in a modem Douglas 2l-passengcr Flagship and it goes without saying that in this work the apprentice must have the patience, skill and precisian of a master watchmaker. As a matter of fact some of the apprentices in our instrument shop to day have completed courses in horology of from two to three years. The Engine Overhaul Apprentice Me chanic receives his entire training in the engine overhaul department on the com plete overhaul procedures required for our modem high-powered American-made radial engines and accessories. During his appren ticeship he receives work experience on the disassembly, inspection, repair, overhaul and final test of the complete engine and its sub-assemblies as well as the various ac cessories involved such as carburetors, mag netos, starters, generators, governors, hydromatic propellers, etc. The Radio Apprentice Mechanic. Inas much as there are in each Flagship four radio receiving sets comprising a company receiver, marker receiver, beacon receiver, and auxiliary receiver as well as the various power units Involved, plus a transmitter and an automatic direction finder, it is ob vious that this apprentice has his hands full acquiring a thorough knowledge of the methods used in reconditioning and keeping in top shape these various types of radio equipment. The General Apprentice Mechanic repre sents the majority of our apprentices. Wc have about 100 in this classification. His work experience and training is directed toward making him a seasoned line me chanic and is secured tyy rotation through all of our various shops and departments with the exception of radio. His basic work schedule in the various shops and depart ments is as follows: Fifteen months are spent in the line main tenance department covering daily and periodic ship and engine inspections; peri odic accessory changes; equipment modifi cations; maintenance of the de-icer, beating, ventilating, electrical and hydraulic systems; 298 29th National Safety Congress ship repairs; landing gear checks; etc. It might be interesting to note at this point that there is a larger variety o wires in one of our modem 21>passenger Flagships than there is in the average 10-story office building. This young man's work, therefore, consists of the general maintenance of the aircraft and its engines between the time these major units are completely overhauled. Ten months m the Airplane Overhaul Department is the next step. This involves metal structure repairs; hydraulic systems; interior refitushing and repairs; control sys tems; electrical systems; general repairs: etc. It takes 24 days to completely over haul one of our Flagships and we have three airplanes constantly in the process of over haul. There are l IS men in this depart ment, 50 of whom are apprentices. Then, nine months are spent in the en gine propeller and accessory overhaul de Two months are spent in the instrument overhaul department. This time is sufficient only for the apprentice to moiy a general idea of the principle of operation, construc tion and repair methods used in the over haul of the various aircraft accessories and indicators. We fully realize this man is not capable of learning to overhaul instruments in this short period of time as compared with the man who spends four years in that department but we do know from ex perience that he has a very healthy respect for and a good idea of why instruments {day such an important part in modem safe airline transportation. This young man, however, is fully qualified to make replace ment of any instrument, indicator or auto matic pilot unit in the aircraft. The old unit is then returned to the instrument over haul shop for complete reconditioning at that point. partments. This work includes the disas sembly, overhaul, final assembly and test of the engine proper, in addition to the over haul. repair and test of the various me chanical and electrical accessories previously mentioned. Although in nearly all cases the appren tice is working with a mechanic or a senior mechanic, we feel his sense of responsibility is enhanced if given tlic assignment of doing jobs by himself. This unquestionably will develop his confidence. Our mechanics .Vine months are then spent in the man ufacturing and repair pans department cov ering (he inspection, repair, overhaul and ten of the various component parts of the aircraft. This includes ailerons, rudders* wing tips, gas tanks, hydraulic units, etc., right on down the line to fleet service equipment such as thermos bottles, food Ikjxcs. mattresses, pillows, sheets, etc It as a general rule are very unselfish in help ing the apprentice in every way possible by sharing their valuable experience with him as they realize that in this young industry of ours there is bound to be more expan sion, that mechanics will grow old and pass on and that some one has to replace them. They also have to be trained and that train ing is the airline's job. can be readily seen from a cross-section view of this department that in addition to the airline's providing safe and reliable transportation--the comforts and enjoyment of the passenger also come in for their share of consideration. In addition. In this department various parts, assemblies and unit*- are manufactured for installation on our own aircraft--to increase the margin of safety of operations, improve passenger comfort and simplify maintenance proce dures. Three months are next spent in the en gine installation department Installing the newly overhauled engine in its mount and securing die various accessories in place so that the complete unit-engine, propeller mount and all can be installed in the air craft as one assembly with a minimum of elapsed time. Our apprenticeship is unique in that it is nation-wide. It is not at all a rare occur rence for an apprentice who has completed his apprenticeship in one department or shop in New York, for example, to be trans ferred to Fort Worth, Texas or Burbank. California for part of his training at that point. The daily work experience in tire shops is further supplemented by related classroom instruction in the evenings for all appren tice mechanics. Each apprentice receives a minimum of approximately 16 hours per month. This instruction is given in some cases by instructors employed from outside the company and then again by our own lead machanics and foremen. In other words, we fee! that our mechanics are better qual ified to instruct on certain phases of engine accessories, for example, than an employed Aeronautical Section 299 instructor, inasmuch as some of this equip ment is on restricted lists and, therefore, not available to the general public and then again some of it is rather expensive for the average aeronautical school to purchase for instructional purposes. Our apprentices receive a salary sufficient to support themselves. Their starting wage is approximately $90 per month and in the last six months of their apprenticeship they receive approximately $136 per month. In addition, they are paid their regular hourly rate for attendance at related classroom Instruction. In addition to the selection and training of apprentice mechanics, we in the mainte nance department of American Airlines, Inc, also have the responsibility of training ap prentice engineers for our engineering de partment. These young men receive a con densed one year's training in our various shops and departments working with the regular mechanics. This practical experience plus their fine technical backgrounds place these young engineers in an excellent posi tion with respect to opportunities for rapid advancement Further, the maintenance department con ducts instructions for all new flight officers in the intricacies of the mechanism of the aircraft and its engines as a part of this pilot's intensive three month's training pro gram given him by the Company before be ing assigned to a regular run as a First Officer. Each employee of our maintenance de partment carries on his person a condensed pocket booklet outlining briefly certain rule* and regulations on safety precautions, com pany procedures, etc, to better remind him of the constant need of this "preventive maintenance" which is so vital to the safe transportation of the airline's human cargo. The fly leaf of this booklet contains the following inscription: "Aviation in itself is not inherently dangerous, but like the sea. it is terribly unforgiving of any careless ness, incapacity or neglect" Training Mechanics for Safe Air Transport Service By ROBERT J. SMITH Vice-President, Braniff Airways, lac., Dallas, Texas Because the air transport industry has de veloped so much more rapidly during the last five years than qualified and experi enced workmen have became available; it soon became apparent that if satisfactory personnel was to be had, it must be devel oped by the industry itself. In 193/ Braniff Airways realized the need for an employee training program to meet these demands for qualified maintenance personnel. Five young men were selected and employed as apprentice mechanics and a systematic training schedule was instituted. By 1940 oar five apprentices had become 26 apprentices and we had reorganized our en tire program to give this larger group the thorough training required. A joint Apprenticeship Committee was established, consisting of two members ap pointed by the company and two appointed by* tbc employees. The function of this com mittee was to supervise all of the workings of the apprentice group and to assist in bringing about refinements in the training program, which would work to the mutual advantage of the group and the company. In addition, a supervisor of apprentices was appointed, in whom was vested the re sponsibility* of organizing the text material and the practice work to be carried on, and of keeping the course records and checking the progress of the apprentices. The Apprenticeship Committee and the supervisor of apprentices realized, of course, that airline mechanics must be broadly trained in all of the mechanical aspects of aircraft overhaul service and repair, and with this objective In mind, they have en deavored to develop a system that will give each apprentice mechanic an opportunity to participate in a well planned program. This program provides for a four-year training period, during which the appren tices attend classes three nights a week for two hours each night nine months of the year. These classes are conducted by air plane mechanics and engineers who have had years of aircraft experience and who are qualified as instructors by the State Board of Vocational Education. Some of 300 29th National Safety Congress the subjects in which courses are given are: shop mathematics, physics, materials and methods of aircraft inspection. GA.A. rules and regulations, aircraft radio, internal combustion engines, etc. Each apprentice is at the same tone carry ing on his regular work schedule in. the shops; is assigned to assist a qualified li censed mechanic, and his classroom work -does not interfere except to the extent that he is excused from the shops if a class in which he is enrolled is conducted during bis work shift. An apprentice's work assignments are ar ranged so that the work he is doing at anv given time is closely related to the subjects he is studying in class; likewise, the entire training program is set up to provide for an apprentice spending a given number of months in each department of maintenance. As the program has developed, the prob lem of selecting capable and dependable persons to place in the apprentice training school has itself become somewhat difficult, because the persons selected must possess the intelligence and mechanical aptitude necessary to master a highly technical craft, as well as the stability, energy, and per severance to complete a four-year training program. Persons placed in this school who do not have the tenacity to see it through, represent a rather substantial loss in time and money. Experience has indicated that those appli cants who perform best are those who have had at least a high school education with some mechanical training and experience. Further, it is found that those applicants from families mechanically inclined gen erally prove more satisfactory. Keeping these things in mind, Braniff Airways carefully selects from the rather large group of young men who apply, those who seem to possess most completely these qualifications. In a farther effort to place only the best in the school, arrangements are made to administer dexterity and manip ulatory tests to each of these rnen in an effort to secure some indication of his true mechanical aptitude and intelligence. These tests are so inclusive and broad in scope that they require eight hours to administer, and were chosen upon the recommendation of experts in vocational guidance and em ployee selection. The applicants finally selected are em ployed as stockrunners or cleaners, where they have the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the various airplane and engine parts. They serve in that capacity generally for 10 or 12 months, at which time they are placed in the apprentice mechanics' training school. - AH shop supervisors who have apprentice mechanics working under them, make a periodic report to the supervisor of appren tices and the Apprentice Committee con cerning the apprentice's rating on appear ance, cooperation, conduct, health, initiative, quality of work, ability, and desire to learn and actual performance. Throughout the entire four-year training program, the apprentice is taught theory and principle in the classroom and has practical instruction and experience in the shops. Though Braniff Airways has found that this method of selecting and training poten tial mechanics requires a considerable amount of time and some expense at the outset, it has likewise found that the per sons so selected possess the necessary qual ifications to capitalize on this extensive training program and that in the long run, a considerable amount of time and money is saved and a more highly capable airplane mechanic is generally produced. ADJOURNMENT American Society of Safety Engineers--Engineering Section Officers 1939-1940 General Chairman--F. W. Braun, Employers Mutuals, Wausau, Wis. Vice-Chairman--H. J. Griffith, Jones & Laughlin Steel Corp., Pittsburgh, Pa. Vice-Chairman--Wills Maclachlan, Hydro Electric Power Commission, Toronto. Ont., Canada. Secretory--G. E. Burns, National Safety Council, Inc., Chicago, III. Members of Large-- Georoe J. Adams, Internationa) Paper Co., Glens Falls, X. Y. Cyril Ainsworth, American Standards Association, New York, N. V J, I. BaNash, Consulting Engineer, Chicago, 111. *E. W. Beck, United States Rubber Co., New York, X. Y. H. R. BiXUER, Union Carbide & Carbon Corp., New York, N. Y. *C. B. Boulet, Wisconsin Public Service Corp., Milwaukee, Wis. E. W. Bullard, E. D. Bullard Co., San Francisco, Calif. (San Francisco Chapter.) George M. Burns, Kansas City Safety Council, Kansas City, Mo. (Kansas City Chap- Fkank J. Conroy, Union Carbide Co.. Niagara Falls, N. Y. (Niagara Frontier ChapThos? R. Donochue, Pittsburgh Plate Glass Co., Creighton. Pa. (Western Pennsyl vania Chapter.) ^ R. E. Donovan, Standard Oil Co. of California, San Francisco, Calif. J. A. Downey, Jr.. Sloss Sheffield Steel & Iron Co., Birmingham, Ala. (Alabama Charles D. Farlin, Consolidated Edison Co. of N. Y., New York, N. (Metropoli tan Chapter.) H. F. Gilbert, American Cyanaraid Co., Linden, N. J. (New Jersey Chapter.) Roy M. Godwin, Philadelphia Electric Co., Philadelphia, Pa. (Philadelphia Chapter.) C. L. Hightower, United Gas Pipe Line Co., Shreveport, La. (Gulf Coast Chapter.) R. McA. Kexjwn; Industrial Commission of Wisconsin, Madison, Wis. Everett F. King, Lever Brothers Co., Cambridge, Mass. (Boston Chapter.) Thomas E. Lightfoot, The Koppers Coal Co., Pittsburgh, Pa. *M. G. Lloyd, National Bureau of Standards, Washington, D. C J. E- Long, The Delaware & Hudson Railroad Coip., Albany, N. Y. W. S. Paine, Aetna Casualty & Surety Co., Hartford, Conn. A. S. Regula, Industrial Relations Counselors, Inc., New York, N. Y. A. V. Rohwedee, Duluth, Mi&sabc & Iron Range Railway Co., Duluth, Minn. *D. tl Royer, Ocean Accident & Guarantee Corp., New York, N. Y. G. E- Sanford, General Electric Co., Schenectady, N. Y. J. S. Shaw, Hercules Powder Co., Wilmington, DeL *C W. Sunn, Standard Oil Co. (Ind.), Chicago, I1L H. S. Smith, Union Carbide & Carbon Corp., New York, N. Y. EL F. Thalner, Buick Motor Co., Flint, Mich. C W. Van Wagoner, Traders & General Insurance Co., Dallas, Texas (Southwest Chapter.) *S. E. Whiting, Liberty Mutual Insurance Co., Boston, Mass. William P. YaNT, Mine Safety Appliances Co., Pittsburgh, Pa. Pait General Chairman 301 302 29th National Safety Congress Officers 1940-1941 General Chairman--F. VV. Bkauk, Employers Mutuals, Wausau, Vis. Vice-Chairman--H. /. GnrrrrH, /ones Sc Laughlin Steel Corp., Pittsburgh, Pa. Wiij-s Maclachlax, Hydro-Electric Power Commission, Toronto, OnL, Canada.. Secretory, G. E. Burns. National Safety Council, Inc., Chicago, III. Chapter Representatives--E. W. Bullard, E. D. Bullard Co., San Francisco, Calif. (Sau Francisco Chapter) R. M. Godwin, Philadelphia Electric Co., Philadelphia, Pa. (Philadelphia Chapter) E. R. Granniss, National Conservation Bureau, New York, N. Y. (Metropolitan Chap ter) C. L. HicHTOW'ea, United Gas Pipe Line Co., Shreveport. La. (Gulf Coast Chapter). Everett F. King, Lever Brothers Co., Cambridge, Mass. (Boston Chapter). G. M. Kjxtz. U- S. Bureau of Mines, Dallas. Texas (Southwest Chapter). G. G. Oldham, Kansas City Power Si Light Co., Kansas City, Mo. (Kansas City Chap ter). C. C. Rudoick, H. J- Heinz Co., Pittsburgh, Pa. (Western Pennsylvania Chapter). James L. Shores, Alabama Power Co,, Birmingham. Ala. (Alabama Chapter). Thomas W. Thorpe, Colgate-Pabnolive-Peei Co., Jersey City, N. J. (New Jersey Chapter). J. B. Zook, Great Lakes Portland Cement Corp.. Buffalo, N. Y. (Niagara Frontier Clrapter). Members at Large-- J.George Adams, International Paper Co., Glens Falls, N. Y. Cyril Ainsworth, American Standards Assn., New York, N. Y. H. R. BrxLEft, Industrial Relations, Union Carbide &. Carbon Corp.. New York. N. Y. \V. Dean Keefer, Safety* Engineering Dept., Lumbermens Mutual Casualty Co.. Chi cago, 111. T. E. Lightfoot, The Koppcrs Coal Co., Koppcrs Bldg., Pittsburgh, Pa. J. E. Long, The Delaware & Hudson Railroad Corp., Albany, N. Y. /. S. Shaw, Hercules Powder Co., Wilmington, Del. \V. P. Yaxt, Mine Safety* Appliances Co.. Pittsburgh, Pa. f'ttsl General Chairmen-- .J. I Baxash. Chicago. I1L E. \Y. Beck, United States Rubber Co., New York, N. Y. C. B. Boulet, Wisconsin Public Service Corp., Milwaukee, Wis. R. E. Donovan, Standard Oil Co. of California, San Francisco. Calif. R. McA. Keown, Wisconsin Industrial Commission, Madison, Wis. M. G. Lloyd, National Bureau of Standards, Washington, D. C. S. Paine, Aetna Casualty* Sc Surety Co., Hartford, Conn. A. S. Regula, Industrial Relations Counselors, Inc., New York. N. Y. D. L. Rover, Ocean Accident 8c Guarantee Corpi, New York, N. Y. G. E. Sanford, General Electric Co., Schenectady, N. Y. C. \\\ Smith, Standard Oil Co. (In<L), Chicago, III. H. S. Smith, Union Carbide Sc Carbon Corp., New York, N. Y. R. F. TkaL-Ver, Buick Motor Co., Flint, Mich. S. E. Whiting, Liberty Mutual Insurance Co., Boston, Mass. TUESDAY EVENING SESSION Octobers, 1940 The Annual Meeting of the A.S.S.E.Engineering Section of the National Safety Council convened with F. W. Braun, Em- plovers Mutuals, Wausau. Wisconsin, Got- era! Chairman, presiding. Ail reports had been mimeographed and copies were available at the meeting, A.S.S.E.--Engineering Section 303 Mr. Braun gave a brief resume of the section's activities during the past year, fol lowing which he called up Mr. C. B. Boulet for the report of the iJorainating Committee. Mr. Boulet presented the report on behalf of other members of the committee, includ ing R. E. Donovan, Chairman; D. L. Royer, C. W. Smith, and A. S. Regula. The com mittee's list of officers, as elected, is pre sented elsewhere in these pages. The General Chairman then presented the speaker of the evening. Dr. Phillips Thomas, Research Engineer, Westinghouse Electric Si Manufacturing Co., who spoke on "New Horizons of Science," demonstrating and illustrating his address most effectively. The resume given below is a summary of his points, provided for this record by the pub licity department of the Westinghouse or ganization. New Horizons of Science VlTi'JI iLO By DR. PHILLIPS THOMAS Research Engineer. Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Co.. East Pittsburgh. Pa. Death rays that protect life and labora tory tools that guard against mechanical defects have demonstrated that industrial research is building a safer world on this side of the Atlantic and is helping defend our gains. Dr. Thomas used a one-man traveling laboratory to buttress his assertion that peacetime research is a major defense line in the American pattern of life. "Many re cent developments of the laboratories," he said, "are so dosely related to military de fense that they cannot be revealed, but it can be said that practically every important peacetime engineering achievement of the past 10 years will have an important, if in fatal to bacteria." In the demonstration apparatus, electrical energy is stored in a condenser until it jumps across a spark gap with a loud crack. At that instant, the stored up energy is released through a spe cial Sterilamp, concrolrating its radiation in one powerful shot Sterilamps are now used to reduce infec tion by killing air-bome bacteria In hospital operating' rooms, to preserve the cleanliness of utensils and glasses in restaurants, and to retard mold growth on food. They have made possible a short-cut process in tender izing- beef by controlling mold growth and reducing the aging or ripening time from several weeks to a few days. direct, bearing on our national defense, Using the rays from a flashlight to play enabling this country to build stronger and a set of chimes, the lecturer demonstrated better designed defense weapons." a possible means of secret communication over short distances in war maneuvers. In Death Ray Guards Health the demonstration, visible light energized photo-electric cells, but he said it would be Dr. Thomas Bashed upon a screen a mag nified view of ultraviolet radiation m action lolling teeming microscopic life in a drop of possible to use invisible infra-red light. Infra-red rays can be made to vary in in tensity with the sound waves of a spoken water. Striking faster than lightning, the message, transferred invisibly over space, radiation literally exploded its victims. and then reconverted to sound waves at the At one moment, onlookers saw swarms of receiving end. he pointed ou^. tiny ovate organisms known as parametria, Atom smashing is another held of re scurrying across the lighted screen. Then, search which is already producing peace with a sharp report, a "Sterilamp" hurled time benefits, and may prove to be impor ultraviolet radiation at the organisms. In tant in future defense plans. "By constant less than a thousandth of the time required experimenting," he said, "physicists are to blink an eye, they were dead. "The Sterilamp," Dr. Thomas explained, "was developed by Westinghouse to produce ultraviolet radiation of a wavelength most learning better to duplicate nature's work and change one element into another. Thus they are able to create new products and processes." 304 29th National Safety Congress With a model resembling a giant toad* stool. Dr. Thomas demonstrated how the GCMool "atom-smasher' generates its tre mendous voltage Tor bombarding the atom and producing radio-active materials. A direct current generator provided elec trical charges tor the miniature "atom smasher" used in this demonstration. These charges were deposited upon an endless belt and carried up the "stem" of the mode! into a hollow copper dome at the top. The ac cumulation of charges increased continu ously and passed to the outside of the dome, from which they were shot into the air. Dr. Thomas estimated that the model is able to generate 100,000 volts. Balls Lose Bounce A recent research development was de scribed as taking the bounce out of electrical relays and reducing wear on electrical con trol equipment. Dr. Thomas contradicted one of the rules of gravitation by making two steel balls of identical weight and size roll down an incline at different speeds. The research engineer explained that the fric tion of loosely packed powdered tungsten inside one of the balls absorbed part of its energy of motion, slowed it to a walk. Westinghouse engineers, he said, have used this principle of energy absorption to pre vent electrical relays bouncing apart when they are closed. Magnetism was put to work in another kind of energy control Vibrations in a nickel rod were damped or silenced as long ns the rod was not magnetized. But as soon as Dr. Thomas placed the rod in a magnetic coil and turned on the current, it resounded clearly when struck with a hammer. This phenomenon was explained by the presence in the rod of countless invisible magnetic particles, which are in disarray as long as the rod is unmagnetized. In this state they offer resistance to vibrations, but when the rod is magnetized these miniature magnets line up in an orderly fashion and let the energy from the hammer blow pass through the rod, causing it to vibrate. Dr. Thomas next shortened and length ened a nickel rod by talking through it, con verting it into a microphone. He held one end of the rod in his mouth, and as he talked the mechanical force of the sounds changed the rod's length. The amount of magnetism induced in the metal by a perma nent magnet surrounding the opposite end of the rod was also changed, generating a sufficient voltage in a small electric coil to "broadcast" Dr. Thomas' words throogh a loud speaker. In another spectacular demonstration of a scientific tool now performing important routine work in factories. Dr. Thomas focused the flaslung light of a "Stroboglow" lamp on a disc rotating 1,800 times a min ute. At this speed, a complicated, design painted on the disc appeared to stand still, because the light was timed to flash every revolution of the disc. By doubling the number of flashes of light. Dr. Thomas made two designs appear in place of oac. The Stroboglow, he explained, is used in industry to study the operation of rotating machine parts in motion. Then, to show electricity in a playful mood, Dr. Thomas literally blew out the electric tights--and blew them on again. This, he explained, was not magic, but simply the application of a breath relay. A specially prepared surface on which mois ture of the breath is condensed does the trick, providing a partial conductor for a small amount of electrical energy so that currents can flow. This device lights a cold cathode glow tube, which causes a relay to put on the light or turn it off. ADJOURNMENT Automotive and Machine Shop Section Officers 1939-1940 General Chairman--J. C. Bowek, Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Co., East Pitts burgh, Pa. ffice~Choirman--L. G. Seaton, General Motors Corp., Detroit, Mich. Secretary--V. I. Trot-tee, Plymouth Div., Chrysler Corp., Detroit, Mich. News Letter Committee--H. B. Duffys (Chairman), Westinghouse Electric & Manufac turing Co, Springfield, Mass. * W. T. Bcckeridge, Nash-Kclvinator Corp., Detroit, Mich. W. H. Marshall, Yellow Truck & Coach Co., Pontiac, Mich. J. E. Moose, Cadillac Motor Car Div., General Motors Corp., Detroit, Mich. Engineering Committee--David Mould (Chairman), General Motors Corp. Detroit, Mich. R. R. Bozeix. Whitehead & Kales, Ecorse, Mich. R. A- Shaw, Murray Corp. of America, Detroit, Mich. Health Committee--Dr. A. L. Brooks (Chairman), Fisher Body Detroit Div., General Motors Corp., Detroit, Mich. Da. John W. Hilbert, The Studebaker Corp., South Bend, Jnd. Dr. S. F. Meek, Chrysler Corp., Detroit, Mich. Membership Committee--L. B. Looms (Chairman), Tcmstcdt Manufacturing Div., Gen eral Motors Corp., Detroit, Mich. Poster Committee--L. G Roberts (Chairman), Kash-Kelvinator Corp., Detroit, Mich. Edward Mandry, Truscon Steel Co., Youngstown, Ohio. Meredith Spear, A. C. Spark Plug Div., General Motors Corp., Flint, Mich. Program Committee--G E, Woouever (Chairman), Buick Motor Div., Genera] Motors Corp., Flint, Mich. G W. Bishop, Lycoming Manufacturing Co, Williamsport. Pa. G B. Cornell, Chrysler Corp., Detroit, Mich. Publicity Committee--H. A. Zachari (Chairman), Hcnrv Vogt Machine Co., Louisville, Ky. Robert H. Erwood, Budd Wheel Co., Detroit; Mich. Statistics Committee--Oscar Lehman (Chairman), Chrysler Corp., Jefferson Plant, Detroit, Mick George Starling, Harrison Radiator Corp., Lockport, N. Y. Members at Large-- L. E. Averjll, Chicago Eye Shield Co, Detroit, Mich. W. A Brorn.1, Chrysler Corp^ Dc Soto Div., Detroit, Mich. M. A. Clark, U. S. Rubber Co., Detroit, Mich. Hoyt L. Fracher, Detroit Steel Products, Detroit, Mich. G. A. Kuecmenheistek, Dominion Forge & Stamping Co., Walkerville, Ont, Canada. M. J. McCarthy, Fisher Body Detroit Div., General Motors Corp., Detroit, Mich. H. L. Sain, Industrial Commission of Ohio, Columbus, Ohio. Carl L. Storck, Dclco Products Div., Genera) Motors Corp., Dayton, Ohio. R. F. Thalner, Buick Motor Div., General Motors Corp., Flint, Mich. G T. Winecar, Chrysler CorjL, Detroit, Mick Past General Oairman 305 306 29th National Safety Congress Officers 1940-1941 General Chairman--V. I. Trotter, Plymouth Div., Chrysler Corp., Detroit, Mich. yice-Chairnmn--pAW S. Strzcker, Grand Rapids Stamping Div.. General Motors Corp.. Grand Rapids, Mich. Secretary--C. E. Woouever, Buick Motor Div., General Motors Corp., Flint, Midi. Nexus Letter Committee--H. B. Duffus (Chairman), Weslinghouse Electric & Manufac turing- Co., Springfield, Mass. W. T. Buckeridce, Nash-Kelvmator Corp., Detroit, Mich. W. H. Marshall, Yellow Truck & Coach Co., Pontiac, Mich. Engineering Committee--David Mould. (Chairman), General Motors Corp., Detroit, Mich. R. R. Bozell, Whitehead & Kales Co., Detroit, Mich. J. E. Moore, Cadillac Motor <Car Div., General Motors Corp., Detroit, Mich. G. B. Tybmng,- International Business Machines Corp., Endicott, N. Y. Health Committee--Dr. A. L. Brooks (Chairman), Fisher Body Motors Corp,, Detroit, Mich. Dr. John \V. Hilbert, The Studebaker Corp., South Bend, Ind. Dr. S. F. Meek, Chrysler Corp., Detroit, Mich. Detroit Div., General .Membership Committee--L. B. Loomis (Chairman), Temstedt Mfg. Div., General Motors Corp., Detroit, Mich. E. E. Greene, The Timken Roller Bearing Co., Canton, Ohio. K- N. Seaklls, American Car & Foundry Co., New York, N. Y. Poster Committee--L. C. Roberts (Chairman), Nash-Kelvmator Corp., Detroit, Mich. P. V. Bailey, Remington Rand, Inc., Buffalo, N. Y. Ben Munyan, Jr., De Soto Div., Chrysler Corp., Detroit, Midi. Program Committee--O. F. Lehman (Chairman), Jefferson Plant, Chrysler Corp., Detroit, Mich. Edward Mandry, Republic Steel Corp., Cleveland, Ohio. Frank F. Rathwell, Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Co., Lester, Pa. Meredith Spear, A. C. Spark Plug Di\% General Motors Corp., Flint. Mich. Publicity Committee--H. A Zachar (Chairman), Henry' Vogt Machine Co., Louisville. Ky. Geo. I.. Eaton, The Siiiger Manufacturing Co., Bridgeport, Conn. statistics Committee--C. B. Cornell (Chairman), Chrysler Corp., Detroit, Mich. Roy P. Hatch, United Shoe Machinery Corp., Beverly, Mass. George W. Starling, Harrison Radiator Div., General Motors Corp., Lockport, X. Y. Members at Large-- *L. E. Averill, Chicago Eye Shield Co., Detroit, Mich. *W. A. Bechill. Chrysler Corp., De Soto Div., Detroit, Mich. J. C. Bower, Westinghouse Electric Manufacturing Co- East Pittsburgh, Pa. *M. A. Clark, U. S. Rubber Co- Detroit, Mich. Hoyt L. Fracher, Detroit Steel Products Co., Detroit, Mich. *G. A. Kuechenueister. Dominion Forge & Stamping Co., Walkerwille, OnL, Canada if. J. McCarthy, Fisher Body Detroit Div., General Motors Corp., Detroit, Mich. Harry L. Sain, Industrial Commission of Ohio, Columbus, Ohio. R. A. Shaw, Murray Corp. of America, Detroit, Mich. Carl L. Storck, Ddco Products Dir.. General Motors Corp., Dayton, Ohio. *R. F. Thalner, Buick Motor Div- General Motors Corp., Flint, Mich. C. T. Winegar, Chrysfcr Corp- Detroit, Mich. * Part General Cbiirman Automotive and Machine Shop Section 307 WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON SESSION October 9, 1940 The opening ^session was called to order by General Chairman J. G. Bower, Super visor of Safety, Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company, East Pittsburgh, Pa., who presided. The opening remarks of the General Chairman included a welcome to delegates and guests, and dwelt ^briefly upon the activities of the Sectipn and of Sectional Committees during the past year. The report of the Nominating Committee was presented, and officers of the Section for the coming year were formally elected, the list appearing elsewhere in this record. The Chairman then introduced, the first speaker. Specify the Safeguards By c. THIBDK Chief Tool Engineer, Chrysler Jefferson Plant, Detroit For many years we have been stressing the importance of safeguarding the operators of machinery* Although we still have serious ac cidents 1 am very glad to say that the number has been greatly reduced, due to the per sistent work of die National Safety Council and to the fact that the causes of these seri ous accidents could easily be traced because the reasons for them were obvious. Great ef forts were put forth to reduce these expen sive accidents through specifying adequate safeguards. Rut unfortunately our accident reports still show thousands of injuries to operators' hands and arms, due to faulty design in fix tures, tools, faulty methods of piling and handling stock, etc. The majority of these injuries are scratches, small cuts and abra sions. We have instructed the operators, time and again, to report to the First Aid De partment to have these small injuries dressed; but we all know that these instruc tions arc not followed, and the total time and money that are lost, due to these small injuries becoming infected, is tremendous. These conditions will continue if we do not put forth as much effort in specifying the safeguards for equipment and other sources that are causing these small injuries as we did in specifying the safeguards for cquip: ment that was causing the major accidents. A point that is often overlooked by ma chine designers and should be examined closely by the purchaser is the accessibility of the cutting tools. The machine should be designed so that all tools can be readily changed when they become dull. If it is difficult to change tools you are building a hazard into a machine, because the operator will, sooner or later, injure his hands in changing tools and he is also likely to leave Ihc tools in loo long. There are always some parts on a machine that are subject to wear or adjustment. The machine should be so designed that the parts that have to be replaced or adjusted are readily accessible to the repairmen. Here again, if it is difficult (o repair or adjust a machine, necessary repairs arc delayed, ad* justments are made haphazard, and acci dents will resulL We have all seen an oper ator prepare to place his work in a chuck and then the chuck starts to revolve. The reason for this,was because the adjusting screws or collars on the clutch were hard to get at and a poor or hurried adjustment was made. All outside comers of machines and fix tures should have a liberal radius to re move sharp corners that have been respon sible for accidents in the past. The machine designers lately have gone further than this on some machines. They hafvc closed up the entire column to give the machine a stream lined appearance. In order to repair or ad just the mechanism inside the column, open ings have been cut in the column and these openings have ocat fitting covers that arc held in place by a row of bolts around the cover to make an oil tight joint. Some of these covers are quite heavy and they shootd be fitted with a hinge so that 308 29th National Safety Congress when it is necessary to work on the machine, the cover can be swung to one side. This will prevent the repairman from removing all the bolts but one at the top. Swing the you cannot use air or hydraulic damping, then use a fixture lock, but be sure that the designer understands how to adapt it to the fixture. These locks are very efficient cover up and try to hold it at that position with one bolt. There should be sufficient clearance between the hinge and hinge pin to permit pulling the cover up oil tight with the bolts provided for that purpose. Particular care should be paid in design ing fixtures where it is necessary for the operator to load the fixtures by hand to see that sufficient room is allowed to load and unload the fixture without continuously hit ting the 5idc. of the fixture with the hands. To design a fixture that is easy to load, the fir-t thing to do is to ascertain where the operator can, or will, hold the part to load it. Sometimes this can be learned by obser vation in the shop on similar parts or by talking to the foreman. \\ here hand damping is employed, es pecially set screws for holding tool bits, ef and safe if the proper size and type is se lected for the work it is assigned to do. Where special tools are required on an operation and after a suitable tool has been developed, a drawing should be made and a tool number assigned to it so that it can be identified and duplicated. On horizontal automatic screw and chuck ing machines, there are always tools and bars tliat are underneath the upper tool slides. The screws that clamp these tools and bars are more or less difficult to get at, due to the construction of these machines. Usually there is plenty of room to get in with a standard wrench but, due to the fact that the operator cannot see what he is do ing, there are many slips that cause small cuts and abrasions. forts should be made to have all the heads By all meaijs a special tool should be de the <amc site so that one wrench can be veloped to get at these screws even if it ued to tighten all screws. When the oper only requires an extension to a standard ator has more than one size wrench to use, wrench to get the operator's hands clear he will get hold of the wrong one to tighten of any adjacent cutting tools. Tools of this a screw. The wrench -will slip off and he type, that are required to adjust cutting will probably Injure his hand. Operators tools or assemble various parts oo produc become so accustomed to a certain size or tion lines, should be developed in the shop type of wrench that if they use a different by the tool trouble men, and as soon as a type, even if it is only longer or shorter, ac satisfactory tool has been developed he cidents have resulted. Therefore, it is im should request a drawing and tool number portant that all wrenches appear on the op so a record can be made of this tool for eration sheets to prevent the tool supervisor future replacements. from replacing worn out wrenches with tools with which the operators are not ac customed. Accident reports still show injuries lo operators* hands in moving or turning over large parts. A careful study should be made When "C" washers arc used in the clamp of the sequence of operation* to reduce the ing arrangement and the "C* washer is very number of times required to turn a part large, it should not be a loose part It*is while it is being machined and, if the part safer to fasten an arm to the "C` washer Is heavy or awkward to handle, provide turn and pivot the arm at the opposite end at the over fixtures or turn tables where it is proper height so the "C" washer can be necessary to reposition the part for the next swung into position. After the operator has operation. handled a loose heavy "C washer for 6 or 7 hours his hands become fatigued and he may drop it on his feet. Many accidents are caused by the careless use of hand tools, horseplay and willful dis regard of instructions. To reduce tbe num The old familiar five pointed hand knob ber of injuries caused by tbe thougbtlcssiess has stayed with us a long time and has of some people, I believe that if a contest caused many sore hands. It is seldom that were arranged to determine which depart you see a hand knob on a fixture that has not been wrapped with rags or tape, or the operator has a fiat bar with three pins set in it to fit between the points so that be can ment, or division, had tbe greatest amount of lost time, due to either carelessness or disregard of instructions, and a sign put up in that department showing the number of tighten the part securely in the fixture. If hours and the wages lost by tbe men in that Automotive and Machine Shop Secitafi 309 department, this would give both the fore men and the men themselves a common in terest to keep that sign out of their depart ment. The foremen would automatically become more conscious of these hard to control ac cidents and make it a point to see that all of the men it) their divisions were properly instructed. We are living in a war jittery country is in the process of greatly expanding its armed forces. The various branches of the Army and Navy will require a tremen dous amount of ordnance to equip them, and to produce this equipment, it will be necessary to build and equip many new fac tories. Due to the shortage of skilled work men, much of this equipment will be built and operated by inexperienced operators. This means that during this rush to obtain this equipment, it will be more important than ever to specify the safeguards, and after tbe equipment is received, it should be inspected and tried out to see that it is safe to turn over to men that have little or no experience in handling machinery. If we don't, accidents will increase by leaps and bounds. It is going to be interesting to watch these new armament plants start up and examine their accident reports to see how well we have succeeded in preventing accidents, not only by specifying the safe guards, but by insisting that we get and use the safeguards that are specified. Preventing Power Press Accidents Through Periodic Machine Inspections j. c.By McDonald Safety Director. Fiaher Body Pontiac Division, General Motors Corp., Detroit, Mich- Periodic machine inspections is a method of industrial accident prevention which is gaining worthy consideration because through it industrial accidents caused by "machine factors** or "machine failures'* are being greatly reduced. Power press departments, particularly in the automobile body plants today are com prised of more types of machines than just presses: specifically they also include square shears, rolls, scrap balers, paper cutters, all the various machines used in the manufac ture and repair of tools and dies and auto matic electric welders making one individual spotweld to those making as many as 172 spotwelds at one operation. Also included are conveyors and cranes of various lands together with electric and gasoline driven motor vehicles. These equipments must be kept in safe operating condition at all times to insure a steady flow of fabricated parts to the assembly divisions. To accomplish this, tbe use of various forms and reports acts as a helpful medium in carrying out the basic principles of the press maintenance inspection and repair sys tem which can be divided into three major groups; namely. Mechanical, Electrical, and Valves or Air Control, Some of the forms which can be used are as follows: Mechanical Press Inspection Form CF 1246, size 5x8; ami Form 964-MP, size 854x 11 inches. These forms list the major parts of the various types of presses and the parts to which the greater number of breakdowns can be traced together with the parts which require constant adjustments, specifically speaking, the brake and clutch assemblies. Electrical Press Inspection Form CF 1246A, size 5x8 inches; and Form 962-MP. size 8j4xU inches. These forms list the major points in_ the electrical control and power circuits together with sufficient other items to make it necessary for an inspector to make a complete inspection of the elec trical system in order to complete his report. Ross and Clark Valves, Electrical and Mechanical Inspection, M-957, size 854x11 inches. This valve inspection report lists the major parts of the standard control valve now being used on our presses. Space is provided for the listing of valve parts on air control presses which may require re newal or repair. Crane Maintenance Mechanical Inspection Report 1246-C, size 5x8 inches. This report covers the main items on parts which arc considered important in crane operation and although more items may be listed than 310 29th National Safety Congress .'ccms necessary, the fact that an inspector signed to take care of the various other is required to check so many different items machines which may be deemed necessary to again makes it necessary for him to make a inspect on a periodic basis. rather complete inspection before being able to complete his report The same thing ap plies to the: Crane Maintenance Electrical Inspection Report, 1246-D, size 5x8 inches. Press Repair Time Schedule Order, 986MP. size 8}4xll inches. Summarizes the items to be repaired, when the work is to be done, shows an estimate of the man-hours which will be required, and contains a sec Press Inspection and Repair Quota Chart, size 26 wide x 344 inches long. Designed to show in graph form the progress of elec trical and mechanical inspections and com pletions and has proven very effective as a stimulus for the inspection service to main tain a wide enough margin between their work and the maintenance report work which might be termed as being in the posi tion of always trying to catch ap to the in tion showing when the job was started and spection service. completed, together with the total man hours actually required for the job. Conveyor Inspection Report, size 8j4xl1 inches- Lists the items necessary to insure the best possible operating efficiency and again sets up enough items to require an inspector to do a thorough job before being able to complete his report. Press Maintenance Master Record. This Work Progress Sheet of Press Inspec tions, size 16$4 wide x 11 inches long. This sheet shows the work results of mechanical and electrical inspections and repair of presses daring the previous week for a fourmonth period, and since it is a weekly re port, its purpose is to serve as a guide to all people concerned as to any work that may be lagging and should be brought up to i> doigned to give a general report sum marizing the performance of any given press over a period of a year. It is believed that the information contained on this sheet is ni value in checking the efficiency of the inspection and maintenance repair service am! furnishes a basis for an adequate cost record of the maintenance effort required for any given press. Monthly Report of Production Strokes, 854x11 inches. This sheet is furnished by die Production Control Department and li<it the total number of production strokes of key presses during the month. This acts a- a guide when considering whether a press i' loing inspected often enough or not. It ha* been very interesting to note the differ ences in operating efficiency on comparable presses in the total number of production strokes over a period of one year. In some instances this has amounted to quite a figure. dale, and at the same time prevent a dupli cation of inspection effort during the month when there are still other presses which have not been previously inspected during that month. The inspection system of which I speak today provides for two meclianiral inspec tors and two electrical inspectors--one each of whom works on the first shift in order to observe the machinery In operation. The other two men work on the third shift in order to study the machine while not in operation and with the operating controls locked out to Insure their personal safety* while performing their duties. The findings of these inspectors arc reported on the previously mentioned sheets which are de signed to ask certain specific questions and yet provide adequate room for individual expressions as to any condition found on the machine by the inspectors at the time of Press Maintenance Inspection and Follazo- inspection. tip Schedule, 25 wide x 39K inches long. This schedule is maintained on a wall board and serves the purpose of a visual report as to-the status of the various presses in tire plant. It is very easy through the medium of this report to discover which presses have not been inspected and on which presses the mechanical or electrical repair work is lagging. Miscellaneous Equipment Follow-up Schedule, size 12 wide x 40 inches long. De The material contained on these inspection reports is transferred to a master sheet with sufficient copies being provided for those interested parties. In this case, they would be the plant engineer, who receives two copies--one of which is used as a work sheet and the other as a follow-up sheet, the manager of the press department who t thus afforded an accurate knowledge of the condition of the machinery under his super vision and helps him to schedule production Automotive and Machine Shop Section 311 in a more efficient manner through contact with the production planning department The safety* director is furnished a copy wluch serves as a guide as to the day by day machine conditions in the plant. On the various inspection reports which in the case of the copy to the maintenance de partment constitutes a repair order and work sheet the workman who makes the repairs is required to place his signature opposite the Items he has taken care of. Then the foreman's signature is required on the sheet to show that all work has been completed, jpon which it is turned over to an inspector 'or checking. Should the inspector find all ,vork completed in a proper manner, he adds iis name to this report; then a memo is sent hrough the system advising all those con cerned that a certain machine has been in spected and repaired and is to all intents and mrposes in good operating condition. Inspectors so designated have authority to stop any machine on finding a hazardous condition, and are required to report di rectly to the plant engineer of their action. This eliminates them from being subject to criticism by the foreman of the department in which the machines are involved and fur ther removes any fear they may have as to whether or not they should take the measure of shutting a machine down or not due to unsafe working conditions. Typical conditions found by the inspector are as follows: I. The flywheel hub was cracked across the center. This was something that could not be seen until the clutch had been pulled apart. 2. Limit switches were found to be full of iron shavings from holes drilled above these switches by workmen installing other devices. 3. A cracked flywheel was observed constantly over a period of time sufficient to enable the machine manufacturer to replace this flywheel with a new one. Time re quired to change the flywheel was rather negligible in comparison with the time that would have been required to replace the fly wheel if it had broken and another one had not been available for immediate replace ment. In order to do a good job of maintaining the continuous operation of machinery with the efficiency which is required in automo bile stamping plants today, the maintenance department supervisor is faced with a mul tiplicity of conditions which constantly arise. Many of these conditions appear for the first time and are of a type not ordinarily expected. Some others are beyond their control. It is at this point that efficient machine inspection systems can be of great assistance to the maintenance department supervisor in assuring the continued and efficient operation from a production stand point of the machines under his supervision. This, in return, will assist the production departments due to the fact that machines are operating with less loss of production time which is sometimes known as "down time." Accident Prevention Measures By DAVID MOULD Public and Induatial Relations, General Motors Corporation. Detroit, Mich. Under the General Motors decentralized set-up, each plant develops its own safety program designed to fit the particular type of manufacturing or assembly operation. Generally speaking, all of the safety pro grams are based upon the broad policy of the corporation which was stated long ago by Mr. William S. Knudsen: "Safeguarding our employees from accidents is in my opin ion the greatest and most important task before us at all times." This policy has been further defined by Mr. C. E- Wilson, acting president of Gen eral Motors, in his Five Principles of Safe Plant Operation: 1. Interest in safety on the part of top management. 2. Good housekeeping. 3. Mechanical safeguards. 4. Safety education. 5. Periodic safety stimulation. Through the monthly safety report which each plant is required to send in to the cen tral office, together with write-ups of any severe accidents, and periodic visits made 312 29th National Safety Congress at the plants, wc are able to keep our fingers on the pulse of the programs in the plants. In this manner, wc can devote special at* tention to a particular problem which might be troubling us at a certain time. Through these reports, write-ups and visits, we have come to the conclusion that most of our serious accidents result from what we call "human failures," rather than "mechanical failures." The primary approach to licking this problem of "human failure'* accidents is through the medium of safety education. However, beyond this, any manager or safety man has a definite responsibility in building equipment, dies, etc., in such a manner that the chances of "human failure" accidents are reduced to an absolute mini mum. We in the automobile industry have a little different situation in that we have a yearly change-over for new models. While this often dismantles a guarding program' which we have worked all year to complete, on the other hand it gives an annual oppor tunity to profit by experience in safety methods. In the larger plants, there is a contact man between the too! design, die leaders, tool and die repair and production depart This eliminates the necessity for the opera tor to place any part of his hand is the (Be. The operator stands at the ride of the press and he has two buttons to control the press. After the draw operation is completed, the part is ejected by a similar mechanical device working in reverse order as the ram goes up. The part falls on a moving con veyor which takes it to the next press opera tion. This device dunmaies the hazard which usually exists to removing a part from the die. The second is a loading device for a draw operation on a two slide toggle press. The blank is loaded onto the mechanical feeder which is operated by a toggle action from the upper and lower shoe of the die. The operator must have both hands on safety control buttons to operate the press. An air cylinder ejects the part from the die after the draw. Another device is a mechanical tmloader on. a draw Operation performed by two slide toggle press. The arm of the unloader is operated from a large cam on the crank shaft. Two air cylinders operated by a cam on the crankshaft operate the clutching de vice for picking up the pieces. The parts drop onto a moving conveyor. ments. The job of this contact man is to coordinate the experience of these depart Another device is provided on a multiple forming operation on a Bliss double crank ments so that improvements can be made press with three operators on the front of in safety and production through improve the press. Each operator has two safety ments in design as a result of operating control buttons and all of them most have experience. both hands on the buttons before the press Since most of our major hazards are in the press room, a great deal of attention has been given to die design and production methods iu the press metal departments. All of you will agree that the ideal press room would be one in which no one would have to put his hands under the dies at any time. That is the goal towards which we arb working. I want to describe several devices de signed to eliminate the necessity for em ployees to reach into the die when operating a press. will operate. A cam on the crankshaft is so adjusted that all of the operators must hold down the buttons until the ram i$ within approximately two inches of hitting bottom on the down stroke. This eliminates the possibility of any of the employees beating the press after the ram starts down. If any employee removes a band from any one of the buttons, the press will stop in any position mi the down stroke. After the ram Is within two inches of bottom, the press will complete the cycle after the hands are removed. Without this cam device, the buttons would only be starting buttons and The first is a draw operation on a two- it would be possible for - one of the em slide toggle press. We employ a mechanical ployees to beat the press on the down device which is operated by a toggle action stroke. mounted on the upper and lower part of the die. The operator places a blank on the device and as the ram goes up, the device drops the blank into position m the die. We have another device on a heavy duty crank block dutch press. There is an air control device for tripping the press. The original weight was removed and replaced Automotive and Machine Shop Section 313 by an air cylinder with a spring return. The cam on the block was redesigned and two cams were installed instead of the original one. This makes it necessary for the opera tor is hold down the air control levers until ike second earn Is passed or the press will atop. Thao eliminates the possibility for the Ofcratnr braring the press on the downstroke becsttse the press is within two inches of hatfrag bottom when the second ram is passed. Wc have a special safety die block for use trader the die during repairs. The block is a jade made of four-inch steel pipe with a screw insert. In this case two extra spacer blocks were also used to bring the block up tight agamst the ram. A second jack is on the opposite ride of the press diagonally across. This device has eliminated the fa miliar excuses for not using blocks, such as oot being able to find them, etc The jacks are a fixed part of the press operating on a swivel from the side of the press. The elec trical circuits for the operation of the press are broken when the jacks are swung under the die. The press cannot be started until the jacks are removed from the press. Wc have another type of die block mourned on the side of the press. The blocks are attached to the air circuit which operates the press and when the blocks are removed for use under the die, the air circuit is open and the press cannot be operated. Wc have devised standard cage guards for fast short stroke presses where it is not feasible to install electric or air controls. Most of tliem consist of two standard sized side baffles and a front baffle made espe cially to fit the contour of the die. The side baffles are usually mounted permanently on the side columns of the press and are ad justable to fit almost any die. The front baffle is a part of the particular die and remains bolted on it when it is removed. Each die usually has its own front baffle, fitted to its peculiar shape. The front baffles are so constructed that it is usually im possible for the operator to get his fingers under the die. For a common square shear for cutting sheet metal, a guard was designed to pre vent the operator from putting his hand under the blade at any time. The clearance between the guard and base is approximately J4 inch. The guard is on the outside of the hold downs and is bolted permanently to the side column of the shear. There are sheet metal pockets built into the guard which permit the operator to cut short stock (strips as small as 54 inch) without getting his fingers under the blade. The treadle ex tends across the full length of the shear so that it can be operated from any position. We use a tiering truck for stacking stock containers as bigh as IS feet. An overhead guard protects the operator should any of the stock spill or fall from overhead. There are toggle joints which allow the mast to be tilted as necessary. THURSDAY LUNCHEON AND AFTERNOON October 10,1940 Joint Meeting with the Power Press Section Human Behavior and Safety By VERNON G. SCHAEFER Pennsylvania State College, State College, Pa. How does the human being behave, and bow can we make him "safety minded?" The solution of this problem promises the most fruitful results in accident prevention. When wc talk of making a man "safety minded" we must mean that the man will not only think about his own personal safety' and that of his fellowmen, but that he will engage in correct and safe practice in the activities of every area of his life to the best of his ability and knowledge. If he has the proper attitude toward accl- 314 29th National Safety Congress dent prevention, he may yet lack knowledge of safe practices, or he may lack the ability to do some things safely, or be may have well-established habits or specific unsafe practice. In such case he must be given the facts which will help him to increase his knowledge. He most be placed on a job within the limits of his ability to operate safely. He must be restrained in such a way that old unsafe habits are eliminated and correct ones developed. This all requires diligent effort on the part of some one who is responsible for the safe living of the individual. This someone; be he staff officer or line supervisor, must study human nature in general and the specific working of it in individual cases. Let us get dearly before us the fact that we cannot command human beings into a >-iate of ^safety nundedness/* or into spe cific safe practices, nearly so well as we can bring them to the point of proper atti tude and correct practice by good leadership, which is capable of setting the scene so that human beings wish to follow' in the direc tion they are being led. safe practice not only in general but for individuals in specific activities. So far, we have been talking of the de velopment of attitudes and habits of safe practice, as if both workman and supervisor were individuals possessing nice general characteristic traits wfakh could be molded into a definite pattern if and when the leader knew* enough concerning: 1. The nature of his follower. 2. The end result to be attained. 3. A definite method and plan for the nice, plastic follower from where be is to where the leader wants him to be. How about looking at the prospective leader as an individual with vwne precon ceived notions and considerable pride as con cerns the methods be using; arvi at the prospective follower as an individual with a set of habits, attitudes and practices which have beat firmly established for many years, and by which he has lived even though not too safely? Now ask that leader to change that follower and yon hare a real problem. .This requires a rather complete knowledge ot what human beings arc and bow they act. It requires a knowledge of how they should act and of how to present the stimuli which will best get the response desired. It requires a carefully planned method for presenting the stimuli and careful study, exjHinmemation and checking to determine if the methods used are obtaining the best, or even satisfactory results. It requires, further, the development of personal qualifications on the part of the leader, which will make him so acceptable and so esteemed that his lollowers accept his ideas and suggestions ami cannot "let him down** in their actual performance any more than they can in their lip -ervice to him. "Safety mindedness" is developed through training under good leadership, capable of seicing the scene so that knowledge will be acquired and attitudes and practices devel oped. rather than under "drivership" which commands Of course, to be such a leader, more than a fine attitude and a desire to be useful in the world are necessary; you must know what to do and how to do it. To lead human beings into safe practices, you must know what human beings are like, how they act, how you can change their actions to those desired; and you must know To face this problem effectively, we must consider every* accident not only as a result important in itself, but also as a symptom of faulty conditions which caused it The study of accidents from this approach will reveal causes of two general types: I. Physical, such as, physical poor housekeeping, defective equipment, un safe buildings, and inadequate temperature, ventilation and lighting facilities and regu lation. II. Supervisory*, such as, faulty instruc tion, improper planning, poor discipline, un safe practices, and mental, physical and emotional maladjustments or unfitness. The physical hazards are not to be neglected, but we are chiefly interested at present In those which involve the human element, whether or not the physical condi tions arc properly adjusted. The supervisor is responsible for the se lection and placement of workers so they fit their jobs. This may require a new job analysis and specification, which con sider the human requirements of the job as well as the technical skills and abilities which are involved. Suppose that you find a workman with ten years' service on his job but engaged in un- Automolrve and Machine Shop Section 315 safe practice. Close observation may show you that the unsafe practice is established as a habit. In this case, it is not likely that the workman will change his well-established habit just because you tell him he must do so. The fact is, he may be irritated if you tell him too forcefully. He has a habit which must be changed. How will you cliange it? The first step is to be sure that you have a planned way which is better--safer--than the method now being used. Present this plan with sufficient good reasons calmly, patiently and frankly, pointing out such ad vantages as he may be able to grasp. Give him the total picture in a view which is extensive tn range and in time. Tlte second step is to avoid emotional re sentment on the part of the person whose habit- you wish to change. Whenever we have an established way of reacting to a stimulus, that way requires less energy and attention than any new way, even though the new way may later prove to be the easy way. Thus in response to a given >timulu* we tend to follow the habit pattern already learned and established. If the es tablished pattern is blocked and no new way established, there is a general diffusion of nerve impulses, so long as the stimulus per sists. Unless a way to satisfy that'stiomlus is found very' shortly, a state of emotion is generated. The individual may become angry* at the thing or person who blocked his usual re action, in which case he finds a way to re mow the Hocking object or person and es tablishes more firmly the old habit. He may only resent tte fact that he cannot respond smoothly. This resentment ' soon attaches itself to a nearby object or person. Once a man has become resentful, he will not ac cept the ideas of another, be they ever so good. He usually finds a way to continue in his old practices; if these are thoroughly blocked, he finds some other way, any other way. than the one proposed by the one he resents, of responding to the stimulus. To avoid emotional stress a worker should be shown the total picture in such a way that the old response is exposed as an incorrect way and a new one definitely planned, which will be within the limits of his ability to attain as he views it. Then he must be encouraged to attempt the new way under sympathetic guidance, with re-ward and praise for his accomplishments, and not too much blame for his failures. If you goad him to perfect performance at his former rate of speed on his first attempt, he may become confused and emotional; then he will resist the change. The third step is to establish a high re gard and esteem on his part for you because you are respectable and considerate, because you know how to instruct and have an understanding of human qualities. Of course, this step is to be established before you ever attempt to make changes in habits. If you have established this relationship with the worker, he cannot "let you down" when you ask him to change. He would rather take all of the punishment of increased attention and tensions required by the new method of performance than destroy his respect for you, if it is firmly established. However, you can expect him to show such respect for you only when you are respectable and when you give him the total picture and promote his attempts at the new way like a gentle man, rather than like a dictator who must be obeyed. Now, do not get the idea that all this de mands a spaghetti spined condition on the part of the supervisor. On the contrary, workmen like supervisors who are firm and just, precise and sympathetic, frank and understanding, demanding but respectful, authoritative but dignified--supervisors who know what to do and how to do it because they understand and consider the human be ings they supervise. Once the man has accepted the idea of the change of habit and has been encouraged to attempt a new method, he is on the way to learning a new habit The scene must be set so that any progress along the line of establishing the new habit will provide its own reward, and failure to progress provide its own punishment. Thus we see that in the solution of the problem of developing safe habits we must in most cases consider not only the man with preestablished habits, but also the super visor with all of his human traits. The problem of developing attitudes is not so different from that of developing or changing habits. Men pay attention to things which have attention-getting value and leam the things to which they attend: they eventually become interested most in 316 29th National Safety Congress the things to which they most often are attentive. When this channel of interest be* comes canalized to the extent that it can be symbolized by an object or a name and stated in an understandable fashion, we say an attitude has been formed. Of course, it is possible to accept ready made attitudes by accepting the symbols or language used by someone else without hav ing generated the attitude which should un derlie it. The difficulty is that too often the real meaning o the symbol Is not under stood and the attitude is valueless when the leader loses his power. It is much better to have such an atti tude toward safety by mere acceptance than an attitude against it. However,* it would be even better to have developed in each individual an attitude toward safe practice in which the symbols and language would have full meaning to him. Sometimes we face the problem of chang ing well-established group attitudes rather than developing new ones. How can the attitude of a group be changed? It is not likely that talking to the group will be very effective. Habits of thinking in individuals must be changed in the same manner and by the same methods as habits of physical practice are changed. It is pos sible, however, to change every individual in the group, as far as his expression of attitude to you is concerned, without having the slightest effect on the group or on the individual while he is with the group. After a sufficient number, including some or all of the key individuals of a group, have changed in their expression of indi vidual attitude when not with the group, you must get someone to express to the group the new altitude as being the attitude of the group. Then even those who have not changed their private attitudes must accept what the group .^.cepts as its attitude, to remain a member of the group. Sometimes the designated leader of the group has in fluence enough to express the group opinion and attitude. Sometimes he must back off and pick someone who is the accepted key man of the group to do the job of attitude expression. Sometimes men will be per suaded better by a leader from their own ranks, who understands both them and the boss, than by the boss himself. Of prime importance, however, is the need for carefully pointing the attention of each individual in the right direction until he de velops the proper interest in safety. Then name and symbolize his interest. Be sure it is his interest which is being symbolized; if it is yours and not his, he may not form the attitude you wish him to form. This human being whom me wish to keep safe must be motivated to foiknr correct practices individually and in the group to which he belongs. His individual motivation will depend to a great extent on the level of morale of the group. Because of the biological nature of the human being, there are specific peeds such as food, shelter, sex. etc. These needs prompt or motivate him to Super imposed on these fundamental drives are patterns of action developed through the his tory of the race and handed down through training. These superimposed patterns be come the motives of our daily life. Through education and propaganda, other specialized motives are developed. Biologically, even' organism tries to pre serve its own existence and attempts to pro mote its own continuance--even at the ex pense of others, if that becomes necessary. You maj- develop any motivating pattern which you choose so long as it does not deny too long the fundamental needs of the individual or Interfere too extensively with the promotion of his own interests. You may even propagandize the acceptance of a hollow motive for a time and enforce it by drastic punishment for failure to produce results; but sooner or later, the superim posed motivators which deny fundamental principles of human life and behavior are doomed to failure. All men are by nature interested in pro moting their own safety when other accepted motives do not interfere. One of the tasks of a supervisor in motivating safe practice is to remove the other interfering motivators. A group of men swore that they were not interested m safety and by their actions seemed to prove the point. On close obser vation, it was discovered that the men were vitally interested in their own well-being and safety, but were so annoyed by the methods employed in the promotion of safety in their department that they were motivated to de fend themselves against it Safety had be come the Symbol for the disagreeable cir cumstances which defeated their self-interest in other areas of life. ` Safety is not one of Automotive and Machine Shop Section 317 the superimposed motives which denies the fundamental factors of human existence, but safety, as promoted in some places, does deny these factors and is thus often rejected. Call a group of workers together at the end of a shift and harangue them for an hour on safe practices, belittling everyone present and ending up by showing wliat a boon it would be to you to be cited at a safety congress meeting for a good record if the numbskulls before you would wake up, and you have motivated a desire on the part of the group to kill you and everything you represent. They can't kill you and get away with it, so they proceed to kill safety as you try to promote it On the other hand, call the boys together during shift, ask them to suggest ways to improve the physical conditions about them and how to get at the problem of changing over to safe habits of practice and attitude. Give them a chance to promote their own self-interest while they are promoting safety, and you have used a double motivator for safe living. First, you have given the drive for self-preservation an opportunity to func tion, and secondly, you have given each man a chance to be noticed for the good he can can do rather than for the evil. Low group morale usually promotes un safe practice. How can the morale of a group be kept at a high level or raised if it is too low ? Level of morale is determined by com monness of purpose of the individuals of the group. Wherever all members of the group subscribe to the same common purpose and do not deny to other members the right to promote that common purpose, the morale is high even though an outside observer may say the end result of the group effort is un acceptable. Thus, there may be high morale among a group of cut-throat bandits. How ever, when some individuals do uot subscribe to the common purpose of the group or are denied the right of promoting self-interest in the promotion of the common purpose, the morale is low, and disgruntled members not only do not promote the safety of the group but often maliciously plot to destroy the conditions which promote safe continu ance of other members. Let us then find a common purpose to which every member of the group can sub scribe. Let us name and symbolize that common purpose in such a way that every member understands the full meaning of the name or symbol. Then provide a means (or each member to be noticed for his efforts in promoting the common purpose. Finally, after morale is high on the level of the com mon purpose chosen, raise the level of the common purpose through the efforts of the individuals of the group slowly enough so that some individuals are not trampled un derfoot in the attempt of others, including the leader, to rise. There is no place in such a scheme for personal glory, except as it is reflected by the desire of the group. The interesting point is this: safety pro motion and accident prevention itself may become the very focal point or common pur pose of the group by which high morale is attained. Any safety promotion which moves so fast or points to glory for the company or the safety director at the expense of the members of the group is likely to disrupt the group. The morale decreases, the com mon point of interest becomes the thing to be defeated, and unsafe practice follows be cause of poor moral* When the morale is high there is a respect for the accepted leader of the group, which tends to make acceptable what he has to sug gest. It is wise for the safety promoter to find a way to be an "in" member of the group in which he promotes safety. All this points to the fact that personality is an important factor in selling safety. We tend to buy commodities or accept ideas from the person who is personally accept able to us. This is a principle upon which successful salesmen have functioned for many years. Ours is the job of selling safety to those above us and to those below us. They all wanL to be sfe; they all are interested in safety; but we have planned programs for promoting the safe practices in industrial groups to sell. They may not understand or want to buy our specific plans. First we must show that what we have to sell is useful to and useable by the spe cific individual. Next we must be accept able if our ideas are to be accepted. An investigation of the factors involved in acceptable pci onality among workers in the Pittsburgh di net reveals that the work man likes his bos and attributes good per sonality to him when the following things are true: 318 29th National Safety Congress 1. His intellectual habits are slightly above ihc average, but not beyond the grasp of most of his workmen if they try to attain higher standards. 2. His physical habits are better than the :virrage of the group he supervises. 3. His moral habits are above average but he is not a moral prude and does not try to reform or condemn his workers. 4. His emotional habits are such that he keeps "an even keel" but can show righteous indignation or shed a tear of human sympa thy when everybody knows the situation de mands it. 5. His dress and appearance is neat but not out of keeping with his job. (In .some mills a foreman must wear a suit of clothes raiher than overalls.) 6. He speaks with his men rather than to or at them in a language marked by correct diction, enunciation, and pronunciation. (He may swear at them if he smiles when he does so.) 7. He is a good judge of proper perform ance and knows how to direct it, but he loses respect if he insists on showing that he can do every job better than his best men. 8. He exhibits intent to be fair in every decision. (He will be forgiven if he fails to exhibit fairness only if it does not happen loo often and there is never any evidence of intent to be unfair.) The range of each of these qualities is determined by the way the group thinks. This may seem too low for some of us. One supervisor said, "If I must have my personality attributed to roe by that bunch, then I don't want a personality." Maybe that is why his S6 men disliked him and why he had a very bad record of efficiency and safety of production. The .fact is that unless you are willing to have your personality attributed to vou by the group you lead, you have no right to be called the leader. Not only do you have no right, but you actually will not be the leader, even though you may be desig nated as such. If and when you are per sonally accepted by the group to whom you must sell your ideas; you will sell them if they promote efficiency on the part of the individuals. ADJO URNMENT Cement and Quarry Section Officers 1939-1940 General Chairman--P. N. Bushnell, Missouri Portland Cement Co., St. Louis, bio. Pice-Chairman--R. A. Ditolab, Universal Atlas Cement Co., Hudson, N. Y. Pice-Chairman--*0. if. Graves, The General Crushed Stone Co.. Easton. Pa. Secretary--A. Jf. R. Cuims, Portland Cement Assn., Chicago, 111. .Vray Letter Editor---Jack Dempster, Canada Cement Co., Ltd., Montreal, P. Q-, Canada. Engineering Committee Chairma}i--*J. B. Zook, Great Lakes Portland Cement Corp., Buf falo. N\ Y. Membership Committee Chairman--*Hekky A. Reninger, Lehigh Portland Cement C o., Allentown, Pa. Program Committee Chairman--H. F. Yotter, The General Crushed Stone Co., Easton, Pa. Publicity Committee Chairman--David Adam, Lawrence Portland Cement Co.. North ampton, Pa. Statistics Committee Ckairmanf--W. W. Adams, U. S. Bureau of Mine*. Washington. !>. C. Members at Large-- Tel Avxsoe, Lone Star Cement Corp., New York, N. Y. W. H. Baker, J. E. Baker Co-, York, Pa. E. D. Barry, Universal Atlas Cement Co., New York, N Y. J. R_ Boyd, National Crushed Stone Assn., Inc., Washington, D. C. *R_ B. Forttjih, Pennsylvania-Dixie Cement Corp., Nazarctli, Pa. *Aux\M>ot Foster. Jm., Warner Co., Philadelphia. Pa. *F. B. Hltnt. Dewey Portland Cement Co., Davenport, Iowa. S. W. Stauffer, National Lime Assn., Washington, D. C *F. E. Town*, Medusa Portland Cement Co., Manitowoc, \Vi$. A. L. Worthezc, The New Haven Trap Rock Co., New Haven, Conn. Officers 1940-1941 (I'nuTof Chairman--R. A. Dittmar, Universal Atlas Cement Co., Hudson, N- Y. Pice-Chairman--O- M. Graves, The General Crushed Stcme Co., Easton, Pa. Pice-Chairman--W. M. Powell, Medusa Portland Cement Co., Cleveland, Ohio. Secretary--A. J. R. Curtis, Portland Cement Assn., Chicago. III. Afetes Letter Editor--Jack Dempster, Canada Cement Co., Ltd., Montreal, P. Q., Canada. Engineering Committee Chairman--Th. Avn'SOE, Lone Star Cement Corp., New York, N. Y. Membership Committee Chairman--*Henpy A. Rekingek, Lehigh Portland Cement Co., Allentown, Pa. Program Committee Chairman--H. F. Yotter, The General Crushed Stone Co., Easton, Pa. Publicity Committee Chairman--David Adam, Lawrence Portland Cement Co., Northamp ton, Pa. Statistics Committee CAo*rri<ji--W. W. Adams, U. S. Bureau of Mines, Washington, D. C Members at Large-- *W. H. Baker, J, E. Baker Co., York, Pa. E. D. Barry, Universal Atlas Cement Co., New York, N. Y. "Put General Chairman 319 320 29lh National Safety Congress ,T. R. Boyd, National Crushed Stone Assn., Inc., Washington, D. C. *P. N. BusoNEtL, Missouri Portland Cement Co., St. Louis, Mo. 'R. B. Fortuin, Pennsylvania-Dixie Cement Corp., Nazareth, Pa, *F. B. Hunt, Dewey Portland Cement Co., Davenport, Iowa, S. W. Stauffer, National Lime Assn., Washington, D. C. L. P. Warner, Jr., Warner Co., Philadelphia, Pa. *A. L. Worthen, The New Haven Trap Rock Co-, New Haven. Conn. *J. B. Zook, Great Lakes Portland Cement Corp., Buffalo, X. Y. *?asi General Chairman WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON SESSION October 9, 1940 The opening session was called to order by General Chairman P. N. BushneU, Man ager, Safety and Personnel Department, Missouri Portland Cement Company, St. Louis, who presided. Chairman BushneU welcomed the delegates, and made a brief report of activities of the Section during the past year. He commented upon many of the hard-working committees, and urged an increase of teamwork for the heavy times ahead, in which cement companies will have large opportunities for cooperation for safety and national defense. The list of officers for the coming year, as recommended by the Nominating Com mittee, was presented and formally endorsed by the delegates. Chairman Buihncll then introduced the first speaker. Analysis of Cement and Quarry Industry Accident Experience By I. F.XeGORE Safety Engineer, Portland Cement Association, Chicago Uppermost in the mind of every one of us are two vital safety problems: (1) The emergency problem of national defense, and (2) The perennial problem of industrial ac cident prevention. In a time of stress it is essentia! that things go smoothly at top speed. In such a time, delay is dangerous--accidents that cause loss of time, damage to equipment or spoilage of materials might be called un intentional sabotage. The war on occupa tional injuries which we have waged in. the past has been good training for the stream lined war we are going to have to wage to conserve men, materials and time in the year ahead. The tax program necessary to pay the cost of the national defense program will not take into account waste that adds to the cost of doing business. We all know that effort and funds ex pended for accidents^--for medical attention, tor compensation to injured employees, for machinery repair and materials spoilage--are time and funds thrown out the window. Accidents are pure waste; there is no return on expenditures required to repair damage that could have been and should have been anticipated. Accident prevention means conservation of vital resources. Measures taken for the prevention of accidents, whether for guards, personal protective equipment such as goggles, hard hats and safety shoes, for un proved machinery and equipment of safer design, and for better processes that enable work to be done with greater ease and dis patch, represent investment in material and personnel resources on which there is an important return. Not the least important dividends are returnable in the improved morale that is bound to result from the in telligent, competently administered safety program. No one in business, in national defense activities, or any other endeavor Cemeni and Quarry Section 321 can expect to get maximum results unless the conditions and the attitudes that make for maximum performance are provided. Effect on Safety Work Industry iaccs severe tests in the new conditions bound to arise as the result of today's great stresses and responsibilities. Equipment is being returned to service in a hurry that has not seen service in years. Augmented working forces are taxing work ing faculties and sanitary* facilities. Chief among the problems facing indus trial safety forces is that of labor turnover. High levels of .production will bring back old employees whose skill has been dulled by periods of idleness or employment on other kinds of work, and new and unskilled workers who have little, if any, knowledge ot the hazards of their new jobs. Conscrip tion may magnify this problem even though the government is expected to carry on its plans for military' training activities with the least possible interruption to industries engaged in defense production. The problem of education and training to increase the average'skill and knowledge of personnel, with regard for the needs of the plant, is highly important. Education and training provide an opportunity for sdfdrvclopmmt by the employee which is a requisite for both real interest in his job and competent handling of the work he has to do, and does much to develop and main tain morale. Morale, which I interpret proper atti tude not only towards the job to be done but also towards the whole setting in which the task is placed, is a condition of complete cooperation and is as important to the suc cessful safety program as is adequate sltill. Skills, motives and attitudes are the forces that make for success in any undertaking. Modern warfare makes new demands upon the human mind and character. Al ready, the distractions caused by news from war-tom countries where some employees have relatives and friends, by prospects of conscription for military* training, and by the general bustle and uncertainty have con tributed to a rising accident trend in the country* generally and are conspiring to re verse the favorable trend the portland cement industry has been able to report for several years. During the first seven months of 1940, all accidental deaths in the -United States bad increased 7 per cent over the same period last year. Home deaths had increased 8 per cent, traffic deaths had in creased 5 per cent, and occupational deaths had advanced a whopping 14 per cent. In this emergency, industry must take ad vantage of the latest developments in per sonnel methods produced by extensive in vestigation and research. Application by in dustrial plants may include (he making of job analyses and job classifications, the de velopment of job specifications and rating scales and tests for selection. It is equally desirable that analysis of relations between functions, physical factors and human facul ties be made by small plants as well as large. Cement and Quarry Industry In World War I the ponland cement in dustry was considered non-essential. Fuel was rationed and the cement business marked time while other industries were op erating full blast to supply war materials. In the present program, however, our in dustry can perform an essential service in our country's defense. We have at our command (he latest, most powerful weapons for the war on accidents --new developments, new findings, new ex periences, new tactics. The swin** has been to selectivity and specialization; the rifle method rather than the shotgun. The aim of the selective program is to narrow the problems of hazards, both en vironmental and human, and to strike hard at the important ones first. For three years the Accident Prevention Bureau of the Portland Cement Association has hammered relentlessly at the. nine fundamental causes of accidents and the four causes of severest injuries. They have been spotlighted re peatedly* in every* publication sponsored by the Bureau, in the revitalized June NoAccident Campaign, in conferences on safety for supervisors, in regional safety confer ences of top plant leaders throughout the country. That this program has been effective is evidenced by the fact that injury frequency and severity rates were reduced almost one- half in the three-year period since 1936. Decline in those rates-for the third succes sive year established 1939 as the safest in the 27-year history of accident prevention in our industry, with men injured per million man-hours worked and a severity of about 2 days lost per thousand hours 322 29th National Safety Congress w orknl < >r. to pot it ^m**TM-*- way, there ucrc 17 men injured in the coarse of each unc-half million &>hoor shifts and two days* time hwt on MTnem o* injury in each 125 8-hour shifts. La-t th- XaiHitoJ SatVn Council agam proclaimed corxm; the saint heavy industry. stating that njtn*vcn*esl in each injur?" rate *mcr 1936 ha eawTK exceeded die average for industry ** a whole; that the frequency of fatalitic* ha> dropped 89 per cent during the last 13 years; and that only the frequency and severity of perma nently disabling injuries is above correspond ing averages for all industries. 1940 Experience Unsettled The story for 1940 is not so gratifying, however. In (he first eight months of this year, 130 Portland cement plants reported exactly the same number of accidents as 125 plants reported during the same period last year. According to the U. S. Bureau of Mines, cement production for that period was only 4 per cent greater than for the eight-month period in 1939. Shipments were up only 2 per cent The accident total was down 10 per cent to the end of June, with production up 5 per cent and shipments off 1 per cent Then in two months, July and August, the gain was wiped out--and production increases certainly were not responsible. In eight months 6 fatalities have been re ported compared with 5 in the same period last year. There were 6 deaths in the in dustry all last year, but with two reported in September total fatalities for the nine months of 1940 are 8, one-third more than in 1939. There have bem fewer permanent injuries this year than last and year's permanent disabilities hare been far leu severe than previously. But with more fa talities, it is not likely that the injury sever ity rate can be held at txi year** lewd of 2.00. Study of data suppbrd b* Mr Vt U Adams, supervising mtwuoaB <h etc 1' $ Bureau of Mine*. thu* ttir bow the crushed stone tndutftrir* tw the same problem* m acexfam --vert^ the cement industry has TW h**r dangerous spots, or ea-uor* of atwt in jury, in those mduarie-k are Ar aM|M Horsemen** we have for -wswqt SMBfe emphasized in the eeman nitiimr ti/fr places, moving xnoehtnery. themes, ami railroad or haulage equipment. Their ex perience shows as does ours that when an employee tangles with any of die four, the odds are great that his injury will be severe. Data for both the National Lime Associa tion and the National Crushed Stone Asso ciation are compiled annually, however; con sequently no figures for 1940 are available. The lime and stone industries have been participating in national safety cocnpctitioo* sponsored by the Bureau of Mines with notable results. In 1939, 41 plants in the lime industry" produced an injury frequency of 25.1 and a severity of 3_5. Twenty-two plants have competed during the five-year period of the contest, and an indication of the value of safety competition may be seen in the fact that m 1939 their frequency rate was 16 per cent below the rate for the first year of the contest. And it was 35 per cent below the rate for all plants participating in 1939. Fifteen lime plants completed the >car without a single injury. By way of encouragement to our friends in allied industries to cooperate in safety competitions, we might report that in the 16 years the Portland Cement Association safety trophy has been offered tor calendar years operated without disabling injury, 131 plants have operated 488 calendar years in perfect safety. In that time the frequency rate has been reduced 90 per cent and the severity rate 63 per cent. Mr. Adams states that the improvement in accident frequency rate of quarrying and allied work in 1939 was due to progress in accident prevention in 1939 in cement mills and quarries, lime kilns and quarries, and limestone quarries including crushing and finishing work. No reductions in rates were reported by granite, marble, sandstone, slate and traprock. Quarries, mines and day fields have so w this year contributed to the cement in ks try's afrkkat total a w**proportion of tnjnrie* than last year, although these i iprrafirtoi atiB top the list of departments * namiku of accidents reported. Two ra- satotKc fa*** been reported by quarries, how ever en--parii d with only ooe all last year. fnji in percentages of total injuries in Wta om stung az>d raw operations have bwiughr the propertied of injuries for the m**? * tide to 41 per cent of total. Cm mb mocagc and packing and shipping have held about the same level as ti* vvnr at 13 per cent of total. Together, Cement and Quarry Section 323 raw and shipping have ooatriboted 54 per cent of total accidents wink winking less than 40 per cent of total man-hours. It is obvious that these departments are contrib uting more than their "share" of injuries and that they must be watched with increas ing care. Need for Better Trainmg Safe operation of a cement plant requires competent, experienced workmen. We all know that workers become competcut aod experienced with the help and training of stalled fellow workers as well as with the training and supervision of foremen. But data for the first eight months of 1940 show that more than 18 per cent of the men injured had less than six months* service with their companies, and this is a 50 per cent greater proportion than at any time since 19361 Even more arresting is the fact that one-third of all the men injured so far this year had been doing the work on which they were injured less than six months. They were either new' or recently transferred workers. Every time a new man comes into a de partment a need for training arises, even though He may have worked elsewhere in the plant for-years. But the record shows that too often the new man is "expected" to be familiar with possible hazards and with correct and safe practices. Trained men should have the ability to size up a dangerous situation instantly and either cor rect it at once or warn whoever may be endangered. An important problem is that of getting experienced men to live up to their responsibility. Of all the single things we can do to get read}" for our program of industrial pre paredness, the thing that we can do the most for os is training. Cause* of Accident* As might be expected, the proportion of accidents doe to lack of knowledge and skill n at a higher level this year than last. So, is the proportion of accidents which include as ooe of their canses improper attitude. The greatest behavior cause of accident'' last year and this has been improper attitude toward safety, characterized by distraction, abstraction, failure to give or to follow in structions. Improper attitude was named a> a contributing cause 2.5 per cent more often during the first eight months of 19-10 than during the same period last year. The greatest environmental cause was un safe working procedure, which is largely determined by attitude. Unsafe procedure may stem from the individual's failure to keep his safety foremost in planning and performing work, or it may result from management's failure to develop safe meth ods for specific operations and to train em ployees to observe them faithfully. Unsafe proccdare was named as a contributing cause 2.7 per cent more often during this year than last. Lack of knowledge or skill is 2 per cent greater this year than last, according to our cause classification. Physical Control of Accident Hazards A PANEL DISCUSSION Diseussiott Lendif J. B. Lnns, Assistant Superintendent, Buffington Plant, Universal Adas Censes* Company, Buffiington, lad. Chairman L**a* oadM the scope of the discussion and titrodtimd the semWn of the panel, ntittav*: Fred B. Bml Ftint Mitt. Dvqy Portland CwiB Conwy, ftiiiaajrrr. Iowa. A. A Orntmin. Gmmed fwa wi Imr. Federal Cam--e Canaan*, W BofcdaX. Y. T. W. Jem*. <mim> tsqaanr. **. Ham Tran Bock C,q %*m Ifean*. Cm. H. R. Patterson. Superintendent, Lehigh Portland Cement Company, Madison Ciiv, Iowa. (The following resume of the discussions ha* barn prepared for this record by I. F. LcGoce. Safety Engineer. Portland Cement Avociafioo. Chicago.) FRED B. HUNT pointed out that safety 'arts wkb the proper design f plants and equipment. This includes such items as light- 324 29th National Safety Congress >ng and ventilation, stairways and guard rail?, and should cover the entire plant and equipment down to the locker rooms. In order that accident prevention will receive adequate attention, construction and repair, .suggestion was made from the floor that plan? and specifications be routed for com ment from engineer to superintendent to safety officer to the foreman iin the depart ment in which the work is to be done. Safe guards should be specified in the purchase order? for equipment. The set of safety in spection check lists developed by the Acci dent Prevention Bureau of the PCA was eiri-1 a? good reference material. Considerable discussion from the floor was given the subject of safe electrical equipment, switches and protective devices as a result of several severe accidents re cently reported in the Portland cement in dustry. Audible signals for machinery starting controls were mentioned and the relative merits of locking or tagging con trols during repairs were argued Consensus was that locking controls gives more posi tive protection, although a half dozen men signified that practice in their plants is to tag rather than lock. The location of switch-box handles and the use of the left hand in operating standard switches to make lc* likely the possibility* of injury should a dash occur was argued. A. A. OESTERLE led the discussion of inspection methods, the theme of which was that sat'd} depends a great deal uport the efficiency with which houses are kept in order and that inspections should be made periodically by qualified employees. Some of tho.e present said that daily safety inspec tion* should he made; the majority felt that comprehensive inspections should be made at least monthly. Use of the PCA inspec tion check liMs is made by some. Others u<c these list* as a basis for more detailed li<!< of their own so as to help make sure nothing is overlooked. The objection that the use of check list* makes inspection too stereotyped was countered with the idea that inspectors are to understand that their investigations are to include, but not be lim ited by, check list questions. It was con cluded that, whatever the method, it was best to get inspectors on record about safety conditions throughout mill and quarry. T. W. JONES' interesting exposition of the guarding problem left little for discus sion. Those present were fully in agree ment on the great value of physical safe guards for all equipment requiring them. R. A. DITTMAR, new General Chair man of the Section, made an interesting re port on his new plant, which is equipped with individual drives throughout and which has all moving parts of machioery enclosed. Equipment is controlled by push buttons interlocked to provide positive op eration. H. R. PATTERSON started the consid eration of personal protective equipment and stressed the importance of providing goggles, safety shoes and other clothing which fit well, are comfortable and which do not interfere with the work in any way. One company furnishes goggles and res pirators to all employees whether the work for which the>' are hired makes their use immediately necessary' or not. AH safety equipment must be turned in when the plant is shut down and it is carefully Inspected, repaired and cleaned before it is reissued. A l-to-10 hydrochloric acid solution is used Jo clean the glass of goggles of cement in crustations. Some plants make compulsory the wear ing of hard luts by workmen lining kilns. A steel industry representative reported that his company gives each employee a pair of safety shoes at Christmas in the belief that serious toe injuries prevented more than re pay the cost. THURSDAY LUNCHEON SESSION October 10,1940 Ur. R. R. Sayers, Director oi the United States Bureau of Mines, Washingroa, D. C, was the honored guest at the luncheon pre- ceding the concluding session of the Section. He complimented the Cement and Quarry Section for the excellent safety record of Cement and Quarry Section 325 their industries and described the activities of his Bureau In the defense program to for tify the needs of this country for strategic minerals. Jack Dempster, Director of Safety of the Canada Cement Company Limited, Mon treal, delivered an inspiring message of en couragement on the present world situation and the part safety men play in it. THURSDAY AFTERNOON SESSION October 10. 1940 The new General Chairman, R. A. Dtttmar, presiding at the closing session, briefly outlined activities contemplated for the Sec tion during the new year and made an appeal for assistance in building a strong member ship. He then turned the meeting over to Panel Discussion Leader R. A BECHTOLD, Su perintendent of the Pcnnsylvania-Dixie Ce ment Corporation's plant at West Des Moines. Iowa. CHAIRMAN BECHTOLD started the discussion, "Creating a Safe Working Force," and assigned the phases into which it was divided to the following members of his panel: J. J. Kelly, Manager of Industrial Rela tion*, Marquette Cement Manufacturing Company. LaSalle, Illinois. C P. Harris, Superintendent, Huron Portland Cement Company, Alpena. Mich igan. L. P. Warner, Jr., Industrial Relations Manager, Warner Company, Philadelphia. A. S. Hetherington, Supervisor of Safety and Labor. Universal Atlas Cement Com pany's plant at Duluth, Minnesota. (The following is a summary of the dis cussions. prepared for this record by I. F. LcGorc. Safely Engineer. Portland Cement Association. Chicago.) J. J. KELLY told of his company's meth ods of selecting and placing employees to best advantage. Men are employed through a central employment office, and after thorough medical examination are inter viewed by the safety engineer who acquaints them with the safety record of the com pany and the aims and desires of manage ment and employees in accident prevention. The new- employee is then taken to the de partment foreman v*ho is responsible for in spection and training. The newly hired man is permanently attached to a department only with the consent of the department head. An important discussion developed over the question of physical standards for em ployment, and the methods employed in the case of old employees becoming disabled so they are unable safely to continue in haz ardous work. Many plants are able to find easy, non-hazardous work for these em ployees but recognize that It may become increasingly difficult to fit these men into jobs of this land. Pension plans were men tioned in this connection. G P. HARRIS said his company's pro gram of instruction and training and devel opment of employee cooperation through training centers in foremen's meetings. Hu* and a number of other companies have liven following the PCA safety conference pro cedure in organizing and stimulating the thinking of supervisors about safety prob lems. It was brought out that employees should be instructed and trained in safety principles at the same time the}' arc in structed and trained in other duties. Volun tary meetings among employees to discuss safe practices and suggestions art encour aged. M. P. GREER, Safety Engineer of Mar quette Cement Manufacturing Comjanv's plant at Cape Girardeau, Missouri, reported an interesting transfer card in uc in his mill. The foreman -'tows tlie new or trans ferred employee'in his department how n do the job and at the end of the period of training fills out and turns in a card indi cating that the employee has tteeti properly instructed. L. P. WARNER, JR., led in the discus sion of the analysis of work method< and operating practices. Several of iIkmc pres- 326 29th National Safety Congress cm pointed out that comprehensive job analyses have often been made as a method of establishing equitable wage rales; but an even more Important development of these studies is the study of job hazards, fob analysis had been found by many to be val uable in determining whether new methods or equipment would make jobs safer. Ex perienced employees should be freely con sulted in preparing the job descriptions on which studies are based. A. S. HETHERINGTOX spoke highly of the PCA Foremen Conference training course in instructing foremen to be compe tent teachers and stated that it has been demonstrated that foremen who arc experts in the work performed in their departments may not have adequate teaching ability. It was felt that current emphasis on the re sponsibility of foremen seeks to develop greater competence in discharging duties and influencing employees rather than to overload supervisors. Opinion was divided as to whether fore men's meetings should be held on company time. Those who hold them on company time reported no difficulties arising from this practice. . Those companies holding safety meetings outside of working hours usually provide dinners and sponsor a brief social program in the course of the evening. ADJOURNMENT Chemical Section Officers 1939-1940 General Chairman--Ralph O. Keefer, Aluminum Co. of America, Pittsburgh, Pa. Vice-Chairman in Charge of Program--Stanley Warzala, The Calco Chemical Co., Inc., Bound Brook, N, J. Secretary--F. W. Dennis, Hooker Electrochemical Co., Niagara Falls, N. Y. News Letter Committee--S. W. Gurnf.v (Chairman), Liberty Mutual Insurance Co., Bos ton, Mass. A. L. Armstrong, Rochester, X. Y. R. S. Macjoe, General Electric Co., Xela Park, Cleveland, Ohio. P. V. Tildex, E. I. du Pont dc Nemours & Co., Inc., Wilmington, Del. engineering Committee--D. S. McEachern (Chairman), American Cyanamid Co., New York, X. Y. F. \V, JukiCK, The Wcstvaco Chlorine Products Corp., Carteret. N. J. *S. E. Whiting, Liberty Mutual Insurance Co., Boston. Mass. Data Sheet Committee--Plumer Wheeler (Chairmau), American Cyanamid Co.. Linden. X. J. S. M. MacCutcheon, The Dow Chemical Co., Midland, Mich. Health Committee--Dr. Leonard Greenbcrg (Chairman), New York State Department of Labor, New York, N. Y. *T. S. Shaw, Hercules Powder Co., Wilmington, Del. Membership Committee--C E. Sevrens (Chairman), Monsanto Chemical Co., Merrimac Div,,. Everett, Mass. W. L. Hammerslev, Electric Storage Battery Co., Philadelphia, Pa. Poster Committee--H. R. Bixleh (Chairman), Union Carbide & Carbon Corp., New York, X. Y. John Ci-Ements, Michigan Alkali Co., Wyandotte, Midi. Ralth L_ Rogers, Jbl, Tennessee Eastman Corp., Kingsport, Tenn. PaWtrify Committee--S. D. Kirkpatrick (Chairman), Chemical & Metallurgical Engineer ing. New York, N. Y. A. L. Watson, Koppers Co., Pittsburgh, Pa. Clarence Wktle, Niagara Alkali Co., Niagara Falls. X. Y. Safety Instruction Card Committee--E. F. King (Chairman). Lever Brothers Co., Cam bridge, Mass. John Roach, Deputy Commissioner of Labor, Jersey City, N. J. K. E. Roof, Willard Storage Battery Co., Cleveland. Ohio. Statistics and Contest Committee--R. C. Stratton (Chairman), The Travelers Insurance Co., Hartford, Conn. "H. L. Miner, E. L du Pont dc Nemours & Co., Inc.. Wilmington, Del. 'Put General Chiinun Officers 1940-1941 General Chairman--Stanley Warzala. Calco Chemical Div., American Cyanamid Co., Bound Brook, N. J. Vice-Chairman in Charge of Program--F. W. Dennis, Hooker Electrochemical Co., Ni agara Falls, N. Y. Secretary--S. W. Gurney, Liberty Mutual Insurance Co., Boston, Mass. 327 328 29th National Safety Congress News Letter Committee--James J. Duggan- (Chairman)* Carbide & Carbon Chemicals Corp., South Charleston, W. Va. ft. S. MacKIe, Incandescent Lamp Dept., General Electric Co., Cleveland, Ohio. J. H. Taylor, Procter & Gamble Co., Cincinnati, Ohio. P.ugineering Committee--D. S. McEachern (Chairman), American Cyanamid Co., New York, N. Y. Harold W. Baker, Eastman Kodak Co., Rochester, X. Y. F. W. Jurjck, Wcstvaco Chlorine Products Corp., Carteret, X. J. *S. E. Whitinr, Liberty Mutual Insurance Co.. Boston. Mass. Data Sheet Committee--S. M. McCutcheon (ChmrmouJ, The Dow Chemical Co., Mid land. Mich. Ralph O. Keefer, Aluminum Co. of America, Pittsburgh, Pa. Health Committee--Dr. Leonard Greenbukg (Chairman), X. Y. Stale Department of Labor, Xew York, N. Y. John S. Shaw. Hercules Powder Co.. Wilmington. Del. Membership Committee--C. E- Sevrens (Chairman), Monsanto Chemical Co., Boston, Mass. W. L. Hauuersley, Electric Storage Battery Co., Philadelphia, Pa. Poster Committee--H. R Bjxuer (Chairman), Union Carbide & Carbon Corp., New York. X. Y. John Clements, Michigan Alkali Co., Wyandotte, Mich. Ralph L. Rogers, Jr., Tennessee Eastman Corp., Kingsport. Tenn. Publicity Committee--S. D. Kirkpatrick (Chairman), Cliemical & Metallurgical Engineer ing, Xew York, N. Y. *A. L. Watson, Koppcrs Co., Pittsburgh, Pa. Clarence Wigle, Niagara Alkali Co., Niagara Falls, X. Y. Safety Instruction Card Committee--E. F. King (Chairman), Lever Brothers Co., Cam bridge, Mass. John Roach. Deputy Commissioner of Labor, Trenton, N. J. K. E. Roof, Willard Storage Battery Co., Cleveland, Ohio. Statistics <$* Contest Committee---R. C. Stratton (Chairman), The Travelers Insurance Co.. Hartford, Conn. *H. L. Miner, E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Co,, Inc, Wilmington, Del. 'Pa General Ouirsun TUESDAY LUNCHEON SESSION October 8, 1940 The opening session was a special lunch eon meeting, attended by a large number of delegates. General Chairman Ralph *0. Keefer, Purchasing Agent, Aluminum Com pany of America. Pittsburgh, Pa., presided. Following the luncheon, the Chairman wel comed the delegates and guests, spoke briefly of the Section's activities during the past year, and then introduced the speaker of the occasion, Mr. O. S. True, whose ad dress is given below. The Use o Rubber and Rubber Compounds in the Chemical Industry By O. S. TRUE United States Rubber Company, New York, N. Y. Strictly speaking, rubber as such would be of little value to the chemical industry, ft owes its valuable properties to an ability to combine chemically with certain sub stances such as sulphur, and to its ability to incorporate with and to hold in uniform Chemical Section 329 dispersion certain reinforcing . -tcrials such as carbon black. Also the quality and dura bility' of modem compounds has been much improved by the addition of small quantities of accelerators and anti-oxidants, for the most part complex organic materials which improve the uniformity of the cure and in crease the resistance to natural aging. Rubber can be compounded so as to pro vide substantial resistance to corrosion and abrasion, as well as high dielectric, low co-efficient of heat transfer, and marked ability to absorb vibration and shock. These properties make rubber of value to the chemical industry'. With regard to corrosion, an ever-present problem in the chemical industry, rubber can be compounded to satisfactorily resist the following: 1- Most inorganic acids--including hydro chloric. phosphoric, dilute sulphuric, etc. 2. Most organic acids--such as acetic, formic, tartaric, etc. 3. Inorganic basis--caustic soda, etc. 4. Inorganic salts--chlorides, sulfates, etc 5. Organic salts--acetates, tartrates, etc. 6. Bleach solutions--hypochlorites, chlo rine solutions. Xo one compound satisfactory for use in connection with ail of the above classifi cations bat a suitable compound can be ob tained for each individual requirement. Robber is not suitable for use with the following: I. Strong oxidizing agents--such as nitric and chromic adds. 2- Aromatic hydrocarbons--such as benzol and toluol. 3. Aliphatic hydrocarbons--petroleum and its derivatives. Rubber has one further limitation which should be borne in mind; namely, tempera ture. While compounders have improved the temperature resistance of rubber, 180 to 200 degrees F. must still be considered the practical maximum for industrial rubber goods, if long life is to be obtained. For present purposes, mwic generaliza tion may be made. There is the type abra sion caused by a material sliding over a sur face, a shearing action, and there is the type caused by impinging of a material against a surface, abrasion due to impact. Between the two extreme types is an infinite numl>cr of combinations. Different rubber com pounds arc necessary for different types of abrasion, but unless the impact is so severe as to cut the rubber to pieces, the proper compound has a very high degree of re sistance to abrasion. Without qualitative tests it is not possible to say fust how much more resistant rubber is than some other material, but such tests can be made it nec essary- When corrosion and abrasion arc both present, rubber is an Ideal materia! al though if the corrosive action is so severe as to make necessary a compound designed pri marily to resist corrosion, it might be nec essary to sacrifice some abrasion resistance. With regard to dielectric for potentials up to 10,000 volts, rubber is generally consid ered the best available commercial insula tion. Furthermore, rubber can be com pounded to provide tow water absorption, thus maintaining its high insulating factor, a characteristic not enjoyed by most other insulating materials. Rubber insulation finds its most common use with electric wires and cables, although it has also wide application in connection with electro chemical proc esses where resistance to corrosion and to stray current losses are both important. The ability of rubber |o absorb vibration and shock is due to a high degree of resil ience. If displaced under load it immediately returns to its original position when the load is removed. The movement is accomplished with a minimum of internal friction. This characteristic enables engineers to design rubber springs and vibration dampeners, a recent application of rubber that is proving very beneficial in many of the process indus tries. Rubber may he considered a good thermal insulator with coefficient of heat transfer corresponding approximately to that of.as bestos. This permits transfer of solutions through rubber lined pipe with small loss of heat content, and evaporation in rubber lined vacuum crystallizers whjiout excessive radi ation. On the other band, low heat transfer precludes the possibility of temperature con trol by indirect heating in rubber lined jacketed kettles or similar equipment, it lac ing necessary to maintain temperature t> heating coils or direct injection of steam. Rubber compounds vary in tensile strength from 2,000 to 10,000 lbs. per sq. inch, m elongation or stretch from 800 per cent to 330 29th National Safety Congress 2 per cent, and in specific gravity from .97 to 1.70 (processes). Rubber can be molded, extruded, or made up in sheet form, can be incorporated with duck or other fabric, or can be permanently adhered to metal. endless either in the factory* or in the field, or can be fastened in the field with one of several standard types of fasteners. Transmission bells have a usual maximum size of 24 inches width with 8 or 10 plies A great deal of research and experimental of duck. Such a belt will transmit approxi work has been necessary to develop com mately 350 H.P. at 5,000 lineal feet per min pounds of present day standards, and hand ute. Rubber transmission belts are adaptable in hand with the improvement in the mate to practically every type of belt drive. Trans rial ha* gone the development of the me mission belts may be made endless either at chanical equipment necessary- for the pro duction of modem rubber goods. The items most generally used in the chemical industry* the factory* or in the field, *r may be fast ened with one of the standard fasteners. U is, of course, standard practice to protect arc: conveyor and transmission belts, pack bolt drives with metal screens. However, ings. Irosc of all kinds, rubber lined equip there is considerable potential power in a ment. various molded articles, electric wire high-speed transmission belt, and there and cable, tape, gloves, boots and aprons. should be frequent inspection to make sure The chemical industry uses in quantity conveyor and transmission belts. The foundation of most rubber belts is a woven cotton duck, especially designed for the pur pose. The weight of duck varies from 28 ox. to -j oz, per rubber man's yard of 42 x 36 inches. The permissible tension varies between 24 and 60 lbs. per inch of width per ply. the number of plies being determined by the maximum applied load. The plies of duck are held together with a soft rubber compound known as the friction. This fric tion serves to unite the plies of duck into the finished belt, at the same time per that the belt is in good condition. In par ticular. the fasteners should be kept tight and properly fitted, ami checked for weak ness or breaks caused by metal fatigueThere have been serious accidents due- to breaking of belt fasteners, most of which could have been avoided by proper inspec tion. The chemical industry* uses a large variety Of packings including flax, jute; rubber, duck and rubber, asbestos and rubber, a variety of synthetic materials, and metallic packings, all of which have definite place.* in this industry. mitting sufficient freedom between the piles to assure a homogeneous structure capable of conforming to the distortion over pulleys Rubber packings can be furnished in sheet form or can be extruded or molded to de sired shape. without mechanical break down. It is csscution that the friction not only penetrate throughout the duck, but that it be of such character and thickness that the belt will stand up serviceably under repeated flex ing. A rubber cover is provided to protect the carcass against abrasion and deteriora tion. This cover will vary in thickness be tween tV andjd inch, depending upon sever ity of service, and can be especially com pounded to resist hear, abrasion, acid or oil. The use of conveyor belting is based on rhe mechanical theory that it is less expen sive to move materials in a constant stream of small quantities than to move the same Duck and rubber or asbestos and rubber can be furnished as sheet, or can be braided to square or circular cross section or molded to required sltape. All rubber pack ings arc ordinarily used up to 180 degrees F. maximum temperature, duck and rubber up to 250 degrees F. with asbestos and rub ber varying from 400 to 800 degrees F. de pendent on the grade of asbestos. All these types are lubricated with oils or waxes and finished with a treatment of graphite or mica. The type of lubricant used depends on the material handled, the tem perature, pressure and the kind of motion involved, t.e., centrifugal, reciprocating, etc. volume of material intermittently In larger Pressure limit is dependent on stuffing box quantities. Also in many processes, it is de sirable lo have the raw materials delivered ai a constant and uniform rate. Conveyors can be made in widths up to 72 inches and in continuous lengths up to any practical requirement. Conveyor belts can be made design. As a successful packing must meet all of the conditions for which it is recom mended, and as there is grrat variation in service conditions, most packing manufac turers carry a wide variety of packings. Chemical Section 33! This makes it imperative that the proper packing be selected for each individual service ii the best results are to be ob tained. Better packings improve the margin of safety. The reputable manufacturers arc more than willing that the safety committee pass on the quality of packing for severe service conditions and glad to cooperate with such committees in the development of the best specification. The temptation to permit the use of inferior packings to save a few pennies on initial cost should be carefully avoided. Very few persons realize the extreme im portance of hose to industry. Hose repre sents the largest single item o mechanical rubber goods and there are several manu facturers who concentrate their activities almost exclusively on hose. Early hoses were made of fabrics or leather but the intro* duetton of rubber enormously enlarged the adptability and use of hose items. A rubber hose consists of a tube, a carcass and a cover. The material being conducted comes in active contact with the tube; hence the rubber must be compounded to resist the action of heat, acid or oil as the case may be. The carcass provides the necessary strength and from the nature of its con struction the hose derives its flexibility. The carcass usually consists of a number of layers of cord or fabric, the number de pendent on the service pressure, each ply* being separated by a thin layer of rubber. With cord or braided construction hose can be made in continuous lengths; with wrapped duck construction length is limited to 50 feet. The cover provides protection from outside wear and must be compounded to resist abrasion, acids, or oil as required. The chemical industry* uses hose foi a variety* of purposes; air hose, steam and water hose, add hose, sand blast hose; fire bose. etc Many of these are standard items as supplied to other industries. Many art special bofes designed for particular serv ices. For instance, in handling food grade phosphoric add it i$ important to prevent contamination of the product. Most rubber compounds will satisfactorily resist the cor rosive nature of the add bat many will dis color the add; in fact, special compounding is necessary to prevent discotoration. Hence a sped! tube must be provided for acid hose handling this materia). Steam hose is commonly used in most plants and with the general increase in steam pressures and temperatures the serv ice has become more and more exacting. Until recently use of steam hose has been accompanied by considerable hazard. It is difficult to determine the condition of the carcass of the hose from the appearance of the cover. Cotton starts to deteriorate and to char at temperatures around 250 degrees F. Progressive deterioration sets in and after a period of service, there is a possi bility that the hose may burst with attend ant risk to personnel. Two recent develop ments contribute substantially to safer use of steam hose. One is the development of an asbestos cord of requisite strength which provides a non-char, non-deteriorating carcass. The other is the use of wire braid in place of cotton braid. The wire braid Is, of course, unaffected by high temperature and has ample strength to resist the pres sure. Danger of blow-out is eliminated, and as it is not possible to compound a rubber tube that will outlast the braided steel car cass, failure occurs when the rubber be comes porous and allows the steam to leak through the wall structure, not a particu larly dangerous type of failure. For larger sizes of hose, it is possible to provide resistance to pressure or to vacuum by building into the hose a flat or round wire spiral- With hose of this type, it is also possible to provide an integral duck and rubber flange, ordinarily designed to con form to A.S.M.E. standards. The result is a flexible pipe with a high degree of re sistance to abrasion, corrosion, pressure, vacuum or vibration. There are many places in the chemical industry where this type of hose can be used to advantage m the handling' of abrasive materials in sus pension, or slurries. In many cases, a flex ible pipe can be run in a more direct line than a rigid pipe, and in other cases it is possible to eliminate elbows and short con nections. Furthermore, a flexible pipe will compensate for misalignment of pipe line and pump connections and can be used to compensate expansion and contraction. Proper and adequate fire hose is as es sential to the chemical as to other indus try-- Fire protection is a highly specialized subject and need not be discussed here. In the chemical industry it is complicated by the necessity of protecting the hose against the destructive action of acid fumes. Spe cial treatment of cotton jacket can be pro vided but for severe conditions, rubber cov- 332 29th National Safety Congress creel hose is recommended. The hose manu facturer Is always glad to consult with you regarding your particular requirements. The extreme flexibility and excellent elec trical properties of rubber make it a logical basic material for insulation of electric wire and cable. . In addition, tlic, resistance of rubber to chemical corrosion makes rubber insulation particularly desirable in the chem ical industry. Jti compounding rubber for electrical purposes, it is essentia) that die ingredients have good electrical properties and low water .solubility. It has been found possible to produce flexible insulation vary ing in rubber content from 10 to 70 per cent rubber, hence a wide range of electrical and chemical properties is available. Also, it is possible to provide an insulation with sufficient resistance to mechanical damage to jiermit use without other protective cover ing such a> lead. This is not possible with certain other types of insulation, such as varnished cambric or paper. Lead coverings are subject to mcclianical damage and if the lead covering is provided as a protection for an inferior insulation electrical difficulties arc quite certain to occur subsequent to any damage to the lead covering. On the other hand rubber insulation properly compounded to provide the best obtainable electrical and mechanical properties plus resistance to chemical corrosion have given satisfactory and safe service under severe conditions in many plants for a number of years. Wires and cables arc commonly spliced with a combination of rubber and friction tapes. The splicing compound is a tacky unvutcanued or semi-vulcanized rubber, and the friction tape is a cotton fabric thor oughly impregnated with rubber. Tltc splice is ordinarily made with the rubber tape applied directly to the wire, held- in (dace with an outer layer of friction tape. The rubber tape provides the dielectric and the friction tape the protective cover. Fric tion tape alone is sometimes used but this is not considered safe practice. Recently-socalled twin-tapes have been introduced, a combination of rubber one side and friction the other: important from a safety angle in that ir eliminates the possibility of a splice made front friction tape only. Of interest to the chemical industry is a special Frictinned fabric of 4 inch width, similar to a tape, used with hair felt or cork for msulatiou of pipe lines The tape is applied continuously holding the insula tion in place and providing a permanent air tight cover. The most recent and probably the most direct contribution of the rubber to the chemical industry has been the application of rubber linings and ruber coverings for tanks, pipe and fittings and equipment such as fans, pumps, continuous filters, cen trifugals, etc. With the expansion of the chemical industry, there came a demand for corrosion resisting equipment of size and structural strength to meet the increasingly more severe requirements of the service. Most of the older materials had limitation* such as insufficient maximum size, inability to withstand vacuum or pressure suscep tibility to thermal shock, necessity for fre quent repair, etc. Ordinary steel construc tion is, of course, impossible, but steel pro tected by rubber has a wide range of appli cation. For such equipment, the structural 'strength of steel and the corrosion resistance of rubber are available, size limitation is re moved, pressure and vacuum can be pro vider! for, and cost and life expectancy usually indicate excellent economy. Most engineers are familiar with the principles of design of steel equipment and as relatively few modifications are necessary' to permit installation of rubber a specialized design knowledge is not required. The discovery of an adhesive capable of permanently and adequately bonding vulcanized rubber to steel is responsible for the development of rubber linings. The process consists essentially in the preparation of the inctal surface by clean ing with sand or steel girt blast, application of several coats of adhesive, placing of the unvulcanized ruhber over the cemented area, and the subsequent vulcanization of the rublier. The cements arc brushed on, nec essary allowance being made between coats for evaporation of solvents. The rubber is applied in calendared sheets, cut to proper size usually A inch thick. For severe op erating conditions, $4 inch thickness is fre quently used. The cure is effected by means of pressure steam, exhaust steam, hot water, or hot air. dependent on conditions and the size of the vessel. Subsequent to cure, an electric spark test is applied to insure against concealed defect. The work is pref erably done at the rubber factory but may be done In the field if necessary*. There arc certain rigid safety regulations which we insist be followed by our men in Chemical Section 333 this work. Tlie cement solvents are highly volatile, somewhat toxic, and form explosive mixtures, hence care is necessary' to prevent accident. Also activated cure necessitates the use of carbon bisulphide, another haz ardous volatile material. Hence with all closed vessels'ivc require an 16 inch mini mum manhole, that our operators wear gas masks when cementing in confined areas, that proper ventilation be provided for re moval of fumes. In addition, in closed ves sels the operator wears a life belt and a watdunan stands at the manhole to be readyin case of emergency. Care should also be taken that no smoking, no open flame, or no welding occurs in the area. Finally*, all motors driving exhaust fumes must be nonsparking and it is best that the tanks be grounded and that all tools have wire wound handles and be properly grounded. Only vapor-proof lights should be used. Tools should be of non-sparking materials and' shoes should not contain steel nails in soles or heels. It is advisable to have fire ex tinguisher readily- available while work is in progress. It should be borne in nund that it is pos sible to machine certain grades of rubber to close tolerances, hence when necessary' rub ber lined and covered equipment can be machined to size subsequent to application of the rubber. Also for severe conditions involving mechanical abuse or high tempera ture, it i* possible to protect the rubber with brick inner linings set in acid proof cement. The use of this type of construction is rapidly increasing for pickling tanks, flues, absorption towers, sulphuric acid mixture tanks, etc. Rubber gloves, boots, aprons and clothing should be mentioned briefly in any discussion of rubber for the chemical industry* These arc standard items usually drawn from stock and most companies have safety regulations which compel the wearing of these protec tive items during certain operations. Today no consideration of rubber is com plete without some mention of the syn thetics. Strictly speaking, these are not syn thetic rubbers, but are compounds of simi lar molecular structure having rubber-like properties. In normal times it is not to be expected that synthetics will replace natural rubber. Rather it is expected that they will supple ment rubber for service conditions for which they arc better adapted. Their resistance to oil, strong oxidizing agents and heat being superior to rubber makes them especially valuable in many instances. Rubber has the tremendous economic advantage of low cost and at the present time, it does not appear that synthetics will be able to meet this com petition. However, with world conditions a** they are almost anything can happen and it may be extremely fortunate that we have synthetic materials available and a knowl edge of their processing. TUESDAY AFTERNOOX SESSION October 8.19-10 Accident Prevention Through Periodic Test and Inspection of Machinery and Equipment By JAMES J. DUGGAN Carbide and Carbon Chemicals Corporation, South Charleston, W. Vo. To clarify my remarks, by machinery I refer to apparatus that involves moving parts such as compressors, pumps, motors, etc. By equipment I refer to apparatus wliich has no moving parts such as tanks, condens ers, kettles, piping systems, etc. By test is meant the subjection of a pres sure or load in excess of the normal oper ating or design requirements within, how ever, the factor of safety limits, and in no case destructive. By inspection is meant, the visual observa tion of such apparatus as cannot be sub 334 29th National Safety Congress jected to any form of strength of perform compiled to the department beads and all ance test such as shop equipment, hand other interested persons that they may know tools, open top kettles, etc. Where operating as nearly as possible the condition of equip conditions or the past service record of any ment apparatus justifies the waiver of a strength or performance test, a visual inspection should be mandatory. 5. To establish safe operating pressures by standardized retest pressures and procedures, making each metresshe test or inspection In 1934 the management of the Carbide identical, thus giving means for determining and Carbon Chemicals Corporation decided the exact conditions of equipment based on to extend the scope of their safeO' work to past tests. reduce not only accident severity and fre quency rates but to reduce mechanical fail ures, reduce fire hazards, and increase the overall plant efficiency through the elimi nation of mechanical hazards thus assuring continuity of production. The theory was sound, and a separate de partment was established to originate and supervise test and inspection routines. This organization was to be known as the "Proc ess Safet>r Department," the direction ot wliich was to be independent of those pri marily in charge of production or equipment, thus allowing a free expression of opinion concerning the condition of the equipment and the character of the maintenance with out being influenced by someone whose pri 6. To provide proper tools, instruments, and such other equipment as mas* be found necessary* to carry on ti. test and inspection work as thoroughly and efikientlv as pos sible. 7. To correlate corrosion rates sod esti mate the life of afi equipment and to recom mend the replacement of old or defective equipment before it fails in service. Throagh the data thus compiled, to be of assistance m the establishment of design, construction, and maintenance standard? for future equipment. 9. To study* the design of new equipment and plant layout in an effort to eliminate the repetition of hazardous conditions. mary interests centered on maximum pro 10. To effect co-operation between produc duction or maintenance at the lowest cost tion, maintenance, engineering, and inspec Freedom to state conditions exactly as- tion force* that each may benefit by the ex found and to criticize constructively were considered the prime requisites for a suc cessful test and inspection organization. The Process Safety* Department origi perience of the others. 1J- To keep tbe plants perpetually newthrough the replacement of defective equip ment or machinery. nated procedures based on sound engineering principles. The various code requirements, for example, were considered standard. Every source of information was utilized and where standard practice procedures were applicable to plant conditions they were in cluded. The services rendered, however, were in no way intended to relieve a depart ment supervisor of the responsibility for the safe operation or maintenance of his equip ment. The procedures were intended:-- 1. To establish a system for periodically testing and inspecting all machinery, equip ment, and safety devices. The application was not found as difficult as originally anticipated. Investigation re vealed the fact that a large portion of the necessary* work was being done. Efficient repair work was effected through the ex isting maintenance departments, tests of some nature were bring made following each repair to determine that satisfactory repairs had been made. Various inspection schedules had been established for the convenience of department heads. The record of such work however was very incomplete and lacking in detail and thoroughness. To make a long story short, much effort was being exerted 2. To eliminate a possible cause of fire, with little benefit. Therefore, when definite explosion, or accident through decreasing procedures were put into effect the actual the likelihood of any mechanical failure of work performed was not materially increased equipment in service. and the small increase necessary was soon 3. To record all tests, inspections, and repairs by providing suitable report forms and record systems for future reference. 4. To circulate all reports and information justified. To be more specific, the total time chargeable to process safety work, which includes all fire protection work, is less than ooe-half of one per cent of the total plant manhours. Chemical Section 335 Such a system, applicable to any type of industry, may be summarized as follows: 1. It must have tbe approval of the man agement. 2. The system for gathering data must be routine, specific in requirements, and efficient in operation. 3. Complete co-operation between all plant departments is essential to insure compila tion of all facts and data. 4. A report must be made of each repair as well as each test and inspection. Infor mation concerning operating irregularities are valuable also in compiling an accurate service record. These reports must become a part of the record system. 5. A means of identification of all ma chinery and equipment must be provided. For example, equipment can be grouped such as motors, compressors, boilers, stills, etc . and numbered in rotation either by depart ment or installation. 6. All test and inspection work must be under the supervision of one department to eliminate repetition and to insure complete coverage and the following of approved pro cedures. 7. All equipment should be prepared for test and inspection by the maintenance department mechanics or operating department personnel. This arrangement eliminates the necessity for duplication of effort. The ac tual test, however, must be applied, or at least supervised, by an authorized inspector. 8. Inspectors should confine their efforts to a detailed analysis of the present condition of equipment m order to establish the rate of corrosion or deterioration and tbe safe operating life of the equipment. When this information is passed on to the maintenance and design departments it will assist them materially in deriding the proper repair and/or change in design for future installa tions. 9. The reports submitted should form a "service record" of each individual piece of equipment and be kept in a convenient place accessible to all interested persons. If neces sary, duplicate systems may easily be main tained in two or more advantageous loca tions. 10. When periodic test and inspection re veals equipment to be unsatisfactory for the operating conditions to which it is subjected, it should be removed to a less severe ser vice or condemned and completely removed from service. This decision is reached by applying sound engineering principles, and by consultation with the plant engineering and maintenance engineering departments. All information should be circulated to or made available to all units of a plant within a corporation that they may judge similar equipment in similar service under their supervision. With this information available to maintenance and design engineering groups, future plant extensions or replace ments can be made to eliminate tbe repetition of hazardous conditions and assure more efficient plant operation. Inefficiencies in the design and fabrication of machinery and equipment can many times be rectified if detailed field experience as reflected in the service record is called to the attention of the supplier. Each of us can recall glaring examples of neglect tliat have resulted in some cast.** in disaster. In one plant compressed air is obtained from a battery of seven air com pressors centrally located and distributed through the plant in an extensive piping system. Receivers arc located at advan tageous locations. Each of these seven com pressors is equipped with a large receiver connected to a 16-in. or 18-in. header for delivery throughout the plant. Important distribution lines are taken off this header as required and each separate distribution line is equipped with its own receiver. An explosion occurred which destroyed all the receivers on the complete header system, causing failure in parts of the main header and seriously damaging the three compres.-ors which were operating. This indi cates that, while the cause may have been in or at the compressors, the effect Has transmitted through interconnecting piping by propagation of flame through a flam mable atmosphere with explosive iorce. This accident had all the earmarks of an oil-vapor explosion in the system and while little can be learned concerning the com pressor practice at this particular plant it Is alleged that the compressor equipment was old and overworked. Should this assumption be correct, it Is fair to assume that exces sive lubrication may have been required which, of course; would be responsible for sufficient oil vapors in the system to form an explosive atmosphere. Another disaster in recent years was a fire in a large refinery in the state of New YotJc. This fire is alleged to have started from a 336 29th National Safety Congress leaking pump which liberated flammable material in the presence of an ignition source. Doth o these disasters were abso lutely preventable. The results to be obtained from a pro gram of periodic tests and inspection are far reaching. The experience of tlie Carbide and Carbon Chemicals Corporation has proved this beyond a doubt The equipment is better maintained and the personnel has been better educated as to mechanical limi tations. A brief summary of this program indicates that: 1. Plant machinery and equipment have l^ren operated more efficiently. 2. Ihe plants have been provided with an additional means of fire prevention. 3. A continuing service record has been provided for all equipment and machinery. 4. Data has been compiled for future de sign and maintenance. 5. A means of education of the plant per sonnel has been effected through the cir culation of detailed reports giving to them information heretofore not available as to the condition and limitations of equipment under their supervisee and control. 6. Overall plant efficiency has been in creased. 7. Many accidents have been prevented. Presentation of National Safety Council Awards in the Chemical Section Safety Contest Outstanding tacts about the contest were presented by R. C. Stratton, Supervising Chemical Engineer, The Travelers Insurance Company. Hartford. Conn., and Statistic* Committee Chairman, Chemical Section, National Safety Council, as follows: Participation in the 1939-1940 Contest ex ceeded all previous competitions. The en rollment was I/O plants, employing 81,331 I*eoplc who worked 164.669.820 hours during The year. The axcragt frequency rate for all par ticipant- wi 339. Division I again had the h'we-t rates, averaging 3.38. Injury records, on the whole, were worse than in the 1938-1939 competition. Fre quency rates averaged 9 per cent higher. Improvement was made only by Group B plants oi Division I and Group A plants of Division 111. Small plants, on the whole, had tlie high est frequency rates and also the worst rec ords in comparison with the previous Con tent. One-third of the participants went through the contest period without a reportable injury. The awards were presented to winning companies in the name of .the National Safety Council, by John Roach, Deputy Commissioner of Labor, Trenton, New Jer sey. The awards consisted of handsome Trophies, each being in the form of a Bronsw* Plaque displaying an eagle in flight ami the Universal Safely Emblem, these plaques being given to winners of First Place; and Certificates of Merit in the shape of lettered scrolls, which were given to win ners of second and third place. In the lists below first place i> indicated by the numeral O). and second and third places by numerals (2) and (3), indicative of their relative standing. DIVISION I Croup A I. E. I. du Pont de Nemours.& Co., Spraanoe Rayon Plant, 5323.045 man-hours, no reportable injuries. 1. E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Co,, Parlin Plant, 2321,922 man-hours, no reportable injuries. I. E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Co., Doyle Works, 1.594.271 man-hours, no reportable injuries. I, E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Co., Newburgh Plant, 1,471,398 man hours, no reportable injuries. Group B 1. E. 1. du Pont dc Nemours Sc Co., East Chicago Plant, 1,163,176 man hours, no reportable injuries. 1. E. I. du Pont de Nemours Sc Co., Buffalo Cellophane Plant, 1,091,696 man-hours, no reportable injuries. 1. E I. du Pont de Nemours & Co., Buffalo Rayon Tech. Div., 921.519 man-hours, no reportable injuries. 1. E. I, du Pont de Nemours & Co.. Henry Clay Exp. Station, 903,942 man-hours, no reportable injuries. Chemical Section 337 1. Canadian National Carbon Co., To ronto, Canada, 830,789 man-hours, no reportable injuries. 1. Canadian Industries Ltd., Shawinigan Falls. Cellophane Div., 643,436 man-hours, no reportable injuries. Group C I. E. I. do Pont de Nemours & Co, Fairfield Plant. 528,855 man-hours, no reportable injuries. I. K. I. du Pont de Nemours Sc Co.. I feepwater Technical Laboratory, 484.855 man-hours, no reportable injuries. I. Canadian Industries. Ltd., Sband \Vk>.. James Island, B. C. 484-342 man-hours, no reportable injuries. I. E. I du Pont de Xemocrrs & Co_ Ccl-O-Seal Plant, 44^205 manhour*. no reportable injuries. 1. Niacct Chemicals Corp,, Niagara Fall-. N. Y,, 404.672 man-hours, no reportable injuries. 1. Canadian Industries, Ltd. New To rino. Fabrikoid Div., 338,523 nonhours., no reportable injuries. 1- Vmcrican Cyanajxiid & Chemical Corp.. General Explosives Div.. Latrobc. Pa., 323,327 man-hours, no reportable injuries. I \mrrican Cvanamid & Chemical Corp. Barton Explosives Div.. New Cattle, Pa-, 297,707 man-boars, no reparable injuries. 1 Canadian Industries LtcL. Alkali Div., Cornwall, Ont., 165,150 man- hoars, no reportable injuries. 1. Canadian Safety Fuse Co. Ltd., Brownsharg, Qtie. 144,799 manhoar*. no reportable injuries. 1. E. 1. du Pont de Nemours & Co., Inc. New Castle Plant. 136,942 man-boars, no reportable injuries. 1. Tobacco By-Products & Chemical Corp.. Inc., Louisville, Ky., 134,820 man-hours, no reportable injuries. 1 E- I- da Pont de Nemours & Co., Inc., 1-odcUnd Plant, 122,273 man hours. no reportable injuries. I. Ansa] Chemical Ca, Marinette, Wis., 119.321 man-hours, no reportable injuries. I. E. I. du Pont de Nemours 8; Co., Inc., Rubber Laboratory, 108,528 man-hours, no reportable injuries. 1. American Cyanamid & Chemical Corp., Erie, Pa., 102,739 man-hours, no reportable injuries. 1. E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Co.. Inc., Paulsboro Plant, 101,489 man hours, no reportable injuries. 1. Canadian Industries Ltd., General Chemicals Div., Copper Cliff, Ont., 99,716 man-hours, no reportable in juries. 1. E. I, du Pont de Nemours & Co., Inc., El Monte Plant, 99,492 man hours, no reportable injuries. I. Celastic Corp., Arlington Plant, 90.062 man-hours, no reportable in juries. I. E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Co.. Burnside Laboratory*, 76,708 man hours, no reportable injuries. DIVISION If Gromp A I. E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Co.. Idc., Parlm Paint Sc Lacquer Plant. 2^89,124 man-hours, no reportable injuries. 1. Lever Brothers Co., Hammond, Ind., I.748.178 man-hours, no reportable injuries. 1. E. 1. du Pont de Nemours & Co., Inc., Philadelphia Plant, 1,453.865 man-hours, no reportable injuries. L Lever Brother* Co., Edgewater, N. J., 727,606 m. hours, no reportable injuries. 1, Canadian Industries Ltd., Paint & Vam5h Div., West Toronto, Ont., 635,258 man-hours, no reportable injuries. 1. E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Co.. Inc., Newport Plant, 632,062 man hours, no reportable injuries. I. E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Co., Inc. Flint Plant, 614,030 man hours. no reportable injuries. Group B I. Lever Brothers Co., Baltimore, Md., 592,625 man-hours, no tcportable injuries. 1. E. I. du Pom de Nemours & Co., . Inc, Toledo Plant, 444,659 man hours, no reportable injuries. 1. E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Co., Inc.. San Francisco Plant, 268,566 mao-hours, no reportable injuries. 1. E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Co.. Inc. Everett Plant. 194,799 man hours. no reportable injuries. 338 29th National Safety Congress 1. Vick Chemical Company VapoRub Laboratory, Greensboro, N. C., 151,584 man-hours, no reportable injuries. 1. Canadian Industries Ltd., Paint & Varnish Div., Montreal, Quo, 131,856 man-hours, no reportable injuries. 1. Vick Chemical Company o Pennsyl vania, Philadelphia, Pa., 108,997 man-hours, no reportable injuries. 1. Canadian Industries Ltd* Fertilizer Div., New Westminster, B. C,, 95,592 man-hours, no reportable in juries. DIVISION III Group A J. Michigan Alkali Co., South Works, Wyandotte, Mich., 1.944,999 man hours, no reportable injuries. 2. E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Co., Inc., Belle Plant, 4,205,763 man hours, 7 reportable injuries. 3- North American Cyanamid Ltd., Ni agara Falls, Canada. ^001,924 man hours, 4 reportable injuries. Group B 1. National Carbon Co., Inc., Clarks burg, W. Va., 563,567 man-hours, no reportable injuries. 1. National Carbon Co., Inc., Fremont, Ohio, 527,906 man-hours, no re portable injuries. 1. E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Co., Inc., Ammonia Experimental Sta tion, 218,636 man-hours, no reportable injuries. 1. National Carbon Co., Inc., Republic Div., Niagara Falls, N. Y., 183,974 man-hours, no reportable in juries. 1. L I. du Pont de Nemours & Co.. Inc., Alcohol Plant, 157,969 man hours, no reportable injuries. I. E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Co., Inc., Philadelphia Ammonia Plant, 94,738 man-hours, no reportable injurics- THURSDAY AFTERNOON SESSION October 10, 1940 Management and Employee Responsibility in the Prevention of Personal Injuries By H. L. MINER Manager, Safety and Fire Prevention, EX I. duPont de Nemours & Co., Wilmington, I>cl. The 1939 frequency rate for the chemical industry, according to the 1940 edition of the Council's Accident Facts, is 7.4S. This is considered a fairly good record for the chemical industry is in the seventh position in a classification of some thirty industries. Comparing the 1939 safety record with that of eleven years ago--1928--when the frequency rate was 19.7 it is apparent that splendid progress has been made in reducing the number of personal injuries. Yet when one admits that "all personal injuries can and should be prevented" a frequency rate of 7.48 is obviously enormous and indicates that far more effective work needs to be done to really control the personal injury hazards in our industry. The belief that certain persona! injuries are unpreventable, or to put it another way, that all personal injuries cannot be pre vented, has not and cannot change the in disputable fact that they are all preventable and that they all can be prevented. Let roc offer a few proofs to support this statement. John Andrews, a tinsmith and sheet metal worker, worked over 145,000 hours without experiencing a serious or time-losing injury and his record is still unbroken. The uncovering of this record Chemical Section 339 resulted in a compilation of the most out standing individual employee safety records on the plants of a large chemical corpora tion. As of May 31, 1940 the records of ten employees are as follows: one employee worked 168,250 exposure hours one employee worked 155,170 exposure hours one employee worked 145,180 exposure hours one employee worked 144,238 exposure hours one employee worked 143,970 exposure hours one employee worked 149,070 exposure hours uoc employee worked 138.010 exposure hours ooc employee worked 136,000 exposure hours ooe employee worked 135,640 exposure hours fme employee worked 133,360 exposure hours Tm employees established records of X19JS9Q to I29JB20 exposure hours with serv ice records of 37 to 50 years. Ten employees established records of 1)4.126 to 117.670 exposure hours with xrm records of 34 to 47 years. Frve employees established records of lt?_S3g to 113.670 exposure hours with serv ice records of 39 to 46 years. Tins survey uncovered many records of from 40,000 to 100,000 exposure hours--10 to 20 or more years of work without a seri ous injury. One plant, for example, re ported that the maintenance department punters averaging25 men have worked as of August 2, 1940, 325,000 exposure hours --6V years without a minor, sub-major or major injury occurring. Quite recently a medium sized chemical plant manufacturing finishes, with an annual average of over 300 employees, worked more than 1I}4 years, nearly 8,000.000 man exposure hours without a time-losing injury occurring, and there have been some violent employee fluctuations during this period-- employment at times reaching as low as 198 employees and increasing to as high as 451 employees. And during the past three years this plant has not experienced even a sub major injury and only 20 submajors in the seven years previous to the three year period. A small technical ballistic laboratory aver aging about 50 men has functioned over 6,928 calendar days since its last injury and is continuing its record unbroken. WhUe the exposure hoars are only slightly over a mil lion and a half you will agree that an injury-free period of over nineteen years is an outstanding record. Another small chemical plant, manufactur ing finishes, with an employment of about 100 men, has operated 5/252 calendar days since its last injury and accumulated nearly two and three quarter million exposure hours without an injury. And, of course, you are all familiar with die large rayon plant which holds the world's.record--over 4,100 employees having worked 11,362,000 man exposure hours. 525 days, without an injury. The first major element in the prevention of personal injuries is the providing of ade quate mechanical safeguards and suitable personal equipment. This is a management responsibility. At this point a study of your own injury statistics or those of the Na tional Safety Council given in Accident Facts, or a combination of both, will clearly indicate, first, the part of the body most frequently injured; secondly, the hazards most likely to cause injuries; and thirdly, the parts of the body most likely to be in jured by certain recognizable injury hazards. And then management must step in, accept and assume its responsibility for providing the necessary safeguards. The question of adequate guarding, both mechanical and physical, is rather common place. Perhaps we have tried to make the problem too hard and difficult. Sometimes I think we cannot see the trees because of the forest. When we put aside theories, speculations and possibly the desire to face a very difficult and trying problem, and think simply, we will find that the major part of the job, the inauguration or provision of those things which will provide the greater portion of the protection, is quite obvious- We find for example, safety shoes will prevent a large part of the foot injuries, but this is secondary to the study which should be made to so store; pile, handle or move materials that they arc not likely to fall or be dropped and cause foot injuries. Recently I visited a large plant jundcr construction where a great many colored people were at work and was told that they "had safety shoes on seven out of every ten colored em ployees and that in a few months they ex pected to have all of the black feet pro tected." Head injuries are prevented through the use of hard bats; and eye injuries through the use of goggles. Acceptable standards are available from many sources, insurance MO 29th National Safety Congress companies, state labor departments, etc., lor guarding machines, belts and gears. They are so -well set-up and depicted at the pres ent time that there is no excuse for lade of complete protection along this line. It is sale to say that today there is avail able adequate and effective protective equipment for practically every hazard to which employees may be exposed. The problem of suitability can be divided into two parts, first, the protection of the hazard at its source, such as guards around gears, belts and other moving machinery or equip ment ; tight equipment to contain dangerous materials to prevent personal contact; mechanical ventilating or collecting systems to entrain and remove dangerous gases, vapors or dust at their point of exit, etcSecondly, the protection of the employee. Let us briefly review those factors which must be given consideration when selecting the type of protective equipment needed to cope with a given hazard. 1. The elwiractcr of the materials or op erations exposing the employees to possible hazards must be determined. 2. The employees' dudes which bring them into contact with them must be estab lished. 3. The parts of the body likely to be in jured and nature of injury* should be fixed- Xow- we have before us those conditions, operations or things likely to cause personal injuries: (a) How and where the exposure may take placeand (b) Part of body and nature of injury likely to result. Management's responsibility consists _ of selecting the proper type of protective clothing or device which will protect the employee; and employee responsibility con sists in using such protection. Management responsibility also includes "executive direction or supervision." It is urgent that supervision and the employees thoroughly understand this important, vital part of the safety program. The term "su pervision" includes the entire management staff--managers, superintendents, supervis ors, and foremen. Recently there appeared in a safety article a statement which is quite significant: "Tims it if recognized that safety does not happen, it is earned" This statement voices something we must acknowledge, tbc fact that the establishment and maintaining of a good safety record is fundamentally a co operatively directed accomplishment of the employees, or in other words, it goes beyond the necessary provisions of mechanical or physical safeguards, it recognizes the pri mary factor of employee cooperation and obedience; the performance of the em ployee; the democratic direction and control of the human dement This might prop erly be referred to as "democratic partici pation," the phrase interpreted to mean an organization where management and super vision directly*, and supervision and em ployees indirectly, accept the responsibility* for preventing personal Injuries and plan together the program of plant safety. Such is the real intent of plant safety organiza tions. The delegation of responsibility might be placed in the following manner: First, tliat supervision must be sure that the employees know bow to work safely*--educate and train them to do so. We have found by actual experience what others are also discovering, that a plant fully guarded and protected from a physical standpoint, while unques tionably* much safer than one not so guarded, is not immune to serious injuries or even fatalities. It is the human element with which we must reckon. Secondly, supervision responsibility must embrace a constant, sincere, well-organized effort to gain and maintain the employees' cooperation; that they not only work safely but that they willingly use protective equip ment which has been provided, and follow the prescribed operating rales and safety regulations. All of the time and effort to safeguard employees may be entirely can celled or nullified by a single careless, thoughtless, indifferent, chance-taking of dis obedient act Alertness must be engendered to guard against carelessness and thought less action. Management and supervision must accept the responsibility, a moral obligation, to see that the conditions under which the em ployees work are safe and are properly maintained, that good housekeeping pre vails, that all protective equipment, for ex ample, guards around gears, belts, shaft ings, etc, is in good repair and functioning as it should; and that the prescribed per sonal safety equipment, such as goggles. Chemical Section 341 aprons, gloves, safety shoes, etc., is avail able and in good condition, and that the employees know* how and when to use these safeguards and do so. Another essentially important supervision responsibility is to make sure that the em ployees thoroughly understand, without any mental reservations or excuses or alibis whatsoever, that they are to work safely. Working safely* is just as much a part of their job as is following the established op erating procedure in order that a satisfac tory article or material or compound may be produced. Equally important is it for supervision to see that employees work safely at all times. There is still another very important requisite which should always be foremost in supervision's contacts with employees, and it also applies to each employee as well; namely, being a leader, of always setting an example m the practice of safety*. A personal injury, a fatality, which came to the speaker's attention several years ago, wa.< largely due to the failure of supervision to set the right example to workmen asso ciated with him. Employees saw super vision not only* utterly disregard an impor tant plant safety rule, but apparently* ignore the fact that the employees were doing like wise. In due course, after the unsafe prac tice had been followed for over a year, an experienced, valued employee, while at tempting to place a belt on a revolving pul ley. caught his hand between the belt and pulley and was wound up on the shaft and killed. Xot a so-called "accident" but super vision and employee failure to discharge their responsibility to safeguard themselves and fellow workers. Docs not the real cause of this injury* further establish the assumption that even appalling fatalities arc absolutely needless and preventable through the exercise of foresight, because fundamentally* all per sonal injuries result either directly* or in directly from human laxness, lack of con structive thinking, the non-acceptance of management and employee responsibilities? Management responsibility might be con sidered as the bringing about and main tenance of safe working conditions, the provision of adequate safeguards, and that supervision effectively assumes its respon sibilities with reference to employee direc tion. Supervision's responsibilities in safeguard ing those in their charge might be sum marized as iollows: The establishment and maintenance of friendly cooperation between the employer and the employees; to see that all employees are properly instructed and trained to work safely--that they understand safety regula tions as well as safe operating procedures; that the employee is to work safely, ami to so supervise and direct him that he does so; that all mechanical safeguards arc in place, in good condition, and functioning properly; that personal protective equipment is avail able, in good condition and used witen nec essary : to be a leader and always set a good example. Employees' responsibilities: To work safely at all times, never take chances, never indulge in unsafe practices, or do those things which may injure himself or a fellow worker; to follow always pre scribed operating instructions and safety regulations; always to use protective equip ment when required; to discontinue unsafe practices and report any* observed to super vision; to report promptly all unsafe con ditions which are noted. The Safe Disposal in Chemical Plants of Empty Containers Including Tanks, Drums, Cans, Bottles, Gas Cylinders, Dismantled Equipment, and Old Pipe Lines By C. L. JONES Safety Engineer, Hercules Powder Company, Wilmington, Del. It i* wdl always to keep In mind that a so-calkd "empty" container is probably more dangerous than a full one. This is true of containers which have been used for flam mable volatile products: the vapors from small amounts of such materials mixed with air may form explosive mixtures. Also, con tainers which have been used for corrosive 342 29th National Safety Congress liquids arc dangerous, such as unlined drums used for corrosive acids. The add attacks the metal and hydrogen is formed. All that is then needed is ignition from some source to set of! the "bomb.'* Many persons do not appreciate the potential danger connected with so-called empty containers. It is our belief that the cleaning and re conditioning of any of the containers or equipment which we are considering should be carried out at a location designed fw the purpose. If carried out at other locations, hazardous conditions may be created expos ing other persons and employees unneces sarily. Bottles A truck transportation company had been instructed to pick up a lot of supposedly empty carboys at a customer plant Late in t!ie afternoon the driver proceeded to load the empties. However, one of the carboys, all of which had contained nitric acid, had not been completely drained. In placing this carboy on the truck, some of the acid spilled on the driver's clothing. He was not seri ously burned but his clothing and shoes were ruined. Only by very good luck did the man escape a serious bum. It might be argued that the handlers of such containers should wear protective ap parel, no one will disagree with the prin ciple. However, all of us will grant that it is too much to expect the drivers and other employees of transportation companies to wear ordinarily such protective apparel. It is the responsibility of the user to see that the carboy or similar container is thor oughly drained before offering it for trans portation or other movement The draining of carboys is a legal requirement of the interstate Commerce Commission and the safe handling and disposal of such contain ers is covered in the Commission's Regula tions and amplified in the following Manu facturing Chemists' Association pamphlets: C-2, ``Carboys, Glass-Boxed (I. C C. 1A) Handling and Storing (When Filled With, or Last Containing. Any Product Authorized For Use Therein).*' This pamph let is intended for the guidance of the con signee. c-l, "Carboys. Glass-Boxed (I. C. C. 1A) Service Requirements (When Used For Any Product Authorized for Shipment Therein)." This pamphlet is intended for the guidance of shippers. After draining, carboys should be flushed out with water. The draining is a legal requirement and should be complied with; however, we believe that the time and ex pense of washing out carboys is justified. It is also important that carboy boxes be kept in good repair for the safety of tbe men handling them. The Interstate Commerce Commission re quires that the white corrosive label be placed on containers used for acids, such as sulfuric, hydrochloric, and nitric. These labels are obtainable from the Bureau of Explosives, 30 Vesey Street, New York City, and must be removed before the empty container is offered for return movement. In addition, the Manufacturing Chemists' Association recommends the use of their label No. C-5 on carboys containing tbe above acids excepting nitric and on carboys containing aqua ammonia. This label reads "Contents Dangerous--Before Moving Car boy Be Sure Stopper is Securely Fastened, Etc.** These labels may be obtained from the Manufacturing Chemists* Association. Washington, D. C. On carboys containing nitric add, the Manufacturing Chemists' Association recom mends the use of a special warning label, their Number C-6. In addition, several manufacturers place on carboys containing nitric add, a label reading "Warning--Nitric Acid--Do Not Breathe Fumes, etc." In carrying out the work just described or any other work involving exposure to potentially harmful chemicals, protective apparel should be supplied to and worn by the men doing the work, such protective apparel to include goggles, gloves, boots, and apron and. if the need indicates, respira tory protection. Drums The hazard of empty drums can best be illustrated by an accident that occurred at a plant of a chemical manufacturer several year* ago. An empty drum which had contained sul furic add was being heated over a forge fire to loosen the drum plug. Evidently, the drum contained hydrogen and the pressure rose until it caused the rupture o/ the drum. Parts of the drum struck and killed another man working nearby. It is well known that certain strengths Chemical Section 343 of sulfuric add (G0*Be and below), muri atic adds, and others, attack most metals and form hydrogen which has a wide ex plosive range varying from about 4 per cent to 80 per cent. This gas is ignited by a rela tively low temperature spark. However, in the incident just described, it is probable that the rupture of the drum was due to over pressure from heating and not to ignition of the gas. Another incident was recently reported to the Manufacturing Chemists' Association. A 12-year-old boy was tailed by the explo sion of a drum which bad previously con tained a flammable substance. Tbe boy dropped a lighted match into the empty drum. To prepare a drum or similar container for mechanical work, re-use. or sale calls for its proper cleaning. Of course, there are many commodities packaged in drums and each nyum a specific procedure. How ever. the drams should first be thoroughly drained and then usually washed out If the Tacnri. of the material is such that mere win not property clean it, then inuriimc and the additioa of some neutral- iriac KPI any be necessary. Mechanical Ajwiac. omr toot form of abrasive, may be iwoutry to remme materials which canooc to reiDoowf otherwise. Wi4in| with water cannot be used in all c*w. Thr unoo supervising the work should ifcn mra. the medium which can be iscd safety If the drmn* have contained a flammable triable mm ml the abrasive used within the <lnm or cu'Wjinu' should, of course, be It j* trtfmdy necessary to inspect drums both before and after cleaning. For this porpme a tow nJncc. vapor-proof exten sion curd bmp should be used. The frame of the lamp should be grounded. It is a matter of mad that electrocutions have occurred due to the use of 110-volt un grounded extension c6rd lamps for such work. As many drums formerly contained flammable material, it is unsafe to use a bare tamp for inspection as lamp breakage or arekmg at the socket could ignite the flammable vapor-air mixture within the container. Even after supposedly thorough cleaning, a drum may not be safe for welding or other hot work due to the pockets of some flammable material in the chime joint There fore, before carrying out welding on such containers, the welder should observe these precautions: (1) Do not stand facing either end of the drum--stand at the center. The reason for this is that the end seams are about one half as strong as the side seam and if the drum does explode, in all probability one or both of the beads will blow out first. (2) Test the air at both end and side openings for flammability by holding (he lighted torch at these openings for a short time. Of course^ if there is any sign of fir ing, the drum should be again cleaned before attempting to cany out the hot work. (3) In any case, do not reach across a drum in carrying out welding work. In other words, do not expose any part of the body unnecessarily. While we have a drum cleaning and con ditioning problem at some of our own plants, we thought it desirable to discuss the matter with one of the firms which daily recondi tions many drams. This firm reconditions drums which have contained almost every conceivable commodity. The average num ber reconditioned daily is far in excess of 1,000 and they have been in business for more than fifteen yean. To date this firm ha< had only one serious accident and it was not due to the packageWith some containers it is necessary to bum them with torches. Solvent naphtha is the fuel used. Safety cans had been provided for the handling of naphtha about the plant. However, an employee filled a bucket with naphtha and in $o doing spilled some on the leg of his trousers. He then carried the bucket of naphtha to the burning location. As he passed near one of the torches his clothing caught on fire, resulting in body bums which laid him up for several weeks. At this point we call your attention to the liability you may incur in selling or otherwise disposing of eajipty containers not properly cleaned. Should the buyer or his employees be injured as a result of the con dition of the container, your company may be called oo to defend itself against a suit. It has been our policy that all such contain ers be cleaned even when a purchaser has offered to sign a release, freeing ~us from liability. The following publications contain much useful information: M. C. A. Manual Sheets 344 29th National Safety Congress D-30, D-3I, D-37, and H-l. These manuals among other things call for the use of warning labels which can be obtained from the M. C. A. office in Washington, D. C. Also, the National Safety Council Safe Practices Pamphlets, particularly No. 8, "Handling, Filling, and Cleaning Drums and Barrels,'* contain much helpful informa tion. Certain manuals issued by the Amer ican Petroleum Institute also contain help ful information. Gas Cylinders The disposal, that is, the conditioning for re-usc, sale, etc., of compressed gas cylin ders is a matter which the average user faces very seldom. I think for the purpose of our discussion here we can confine our remarks to the procedure that the average user should follow. There is a long list of the so-called com pressed gases all of which are usually pack aged in steel cylinders of various sizes. All .such containers must comply with the re quirements of the Interstate Commerce Commission, ft is not desirable, practical, or necessary tor the average user to make any attempt to ctean, flush, or do anything else to such containers. If trouble develops, the best thing to do, iF the answer is not immediately at hand, is to contact your supplier and ask his advice. Most of the concerns in this field have representation throughout .the country with qualified employees, who can give expert advice and assistance. The following simple fundamental rules are those recommended by the Compressed Gas Manufacturers' Association and are taken from their publication, "Safe Han dling of Compressed Gases." "When returning empty cylinders, remove the lower portion of the shipping tag at tached to tire cylinder. The bill of lading should specify the number of cylinders, con signee, and the fact that the cylinders are empty. A copy of the bill of lading should be sent to the consignee. Close the valve be fore shipment.. See that the cylinder valve protective caps and outlet caps, if used, are replaced before shipment" "Never use cylinders for rollers, supports, or any other purpose than to carry gas." "Never attempt to repair or alter cylin ders or valves/' "Never under any circumstances attempt to refill an acetylene cylinder/' (This I think should apply to any compressed gas cylinder on account of the possibility of some reac tion and the formation of an explosive com pound. One possible exception to this is the recharging of CO* fire extinguishers using as a source of supply bottles of commercial CO*. Such recharging is safe if carried oat with the proper set-up and control.) "Before the regulator is removed from a cylinder, close the cylinder valve and release all gas from the regulator/' "As soon as the cylinder is empty and disconnected, the outlet cap, if used, should be immediately replaced on the outlet con nection of the valve, in order to prevent damage lo the threads on the outlet con nection/' "Every precaution should be taken to avoid drawing liquids back into containers as their contents are exhausted. To avoid this, dose the valve immediately after the container has been emptied/' Finally, be sure that the cylinder is empty, either by weighing or observation of the gauge. Our remarks regarding compressed gas cylinders are not very complete and it might be assumed that we do not attach much im portance to such packages--just the con trary is the case. However, we believe that the problem having to do with the deaning, repairing, and reconditioning and "disposal" of such containers is a highly specialized one and not of much practical interest to the average user. Additional information regarding com pressed gas can be obtained from organiza tions such as the Compressed Gas Manu facturers' Association and the Chlorine In stitute, both located in New York City, as well as from the various firms in the field. Tanks A tank equipped with stirring equipment and used for the malting up of a solution containing solvents was to be cleaned in order to change over to another type of ma terial. The vessel was drained but not steamed out, the drive belt removed, and the cover was opened. An employee then went down into the vessel in order to wipe up the residue. He ran out of wiping cloths and sent his helper to get an additional supply. When the helper returned, he found that the man in the tank had collapsed. Assist- Chemical Section 345 ance was quickly obtained and the man was removed from the vessel promptly. He was carried to fresh air and artificial resuscita tion started. In addition, a physician was called. Despite all efforts, it was impossible to revive the man. The same procedure should be followed with tanks as with other containers--be sure they are cleaned of gases, vapors, or toxic or harmful material before men are per mitted to enter and work in or on such eqmfmcnt. The necessity of having clean tanks is probably more important than hav ing dean container* of other types. A per son should no! enter a vessel unless some one is an gaard outside. If there is a ques tion about tbc quality of (he air within the container, proper respiratory and protective equipment should be worn. Tank* arc ued as containers for many chemicals and other materials and it is im practical to set forth a procedure which will fit all case*. However, we can illustrate by describing the recommended procedure for a tank u>ol tor the storage or processing of acids (a) Remove all run-off and entering lines through which there is any possibility of leakage of aod into the tank. (b) Blank off the end of all inlet pipe lines so as to prevent acid under pressure from bridging the gap and entering the tank. (c) With some adds such as sulfuric it is possible to have a hydrogen concentration within the explosive range. To reduce the hazard from this source, the vessel should be thoroughly blown out with compressed air. (d) Maintain a circulation of air through the vessel to prevent the concentration of hydrogen from reaching the explosive range. (c) Do not use electrical extension cord !amp< or portable electric tools in or near tanks, vessels, or equipment where hydro gen is present or its presence is suspected. If a light is necessary and no flammable vapor* are present, use only an approved low* voltage extension cord lamp (32 volts or less) or a flashlight approved by the Bureau of Mines or the Underwriters* Laboratories. Also, exercUe special care with tools or other equipment being used to avoid striking or drawing sparks. (f) Drain the tank until no more acid and mud will run out and remove all mud pos sible by hoe or other mechanical means. (g) Wash the tank with as strong a stream of water as possible using a 2 or 2^1-inch hose with a nozzle until all mud is removed. Agitation and removal with bars or hoes may be necessary to gel rid of heavily caked mud. Weak acid attacks metal very rapidly; therefore, immediately fill the tank to over flowing with water containing enough soda ash to neutralize completely any residual acid and still maintain the solution alkaline. This is necessary not only to prevent acid drip but to avoid the formation of hydrogen or hydrogen sulfide gas because of the action of dilute acid on the tank metal. The solution should be well agitated in order to reach 2nd neutralize all parts of the tank. Remember that small quantities of hydrogen sulfide gas are quite poisonou- (h) Thoroughly drain off the solution and then proceed with whatever work or use is required. If hot work i> to be carried out and the vessel is of riveted construction, apply heat to the seams from the outside after the tank lias been cleaned. This is to remove fumes from the sulfate which collects in the seams. The procedure just described should be carried out if men arc to work inside of the vessel. If the vessel is to be returned to acid service, complete the repair or other work as promptly as possible and then fill the vessel with acid. Obviously, tanks used for other chemicals call for an appropriate procedure. For ex ample. if the tank had formerly contained chlorine, it would have been evacuated or blown out until all liquid chlorine had been removed; then dry air would, have been blown through the tank for a number of hours in order to remove as much of the residual chlorine as possible. Such a vessel would not be washed out ordinarily. How ever. washing can be safely carried out by following the procedure just described and then adding sufficient neutralizing solution to minimize attack of the metal. Then wash and dump the vessel several times. After washing and neutralizing, the tank should be pumped or blown out and dried. It is then in order to proceed with such oilier work as may be required. 346 29th National Safety Congress A final caution regarding any vessel which has been used as a container for volatile flammable material:--Before men are per mitted to enter or to carry out any mechan ical work, check the vapor concentration by means ot a vapor detector or other suitable means. If the concentration found is unsafe tor men to enter or to carry out the pro posed work, put the vessel through a clean ing procedure which will make it safe. Dismantled Equipment and Old PipeJLincs The hazard connected with such equip ment is illustrated by a serious accident which occurred several years ago. A lot of pipe had been removed from a plant manufacturing an explosive material. This material when wet is relatively harm less but xxhen it is dry it is quite flammable and even explosive. This removed pipe was being loaded on a truck. Evidently some of the material in the pipe had dried out and was sensitive to shock. Anyway, the material exploded and four men lost their lives. Naturally, not all materials are as poten tially dangerous as this particular com modity. However, many are explosive when mixed with air and many are poisonous to a varxing degree. The principle already stated holds good again. Be sure the equipment, whether it be an autoclave, digester, pipe fitting, etc., j- |>r*| rly cleaned. With autoclaves, digesters, tanks, and similar equipment, it is usually practical to clean by washing, steaming, neutralizing, or mechanical removal, or possibly a combina tion of all four methods. With pipe, valves, cocks, fittings, etc., and similar pieces, like methods may be em ployed, but due to the design and shape, it is not always possible to dean such pieces completely. Our usual practice is to clean them by one or more of the methods men tioned above or a combination of all of them, but we do not stop there. Such pieces are then sent lo the burning ground and a fire built around them. This is usually effective. Valves, cocks, and similar pieces should be taken apart before burning. After cooling, the pieces can be safely worked on or offered for sale. Everyone who Has given thought to the problem of the safe disposal of the equip ment realizes that the principle that needs to be kept in-mind always is to be sure that the piece or article is thoroughly and prop erly cleaned. If this is done, the probability of accidents occurring will have been very much reduced. We have not said much about "disposal*' as such, and I intentionally avoided doing so because I think it is obvious that you can very nearly do as you please with all of the containers and objects mentioned if you have them clean of flammable, poisonous, or corrosive materials. Hazards and Proper Maintenance of Portable Electrical Equipment By R. B. SHEPARD Electrical Engineer, Underwriters' Laboratories, New York City Ain program for the safe use of portable equipment must start with the proper selec tion of the tools. Tools should not be used for jobs for which they were never intended. This should not, of course, rule out the use of multiple purpose tools which are properly deigned to serve two or more purposes. Portable electrical tools fall roughly into three classes. Those designed to be used in termittently or on light work are designated as "light duty." Those to be used For more continuous operation or on somewhat heav ier work are referred to as "standard duty." Those intended for continuous operation or lor heavy work arc described as "heavy duty." Due consideration should be given to these classifications and tools should be selected which will not be overworked by the service to which they are subjected, either hy too constant operation or too heavy loads. Generally speaking, portable tools present all of the hazards incident to the use of Chemical Section 347 stationary machines performing similar op erations and, in addition, various hazards resulting from their portability. Injuries re sulting from the use of portable tools in clude cuts, bruises, concussions, foreign par ticles in eyes, bums and electric shock. Such injuries may be due to moving parts, jam ming of tools, falls, bursting due to centri fugal force, explosions due to ignition of gas or dust by sparks, unexpected starting or electrical failure. Drills, reamers, circular saws, knives used for cutting fabric and many other tools have <harp working edges, contact with which may result in serious injury. Contact with working parts should be guarded against wherever possible in a manner similar to that used with stationary equipment. The attachment of shields and guards is, how ever. somewhat snore difficult with portable tools and an equal degree of protection can not always be provided. The possibility of injury from cutting tool* i greater when the cutting edge is not in contact with the work, and shields and guards should be so designed that cutting edges are protected before entering and im mediately after leaving the work. With cer tain types ot tools, such as those having milling cutters or woodworking shaper heads, it is practically impossible to provide satisfactory protection, and in any case it is not possible to fully guard against injury* resulting from such practices as brushing shavings away from the work with the fin gers. It is important, therefore, that work men be fully instructed relative to safe operating practices. Rotating tools such as those used for drilling or reaming may present a hazard when the work requires more power than the motor develops, or when a drill or reamer jams in the work. Under such con ditions the body of the tool may revolve with such force that the operator is unable to control it Care should be taken to pro vide tools sufficioitly powerful for the work and drills and other cutting parts should be kept well sharpened. The body of the tool may be prevented from turning under such conditions by anchoring with chains. Properly adjusted friction clutches which slip when too heavy a load is placed on the motor are useful, in preventing tools from turning in the hand*. Similar prelection may be afforded by an automatic overload protective device inserted in the electric circuit which oper ates to cut off the current to the motor when it is overloaded. Where work is frequently done at one location a carriage or other support may be provided which will hold the tool and pre vent the body from turning. Grinding wheels present a particular haz ard, in that if they are cracked or are driven too fast they may burst, throwing pieces with terrific 'force. As most abrasive wheels are relatively brittle they should be handled and stored with great care, and if cracked or otherwise defective should be discarded. The National Safety Code for the Use, Care and Protection of Abrasive Wheels specifies a maximum peripheral speed of 6.000 feet per minute and a norma! speed of 4,500 feet per minute. Grinding wheels should be protected whit substantial guards capable of withstanding the force of a bursting wheel. As pieces are thrown from wheels tangentially oper ators should be cautioned to keep out of the line of operation. Circular saws should be kept well sharp ened and set, as this results in faster cut ting and less load on the motor. Cracked saws should be discarded to avoid bursting. Circular saws may be quite thoroughly guarded so as to protect them both while in contact with, and when removed from the work. In so far as possible moving parts should be free from projections which may cause injury due to direct bodily contact or which may engage clothing. When it is not pos sible to streamline such parts they should be protected by adequate guards. The fact that a portable electrical tool must be provided with a supply cord Intro duces several hazards not present in con nection with the use of stationary or handoperated tools. Supply cords, if allowed to lie on floors or working platforms, consti tute a serious tripping ana slipping hazard Stumbling over a supply cord may also cause the tool to be suddenly jerked, causing the operator to lose control, with resulting injury* When possible supply cords should be suspended so as to permit free passage beneath. When portable toots are teft on stairways or in passageways, and particularly in ele vated locations, as on scaffolding or ladders. 348 29th National Safety Congress there is not only a hazard from the pres ence of the cord but also from the possi bility ot falling. Where a portable tool is used in one place, it often possible and convenient to have it suspended by means of springs or counter weights. The practice of suspending equip ment is particularly desirable in die case of heavy tools which cannot readily 1m handled bv one man. Loose clothing worn while using portable tools presents the same hazards as when worn by operators of stationary tools and should be avoided. The importance of wearing goggles and respirators in connection with certain types of work is as important In connection with portable tools as when similar operations are carried on with stationary equipment. Another hazard which is quite important is that of accidental starting. Portable tool? are usually controlled by a switch on the tool. The operating member of such a switch should be shielded so that it is not likely to be accidentally closed. Such switches should preferably be spring-actuated in such a manner that the switch remains open unless held in the closed position. Such a switch also guards against unex pected starting when current supply is re sumed following an interruption due to supply failure or disconnection at some re mote point. When adjusting a tool it is wise not to depend upon the switch but to disconnect the tool from the source of supply. This may readily be done by removing the attach ment plug on the cord from the receptacle. Where a long cord is used it rua.v be con venient to place a cord connector or a through switch in the supply cord near the tool. With tools which employ a flexible shaft the operator should be cautioned not to re lease his hold on the tool end of the shaft while the motor is running; if released fhc -haft may whip and strike a severe blow. A motor usually forms the heart of any portable electrical tool. Although a motor -hould not be expected to operate indefi nitely without attention, a reasonably well- made motor which is kept properly lubri cated and not subjected to excessive over loads or otherwise misused will seldom pre sent an accident hazard. The weakest part of portable electrical equipment. and that most vulnerable to damage is the supply cord. The failure of supply cords due to breaking or wearing through may result in short circuits and Rashes or the exposure of live conductors, causing fires, bums or electric shock. Tim rubber-sheathed types of cord are the most suitable for use on tools used' in industry'- The so-called "Hard Service Cord" which is the most rugged type, is made in Awg sizes from 18 to 10 wire hav ing corresponding current-carrying capaci ties of from 5 to 35 amperes. It may be Itad with two or more conductors as required. Each Individual conductor is provided with a covering of 30 per cent rubber insula tion which is A-inch thick on 18 and 16gauge conductors, and ft-tnch thick on 1412 and 10-gaugc conductors. The conductors are twisted together and enclosed in an outer jacket or sheath of at least 40 per cent rubber. The rubber in the outer jacket is compounded so as to give superior resistance to abrasion and crushing and has similar characteristics to those of auto tire stock. The outer jacket varies from fW to A-inch in thickness in the several sizes. Filler cords are usually supplied to provide additional mechanical strength and a braid is sometimes provided over the twisted conductors and under the outer jacket. The so-called "Junior Hard Service Cord" is made in Awg sizes 18 and 16 only and in 2, 3 and 4-conductor only. It is suitable for use only on light tools where it will not be subjected to hard service. The rubber-jacketed cords arc more satis factory' for factory use than are the braided types, not only on account of their greater resistance to abuse, but also due to the fact that they kink less readily*, and due to their smooth surface they slide easily and may be wiped clean. Cords which become worn or bruised should be replaced immediately. Defective cords should under no circumstances he continued in service. Cords should never be patched or spliced. If It is necessary to attach an extension cord it should be done by means of a cord connector. Where a long cord is used to reach the source of supply it may be convenient to place a cord connector in the cord in order to provide convenient means of disconnecting the cord near the device. Chemical Section 349 Cords are particularly subject to wear at the point where they leave devices, attach ment plugs and cord connectors due to con centrated bending at the point of entry. The bending can be distributed somewhat and the life of the cord prolonged if the cord is protected when it enters the device by means of a helical spring or rubber sleeve attached to the device. Since any tension on the cord may be transmitted to the device the cord should he so attached that any -train will not be transmitted to splices or terminals within. Some form of clamp to grip the cord as a whole and relieve the strain should be pro vided. Similarly, some form of strain relief should be provided where the cord enters the attachment plug. Many attachment plugs are made of break able insulating material, and although suit able for use on some household devices will not tand the abuse to which they would be subjected on factory tools. Plugs ruggedly reinforced with mrral or plug> of soft rub ber should he used to avoid breakage and the resultant exposure of live parts. The life of the cord depends to a con siderable extent on the manner in which it is used. Cord? should not he laid across passageways where they will be subject to crushing by trucks, nor should they be al lowed to come into contact with hot sur faces. Oils and adds arc deleterious to rub ber insulation and contact with them should be avoided. Rubber deteriorates rapidly when continuously exposed to strong sun light. The cord should not be yanked or pulled to remove kinks or when it is caught or wedged. It should never be used as a means of raising or lowering the device. Perhaps the most serious hazard involved in the use of portable electrical equipment is the possibility* of electric shock. This haz ard is properly guarded against so long as tools are constructed and maintained with no live parts subject to contact and supply cords arc kept in good condition. There is, however, always the possibility of exposed metal parts of a device becoming alive due to failure of insulation; and injury* and death resulting from electric shock have been sufficiently frequent to warrant every* precaution being In most factories there is much metal with which workmen may come in contact, such as pipes, machines, structural building of such metal is grounded. Most circuits supplying portable tools have one side grounded. If through failure of insula tion or other cause the metal case or shell of a too) becomes alive and the operator using it is in contact with grounded metal he will be subjected to the full voltage of the circuit between the points of bodily con tact. As the path of contact through his body will usually be from hand to hand or hand to feet, the current will pass through the heart and constitute a real hazard to life. Many persons have the idea that voltages on the order of 100 cannot cause death. This has been proved false by many fatali ties occurring as a result of contact with 110 volts or less. Such fatalities have usuallybeen the result of .ventricular fibrillation of the heart, a condition in which the fibers of the heart muscles, contract separately anti at different times instead of in a coordinate manner. When this condition is present the heart ceases to function as the circulator of the blood. Ventricular fibrillation may result from the Row of currents as small as one-tenth of an ampere, or less than that required to light a ten watt incandescent lamp, depend ing, however, somewhat upon the time of application. The amount of current which will flow through the body as the result of contact with an electric circuit dc)*cnds upon the voltage of the circuit and die resistance of the individual concerned. Tlic resistance of the human body as measured from lumd to hand or from hand to feet with rela tively small areas of contact and dry* skin may vary from 5,000 to 100,000 ohms for different individuals. The resistance under such conditions is largely in the skin as the internal resistance of the body is low. When the skin is wet due to natural perspiration or surrounding moisture, or when larger areas of contact are involved, skin resistance is greatly reduced and ^ bodily resistance under sirch conditions may be as low as 500 ohms. Currents very much less than those neces sary to cause fibrillation of the heart may result in involuntary muscular contraction. This may result in closing the hand more tightly on a wire or other live object, or in throwing the person away. If the former takes places the possibility of fatal conse quences from the shock is increased; if the latter, injury* may result from a fall. 350 29th National Safety Congress The most common method of protecting' against electric shock is to ground all ex posed non-current-carrying metal parts. This is most readily accomplished by means of a supply cord having a grounded conductor in addition to the two or three supply con ductors. One end of this conductor is con nected to the frame or shell of the tool and the other end is connected to an extra con The shock hazard can be practically elimi nated by the use of tools operated from a circuit of 50 volts or less or by the provision of a step-down transformer in connection with each tool. A disadvantage of low-volt age tools is the fact that they are neces sarily heavier than tools designed to operate on ordinary circuits. Their use is therefore practically confined to tools having small tact prong on a polarized attachment-plug power consumption. cap. As such a cap can be used only in a corresponding receptacle ir may in some cases be desirable to provide the cord with a standard plug and to connect the ground ing wire directly to a water pipe or to some other grounded object. In such a case the grounding wire should be provided with a clamp. If desired, a separate grounding wire attached to the frame or shell of the toed may be employed. A degree of protection against shock may be provided by having alt exposed surfaces of equipment of insulating material. Such a construction is not always practicable, and there is also the possibility' of the insulation becoming damaged so as to expose live metal pans. It is, however, good practice to have handles made of or covered with insulating material as tools, at least while in use, are ordinarily grasped by the handles. When a polarized plug is used care must be exercised to insure that the supply and grounding conductors in the cord arc at tached to the proper terminals in the plug as the connection of the grounding wire in the cord to an ungrounded circuit conductor will result not only in eliminating the grounding protection bat in making the frame of the device alive. In factories where grounding is accom plished by means of a polarized plug, recep tacles and plugs of the same design must not be used for any other circuit connection in order to prevent plugging into a wrong re ceptacle, as would be possible if the same three receptacles were osed for both a threephase circuit without a grounding conductor, and a single-phase circuit with such a con ductor. It should be kept in mind that the tool will operate without the grounding connection being made. This makes it essential that both the permanent grounding connections on the tool and the temporary connection at the receptacle or free end of the grounding conductor be properly maintained. Where tools are used in wet locations the shock hazard may be reduced by the use of insulating mats or platforms and rubber boots and gloves, but their use should be considered as supplementary to and not as a substitute for the methods of protection previously described. Portable electrical tools present ait explo sion hazard when used in the presence ot flammable gases, flammable volatile liquids, or where combustible dust or flyings are present in quantities sufficient to produce an explosive or combustible mixture. Port able equipment should not be used in such locations unless specially designed for the purpose. Like all other equipment, portable tools no matter how well designed and fabricated or how carefully used, tend to deteriorate. Any program for the safe use of such equipment roust therefore include a definite plan of inspection and repair. No such plan will be adequate unless It is well established and conscientiously carried out. All tools should be subject to periodic inspection at definitely stated intervals. The interval will The National Electrical Code requires necessarily depend upon the amount which that exposed non-current-carrying metal the tool is used. A record should be kept parts of portable equipment in hazardous lo of each tool. cations or where used in damp or wet loca tions, or by persons standing on the ground or on metal floors or working inside of metal tanks or boilers, shall be grounded ex cept where supplied through an insulating transformer with ungrounded secondary of not over 50 volts. At each inspection the tool should be thor oughly cleaned, particular attention being given to accumulations of dirt and dust in and around motor ventilating openings. The moving parts should be lubricated and worn out grease in the gear case replaced. The supply cord should be carefully examined Chemical Section 351 and replaced if worn or otherwise damaged. The damaged portion should be cut off or a new cord provided. Cords should never be spliced. Aattachmect plugs and connec tors should be examined and if broken, cracked or otherwise damaged should be re placed. When cords or attachment plugs are re placed due care should be exercised to see that connections arc well made and proper strain relief for the cord provided. At each regular inspection the tool should be tested not only to determine that it oper ates properly, but also to determine that the electrical insulation has not been impaired. Underwriters' Laboratories, Inc. Standard for Motor-Operated Appliances requires that appliances employing a motor rated at Y horsepower or less and 250 volts or less shall be capable of withstanding without breakdown for a period of one minute the application of an alternating potential of 900 volts between current-carrying parts and non-current-carrying metal parts with the device at the maximum operating tem perature reached in normal use. Similarly, an appliance employing a motor rated at more than Y horsepower or more than 250 volts is required to withstand the application ot twice-rated voltage plus 1,000 volts. Although properly-designed, well-made equipment will successfully withstand the abuse to which it may be expected to be subjected during normal use, a reasonable amount of care should be exercised to pre-' vent injury- It is important that tools be properly stored when not in use. Cabinets or racks with provision for holding the cord independently of the tool arc desirable. It is bad practice to wind the cord about the tool as it may be damaged by being crushed or subjected to oil or grease. A wise practice is to have all tools re turned to a stock or tool room after use. This provides occasion for a cursory exami nation before the tool is again u*cd. Such examination should not, however, take the place of the regular periodic inspection. ADJOURNMENT Construction Section Officers 1939-2940 General Chairman--R. J. Reigeluth, C W. Blakeslee & Sons., New Haven, Conn. Vice-Chairman for Heavy Construction--W, A. Hazard, Bethlehem Steel Co., Bethle hem, Pa. Vice-Chairman for Highway Construction--S. E. Anderson, Harmon Construction Co., Pittsburgh, Pa. Vice-Chairman for U. S. Engineer Department--Major W. E. Lorexce, Corps of En gineers, War Dept., Washington. D. C. Vice-Chairman for Budding Construction--E. Ptrou, Giesebro, Whitman Co.. Inc., l-nng Island City, N. Y. Secretary--*W. A. Snow, Associated General Contractors of America, Inc,, Washington, l>. C. Xczcs Letter Editor--'Edgar N. Goldstixe, 232--30th Ave., San Francisco, Calif. Metnberskip Committee Chairman--Samuel E_ F.iv-r, Hew Haven Gas Light Co.. New Haven, Conn. Program Committee Chairnujn--John Russell, Public Service Electric & Gas Co.. Newark, K. J. Statistics Committee Chairman--E. C. RifUXGCft, Koppers Co., Seaboard Div., Keamv. X. J. Visual Education Committee Chairman--S. M. Lauderdale, Civilian Conservation t orp>, Washington, D. C , Engineering Committee--C. H. Black (Chairman), Slone & Webster Engineering Corp.. Boston, Mass. James A. Bukhank, The Travelers insurance Co., Hartford, Conn. F. J. Craxdell, Liberty Mutual Insurance Co., Boston, Mass. Robert McKinley, General Accident Fire & Life Assurance Corp,, Detroit, Mich. Thomas Soule, Industrial Indemnity Exchange, San Francisco. Calif. Officers 1940-1941 General Chairman--R. J. Reigeluth, C. W. BUkesIee & Sons. New Haven, Conn. Vice-Chairman for Heavy Construction--W. A. Hazard, Bethlehem Steel Co, Bethlehem, Fa. Vice-Chairman for Highway Construction--S. E. Anderson, Harrison Construction Co., Pittsburgh, Pa. Vice-Chairman far U. S. Engineer Department--Major W. E. Lorexce, Corps of En gineers, War DepL, Washington, D. C Vice-Chairman for Building Construction--F. L. Hurlbutt, The Patent Scaffolding Co., Chicago, III. Secretary--*W. A. Snow*, Associated General'Contractors of America, Inc., Washington, D. C. AViur Letter Editor--*Eogar N. Goldshne, 232--30th Ave., San Francisco, Calif. Membership Committee Chairman--Samuel E_ Edce, New Haven Gas Light Co., New Haven, Conn. Program Committee Chairman--James A. Burbank, Travelers Insurance Co., Hartford, Conn. *Pwt Cncral Ouirmu 353 354 29th National Safety Congress Statistics Committee Chairman--F. J. Chaxdell, Liberty Mutual Insurance Ox. Boston, Mass. yisual Education Committee Chairman--S. M. Lauderdale, Civilian Conservation Corps. Washington, D. C. Engineering Committee Chairman--C. H. Black. Stone & Webster Engineering Corp, Boston, Mass. "Past General Chairman TUESDAY AFTERNOOX SESSION October 8,1940 The opening session was called to order by General Chairman R. J. Reigeluth, Vice President, C. W. Blakeslee & Sons., Inc, New* Haven, Conn., who presided. Chairman Reigeluth reviewed in some detail activities of the Section daring the past year, and mentioned special work of manjr 9rrrin--j Committees. He spoke eacoaragfagty of ddeat prevention plans for the httorc. Hr then introduced the first speaker. Organizing a Steel Erection Job for Safety By W. A. HAZARD Engineer of Erection, Bethlehem Steel Co., Bethlehem, Pa. We must concede that safety an any con struction operation is very largely a matter of judgment on the part of the superin tendent or foreman in charge. No matter how* many rules are promulgated, or how carefully the instructions arc given, unless the superintendent or foreman is safety con scious, it cannot be expected that the men working under his direction will give much serious thought to safety for themselves, or for others associated with them. What plan or method then is to be pur sued to instill safety mindedness in our em ployees ? In organizing a Job for safety', one of the first things necessary is to provide a set of rules, though I prefer the word "Code," by which certain standards are established, which are to be followed throughout the operation. Most of us are familiar with the A G. C. Code, and there arc others similar to it, all of them excellent for the purpose intended, but they were not prepared with the primary idea of having them placed in the hands of the individual workman. Realizing that finally It is the workman who can to a very large degree control safety conditions oo the job. we have devel oped and printed a Safety* Code of conven ient size to fit the pocket, and * the individual use of the men. As sooex as a man is signed up oo a job, he is grren this booklet and asked (mind jva not ordered) to read it over ax his leisure. The first printing of this Code was made to March, 1938, and so far. nearly 5.000 copies have been put into the hands of our employees. It has kg been an established rule with the Bethlehem Steel Company that before a man is put to work he must undergo a physical examination, to determine his fit ness for the particular job to which be is*to be assigned. A few years ago our company decided that this procedure should be ex tended to include the men in the field. This action, however, presented a problem that has been difficult of solution, especially on small jobs located in comparatively isolated territory. Strenuous opposition has occasion ally been encountered from the men them selves, and in some localities certain organ izations have refused to allow their members to submit to these examinations. We hare been insistent that this rule be observed, and with the able assistance of our medical de partment, it is now possible to have every Construction Section 355 man examined by a competent doctor before he is allowed to go to work. We are convinced that physical examina tions are essential for the protection of the workman, as well as the company. It is un fair to a man with defective vision, poor hearing, or a heart condition, to send him aloft on an erection job, while the same man, once the condition is detected, may be able to render valuable service and be safely employed on ground work. The records of these physical examinations are considered confidential, and are known only to the medical department of our company. The chief surgeon of the company selects a doctor m the vicinity of the operation, in ahiace of the starting of work, advises him of the toofanls which have been established for fitaeH of the employee, and supplies him mie% the necessary forms for reporting these xvaminations- This same doctor is also Inq/wiiitif to render service in all accident ai'u c* the yob. This procedure relieves the wpen--endot of the responsibility of scckmc the proper medical service, and also esrthfribci a mntorm standard for measuring the fitness of oar employees. The steel erector is faced with two prob lems when organizing his job. He must pro vide suitable protection for his own em ployees, and in addition he is compelled to protect the employees of other interests. The latter case often proves the more difficult of solution. The site of the job is frequently found with old lumber full of nails, surplus material and all sorts of litter scattered about, as a result of the operations of ollicrs, and there have been a number of instances where we have been obliged to as sign men to clear up the site, as a protection to our own employees. One of the first rules in the code provides that the men employed on our operations must wear hard hats. These bats are fur nished by the company, and it is the duty* of the foreman to sec that every man has his hat before be is allowed to go to work. It required a long struggle to convince the men that this protection was being furnished for their own good; it was only after a few ac cidents had occurred, when men were struck on the head by falling material and avoided serious injury by wearing these hats, that this opposition began to disappear. Now comes the second problem--protec tion for the "other fellow." The steel erector. almost from the start of his job, is obliged to work over other men; I regret to say that we have yet to find many contractors in tiic building line who seem inclined to fur nish similar protection to their employees. Is it because accidents caused by falling ma terial as a result of the erector's operation are not their responsibility ? I do not at tempt .to answer, but no matter how care fully we police our jobs to endeavor to pre vent the possibility of such accidents, they dohappen all too frequently; and many serious injuries result, most of which would not have occurred if the victims had been pro vided with proper head protection. As soon as the job is organized, usually during tltc first week of operation, a job safety- committee is formed. The foreman is always chairman, and the timekeeper the clerk or secretary. The committee members consist of the pushers and two or more of the workmen, the number being dependent upon the size of the operation and the total number of men on the job. On the smaller jobs, where only a few men are involved, (he entire crow constitutes the committee. Meetings of the committee are required lu be held weekly, or bi-weekly in some in stances, for the sole purpose of considering safely on the job. Accidents which have occurred since the last meeting of the com mittee, whether major or minor in character, are analyzed, and the opinions of the mem bers as to the possibility* of avoiding such occurrences in the future, are obtained. Wc firmly believe that free discussion of acci dents on the job, while the incidents are fresh, helps materially to fix ideas of safe practice and safe working conditions in the minds of the men, and affords opportunity lo point out what results from carelessness of the men themselves in the conduct of the operation. The secretary keeps the minutes, which he later transcribes; and copies are sent to headquarters. These meetings arc held at any convenient time of the day or week, it being left to the discretion of the foreman as to the time, and a record is kept in the general office of the number held each month on each job. During the first six months of this year 453 such meetings were held. When this committee idea was inaugu rated, it was thought that the foreman, as chairman, would be able to initiate and canythrough the discussions, since it was sup- 356 29th National Safety Congress posed that working conditions on the job would furnish an abundance of material for i onsideration. However, to aid him, a point was made to pick out some suggestion or criticism from reports of the previous meet ing, and to write the foreman commenting on that point, thus giving him ammunition for a succeeding meeting. This plan proved impracticable, however, first because study and analysis of the reports was often de layed, and consequently such comments had lost their effect by the time they reached the job, secondly, in most cases the foreman would read -the comments to the committee, without any remarks of bis own, and unless some member cared to enter the discussion, the subject was dropped. It must not be assumed that these reports were not given attention, tor whenever they contained any information to indicate that the code was being violated, this feet was immediately brought to the foreman's attention, coupled with very definite instructions as to his future conduct Someone has said that "any pool of water will become stagnant if it docs not have an inlet and an outlet," and this is true in the case of safety committee work. Material of ?\ helpful nature must he furnished to the leader; this material must be such that the interest of the members will be aroused to the extent that they will freely enter the discussions and offer their own ideas. The result will be that they will then go about their work with new energy to carry on the operation with the primary idea of safe!}' in ihctr minds. The type and character of such material merits the most careful consideration, always bearing in mind the class and condition of the men to whom you arc to appeal. There are numerous ways of presenting such ma terial, and I feel that only by experimenting with several different methods can it be derennined which best fits the particular condi tion. It is well to take plenty of iime and spend plenty of energy to decide this ques tion, but I am thoroughly satisfied that the greatest good and the most satisfactory re sults arc achieved when provision is made for the men themselves to have a voice in the proceedings. Lectures, pictures, rules, and even indi vidual instruction and training along the lines of accident prevention, are admirable, and not by any means to be overlooked, but I am firmly of the opinion that to obtain and hold the men's interest in promoting safety in their work, they must be given the opportunity of expressing their views. Thus the feeling is created that they, them selves, control the safety conditions on the job, which, in the last analysis, is a fact. Our experiment in furnishing topics for consideration at committee meetings has now taken the form of safety bulletins. Each month, four of the bulletins are prepared, one for each weekly meeting. Each deals with a topic common to onr work, such as falling material, car, loading, slipping, goggles, defective tools, cooperation, eye in juries, etc. AU deal with accident cause* which at some time or other will involve all of the men. We must have the help and the cooperation of the foremen, and in turn we feel that we arc helping him by furnish ing materia] to make these meetings inter esting and effective. The reactions of the men to the subjects discussed are reported through the minutes, which arc carefully read by the management, and as occasion requires, are commented up on by letter to the job. It has been most encouraging in reading the reports of these mcctlpgs, to note the active interest taken by the workmen in commenting and offering suggestions, some of them proving extremely valuable, and many have been promptly adopted. After all. one of the most effective meth ods of guiding the men in charge of opera tions into safe practices on their work, is through personal contact on the job. We arc fortunate in having a civil engineer in our organization, who has had a number of years* experience with erection work. He is familiar with eicctkm tools, equipment and methods, and therefore, can discuss such matters from first hand knowledge. He has been assigned as full time safety engineer. It is his duty* to visit every job periodically, to go over the work carefully with the foreman, point out to him the unsafe condi tions he discovers, and offer advice for cor rection. Since he was known to most of the foremen and many of the individual work men, this fact has been of great assistance in putting over his suggestions for better and safer working conditions. A report of each Inspection visit is made, in which is mentioned in detail any unsafe conditions, or methods, that are observed. Construction Section 357 with recommendations for correction. The equipment and tools are carefully examined, and any which he considers unsafe arc pointed out. Any practices which are con trary to the safety code are particularly stressed. This report is made to the manage ment, and a copy is sent to the foreman on the job. At the next visit, the safety engi neer checks conditions with his previous re port to see that all items have been cor rected. Accident statistics have their place when in proper bands, but '`Frequency" and "Se verity** rates mean little or nothing to the average workman; and yet it is only through *ome sort of compilation of figures that comparisons of accident iccords can be ob tained. How to convey such comparisons to the men who are responsible for these records and in a manner that can be readily understood, is worth consideration. I will offer some suggestions which we are using, and which we believe assist greatly in our accident prevention work. A tabulation has been developed of 31 causes of accidents, and each month the number of accidents, lost-tune and non-losttime. which have been reported, are listed. Thus can be shown, from month to month, what causes arc producing the larger num bers of accidents, and the report beiog in simple form can be readily understood by anybody. This tabulation is sent to every foreman, accompanied by a letter, which stresses the significance of the figures. As an example, for some months we have been stressing the necessity* for the more general use of goggles on our work. For certain operations, such as bunting, grind ing, chipping, caulking, heating rivets, cttL, it is self evident that protection for the eyes is required. Our code demands the use of proper goggles, but an analysts of the eye cases reported indicated that an appreciable number of them were not in any way at tributed to these occupations. We started this tabulation in January* of this year, and from the first report it was discovered that eye injuries comprised about 30 per cent of the total accidents reported. This same con dition occurred each month, and when the report was sent to the jobs, this fact was pointed out and definitely stressed. The effect is beginning to be seen, for the men arc talking about this fact In the committee meetings, and there is an increasing demand for goggles. Such a report serves two important pur poses: it points out to the foremen the causes which are producing the greater num ber of accidents, serving as a warning to guard against such accidents on their work; but perhaps more .important, it serves as a guide to the management in providing proper means for carrying on work under *afer methods and better supervision, and it points out the possibility that the tools and equipment in use may not be in proper con dition or best fitted for the particular opera tion. At the close of each quarter of the year, a similar report is compiled, although in a slightly* different form. The names of the foremen are listed, the same tabulation ot accident causes is used, and opposite the foreman's name is recorded the number of accidents, both lost-time and non-losrtime, which have occurred on his work dur ing the period covered by the report. A no tation is made of fatal accident*, and a statement is given of the number of man hours worked. This report is sent to each foreman, so that each one is able to judge for himself his accident record, as compared with the experience of others. We do not show "Frequency" or "Severity** rati*, as we believe that a simple statement ot the number of accidents charged against the individual is more effective than to provide data which few of the men understand. At the close of each year, a report is pre pared which includes all of the data pre viously covered, but with the addition of in formation which is of particular value to the management. Here is shown the record of every* foreman, by listing each job of which he was in charge, its location, the amount of payroll, the compensation insur ance provision, die compensation liability provision, the percentage of saving or loss on the insurance provision, total hours worked, number of accidents, and the "Fre quency" rate. This report is then summar ized and is combined wrjth the reports of previous years, so that wc now have the accident experience record of each of our foremen since 1935. These two tabulations are placed in the hands of each of the fore men, thus keeping them fully conscious of their individual record as it stands in the home office. These report* are extremely valuable to the management, for the records are being consulted when assignment of foremen for 358 29th National Safety Congress jobs is being considered. We also feel that the knowledge that an accurate account of a foreman's accident record is being pre served, and that this record is capable of comparison with any or all other foremen's experience, must result in his using greater effort and care to carry on his work, with the steadfast determination to prevent acci dents to his men. T should not leave this subject without pointing out that the first, and possibly the most important, action to be taken in organ izing any job for safety in operation, rests with those who are cltarged with the general management. On them is laid the responsi bility of seeing that the procedure is properly planned, of selecting or designing the proper typc.^ of equipment, and finally, to know that the miscellaneous tools suitable for the work arc provided. If they go about this duty with the fixed determination that safety'to the workmen must receive first coosidenuioci, I am confident that the employees will, per haps unconsciously, appreciate that serious thought has been given for their safety. I am convinced that the workman who finds the tools and equipment which he uses in perfect condition, who secs that those m charge of the operation arc constantly alert to prevent carelessness on his part, or on the part of his fellow workers, who knows that careful planning and study have been given to the job in advance, and that the proce dure has been mapped out beforehand, can not help but be impressed. Instinctively he is more careful of himself, and more thoughtful of the way he goes about his tasks, as they affect the safety of himself and hts fellow workers. Ups and Downs; Some Facts* About Ladders By F. L. HURLBUTT Vice-President, The Patent Scaffolding Co., Chicago Jn discussing ladder accidents, let us di vide our subject under three headings: (a) selection, (b) care or maintenance, and (c) proper use By selection 1 mean the choice of equip ment. Some companies from a mistaken idea of economy make their own ladders. I can think of no piece of plant equipment in which there is more opportunity to buy either safety or accidents that there is in ladders. Good ladders cost more initially, but they certainly justify their price, because they are safer and last longer. Basically, no ladder is better than the poorest piece of stock used in its construc tion. This implies that only -well-seasoned straight-grained woods should be used. For extension and straight ladders, the rails should be of spruce, Douglas fir, ftorway pine or long leaf yellow pine. The last named is somewhat heavier, and for that reason is not as desirable as the others. Rungs of oak, ash or hickory are by far the best, and here the grain is all important To assure straight grain, the best rungs are hand-split in distinction to the ordinary machine-turned rung. By hand-splitUng it is impossible to get anything but a straight grain. The proper sectional size of side rails must vary with the length of the ladder, and likewise the diameter of the rungs must vary* with the width of the ladder between the side rails. But in no case should the di ameter of the rung be less than one and one-eighth inches nor the tenon less than seven-eighths inch. A genuine safety measure on extension ladders is the use of auto matic locks instead of the old-fashioned gravity locks. In the automatic lock the keeper is forced by a spring to grip prop erly and seat under the rung. All hardware should be of malleable iron or mild steel. N'o cast iron fittings should be permitted. Afueh discussion has been indulged in whether rung tenons should extend fully through the side rails or only to within a quarter of an inch. It has been my experi ence that where the tenons do not go all the way through the rails, such ladders retain their rigidity better ami do not get wobbly as soon as ladders which have the rails completely bored through. There is also much less opportunity for moisture to get at the tenon of the rung and cause rot. In all the field, of ladders there is no greater accident producer than the cheap step ladder, and .yet thousands are sold. Buy Construction Section 359 only the best or you will certainly have acci have proven must be built into ladders for dents. them to be safe. Any step ladder for industrial use should have side rails of a thickness of at least seven-eighths of an inch and preferably an inch, by three and a quarter inches. The steps or treads to give a good footing should be not less than three and three-quarter inches wide. Steps should be truss-rodded and braced to the side rails with angle braces. Frequently it is necessary' for a helper to assist a worker from the back of the ladder. For this reason the rung-back type of step ladder is preferable for plant use, as it is decidedly stronger than the slat type back and will not become wobbly. Per sonally, I woutd not have a slat-back type ladder in a plant. The spreader is a fertile source of hand injuries. This can be entirely eliminated by the use of safety spreaders which have a shield over the joint to protect the hands. The greatest contribution to safety in step ladders was the introduction of the platform step ladder. The worker stands on a solid platform guarded on three sides by the side rails and the top member. If he has occa sion to reach outward in his work, he can brace himself by pressure of his knees against the side rails and by the front of his legs against the top member. The gain in We now come to the part that care and maintenance of ladders play in your acci dent campaign. I can say without fear of contradiction that most structural failures in ladders occur as a result of misuse in han dling and storing, rather than from the actual strains imposed by the workman. Ladders are dropped carelessly in Handling, slid off piles or trucks, often resulting-irt cracks in the front or. back legs. Frequently ladders are stored horizontally with sup porting points near (he ends, resulting in sagging, which may put a permanent set in the ladder, thereby lessening the strength of the rails. Ladders should always have sev eral supporting points when Ymng horizon tally', to offset this possibility*. Ladders should be stored in a place which is pro tected from the weather. Water and damp ness will cause the wood to check and rot the rung tenons. This latter damage is diffi cult to detect. To offset the effect of moisture, it is rec ommended that ladders for outdoor use be given first a coat of linseed oil and then a coat of colorless shellac. Do not paint lad ders, as it is then difficult to detect knots or checking. efficiency and safety to the worker when using a platform step (adder in contrast to an ordinary* step ladder is so great, that it A regular inspection of ladders is strongly recommended to prevent unsafe ladders from getting back into service. All work seems only a nutter of time before it wiQ men should be told to return to their fore completely replace the ordinary* type for man any damaged ladder instead of putting plant use. it bade where they got it for someone else Another type of ladder frequently- used to be injured on. If the damaged ladder is for maintenance work is the extension beyond repair, the foreman should immedi trestle. This ladder is of the "A" type, hav ately* break it up so it cannot be used. If ing a center section which slides up and it is to be repaired, it should be conspicu down. These are generally used in pairs ously tagged, "Not to be used while this tag with a stage between them, or in sets of is on this ladder " four with two stages, and with planks from stage to stage. In selecting extension trestles, the principal points to look for are adequate length guides, and strong locks for the slid ing section, and a safety spreader. How can the average buyer hope to check ah these points when he buys ladders? The surest way to get safe ladders is to insist that your vendor guarantees bis ladders to conform to the National Ladder Code which has been drawn up for your protection by the American Engineering Standards Com mittee. This code lays ddwn the minimum specifications which tests and experience When (here is doubt about the strength of a ladder, even after an inspection, a test should be made. Support the ladder hori zontally at points about six inches from each end, and apply a load of 200 pounds at the center. For varying length ladders, the permissible deflection increases with the length of the ladder. Reference to the Na tional Ladder Code will show the permis sible deflections. If the ladder under test ex ceeds the permissible deflection, it should be discarded or cut down to a length at which it will conform to the code. Frequently, an inspection shows a wobble or shake in a 360 29th National Safety Congress ladder which can be eliminated by lighten ing up the tie rods. In short, if the maintenance department would give the same inspection and care to ladder equipment that they do other plant equipment, many unnecessary ladder acci dents would be avoided. The third part of tins subject relates to '`proper use" of ladders. Frankly, I believe it should be entitled "mis-use" or "abuse." for mis-use is the cause of a great propor tion of the serious ladder accidents. Re gardless of haiing good ladders, in spite of faithful inspection, if a ladder is not suited to a job. an accident may occur. Frequently, an extension ladder is a little too short, so someone forgets that there must be a proper lap of the sections and does the job or tries ro. If he gets by, he is lucky, for h.: lias imposed a strain on the ladder for which it was never designed. Extension ladders up to 36 feet should have a minimum lap of three feet; ladders 40 to 44- feet require a lap of four feet; 46 to 50 feet take five feet, and over 50 feet, six feet must be had. Take the case of the steamfittcr, standing on a step tadder and using a large sttison wrench- His ladder may be a good one. but was it ever intended to take the load he is subjecting it to? Probably he should be working from a scaffold, not a step ladder. The pressure he is exerting upward on the wrench plus his own weight i$ enormous. Numerous accidents occur from placing ladders at incorrect angles against walls. If the ladder is placed so that it Is too close to the wall at the bottom, there is the danger of overbalancing when the user ascends; while if it is too far from the wall at the bottom, there is altogether too much bend ing strain in the side rails. A good rule of rhumb to prevent such accidents is to keep the horizontal distance from the wall to the ladder at the bottom one-fourth of the length of the ladder. Wluan ladders are being used where people or moving objects are passing by, a helper should always be stationed at the bottom of the ladder. Non-slip treads will not take care of this situation. Slippery' surfaces present a problem when ladders are to be used. Under such condi tions. the proper type of safety ladder feet must be used. Ladder feet are of three gen eral types; (a) those haring an abrafive metal surface; (b) those with cork sole* or rubber suction soles; and fc) those having spiked points. The various conditions that must be met. requiring some form of safety* feet, are so numerous, that It Is Impossible to lay down any hard and fast rule as to what type feet should be used. In general, on smooth surfaces the cork or rubber suc tion type Is best. Yet again on wet or ofly concrete surfaces, the abrasive racial type will probably have to be selected. On wood or hard ground, the 5ted point is superior. When ladders are used against shafting or pipes, if conditions permit. It is desirable to equip the ladders with hooks which trill go over the shafting or pipes. I)) using long ladders out-of-doors against buildings where the ground condition is not too good, the safest thing to do is to lash the ladders at the top. There is always a tendency for a man using a long ladder to try to reach as far as he can either side of the ladder to avoid climbing down and moving it, and it is this reaching that makes lashing desir able. Confessions of a Consulting Safety Engineer By EDGAB N. GOLDSTINE Consulting Safety Engineer, San Francisco, California Let us listen to the average typical ardent safety advocate. What is he saying, over and over, almost continuously? "Practically all accidents can and should be prevented!" Now* go over to a mill-run group of fac tory managers,--not the kind you read about in safety* magazines, but the ones you find in the majority of manufacturing establish ments. An expression of opinion from al most any of them on industrial injuries in his plant will be substantially as follows. "We don't have many accidents and don't know any reason why we should be doing any more safety work than *c are doinx right now!" Keeping these two expressions of opinion in mind, let us gamer some facts. If we take the record of accidental injuries for the Construction Section 361 United States, or in any average-construc tion company or industrial plant, or any typ ical community and interpret it correctly, we rill be forced to accept this conclusion: There are a lot of accidents, and they are not being prevented.---at least not nearly approaching the extent to which we all say they can be. just what do we mean by "a lot of acci dents?" By any standard of comparison, 93,000 persons killed and 8,000,000 disabled for at least one day in this country every year would >eem to quality. Should we care to restrict our figures to the annual toll in the Construction Industry we will find; 2.600 men killed. 14.600 permanently'partially disabled. 275.000 temporarily disabled for more than erne day. 500.000 requiring treatment by a physician. $240,000,000 loss to employees, employers and insurance companies. Let us go from grand totals to sub-totals, and look over one individual employer. While this employer could be selected from almost any industry*, we rill pick a building contractor, one who is doing about twice as much business as the average successful builder. His year round employment will average about 100 employees. In ten years his organization will have 87 lost time in juries. Of these, 83 will be temporary lost time cases. averaging 19 days of lost time each. Three will be permanent partial dis abilities, averaging 1.227 days lost time each. One may be a fatality or permanent total disability. Anyone is going to have a pretty hard time convincing an employer doing an annual business of a million dollars a year that his face should be pretty red because he has nine lost time injuries a year It would be just as hard if he had 20 or even 30. I've tried it on dozens of them. Yet this is the average employer who is responsible for the terrible industrial accident record of this country*--of course along with several hundred thousand other employers just about like him. Let's try an appeal to his pocketbook.-- the nerve center ot all business. We'll say: "Your workman's compensation insurance is costing you about $10,000 a year at the manual rate, but $13,000 a year at your ex perience rate. If you had good accident ex perience for five years, it would then cost vou less than $6,500 a vear,--a clear saving of $6,500." It is his turn to speak now, and with brutal frankness he begins. "Listen--If 1 can buy my millwork tomorrow at the price I hope to pay for it for the big job signed up last month. I'll save $7,000, and T won't have to wait five years to make it- Besides, I know a lot more about how to run my business than any safety engineer. And t haven't time to bother with you. I think f can pick up a couple thousand dollar* on the lumber for that job, too, and I want to close the deal on that l`m really very busy." There are some outside forces that bear on our contractor that deserve to be exam ined. The State draws up a nice set of safety regulations compiled by a couple of State safety engineers, a dozen labor officials, as many more insurance safety engineers, and two or three contractors usually engaged in building bungalow's. The regulations arc then printed and filed, with copies available at 25c each in some states, although the printing cost ought to be about 5c a cop\. Everybody on the committee gets a free copy; that is about the extent of their dis tribution. Once or twice a year a State safety engineer may get to the operations of the contractor, making some recom mendations which are usually disposed of by the completion of the work. The typical insurance safety* engineer in the smaller communities, in between meas uring up plate glass, examining prospective risks for burglary insurance, talking to the owner of a fleet of trucks, and inspecting an elevator comes.out to the job, passe-* the time of day after making a suggestion or two. and goes on his way. (At lot that was the extent of the service l received when I was superintending building con struction.) There has been considerable im provement tn many insurance organizations, but even they must admit, if they look at their loss ratios and the experience modi fications of their contracting risks, that the work needs to be done much belter than it is at present. Where is the Federal Government in this picture? It was only about two years ago that r-omc of the employees of the U. S. Government -were exposed to a serious silicosis hazard in some exploratory tunnel work. When State safety officials at the job requested the 362 29th National Safety Congress protection of these men by approved work ing- methods and safety equipment, thev were told that it was a Federal job, and not under State jurisdiction, and what-were thev going to do about it? The Labor Unions--where are they? Some of u heard a former Secretary of Labor boast at one of our Construction Section sessions of the tremendous contributions made bv Labor to safety in industry. Some safety laws were passed- Tf we want to rbring the matter up to date, a certain gov* ernmexua) safety bureau has no personnel to make the inspections required by law and does not even attempt to interpret ail 88page booklet of involved technical regula tions for those employers who are trying to find out what they mean. Those oi us who have sat on Safety Code Committees with Labor representatives have heard vigorous denunciations of reckless employers. But I have yet to hear any ay* preciable portion of them accept any part of the responsibility of instructing or discip lining the reckless employee, or even admit that there was any particular responsibility on the part of labor to be careful m> as to prevent accidents. Let us leave the construction business, tor a few minutes, and take a look at my neigh borhood. The delivery car of the drugstore is going around the corner on two wheels at about ten or fifteen miles past the legal speed limit. Have 1 notified the drugstore that I am going to buy ray supplies at some other place if they do not persuade their driver to be reasonably careful? Have X requested the police to take the situation in hand ? Has the community made an effective effort to have drivers properly trained? Are the schools doing as good a job of teaching safety as they should? The answer, I regret to report, is no to all of these. What can a consulting safety engineer do that is worth while? A consulting safety engineer can some times work with an organization and get favorable action and results not hitherto achieved. This is not because he is listened to by management, or because he has a repu tation. The reason is that he assembles facts, decides upon a solution, presents ideas in dear form, and follows through until they are definitely accepted or rejected. The vital ingredients of a safety program should be selected to fit particular conditions, if they are to be most effective. Certain ob jectives must, in considerable measure at least, be attained if genuine progress is to be made. Among them might be listed : Improve the working conditions that need to be improved. Improve the working habits that need to be modified. Develop the understanding of the organ ization and all the individuals in it concern ing the prevention of accidents. Get the organization and all the individuals in it to do the things that need to be done to prevent accidents. What road must we take to reach these objectives? The entire organization, includ ing management, foremen and workmen, must be regularly instructed through inter esting, pertinent and helpful facts concern ing safety in their work. The material must be comprehensive, including situations that occur once in a lifetime as well as those of even* day aud every hour. Inspections need lo be made regularly and frequently, by foremen, inspectors, or safety engineers well acquainted with hazards and the means to minimize or eliminate them. Wherever corrective action should be taken, such action should follow immediately wher ever possible. There must be a personal, inspired leader ship, preferably by someone with a broad engineering background who knows what needs to be done, and who can get others to do it. Some of the elements that can be incorpo rated in the safety program are: Regular Instruction ol adequate depth, width and interest. Safety* Rules, safety Posters, safety* Bul letins, safety Publications, etc. First Aid Training for some or all em ployees. Safety Equipment that is adequate, suit able. with a minimum of discomfort through its use. Schedules for inspection, instruction, etc. Accident and inspection Records. Accident Investigations. Safety Contests, safety Awards, etc. Safely Committee Activities to enlist em ployee participation in safety work. Development of acceptable Standards for Construction Section 363 working conditions, working methods, etc. Use of Photographs in safety work. Research to find the right answer to par ticular problems, so that proposals will be practical and acceptable. This may require a reference Library, Contacts with others, membership in the National Safety Council and local Safety Engineering Organisations, special Investigations, etc. It also means de termining the most suitable Safety Supplies and Equipment, etc. Accident Analysis of past and present ex perience to be used as the basis for accident prevention measures based on the accident experience of the organization. Hazard Analysis so that there may be con trol for the prevention of accidents based on safety experience elsewhere. Organization Responsibility to be accepted by some company official nr a competent des ignated person to take hold of the safety program and make it move in the proper di rection and keep it moving. It might as well be admitted that there are many obstacles to be overcome in the practical application of safety measures, and that at least as much art as science is needed. Most of the difficulties are real, but they will yield to well directed effort sup ported by enough energy, suitable facilities, and cooperative attitudes. Some arc iroag-. inary and will disappear as the safety work proceeds. Among the latter is the idea too generally held that the average worker is not sufficiently intelligent to work safely The level of native intelligence for most workmen is usually about as high as for the rest of us. With proper guidance and en couragement, the worker will go along with management ior the prevention of acci dents in industry. WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON SESSION October 9,19-10 Safety Pays dividends By JOHN W. COWPER, M. Am. Soc. C.E. President, The John W. Cowper Co., Inc., Buffalo, N. Y. and HARRY O. LOCHER, M. Am. Sac. C.E. Secretary-Treasurer, The National Assoc, of River and Harbor Contractors, New York, N. Y. From aadent times to the present, an amazing cvolation in construction# design, materials, and methods, has taken place. Skyscrapers, tunnels, caissons, dams, bridges of long span and great height--all these have made it necessary' to introduce highly mechanized equipment for rapid and eco nomical erection. All changes have brought about greater hazards to workmen, as well as to property. Has safety in construction kepc pace with this progress ? Apparently not. And in fail ing to do so, construction men may be charged with negligence, lack of humane ness. and with economic waste. After many years of experience and after witnessing hundreds of accidents, from mashed hands and feet to severe maimings and fatalities, it is our belief that at least 93 per cent of all accidents are due to carelessness--carelessness in safety meas ures, or carelessness of men in looking out for themselves. Both of these factors re quire thought and study. Besides the social tragedy that follows in the wake of most serious or fatal ac cidents, there are always economic losses, sometimes running into thousands of dol lars. The cost of construction accidents is a tremendous burden. Even in 1938, a year considerably below normal in construction activity, the cost was close to $100,000,000 in losses for injuries--and this figure takes no account of the losses to the injured in time not covered by compensation. Though the accident situation is largely In the hands oi superintendents, foremen, and other men in authority, the real incen- 364 29th National Safety Congress tive to safety measures must originate with, and be the rule of, the head officer. The head must first become safety-minded him self and pass this attitude down through his staff, all the way down, keeping it alive with unfailing vigilance. He must press it home to everyone by criticizing bad plan ning, and by complimenting and encouraging those under him for methods that have proved safe. The directing head should watch accident records as he watches con struction costs and finance, because safety plays an important part in costs and finance. The accident record can weigh heavily in the profit and loss account--particularly in these times when competition is probably the closest ever known, and the margin of profit is extremely slim. Any superintendent or foreman who is making a bad accident record should be investigated. The safety of his men is as much a part of bis work as how many cars they put in the dump, how many tons of 'tee! they set, or how many yards of con crete they get in. Every foreman should be made to realize that accidents are costs-- costs that sometimes make a job show a loss. Insurance is rarely complete protec tion, either when carried by a company or by the contractor himself. Ant} there are lots of shocks that no amount of insurance money can heal. Making construction work as safe as pos sible is. of course, the best method of pre venting accidents. Again, superintendents, foremen, and mechanical men are the ones most responsible for safety measures; they should do the thinking and looking ahead. One of the best accident preventives is "good housekeeping," or keeping the job or project in a clean, orderly condition. Par ticular care should be taken not ta have boards scattered about with protruding nails. These cause many accidents and, if not given immediate attention, result in serious infections. Another matter that gives much trouble is injury to the eyes. Hard, abrasive, and sharp particles getting into the eyes re sult in many serious and costly after-effects. In working where this danger is at all prob able, protective goggles should be worn. Another hazard which has come much to the front in recent years is exposure to rock dust, which may result in silicosis. In many states the laws covering silicosis arc so rigid and the penalties so great in case of its development that few insurance com panies will cover the risk. Where this dan ger exists, all preventive measures should be taken. Careful and safe planning of all tempo rary work is highly important A few years ago, a steel viaduct constructed tn 1891, 750 ft long, 135 ft high, with a dead weight of about 1,600 tons, was moved in a parallel position a distance of 80 ft. to serve as a detour while constructing a new reinforced concrete arch structure. Several weeks were consumed in planning and constructing a temporary structure on which to move this bridge, all done with the greatest care and testing. When the moving of the structure was started, about two hours were taken to move the first 5 fL, for the purpose of thoroughly organizing and drilling the mov ing crew in its duties. The structure was moved the other 75 fL in less than five hours, with the result that there was not even a scratched finger and, to the amaze ment of thousands of spectators, the struc ture did not fall over in moving. Six and eight-story buildings have been moved with out accident or injury, because of the same meticulous care in planning and organizing. Some think that, on account of the tem porary nature of a construction job, just any old safety measures may be all right. They are all wrong! When a contractor is doing work continuously, his business can be considered as permanent as any per manently located industrial business, and his safety measures and policies should be no different. A man killed on a contract job is just av dead as one killed in a steel mill-- and his wife and youngsters will miss him just as much. Because an individual contract job is temporary is no reason whatever for not properly protecting workers. Not to do so adds to social misfortune and runs costs up to sometimes ruinous amounts. Simply talking about accident prevention does not impress most of us. But when one sees a man maimed or killed, a vivid and lasting impression is made upon one's mind. On one occasion a stiff-leg derrick, with 12 by 1-in. wood back legs and sills, built on top of a 10-story building for use in erect ing a building on adjoining property, fell because one of the wooden back legs broke. Fortunately, no one was killed, but several were hurt and considerable property- damage Construction Section 365 was done. This derrick and all its parts had been inspected before erection, but because of its having keen painted with a heavy coat of red lead, no defects were visible, nor did the usual sounding methods of timber show any. After the limber broke, it was discovered that there was quite a serious interior rot Although the defective area on the surface was very- small, it would have been sufficient to condemn the member had it not hidden by the coating of red paint- Lumber, particularly timbers used iu temporary contraction, should never be painted. Dangcrou* places must be made as safe as tpossible--both to protect thoughtless men and to protect thoughtful men who know ihev arc in a dangerous place and cannot give full thought to what they are doing on that account. On a certain hydraulic-fill dam. the material was sluiced to the site through wood domes on high trestles. The trestle and flame timber was sawed locally; it was not first-class material. In spite of careful inspection, a bad Stringer would tometimo be used. Sometimes when the flume became clogged and overloaded, one or more 12-ft- sections of trestle and flume would go down. Several men were scvcrclv injured by these accidents. In topping out the dam, it became necessary to build a double-deck trestle over 80 ft. high, with the 3 bv 3-ft. flume on top of it. It ua* a spindling-looking structure. The flume tenders did not relish working up there, and they could not be blamed. It they happened to be on a section that went down, there was little chance of their es caping fatal injury. They were inclined to play safe and hang back toward the ends of the trestle. This increased the possibility' of the flume's clogging, as the men were not strung along as they should be to keep things in order. One day the superintendent heard one* flume tender says to another, "If I knew this old running board would stay up, even if the trestle did go down, I wouldn't feel so skittish up here.'* This re mark gave birth to an idea which resulted m resting the top cross-braces of the flume, and the running board and hand rail which they supported, on two 54-in. cables sus pended from high bents to each end of the trestle. This device gave the men a feeling of complete safety; they attended to their work properly and there were no further clogs or breaks. On another job. timber lining was being removed from a tunnel that was to be re fined with concrete. The wall plates were sawed at certain places and several sections of segments and lagging pulled down with a cable from a hoisting engine set several hundred feet back. One day a bad cavc-in followed the falling timber, killing two men and almost blocking the tunnel to the normal roof. As the work was supposed not to in terfere with traffic, the track had to .I* cleared as quickly as possible. However, a desultory falling of rock kept up. and tin men were afraid to work under it. Finally two bulkheads of 12 by ]2-in. timbers were built across each of two flat cars, one about 8 ft. from the front end of the cars and the other about 16 fL back of the first. On top of these were laid 12 by 12-in. timberabout 30 fL long, projecting over the front end of the cars 6 or 7 ft. Tlc men worked under this projection without fear, loading the stone on to the end of the car. The fall wa* speedily cleaned up, nr> one being hurt. A contractor's loaded truck once stalled on a railroad crossing, derailing a locomo tive and part of a train. Two men were killed and large property damage resulted The contractor was ruined. Wbj did this happen? Through carelessness and thought lessness. Where? Everywhere. The truck was overloaded. It had been *ni out that morning with a motor not running smoothly. The driver knew- the crossing was a dan gerous one and that trains packed fre quent)}*; vet he limped up to the crossing with a sputtering motor and a big over load. No prudence had been shown an> where from the time the truck had left the yard until it was demolished Superintendents and foremen must con stantly keep after men to keep in the clear; to use their heads. And they musi con stantly seek ways to throw about them as many protective measures as possible. Taking foolish chances causes many en tirely unnecessary accidents. A locomotive crane was being moved across a parti} filled canal on a temporary fill. There was about 8 fL of water on each side of it. Three 20-in. dredge pipes, buried about 3 fL passed through the fill. For moving, 12-ft lengths of rails were spiked to 8 by 12-in. timbers, and overlapped them a fool or so at the forward end. to make the 366 29th National Safety Congress joint. Before moving up, the joints were made secure with fish plates with a bolt in each rail. When the crane was near the cen ter of the fill and ready to make a move, a fish-plate bolt rolled down the bank into the water. It happened that there were no extra ones on the machine. "We'll take a chance," said the foreman to the runner, "Try her." He did. When the front truck hit the joint with a bolt on only one side of it, instead of going over the joint. It shoved this rail and timber ahead out of place. The truck dropped down into the soft fill and on down through the dredge pipes. In about 30 seconds the crane was lying on its side in the mud and water, half out of sight--all on account of not having one 3d by 354-in. bolt. Too much hurry costs money almost even.' lime. Usually, too, tragedy fol lows in its wake. On another occasion a 2$4-yd. railroadtype shovel had been rigged as a dragline with a 60-ft. boom, to do bank sloping on a canal joh. It worked from a track laid along the canal. On windy days, it was difficult to keep the boom from whipping around--the swinging mechanism was not designed for 60-ft. booms. Provided the jacks were set. there was no particular dan ger if the boom did get away. As a safety measure, when moving, the bucket was or dinarily left on the gTound with the hoist line kept taut until the move was completed and jacks reset. One morning the shovel had to be moved across a 60-ft. trestle about 12 ft. high, which crossed a stream flowing into the canal. A stiff wind was blowing against the front of the machine. A move placed the shovel fully on the trestle. When ready to move back, instead of leaving the bucket on the ground straight out in front and playing out the drag and hoist lines, the operator picked up the bucket and started to move. With the jacks up and the bucket in the air, a gust of wind hit the boom; the operator could not hold it; he lost his head and forgot to drop the bucket. In a few seconds, the boom had swung around far enough to upset the shovel into the creek below, badly damaging it and seriously injuring and scalding the operator. There is a strange quirk in some men-- they have a sort of urge to "take a chance." The trait is sometimes found in the most capable men. But too often it causes serious or fatal accidents and costs a lot of money. Men who take chances on losing weeks and thousands of dollars, in trying to save a few* hours and a few* dollars, should be stepped on. The odds are stacked high against them. If they win, it isn't much; if they lose, it may be calamitous. Such procedure is almost always bad judgment, paid for with social tragedy and money that could have been saved. Timber was being unloaded from a work train along the main line. Everybody was in a hurry; the timber was shoved off, "any old way," to get rid of it quickly, and as long as it cleared the work train it was left where it fell. One morning, after several cars had been unloaded and the work train moved out, the foreman stood on the pile trying to make a record of it. A through train passed and the end of a wide car struck a projecting 12 by 12. In a Hash, the foreman was in the midst of a moving, twisting pile of heavy timbers. He was maimed for life. Orderliness and care in piling the timber, or care by the foreman in keeping back out of such possible danger, would have prevented this accident. Six-yard skips, loaded with stone, were being unloaded from railroad cars by a cableway which passed over the track. A foreman stood between the skip to be hoisted and the one next to it. He failed to notice that the hooked-up skip was not plumb with the cableway carriage overhead. He gave the signal to hoist. As the heavy skip cleared the floor of the car, it swung plumb and crushed him to death against the ad joining skip. As thoughtlessness causes most acci dents, men should be taught to think. Then too, alert, clear-headed mm should think for those under them. The way should be made as safe as possible for them In both direc tions--that is, make dangerous places as safe as possible, and make it easy to get away if something starts to go. It should be pemembered that men react differently and that certain men are not fit for certain places. "Put him somewhere else," a tunnel foreman told a superintendent, about an apparently ill-fated man. "i can't spend all my time keeping that fellow from killing himself." The man was put on outside work and got along all right. "I consider it a black mark against me when one of my men gets hurt,*' this same foreman said. Here really is the crux of the accident situation. When the men in charge Construction Section 367 of other men and responsible for their wel fare consider an accident a reflection upon them, one is as near to an accident-proof job as it is possible to be. Thoughtful men must provide safety measures for, and look out for men who are less thoughtful, or who cannot be thinking about their safety all the time. On large work, it is desirable to have a well-equipped clinic for first-aid treatment, with a qualified nurse, or a doctor. In charge; and every accident, no matter how minor, should be treated and observed until entirely cured. On a project with a payroll of about {400.000 the* medical cost per *** was reduced in this manner from $13.87 to $7j66; and the total cost of 596. case treated (including compensation, medical attention, and legal costs) was reduced to an average of $24.55 per accident from a previous cost, without clinic, of $63.00. Tn addition to the saving in cost, there is a saving to the employee in the matter of lost time and consequent loss of wages, due to accidents. Out of 596 cases, there were only 50 cases of lost time, the average cost being only $148. After all, the employee is probably the greatest loser because, under even the most libera! laws, he loses a week with no pay and, after the pay starts, the maximum he can receive is two-thirds of his average wage. The cost of compensation, in accident in surance, is high. On construction it averages fully 18 per cent on the payrolls, and in some cases (such as steel erection) it is 53 per cent Good records are rewarded by a reduction in this rate, whereas bad records result in a penalty. One large construction company, over a period of five years, re duced its insurance cost from an 11 per cent penalty on the base rate to a 35 per cent credit; and in the year 2939, on the amount of work done, this resulted in a saving in the insurance premium of over $40,000, or about 1 per cent on the gross amount of work done in that year. Probably a like amount was saved to the employees in the difference between their full-time wages and what they might have received in compensation if they had had an acci dent--to say nothing of the saving in the suffering of the injured. One of the authors, the head 01 his or ganization, makes it his duty to see per sonally that aeddent prevention is watched carefully. He insists that every accident re port shall cross his desk, and whenever a report reveals carelessness or unsafe prac tices he personally corrects those at fault. The psychological effect of this is great; every employee knows that the "old man" is watching this particular phase of the work as carefully as be watches other things that might seem to be more important. He has found that this method is one of the best accident prevention measures, and has proved that it is highly profitable. The Maintenance of First Aid Units for Compressed Air Workers By WILLIAM REQUARTH, M.D. Chicago, 111. Until recent years, reforms in industrial health were confined to factories and large plants and employees tn smaller groups were content with "corner drug store" medical care. This was especially true in construc tion work where, although the groups were often large, the location was inconvenient and usually transient. It soon being observed that adequate medical attention was not pro vided in the usual manner, first aid stations were established. The advantages of such industrial medical arrangements were recog nized immediately and now specifications for large jobs require the contractor to maintain medical assistance on the job site. The first aid station, which at first' was an accepted part of the health program in every large factory*, has become a valuable asset in heavy construction. 1. The Pr(-employment Physical Exami nation. This is a safeguard for the em ployer and employee. For the employee it is an effective inventory of his general physi cal condition, being a certification of ap proval of fitness for his particular occupa tion, or a matter of fact statement of his 368 29th National Safety Congress existing: deiects. The man, on the other hand, represents an investment for the em ployer which muM be protected by the care ful scrutiny of a physical examination. Although, in general, men who present them selves for tunnel labor are good physical specimens, tunnel workers should be ques tioned carefully about previous dusty jobs, respiratory infections, sinus infections, and, especially, car infections or impairment of hearing. The ears and upper respiratory tract must be the subject of a thorough ex amination. The examining physician should familiarize himselt with the occupational hazards in each type of construction work involved. He takes a great responsibility when he refuses to employ some man with a wife and dependents. His decision regard ing the fitness of the individual for employ ment should be fair. Table I lists the com monest physical defects in order of fre quency by age groups. In younger 'men physical defects arc lc> common and of no grave importance. As age increases, the more significant cardio vascular changes appear. Of applicants over 50 years, 15 per cent were refused employ ment because of cardio-vascular findings alone. Hernia, most frequent in the fourth decade, is not always a cause for rejection. Wc have passed many men whose rapture was small and well retained by a truss. Hie high frequency of dental caries is to be ex pected and its decrease in the last age group is due to the use of artificial dentures. 2. The Immediate Care of the Injured. In the pul, tlie responsibility tor first aid had been relegated to office clerks or timekeep ers, individuals whose precarious foundation of first aid principles limited them to the care of minor cuts and abrasions. The ser vices of an expert first aid attendant abol ishes the chance of poor treatment and pro vides trained leadership in bad accidents where the trauma incurred in transportation to a first aid unit so profoundly can influ- TaWe I--Analysis of Physical Defects In 1,400 Tunnel Workers Age Croup 20 to 29 years: 339 ('arious Teeth.... .................,.... Klevated body temperature.... Skin eruption...................................... Hernia................................................... Varicose veins..................................... Age Group 30 to 30 years: 288 Carious teeth...................................... Varicose veins..................................... Elevated temperature.................... Skin eruptions............. .................. Cardiac disease.................................. Pulmonary disease................... Hernia.................................................... Age Group 40 to 49 years: 27.1 Carious teeth...................................... Varicose veins.................................... Hernia.................................................... Hypertension............... ...................... Pulmonary disease.......................... Elevated temperature.................... Age Group 50 to 59 years: UK) Carious teeth...................................... Hypertension..................................... Varicose veins.................................... Cardiac disease.................................. Hernia.................................................... No. of Cases 222 22 16 4 No. of Capes 191 12 7 4 4 4 4 No. of Cases 203 17 14 10 9 No. of Cases 64 8 8 7 4 Per Cent. 53.7 6.8 4.7 t.l 0.8 Per ('em. 65.9 4.1 2.4 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.3 Per Cent. 74.3 6.5 5.1 3.6 3.2 2.5 Per Cent.. 64.0 8.0 8.0 7.0 4.0 Construction Section 369 Table 11 --AoilytU of Injuries as to Severity and Location Type of Injury Lacerations Contusions Abrasions .Strains Infectious Puncture Wounds Cement Bums Foreign Bodies Fractures Ear No. of Cases 688 % Lost Time 3.2% 443 17.5% 428 1-1%. 78 16.6% 100 26.0% 1136 18.7% 57 8.7% 68 1-4% 256 27.3% 16 w.0% 528 47.0% Order of Frequency of Part Involved 67% hand; 14% head and face. In lost ttme. in juries, the head equalled the hand. 18% hand; 15% leg and knee; ankle, cll>ow, and head each 6%. 49% hand; 12% forearm and wrist: 9** leg and knee. 22% wrist; 19% ankle; 16% knee. 63% back; 11% wrist; 30% of the hack strains involved lost time. 35% hand. 52% foot, of which only 3 vases were k*4 lime. 29% forearm; 17% leg. 70% eye: 21% hand- 4% progressed to suppuration. The upper extremity is nest vulnerable to injury^ particularly the bands cnee ihc diagnosis. His presence at the ac cident site insures proper application of splints which may mean the difference be tween a simple fracture and a compound dirty wound, or total disability* and complete recovery. The availability of medical care, furthermore, encourages men to seek treat ment for even the most minor wounds, the importance of which should not be under estimated. 3. Early Rehabilitation. Periods of tempo rary total disability are shortened by co operation between attendant and physician. The attendant, by his knowledge of the de gree and kind of disability involved and the available light work the injured person can perform, frequently can return the patient to a gainful occupation many days earlier. 4. Education of Workmen in Safety First. The principles of safety are taught at a time when they are most acceptable to workmen: immediately following an injury. The job physician soon recognizes accident repeaters and may ascertain the basis of their care lessness, then offer some remedial measure. Organization of An Industrial Medical 0mt 1, Equipment. The contractor usually prorides a suitable first aid room as a part of the general office on the job site or be may erect a small one room frame structure approximately 20x16 feel in size. Hot and cold running water, electricity, telephone and towel service should be standard facili ties. The initial cost involved approximates $100 ; another $75 is necessary in com pressed air operations for the purchase of special equipment The cost of a medical lock required in pressures over two atmos pheres absolute is nor included. 2. Platt of Operation, Twenty-four hour medical service may be maintained by Iwo per sons, preferably physicians; however, we have had satisfactory* experience with senior medical >tudents working under the direct supervision of a physician. These men treat and care fur all injuries which can be han dled on the job site, and refer those of a more serious nature or requiring X-ray for diagnosis, to nearby industrial surgeons, A well-planned system of records provides accurate and detailed in formation even tor the most minor injuries. This plan of first aid operation has proved successful in several heavy construction jobs. Table II illustrates the type of medical care rendered. Table Til indicates the ac tivity and Table IV is an analysis of ex penditures involved in the maintenance of the medical units. 370 29th National Safety Congress TABLE III--Medical Activity TABLE IV--Analysis of First Aid Costs Total number of roan hours worked. .471,651 Average per week........................................11,401 High week........................................................ 19,205 Original output ` for instruments, materials and general equipment Instruments and materials for treat 104.84 Number of new injuries.......................... 2,923 Number of redressings............................ 3,144 Treatment and other cases........................ 1,090 ing compressed air conditions*.. Cost of supplies and medications after original output....................... Maintenance cost per month: ban 53.60 18644 Total number treated............................,. 7,157 Average per week....................................... 267 High week...................................................... 377 dages, etc.................................................. Total cost of all materials and equipment for entire job.................. Overhead; attendant's pay. Heat. 18.64 344.88 Number referred for outside medical attention ........................................................... Per cent referred for outside medical attention ................................................... light, etc.................................................. 3,078.00 Total cost of maintaining first aid 135 station for ten months, including overhead .................................................. 3,422-88 6 Actual cost inmaterialperdressing. 0.036 Number of pre-employment medical examinations ................................................. Cost per patient treated: all ex penses ...................................................... 652 0.48 Tbc first aid station treated 27 patients on an arerare day; os busy days the number exceeded SO. Only 6 per cent of thetc bad to b* referred elsewhere for treatment. *App*rim for administering hcliununryxen mix ture! extra. Mask. reducing njrc and As<naeter can be purchased for $35.00. Large *ixe tank* of behuan-oxvgen mixtures retail at about $17.00 prr 1,100 cations. Special Problems Involved Pressure Under 25 Pounds The use of increased atmospheric pres sure for facilitating work under water and in water-bearing earth dates back to 1840. It soon was noted that men who stayed in compressed air for long periods often were stricken with severe bodily pains following decompression; occasionally death occurred. The mechanism of this sickness was re vealed in 1870 by Paul Bert who, by animal experimentation, showed that the liberation of air emboli in the blood and body tissues was the causative factor. Time in decom pression soon was recognized as the most important preventive. Thirty years later, Haldane devised his method of stage decom pression, now universally employed. Until recently, the hazards of increased atmospheric pressure were considered rpamly those resulting from pressures of more than 15 pounds. We even like to consider certain lesser complaints occurring in workers in pressures under 15 pounds and referable mainly to the ear and paranasal sinuses. We make an arbitrary division of the med ical aspects of compressed air sickness into those which occur under 15 pounds and over 15 pounds. In pressures over the 15 pound arbitrary division, true caisson dis ease is encountered. The damaging effects of pressures under 15 pounds are confined essentially to three parts of the body: the labyrinth, the para nasal sinuses, and the middle ear. The laby rinth, which is the organ of equilibrium, is located in the temporal bone of the skull, directly behind the ear. It consists of three bony canals located in three planes of space and contains a fluid, the endolymph. Move ments of the head move the fluid and cause impulses which orient the head in space. Any change in this fluid causes disturbances in equilibrium. In compressed air workers there is a type of vertigo not relieved by rc- compression. It is sudden in onset, occurs onc-half to two hours after decompression and is characterized by sudden severe dizzi ness associated with vomiting and nystag mus. As it is not relieved by recompression, wc believe the causative factor is not an air embolus but a small capillary hemor rhage into the endolymph. The viscosity of the endolymph is changed and a constant disturbance in equilibrium is produced- Al though recomprcssion is not of value here, the dizziness gradually subsides in two to seven days, leaving no permanent functional impairment Construction Section 371 Involvement of the nasal sinuses is mani fested by severe headache and pain over the eyes or in the region of the check. The frontal sinuses above the eyes are affected most frequently, pain being caused by the imprisonment of air under pressure within the sinus. Treatment consists of restoring the patency of the sinus orifice and releas ing the air, often accomplished by means of a simple vasoconstrictor. Labyrinthine disturbances are rare and sinus pain is temporary* More far reaching and important to the patient and the in surance carrier, however, is involvement of the middle ear. This is a source of much lost time and often of prolonged costly ear infections. The simple mechanism is easily explained. The middle ear may be con sidered a chamber whose only means of ventilation is the eustachian tube, one wall of which rs the ear drum. This tube com municates with the throat- Its patency allows environmental pressure changes to be equal ized in the middle car. Blockage of the tube often occurs during "colds" and other inflammations of the throaL During compression, the ear drum is dis placed inward by the air until the pressure is equalized through the eustachian tube. If the lube is closed partially, as during upper respiratory infections, the workman forces air into the middle car, causing contaminated secretions of the nasopharynx to be carried into the car. This often causes infections in the middle ear. If the tube is blocked com pletely, the resutiant deformity o the drum membrane produces severe pain. The work man is unable to "make the locks" and is laid off. This is the typical "blocked car" charac terized by impairment of hearing, tinnitus, and pain in the ear. Its most common com plication is catarrhal inflammation of the middle ear; its most serious complication is suppurative car disease. In 1,300 recorded cases wc observed in 16 months, 38 per cent lost time from work and 3.8 per cent pro gressed to suppurative ear infection. A routine of treatment we developed ma terially decreases these figures. From the point of view of prevention, each man is subjected to a general physical examination which includes a thorough scrutiny of the nose and throat for evidence of infection. He is questioned about previous throat in fections, asthma, old ear infections, and other possible predisposing conditions. Then lie is instructed carefully to leave the locks and apply for treatment as soon as symp toms of blockage occur. He must not at tempt to force air into the middle car by vigorous blowing. In the past few months we have employed helium extensively in the treatment of tubal blockage. It is an inert gas and the lightest of all elements. Its rale of diffusion, almost three times that of nitrogen, will diffuse through the eustachian tube much more rap idly ilian the nitrogen of the air. Mixed with oxygen to make an S0-20 mixture, it Is breathed through a device especially de signed for administering helium and oxygen mixtures under pressure. The apoaratus consists essentially of a mask, breathing tube, spirometer breathing bag, a calibrated gravity type spill valve, and weights for producing pressure in the system. Preparatory' to the administration of the gas. the nose is sprayed with one of the common agents used to shrink the nasal mucosa. The gas then is breathed at a rate of flow of eight liters per minute and a pressure of 12 m.m. of mercury. The aver age patient obtains relief in four minutes; more obstinate cases may require ten. The positive pressure aids diffusion of the gas through the eustachian tube. We have used this regimen of treatment in 200 consecutive cases. Results, as compared to 200 consecutive cases in which helium was not used, are highly satisfactory- In the helium treated series, 33 per cent of the men lost time from work and 1.5 per cent of the cases progressed to suppuration as compared to 45 per cent lost time and 4 per cent suppura tion in the control group. Of the patients treated with helium, 74 per cent obtaineef moderate or complete relief. We contend that helium-oxygen mixtures are of true value in the treatment of tubal blockage and should be a part of the first aid equip ment on all operations in compressed air. The cost of the average treatment Is thirty cents. 372 29th National Safety Congress Safety Features in the Construction of Hiwassee Dam By.J, B. WALTERS Construction Superintendent, McKenzie Construction Co.. Marshall Ford Dam, Texas Hiwassee Dam recently completed by the Tennessee Valley Authority, is located on the Hiwassee River, in North Carolina, approxi mately 75 miles from the North CarolinaTenncssee state line, and 20 miles west of Murphy, North Carolina. All dams constructed by the Authority are multi-purpose; namely. Navigation, Flood Control, and Power Development. Hiwassee Dam does not have lock facilities lor handling river traffic, but it is planned that water stored during- the flood season will be released in low water season to aid navigation on the Tennessee River. Daring flood season the Hiwassee river contributes approximately 20 per cent to the flow of the Tennessee River. The dam is constructed in a narrow gorge and is a high, overflow, gravity type con crete structure having a crest length of 1260 feet, and a height of 320 feet from deepest excavation to the roadway. The foundation ior the dam was good, and a comparatively small amount of grout was required to prepare it for service under the high structure. Principal items of construction were as follows: Placing oi approximately 800,000 cubic yards of concrete. applicants selected were given a strict med ical examination, and their physical condi tion as well as their past experience was considered in the assignment of work. Before reporting for work, each employee was interviewed by the project safety engineer and job conditions and safety prac tices were explained to him. Each employee was made to understand that he had a part in the safety program, and was expected to carry his share of the load. Construction problems were similar to those encountered in building any high dam. with a tew exceptions. One condition that was different was the manufacture of con crete aggregate from rock containing an average of 65 per cent silica. Protective equipment was used, and to the best of my knowledge none of the employees engaged in the manufacture of aggregate were harmed by the exposure to silica dust. Natural sand and gravel were not avail able in sufficient quantities near the dam rite, so tests were made to determine whether the local rock was suitable for concrete ag gregate Durability tests were satisfactory in every way, but the rock was a meta morphosed sandstone composed principally of quartz, mica, and feldspar, and presented a serious silicosis hazard unless suitable con Manufacture oi approximately 1,600,000 tons of concrete aggregate. trol of rock du9t could be assured to pro tect the men engaged in its manufacture. Excavation of approximately 400,000 cubic yards of material for foundation purposes. Installation of one 80.000 horsepower Gen erating Unit. Installation of approximately 10,000,000 pounds oi miscellaneous steel. In addition, there was the usual form work, erection and dismantling of plant, con struction oi roads, and numerous other items incidental to the construction of a project of this size. Personnel used on this project was re cruited from the surrounding area as much as possible. A peak crew of 1250 was used on the dam. The project personnel depart ment interviewed prospective employees. All The T. V. A. medical staff, in conjunction with Mr. L P. Hatch of New York and T. V. A. engineers, worked out a program satisfactory from a health standpoint and economical to operate. It was then decided to develop a quarry and produce concrete aggregate on the job. The program devel oped was as follows: 1. All employees engaged in the manu facture of aggregate were given a strict medical examination, and X-rays were made before they were assigned to the work. If there was any sign of chest congestion, they were not allowed to work at the plant. They were X-rayed each six months while they were on the job, and again at the com pletion of the quarry' work. This procedure Construction Section 373 provided, a permanent record of the condi mite to within 25 feet of the surface, and tion of all employees engaged is tin work. from tour to twelve holes were shot in each Z. Primary drilling was dooe with well drills, and no dust was produced because of the water used in this operauoo. Secondary drilling was done with wageo drills and jackhammers using wet bead* and tests were made regularly* to detenmae tike dost count surrounding each operation. 3. The quarry face was wet down where shovels were working and the rock was again sprayed with water wbest it was dis charged from the trucks into the primary crusher. In addition to the water spray ai the primary, a 6,000 cubic foot fan was in stalled to draw off the dust produced by the crushing operation. blast The quarry face varied in height from *100 to 200 fert, and in length from 300 to 600 feet The largest blast contained 45,000 pounds of dynamite, and 160,000 tons of rock were displaced by this shot. The rock was spread over the quarry floor to a depth of from 10 to 30 feet, but at times it >n* necessary to trim the top of the quarry face to make it safe for the workmen to recover the rock blasted, and prepare for the next shot. The rock shot down in this operation piled up on top of the first shot and made a high face for the shovel* to work against to lead out the rock. When large boulder* were embedded in the face extreme care had to be exercised in loading 4. In the crusher building where the sec to protect the workmen. ondary crusher, hammer mills, and screens were located, a 25,000 cubic foot fan was installed to draw off the dust produced. Hoods were mounted over all dusty points, and a complete duct system connected aU dusty locations with the suction fan. A crusher plant is ordinarily a very dusty unit, but the dust system installed was so successful that practically no dust was vis ible, and dust counts proved conclusively that the air in this building was maintained well below the safe operating level. In the early Mage* of operating the quarry, two fatal accidents resulted from carelessness and improper planning. Those two accidents could easily have been avoided if the same forethought and caution had been exercised as was used on other occa sions. Conditions much worse were handled safely by the same supervisors on numerous occasions after those two accident*. If we analyze the majority of serious accidents carefully, we reach the same conclusion. Cost records proved that the cost of in stallation and operation of the dust control system was more than offset by the saving in costs of maintenance of the crusher equip ment, and in addition provided a clean space for the workmen and made possible a much higher efficiency. Consequently, the dost control system was transferred to another T. V. A. project where there was no sili cosis hazard, after the quarry work was finished at Hiwassee. As a final precaution, all aggregate was wet down as it was conveyed by belt to the storage piles, and again when it was transported to the mixing plant The rock used to make concrete aggregate was hard to drill, fragmentation from blast Numerous safety devices were used to protect the workmen engaged in form build ing, and other work incidental to placing concrete in the dam. Before actual construc tion started, equipment needs and methods of construction were carefully aitah/ed from a safety, as welt as an efficiency stand point, and an attempt was made to provide all the safety i^uipment needed and as far as possible, incorporate this equipment in the design of the construction plant. The scaffolds, stairways, and walkways shown represent a considerable investment, but our cost records show conclusively that the in vestment was repaid several times from the added efficiency of the workmen, beside? providing a safe place-for the men fo work. ing was poor, and many large boulders were The scaffold was rigidly attached to each present in each blast When the quarry form. It increased the cost of the form ap was first opened up, experiments were made proximately 20 per cent, but we used thefe to determine the most satisfactory size, and panels an average of 50 times and conse spacing of hole to secure the best results. quently, we could afford to install a rigid, From these experiments, it was decided to permanent scaffold. We have checked the use nine inch holes spaced 24 feet from the face and 45 feet apart These holes were loaded solid with 75 and 50 per cent dyna cost of handling these forms with the cost of private contractors on similar work, and the comparison was favorable to Hiwassee 374 29th National Safety Congress Dam, notwithstanding' the fact that the Scale of wages at Hiwassee was 10 per cent higher for the workmen engaged in handling forms. program. I am further convinced that a well planned safety program will save any construction organization far more than it costs it common sense is used in planning Three cofferdams were used to divert the the program. river during construction. Foundation ex cavation inside the second cofferdam was delayed due to an unexpected number of All T. V. A. projects have similar safety programs. At Hiwassee we held regular foremen's safety meetings, and at these seams, and before concrete could be started meetings all supervisors attended and ex in that cofferdam, the other blocks had been changed ideas to promote safety on the job. poured to a height of J25 feet Three blocks The construction superintendent, or his des in this area were poured to stream bed level ignated representative served as chairman of and stopped, to be used for diversion of the these meetings, and the project safety en river during the period required to raise gineer pointed out various conditions on the the blocks in number three cofferdam. After job that could be improved. Supervisors all other blocks had been poured above the were held responsible for the safety of all control gates, these three blocks were poured employees under their supervision, but it by using a steel gate upstream to block off was pointed out that they could not shoulder one opening at a time. After concrete was this responsibility if they did not enlist the placed in this opening to a depth of five co-operation and interest of each employee feet, the gate was moved to the next open under their supervision in safety. ing, and the operation repeated, until the blocks had been raised to a point where the water flowed through the control gates. A foot bridge was used by the workmen to reach the low blocks and prepare them for concrete. No disabling injuries were recorded against this work. One of the problems at Hiwassee was to sandblast and paint two penstocks, IS feet m diameter and 300 feet in length. One- The safety engineer, accompanied by one representative of each craft, patrolled the job weekly and corrected unsafe practices and conditions on the job. Hollowing this patrol, the group met in the construction superintendent's office and discussed condi tions on the job. All employees on the patrol were assured that management had a deep interest in safety and encouraged the interest of every emplover in safety. If third of the length was level, and the bal suggestions were made by members of the ance inclined at 30 degrees. A scaffold was patrol, that could not be put in practice, a designed bv one of the supervisors on the careful explanation was given to show why job. It was adjustable ior cither level or it could not be done. Inclined sections. A considerable saving was effected by the use of this scaffold, and no disabling accidents were recorded for this work One of the necessities of safe operation jm work which must be performed at night Housekeeping was stressed in all meet ings. and each craft was required to dean up and salvage all materials left over after completing any task and supervisors insisted that workmen maintain an orderly place to work. qood illumination. Accidents and low cf5eisy can be expected if extreme care is noi exercised in planning the lighting needs. Employees were instructed in the safe way to perform routine work and encour aged to participate in first aid training Frankly, we copied every safety sugges courses. tion we thought we could use in our work. The point 1 want to bring out is that we cannot afford to require the men under our supervision to work without adequate safety protection. I am convinced that our safety program at Hiwassee Dam saved us many thousands of dollars above the cost of the Weekly letters were prepared by the safety organization and mailed to all supervisors by the construction superintendent These letters pointed out the conditions causing the majority of the accidents in that period, and made suggestions to eliminate similar accidents. ADXOURNMENT Food Section Officers 1939-1940 General Chairman--**Freo A. Webb, Borden-Wieland Div.r The Borden Co., Chicago, III. Vice-Chairman for Program--H. J. Aldrich, Spencer Kellogg & Sons, Inc., Buffalo, N .Y. Vice-Chairman (Confections)--I). R. Grant, Beech-Nut Packing Co., Canajoharic, N. Y. Secretary--D. M. Clark, Society of Grain Elevator Superintendents of North America, Chicago, 111. Sen's Letter Committee--Roy L. Rollins (Chairman), A. E. Staley Manufacturing Co.', Decatur, HI. E. L. Anderson, Penn Fruit Co., Inc., Philadelphia, Pa. Hugo A. Kjlemu, Industrial Commission of Wisconsin, Madison, Wis. Robert B. McDade, Atlantic Sugar Refineries, Ltd., St. John, N. B., Canada. C. F. Moberg, Kraft Cheese Co., Chicago, 111. Program Committee--H. J. Aldrich (Chairman), Spcuccr Kellogg & Sons, Inc., Buffalo, X. Y. C. G. Bender, Kellogg Co., Battle Creek, Mich. *S. B. Horkell, Carey Salt Co., Hutchinson. Kansas. Roger A. Grant, Asheville Baking Co.. Inc., Asheville. X. C. D- E. Price, Midwest Dairies, Inc., El Paso. Texas A. E. Sinclair, Kingan & Co., Indianapolis, Ind. Membership Committer--D. R. Grant (Chairman), Bccch-Xut Packing Co., Canajoharic, X. Y. *C. W. Dempsey, The Liquid Carbonic Corp.. Chicago, HI. IL G- Schaffner, Schaffncr Bros. Co., Erie, Pa. Clyde T. Stephens. Interstate Cotton Oil Refining Co.. Inc., Sherman, Texas D. If. Thomas, Utah-ldaho Sugar (**, Salt Lake City, Utah Publicity Committee--H. B. Taylor (Chairman;, Northwestern Yeast Co.. Chicago, JU. M. 0- Anderson, King's Packinc Co., Nampa, Idaho C. Medina, Bamby Bakers, Tampa. Florida Statistics Cotnviittec-~~Q- A. Linder (Chairman), Booth Fisheries Corp., Chicago, III. Irving Beall, Channel Pic Shops, Sacramento, Calif. F. W. Bruce. Southern Grocery Stores, fnc^ Atlanta, Ga* W. A. Suujvan, Loose-Wiles Biscuit Co., Kansas City, Mo. Health Committee--Dr. Wiuitt H. Schulze (Chairman), Bureau of Environmental Hy giene, Health Dept, Baltimore. Md. A. L. Brown. Post Products Div. of General Foods Corp,, Baltic Creek, Mich. L. E. Steiner. Pabst Brewing Co., Milwaukee. Wis. Poster Committee--Wa F. Crawford (Chairman). Bavuk Cigars, Inc., Philadelphia. Pa. Ruth E. Cade, A. E. Staley Manufacturing Co.. Decatur, 111. E. W. Carroll, Dr. Pepper Bottling Co., Memphis, Term, Armand Hecht, Hccht Bakery, Bristol, Term. B. Novo. American. Molasses Co., Brooklyn, N. Y. Safe Practices Pamphlet Committee--Geo. H. Steel (Chairman), Ralston Purina Co.. St. Louis, Mo. J. M. Da.mar. Gulf Brewing Co., Houston, Texas *F, A. Hasse, Cora Products Refuting Co., Argo, 111. Leon Tujague, National Food Products Co., New Orleans, La. Data Sheet Committee--G. L. Gore (Chairman), Bruce Dodson & Co., Kansas City, Mo Thomas Chandler, Bennett Hubbard Candy Co., Chattanooga, Tenn. Douglas Pearn, Walgreen Drug Stores, Chicago, 111. *Pasl Gtnra] Chairman 375 376 29th National Safety Congress H. C Philups, Schenley Distilleries, Inc., Cincinnati, Ohio Dairy Products Committee Chairman--E. G. Quesnel, The Borden Co., Xew York, X. Y, Milling Committee Chairman--Geo. T. Peckhaw, Jr., Clinton Co., Clinton, Iowa. Beverage Battlers, Brewers 6* Di^tiHcrj Committee Chairman--Ray M. Seeker, Anheuser- Busch, Inc., St. Louis, Mo. --Tobacco Products Committee Chairman Ckxw.Cav F. F*.\tcke, The Axton-Flshcr Tobacco Co., Inc., Louisville. K>\ Uukers Committee Chairman--R. C. Havex, Continental Baking Co., New York. N. Y. Conners S Grocers Committee Chairman--C. C. Ruddick, H. J. Heinz Co., Pittsburgh, Pa. Officers 1940-1941 General Chairman--Dean M. Clark, Society of Grain Elevator Superintendents of North America, Chicago, 111. Vice-Chairman for Program--H. .1. Aldrich, Spencer Kellogg & Sons, Inc., Buffalo, X. Y. Vice-Chairman' (Confections)--D. R. Grant, Beech-Nut Packing Co., Canajoharie, N. Y. Secretary'--C. C. Ruddick. H. J. Heinz Co., Pittsburgh, Pa. Xezcs Letter Committee--Roy L. Roujns (Chairman), A. E. Staley Manufacturing Co., Dccatnc, TU. Wm. F. Crawford, Bayuk Cigars, Inc., Philadelphia, Pa. C. A. Linder, Booth Fisheries Corp., Chicago, 111. C F. Moberg, Kraft Cheese Co., Chicago, I1L E. E. Rounds, Jewel Tea Co., Inc., Barrington, III. Ray M. Seeker, Anheuser-Busch, Inc., St. Louis, Mo. Program Committee--H. J. Ai.okich (Chairman), Spencer Kellogg Sc Sons, Inc., Buffalo, .Y. Y. C. G. Bkxder, Kellogg Co., Battle Creek, Mich. Roger A. Grant. Asheville Raking Co., Iikl, Asheville, N. C. *S. B. Horreu-, Carey Salt Co., Hutchinson, Kan. D. E. Price, Price Creameries, Inc., El Paso, Texas. A. E. Sinclair, Kingan & Co., Indianapolis, IndMembership Committee--D. K. Grant (Chairman), Beech-Nut Packing Co., Canajoharie, X. Y. *C. \V. Deupesy, The Liquid Carbonic Corp., Chicago, III. John H. Reich, C. D Kenny Co., Baltimore, Md. H. G. Schaffner, Schaffner Bros. Co,, Erie. Pa. Clyde T. Stephens, Interstate Cotton Oil Refining Co., Inc-, Sherman, Tcxa*. 0. H. Thomas. Ulah-Idaho Sugar Co., Salt Lake City, Utah. J'nhlicity Committee--H. B. Taylor (Chairman), Northwestern Yeast Co., Chicago, HI. M. 0. Anderson, King's Packing Co,. Nampa, Idaho. C Medina, Bamby Bakers, Tampa, Florida. Statistics Committer--E. L. Anderson (Chairmajt), Penn Fruit Co., Inc., Philadelphia, Pa. Irvine Beall, Channel Bakers, Sacramento^ Calif. F. \V. Bruce, Southern Grocery Stores, Inc., Atlanta, Ga. *\V. A. Suluvan, Loose-Wiles Biscuit Co., Kansas City, Mo. Health Committee--Djl Wilmer H. Schulze (Chairman), Bureau Environmental Hygiene^ Health DepL. Baltimore, Md. A. L. Brown, Post Products Div., General Foods Corp., Battle Creek, Mich. Rorekt B. McDade. Atlantic Sugar Refineries, Inc, St. John, N. B., Canada Poster Committee--Hugo A. Klensi (Chairman), Industrial Commission of Wisconsin, Madison, VVis. Ru*sh E. Cade, A. E. Staley Mfg. Co., Decatur, III. E. W. Carroll, Dr. Pepper Bottling Co., Memphis, Tenn. ARifand Heciit, Hecht Bakery, Bristol, Tenn. B. Novo, The American Molasses Co., Brooklyn, N. Y. `Past General Chairman Food Section 377 Safe Practices FamfkUt Committer--G. L. Gore (Chairman), Bruce Dodson & Co.. Kan sas City, Mo. J. M. Dujlu. Golf Brewing Co., Houston, Texa> "F. A. Has$e, Cora Products Refining Co.. Argo, 11L Leon Tujaglt, .Vadonal Food Products Co., Xew Orleans, La_ Data Sheet Committee--Douglas Pearn (Chairman), Walgreen Drug Store*. Chicago. 111. Thomas Chandler, Bennett Hubbard Candy Co., Chattanooga, Tenn. H. C Pnnxn-s. SchcnJcy Distilleries, Itul, Cincinnati, Ohio. Dairy Products Committee Chairman--E. G. Quesnel, The Borden Co., New York, X'. Y. Milting Committee Chairman--Geo. T. Peckham, Je, Clinton Co., Clinton. Iowa. Barrage Bottlers-, Brewers S Distillers Committee Chairman--L E. Stejner. Palwl Brew ing Co., Milwaukee, Wis. Tobacco Products Committee Chairman--Charles F. Francke, The Axton-Fisher Tobacco Co., IrKV, Louisville, Ky. Bakers Committee Chairman--R. C. Haven, Continental Baking Co., Kew York, X. Y. Canners S Grocers Committee Chairman--C. C. Rlthuck, H. J. Heinz Co., Pittsburgh, Pa. Sk/jar Industries Committee Chairman--A* M. Svttn. (iodchaux Sugars, Inc., Re*er\o, l a. TaM General Chairman TUESDAY AFTERNOON SESSION Octobers, 1940 The opening session of the Food Section uas called to order by f>. B. HorreJI, Gen eral Manager of Operations, Carey Salt Company, Hutchinson, Kans. and PastGeneral Chairman of the Food Section, who presided. Chairman Horrell briefly welcomed the delegates, and expressed the deep sorrow of the Section Members over the passing of Fred A. Webb, late General Chairman of the Section. A formal resolution honoring the memory of Mr. Webb was passed Safety Requirements of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act By J. O. CLARKE Food and Drug Administration. Chicago The Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act endeavors to safeguard the supply of food, drugs and cosmetics consumed by the Amer ican public. It is intended to provide safety* in three broad fields for all of these prod ucts--safety from the consumption of foods, drugs and cosmetics which might be harm ful. safety from the consumption of those products which might have been produced under insanitary conditions or which might be filthy or decomposed, and finally, safety from an economic standpoint by establish ing certain conditions which tend to prevent the public from being cheated. In this discussion I am going to have to use some words such as "filthy," "decom posed," "putrid," "poisonous or deleterious substance>" "dangerous to health." etc., which are quoted from the text of the Acl I would like it definitely understood, how ever, that these words are not descriptive of the output of the industries as a whole and it would be grossly Unfair to even im ply that all the products of the food, drug and cosmetic industries can be described by such terms. I know that manufacturers gen erally deplore practices which lead to a vio lation of the law* just as much as do con sumers or regulatory officials. Since you are primarily interested in food, it will be my purpose to devote most of my time to the safety features of the Food, 378 29th NatiornU Safety Congress Drug anO Cosmetic Law as it relates to food. The term "safety" means a condition or state of being safe. The word "sale** means free from harm, injury or risk. When we bear these definitions in m'uid and apply than to the food sections, I think we can conclude that the underlying purpose of the Food, Drug and Cosmetic law is to provide a safe food supply for the American public Tin's means safety from the standpoint not only of bodily harm, which might result narily render it injurious to health; or. If It bears or contains any added poisonous or added deleterious substance which is unsafe within the meaning of Section 406." Tt is interesting to note that a corresponding sec tion of the Food and Drugs Act of 1906 confined the prohibition to added poisonous and deleterious substances and provided no control over poisonous and deleterious sub stances occurring naturally in some foods. from the ingestion of a dangerous food There are not very many foods which product, but, in a much broader sense, safety contain poisonous substances naturally. They from foods which are perhaps filthy or are of sufficient importance, however, to jus manufactured in insanitary factories, and tify a measure of control in the interest of safety from the economic standpoint in giv public safety. For instance, some legumes ing the public sufficient facts about their contain toxic quantities of hydrocyanic add purchases to contribute to the safety of the and, as most of you know, certain types of food budget. wild mushrooms are deadly poisonous. The Food and Drug Administration is investiga While the primary purpose of the measure ting at the present time another natural i; safety in the interest of the public, it is poison in food which'may have serious im inevitable (hat in accomplishing tins end a plications. 1 refer to the absorption by some degree of protection will accrue to the in plants In certain areas of toxic quantities of dustry *n tending to prevent unfair compe selenium. This poisonous elements is found in tition The fact that the Food, Drug and not only the plants grown in the so-called Cosmetic law sets up certain basic require selcniferous areas but investigations so far ments which every manufacturer must meet indicate that eggs produced in the area con makes it safe for the individual manufac tain selenium which probably comes from the turer to assume that his competitors have to food eaten by the chickens. Possibly, although mccr these same requirements. As a simple this has not been shown definitely to be a fact, example, the law requires butter to contain the meat of fowl and animals from this area SO per cent of butler iat and to be full will also contain selenium. Fortunately, weight. The butter manufacturer, therefore, these so-called selcniferous areas are not put* SO per cent of fat in his output, sees very productive of commercial food hut the that it is full weight and knows that his matter is of sufficient significance to justify competitors arc doing (he same thing or will the rather complete investigation which if have to answer to the authorities. now* being made by the Food and Drug Ad ministration. From the standpoint of safety, as it re lates to the protection of the public from Section 406, referred to above, authorizes physical harm, probably the requirement re regulations having the full effect of law to lating to poisonous substances in food is (lie aid in the enforcement of the provision most important This section deals -in its against added poisonous and deleterious sub broadest aspects with possible abuses in the stances in food. These substances are pro production of food whereby the product hibited entirely if they are not necessary in may become contaminated with poisonous the production or the food and, if they are or deleterious substances or may contain necessary', they must be limited to an amount such substances as natural ingredients' This which is not dangerous to public health. section is brief and is important enough to justify quotation: "A food shall be deemed to 1>e adulterated if it bears or contains any poisonous or deleterious substance which may render it injurious to health; but in case the substance is not an added substance such food shall not be considered adulter ated under this clause if the quantity' of such substance in such food does not ordi One might logically inquire into the rea son for prohibiting by statute the addition of poisonous or deleterious substances to foods, since one might think that no manu facturer in his right mind would indulge in such a practice. Tn the modern production of food, however, it is sometimes necessary that poisonous substances be used or it would be impossible to produce the food in ques- I'ood Section 379 turn. For example it would be utterly im further condensed into the following state possible in certain sections of the country ment: to produce a crop ot apples without the use of sprays to protect the crop from being ruined by insects. Tbe law, however, places the safety of the public first and requires that when socb poisonous substances are used they most be limited to such an amount as will not be harmful when the iood is consumed. Probably the tao>t important classes of substances which Congress had in mind were Spray residues or fumigation residues, which might remain on food prod ucts after spraying or fumigation, poisonous preservatives and perhaps a few other minor items which might be necessary in the pro duction of food. Food which consist* in whole or in part oi any filthy, putrid or decomposed sub stance, or which is manufactured or stored under insanitary conditions, or which con sists in whole or in part of tbe product of a diseased animal, or one that died otherwise than by slaughter, or which is otherwise unfit for iood, is adulterated. These few phrases cover first, things which might hap-pen to a food product during its prepara tion for the market that might cause the development of dangerous bacterial poisons, and second, things which offend the sense ot decency. Fortunately, in comparatively few instances do wc find poisonous bacterial We should bear in mind when we say "poisonous" or "deleterious" substances that wc are dealing not only with substances substances resulting from insanitation and most of our work in this field deals with practices which offend the sense of decency. which might be present in sufficient quan tity to cause acute illness or death but with substances present m small amounts which may by their cumulative effect ultimately damage the health of the public. Personally, I have encountered only a lev. substances where a food product contained a sufficient amount of a poisonous or deleterious sub stance to cause acme illness. I have never encountered a food product in interstate commerce which contained enough of such substance to be fatal. In making this state ment I am excepting certain bacterial toxins which occasionally develop in food and which 1 will deal with further oo in this dis Among the classes of foods which for merly were sometimes found contaminated with bacterial toxins arc certain types of non-acid canned foods in which bacillus botulinum occur. Some 15 to 20 years ago there were a number of deaths due to the consumption of foods contaminated with this organism. There has not been an out break, however, in commercially canned do mestic foods for the past 15 or more years, although all too frequently deaths are caused by home canned foods which have not been properly processed to prevent the develop ment of this bacterial toxin. Food officials and the canning industry, naturally, are cussion. constantly on the alert to prevent this kind With respect to food products containing substances which might cause chronic poi soning, I believe that the net result of the enforcement of the Food, Drug and Cos metic law and its predecessor, the Food and rugs Act, has been to hugely remove these types of substances from the market. This docs not mean that we never find food con taminated with poisonous substances. We do and it i$ necessary frequently to proceed against foods which are unsaie because they do contain a poisonous ingredient. of food poisoning. It requires no stretch of imagination to contemplate the ditaster which would result if lots of canned food should be shipped throughout the country contaminated with these deadly organisms. I should also mention bacteria] food poison ings which occur from time to time, which make a great many people sick but cause very few fatalities. Theseoccurrences, usually of local significance, frequently involve bak ery products of the cream1 puff type, which become contaminated with certain harmful bacteria during their preparation. These Probably the requirements of the law outbreaks ostcrily occur during warm dealing with sanitation in the production of weather and nearly always axe tbe result food in its broadest aspects are of equal of msarutation m the producing process. interest in the eyes of the public with thofc sections which deal with poisonous or dele terious contamination. Two or three short, comprehensive sentences in the Act cover the entire subject. These mtence< can he Of first significance from a safety stand point wc consider, of course; insanitary prac tices which are likely to produce sickness or death. Fortunately, these serious results 380 29th National Safety Congress occur comparatively infrequently and a great exceptions to the rule, merely indicate the deal ox the work of the Food and Drug Ad wisdom of Congress in providing a means ministration is concerned with the produc of safeguarding the public from the con tion of foods under insanitary conditions or sumption of foods of this character. under conditions whereby the food may be come decomposed or rotten. In tbe produc tion of foods the producer wages a contin uous battle to prevent contamination with filth and decomposition. In the case of foods which are marketed essentially in their natural state the journey from the farm to die market is accomplished as quickly as possible and the product is usually protected by refrigeration from the time it h loaded into a truck or freight ear until it is sold lo the consumer. Decay or decomposition in this class of food is obvious to the con sumer and there is need for less supervision on the part of the food officials than in those classes of foods which are processed lo a greater or less degree. The original Food and Drugs Act of 1906 merely condemned filthy, putrid or decomposed foods but did not attempt to exercise control of the sani tary conditions under which tbe product was manufactured. The Food, Drug and Cos metic Law, however, does attempt to estab In my judgment, safety from the con sumption of filthy* or decomposed food Is of paramount interest to the public. In tact, I sometimes think that the average house wife is more concerned about sanitation in food factories than she is with either the economic feature# of the law or those fea tures which more directly safeguard tbe health of the public. The housewife as sumes that food# are free from filth and decomposition because this aspect of food production has been emphasized not only by home training but by the advertisements of food producers themselves. The housewife has a feeling of security because the law requires food to be produced in sanitary factories and she assume* that the law. \a enforced. It is the endeavor of the Food and Drug Administration to justify this assumption. T think the same thing is true of most of the manufacturers of food prod ucts. lish control over sanitation in food manufac However, a third class of acts, which are turing plants. prohibited by law, involves economic con Examples of food products on which it lias been necessary to take action in the recent past on account of having been pro duced in insanitary lactones or on account of filth and decomposition are: dour in fected with weevils in the areas of consump tion. com meal manufactured in insanitary plants and from raw material contaminated bv rodents, butter manufactured from de composed cream, candy manufactured in in siderations; acts which would tend to cheat the public and which would create unfair competition in the industry. Such things, for instance, as the admixture of inferior and cheaper materials in foods, such a# the addition of water to butter, the submitstion of cotton seed oil for olive oil, and the like. The economic features of the law pro vide for full weight and measure and re quire packages of food not to be deceptive. sanitary factories or which has been stored AH of these requirements are inevitably under improper conditions and allowed to lied in with the labeling and for this reason become insect and rodent m Zested, fish which the label on a food product might m itself is decomposed or infested with parasites in be considered a safety device. One of the the flesh, etc, requirements in regard to labeling make* it I hope you w*ill not get the idea that all food of the classes which I have mentioned are manufactured under insanitary, condi tions or arc filthy or decomposed, for such is far from the case. The fact that we have found it necessary' lo inaugurate action under the law indicates, however, that some lots of each of the above classes are im properly prepared, although by and large the food products furnished the American people arc not filthy or decomposed or have not been prepared under insanitary* condi tions. These instances, which are usually necessary on certain classes of food to list the ingredients. Some manufacturer* hare thought that (he public might gain the im pression that the listed substances were de basing ingredients. This is, of course, far from the truth. The evident intent of Con gress was to provide a type of labeling which would enable purchasers to buy in telligently and selectively, and exercise free choice where a preference existed for some particular ingredient, instead of proceeding blindly, f am quite sure that the public al ready realizes that this is the purpose of this requirement of Che law. Food Section 381 Probably the most important requirement is that labeling must not be false or mis leading in any particular. This is a very broad statement which prevents misrepre sentation on the labeling of all food prod ucts. The labeling on a food serves a two fold purpose. To tbe manufacturer it gives an opportunity to present a sales argument. To the public it gives an opportunity to find out what he is buying. When these two purposes of the label are considered and wc bring inio the picture the requirements that the labeling cannot be false or misleading in any particular, wc realize that to the in dustry* it provides a medium of transmitting essentially guaranteed information and to the public it gives confidence m the state ments appearing on the labeling. Thus, I think we arc correct in concluding that the labeling on a food product constitutes a very* potent economic safety measure both from the standpoint of the public and of the industry. One other safety feature of the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act deserves mention at this point It is the authority conferred on the enforcing agency to establish standards of identity, quality and fill of container for foods. These standards, after they have been promulgated, have the full force and effect of law. Naturally, under these condi tions the'measure throws safeguards around the promulgation of such standards and requires that they be announced only after formal public hearings. Under certain con ditions the announced standards arc subject to court review. The importance of stand ards for foods cannot be overestimated either from the standpoint of the public or of the industry. For the public it provided an assurance that an article of food, regardless of the brand and regardless of the price, complies with certain definite stand' ards, To the industry it provides a freedom from unfair competition. Eliminating Accident Hazards in Soybean Processing By DR. ALEXANDER SCHWARCMAN Research Chemist and Director, Spencer Kellogg Jk Soot. Inc., Buffalo, N. Y. (Editorial Note: Dr. Schwarcroan spoke extemporaneously, but the following sum mary* of his talk has been prepared and has his approval for publications.) The development of the soybean industry in the United States is well-nigh sensational. A native of eastern Aria, it represents one of the oldest crops in history*- Soybean oil was introduced to America at the end of the eighteenth century. During and after the World War, the soybean attracted wide at tention especially from the United States {department of Agriculture and state agri cultural institutions. Today over two thousand type* of soy beans arc know and about a hundred vari eties have been adapted to American condi tions. The growth of the soybean crops in the United States has been phenomenal. From 1927 to 1938 tbe production increased from 7,000.000 to 60,000,000 bushels. The planted acreage increased from 50,000 acres in 1907 to 5,500,000 acres in 1938. In 1939 the yield amounted to over 80,000,000 bushels The oil is produced by hydraulic presses, expcllers, and solvent extraction. It possesses fairly good drying properties and has been found useful in (he manufacture of paint, varnish, linoleum, and allied products. The hydrogenated oil is used extensively in the production of shortening and margarine Neutralized and deodorized, it yields a fine *alad oil. Roasted soybeans are now com peting with other well-known roasted nuts. Soya flour as food for human consump tion is developing rapidly; containing no starch, it is an invaluable food for diabetics. Soybean cake is rich in protein and is ex tremely valuable for cattle-feed and for hog feeding. Tt is also a valuable food for poultry, dogs, foxes, and oilier >maH ani mals. Various parts of the soya cake arc now being used for the production of plas tics, adhesives, sizing, etc. Explosion .hazards ux connection with the production of soybean oil are principally due to two sources: one is due to the extraction solvent process when a flammable solvent i* used, such as petroleum ether, benzol, gaso line, etc. Here the remedy is simple, namely: non-flammable solvents, which arc now being produced on a large scale, should be used. Such non-flammable solvents are tr-ehlnrn- 382 29th National Safety Congress ethylene, tri-cblonethane, carbon tetrachlo ride, and especially ethylene dichloride, which is now being manufactured on a large scale in this country' and is available in tajikear lots at low prices. However, when flammable solvents arc used, most severe engineering precautions must be taken to avoid fire. The second source of possible explosion is in the grain elevators where soybeans are stored. In elevators handling soybeans, the Safety Code for the prevention of dust ex plosions in grain elevators, as prepared by The Dust Explosion Hazard Committee of the National Fire Protection Association, should be followed. In plants grinding or milling soybeans or preparing them for processing, the Safety Code prepared by the same Committee for the prevention of dost explosions in flour and feed mills should be followed. Soybean elevators and buildings, in which grinding, milling or other preparatory proc esses are performed, should be segregated from other sections of the plant and should have vents in the walls or roof to release explosion pressure without structural dam age. Dust collectors should be installed out side or vented outside of the buildings. Where hazardous solvents arc used, con sideration should be given to the practicabil ity of installing instruments which will de tect the presence of flammable vapors and give warning as to approaching danger. TUESDAY EVENING SESSION October 8, 1940 . Through the courtesy of the Glidden Com pany of Chicago, the members of tbe Food Section were afforded an opportunity to visit their Chicago Plant and to observe the manufacturing operations of soy-bean meal and oil. Following the plant tour, a special supper was served to delegates who were grouped at tables where special discussions of Food Safety subjects were carried on during and after the service. The list in cluded : Baking Industry-Group Leader: R. C. Haven, Safety Director, Continental Baking Co , New York City. Beverage Bottlers, Brewers and Distillers --Group Leader: Ray M. Seeker, Director of Personnel, Anheuser-Busch, Inc., St. Louis. Conners and Grocers--Group Leader: C. C. Kuddick, Safety Director, H- J. Heinz Co., Pittsburgh, Fa. Dairy Products--Group Leader: E. G. Quesnel, Director of Safety, Borden Co., New York City. Milling Industry--Group Leader: George T. Peckham, Jr., Supervisor of Research, Clinton Co., Clinton, la. Sugar Refiners--Group Leader: A. M. Smith, Safety Director, Godchaux Sugars, Inc., Reserve, la. Tobaeco Products---Group -Leader: Charles F. Francke, Superintendent, Axton-Fisher Tobacco Co., Inc., Louisville, Ky, Other Food Industries--Group Leader: S. B. Horrell, The Carey Salt Co., Hutch inson, Kans. WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON SESSION October 9. 1940 Tlie session was planned as a-Panel Dis cussion of miscellaneous problems in the prevention of accidents in tbe Food Indus try'- The Discussion Leader was General Chairman R. C. Haven, Safety Engineer, Continental Baking Company, New York City. Chairman Haven called attention to the distribution of blank cards upon which it was suggested that delegates write any questions which they might wish discussed Food Section 383 by the Panel of'Engineers and the general audience. Chairman Haven then Introduced the heavier flammable liquids, asphalts and coat ing materials. In general, these systems are not developed to a point where they are ap plicable for the most hazardous materials, members of the Panel, as follows: such as gasoline. A. L. Brown, Chief Engineer, Associated Factory Mutual Fire Insurance Companies, Boston. Arnold L. Brown, Superintendent, Indus trial Relations, Post Products Division, General Foods Corporation, Battle Creek, Mich. H. H. Kelly, Chief, Section of Safety, Bureau of Motor Carriers, Interstate Com merce Commission, Washington, D. C. The actual held experience has been rather limited, but enough test work has been done by the people who developed these systems, probably the most by the originators, Mather & Platt in England, and, then the Grinnel) Company in the United States, and the Spray Engineering Com pany ami the Fog Nozzle Company; so that they are competent to lay out and install systems adequate for the protection of trans formers and, as I said, high pressure oil S E. Whiting, Vice-President & Con systems. The portable nozzles are being sulting Engineer, Liberty* Mutual Insurance used quite generally by fire departments Company, Boston. Tom A. Burke, Executive Vice-Presi dent Greater New York Safety Council, ar.d more and more by plants In their own private fire brigades. They are usually sup plementary to some other type of protection. New York Gty. E. G. Quesnel, Director ot Safety*, Bor den Company, New York City. CHAIRMAN HAVES: Gentlemen, this Panel has been selected because of the wisdom of its personnel, and these "wise" men have just been waiting to tell you what you should know. Seriously, wc hope they have all the answers, and if they haven't, then we will cadi upon you delegates to help us ouL I have received a number of sug The spray, contrary to what used to be thought, is very effective on burning oils, when these oils are of a type as heavy or heavier than kerosene- Probably that is as good a dividing line as you can have today. They are not very good on gasoline, ether, benzol, but they are very good on materialsuch as lubricating oils or transformer in sulating oils, asphalts, vegetable oils, animal oils, most of which are rather high flash point. gested questions, and as we progress I want One question which usually comes Up in you to send others to me as fast as you the Safety* Congress is the danger of apply think of them. Here is the first question, and I am going to ask Mr. A. L Brown to answer it: "What has been your experience with the water spray for fighting oil fires?" ing water spray to live electric equipment. As I said, one of tbe big uses is for trans former and oil switch protection. Tests which have been made indicate that the spray itseU is almost non-conducting, so that there is littfe danger to the operator of The Water Spray a spray nozzle if he is c\ .. a reasonable distance away from quite high potential A. L. BROWN: The water spray is a equipment. The spray is very fine. The drops relatively new development In fire fighting, are individual drops, and for that reason the and for our discussion here we can think spray stream is very resistant even to high of it as-of two types, fixed equipment and portable or hand equipment. The biggest use is probably in- the fixed equipment so far. These are put in for oil hazards, or when the oil hazards arc the type of trans former protection, and in some cases for high pressure oil lubricating systems in power plants. Those are probably the two largest uses of fixed water spray systems. Some have been put in for tanks of flam mable liquids, if you call them such, the voltages. The objection to the use of spray on live equipment is usually the indirect hazard to the operator. It is not advisable to put water on any live electric equipment which has much energy behind it, because of the possibility of some other break-down and very severe electric disturbance which may throw oil around or produce ' very high temperatures, which will injure the operator 384 29th National Safety Congress in that way and not by conductivity of the spray. I. C. C. Drivers' Log Perhaps 1 should have answered this ques AIR. KELLY: There may be some Iiappy tion very briefly in the beginning by saying men here who do not know about the I.C.C. that ilie actual held experience with spray drivers' log, so I will take one minute and systems has been very' limited. A number have been put in but the times they have been called upon to operate have been very fen*, i do not know of any cases where there have been any failures reported. give you the background on it. It isn't a log of the Bureau of Motor Carriers. It is a log required by the Interstate Commerce Com mission itself. It is required to be main tained by drivers of interstate busses and Personality and Accidents CHAIRMAN HAVEN: I am sure that you answered that question to the satisfac tion of the man who sent It m. Now. here is a man who sends in the trucks. It embodies a new* principle in that type of record. Jn place of a sheet of paper on which a driver has been accustomed to writing entries by the hour of his various- types of work, this is a sheet that has nine horizontal lines, on which the driver, by question, "How docs personality affect your writing just a line through various spaces, accident record? What traits do you think .shows the type of his activities. are the primary causes of most accidents; faulty attitude, impulsiveness, irresponsi Now it looks complicated. In reality it is bility, failure to pay attention, fear or nerv extremely simple, and the surprising thing ousness. worry or depression?" Arnold, i I have encountered in talking to a lot of think that you are well qualified to answer people and carriers about it is that they are that question. making ft deliberately complicated. They are ARNOLD L. BROWN: You say that is making it more complicated than is neces an easy question but 1 would say it is a sary. Here is the principle. pretty tough one because everything you have mentioned will cause accidents. I really think, though, that the one thing that will cause more accidents is impulsiveness. The impulsive person does not stop and think. If he sees an empty box on the tine, or something of that ldnd, he reaches in for it right away; he is the man who is going to have an accident He won't wait to stop the machine. The log covers twenty-four hours of the day, which is a calendar day, twenty-four hours with little Space* to indicate. (Illus trating.) Here is the noon in the middle. Now the first line is marked "off duty." So 1 am a driver and I started on uy job this morning at seven o'clock. I reported to the garage. I take my pencil and just run it right through this (me up to the figure "seven." That means, then, during those Also I think a good illustration of that seven hours l was at home or off duty and is your driver. How many of you fellows at that time I came on the job; and 1 will have had one wheel drop off of the shoulder soy that for the first half hour 1 helped to of a concrete road and had to fight your- load the truck. So down here comes the rclf from just palling that machine right line, starting on this line '"five" and U goes back immediately? Many automobile acci on for a half hour. Then I started to drive, dents happen that way. and 1 drove for an hour until breakfast; Of course, the wrong attitude can cause and then I drove for an hour and had cof anything. It carl cause accidents or labor fee. Then I drove for three hours and that difficulties or anything. takes me up to noon, and then a half hour CHAIRMAN HAVEN: Then your in suer is that personality does enter very* for lunch, aud so on with the driving until the end of the day. distinctly into that? Last week a man came to see me in Wash MR. BROWN. Yes. ington. He had prepared a log tor what be CHAIRMAN HAVEN; Mr. Kelly, here is one for you. This man says, "We are struggling with the log required by the Bureau of Motor Carriers in connection with interstate hauling. How much detail is required ?" called the hardest run in his set-up. He told me that this driver for twelve years had been working as follows: He reports every day at four o'clock in the morning and lie quits every evening at seven, fifteen hours a day. -six days a week. That was his story and he insisted that that had been the Food Section 385 nprraXMia for twelve years, despite my qtar-uon a< to what the wife had thought about it for tbe twelve years. He had taken that driver'- run. full of little delivery' stops* stop- that the man is making to gro cery stores all through the area near Washmeroct. These jags were so close it looked ja*t Hke a comb. I explained that that was too mack detail and entirely unnecessary. The important thing for that man was to run that line until four o'clock when he vamc on deity and to show him going to the terminal. Hr can mark a half hour in the terminal, ami then it he has a period, say, <>f iw.<* hour* of driving with intermittent uop-. tt 1 were the driver, knowing what the Commif-iou if after, I would mark two Imur- for driving and then compensate for a half hour to make up the' total of these little -top* that the man is making in the -tore; then again for driving, the net objec tive being to make at least an honest report of tbe main points for the day, his time off dut\. hi- time on duty, and his time of iri\ me, t'HAlRAlAX HAVEN: That was a very t>od description- Are there any questions? V it. McMAHON (Western Flour Mills, J*a\cRporr. Iowa): Arc private carriers operating Interstate required to keep logs? MR. KELLY; Effective October IS, ihev arc required to keep logs if they arc opera tic* outride an exempt area. Now it is well to keep that area in mind. These safety regulation* do not apply in such areas, namely, monidpalities like the city of Chi cago and contiguous municipalities, that is, the adjoining municipalities around the perimeter of Chicago and a commercial zone. In the case of the city of Chicago, it run* nut for some little distance, and a map is available showing what the com mercial zone of Chicago is; therefore, any Truck rhat never goes outside of that com mercial zooc docs not have to keep a log. If the driver does go out into what may he <lc*ftibcd as long distance operation, then he must keep a log. Electric Borns CHAIRMAN HAVEN: Now here is a gentleman who wants to know, "Why can a small electric bom cause death when targe bums from flames do not?" Mr. Whiting, that is right down your alley. S. E. WHITING: People do not die from bums primarily- according to the advice I get from medical men--and electricity typically gives a small, what is called punc ture bum. That does not in any way jeopar dize life. Men may have their liands burned off by electric shock without being killed. The thing that kills the individual is the electricity going through the inside of the bodi*, which ordinarily flame bums do not do, and they are killed by the stopping of some vital function of the body. Two recog nized by medical authorities arc stopping of (he so-called respiratory centers that make you breathe, and stopping the rhythmic action, or the beating, of the heart There fore, the bum is no criterion as to the severity of the electric shock. CHAIRMAN HAVEN : Here is one that am going to fire at Tom Burke. "How large should a plant be before it has a house organ? What part should safety play In a house organ?" Tom, you liave had a lot of experience along that line. House Organs and Safety T. A. BURKE: Hon large should a plant be before it has a house organ? I think a house organ can start almost any time and the sooner the better. It does not liave to be a printed house organ in any sense of the word. A plain letter or a mimeographed bulletin may turn out to be the finest house organ imaginable. After ail. the objective of a house organ Is to promote good plant relations, and a mimeographed bulletin, in the absence of facilities to get out any other type, will do the busincs-. My recommendation on that would lie that they *tart the house organ ivgardlc^s of the sire of the plant Then when you realize that there is a need for a house organ for plant relations, go ahead with a more elaborate house organ. What part should safety play in a house organ? As a safety man, my first inclina tion is to say it should take up inot of the magazine, hut as an editor I wonder if that is the right answer. There i* no definite measuring stick in a matter of this kind excepting a fine sense of balance which wc should have. If you fill a house organ maga zine with too much safety, fine and noble as it is, you defeat your own objective. Keep the proportion in mind, and I would sav, offhand, that it should not run more 386 29th Motional Safety Congress than 10 or 15 per cent or the magazine, possibly 20 at the outside, unless, of course, it is a safety publication. I notice someone has a copy oi one of the National Sateiy Council publications. Public Safety, which is all safety, nothing else but safety. But in the average house organ where you want to make a better feeling among your em ployees, to make them more loyal, more efficient, f would try to strike a fine balance and keep it not over 20 per cent on safety. CHAIRMAN HAVEN: We have com pleted my questions to our panel. Now we are ready to receive questions from the floor. seed oil are much more Hkel> to give trouble from foaming than do the mineral oils. In applying spray to a linseed oil. it is very important to keep that in mind. It can be even quite dangerous to an operator to attack a linseed oil fire with equipment that is too small, because the water can cause that 0(1 to overflow while it is still burning and it can overflow quite violently and make quite a fire. If the operator has not been able to get the fire out before that overflow occurs, he may have quite a serious set-up there. It you are making a fixed system for protecting (he kind Qt an oil, you either have to have, we will r-ay. an H. J. ALDRICH (Spencer Kellogg & Sons. Inc-, Buffalo, N. Y.): Can a water spray system be applied to all kinds of oil ? A. L. BROWN: It can do effective fire fighting when applied to practically all types of oil. Some people think of oils as equivalent of a dike or a confined area, or you have to be sure that your arrangement of spray nozzle : such that it will snap the fire out very qu'.kly before it has over flowed, or else have the protection cover the entire area into which the oil may over flow. going way down to gasoline; other people think of the heavier oils. Water spray will iKrhavc differently on different types of oil, and it will liehave differently depending on the temperature of the oil. The temperature may have been a normal temperature when the fire started; it may be the temperature which has developed as a result of the fire. Whenever you apply water to any hot oil you get a certain amount of foaming and overflowing; so that in the layout of the system or even in manual fire fighting you Take transformers, lor instance. A great many limes transformers are quite hot be fore they get into trouble and it is possiblethat you will get quite an overflow of oil. It is customary to have the transformer arranged in a small enclosure so that if the oil overflows it will be confined and not spread over a big area. In (hat ca.-c the spray system is laid out ro that it wilt pro tect the entire area which the oil may reach. have to keep in mind that if you have an oil which in burning reaches a high tem perature, or is well above the boiling point of water when you apply the water to it. even a spray, you are likely to gel foaming and you must be sure that the application has been such that it puts the fire out before the oi! may overflow and spread beyond the zone of protection. Tail Lights for Wagons CHAIRMAN HAVEN; Van Quackenbu$h, of the Minnesota Valley Canning Company, Lc Sueur, Minn., would like to have ideas for tail lights on wagon trailer*. It seems that Minnesota require* a tail light on wagons. Do they still use wagon* up there in Minnesota? If you want to consider lighter liquids, the behavior of water is different on dif- ferent liquids; for instance, alcohol behaves VAN QUACKENBUSH; We do in our operations in handling peas, that is. carry ing them from the farm over to the binder. quite different from gasoline and it may'not H. H. KELLY: Is a wagon a motor seem to be as effective; but I think that as vehicle, Mr. Haven? As you probably know, a general answer to your question I can a few large truck fleets still believe in say that water can be applied effectively to carrying some oil-burning lanterns on the everything we think of in the nature of an rear of their equipment. One of the best oil to put out fire. examples is the U. S. Trucking Lines, out MR. ALDRICH: I am interested par ticularly in vegetable oils and particularly linseed as compared with petroleum oils. MR. BROWN: Vegetable oils and lin of Cleveland, one of the largest fleets in the country. They still insist on three lighted red oil-burning lanterns strung in addition to all the electric lights that our regulations require. They hang them on the rear con- Food Section 387 nectcd to a chain laterally across the bade of the dosed body, about three or four feet below the top. How they would hang them on a wagon I do not know. MR QUACKENBUSH: These wagons, you understand, go over gravel highways; there are no springs, of course, and they just continually bounce up and down. MR. KELLY; That is because of steel tires on the wheels? MR. QUACKENBUSH: Yes. MR. KELLY: I have in the audience two safely inspectors of the Interstate Com merce Commission. I should like to ask them if they have come across any wagons. Mr. Sanford or Mr. Cox, have you seen any wagons in operation by any truck operators in this area? H. C. SANFORD (Interstate Commerce Commission, Bureau of Motor Carriers): I have seen some kerosene lamps, some of the old type model Ford kerosene lamps on 5otnc farmers' wagons. MR. KELLY: How are they mounted? MR. SANFORD: Usually with a piece is detachable and can be taken irom one wagon to another. We have tried every thing else, for instance, large electric lan terns. We tried to attach them to the back but they shook off. It is really quite a problem, because these wagons arc out on the highway after dark, there is jots of dust, and accidents could happen that would be very bad. CHAIRMAN HAVEN: I am sure the hazard is very great. Using so many wagon* up there, I should think that your district could act as sort of a proving ground in solving that problem. It must be a common problem where they have that type of equipment. RAY M. SEEKER (Anheuser-Buscl). Inc., St. Louis): Many years ago they u*cd prestolite cylinders. I wonder whether that could be the solution, using the old presiolitc lamp, fastening It on your truck like you would clamp on a fire extinguisher with a strap damp that could be moved front one wagon to another? It might work out. but the penetrating power of your beam \> another thing that you will have to consider. oi baling wire. CHAIRMAN HAVEN: Mr. Kelly, the Dust Cleaning Equipment Chair objects to the way he said "baling wire." There was a little indication that he doe* not have much respect for baling wire Would you kindly have him elucidate a R. L. STEPHENSON (U. S. Hoffman Machinery' Corporation, New York City): \Yc ntakc industrial vacuum cleaning equipment to many plants svheTe they are little? MR. KELLY: Mr. Sanford, would you tell us something about the use of haling wire in the trucking industry ? MR. SANFORD: Prior to working for the Commission, I worked for a trucking company. I found that one of the most valuable things any of my men could have in a kit of tools was a coil of baling wire. It can serve any kind of function that will aid in causing a distressed vehicle again to be placed in operation, from the splicing of a front axle to replacing wire or fuses in the electric system. MR. QUACKENBUSH: We have a number of wagons that operate out of each of these binder stations and they do not know exactly which wagon Is going to go out. Somebody will take the first wagon that is handy. We tried an extension cable, quite similar to the light on the rear of a car. Thar seems to be the nearest thing that we have found. It has to be something that handling combustible dusts such as are found in the grain industry. The purposc of the equipment is to minimize the finexplosion hazard, among other thing.*. I think it is the consensus in the insurance business, that static dust, the fine dus! that lays in the plane, usually is responsible for the most serious part of the explosion, ami if that were not there to support a sec ondary explosion, many serious fires would be averted or minimized. Now, there are many plants that have thi* fire hazard and that are interested in vacuum cleaning equipment. But they find that their first insurance companies will not give credit for cleaning the plant up and getting this fine overhead dust out of the plant. They give credit for good housekeeping and for the fact that the fire hazard has been re duced, but they won't give a man credit for installing vacuum cleaning equipment. I should like to ask Mr. Brown why i it not given? 388 29th National Safety Congress A, L. BROWN; Well, I am not in the underwriting end of the business and I do not know just why and bow various rates are set up. Bat I can give you satisfaction to the extent that 2 think your idea is right. A man should he entitled to credit, but not jut in the way that you would like to see it. cannot well avoid having a dangerous con dition inside of the equipment itself. P. U BACHMAN (General Mills. Min neapolis, Minn.): I wonder if he isn't gening the rate mixed a little there. Ordinarily your rate credit is on fire insurance, and oar ex perience has been that dust is strictly an ex From our own loss prevention point of plosion hazard. From what I can find oat-- view, the problem becomes extremely diffi although the fire rates are, of course, ex cult when you try to arrange credits for everything that a man may do to reduce his hazard. There is a`difference in insurance organizations. Some organizations give credit for fire extinguishers, some give credit for different types of fire doorf. It is really a question of policy, as to whether that is the Iwst way to cany oa fire prevention work or some other way. \Vc really think that the I>est way is to get the plant interested in fire prevention and to do many of these things from its own interest standpoint. That i? our policy. Insurance isn't a penalty on anyone, and if it isn't a penalty, why try* to reduce it in dollars and cents? I do think that a* far as moat insurance organizations go, they would urge people who have dust hazards to keep their plant clean, maybe with a good vacuum cleaning system, although it if perience rated and depend oa protecting de vice*. etc.--explosilton rates do not receive credit lor protecting devices particularly. A. L. BROWN: There again you get into an underwriting problem, and as far as my work is concerned, the explosion is in cluded with the fire. MR. BACHMAN: Not in all cases. .MR. BROWN; Not in all cases, that is right; and we also make a distinction In the type of explosion. When I say "explo sion" I am thinking of the type which has been mentioned, the dust explosion which is a combustion explosion, and not in any* way the explosion of pressure-containing equip ment like a steam boiler or pressure air re ceiver. In our particular line of work the dust explosion, the combustion explosion, is included in the fire insurance. the end iftat is sought and not the means. For instance, we think it is much better, if Effect of Electric Current possible, to keep the dust from escaping than it is to let it escape and then clean it up: but you cannot always do that and there are many places where wc have advised vacuum cleaning equipment. R. C- BURROW (Liberty Mutual In surance Company, Louisville, Ky.); I am frequently told that it is not as essential to ground direct current as it is alternating current I would like to know if it is just I will reply to your question, too, about as essential to ground direct current; and the type of dust hazard. The large, very what i$ the difference if any between the serious explosions with which you are all * action of alternating current and direct cur acquainted, probably the worst at which rent on the human body? occur In grain handling plants, arc probably due to iht secondary explosion resulting from this du-t which has gradually accu mulated over the structure and walls and which is liberated by some initial distur bance. cither mechanical or a local explo sion. In other types of industrial plants, of course, it is very possible to have serious explosions inside of equipment which is dusty* at all times; so that 1 could not say that the only dust hazard that exists is that from a general accumulation of dust. That may be the greatest in magnitude but it isn't the greatest in number, because there arc lots of pulverizing, grinding, sifting processes of heavy equipment where you S. K. WHITING: Some electrical ex perts insist that there ts a distinction be tween alternating current shock and direct current shock. Oar experience has not sup ported that. Wc have had fatal shock from both alternating and direct current shocks. The reason grounding has been more prom inent in alternating current systems and more emphasized by the National Electrical Code is that most alternating systems are fed from high voltage systems through step-down transformers, and under such operating conditions there may be a cross between high voltage transmission or dis tribution system and low voltage utilization system at that transformer conversion. So Food Section 389 the codes develop grounding protection pri marily on alternating systems. The direct current system* arc not transformed down is the man's fault, 1 do not think that l am approaching my job correctly, and can't we do something about this attitude ? aod are opt connected with high voltage MR. BROWN: Certainly, that is the generation or transmission. place you can do (he most. Don't put the MR. BURROW: Is there any difference m the effect of the two currents an the body? MR- WHITING: That is where there is ooae difference of medical opinion. It has been lllryil that there is greater danger frees the ataemaring current. Unfortunately, c km nut been able, as engineers, to get i m~nn.fi cxpencncutal subjects to try' the thaag ow co, and the criterion in any case t- the btmam experience. All 1 can say with a*waecc that wc have had deaths with she smr o)uct from either direct or alter- blame on the man who has the wrong atti tude; put it on the foreman or the company or somebody else; and I think it is the safety man's job to go to that foreman, or to his personnel department, or wherever he can, and see what they can do to change that attitude. It is the safety man's job to tell the foreman that this mart has the wrong attitude and also to spot all he can. CHAIRMAN HAVEN: In looking over this audience I see two or three men who are just sitting on the edges of their chairs, who want to chip in a word here. fitiuH. t ftfa. of the tendency to consider I. GORDON (Bureau of Said). Chi ahcmMbnt wrwa shock more severe than cago) : I have had two cases recently ot dtrvct l do i*oc think that distinction be right and wrong attitude. 1 was introduced tween tbr two the dominating element in to about fifteen wen one afternoon. We were the hazard. going to a safety meeting. I noticed a pair Wrong Attitude--? of goggles on the table in the center of the floor. I picked them up and they were liter ROY I- ROLLINS (A. E. Staley Mfg. t f Jecamr. HI ) * There was some mention * acodrat- ranted by wrong attitudes, and ally covered with a film of solder. I said, ''Hello, what happened here?" One of th<r men said* "Air. Martin, the man whom you 1 wonder if that ifu't a reappearance of met just a moment ago, bad them on the That pJd won! -carelessness." We have got ten away from raying that accidents are cau-cd by carrierf=ness. Now what do we other day* while making a soldered joint and there must have been some moisture because it exploded up into his face." mean when *r -say that an accident is caused I looked at Mr. Martin and I said. "Arc tiy wrong attitoder It is very convenient to you the foreman, Mr. Martin, or just one -ay* that it was all the man's fault because his atrirodr u.i wrong, but what do you mean? CHAIRMAN HAVEN-- Mr. Brown. w< will give yoa fir*t whack at that question. of the men?" He said, "I am just one of the men." "Who told )uu to put the goggles on when you started to do that work?" ARNOLD L BROWN: Well, by wrong anitodc ! would say you mean that the man comes in in the morning hating himself "Nobody. I do not wait for anybody to tell me to put goggles on when I know 1 am doing work that jeopardize* my eyes.*' and hating the firm and he just is not going "You were not trying to protect your su to be carrful. He is going to do everything perintendent's eyes or your foreman's that his foreman does not want him to do and everything that he thinks will hurt the firm. AIK. ROLLINS: It scents to me that if we as safety men look at accidents in any' way except that wc could have prevented them, we do not stand much chance of solving our problem. I mean that if an ac cident happens in ray plant I see it this way; 1 am primarily responsible because my job is to keep that accident from happening. IF 1 put the blame on someone else and say it "No, sir, Martin's." "Why," I said, "then safety mu^t be an individual matter." He said, "It sure is with me." I wanted those goggles so that I could show them to other men where wc have a hard rime getting them to wear goggles. I wanted them as an example of what may happen. He did not want me to have them and T appreciated that because he said, "1 want them for a souvenir. They arc the 390 29lh National Safety Congress things that stand between me and being an absolutely blind man. 1 am a married man with two children. That is the reason I am a safety man and look after my own safety." I have used that incident a great many places. I say, "What is back of Mr. Mar tin's putting goggles on?" Attitude, nothing but the right attitude. Right attitude toward whom? His superintendent? His foreman? He said, "No, l think it is something off the emery wheel, probably emery dust." "Were you using the emery wheel when it got in there?" "Yes." "Did you have your goggles on?" "No, 1 didn't. I was going to be there only a moment." Higher-ups? No, toward Martin. Safety is an individual matter. So if you can get the man to realize that safety is an individual matter, no matter where he may be doing the svork, he will use care for liis own individual safety. I said, "All right, first aid man. blindfold him. both eyes, so lie cannot see and have a man take him to the doctor. Let's not probe around his eyes." And I said: "Aren't you the man 2 talked to less than tea days ago out in the foundry when I ought you using Xow, just the reverse: 1 went up behind the emery' wheel with no goggles on ?" a foreman. I saw sparks flying from an emery wheel. 1 stood behind him. He did not know I was there because the machinery was making a lot of noise. He got through in a moment and turned around and spoke to me and shook hands with me. I said, *`X would not do what you have been doing for a thousand dollars right in my band." He said, "Yes, you said something to me about It." I said, "Then il did not soak in, did it? Wc safety men get peeved with men like you, but that isn't safety. Pardon me for saying that to you* in this fashion. I am trying to tell you to wear goggles for your own saletyls sake." He said,`'What was that?" "Grinding on an emery wheel without anything to protect your eyes. Actually, h i<. a reflection upon your intelligence and you arc a foreman and other men arc seeing \ou do that." Attitude? Why sure; wrong attitude ver sus the. right attitude. CHAIRMAN HAVEN: I think that is a very' clear illustration of what we mean by altitude. Are there any other questions? He said, "1 was only going to knock a little burr off the drill." Industrial Fire Drills I said. "That is long enough to lose an rye.** h sort of disgusted me and 1 turned away from him. Wc had just dismissed a meeting in which we went over the accident record, when the telephone rang, "Send Foreman So-And-So to the first aid room quickly. One of- his men has been hurt." The foreman said, "Come with me, Mr. Gordon, and let's see what has happened." Wc hurried to the first aid room, and there was a man with his hand over his right eye, going up and down, up and down, all around the room, in great pain. The first aid man said, "He has some thing in his eye, but we have looked and we cannot sec anything." The foreman said, "Let me look" and he looked. Then I said, "Let me look." None of us could see a thing. I said, "What do you think it is? Just some dust that maybe was flying in the shop?" LEIF GRYTTEN (International Milling Company. Buffalo, X, Y.): Is there anyone here who has ha., trouble in getting men our of a building that was on fire, and, if so, what sort of trouble? No doubt during our school days we all had fire drills. I guess wc liavc very Hitler of that in factories. I wonder if it would not be a good thing to have them occasionally, so that the men won't act like children and do a great deal more harm? A. L. BROWN: 1 think that is more of a safety question than it is a fire question, really. S. E. WHITING; The emergency es capes from buildings, as distinguished from the ordinary exits arc grossly neglected. The Libert)' Mutual is in a new building and the emergency escapes in our new build ing were blocked, as I found on inspection, within a year and a half of the occupancy. There was an intelligent organization (or more or less so) that had had fire escapes Food Section 391 definitely planned for them, and they were blocked and when I made an inspection at the request of our president. And the presi dent made the request because he had read in the newspapers that two women had been trapped in a basement when a paint plant in Camden, New Jersey, burnt down; they had lost their lives. I am not sure whether you safety' men check this kind of thing as often as you should. In case of emergency, hasty exit, you Have to depend on some unused method of escape. It may be a horizontal escape into another building through a fire door, which is likely to be blocked because it normally isn't used, or down a fire escape. I iiave heard engineers say that (hey did not go down the fire escape to examine it because it looked so rickety they might fall to the ground. They were satisfied to let the crowd go down and smash it up in the emergency. Then very often there is only one base ment exit, and very often that one exit is blocked by flammable material which may start a fire, with the panic which invariably coturs if there is a fire and people -are afraid that they are going to be trapped. Wc have Had that sad experience more than once where people were lost. Some of them were hurt jumping out of the second-story window, but I have heard of other cases where the panic was great and where the men were rushing more than the women, where on a crowded stairway they would jump right over the crowd to get down in their panic Of course, you know the lamen table cases that have occurred at Christmas panics, sometimes in schoolhouses. and other such situations. get that states have regulations which com pel fire drills whether you like it or not. MR. WHITING: Are they enforced? MR. WURMAN: Yes. In the state of Pennsylvania you must have a fire drill once a month. MR. WHITING: What kind of occu pancy? MR. WURMAN: Any kind. C. C. RUDDICK (H. }. Heinz Co.t Pitts- burgh, Pa.): Three years ago a fire in a factor)* took the lives of 13 girls. That made mv company very conscious of factory fires. Wc have four fire patrols, properly equipped in our plant We have a fire drill once a month, a record of which is kept tor the state facton.* inspector and the county fire marshal. Wc have 40 fire observers who take their stations in certain parts of the plant to make a written report of the ac tions of departments and the people in those departments when the fire alarm is sounded. We have fire cards in several places in each department which indicate where the com pany is to go when a certain number is rung on our fire alarm system which indi cates where the fire is located. It is related to the building number of the plant set-up. Every' foreman is instructed to listen to the signal to determine where the fire is, and then he instructs his people as to the proper means of egress from the building. We have tliosc drills once a month without fall and they are very* successful. With the observers' record* we go to the foreman where any fault was found and correct it. So that wc are on top of the problem con tinually. and I believe that is the only* set up, where women are employed, at least, by which you can have full protection. It is a subject that we. as a class of safety men. neglect because such need for those emergency escapes is rare and we pay no attention to that latent hazard. Wc should do something. I do not think you can get routine fire drills except with children. You can get an occasional drill to accustom in dividuals to a knowledge of the emergenceescape. but don't make it a routine matter because you won't get away with it; but at least, as engineers, sec that those escapes arc dear and are properly labeled so that they can be used in emergency. M. I- WURMAN (Bayuk Cigars, Inc-. Philadelphia. Pa.): The gentlemen here for CHAIRMAN HAVEN: Let me sec the hands of men representing factories that have fire drills in their plants. (Numerous hands were raised.) That is very encourag ing. It is too bad that we have to have a state law before we wake* up to the fact that a fire drill is a good thing. When I was with the Baxter Laundry group, one of the first things I did when I went there was to inaugurate fire drills. We recognized the very serious consequences that would result if wc had fires in tumblers, etc.; and, of course, they used flammable materials and sometimes liquids. MR. WURMAN: Another point is that- 392 29th National Safety Congress in most of our plants of a later day we do not have fire escapes. I do not think that either Mr. Ruddick or we have a fire es cape in any of our plants. We have fire towers. There is no such thing' as a fire escape. spections--it depends on the use of the equipment--these chains should be inspec ted by number. Number your chain blocks so that when a certain period has elapsed you will know that every piece of that particular type of equipment has been in MR. BURROW: I should like to know how this regulation is enforced in the state of Pennsylvania? C. C. RUDDICK: The county fire mar shal in my county has Jurisdiction over the factories in that section. In every other sec tion of the state, the state itself has juris diction. I cannot answer for other counties, but 1 can answer for ours. The fire marshal Is likely to come to the factory and ask us to put on a drill. Companies that have spected and none has been missed; other wise in the transfer of equipment from one department to another or back to the store room you may miss them. So I would sug gest that you sump the number on a link of the chain, or several places on the chain, so that if the chain should be broken and have to be welded you won't lose it, and also mark vour chain block definitely, so that you can identify it, and be sure that it is inspected at proper intervals. played around with the idea have asked for a little respite from the order or command in order to notify the departments that a drill is going to be sounded; bat, of course, that is always detected and the fire marshal or his deputy or assistant is on the alert for that. We must keep a record, which is open all the time for inspection by either the State factory inspector or the fire marshal; in other words, as proof that we did have the drill. MR. BREWSTER: Is that necessary' when you use a chain just now and then? MR. QUESNEL: Certainly, Yon should have a gage with which to measure jour chain link and know exactly whether it has been stretched; and if it has been stretched beyond its. proper clastic limit, it certainly is unsafe and should be discarded. You can bring back the chain by annealing if you do it properly, but when a link is once stretched beyond its proper elastic limits, it is unsafe and should be discarded. You can get that MR BURROW: Do you make a report to the fire raarslial? MR. RUDDICK: Na E. X. BRODERICK (Broderick De vices, Inc, Detroit): Why should it he necessary for the law to force people to protect themselves and to protect others? CHAIRMAN HAVEN: Well, we have been wondering about that for years and years. information from the chain makers and your inspector should have a gage to measure the width and length of the fink as to its normal position. MR. BREWSTER: Wc have a plant in Mississippi where we have our heavy presses with big chain blocks. They arc used maybe two or three times a year, and are left hanging up there. I have no record of them. But what inspection should I give them to know that they may not fail sometime? Chain Block Inspection VV. S. BREWSTER (The MaWe Corp.): I want to know a practical plan or method for a safety man in a plant to in spect chain blocks and chains. Some of them are kept in a tool room and used more or less continuously; others are kept out in the mill and used once in a while. CHAIRMAN HAVEN: Who wants to answer that question? Mr. Quesnel. E. G. QUESNEL: There is one way that you can be sure that your chains are inspected regularly: that is to number the chains and record the numbers, and when yon make your weekly or semi-weekly in- MR. QUESNEL: On chain blocks there are several things to inspect beside the chain. MR BREWSTER: 1 realize that, but it is important that they should be inspected even though they may be used only two or three times a year ? MR QUESNEL: The thing that is im portant is to know what type of loads are being lifted with those blocks. MR BREWSTER: I wonder if there is any man here who can answer nxy question. ARNOLD L. BROWN*. You wffi find that there is a safe practice bulletin out on that, which will give you some good infor mation. Food Section m MR. QUESNEL: It takes a good me chanic to inspect a chain block. A chain inspector is not sufficient. He must know the call on the newspapers comes from that drama and for full presentation of that drama to our readers." construction of the block. He was very nice about it because lie hap CHAIRMAN HAVEN: It is a very im portant item in anyone's business. MR. QUESNEL: And they has'c to 6c inspected under load. S. B. HORRELL (Carey Salt Ox, Hut chinson, Kansas): Testing of elastic limit, so to speak, for the failure of a chain is all right periodically. I think that comes under the same classification as tools. If you do that periodically yoo may have one con struction group that uses a chain fall or rope fall. They take it out and they damage it to a certain extent- If that chain or rope tall is not Inspected right after they come back, the next man who gets It is likely to take all the risk of failure, even chough it had been inspected, say, just a week before. We have inaugurated a system for handling all tools that are taken out of the storeroom, chain and rope falls, chain blocks, etc. When they come back the man gets his slip on them, but he has to put them in what we call an observation block. If our storeroom pens to be a man who is very close to the safety movement and has been for some years past, but that was his attitude. I was present at the meeting of local Council managers the other day when one of the speakers brought up the same subject. It is floating around in the minds of many newspaper men. The editor of the Daily Oklahoman and Oklahoma Daily Times took a week off to come up here and attend the Safety Council meeting because he is in terested in safety. He brought the same question up before the managers who were (here, and he emphasized the fact that for the next few months, maybe for the next year, maybe for the next few* years, pub licity for safety work will have to be inches instead of columns. The editors are not to blame for it; the promotion side of safety is not to blame for it; but it is just one of .those things, and it certainly does exit. The second question is, "What arc we going to do about it ?" keeper is not capable of giving the chain, or Well, I am stumped there. I do .not know. the tool, the right kind of inspection, he has I do not know unless we can bear down to take it to the master mechanic and the harder than ever in our own contacts with master mechanic has to pass it and O.K_ it our own people, just double our energies in before he is permitted to put it back into our plants and with the people with whom stock and to make it available for the next we deal. It is a tremendous problem. Wc man who comes along. may be able to find new ways of getting CHAIRMAN HAVEN; That is certainly into the papers, different ways. The novel a good safety method. always appeals to the editor, something new*. He might forget about this general Here is a question that sort of intrigues me, it is so up to date- "What effect on (he promotional side of safety has the present world unrest, and assuming that world events do affect the promotional side of safety, what arc we going to do about it?" I am looking at you, Tom. I am going to policy tf it were something really new, something that would appeal to him. some thing that he could play up. It seems to me that there is a great field for the ingenuity of safety promotional men to try to bring something to the editors of our papers and our magazines that is just a little different, call on you. just a little new, just a little, novel, in the Effect of World Unrest form of safety promotion. 1 wish I had the answer, but I haven't the answer yet. T. A. BURKE: There is a very decided effect, I think. In promoting safety and par ticularly with the newspapers of the coun try*. I was talking to an editor in New York just last week on this same subject. He said to me: "Do you know, the biggest drama CHAIRMAN HAVEN: Mr. Quesnel wants to make an observation. MR QUESNEL: I commute every day from Scarsdale to New York City*. A num ber of business men on the train have told in the history of the world is going on in Europe? We are all vitally concerned with it. whether we realize it or not. The first me they have quit reading the morning papers because the news is so disturbing they can't shake it off for several hours and 394 29th National Safety Congress it interferes with their work. Psychologists tell us that impressions on the mind remain from a minimum of fiuccn minutes to hours, and the more striking the impression the more it influences our actions. In most cases >ve can think ot but one thing at a lime, one thing predominates and all else is subordinate to iu ganda and the many other things that arc going on, the political problem and all that today, until we get either worse or better in the war situation, industrialists, particu larly those who are operating trucks---and it applies just as well in (he plant--are facing the tremendous problem of schooling our employees in the knowledge that the people Thi- war influence is taking up and occu py ing space in our thinking over a period ot* business hours, and is certainly affecting our effort-. I think tliat we can do some whom they meet, whether they are driving cars or walking, may have their minds pre occupied by some of these very* absorbing problems. This incidentally comes right thing about that in a general way. At least down to "defensive driving" again or de we can quit discussing it during business fensive working in our plants. hours and we can discourage our men from discu.-Mng it during business hours. We can tell them that we have very good reasons tor this: first, that they can do nothing about it; second, that when they arc talking war they arc not discussing business and they are nol making sales. Besides tliat. they may ruffle their customers. Their opinions may not coincide with that of their customers and may cause some resentment. Time is consumed which should be used, for business. I believe that management can <et the example. Mothers, brothers, sisters, all worried about who is going to be called by the draft. It is going to create an undesirable economic situation in all our homes. We may be taking breadwinners out of families, we may be taking fathers away from their families, and it is going to stir up a lot of trouble in our homes. They are thinking about these things, and when they are cross ing streets and when they arc in your plants those things are bound to preoccupy their thoughts. If inattention is one of the rea sons for accidents, and we know that it is, \Yc had an accident not long ago and the employee told us frankly--and 1 really be lieve that he was telling the truth--that he drove ihree-quarters of a mile through the city without knowing what streets he had certainly these world disturbances are hav ing a tremendous influence on the thinking of the American people today. Men, it is a more serious situation than a lot of * < have recognized. crossed and where he was when he got there. Xou that is a peculiar situation, but it is He had driven the route for a vear. he knew all about it. and his driving ua> automatic. Now the reason he did not have a more serious accident en route was not hi* fault, of course. Other people just happened not to be where he was or they were looking after his safety and he did not know it. But he was all absorbed by the news situation, and this war certainly is <K*cupying the minds of our men plenty of hour? on dun-. So T think tliat we can do MR. BURKE; It does go beyond the plant and beyond the fleet. Tt goes right out into the street, as you have brought out I do not know whether or not you gentle men know it, hut close to 80 per cent of the deaths in New York City caused by auto mobiles occur to pedestrians who arc read ing the headlines while starting across streets. Eighty per cent is a little higher than the national average, T believe, and I think that we have hit right at the crux of the situation. a liltle about it by setting the example our selves and not discussing the war during working hours. CHAIRMAN HAVEN; This is a very *<-riou* problem. If you men have analyzed your accidents. I would not be surprised if }ou have found, as wc have found in our company, that a large majority, as a matter *f tact. 91 per cent in our case, are due to inatumion I think that with this war propa \V. W. WARD (A. & P. Co., Columbus. O.); Possibly someone may have a sugges tion on the problem of how to get the safety' message down in the best way to scattered small groups of employees who sometimes are a great many miles away from the main office. Of course, I realize that we can reach them by letters and things like that, but we cannot have the meetings that we talk about in plants. Ha? anybody a suggestion tliat would help us. Food Section 395 Organizing a Small Croup CHAIRMAN HAVEN: You are think ing now of a group of men working wc will say, in an agency or some depot or some place? MR. WARD: A store. Just a small, group, say eight or ten men whom you want to keep safety minded. MR. QUESXEL: I would certainly or ganize a safety committee if I had more than seven men. If you have a smaller group than that, appoint one man safety cnntaci man and see that he gets the infor mation the same as any other part of your organization regardless of your size. If you have ten men. have three of those ten form live nucleus of a committee, appoint one man as chairman and see that he holds a meet ing at least once a month, or more fre quently if conditions warrant; and have those records sent in officially to someone, vo that he will know that it is not a lot of monkey business but that it is really pro-, cedure, and acknowledge the report and comment on it. Let them know* tliat some thing is being done about it and you will keep those men energized by remote control. Scnd the safety material to them. If it is a small group, send enough for each man, but keep their identity and let them know that they are just as important while off in the woods as they would be in a large city. MR. QUACKENBUSH: Wc have that Nimc problem- Wlicu our peas arc ready to pack the men have previously been regis tered. Every man has his application in and he knows what position he is to take. Wc have no way of getting a safety message over to the men because when the whistle blows, they immediately go to various >torcs and they go to their stations. When the shift is off generally they are fatigued and want to get home and to bed. ] am at a loss to know just how we are going to get a safety message across to these men. CHAIRMAN HAVEN: Hasn't Mr. Quc-sncl answered that question by saying to have someone who is in charge of those folks see that they get the safety instruc tions necessary? AIR. QUACKENBUSH: Our situation is a little different; we have perhaps a thou sand or fifteen hundred at one plant. CHAIRMAN HAVEN: Well, of course, there is room for a large safety committee with representatives from the various de partments sitting in on the central com mittee. It would simply follow the natural trend of an organized safety movement in your plant or in your location. ARNOLD L. BROWN; I should like to ask_ both of you fellows a question: How do you get your orders across to them? How do you get your production out and how does the A. and P. get their sales out? Well, I just want to make the point that you have to have some supervision. MR- QUACKENBUSH: You underhand that this is a seasonal business. MR. BROWN: Sure, but you have fore men and supervisors, and isn't your safetyjust as important as your production, and i*nT it just as much of the foreman's job or the supervisor's job as the production? I agree with Mr. Quesnel that you want a safety committee. I think that if you will just put as much work on getting that su pervisor to work his men safely as you do on getting him to get out production or to make sales, there is your safety. What la Speeding? CHAIRMAN HAVEN: Here is some body who wants to know "What is speed ing?" There is s question for the experts. What is speeding, Mr. Kelly? MR. KELLY; Day before yesterday I sat in the Speed Committee's meeting here. That meeting spent a good deal of the time dis cussing the meaning of the phrase, "Too fast for conditions," and it struck me again how much time we spend talking about words and phrases that perhaps aren't nearly as im portant as we think they are. Speeding is going too fast for the conditions. Now if you will just accept those words, they cover the whole gamut. They mean that you can kill a pedestrian at five miles an hour, or you can have a hell of a bad accident at sixty miles an hour, both vehicles en gaged at the same speed. Alt' through the range you have the possibility of accidents. One thought that has come to me in my very brief knowledge of this highway safety problem is that you increase the probabilities of serious accidents as the speed goes Up You do not guarantee that you will have no fender smashes, that you will have no con tact between vehicles, but as speed goes up you increase greatly the probability of a 396 29th Natiotial Safety Congress serious accident. Now "Speed too fast for conditions" would certainly be used in for mulating any definition of what speeding is- that the other driver or pedestrian is deaf, dumb, blind, and knows little about the traffic laws. I. GORDON (Bureau of Safety, Chi cago) : That is my question and I am com plimented that you have answered it like I Four simple fundamentals and yet they cover the whole gamut of safe driving. did, when it was asked me at a safety meet Incidentally, I want to refer to an exhibit ing- l said that I had just bought a new I have here, which wc use in our plants for automobile and I would consider five miles accident demonstration purposes When a an hour speeding. OF course, I got a big man comes in to tell what happened iu con laugh out of 250 people. They said, "Wait nection with an accident, he takes these cut until you gel used to it and then seventy-five outs with which you can make any type of will be the speed perhaps" street intersection, reverse curve, `or what I said, "Wait a minute. You did not wait have you. ft is made to scale, so that he unlit I had finished. Five miles an hour can place the piece* in position to show speeding if you are going around a corner locations of cars and other objects involved. where there are children or pedestrians." In Stopping distances are also shown on this other words, the answer was "tinder the chart. If your man says, **I was going down conditions." the street at so many miles per hour," here At a safety meeting yesterday wc heard are the distances and you can very soon tell a man say that he came to the safety* meet him that he was raveling too fast. ing at seventy-five miles an hour. He was MR. BRODERICK: Along many high in a hurry to get here--coming to a safety ways you will see a "50 miles" sign here, meeting. He came up behind a truck. He did then 35. miles, then 20 and then 40. Why not know that there was another truck in front of this one. but suddenly the fellow iu front took a notion that he wanted to talk to the fellow in the rear and they both should there not be a federal law governing all these things all over America, so that when a man goes from one state to another he does not have to pick up a pilot like a slackened up until he had to cut away in ship docs when going into a new port? order to avoid an accident. But he was com There ought to be a federal law, a general ing lo a safety meeting, traveling seventyfive miles an hour, too fast for any safety man. law, governing (he entire motor traffic so that you could go from state to state and be perfectly safe provided you keep within CHAIRMAN HAVEN: That is abso that law*. lutely right. J am going to lake the liberty of repeating four rules of safe driving in our defensive driving program, which cov ers this very* important question. We are trying to get across to our employees in side the plant, as well as to our salesmen drivers, the idea of defensive driving. (1) Maintain an area of safety in front, back and both sides of your car. (2) Drive at a speed consistent with road surface, visibility* and traffic conditions. (3) Forget who has the legal right of way and do the commonsense thing of staying out of the other fel low's way. (4) Drive your car on the theory CHAIRMAN HAVEN: I think that the National Safety Council for at least fifteen years has been working with various en forcing bodies to bring about uniform traffic laws and they are making wonderful strides Now, that would be an ideal condition and probably it will come sometime, whether it . will be a federal regulation or not, but just remember that after you .do have the law you still have Mr. John Jones and BUI Smith and the rest of those fellows to edu cate, and the way to educate them is right in your own establishments where you are working with a large number of people. ADJOURNMENT Marine Section Officers 1939-1940 General Chairman--Bykon O. Pickard, Waterfront Employer*1 Association of the Pacific Coast, San Francisco, Calif. Advisory Committee--E. C. Holden, Jr., United States P. & T. Agency, Inc., New York, N.Y.. E. W. Fiske, Jr., Soconv-Vacuum Oil Co.. Inc.. New York. N. Y Frank H. Cocan, The Delaware, Lackawanna & Western R. R. Co., Hoboken, N. J John S. Hunter, The Atlantic Refining Co., Philadelphia, Pa. Arthur M. Tode. Consulting Marine Eng., New York, N. Y. Vice-General Chairman (Executive)--R. J. Baker, American Merchant Marine Institute, Inc, New York, N. Y. Vice-General Chairman (MembershipJ---T. . Buchanan, The Texas Co,, New York, N. Y. Vice-General Chairman (Programs)--Carl E. Hot-WES, Marsh & McLennan. Inc., New York, N. Y. Vice-General Chairman (Coastal Regions)--Rear Admiral R. R. WAESCHE, United States Coast Guard, Washington, D. C Editor, Marine Safety Netcs Letter--Henry Bi^ckstoxf, United States P. & I. Agency. Inc., San Francisco, Calif. Secretary--W. P. Bices, U. S. Navy Dept., Washington, D. C. Chairman, Atlantic District--J. P. Roney, The Texas Co., New York, N. Y. (Retired) Vice-Chairman, Atlantic District---Wiu-ard F. Jones, Gulf Oil Corp., New York, X. Y. Chairman, Pacific District--Francis J. McGowen, Waterfront Employers* Assn, of the Pacific Coast, Long Beach, Calif. Vice-Chairman, Pacific District--George W. Alms, Ames Terminal Co., Seattle, Wash. Chairman, Gulf District--Frank E Ames, Lykes Bros. Steamship Co., New Orleans. La. Vice-Chairman, Gulf District--L. B. Pate, Mississippi Shipping Co., Inc^ New Orleans, La. Chairman, Great Lakes District--\V. C. Garbutt, Pittsburgh Steamship Co., Cleveland Ohio. Vice-Choirman, Great Lakes District--George Martinson, Pickands Mather & Co., Cleve land, Ohio. Chairman, Ohio Valley Region--G. O. Griffis*. Dravo Corp., Neville Island. Pittsburgh. Pa. Vice-Chairman, Ohio Valley Region--Joseph E. Jackman, MeCrady-Rodgers Co.. Pitts burgh, Pa. Chairman, All Inland IVaicrrvoys--Major W. E Lofence. Corps of Engineers. War Dept.. Washington, D. C. Chairman, Shipbuilding and Ship Repair Division--H. C. Houghton, Bethlehem Steel Corp,. Quincy, Mass. Chairman, Committee on Publicity and Publications--Harold J. Harping, Marine Prog ress, New York, N. Y. Chairman, Committee on Maritime Associations--C. H. Callaghan, The-Maritime Asso ciation of the Port of New York, New York, N. Y. Chairman, Committee on Untied States Government Bureaus--Commander R. S. Field, U.S.N. (Retired), Bureau of Marine Inspection and Navigation, Washington, D. C. Chairman, Committee on Engineering and Minimum Standards--A. J. Smith, Marine Office of America, New York, N. Y. * Chairman, Statistics Committee--Benjamin H. Self, The Travelers Insurance Co., New York, W Y. 397 398 29th Xafiotial Safety Congress Chairman, Marine Education Committee--H. L. Seward, Yale University, Xw Hawn, Conn. Vice-Chairman, Marine Education Committee--F. C. Gregory, Waterfront Employer*' Association of San Francisco, San Francisco, Caltf. Chairman, Industrial Relations Commitfee--R. E, Donovan, Standard Oi! Co. of Calif., San Francisco, Calif. Chairman, Stevedoring Committee--E. I*. Ht.xr.KS, U. S. Employees' Compennation Com' mission, Washington, D. C. Officers 1940-1941 General Chairman--Frank E. Ames, Manager, Safety Dept., Lykes Bros. S. S. Co., Inc., New Orleans, La. Advisory Committee (Past General Chairmen)-- Byron O. Pickard, Waterfront Employers' Association of the Pacific Coast, San Francisco, Calif. Captain Edward C. Holden, Jr., United States P.&I. Agency', Inc., New York, X. Y. Captain E. W. Fiske, Jr., Socony-Vacuum Oil Company, Inc., New York, X. Y. John S. Huntkr, The Atlantic Refining Company, PhiladelpEiia, Pa. Captain Frank H. Cocan, Manager, Marine Dept, The Delaware, Lackawanna, and Western R.R. Co., Hoboken, K. J. Arthur M. Tode. Consulting Engineer, New York, N. Y. Assistant General Chairman (Executive)--Frank J. Taylor, President, American Mer chant Marine Institute, Inc, N. Y. General Chairman (Membership)--Corneuus H. Caixachan, Manager. The Maniime Association of the Port of New York, New York, N. Y. Assistant General Chairman (industrial & Public Relations)--T. E. Buchanan, General Manager, Marine Dept., The Texas Co., New York, N. Y. Assistant General Chairman (Programs, Meetings)--C.kui. E. Holmes, Claims Dept., Marsh & McLennan, Inc., New York, X. Y. Secretary--Harold M. G. Wrctc, Asst, lo the President, American Bureau of Shipping. New York, N. Y. Editor, Marine News Letter--Captain Henry Blackstone, United States P. & I. Agenej, Inc. San Francisco. Calif. Admiralty Sr Maritime Counsellor--Henry Eioenbach. New York, X. Y. Chairman, Coastal Regions--Rear Admiral R. R. Waesche, Commandant. U. S. Coait Guard, Washington, D. C. Director, Atlantic Region--Wii.j_\rd F. Jones, General Manager, Marine Dept.. Gulf Oi! Corp., New York, N. Y. Director, Gulf Region--L. B. Pate, Vice-President. Mississippi Shipping Companv, New Orleans, La. Director, Pacific Region--F. J. McGowen, President, Waterfront Employers' Association of So. Calif., Long Beach, Calif. Director, Great Lakes Region--W1. C. GaKnurr, Casualty Manager, Pittsburgh. S. S. Co.. Cleveland, Ohio. Director, Ohio River Region--G. O. Griffin, Safety Director, Dravo Corporation, Neville Is., Pittsburgh, Pa. ' Director, All inland Waterways--Major W. E. Lokf.nce, Safety Officer, Corps of En gineers, War Department, Washington, D. C. Chairman, Committee American Merchant Marine--Rear Admiral Emory S. Land, U. S. Navy (Rtd.J, Chairman, United States Maritime Commission, Washington, D, C, Marine Section 399 Chairman, Committee Liners and Cargo Vessels--Captain Logan CkeSaP, Marine Supt., Isthmian S. S. Co., New York, N. Y. Chairman, Stcz'cJoring Committce--Captain H. P. Patterson, V.P., The Jarka Corpora tion. New York, N. Y. _. _ C hairman, Statistics and Contests Committee--Benjamin H. Self, Manager, Satct> En gineering Department, The Travelers Insurance Co., New York, N. Y. Chairman, Poster Committee--Jons Wright, Manager, Claims & Insurance Dept., Ameri can Export Lines, Inc, Jersev City, X. J. Chairman. PuMicitv Committee--Harold J. Harding. Editor. '`Marine Progress' New York, X. Y. Chairman, Engineering Committee--A. J. Smith, Marine Engineer. Marine Office of Amer ica, New York, N. Y. Chairman, Tankers Committee--H. X. Blakeslee, Manager, Dept, of Accident Preven tion, American Petroleum Institute, New York, N. Y. Chairman, Railroads Sr Lighterage Committee--Captain Frank H. Cogan, Manager. Marine Dept-, The Delaware, Lackawanna, and Western R.R. Co,. Hoboken, X. J. Chairman, V. S. Navy Yards Safety Committee--W. P. Biggs, U S. Navy Department. Washington, D. C. _ Chaimum, Maritime Associations Committee--Frank C. Gregory, Waterfront Employers Association of San Francisco, San Francisco, Calif. Special Maritime rfdvisor---Professor H. L. Seward, Yale University, School of Engi neering, New Haven, Conn. . Chairman. Naval Committee for Safety in National Defense--Captain C. W- Fi.-iikk. U. S. Navy, Director of Shore Establishments, Navy Department. Washington. Ik C. Chairman. Near Ship Design Sr Construction Committee--Commander H. L. Vickery. I S. Xavy, Commissioner, U. S. Maritime Commission, Washington, D. C. Chairman. Technical Committee--James L- Bates. Director, Technical Division. I . S. Maritime Commission, Washington. D. C- Chairman. Ship Inspections Committee S' l\ S. Goivrnment Bureaus--Commander K. S Field, U. S. Navy (Rid.), Director, Bureau of Marine Inspection and Navigation. I>cpt. of.Commerce. Washington. D. C. ... rr Chairman, Committee on Education Sr Training of Licensed Personnel-CAPTAIN J. H. Tomb, U- S. Navy (Rtd.), Sapt., New York State Merchant Marine Academy. Fort Schuyler, Bronx, New York. N. Y. Chairman, Committee on Education Training of Unlicensed Personnel--Commander W M. Derby, U. S. Coast Guard. Chief of the L\ S. Maritime Ser Wa-diingion. D.G Chairman, Minimum Safety Standards Committee--E. P. Heroes, U S. Employee.-* Com pensation Commission, Washington. D. C. MONDAY AFTERNOON SESSION October 7, 1940 The opening session of the Marine Section was called to order by Major W. E. Lorence. Safety Officer, Corps of Engineers, United States War Department, Washing ton, D. C., who presided. Chairman Lorcnce welcomed the delegates, brief!}* commented on the extensive and diverse program which had been prepared for the several meetings, and then introduced the first speaker, Major Elliott Vandevanter. -too 29th National Safety Congress Safety Activities of the U. S. Army Engineers--Problems and Proposed Solutions By ELLIOTT VANDEVANTER Major, Corps of Engineers, Assistant to the Division Engineer, Upper Mississippi Valley Division, St. Lotus, Mo. The Engineer Department of the Array is controlled by the office of the Chief of Engineers, through eleven division offices and forl>-seven district offices, which cover at! of continental United States, Puerto Rico, and Hawaii. Authority is decentralized and each dis trict engineer is given considerable latitude in the operation of his district There is therefore some lack of uniformity in the various districts. lurking in the shadows. Frequent safety talks must be made by foremen or safety engineers. The engineer department requires that each unit hold at least one meeting per month. The hazards must be pointed out and the men taught to avoid them. Al though it is not'universal throughout the department, all new men should be given training before going to work. Instructions should be given them together with a demon stration by skilled men. For several days or Therefore a safety section is set up in more these newcomers should work together each district consisting of a safety engineer with the trained men, the Utter to watch and several assistants. In general the safety them and correct mistakes. Of course this engineer discusses problems with the field slows down the work for the training period, forces, gives advice to the supervisors, fore but It makes available at least partially men and others in authority', but issues no trained men who will work better for the rest direct orders. He can, however, request the of Uieir lives, and offsets many rimes the district engineer to issue such orders as small amount of money expended in their may be necessary to carry out Ills plans. He training. This is one of the most important must be a high class man, able to influence features of any safety program. the action of the field forces and to gain the confidence of the district engineer. In some districts the safety engineer is responsible for results. In others the head of each actitvity is held responsible for safety progress under his supervision* and he reports to his immediate superior. Tn some cases he may have a safety engineer on his Some of our districts are using what they call the 1'Huddle" system. Just before start ing work the foreman gathers his group to gether and in a short, snappy talk cautions his men about measures to be taken to pre vent accidents. This appears to be an excel lent idea if It does not develop into a rwurinc performance. staff. Although the paper setup may be dif ferent, there is little variation in methods Recently in many of our d&xicts the and results safety section has been called ta as safety Tlte problem presented to us is the same throughout the safety world. How can acci dents be prevented ? First and most important is the fad that consultants on plans being made by the de sign section. This gives the safety section an opportunity to make safety recommenda tions while the design is being made, It should have excellent results if the neces the higher officials must be actively inter sary cooperation exists. Much of the bene ested in the work and make their interest fit will depend on the ability of the safety felt by the men. A word of appreciation to engineer. an outstanding safe worker about his safety record will build up his morale and encour age others to increase their efforts. Interest must be carried down through the supervi sors, foremen and all in authority, and to the entire working force. Once interest is lost the job bogs down. In the Upper Mississippi Valley Division we have required that every lost time injury be investigated by one of the higher officials of the district who has no direct connection with the work oo which the accident oc curred. His reports go directly to the dis Men must be reminded of the dangers trict engineer together with recommenda tions as to how a similar injury may be Marine Section 401 prevented. Responsibility is fixed and dis ciplinary action taken when so indicated. The department as a whole has used dis ciplinary action infrequently. As we progress we should be better trained and the need for such action should diminish. However, more is expected of a well trained man and it is probable that some disciplinary meas ures must always be necessary* For minor infractions verbal reprimands, or a letter of admonition from the district engineer, may suffice. More serious cases are awarded suspension without pay for short periods and in a flagrant case, the offender may be discharged. Disciplinary measures should be used with great care in order that justice may be done to all concerned. One unfair decision may undermine the good work which has been done. In 1937, 9 per cent of all men who fell overboard were drowned; in 1938, this fig ure increased to 12 per cenL The fact that a man could swim, even expertly, did not insure him against drowning, as 80 per cent of the engineer department employees who drowned In 1933 could swim. There was not a drowning in 1938 where a kapok vest was worn and properly fastened. Jn 1939 progress was made in the pre vention of drownings over preceding years, since the use of kapok vests had become more general in the department. The fa tality frequency rate of both department and contract labor was reduced by approxi mately 30 per cent daring 1939. As stated, 12 per cent of all who fell overboard in 1938 were drowned. In 1939, this figure was reduced to 7.73 per cent- Again, in 1939 there was not a case of drowning where a The workers on river plant are constantly kapok vest was wont. However, it is only exposed to a water hazard and a number fair to state that unproved conditions on of drownings have occurred. We had ample floating plant during the last few years have supplies of the ordinary cork jackets, but removed many hazards. they were so bulky that men could not wear them while working. To overcome tins, a Problem I kapok jacket was developed to suit our con It is still difficult to sufficiently impress ditions. This is a soft, light jacket, open upon some employees the value of wearing under the arms and in the front, so that it kapok vests. There are those who will not may be as cool as possible. At first there wear them when the supervisor is not were objections raised as to heat and a few around. There are also supervisory' em insisted that the jackets interfered with their ployees who fail to require the use of the work and might well cause, instead of pre vest in necessary cases. vent, accidents. As the workers became more accustomed to these jackets and saw the beneficial results obtained, objections soon Solution I: Enforce the regulation re quiring the wearing of kapok vests where the hazard of drowning exists. Continue to died down. preach the use of kapok vests. Place the These jackets have been tested with an eighteen pound weight and they have re tained their buoyancy for several days. The kapok in the jacket must be dried out after being exposed to water and dampness, and prevented from being compacted. Otherwise responsibility upon the proper supervisory personnel to see that the vests are worn when necessary and to take disciplinary ac tion in cases where there is evidence of lack of foresight or willful disregard of com pliance with the regulations. it quickly' loses its buoyancy. To overcome Problem II this difficulty a pad of sponge rubber im pregnated at six thousand pounds per square inch wuh nitrogen gas, has been experi mented with and results have been most satisfactory'- The rubber pads have little tendency to compact and do not lose their buoyancy under any conditions which we have discovered. When working in close quarters it may be found necessary to taper off the top and bottom of the pads which will slightly reduce flotation. These jackets have been very effective in reducing the number of drownings. Jim Stokes had as part of lus job the filling of an oil cup located on top of the gear ring of a drum. He climbed up a lad der, placed his left foot oiv the lower flange of an eye beam, and his right foot on the upper flange. As -he leaned over to open the oil cup, his right foot slipped forward and was crushed between one of the spokes which supported the drum and the eye beam. Solution If: These cranes have been in operation on our dams for several years. Two points worthy of notice arc, First the 402 29th National Safety Congress injured man had not been sufficiently im pressed wifh the danger of his job. Second: the supervisory staff failed to realize that a hazard existed. The blame for this injury rests entirely with the supervisory personnel in not bringing foroeably to Jim die need for safe action in a dangerous situation. Also more effort should be made to spot and correct hazardous conditions before an accident occurs. Problem III The injured was assisting two other em ployees in removing old lubricating oil from the crank case of an air compressor. After the oil was drained into a bucket, the in jured threw it into the fire box of a boiler containing fire. The result was all that rea sonably could be expected, the effect being second degree bums to the pitcher. The in jured had been instructed previously relative to the hazards associated with such acts. As an engineman he also quite likely knew what naturally would follow the contact of diluted oil with flame. His injury was a consequence of his own failure to think and co plan a safe means for disposing of the refuse oil. Solution HI: The conclusion is that this man was not safety conscious. Again lack of sufficient instruction is evident. Perhaps the supervisor should not be blamed as it would appear that the injured should have his sanity tested as well as his burns treated. Problem IV A commercial tow consisting of five barges and a towboat entered the lock. Two lockmon and two deckhands were handling1 the lines. The first check had been made at the upstream entrance and the line moved to a snubbing post farther down the lock. A signal wa given to slack off but the line remained taut until approximately 100 feet of line had been pulled across the mooring hitts of the barge. When the tow' was about five feet from the face of the lock chamber, a man's foot was hurled across the water and fell against the side of the con trol house. No one actually saw what hap pened. but apparently the man's foot was caught in a loop of the rope and cither squeezed or pulled off against the mooring bills. It can be seen, when wind and river conditions require tows to be checked into lock entrances or to lock walls by means of lines, there are definite hazards when such lines arc under strain and at the same time being slacked off. Should an employee's tout be caught in the loop of the line and forced again*! the kevel, chock or check post, h is probable that serious injury will result Also, should the line not be in good condi tion, or good judgment not be used in the slacking off operation, the line may break suddenly and cause injury*. Solution IV: Lines should always be well coiled before use and recoiled when and as overhauled. Where excessive checking is necessary, a second deckhand should be on hand to keep the line cleared up and feed it to the man doing the checking. He should not stand directly behind the line under strain, hut rather to one side. He should give close attention for evidence of parting strands or other signs of failure. The Education of Ship Owners in Safety By QEORGE MARTINSON Safety Director, Pickands Mather & Company, Cleveland, O. 1 shall probably approach this subject in an unorthodox manner- My experience in the shipping business leads me to believe that the ship owners do not require much education to interest them in safety. It i$ rather the ships' officers and crews that need this education. Management, which keeps a close watch on the cost sheet, knows full well that ac cidents can be a large item in operation costs, and ship owners and management are just as anxious to keep that cost down as is the manager or owner of a plant located ashore. When the time comes that the of ficers and ships' crews put in as much time and thought on accident prevention as man agement docs, we simply will not have acci dents involving personal injury. Marine Section 403 Management, however, may become dis couraged when their efforts along these lines are ot no avail and accidents continue to recur again and again. It is our func tion, not so much to educate management to interest themselves in a safety program, but to keep them interested, to show them that efforts to prevent personal injuries arc not in vain and that z well thought out program that is efficiently managed is bound that this entails some expense, and no doubt there was some question as to whether this expense was justified. However, this sum mer a fireman was wearing goggles while breaking coal, when a lens of his goggle? was broken by a chunk of coal. There is no doubt that the use of goggles in this ca>u saved the man's cvc. I saw to it that the management saw these broken goggle* and also saw a photograph of the young man whose eyes had been saved. to Ihtavmearneasgueltms.ent loses interest, many times it is our fault because we do not present the problems to them in the proper man ner. When they have been willing to spend Tins summer we placed aboard all of our ships a number of Kapok vests to be used when men were handling lines on the docks. Early in July one of our deckhands fell into a slip while handling lines and was easily the money necessary for such a program rescued because he was wearing the Kapok they* want result*, and if we lose heart and vest. This incident was called to the at become lackadaisical in our efforts, we can tention of the managers and to all memh'"-- not expect the management to continue to of all ships' crews. support the Program- Several years- ago we furnished hard hats All men arc responsive and react favor to be u*ed while sweeping up cargo hold* ably to incidents that can be dramatized. and for coalpassers when they arc working All like to know that their desire to help in the coal bunkers. Just a few weeks au<> strikes a responsive chord in members of in talking with a deckhand, t teamed that their organization, and they are usually he had had an experience with a hard hat. pleaded to have nice things said about (he While engaged on the dockside of the -hip, program that they arc sponsoring. For in a chunk of ore had fallen from a bucket, stance, trt our program I have attempted to Striking his head. This deckhand figured keep management interested, first of all by that if he lead not been wearing the hat he trying to do a t^ood job. never being dis would have suffered head injurie,- which couraged and being always hopeful that we even might have been fatal. 1 wa* able to can prevent too frequent repetition of the obtain the hat from him to bring it to the same types of accidents. 7n addition. I have attempted to call attention to the little per sonal human responses that come from our men. For instance, several years ago we instituted a program of health examina tions for our licensed men and later ex tended it to our unlicensed personnel. I have had many letters from individuals who have been benefited by this activity. I have picked out the best of these letters and sent them to the management. As an office and it was shown to the managers. In all of these cases T am sure that these little things called to the attention of ship owners have impressed them with the fact that the money they had spent for these purposes was well spent, and I am sure that there will never be any desire in tlur near future to do away with health examination*, nor will \vc ever be denied the money neces sary' to purchase goggle*. Kapok ve*t> or example, men have been told that their vision could be improved materially if they wore glasses, after having had the glasses fitted they have written in to tell us of the hard hats. I have several reasons why I firmly U*- heve that many times when management loses interest in an accident prevention pro benefits they have derived. One man said. gram U is because we who have the re "Thank you, Mr. Martinson, for the in sponsibility do not do our job. terest that the company has shown in me. I have my glasses and I did not realize how badly I needed them. As a matter of tact, the whole world looks different to me now." That type of letter surely warms the The first reason is the fact that -ome men who are engaged in accident prevention work desire to use their jobs as a stepping stone to some other type ot job. Men who are in this- position often fail to do thrir heart of a manager who sees it. safety jobs well enough to warrant pro Two years ago we started on a program motion, and therefore are responsible for to increase the use of goggles. We all know 404 29th National Safety Congress some of the poorly planned programs. Sec kegs of black powder with a cigarette or ondly, some men are only doing accident pipe in their mouths. Many men were prevention work as a side issue and are un killed or severely injured as a result of this able to devote the time and effort that is very bad practice. However, by continued necessary to get results. These are the men education we now find that men are much who usually throw up their hands and more careful in the handling of explosives, proclaim loudly that the problems cannot and I firmly believe that sailors can be be solved. taught to do their job safely, just the same In the next place, it is sometimes un- as other men can. j'oriunaie that many of us who are engaged After many years spent in promoting in accident prevention work arc also respon safety programs I have ootnc to the con sible for the settlement of claims that arise clusion that the men can be educated or from arcidcnts. I know from personal ex trained to give more regard for their per perience that it is sometimes quite difficult sonal safety. They will not be responsive, to see an accident in its true perspective, however, if we do not have this faith. I be because the first thought that comes to mind lieve that we should not lose heart or let uhen the report comes to us 15, "How much our jobs get us down if things seem to go is it going to cost?" rather than "What can against us. I know that it is many times we do lo prevent a recurrence of this kind discouraging when, in spite of all our ef of an accident?" However, these two jobs forts, serious injuries do occur. of accident prevention and settlement of claims can work very well together if we wdi consider, first, what we can do to pre vent this type of accident, and after that, determine, if we can, what the cost will be. L'nlcss we are very careful when there is this combination of work it is extremely difficult to think of prevention first, rather than the cost of the accident. - I like the spirit that was evidenced in a recent experience which I bad with my father. My father is well over 80 years of age, and one evening I attempted to help him down a flight of steps. T took him by the arm, but he jerked him arm away very quickly, and I knew that he was provoked. After he had gotten down the stairs f ex plained to him that it was dark and he I have saved to the last what in my mind might fall and injure himself. He turned is the greatest handicap that we must over to me and said, "Well, if I fall down, I come. There are a number of ships' officers will get up again. I have had to get up who will tell you that sailors are ao alto many limes and ana stilt able to do so/' If gether different type of men from those who we adopt this spirit of "getting up again." are engaged in other industrial pursuits. wc will be better able to meet the new prob Officers, may be sincere in this belief, but lems as they arise. 1 prefer to think that men engaged in sail ing are just as responsive to a decent ap proach as men engaged in other lines of industrial work. I know that these men have the same ambitions and the same aspira tions as other men. Cut I also appreciate die fact that through the years they may have built up in their minds a fatalistic at titude toward their job and they may be inclined to take what appear to be unneces sary chances. This attitude on their part does not indicate to me that they cannot' be educated to do their job with due regard to their own safety. I believe further that in order to con duct an effective accident prevention pro gram we must be sold absolutely not only on the necessity of such a program, but we must have a keen desire to do this type of work. We must be happy in our jobs. As I have grown older I naturally have thought about my past life and I have al ways come to tbc conclusion that if I had my life to live over again I would want to do the same kind of work that I have been doing. 1 have often thought how fortunate I am to be permitted to do the type of work that I like best and then get paid for it. We had to meet the same problems when I am sure that if you approach your job in wc began accident prevention work more this manner with sincerity and courage, you than a quarter of a century ago in the iron will be able, when you get along ia years, mines. 7 recall very well that it was not to look back with real happiness upon your imu>ua! at that time to see men opening efforts in preventing accidents. Marine Section 405 Physical Examinations--Standard Requirements--Expense By W. C. GAKBUTT Casualty Manager, Pittsburgh Steamship Co., Cleveland, O. ing real money was given the most careful The Marine industry has been slow to fol consideration and there was as much sur lowing other large employers of labor in in prise as satisfaction for the casualty man stituting pre-employment physical examina agers who obtained permission to go ahead. tions. This U perhaps understandable when That the results of the first year's experi it is remembered that the Government has ence induced other companies to fall in line, for many years required certain physical is somewhat surprising when it is considered standards of sailors. Unfortunately, once that, natural!}, many mistakes were made. the physical examination was passed, there Standards were too loosely set up. Exam was no definite periodic check-up to see that ining physicians were not familiar with the the standard was maintained. With the institution of the Continuous Government requirements nor were they all conversant with the type of work required Discharge Book in 1936 and the certifying of the various ratings. of a man for a particular position aboard Unlike most industrial plants, the exami ship, this condition was improved to some nation of mariners could not be conducted extent, but once the possessor of a certifi at one central point. The crews leave their cate, its owner can become halt, lame, blind home towns in the spring of the year, ami or diseased without penalty, unless he should in many instances travel considerable dis seek a raise of grade, which would require a tances to the port where their vessels arc further physical examination. The growth of the iron ore business is perhaps responsible to a greater extent than any other iactor in the improvement in the type of men enlisting today in the American fitting out. The obvious thing was to have than examined before leaving home, if pos sible. This necessitated appointing field doc tors, uho would report their findings to the home office doctor, or medical director. These medical men were strangers to one Merchant Marine. If anything has been neglected, it was another and naturally of different tempera ments. That more errors and unfairncsMr- did physical fitness; that was left pretty much not develop reflects to the credit of their to the men themselves. Although it was common knowledge that some form of physi cal fitness was required by the Government, the exact standards were known to only a few. Until recent years, the requirements were interpreted by the local inspectors to suit the case and men turned down at one port often passed at another. The men themselves did not know what defects were disqualifying and what were not, Even to day men are found almost ready to take the profession. In 1938, one pioneer company examined 1.400 men, who were medically rated as follows: A--1,076; B--266; G--15; D-- 43. Grade "A," of course, being those who were physically able to perform manual labor of practically any nature; those graded "B" had minor defects, such as caries, etc.; the grade "C" men were borderline cases-- potential hernias, poor vision and other de fects, which could or should be corrected; original license examination as far as re quired time is concerned, who cannot pass the Government visual test These men have the grade "D" men--3 per cent of those examined--were totally unfitted tor mari time employment. From the Inception, food worked and studied for three or four years, preparing for pilot or engineer license, only to find that they are physically disqualified. handlers were given blood tests and many possible sources of infection were removed In 1938, the preachings of the nation's greater insurance companies began to be felt Examining physicians were not permitted to disqualify an old employee, except for on the Great Lakes and pre-employment contagious diseases. The field doctor re physical examinations was a topic of dis cussion at many meetings. Top executives ported to the medical director, who in turn advised top management, whose function it were far from opposed to the idea, but the was to accept or reject lean years of the depression were still a At th< M>se of navigation in 1938, a study painful memory. Anything that meant spend 406 29th National Safely Congress o the results was made add it appeared evident that fictitious injury claims had been reduced, with a corresponding reduction in casualty expense- Labor turnover had de creased. Many men had been guided into other vocations for which they were better fitted. Others were persuaded to enter ma rine hospitals for major or minor correction. Some of the results were, of course, dis tinctly of benefit to the company, but others were 50 obviously in tbe Interest of the man, that any thought of suspicion or distrust of motive was quickly allayed. The next step was a conference of field doctors with the medical director. From a round table discussion of the actual ex periences, many concrete difficulties were indicated by a check, negative findings by 0. Do not be too brief with positive find ings. Remember that all records are re viewed in the Home Office and that the re viewing physician sees the applicant only by the picture given on the card. Therefore, avoid use of vague terms. Be brief, terse and concise; at the same time be complete and use such descriptive terms a,< will pre sent a definite picture. For example: under "general appearance" the term "good" is not especially useful It is better to say "erect, robust, healthy" of "heavy, but hard and muscular/' Other useful terms in this connection are "obese, flabby"--"obese, flushed"--"pale, undernourished'*--"stooped," etc." ironed out and a portion of the director's report to the management Is worth quoting: ''Numerous authorities among medical de partments in industry have been consulted. Government requirements have been closely scrutinized. The opinions and ideas of our The question of what disabilities should disqualify an applicant was one which gave tbe medical director and his associates the greatest concern. The results of their de liberations can be briefly enumerated as fol lows: examiners have been carefully weighed. A a result, a manual has been prepared for the guidance of tbe company physicians, which presents a set of standards and a uni form plan for conducting the examinations. This makes it possible for the examiners to determine each man's physical fitness simply and without bias--so accurately that each Contagious diseases and infectious skin diseases until cure can be effected. Trachoma or other infectious diseases of the eye. One eye. Less than 20/70 vision in one eye and 20/100 in the other without glasses, corrected to 20/30 in one c>c and 20/50 in the other. examiner's evaluation will check with the Hearing--inability to carry' on an ordinary' other's. With this Manual to guide us in conversation without ear strain at a distance the future, we hope that in it we have cov of five feet with one or both cars. ered even- question that may arise. How Organic heart disease. ever. since progress is not static, we aim to Veep an open mind and if changes prove necessary or desirable, they will be made." In 1939, the same company examined 2.8-15 men and only 2,7 per cent were re jected. Although the number of employees had more than doubled, the percentage of undesirables had decreased. Through .Au Hypertension and hypotension. Pulmonary conditions such as tuberculosis or severe bronchial conditions. Developed hernias. Active venereal diseases. Varicoceles of extreme degree, until cure can be effected. gust, 1940, the number examined is 2,988 with 61 disqualified or 2 per cent Various conditions of the back. Various conditions of the extremities, such The principal reasons for rejection, stated as varicosities, ulcers, rheumatism, ankylosis in the order of frequency, are: defective of major joints. vision, hernia, positive blood tests and chronic heart conditions. Several of the affected, particularly those with hernias, have been corrected and reinstated. Diseases of the nervous system. Diabetes, unless mild, controllable by diet. Syphilis, if a food handler. If under treat The instructions to field doctors on the conduct of examinations and the recording of findings may be of interest: "AH applicants are to be examined com pletely stripped. Normal findings may be ment with no skin lesions and not a food handler, may be accepted. If applicant for galley' gives history of typhoid and Widal tests arc positive, should be rejected on possibility of being carrier. The cost, of pre-employment examinations Marine Section 40 7 can, of course, vary geeskt^y. In one company die medical director is paid a yearly salary and is available for consultation on personal injuries, expert testimony, or any other duty within his sphere. His salary, however, is charged entirely to physical examinations. The field doctors are paid on a fee basis, usually' $3 per examination. Laboratory tests are, of course, an additional expense, which varies in different states. Rechecks arc paid for at rates proportionate to the extent. The home office expense includes stationery, etc., and the only addition to the staff was a nurse-stenographer, whose duty it is to keep all records, which naturally are confidential. The auditor's report for 1939 shows thal the 2,845 examinations, 394 blood tests, 13 rechecks including x-rays, and all incidental expense together with overhead, cost slightly under $12,000 or approximately $4 per examination. Hazards of River Transportation By O. O. GRIFFIN Manager, Safety Department, Dravo Corporation, Neville Island, Pittsburgh, Pa. The United States Bureau of Marine In spection and Navigation, about ten years ago, started a program o testing nver taw boats for stability in the Ohio River District. Accidents from towboats turning over, which had caused some loss of life prior to that time, have been practically nonexistent since. Through the cooperation ot the tow water nine feet above flood stage a sand and gravel company's whole fleet broke loose in the river. Every towboat in the Pitts burgh harbor that could tie up its tow joined in the chase. One unit, a derrick boat, caught the point of its boom under the decking of the Smithfield Street Bridge and punched a hole in the bridge floor. boat owners, stability questions and hazards Frequently river construction work cre from boiler explosions have been materially ates navigation hazards. The U. S. En reduced. gineering Department frequently places a towboat at the "chute" to help tows through. Wc hear of a boiler explosion on the Ohio River possibly once every' two years. For tunately, of late they have caused very' little loss of life. Occasionally, one of the old There was an incident, l believe, at Winfield. W. Va. on the Kanawha River, where dur ing high swift water, a tow coming down stream got out of control. The towboat wooden towboats will bum, although the could not hold the barges and they went crews arc generally able to get ashore with through a partially completed roller gate no injuries except those incurred when they dam. The towboat cut loose and went return to fight Lite fire. In case of severe around over the lock walls and caught the damage to the towboat by storm or other wise, causing danger of sinking, it is almost always possible to ground the boat before it goes down. This also, because of the cir cumstances, rarely causes injury*, and the resultant property damage is generally com paratively small. tow below. The greatest loss of life in recent years has been caused by encounters between tow boats and those using the water for pleasure, i.c., in motorboats, outboards, skiffs, canoe* or when bathing. The following aTC ex amples : Collision between towboats, or totvs of Two hoys while swimming were allegedly towboats, is rare; although there are often cases of towboats colliding with fixed ob jects, such as dams, locks, or their appur tenances, or docks. These cause slight prop erty damage and injuries but rarely. These accidents sometimes have their amusing side. A year or two ago two of our barges at the head of a tow were pushed part way over a fixed concrete Ham and stuck there. These were unloaded and refloated with ap parently little damage. In 1934 with the hit by barges and drowne<iat Donora, Pa. One occupant of a small unlighted motor boat drowned as a result of a collision with a motor towboat. Recently there were t>vo deaths on the Ohio River below Pittsburgh under peculiar circumstances. The lone survivor, a woman, claimed a towboat had struck them but did not know* its name. Their motorboat gave evidence of there having been an explosion. 408 -*A Xotumol Safety Congress AD Direr bad ken mms ipparmUy intoxi cated carter in tbe tvMng Bather* and occupant* of twnr made rowboat* are tic m offenders. being assembled into a taw. The breaking of barge connectors, cables and chains oc casionally causes injuries generally to tbe This has hcoonae a very serious sftoatioe and numerous etfom have been made to solve it. At one time ft was necessary for the city of Pittsburgh's river police to five the excursion steamer, which was pfrrog in local waters, an escort from the city line to AJthough it is not very strange, I have always wondered why diesel powered boats report so many fewer injuries (ban steam powered boats. However, in oar experience, this has proved true. The engine rooms on its wharf. Unfortunately, because of the some of the older towboats leave something ignorance of "the rules of the road** on the to be desired in tbe way of guards, bat tbc part of most small boat owners, the river more modem boats are well cared for in boat captains have been somewhat slow n ihes respect. acknowledging signals when they do receive them from small boat operators who are familiar with their responsibilities and du ties. On the whole, however, the river boat pilots are blameless in these accidents. An educational campaign, being conducted by the safely committee of the local Propc11or An additional hazard on steam powered towboats is the necessity* for wheeling coal from the fuel flat generally lowed alongside of tbe towboat to the boiler room. You can well imagine that wheeling wheelbarrows full of coal over more or less temporary Club, with the cooperation of the U. S. Coast Guard Reserve and other bodies, appears to be making some slight headway but is much too slow. runways at night, subject to the jarring and tipping of a boat, is a comparatively haz ardous proposition. A considerable number of injuries, have occ_u_r_rmejd vinnuthoipseroapteiorna.tion. Crew accidents follow a genera) pattern \Wv;ithk .thue. abate- ment of boiler explosions, with the one exception of drowtiings. These another explosion hazard has arisen. That are naturally higher than they arc in most is the growing-transportation of petroleum other forms of marine work, due to the products by barge. To date fortunately' all proximity of the crew members to the water serious accidents have occurred when the and the fact that they are continually out barges were separated from tows. To my on barges reassembling tows, etc. No solu knowledge there have been two explosions tion better than the Kapok life vest, worn of barges, a fire involving four barges, and at all times when outside of the cabin of the towboat, has been found for this hazard. It has been exceedingly difficult to sell the members of the towboat crews on the need for this comparatively cumbersome and un comfortable piece of safety apparel, but sewne progress is being made. Incidentally, there have been throe drown- severe bums resulting from gas soaked clothing. The Bureau of Inspection and Navigation's regulations cover the situation adequately but towboat crews sometimes do not sufficiently respect the hazard involved. Tbl$ is particularly true when only one barge of gasoline is included in a mixed tow. ings of fleet watchmen in the Pittsburgh Galley hazards on a river towboat are but District within the last eight months. These little different from those of any other boat men should be compelled to wear Kapok jackets at alt times when working. Drowning is fust one part of the general type of accident, known to all of you as `Mips and falls." Falls follow the usual pattern except with respect to falls into empty or partially loaded, hopper barges which frequently have serious consequences, i.e., fractures of arm, elbow, leg, rib or except that the galley on a river beat i< somewhat smaller because of the fewer number of people served. Injuries reported range from illness due to inhaling the escaped gas from the electric refrigerator to the usual cuts with the butcher knife. Despite the hazards mentioned, many tow boat crews go for several years without a disabling injury. shoulder blade. Members of the deck crew With thc cxccption of the small boat haz occasionally get their feet caught in lines, or suffer crushing injuries of the feet or hands while ptaring blocking between barges ard, the present unsatisfactory situation re garding life vests and that concerning tanker barges, none of the hazards men tioned are insurmountable. Marine Section 409 MONDAY EVENING SESSION October 7,1940 Tbc K*MMk followed a "Marine Section Ptagzc-- Pinner.** and was planned to pre- "Fact* and a Look Into the Future" of the Maria* Section. After the service, the meeting: was called to order by Genera! Cbainaan Byron O. Pickard, Chief Safety Engineer. Waterfront Employers' Associa tion of the Pacific Coast. San Frandsco, who presided. Tbc reports of the General Chairman and of tbe Standing Committees of the Section were received m detail. The Report of the Nominating Committee was received, and officers for the Section to serve daring the coming year were elected, as presented else where in this record. The new officers were introduced individually by the General Chairman. The closing feature of this session was a "Progress Pageant," presented in extempo raneous fashion by Arthur M. Tode, Past General chairman of tbe Marine Section, as Master of Ceremonies. TUESDAY MORNING SESSION October 8, 1940 This session was a "Coastal Regions" Breakfast and Conference It was called to order, after the service, by Rear Admiral R. R. Waesche. Commandant, United States Coast Guard, Washington, D. C., who pre sided. The closing feature of the session was a "Round Tabte Discussion" upon the subject: "How to Aid the United States Coast Guard for Safety in the Coastal Regions of the United States." This topic included tbe re port of each Regional Chairman of the Marine Section as to local problems affect ing safety of life at sea, on rivers, lakes and other navigable waters. Plans for future safety action were discussed. TUESDAY AFTERNOON SESSION October 8, 1940 This session was called to order by Cora- sided. Chairman Perham briefly introduced mander Herbert N. Perham, United States the various scheduled speakers on the proCoast Guard, Washington, D. C., who pre- gram, as follows: The Coast Guard Reserve--A Safety Organization By REAR ADMIRAL R. R. WAESCHE Commandant, U. S. Coast Guard, Washington, D. C. The Coast Guard is the oldest maritime service in the bistory of our Government. It was called into being ISO years ago by our first Secretary of the Treasury, Alex ander Hamilton, who recognized the need for a coastal patrol to enforce the youthful republic's laws and to safeguard in other ways its maritime interests. On August 4, 1790, President Washington approved the AcC creating the new service, known as the Revenue Marine, Utcr the Revenue Cutter Service. In 1378, the Life Saving Service, another federal safety-at-sea service, was organized 410 29th National Safety Congress and earned for itself an enviable reputation. In 1915, the Revenue Cutter Service and the Life Saving Service were combined under the name o the United States Coast Guard. in 1939, the Lighthouse Service, a his toric Service, rich in tradition and accomp lishment, and engaged wholly in safety work, was transferred to and consolidated with the Coast Guard. while carrying out its peace time duties and should become an integral part of our naval forces in time of war. Today the Coast Guard is working at top-speed to increase the armament of its vessels and to take other measures to increase its usefulness to the Navy' should war or other emergency require that national defense become tempo rarily our paramount duty. The first Coast Guard vessels built in 1790, six in number, were cutters; that is, - small, fast, one-masted sailing vessels. Our most modem Coast Guard vessels, still re ferred to as cutters out of tradition, 327 feet in length, turbine driven, heavily armed and carrying a seaplane are a long step from that small beginning. Well-trained and disciplined officers and men efficiently navigating and operating watercraft, large or small, for business or pleasure, is the first requisite for safety at sea; it is also the first requisite for a Navy auxiliary* in time of war and therefore the Coast Guard feels that the training of mer chant marine officers and men and the A Vital National Force administration of the Coast Guard Reserves are among its most important duties. The Coast Guard indeed has played an important part in the peace lime develop ment of the nation and its territorial pos sessions and an honorable and significant role in time of war. The suppression of smuggling, the saving and protecting of life and property, the maintenance of aids to navigation, the enforcement of the seal, halibut and whaling treaties, the boarding of vessel* to enforce safety and other federal laws, the International Ice Patrol, the patrol of marine regattas, ocean weather observa tion for the safety of transatlantic aircraft, control of movements of alt merchant ves sels in territorial waters of the United State# supervision of handling explosives, inflam mables and other dangerous cargo in our ports, the training of merchant officers and seamen, and the organization and administra tion of the Coast Guard Reserve--all are steps in the progressive development of our basic function. Coast Guard officers and men, to carry The Coast Guard Reserve came about in this wav. Each year thousands of small ves sels are involved ui accidents of various kinds, many of them resulting in injury or death to persons on board, Statistical records compiled at Coast Guard Headquarters over a period of years has indicated that the majority of such casualties are caused di rectly or indirectly, through caTclessocss. negligence, or incompetence cm the part of those handling the vessel The majority of these casualties were strandmgs, explosions, fire and engine break-down. Unquestionably, mo`t of these accidents were preventable. It is evident that some of the operators of small craft have little knowledge of the basic laws of seamanship, rules of the road, aids to navigation, motor boat laws, naviga tion taws, or the operation of the vessel's engines; that in many cases they operate their craft with inadequate or faulty equip ment or in a careless manner. out these duties efficiently, must, by educa I do not imply that the majority of motor tion, training and experience, be at home in boat owners fall within this classification. sea and surf, in fair weather and foul; they They do not. But with over 300,000 motor must be alert, well-disciplined, fearless and boats traversing our navigable waters, there self-reliant; they must be familiar with need be only a small percentage incompe maritime laws, rules and regulations, par tently operated to produce a large number ticularly those pertaining to merchant sea oi accidents. The American Power Squad men; they must be well-drilled and organ rons have been doing excellent work to im ized along military lines. prove safety in the operation of motor boats It is not surprising that such a force, and the Coast Guard is glad to support which was established and is maintained their program and to help to enlarge their primarily for peace time service, should l>e activities. a part of the military forces of the United States, should conduct its military drills Law's containing fundamental require ments for safety have been passed by Con- Marinc Section 411 gres5 for (he protection of motor boats and ihe lives of persons on board those vessels. The Bureau of Marine Inspection and Navi gation and the Coast Guard, in close co operation, have been enforcing these laws for years. However, in view of the number ot accidents, still further steps appeared insignia which may be worn by members, and flags which may be flown from their boats, have been prescribed and may be displayed in testimony of their proficiency. The basic operation unit of the Reserve is the flotilla, which consists of not Jess than ten boats. Flotillas are grouped into necessary. The Coast Guard has always taken the attitude in its law enforcement work that in dealing with the unintentional violator of the law a spirit of cooperation rather than a crack-down policy would produce the l>est results. The problem, therefore, was how best to cooperate with the boat owner and through his voluntary assistance carry out a program of education and training to increase the safe operation of motor boats. And so, as a new* approach lo the problem, there was created by the Act of June 23, 1939, a voluntary, non-military organization unique in the annals of the Federal Gov ernment--the Coast Guard Reserve. Its prin cipal purpose is to increase safety at sea divisions appropriately designated by geo graphic names and divisions, and arc in turn grouped into districts which coincide with and bear the same names as districts in the Coast Guard field organization. The Reserve is organized so as to be largely selfgoverning with the necessary' assistance and administrative supervision by the Coast Guard. Unit officers of the Reserve assist the Coast Guard district commanders in the administrative Reserve work. Committees of Reserve members within a flotilla work ing with Coast Guard representatives inspect boats and examine applicants for member ship in their knowledge of the rules of the road, aids to navigation, boat handling and navigation laws. and on navigable waters through training and instruction and by securing the coopera Rapid Growth tion of yachtsmen and other small boat own er* in the dissemination of information and knowledge pertaining to the operation of The Reserve has now been in active op eration one year. Its progressive devel opment during that period has been highly loats. gratifying, 3,000 persons have been enrolled In addition. Reservists may assist the into 130 flotillas. 2,500 boats operated under Coast Guard in certain of its duties, such its flag. These groups, in every section of as patrols of marine parades and regattas, the nation, the coastal regions, the lakes, and in the saving of life and property. There the rivers, form the nucleus for future de are now operating in our waters nearly a hall million small molor boats of various types and classes. The Reserve is the prin cipal medium through which the Coast Guard may reach this large field of mari time activity in order to make available the he-t safety knowledge and practices. In return the Reserve can give to the Coast Guard, in these days of nationat emergency, valuable information regarding the activities of auspicious motor boats and motor boat owner*. The Reserve is non-military I members can not be called to active service nor can their boats he commandeered for Coast Guard duty. Any citizen over eighteen years of age who owns not less than a 25 per cent interest in a motor boat or yacht may be come a member of the Reserve provided he satisfies the Coast Guard that he is a competent boat operator who keeps his boat velopment. It has not been the aim to expand the Reserve rapidly and thus create a large, un wieldy organization, but rather progress slowly and surely by having an interested, competent and cooperative group which would carry' forward the work and the pur pose for which the Reserve was created in a competent manner. Practical instruc tion and training in the safe and efficient operation and navigation of small craft, advice and information regarding the laws and regulations applicable to motor boats, are being given to an ever increasing num ber of motor boat owners through the medium of the Reserve organization and we are beginning to see results. Coast Guard reports show that there has been a material decrease in (he number of violations of law by motor boats and this is, indeed, gratify- ' mhIwwI nistinctive 412 29th AQtioHai Safety Congress Safety in Ship Design and Construction By COMMANDER H. L. VICKERY' (CC) U. S. N., Senior Assistant to the Chairman, U. S. Maritime Commission Washington, D. C. The features of ship design and equip ment which contribute to sale operation can be placed in two broad categories: eners and by transverse bulkheads to form an extremely strong beam. 1. Preventive features which tend to pre vent the occurrence of accident to ship, to cargo, or injury to those on board. On the S.S. America there are 10 deck?, four of which are continuous from bow to stern, and on the Commission's cargo vessels there are three decks, two being continuous. 2. Remedial features which come into play after an accident has occurred and which limit and localise the loss sustained. It would be very desirable if, by the use of features of design in the first group, it noutd be unnecessary to consider the second group, but we all know the ship that cannot either founder or bum is yet to be designed and that the dangers of collision or ground ing are always present. Fire and foundering are the principal dan gers to a vessel at sea, and it is to over come rhese hazards that most of the work Where openings are cut in these decks, for machinery* casings, hatchways, or stairways, or boles for ventilation trunks, elevators, etc., ample reinforcement is used to transmit the stresses. It is not the policy* of the Com mission to use expansion joints in the upper most decks on large passenger liners a? is the practice elsewhere, and all decks con tribute their share to the bull girder strength of the vessel. Welding has been adopted by many of the shipyards building vessels for the Maritime Commission, and this method of joining the plates and shapes that enter into the hull of the technical designing staff of the U. S. Maritime Commission has been directed. The requirements of Senate Report No. 184, aad the International Convention for Safety of structure is rapidly replacing riveting. In creased joint efficiencies with the same scant lings or dimensions of plates and bars insure a stronger vessel. Life at Sea (1929), have been complied with, or exceeded, jr all cases. As a result, the standards of safety from fire and founder ing, which have been incorporated into the design and construction of the new high speed cargo and passenger vessels of the The use of steel hatch covers on the uppermost or "Weather Decks," iti lieu of wooden hatch boards covered by canvas tar paulins, has resulted in greatly increased safety. Maritime Commission replacement program, In order that a vessel may be kept under greatly exceed those even attempted by other control m heavy weather, in fog, and in countries. other times of emergency, the vessel's pro Foundering may occur due to severe weather causing seams to open or hatches to he stove in, or through damage caused by collision with some object or another vessel. The chance of damage to a vessel through stress of weather is reduced to a minimum hy building vessels to the highest standards pelling equipment and auxiliaries must func tion. Many founderLngs and collisions can be traced directly to failure of some vital part of the machinery installation. To pre vent such an occurrence the Maritime Coramissiun ships are being built with propulsion equipment with inherent ruggedness. of strength, and providing rugged propul Also, wherever practical, we have pro sion equipment. vided a standby unit capable of performing The problem of safety from foundering is closely related to the structural strength of the vessel, particularly its hull girder or beam strength when acted on by waves in a storm. The double bottom and decks, the wing bulkheads, if fitted, and the shell of the vessel are suitably braced by framing or stiff the duty of the unit normally operating, or a satis factory* emergency unit is available. For example, main generators, boilers, auxiliary machinery, and other important units, are in duplicate. Main reduction gears for any one diaft driving a propeller are not in duplicate because'of inherent ruggedness which in sures their safe and continuous operation. iUarinc Section 413 For example, their lubricating oil supply is cooled, filtered, a constant supply provided, and oil vapors from cases carried out of machinery space. In the event the oil sup ply becomes low, or pressure falls below a pre-determined point, the operator is warned by signals and the unit shut down. During this shutting down period, oil is supplied by gravity to the reduction gears for a period of at least three minutes. Thus a minor oil supply failure, which might result in the ship being disabled, is averted and the ship's safety enhanced. On diesel driven ships of the single screw type, two engines are gen erally employed, rather than one per main shaft and, barring damage of reduction gears, the safety of the ship is practically- doubled. in the radio room is not maintained, the auto-alarm permits 24-hour reception of dis tress signals. The radio compass, which de pends both on wireless and on the gyro com pass, is used to obtain bearings from shore stations. The gyro compass and repeater system provides an indication of the true heading of the vessel and the true bearing? of other vessels or objects, but a complete installation of three or more magnetic com passes, all corrected and ready for use, i? also provided. Beside the radio compass, two important auxiliaries depend cm the gyro compass system for their operation. These are the automatic course recorder and the gyro pilot, "Metal" Mike or automatic steer ing system. The radio installations on Amer ican vessels are closely supervised by the Federal Communication Commission. On single propeller ships the high and lowpressure turbines arc fitted with cross-con nection? which permit running of either the high or low pressure elements singly for emergency ahead operation. Under these conditions approximately one-quarter normal sdiead shaft Iwrsepower is developed which will permit the ship to maintain reasonable headway and is an added factor assisting safe operation. Ability to operate ahead with cither the high or low- pressure turbine during an emergency is, of course, based on undamaged reduction gears. An automatic indication and recording of the depth of water within the 15 to J00 fathom range is provided by the fathometer. For depths of less than 15 fathoms (90 (l.) the hand lead line is used, and for depth? greater than die range of the fathometer, the electric sounding machine is used. Minor devices which increase the safety from col lision or grounding are the electric wind shield wipers provided in the wheelbouse, which insure visibility during storms, and searchlights which permit safe docking or handling of boats alongside at night Safety of operation is further enhanced by the proper location and grouping of ma chinery control?, alarms and naming sig nals. This place? the control of the ship in the hand< of experienced operators, who are on the alert and ready to obey instantly the instruction* from those in command. Steering gears are provided with duplicate When, in spite of the preventive measures mentioned above, a vessel sustains a damage and water finds its wav into the vessel, tin? features of design classed in the second group as "remedial feature?" come into ac tion to confine the result? of the damage within safe bounds. feeder? for the motors, dual power plants, a Although Senate Report No. 184 doe? not (rick wheel control and at least two distant require cargo vessels (carrying not over 12 control station?. A gyro pilot system is also passengers) to be sufficiently subdivided to furnished which provides an additional means prevent foundering in case one compartment of steering control independent of the tele- is opened to (he sea, as by collision, under motor equipment generally provided in the water explosion, or gunfire, the Maritime pilot bouse. AM? to safe navigation, provided on all Maritime Commission vessels, help to pre sent grounding or collision, particularly in a fog. By far the most important element is the radio, by means of which the vessel maintains constant communication with its shore office, and with various agencies which assist in checking time and the vessel's post-, tion and providing weather reports. On a cargo vessel where a 24-hour watch Commission has insisted that all cargo ves sels built under its replacement program and receiving a construction subsidy be "one compartment" ships. This requirement re sults in the installation of a greater num ber of main watertight bulkhead? than might otherwise be used. These extend from the inner bottom (double bottom) up to the "bulkhead deck." There are 14 main watertight bulkheads on the SS, America which would permit the flooding of any 414 29th National Safety Congress three main compartments without endanger ing the safely of the vessel. Where the main watertight compartments are pierced by openings, as the door be tween a shaft alley and (he engine room, or between groups of passenger staterooms, mechanically operated sliding watertight doors with remote control must be provided. Cargo ports located in the side shell below Improved electrical equipment, including the use of armored cable, adequately pro tected control, ground detector lamps, ther mal overload relays, and proper choice ot motors to. prevent excessive overloading, have all contributed to long life expectancy and freedom from serious fire hazard. If a fire breaks out, the remedial features the '"bulkhead deck" are, of course, of water ot construction come into play. The vessel tight' construction and strength equal to that is divided hy vertical fire roisting bulkheads *j the bull. Into main zones not over 131 feet long, be Before its attack by American designers, yond which a fire in any cargo hold, living the problem of securing safety from founder or working space could not .-pnrad. Where ing had been approached principally from bulkhvads are stepped, the section ot deck the riandpoint of protecting the buoyancy of a icr>el to prevent sinking- Records ot losses, in way of the offset is made equal to the bulkhead in fire resisting qualities. The ma however. liow that large vessels generally terial in the bulkhead will not only resist capsize before loss of reserve buoyancy the passage of hear for a specified period, would cause the vessel to founder. but the bulkhead must be able to maintain The Maritime Commission has adopted the policy of providing sufficient stability on all classes of vessels, so that the vessels are equally safe from capsizing as they arc from foundering from loss of buoyancy. The Bureau of Marine Inspection and Navigation is responsible for measuring the its integrity for the same period. Poors piercing the main fire bulkhead between zones arc of the same construction a:* the bulkheads, and are required ro be closed mechanically by remote control on large passenger vessels. Dampers are placed in all ventilation ducts or trunks nhich may be closed from the bridge to avoid "chimney stability of passenger vessels by means of action" and spread of fires vertically. Stair inclining experiments. Although die Bureau ways for escape from each main zone arc of does not require inclining experiments on steel, enclosed with fire resisting material of cargo vessels, the Maritime Commision has the same construction as the main fire bulk insisted that the builders conduct these ex heads. Two protected means of escape are periments to determine the initial static sta provided from each living or working space, bility of one vessel of each type constructed at each shipyard. one at each end of the compartment At first many American ship owners, and As a final safeguard against foundering, almost all foreign operators, considered that wc provide a drainage system of ample ca pacity which is served by several pumps which will rid the hull of water due to rivet leaks, small cracks, etc the use of construction materials which would limit the spread of a fire, and would not support combustion themselves, would prove too expensive to be practical. This fear The problem of preventing fires on board has proved groundless. -diip is a difficult one, especially in respect' to fires in cargo holds. The Maritime Com- miNsion has followed Senate Report No. 184 and is constructing its vessels with incom bustible materials, so that practically all Experience gained in the actual work of installing materials and detailed construction types (forms, shapes, etc.) has resulted in standardization with resultant economies. that can burn is the cargo, certain stores, Although the greatest relative improve and the personal effects, bedding and drapes, ment in remedial features has been made in etc. of the passenger and crew accommoda preventing the spread of fires by means of tions. fire zoning and the use of fire resisting con To prevent cargo from catching fire from spontaneous combustion, the holds arc pro vided with mechanical ventilation. The air intakes and outlets are screened to prevent sparks or lighted cigarettes from being thrown into the hold spaces. struction and furniture, great progress has been made in fire detection both automatic and by patrols, and in fire extinguishing methods and equipment. Fire detection is both automatic and by systematic patrol including permanent watchmen's records. Between the hours of 10 Marine Section 415 p. m. and 6 a.m. a fire patrol every 20 min utes is required where public spaces are not fitted with fire detecting systems, and every' hour where such safeguards are pro vided. In the case of cargo spaces, an auto matic smoke detector system is used 10 give an alarm visible on cargo ships and visible and audible on passenger ships, in case a fire or smoke is present in any cargo bold space. The smoke can he seen in the fire detector cabinet, issuing from a numbered orifice, indicating the space where smoke is present A continuous sampling of air from each space is played on by a beam of light; a phoio-elcctric cell and relay system is used to give an audible alarm and show on an annunciator in case the slightest trace of smoke shows in any sample. The air sam ples can also be discharged into the pilot house so smoke can be detected by smell. The same tube used to draw the sample from a space may also be used to flood the compartment with CO* gas, which will ex tinguish the fire without damage to cargo or electrical machinery'- On diesel vessels, where CO* extinguishing systems are used to protect the machinery spaces, this method is employed for fire extinguishing in the cargo holds, but nn steamers it is also com mon to use steam for extinguishing fires in cargo holds; chemical foam is used for ma chinery spaces particularly in the boiler rooms- Hand directed hose streams have been found to be most effective for fighting fires in passenger and crew living and work ing spaces, and a generous number ot such hoses are provided about the open decks and In the living accommodations. A fire plug is also placed near each hatch top for pour ing water into an open hatchway should necessity arise, either at sea or in port. Metal lifeboats and motor lifeboats, meet ing the high standards of the Bureau of Marine Inspection and Navigation in number and construction arc provided. On cargo ships boatage is provided to accommodate ail persons on board on each side of the ship. On passenger vessels the total boatage will accommodate all persons on board, and in addition buoyant apparatus is provided to support in the water 25 per cent of all persons on board. Floodlights are provided to enable the safe and easy embarking of people into the boats. Power operated life boat winches are provided in passenger boats to lower the boats. Lifeboats having a capacity of 60 persons or more are fitted with hand operated pro pellers. The propeller is operated by means of numerous hand levers which require no skill or great strength to operate so that most all persons in the lifeboat can help to propel the boat. At least one motor lifeboat is provided on all passenger vessels and it is fitted with searchlight and wireless to guide rescue ships. So far I have spoken only in relation to safety of the ship and cargo and to life sav ing equipment. Considerable attention in de sign has been paid towards providing fea tures to safeguard crew and passengers from accidents especially in connection with the following items: ]. Car<7U and Lifeboat Handling Gear, The builders' designs of the complete in stallation, including masts, kingposts, der ricks, booms, trolleys, hoists, davits, winches, wire and manila ropes, blocks and other gear, are carefully checked by the Maritime Commission, ample factors of safety* being used. The complete installations are pro tected with a substantial overload, including raising, swinging and lowering of actual weights. The Bureau of Marine Inspection and Navigation supervises the testing of life boat davits, winches and falls. The arrange ment of boat and cargo handling gear for convenient, sate operation is considered, as well as the strength of each element. The test requirements for booms, blocks, wire rope and assembly tests are certified to by representatives of the Manufacturers, Shipyard and Maritime Commission, and copies of the certifications are furnished each vessel in form called "Register of Cargo Gear." This form has been accepted by other Maritime nations as indicating the cargo gear meets with their own regulatory requirements. 2. Guard Rails, Hand Rath and Grabs. A study ts made of all conditions where men must pass or work and the necessary safe guards provided, including handrails on lad ders, guard raiL abound hatchways and at the side of all weather decks, and hand grabs aloft. Portable sections in guard rails are fitted where necessary, as for aide lad ders. 3. Kon-slip Treads and Flooring. Non slip tile is provided in galleys, and the floor ing in passages leading to weather decks has 416 29th Xational Safety Congress uon-*kid properties. Inside and outside lad ders are provided with non-slip treads. 4. Lighting. All cargo hold and other working spaces, all passages and public spaces, and all open deck areas where cargo is handled arc adequately lighted to prevent accident. 5. Finally, the U- S- Public Health Serv ices safeguards the health of the crew by in specting all vessels at frequent intervals to determine their condition as to freedom from rats and other vermin, and purity of drinking water. The tanks, pumps and pip ing systems for drinking or culinary water arc segregated from other fresh water sys tems, hence labels are often seen over faucets, "Wash water--Unfit for drinking." The elimination of rat liarborage has progressed greatly due to welded steel fireproof con struction and the elimination of loo?e wooden dunnage wherever possible. A com bination ol good design and good housekeep ing has made it almost impossible for a rat to exist on board. Any spate is rat-proof if an inspector can shine a flashlight into it and sec clearly all parts with his naked eye. Any pockets that cannot be so examined must be dosed to rats with heavy* wire or solid metal. Fumigation for rats or in cases of infectious diseases, is carried out by the Public Health Service. How Safety Inspections Prevent Accidents By CAPTAIN W. W. STOREY United States Navy, Bureau of Marine Inspection and Navigation. Washington, D. C. As you are all aware, the Bureau is vitally concerned with the safety of the traveling public and the personnel employed on shipboard. I am particularly gratified with the progress we are making in the mat ter of accidents to passengers, such acci dents having been reduced to the vanishing point. During the past four years there have been no fatal accidents to passengers in inspected vessels. Accidents among the crews oi our vessels still occur in spite of the fact we have, in our opinion, the safest and best vessels in the world, but we are making definite prog ress in cutting these down by constant at tention to details and thorough drilling and instruction in the use of the various types and kinds of lifesaving, fire-fighting and emergency equipment. I have a tew figures from the Bureau's records which will clearly illustrate the progress we arc making. These figures cover five year periods from 1921-1925, 1926-1930, 1931-193S, 1936-1940. During the first period, 1921-1925, the annual average loss was 17 passengers and 89 members of the crew; 1926-1930. passenger lives lost were 35 and crew 98 per annum; 1931-1935. passenger lives lost were 36 and crew 62; and from 1936-1940 the average was but .2, or one passenger in five years and 2&2 crew. During the last three years there have been no lives of passengers lost on inspected vessels and 26 crew mcmters per annum Careful and thorough mvestigatien of all casualties, regardless of the grant?, and ap plication of the lessons learned therefrom are effective in reducing accidents, and con tinued instruction -id supervision is pre venting recurrence#. In bygone days, boat drills beJd in the presence of our inspectors were m a great many cases rather perfunctory and were featured by the crew crowding around the boat and swinging it oat and in. Nested boats were a problem and it was seldom that the lower boat was lifted from its chocks and swung oat. We now make a regular practice in getting oat nested boats. It is the practice at sea to lower the boats to the embarkation deck, which is greatly facilitated since grarity davits and wire falls have come into use, and in a number of instances vessels have been stopped at sea and all boats lowered to the water. In ad dition to being good training for the crew, such drills make a particularly favorable impression on the passengers. The use o round bar davits and manila falls always tended to create confusion, as a number of seamen were required to lift the boat and swing it out accompanied by shouted directions from various members. How ever, with the latest type of davit, which Marine Section 417 only requires the releasing of a toggle and one man to control the lowering brake, pandemonium Is absent. A> far as actual handling of the boats in the water, there has not been much change except tliat a number of our new boats arc ments or where there is a deficiency of oxy gen, we have stressed the importance of respiratory apparatus and considerable time has been given to instructing the personnel on board our ships in the use> and limita tions of the various types of gas masks, oxygen breathing apparatus and flame band-propelled and do not require knowl edge of rowing. We arc training more men tn the art of rowing. It is common practice for our inspectors to require and get every crew member, including stewardesses ami maids, into the boats and many of the women have proved to be experts with the oar#. Wc claim that wc have the best trained crews and the safest j-hips afloat. safety lamps. All our larger passenger boats and many -mall ones have emergency squads ready to respond to any alarm with a large assort ment of tools and equipment- Some of our vessel* include asbestos clothing in their fire-fighting equipment. Our traveling in spectors conduct classes in the use of re spiratory apparatus A life preserver drill held some years ago often employed an obsolete type of life pre server and was often held when no passen ger^ were present. Nowadays wc have a stewardess instruct passengers, and in thi> connection I might say iliai the passengers on our vessel* have shown a spirit of co operation in the - efforts made for their >afcty that i* extremely pleasing. The pa-^engers are really enthusiastic over the opportunity to take part in drills and their appreciation is evidenced by the many com mendatory letter- the Bureau is receiving. One important addition to the life-saving equipment is the loud speaker system which has demonstrated its value in sending orders to the boats and passengers. In addition to life-string and fire-fighting equipment, important strides have been made in navigational apparatus. It is in cumbent upon the personnel to be familiar with all types of equipment. The master can determine the chip's position by means of the radio direction finder. The fathometer will give the depth of water ever?' fw sec onds by means of echos from the bottom. When the boats arrive at (he embarkation kefc. the passengers arc instructed as to their duties m entering the boats and are told about the equipment in the boat. One feature about these drills is that they arc Sri<2 at -ca when the vessel is actually under As stated before, nr are reducing the number of what might be termed occupa tional accidents among Seamen, but stilt have some way to go to reach the irreduc ible minimum and I believe that only through constant instruction and education was Vim a few words about fire drills. Due t. magi of life in gas filled compart ami continued maintenance of the highoi standards of inspection that ideal condition can he attained. WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON' SESSION' October 9,1940 The session was called to order by Capt. E. C. Holden. Jr., Manager, Safety Depart ment. United States P. & T. Agency, Inc., New York City, and Chairman, Advisory Committee. Marine Section, N.S.C., * ..<> presided. The session had been planned to discuss the "Maritime National Defense Safety Program." The first speaker was Capt A. A. Nicho- son, Personnel Director. The Texas Com pany, New York City. Capt. Nichoson made one of his well-known oratorical efforts, speaking on the subject, "Safety as an Aid to Better Industrial Relations In National Defense." Unfortunatel\. since he spoke ex temporaneously, no report of the address is available here. The second speaker was Commander 418 29th Nationai Safety Congress Ralph H. Roberts, United States Navy, Washington, D- G, who spoke on the sub ject, "Maritime National Defense, Industry and Humanity." His fine inspirational ad dress was made extemporaneously, however, and no adequate record is available for these pages. Safety Education and the Training of Seamen By W. N. DERBY Commander, United States Coast Guard, Washington, D. C. The Morro Castle disaster in September, 1934, demonstrated tragically the penalty for failure to build safety into a vessel and to train crews in safety measures. When the vessel burned off the New Jersey coast, 124 of the 548 persons on board were lost, or almost 25 per cent. opened at New York for unlicensed person nel, at New London for licensed officers, and at Alameda, California, for both licensed and unlicensed seamen. Because of protests from labor organizations that the industry was already overmanned, enrollment was re stricted to men with service on seagoing and The investigation of this disaster revealed Great I-akes vessels. that the design and construction of the vessel were favorable to the quick spread of the fire, and it also revealed the shocking incom petence of the crew from the captain and chief engineer down. There were individuals who performed their duties bravely, but the crew was unorganized and untrained in the use of the available fire fighting equipment, and it was pitifully incompetent in handling the lifeboats. The Government took prompt and effective action in applying the lessons taught by the rapid spread of the fire. Extensive tests Seamen enrolled at Atlantic, Gulf, Pacific and Great Lakes ports were given free transportation to the training stations, pro vided with quarters, food and uniforms, and offered instruction in seagoing subjects by competent instructors. During the three months' instruction period, licensed officers were paid $125 a month, and unlicensed men $36 a month. These three training stations are now excellently equipped to provide in struction for 600 licensed officers and 2,800 unlicensed seamen a year, for periods of three months each. were made of new* materials, and specifica tions for new construction were drawn to provide maximum protection against fire hazards. These changes provided mod safer vessels; but as long as ships burn oU and carry flammable cargoes, fires will occur, and at sea you cannot call for the fire engines and the hook and ladder. The crew must know how to use their fire fighting gear, and they must know How to handle' their life-faying equipment. In its program for reliabrlitation of the merchant marine, the Maritime Commission did not overlook the problem of the sea going personnel. Admiral H. A. Wiley was particularly active in fostering an adequate training system. In November, 1939, the first class of 250 apprentice seamen was received on board the training ship American Seaman. They were selected from CCC camps, from applicants between 19 and 23 years of age whose camp records were good. Today the capacity of the spedal training stations and ships for apprentice seamen is 400 ax St. Petersburg. Florida, and 500 at Boston. Another train ing ship and training station with a total capacity of 500 apprentices will be in opera tion early next year in Southern California. The total capacity for apprentice seamen will, therefore, be abont 1,400. and the sta tions should make available each year for the merchant marine about 2.000 selected and trained recruits. Since well over 5,000 new The Maritime Commission turned to the mcn must enter the industry annually as re Coast Guard for advice in connection with placements, jobs for the Maritime Service personnel training, with the result that in apprentice seamen should be available with September, 1937, the U- S. Maritime Service out causing displacement of experienced sea was established as a part of the Maritime men. Commission with Coast Guard administra tion. Training stations were immediately During the three months' period of in struction at a Maritime Service Training Marine Section 419 Station, a seaman is given practical and theoretical instruction suited to his grade: navigation and seamanship for deck officers; steam, diesel, and electrical machinery for engineer officers; lathe operation and weld ing for unlicensed engine-room ratings; cooking and baking for men of the stew ard's department. These courses are intended to make the students more competent in their dally work and to prepare them for advancement. is to provide adequate training for the sea men now in the merchant marine. The train ing schedules of the Maritime Service Train ing Stations have been planned with the thought that every man aboard ship is a seaman, and should have a basic understand ing of seamanship. To that end ever)* enroller, whether deck sailor, engine room man, or cook. Is given instruction and drills in rowing and boat handling, elementary sea manship, and fire fighting. All men are re quired to attend classes in which instructive But in laying out the training schedules, marine disasters are described and discussed. due consideration was given to the impor tance of training seamen in safety measures. On a passenger liner half of the firefighters and lifeboat crews will be the cooks, waiters and utility men from the steward's depart ment, Where can such men get the training needed for emergencies ? Boat drills arc held on shipboard as required by law. but seldom is a lifeboat lowered into the water, and few arc the occasions when men are practiced in boatmanship. Having in mind the safety of both travel lers and seamen, the training program must have two objectives: first, to familiarize sea men with modern equipment, methods and organization. The second, and more impor tant from the view point of safety at sea, is to develop a new* morale in the present sea men, and to provide, as replacements be come necessary on our ships, young Amer icans, selected and trained with care. The quality of men now entering the industry will largely determine the quality of ships' crews five years hence. As a result of Coast Guard administration, ' boat drill is a major subject at the training stations. On board a merchant vessel a sea man has little opportunity to learn how to row or to handle a lifeboat, but at a train ing station he averages an l our a day in a boat and gets instruction in boat stowage and equipment. Upon completion of his course, an enrolkc has every right to feel well-trained in the duties of a certified life boat man. Recognizing that fire represents the great est hazard at sea, studies are made of the causes of fires, precautions to be observed, firefighting 'equipment and methods, and the organization of rescue parties. A study of the Motto Caslte fire reveals the failure of the ship's personnel to sound an alarm promptU, to use fire hoses, to close fire screen doors, to stop the ship so as to reduce the strong draft which fanned the flames, to send radio calls without delay, to direct passengers along safe interior passages, or to make effective use of the lifeboats. In During the past few years, morale iu the struction at the Hoffman Island training Navy and the Coast Guard has been high, station for unlicensed men is given in class while in the merchant marine it has dragged rooms well equipped with all approved types near bottom. Much of the difference in spirit of fire extinguishers. The care and use of is due, T believe, to the very* careful selec each type is explained by competent instruc tion of recruits for the naval service, as tors, and the apparatus is laid open for in compared to the casual entry into the mer spection. Likewise, various types of smoke chant marine of good, bad, and indifferent and gas masks arc discussed, and students characters. In the past, the merchant service fitted with smoke masks are required to has depended largely on aliens, and then on enter a specially constructed $mokc room. low-priced citizen labor. Now the alien sea men can no longer be employed extensively, and the wage level is no longer low. Im provements during the past few years in the Using and working conditions of American seamen make both practicable and necessary a higher standard of seagoing personnel. Although the fundamental personnel prob lem of safety at sea is to secure high grade men for the industry* the immediate problem In the classes for licensed officers, the properties of certain.dangerous cargoes are studied, and the most approved safety pre cautions considered. Studies of the fire-fight ing organization of a ship's crew, and the re quirements of law and of good seamanship are included in the course From the nature of his job, the seaman is liable to injury or sickness without hope 420 29th Xationa! Safety Congress oi prompt or skilled attention. At the train ing stations- medical officers of the U. S. Public Health Service conduct classes in hygiene and first aid. in which the special problems of seamen arc discussed. Venereal diseases must, of course, be considered al most an occupation hazard along the water* front, and an authoritative lecture on the dangers, prevention, and treatment of such diseases is properly classed as safety instruc tion. The danger? of vermin, poor ventila tion. noxious fumes, and poisonous gases, are included in the medical lectures. In ad dition to instruction, first class facilities are provided at the training stations tor the medical and dental treatment of cnrollccs. U. S. Navy Motion Pictures The clewing feature of this session was the presentation of United States Navy Mo tion Pictures, with Found effects. They in cluded "Navy Wings of Gold," "First Line of Defense," and "A Good-Will Cruise Around South America/* THURSDAY LUNCHEON AND AFTERNOON October 10, 1940 This session was a joint meeting with the Profiler Club, Port of Chicago. The meet ing wa> called to order by the Chairman. P. J. Riley. Principal Surveyor. American Bureau of Shipping, and President of The Propeller Club of Chicago. The Toastmaster was Arthur M. Tode. Honorary President of The Propeller Club oi the United States, New York City, and Past General Chairman. Marine Section, and Past Vice-President, National Safety Coun cil. The Guest of Honor, who introduced the speakers, was Cornelius H. Callaghan, Man ager, The Maritime Association of the Port of New York, New York City. The Future Safety of the American Merchant Marine By CHARLES H. C. PEARSALL Vice-President, Atlantic, Gulf & West ladies Steamship Lines, New York City We must take steps to assure the further -trcngtliening and permanency of the American Merchant Marine. New ships, faster, more efficient and more economical than anything previously built in this country are now being ^delivered at the rate of one a week. Eight ships will Itave been launched in the two weeks ending October 12th. The Maritime Commission ts doing a splendid piece of work. The need for a continuing ship replacement program has been obvious for years, but it was not until Admiral Land, the present chairman of the Maritime Commission, decided in true Navy >t>!e to go ahead and worry about criticism later, that real progress became apparent. Tt has been >aid on many occasions that if the percentage of our foreign commerce transported in American bottoms could be increased from 30 per cent to the neighbor hood of 50 per cent, the need for government financial aid to the shipowner would dis appear--that American shipowners could then pay the full cost of building ships in the United States, and all that capital cost entails in the way of depreciation, insurance and replacement, and be able to afford the wages and other costs which go hand in Itand with our standard of living. Today, in many trades, American ships have reached that Utopia in which foreign competition is practically non-existent. Wc all know the reason, fn just a little over a year, whole nations have been wiped off the map, and others have become vassal states of a ruthless conqueror. All but one of the nations thus demolished or conquered was Marine Section 421 a maritime country. Their shipping, as well as (hat of the aggressor nations and Great Britain, has been completely dislocated. A large part of our own Merchant Marine was thrown out of joint by the Neutrality Act, but the demoralization of other na tions* shipping and tonnage losses resulting from submarine and mine warfare have di verted business, which was formerly handled ready requisitioned a number of the newest ships flying the American flag. Up to now. it lias not been called requisitioning, but purchase, and the government in each case has driven a hard bargain. f should like to again point out a condi tion to which l have referred on several previous occasions. We all know that a merchant vessel has an economic life of but by foreign flag ships, to American vessels. twenty \ears. We also find that for cen The destruction of tonnage has strengthened turies major wars have occurred in cycle* the world shipping situation; the old law* of supply and demand has resulted to our ad vantage ; but American shipowners are not charging all the traffic will bear. Rates have not been increased to anything like those reached during the first World War. Almost every American flag line in for eign trade has purchased or agreed to pur chase new ship?, built in the United States, and is receiving the benefit of the construc tion differential and operating differential subsidies. Yet l venture to say that, if these subsidies were withdrawn, they could not ?ec their wa\ clear to continue for long, tor the reason that no one can predict the sttuatii.n that vs ill follow the war; how long the of approximately twenty year*. Two dec ades ago, the world was just beginning to take stock of itself after the first World War. At about the turn of the century there was our own Spanish-American War l which wasn't much of a war, but demon strated the value of a Navy and a Merchant Marine), the Boer War in South Africa, and. a little later, the Russo-Japanese War. In the preceding period between that time ami our own Civil War, there were numer ous conflicts, chief of which perhaps was the Franco-Prussian War. The American Civil War--1861 to 1865--marked the end of the era in which our Merchant Marine had dominated the seas. ar will Jai: and--most important-- Without government assistance, and some whether the United States may be forced times despite such aid, peacetime has umiinto it. American owners have no assurance ally meant operating losses or slim profit-1 that they will be able to retain their present for the shipowner. But wars invariably percentage of the business* when the war is bring about a demand for shipping. For thi> over. reason, and bearing in mind the 20-year war One thing they* do know; that unless the cycle and the 20-ycar life of the ship, tin rc present combatants annihilate each other, never has been a time in modern history American ships arc going to be confronted when the owner of a ship could not, at tonic with the toughest kind of competition. The period during the vessel's economic life, warring nations, financially exhausted, will make, sufficient profit, either by operation or do everything possible to regain their for sale, to pay the original co*t of the liij. mer status m world trade; they will have to do this in order to restore their trade bal ances. American shipping must be well for tified to withstand this onslaught. The safety ot our Merchant Marine requires that .here be no diminution of government financial aid in the present crisis or in the future, so far as wc can see today. Another reason tor the continuation of Today, insofar as the greater part uf American shipping in foreign trade i.* con cerned, this would be impossible. I am not arguing that the shipowner who accepts subsidies should expect to reap huge profits in wartime. But I do say that for reasons of national defense, for the safety of our foreign trade, and for the, safety of the Merchant Marine itself, events of the past tin's aid is the degree of control the govern year and the present situation completely ment itself retains over our shipping. Under justify the expenditure of millions of dollar* the present arrangement, the government can requisition any ship it has helped build or subsidize, during an\ emergency de clared by proclamation of the President. The law provides that the owner shall be paid the "fair, actual value" ot tlic vessel at the time of taking. The government has al for new vessels. Nor do wc in the Marine Industry belieic that there slwmld be any ]et-up in the Mari time Commission's ship construction pro gram. The Commission has no thought of apphing the brakes. Bui it ha* W*en **ug- 422 29th National Safety Congress gcstcd frequently of laic iliac every energy ing to work for it. But why should not the <>f the shipbuilding industry should be de steamship companies insist that their younger voted to the construction of naval craft and employees acquire the education, aside from that merchant shipbuilding can wait until routine experience gained in the office or on the naval rush is over. We all know the the pier, necessary to preparing them for fallacy of such reasoning. We know that advancement and greater responsibilities? tin* Navy needs vessels of the merchant type Banks, insurance companies and many other >o badly that it ha-* already taken over a businesses encourage this sort of tiling, and number of new ships from the regular lines many insist upon it. Why not. I repeat, the and intends to take more. As a matter of steamship companies? fact, the acceleration of the naval program of building demands the acceleration of the merchant shipbuilding program. And now, in conclusion, 1 conic to the question of public relations, which has aptly been called Industry's No. 1 job. It is cer There are shipowners with old ships on tainly that to the Marine Industry. If ever their hands--I am familiar with one com an industry has suffered by reason of a lack pany with ten of them--which they could of public understanding and appreciation, it sell at present world prices, but they cannot is the American Merchant Marine. Too many In* assured of replacements for several within the industry itself have dosed their months or even years. Meanwhile they are eyes to this problem--and, believe it or not. compelled to run the old ships with all the there are some today who profess the belief expense of operating obsolete or obsolescent that inasmuch as our shipyards arc over pri/pcrty; when the time comes that they flowing with work and our ships sailing with may secure replacements, they probably their holds full of cargo, the ultimate goal won't be able to get better than scrap prices has been'reached and any effort to improve f*r the old ones. our relations with the public i a waste of 1`hcrc is another angle which relates to time, energy and money. the safety of our Merchant Marine, and This is a joint meeting of the Marine lhai is the matter of personnel training. Section and the Propeller .Club--both organ Through the United States Maritime Service izations vitally interested m the America/! .-o ably conducted by the Coast Guard, some Merchant Marine--and it is not nccessarv 3.000 seamen and officers have taken ad for me to recite the Propeller Club's objec vantage of the opportunity to improve their tives. Yet only recently I was informed knowledge of seamanship and shipboard that a pretty big man in the shipbuilding duties. The Maritime Commission has made a good start io the training of future offi cer* with its cadet system, and the several field had suggested that the Propeller Club might well suspend activities Until the war is over! .-taic nautical schools have for many years produced the finest kind of merchant officer material. One more step must be taken, and that is one which the steamship companies hum take of their own volition. I refer to the training of the sljore staffs --our future shipping executives. Many colleges now offer courses in foreign trade, transportation and related subjects. Too often ihc graduates receive little if any en couragement when they apply for employ ment with steamship companies. Too few of these voting men. possessing Ihc theory, I believe, and I think you will all agree, that now. while public appreciation of the need for an American Merchant Marine is on the upgrade, we should double our ef forts And let us always keep in mind the fact that with any company, or industry*, good relations outside grow from good relations within. You must begin at home and work from the inside out. If the immediate fam ily is not happy and informed, those whom it meets outside will not be. ever get an opportunity to acquire actual To those who have been working for a vxicrieJice. good many years for improved safety in the AI<, there i the young man who lacks a college diploma, but who has secured a job in the shipping business. I know that in this country of ours, any young man who really marine field, these words must have a famil iar ring, for they sum up the chief problem encountered in making the Marine Industry safety-conscious. wants an education can get it if he is will And bv the same token, the safety of the Marine Section 423 American Merchant Marine can best be as sured when understanding and mutual re spect exist between top management, the man on deck, the man on the dock and the man who figures the bills of lading, as well as all those who come in between. Train Seamen for American Ships By COMMANDER ROBERT C. TEE Executive Vice-President of the Moorc-McCormack Lines, Inc., New York City The modem ship presents all the risks to be found in an industrial plant. It is in fact a small city with all the varied enterprises of a city* and in addition it must face the is fitting that we examine tor a few mo ments the present personnel of the American Merchant Marine and the United States Maritime Service which proposes to train it. perils of the sea. Certainly here we need 1 took a count of the birth places of the a trained personnel. crews of 19 of my ships today. The total Not long ago, in Rio de Janeiro, the Ad number of men's records examined was miral oi our South Atlantic squadron in 1,911. Of these 77 were actually aliens and vited me aboard his flagship, the heavy 774 were foreign bom, now- naturalized. cruiser Wichita. The ship is a maze of 1,060 are native bom. Now, 1 am not criti complicated machinery, great guns, anti-air cizing my crews because about halt are for craft batteries, airplanes and airplane garage, eign bom. Foreign bom does not nccc5>arily mine sweeping and mine laying equipment, make a bad sailor. However, the setup is torpedo tubes, and all the paraphernalia of wrong. The kind of men \\c arc getting i* war at sea. She was in an absolutely perfect not the kind of men that are valuable tor state of upkeep. You could see that men this important duty. They arc not anywhere who knew their jobs and loved their jobs near the same class of men that are going officered and manned that ship. These boys were the kind that some people like t*> refer to as "plow jockeys." Many of them, truly, were very recently from the into the Navy, and they will not be. so long as present conditions exist, because the class of men that we want will not associate with the present setup. fann lands of this country- A few months In the Navy, improved living condition*- with the right kind of training had made had preceded the improvement in personnel. them into the finest seamen the world has Unfortunately it lagged behind in the Mer yet produced. chant Marine. Where dollars were invested When I entered the Navy thirty-four years ago it was just at the end of a period of changing over of personnel. The cream of the old-timers was still left in leading petty officer positions. They were mostly Scandinavians, but there were some Portu strong-arm methods were necessary. How ever, several years ago 1 personally spent many days in Washington with the old Cope land Committee, the majority of which were labor leaders, and we wrote into the law vast improvements in living conditions gese. Italians, and Greeks that E recall. The Personally, I am of the opinion that most new Navy was coming along fast. Instead shipowners are in favor of effective labor of manning our Navy from the waterfront, unions, and those that arc not will have to we Americanized them, and to do this it was obey the law, anyway. I know that wc aTc necessary to go to the inland, take young strongly m favor of responsible organization men with no sea experience whatsoever, put for our workmen. I refer only to those them into training stations for six months, who are properly classed as laborers, be and than dispatch them to the ships. The cause that is the only group that labor Navy really started going places when this unions are good for. The labor unions, occurred ft was accessary to give the men should be strong and well knit, and not in better firing conditions, better treatment, but any way controlled or influenced by the in turn we got better men and consequently company in its decisions and actions. The an infinitely better Navy. policy of a labor union, however, that at As a mighty step in the direction of tempts to destroy company loyalty, is po safety, mehiding national safety, I think it litical in its philosophy, and is using the 424 29th National Safety Congress union tor political purposes and not tor the recognized American purpose, which is to improve the condition o the workman. Il loses sight entirely of the fact that the con dition of the workman can only be improved in exactly the ratio that the improvement of the company occurs. We are sometimes inclined to believe that the greatness of America is her vast natural resources. These natural resources were all here for untold years and were completely neglected by the few thousand Indians who roamed the country. The greatness of Amer ica today is her people, who have known how to utilize these vast riches. Such a people can build a Merchant Marine when it becomes necessary. We need such a kind of jtf-oplc today in our ships and we arc going to have them sooner or later--T hope sooner. Another thing, there is in my judgment no place on the high seas, in American ships, for men who are afraid to fight. One of my ships recently raised three hundred dollars from the poor sailors to send delegates to the -All American Youth Congress meetingin Chicago against war Now, this is not the kind of men that make a Navy. Such men are no good for defense. For a Navy you want men that are a little thick on the side of rheir Government; a little too ready to fight, if anything. The Navy proved this when she changed her alien bom crews for \oung Americans. What has all this to do with safety? Just this. A Navy without bases, without a train, is no Xavy at all. Already in peace time, with a -light expansion begun in our Navy, they have had to take from our Merchant Marine our Cadets, several of my ships, sev eral of the Maritime Commission ships, ind more are to follow. A Merchant Marine is a defense. In the United States it has no other justification as it is not a profitable venture of itself. It is a commercial defense at all times and a vital military defense in time of war. Our Merchant Marine should be as carefully manned and as skillfully trained as is our Navy. The United States Maritime Service was established by the Commission on July 14, 1938. By agreement with the Secretary of the Treasury-, it is administered for the Commission's account by the United States Coast Guard under rules and regulations prescribed by the Commission. The American Seaman placed in service in May 1939 and the American Sailor which is nearing completion, are two of the finest training ships in the world. These vessels are of ten thousand tons deadweight, and were reconditioned at a cost of a little more than one and one-half million dollars each. They are equipped with the most modem, up-to-date equipment such as machine shops, safety devices, lifeboat handling gear, navi gating equipment, and galley equipment for the instruction of apprentices. The American Seaman is attached to the Sr. Petersburg Station, Florida, with an an nual capacity of 333 apprentices. The Amer ican Sailor will be attached to the Huencme, California Station with an annual capacity of 333 apprentices. Also, the full-rigged ships, ilte Joseph Conrad and Tusitala are for the instruction of apprentices and are presently attached to the St. Petersburg Station. In addition, there are several cutter? at tached to the various training station.-. There are two training schools for Li censed Officers, one located at New London, Conn., with an annual capacity of 360 men covering a three months* course and l0 men covering a one month course. The other is located at Alameda, California with ait annual capacity of 180 men covering a three months' course and GO men covering a one month course. These schools arc well equipped and have a variety of subjects such as navigation, maritime law, signalling, safetyprecautions. emergency drills, history disas ter, internal combustion engines, boilers, etc. The school at New London, Conn., also has the facilities of the Coast Guard Academy for instruction purpose*. Hoffman Island has an annual capacity of 1,880 men covering a three months' course and 600 men covering a one month course. The Alameda Station has an animal ca pacity* of 240 men covering a three months* course and 12Q men covering a one month course. Both of these stations are for the Deck, Engine and Stewards Departments. These schools are exclusive!} for the sea men who hai-e had at least twelve months' sea experience. They are taught subjects such as nomenclature, electric welding, emergency drills, boatmanship. hygiene, breeches-buoy drills, machine shop work, and with special emphasis on lifeboat drills. Graduates of the deck, engine or steward's department are fully qualified lifeboat men. There are three schools for apprentices, namely, St. Petersburg, Florida, with an an- Marine Section 425 nuaJ capacity of 666- men (including the American Seaman); Gallups Island, Boston, Mass., with an annual capacity of 667 men; and Huencme, California, under construc tion, with an annual capacity' of 500 men (including the American Sailor). sary training may fail in its purpose. As you know, ignorance and incompetence breed fear. Some organizations seem to be scared to death of this training service and instead of assisting it in every way possible, appear determined to undermine and destroy it. Upon enrolling in the Maritime Service, these young men are given preliminary train ing in hygiene, discipline, etc, at the vari ous receiving stations. After their adapta bility* for the various departments has been determined, they arc then sent to sea on the full rigged sailing ships and the training ships American Seaman and American Sailor for training in their respective de It is a dead intellect indeed that considers that there can be too many skilled workers. Wc are spoiling altogether too many good bricklayers in an effort to make doctors and lawyers, out of them. In Pennsylvania the other day the Frankfort Arsenal opened its gates for three thousand skilled work men. Of the first five hundred who applied only eighteen were considered even worthy partments. of trying out. The Civil Service Commis The course is for one year, after which sion also took applications from two hun the men are certificated by the Bureau of dred, out of which ten were skilled worker?. Marine Inspection and Navigation as cooks, For safety's sake let's get some trained men butchers, waiters, ordinary seamen, and vari from our youth. ous ratings in the Engine Department; also, every graduate is a certificated li feboat-marr. The greatest safety Act of all time- is Apprentices at Gallups Island are being trained as Radio Operators. Licensed Of ficers receive $125 per month, unlicensed per sonnel in the deck, engine and steward's departments are eligible for $36 per month and Apprentices $2l per month. Tliese men arc furnished subsistence, lodging, clothing, together with free medical and dental care. Graduates who have served at least eight months at sea in the twelve months are elig ible to return to the school for one months* course each year, and in addition to their month's pay they receive an additional month's retainer pay. the Conscription Law. It is high time this country woke up to the difference between license and liberty. We have been producing altogether too many people of late willing to accept the soft side of life; willing to partake of the good things that America has to offer, but entirely unwilling to pull their oar in the boat. Here again the fault is not inherent in the breed, but lies in our namby, pamby, broken down processes of education. Our educational systems need an application of sand and canvass. But under the Compulsory Service Law, by 1945 and perhaps sooner, there will be at least tour million citizens of this country who What more could any Government do to will be vastly improved mentally, morally, train its seamen? and physically, and will begin to have some Notices of this training arc posted in all CCC Camps. The Civilian Couscivation Corps assembles applicants at Fort Dix, New Jersey, from ail over the country- The material that has been assembled so far ha* been excellent. It is possible that this splendid and neces faint conception of what life is all about. From this will conic safety, not only the safety of our country- from enemies without, but safety from the rots that have been de veinping from within. Upon this law hang* the future of democracy, the future of \mrrira Presentation of National Safety Council Awards in the Marine Section Safety Contest Outstanding facts in the contest were de scribed briefly by Mr. Arthur M. Tode, Consulting Engineer, New York City, who also presented the awards in the name of the National Safety Council. The enrollment in the 1939-10 contest ex ceeded participation in all previous compe titions. One hundred and twentv-four units employing 115,992 people who worked 230.347,305 hours during the year participated. The average frequency rate was 26.10. Rates ranged from 9.53 in the Harbor r 426 29th National Safety Congress Equipment Division to 239.09 in the Coast wise Stevedoring Division. Frequency rates averaged 41 per cent above rates in the previous competition. The increase is due principally to sharply higher rates in the Shipbuilding & Repair Division. One out of each 19 employees had a re portable injury during the year. Nine contestants went through the contest jkiriod without a single reportable injury. The awards consisted of handsome Trophies in the form of Bronze Plaques. each displaying an eagle in flight and the Universal Safety Emblem, which were given to winners of first place in the contest; and Certificates of Merit in the shape of a let tered scroll, which were given to winners of second and third places. In the lists below*, winners of first place are indicated by the numeral (1), and winners of second and third places arc indicated by the numerals (2) and (3) respectively. Httrfror Equipment Division Group A \. V. 5v Engineer Department, Missouri River Division. 1,876378 hours, 7 injuries. 2. V- S. Engineer Department, North At lantic Division. 2337319 hours, 17 injuries. .1. U. 5>. Engineer Department, Lower Mississippi Valley Division, 5.771.299 hoars, 39 injuries. Harbor Equipment Division Group B 1. Standard Oil Company of Louisiana, Baton Rouse, T a., 512.615 hours, no in juries. 1. The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway Co., Xcuporf Xews, Va., 1653L** hours, no injttric- 1 Tin* Atlantic Refining Company. Phiiairiphia. Fa.. 160.761 hours, no injuries. ' f'an American Petroleum Corp- New Y- i-k. N* Y. 99.77? hours, no tnjtxric*. ! \thur.ic Coas Line Railroad Co- Port Tampa. Fla. 79.430 hours, no injuries. 1 I'num Oil Company of California. Los Atuielcs. Cal.. 61.624 hours, no injuries Caron Passm&er Vessels Division 1 The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway C.. Newport .Ycwi, Vi, 97,909 hours, no injuries 2. Standard Oil Co., Indiana. Chicago, 111347,188 hours, 1 injury. 3. Lvkes Coastwise Line. Inc., New Or leans. La., 617,711 hours, 2 injuries. Tankers Division 1. Genera] Petroleum Corporation of Cal ifornia. Los Angeles. Cal.. 412.256 hours, 1 injury. 2. Lago Shipping Co., Ltd., Aruba, X. W. I.. 1.771,168 hours, 7 injuries. 3. Tide Water Associated Oil Co.. East ern Division, New York, N. Y., 1.215.120 hours. 7 injuries. 5ht/>buildinp 6* Repair Division Group .4 1. U. S. Navy Yard, Puget Sound, Wash., 10379.782 hours. 32 injuries. 2. U. S. Navy Yard, Boston, Mass.. 11.798,296 hours. 50 injuries. 3. U. S. Navy Yard, Norfolk, Va.. 15.919,295 hours, 124 injuries. Shipbuilding & Repair Division Group B 1. U. S. Engineer Department, Xorth Pa cific Division, 297,613 hours, no injuries. I. U. S. Engineer Department, South At lantic Division, 244,272 hours, no injuries. 3. U. S. Engineer Department, Lower Mississippi Valley Division. 1.730358 hours. 3 injuries. Great Lakes Stevedoring Division 1. Canada Steamship Lines Limited. Ham ilton, OnL, 115.445 hours. 3 injuries. 1 East Chicago Dock Terminal Co,, East Chicago. Ind.. 84,064 hours. 3 injuries. 3. Canada Steamship lines Limited, Point Edward. Ont., 220,761 hours. 8 Deep Sea Stevedoring Division 1. Lago Oil & Transport Co,, Ltd- Aruba. X. W. I- 454320 hours, 4 injuries. 2. Waterfront Employer* Associariou of San Francisco, CaL, 6.776.743 hours. 581 injuries, 3. T. Hogan St Sons, Inc, Nor York. X. Y, 810.890 hours. 85 injuries. Coastwise Stevedoring Division 1. Dykes Bros. S. S. Co, W,, Bostoo. Mass., 101,386 hours, 16 injuries. 2. Lyfccs Bros. S. S. Co- loc, Baltimore. Md., 144371 hours, 35 injuries. 3. Lykrt Bros. S. S. Go- Inc, Houston. Texas. 228.054 hours. 56 injuries. ADJOURNMENT Meat Packing, Tanning and Leather Industries Section Officers 1939-1940 General Chairman---H. G. ScttAFFXER, Schafiner Brother* Co.. Erie, Pa. Secretary---Ray Gillctt, The Rath Packing Co., Waterloo, Iowa. Arctvs Letter Editor--Eat* S. Lusk, Peter Eckrich & Sons, Inc., Kalamazoo. Mich. Engineering Committee Chairman--Tom Muxer, Crocker Packing Co., Joplin, Mich. Foster Committee Chairman--W. C. Ruri.e. Chilhowce Co., Newport. Tenn. Program Committee Chairman--M. O. ASUESsox, King's Packing Co., Nampa, Idaho. Publicity Committee Chairman--A. S. SotTAK. R. H. Buhrke Co., Chicago, 211. Statistics Committee Chairman---Hf.nkv C. Riehl, Eberle Tanning Co., Westfield, Pa. Afembers at Large-- *H. L. Clove*, International Shoe Co., St. Louis, Mo. E. E Drews, Libby, McNeil & Libby. Chicago. IIL H. V. E- Hunter, Hunter Packing Co., East St. Louis. 111. C. B. Magrudek, The Wm. Schluderbcrg-T. J. Kurdle Co., Baltimore, Md C. M. Mense. Lehigh Safety Shoe Co., Allentown, Pa. Wilson Palmer, United Shoe Machinery Corp.. Beverly. Mas*. R. R. Roach, Geo. A. Hormel & Co., Austin, Minn. PhilipG. Rhoads,/. E. Rhoads & Sons, Wilmington. Del. A. E. Sinclair. Kingan & Co.. Indianapolis, Ind- Officers 1940-1941 Central Ckmrman--H. G. ScHArrso. Schaffncr Brothers Co . Erk. Pa. Secretary--Ray GclLETT. The Rath Packing Co.. Waterloo, Iowa. News Letter Editor--L. O. Cheeyer, John Morrell & Co.. Ottumwa. Iowa. Engineering Committee Chairman--Ton Miller, Crocker Packing Co., Joplin, Mo. Poster Committee Chairman--W. C. Kum, Chilbowee Cou Newport, Term. Program Committee Chairman--Clyde R. Powell. Eodieoct Johnson Corp., Endicott. X. Y Publicity Committee Chair-mem--A. F- Soctajl R. H. Bttbrfce Co, Chicago, III. Statistics Committee Chairman--Henri C. Rrrm, Ehcrle Tanning Co- Westfield. Pa. Members at Large-- JL O. AssessoN. King's Packing Co- Nampa. Idaho. *H. L. Clovcl. International Shoe Co., Sl Louis, Mo. E. . Drtws. Libby, McNeill 8r Ubby. Chicago. III. C. T. Healv. John Wenzel Co. Inc.. Wheeling. \Y Va H. V- E. Hunter. Hunter Packing Co., East St. Louis, IU. Wilson Palmer. United Shoe Machinery Corp., Beverly, Ma. Philip G. Rhoads. J. E. Rhoads & Sons. Wilmington, Del. Fayette Sherman. Geo. A. Hormel Sc Co.,, Austin. Mina *A. E. Sinclair, Kingan 8c Co.. Indianapolis, Ind. *Pai General Chairman 427 428 -`Vfcfc fir m+i .'Mtjety Congress Tf.SJ>AV AF7T.*\(X>\ SKSSfO.V * kOuUrr 8. 1V40 The cession w catted to orkrf by Gen eral Clvairman H G Schaffu**, Treasurer. Schaffncr Bros Company, Erx, Pa., who presided. In his opening remarks the Chair man welcomed tW (kJcjKiies and commented briefly on the arrivitint of tbc Section and w Sectional Committees during the past year The Report of the Nominating Committee was received, and officers for the Section io'the ensuing year were elected, as presented el<ewhere in tin's record. The Chairman then introduced the first speaker. Safety in Handling Live Stock By H. R. smith General Manager, National Live Stock Loss Prevention Board, Chicago, IU. In handling live stock on farms probably the most common accident is goring or trampling by a bull. Dairy sires seem to be more unruly than beef sires because of their nervous temperament. The disposition of the animal is greatly influenced by the care given. Many assume that all bulls arc ugly and proceed to use a club or pitchfork whenever they enter the yard, lender such conditions, the bu/f learns to defend himself and may strike back. Proper feed, good watering facilities and kindness in treatment are the best means of preventing bad dispositions. There are cases where a bull is naturally ugly and under such conditions should always be handled with a staff in the nose-ring. If not particu larly valuable a* a >ire. such an animal should be sold for beef. We rarely hear of accidents with unruly hugs and these are nearly always confined tu boars that have been mishandled; Sheep are virtually harmless. I have known of a few* butting rams, but these arc usually made unruly by teasing boys. Kirks from horses arc not uncommon. Many of these could be avoided by a care ful approach in the stall with quietly spoken words and gentleness on the part of the attendant. tric prod on cattle should always .-land well back. The relatively few accidents to jani men in our live stock markets s astonishing. For example, the receipts of cattle at the Chi cago market liave averaged nearly 3.000.000 annually during the past forty years, yet during that time there have been, according to statements of old-timers, only three men killed, two from goring by bulls and one from a swinging gate on a very windy day. There have also been a few cases of broken legs ami arms, and other minor injuries. Some shippers notify their commission firms that the load contains one or more un ruly cattle. All should do this. The change in surroundings and the excitement of the public market affect animals differently. Some salesman, forewarned about an ugly bull, finds him perfectly subdued by the >irangencss of stockyard activity; other cattle, known to be quiet on the farm, are in a few instances excitable 2nd obstreper ous in the public market. One explanation of the small number of accidents to stockyard operators is their daily experience in handling large numbers and their almost automatic guarding sense. Another is that more than 80 per cent of the cattle sold arc hornless. The excitement of loading animals on trucks or cars is often conducive to kicking by cattle, especially when electric prods arc used. In such cases, it is not so much the pain as the surprise. A man using an elec The story of injuries to animals by man is a different one. I am ashamed to say that farm animals are much more considerate of men than men in general arc to animals. 1 do not wish to indict all menj many arc P+rk***;. Tnmnmtj Lentksr Industries Section 420 l>m The* talar thex products going into a lower grade to pri'k in ibrtf l**c stocks e the ar.i get be sold at a discount. much <'actQ m i nw< tb*m eufort- It was found that on the basis of receipts able and ah*t>* haaadtc tfaeaa. carefully to and daughter of live stock in the United avoid injuries. The** art mvartahiy most States during 1935, the loss on animals dead '.ucctrvtfnl becure ram* ininnitr teepeed to and crippled on arrival was approximately Rood treatment There are other* who lack these qualities. They are undisturbed by injuries and suf fering they inflirt on animals by the ue of clubs and other such objects. They lose their tempers easily and are unnecessarily cruel under such circumstances. If farm animals were as combative and abusive to ward man as man is (o animals, our hos pitals would be full to overflowing with in jured patients. Injuries to animals occur not -*> much with intent as with carelessness and a lack of knowledge as to how easily an $3,000,000 that year and the toss from bruis ing was approximately $9,000,000, making a total loss of $12,000,000 in one year, much of which was the result of improper han dling and, therefore, preventable, it would be impossible, of course, to market live stock without some losses of this character. They are so susceptible to injuries and to mortality in transit under certain conditions that some losses arc bound to occur. How ever, with more careful methods this waste ran be reduced at least onc*1talf or perhaps nvo-thirds eventually. animal may be bruised under the skin and The work of this Board has been largely therefore unseen at the time. (hat of research to learn the causes of crip The economic as well as the humane as pects of careful versus careless handling of live stock is worthy of the consideration of every citizen. The annual waste that occurs from injuries to live stock on farms, in transit, and at the markets is of concern to all and docs not reflect credit to the live -lock industry as a whole. Much progress ha* been made in breeding and feeding animals for efficient and economical produc tion and great strides have been made in the control and elimination of diseases. We have here* fore neglected the waste that is so general in the marketing process. h was because of this situation that the National Live Stock Loss Prevention Board wa* organized in 1934 through the initiative nt producer?, transportation companies, stockyard and commission agencies, live stock insurance companies, meat packers, tanners and humans societies. In 1935 an exhaustive survey was made to determine with some exactness the extent of these losses. The stockyard companies of the nation were called upon to furnish statistics giving the total receipts of each class of animal* and the number that were found dead and crippled on arrival. The various packing companies were asked to conduct bruise icms or enough consignments of live stock to give an accurate picture of the pling and mortality in transit and the causes of bruises to countless more animals that are not crippled or killed in transit. The problem has become greater with the in creased use of trucks in transporting live stock. This is because so many trucks are not property equipped to carry live stock safely. Then too there has been a tendency to let any man who knows how to drive a truck take these animats from the farms to the markets. Unfortunately, there are far too many who are unfamiliar with the habits of farm animals and, furthermore, do not have the humane instincts that are so essentia! for safe transportation. Transportation by rail is by no means per fect, but these records show that on tlu* average the losses, by truck are much higher. particularly ~ when the animals are hauled long distances. In bringing together llte*e records from the five river market*--Kansas City, St. Joseph, Omaha. Sioux City and St. Paul, it was found that the number of meat animals dead and crippled on arrival by truck was more than twice as great as the number of meat animals..dead and crip pled on arrival by rail in proportion to num ber hauled. These markets were selected for this study because practically all of the live stock that is received there comes direct from the farms and not from other markets. extent of losses from bruising. In these Combining the data at the five markets, bruise lots conducted at fifty packing plants during the year 1939, nearly three times from coat to coast, experts determined the as many cattle and calves were found dead weight of the bruised meal that is always and crippled on arrival by truck as by rail trimmed out. and the loss that resulted from in proportion to number hauled. Only 10 428 29th National Safety Congress TUESDAY AFTERNOON SESSION October 8. 1940 The session was called to order by Gen eral Chairman H. G. Sehaffner, Treasurer, ScliaJTner Bros. Company, Erie, Pa., who presided. In his opening remarks the Chair man welcomed the delegates and commented briefly on the activities of the Section and of Sectional Committees during the past year. The Report of the Nominating Committee was received, and officers for the Section to'the ensuing year were elected, as presented elsewhere in this record. The Chairman then introduced the first speaker. Safety in Handling Live Stock By H. R. SMITH General Manager, National Live Stock Loss Prevention Board, Chicago, 111. In handling live slock on farms probably the most common accident is goring or trampling by a hull. Dairy sires seem to be more unruly than beet sires because of their nervous temperament. The disposition of the animal is greatly Influenced by the care given. Many assume that all bulls are ugly and proceed to use a club or pitchfork whenever they enter the yard. Under such conditions, the bull learns to defend himself and may strike back. Proper feed, good watering facilities and kindness in treatment are the best means of preventing bad dispositions. There are cases where a bull is naturally ugly and under such conditions should always be handled with a staff in the nose-ring. Jf not particu lar!} valuable as a sire, such an animal >hould be sold for beet. We rarely hear of accidents with unruly hogs anti these arc nearly always confined to boars that have Wen mishandled Sheep are virtually harmless 1 have known of a few butting rams, hut these arc usually made unruly by teasing boys. Kicks from horses are not uncommon. Many of these could be avoided by a care ful approach in the stall with quietly spoken words and gentleness on the part of the attendant. tric prod on cattle .-hould always .-land well back. The /datively few accident* to yard men in our live stock markets is astonishing. For example, the receipts of cattle at the Chi cago market have averaged nearly 3,000,000 annually during the past forty years, yet during that time there have been, according lo statements of old-timers, only three men killed, two from goring by bulls and one from a swinging gate on a very windy day. There have also been a few cases of broken leg* and arms, and other minor injuries. Some shippers notify their commission firms that the load contains one or more un ruly cattle. AJJ should do this. The change in surroundings and the excitement of the public market affect animals differently. Some salesman, forewarned about an ugly buff, finds him perfectly subdued by the >trangencss of stockyard activity; other cattle, known to be quiet on the farm, are in a few* instances excitable and obstreper ous in the public market. One explanation of the small number of accidents to stockyard operators is their daily experience in handling large numbers and their almost automatic guarding sense. \nothcr is that more than 80 per cent of the cattle sold arc hornless The excitement of loading animals on trucks or cars is often conducive to kicking by cattle, especially when electric prods arc used. In such cases, it is not so much the pain as the surprise. A man using an elec The story of injuries to animals by nian is a different one. I am ashamed to say that farm animals are much more considerate of men than men in general are to animals. I do not wish to indict all men; many are Meat Packing, Tanning <*r Leather Industries Section 429 l>om with humane instincts. They take these products going into a lower grade to pride in their live stock on the farm, get be sold at a discount. much satisfaction in seeing them comfort U was found that on the basis of receipts able and always handle them carefully to and slaughter of live stock in the United avoid injuries. These arc invariably most States during 1935, (he loss on animals dead >ucccs*ful because farm animals respond to and crippled on arrival was approximately good treatment $3,000,000 that year and the loss from bruis There are others who lack these qualities. They arc undisturbed by injuries and suf fering they inflict oa animals by the use of clubs and other such objects. They lose their tempers easily and are unnecessarily cruel under such circumstances. Jf farm animats were as combative and abusive to ward man a* man is to animals, ottr hos pital* would be full to overflowing with in jured patient*. Injuries- to animals occur not so much with intent as with carelessness and a lack of knowledge as to how easily on ing was approximately $9,000,000. making a total loss of $12,000,000 in one year, much of which was the result of improper han dling and, therefore, preventable. It would lie impossible, of course, to market live stock without Mine losses of this character. They are so susceptible to injuries and to mortality in transit under certain conditions that some losses arc bound to occur. How ever, with more careful methods this waste can be reduced at least onc-half or perhaps two-thirds eventually. animal may be bruised under the skin and The work of this Board has been largeb therefore un.em at the time. that of research to learn the causes of crip The economic as well as the humane as pects of careful versus careless handling of live stock is worthy of the consideration of every citizen. The annual waste that occurs from injuries to live stock on farms, in transit, and at the markets is of concern to all and does not reflect credit to the live -lock industry as a whole. Much progress ha* been made in breeding and feeding animals for efficient and economical produc tion and great strides have been made in the control and elimination of diseases. We have heretofore neglected the waste that is so general in the marketing process. It was because of this situation that the National Live Stock Loss Prevention Board was organized in 1934 through the initiative of producers, transportation companies, stockyard and commission agencies, live stock insurance companies, meal packer.-., tanners and humane societies. In 1935 an exhaustive survey was made to determine with some exactness the extent of the?c losses. The stockyard companies of the nation were called upon to furnish statistics giving the total receipts of each class of animal* and the number that were found Head and crippled on arrival. The various packing companies were asked to conduct bruise tests on enough consignments of live stock to give an accurate picture of the extent of losses from bruising. In these bruise tests conducted at fifty'packing plants pling and mortality in transit and the causes of bruises to countless more animals that are ivot crippled or killed in transit. The problem has become greater with the in creased use of trucks in transporting live stock. This is because so many trucks are not properly equipped to carry live stock safely. Then too there has been a tendency to let any man who knows how to drive a truck take these animals from the farms to the markets. Unfortunately, there are far too many who arc unfamiliar with the habits of farm animals and. furthermore, do not have the humane instincts that arc so essential for safe transportation. Transportation by rail is by no means per fect, but these records show that on the average the losses, by truck are much higher, particularly when the animals are hauled long distances. In bringing together these records from the five river markets---Kansas City, St. Joseph, Omaha, Sioux City and St. Paul, it was found that the number of meat animals dead and crippled on arrival by truck was more than twice as great as the number of meat animals dpad and crip pled on arrival by rail in proportion to num ber hauled. These markets were selected tor this study because practically all of the live stock that is received there comes direct from the farms and not from other markets. Combining the data at the five markets, during the year 1939, nearly three time* from coast to coast, experts determined the weight of the bruised meat that is always trimmed out. and the loss that resulted from as many cattle and calves were found dead and crippled on arrival by truck as by rail in proportion to number hauled. Only 10 430 29th National Safety Congress t>er cent more of the hogs were crippled by truck, but three times as many were dead tin arrival by truck. The greatest contrast was with respect to sheer The number dead and crippled on arrival by truck was more than four times as great as by rail in proportion to number hauled. There is a great deal of room for improvement in the transporta tion of live stock by truck. because they are loaded by expert sheep men. Rail tariffs require partitions in mixed shipments of live stock. These are not al ways enforced, but partitions are much more generally used in rail deliveries. We have all seen some trucks with bulls running loose, under which circumstances they cause injuries. Mo doubt all of you have seen sheep lifted by the wool which It should be stated that there are some causes bad bruising under the skin. I have truckers who have the equipment and give seen many trucks where hogs, sheep and such care that the live stock they haul calves have been pushed from the upper reaches the market in just as good condition to the lower deck in unloading, without the and with just as few losses as in rail ship use of a cleated incline. This is decidedly ments. It is the indifferent and careless trucker objectionable. There is great need of more who lowers the average. We find the great loading chutes on farms. Careful haulers est defects in truck transportation something carry the collapsible kind on their trucks as follows; if stationary* or portable chutes are not There ts a tendency on the part of some to overcroud in order to get the weight they think is necessary' to make it a profitable haul. Many do not use adequate bedding to prevent slipping. Sand gives much better footing than any other material; some of die worst bruising is caused when animals slip and fall down in the truck. They are often unable to rise if crowded and are ]dly trampled. Sand should be covered with straw in the winter, but not in the summer for hogs. These animals suffer greatly from excessive heat and it is most desirable to wet the sand thoroughly during hot weather. Many truckers fail to do this. Railroads have showering facilities at inicrvais en route. available at the farms. While a large proportion of the live stock hauled by truck is covered by insurance, the farmer pays for the insurance and is, there fore, the* direct loser. When losses occur in rail shipments, if they are not covered by insurance, they are paid by the railroads out of revenues received from shippers The packers take the direct losses from bruising, but it stands to reason that every buyer knows that after slaughter a certain number of bruises are likely to be found and trimmed out and he can't pay quite as much as he could if the animals were known to be free from these defects. Therefore the produc ers, as a whole, eventually stand a large part of these losses, indirectly and should be vitally interested in reducing them. One of the common defects in the truck ing system is the lack of partitions in mixed shipments. While there has been a great improvement in this respect, there are still too many that permit hogs to run .under cattle, which is certain to cause some of them to be injured. Calves likewise are in jured In* being permitted to mingle with cattle. Most truckers do separate sheep from other classes, which, of course^ must be done. Still, as pointed out, sheep are fre quently injured in trucks and the mortality is; high. One difficulty is that sheep covered with wool are very bulky and, if badly crowded, it is not uncommon to have some of them suffocate. One reason why the losses arc so much greater with sheep delivered by truck than by rail is that many of the rail shipments come from the western states in straight loads and are not overcrowded The National Live Stock Loss Prevention Board has regional managers at a number of die markets who devote all of their time to this loss prevention work. The cooperation of a targe number of other organizations has been enlisted in these ef forts to the benefit of the entire industryMany of our activities arc with the younger people such as 4-H Clubs, voca tional students of agriculture in high schools, animal husbandry students in colleges, etc, A targe number of 4-H Clubs, particularly in the middle-west, are training teams to give demonstrations on live stock losses and how to prevent them. These demonstrations arc illustrated by model truck racks, partitions, stock cars, damaged hides, photographs of bruised meat, information charts, clubs and canvas slappers. These demonstrations have much educational value. Afeat Packing, Tanning & Leather Industries Section 431 A preliminary contest is held in connection demonstrated they can live up to these with a county fair. The winning team goes standards have been given certificates of to the state fair where it competes with win merit and a metal shield to be carried on ners from other counties. The first prize their trncks, on which arc the words, "Ap team from the state fair goes to the inter proved Live Stock Trucker, National Live state or regional contest and the winners Stock Loss Prevention Board.' No.--------- ." there to the national contest held each year during the week of the International Live Stock Exposition m Chicago. Mr. Thomas E. Wilson has for several years given cash prizes to the winning teams at the national contest. The educational value of these demonstra tions is primarily at the county fairs where many farmers and truckers are present. These shields are owned by the Board and are loaned to the trucker to cany as long as be lives up to the requirements. Under this plan, an inspector is required to wt to it that truckers do not deviate iruro the tpecitkacaorts. These inspect v in Wis- cuotun are iormihed by the Hm- i Socie ties a they are vitally interested in lessen There are now more than 8.000 high ing suffering. The truckers who have schools fwKitty agriculture. We supply *bCCD gj VC1I this recognition take pride in it our booklets and anneal reports to nearly and matey say it has given them prestige all of these vocational teachers and many m their baseness. Slaughter records have of them request a sufficient nnrnhrr for db- shown decreased losses on live stock hauled tributioo in their classes. They are also by these approved truckers. We hope soon teaching this subject to their adtafc classes to inaugurate the plan in Minnesota. tn the evening, consisting of farmers. We supply on request a sufficient number of these booklets for distribution among stu dents in live stock marketing m oar Col leges of Agriculture and Universities. Through all of these activities including those of cooperating agencies throughout the country, there have already resulted decreased toaes m transit. Records on animals dead and mppkd on arrival at the various mar Recently the U. S. Department of Agri kets *bow a decrease of 15 to 20 per cent in culture, with our cooperation, prepared a the last three years. If this work can be two-reel sound motion picture entitled "DO contained oo a larger scale, there is reason UNTO ANIMALS--" that deals entirely to believe that the declines in losses will with proper and improper methods of load continue, particularly so when more of these ing and unloading live stock in trucks and young people are operating farms. The 4-H cars. The pictures showing the trimming out Clubs throughout the land have aided ma of bruised meat in the packing plants are terially in bringing about these improve particularly valuable because but few pro ments. Their cattle are seldom bruised. If ducers ever see the Inside of a packing all producers could somehow attain the high house cooler and many of them are totally - standards of care set by these youngsters, unaware of the vast amount of bruising that takes place on the farms and in marketing unknown until after slaugter. Exhibits of bruised meat a count)*, state and national fairs have proved helpful. larger gains from feed consumed would re sult and if producers, carriers and other handlers would exercise the same care in marketing, these losses described would be greatly reduced. The elimination of these losses Is almost entirely a matter of education as to causes. Some have urged That State and Federal laws be passed to compel belter methods. Such laws, of course, would require a large number of enforcing agents and if legis lation of this kind is passed in one state, the same type of legislation should be en acted in others to prevent the diverting of shipments from one market to another be cause of such compulsory legislation. . There must be inculcated in the minds of all handlers--farmers, truckers and rail road, stockyard commission men ami packer employees the knowledge that farm animals are very* susceptible to injuries, that care ful handling will prevent much of the loss incident to these injuries, and that it is to the interest of producers, middlemen and consumers to reduce this waste to the min imum. The appeal should be made from humane as well as economic considerations During recent years w.c have been trying for, after all, why should any of us cause out in Wisconsin a voluntary plan of cer unnecessary pain and suffering to these tifying good truckers who measure up to animals that, through domestication, have high specified standards. Those that have. become our charges? 432 29th National Safety Congress Safety in the Manufacture of Leather Gloves By EDWARD R. GRANNISS Director, Industrial Division, National Conservation Bureau, N. Y. C. A> early as 1190, the first organization of "Glovers" was established in France. Its purposes were the regulation ot the manu facture and sale of gloves and the general welfare oi workers in the industry* Now, over 700 years later, we find a large portion of this industry transplanted to the United States and a most efficient organization, The National Association of Leather Glove Man** ufacturcr*. working constantly to improve the welfare ot employers and employees. the manufacturers consider this type of in jury hardest to control. Some of these injuries are, no doubt, aggravations of pre existing conditions and the need for pre employment medical examination in the industry is apparent. Also, there is need for more education in proper methods oi lifting and handling of heavy loads. The effective use of posters and other literature would undoubtedly have a good efTect. Supervisors, also, could take a more deter (`coasionally glove makers still tan, dye mined stand in correcting bad practices. A ;uid otherwise prepare skins and hides be number of glove plants have installed shav fore performing subsequent manufacturing ing machines for the preparation of hides, operations. This practice is now largely to remove any unevenness from the flesh <li>continuc(l. however, anti possibly the more side of the skin. curious health hazards have been left with the tanner and dyer. Anthrax infection and chrome poisoning were outstanding. For eign hides often earned anthrax germs and -pores, and chrome poisoning or ulceration resulted frequently from handling tanning solutions which contained chromium salts. The shaving machine operates much like a rotary .sander in a wood shop. The skin is passed between two rollers, one of soft rubber and the other of polished steel. A third roll which is covered with sand paper, revolves against the skin, reducing it to a predetermined thickness. A foot control The.**? hazards have now been partially releases the skin irotn pressure of the rub overcome by the increased use of domestic ber roller and also serves as a safety re skins and hides. Sterilization of equipment, lease in the event the operator catches his chlorination of waste wafer, medical super- finger while feeding skins into the machine. vision b> anthrax socialists, cleanliness and At one time these machines contained two improved housekeeping, good washing facili rubber rollers and injured fingers were much ties and the provision of personal hygiene more frequent. The steel roller has proved equipment, the removal from sources of a safety factor and, as well, an economic exposure of highly susceptible individuals one because of its longer life and greater and the use of protective rubber clothing precision. are other mean* of prevention. Another danger, however, may be in In the glove industry there is handling volved. Because of the dusty nature of of bulky materials. Upon arrival of skins at the factory they are ;*amplcd and sorted to detect flaw.-. An employee goes over each 'kin with a sharp knife and cuts through shaving operations, (he shaving department is located away from the others, frequently in die basement. As process steam is used, fire is always carried Under the boilers. every defect. The skins arc then sorted for weight, tpxture and color, taken from- stor age to the treating department, soaked in water and rolled in fabric to keep them moist, and again unwrapped and inspected. Although not considered dangerously ex plosive, leather dust finely divided and suspended in air in the proper concentra tion possesses explosive possibilities, and the presence of open flames or hot surfaces Skins must also be stretched. The cutter, should be avoided. Spontaneous ignition in *o that he may cut the maximum number leatlicr scrap has also been reported. nf "tranks'' or pieces the size of the glove pattern from a hide, pulls and stretches the .skin as far as possible. All of this handling and pulling provides opportunity for strains and hernias and The dust apparently has no toxic quali ties and may be classed as one of the "nui sance" variety. Pelts from moles, seals, sheep, rabbits and beaver are frequently used in glove linings and less frequently, Meat Packing, Tanning & Leather Industries Section 433 the fur of squirrels and monkeys is ued. The trimming of these furs creates animal and sometimes chemical dusts. Some persons are allergic to these dusts. Also, cases of dermatitis may arise from continued irritation of the skin. The pro motion of cleanliness and personal hygiene on the part of employees will, however, control these conditions to a large extent. Exhaust systems, which remove the dust at its source, are, of course, nccessan.. The cutting room makes use oi skilled workers. The tranks arc either hand cut by scissors or, usually in the case of heavier skins, die-cut manually by steel dies and a wooden mallet. Crowding in thi department creates a considerable hazard, a* does poor light or ventilation. Another possible source of injury is from the heavy* scissors which, if left near the edge of the tabic, provide a falling hazard. Slivers from poorly main tained table tops are also a potential source of doctors bills. Certain machine hazards arc involved in the slitting and sewing of gloves. Slitting is a machine die-cutting operation. Several tranks are laid on a steel die of the desired pattern which is then forced upward against a solid block. Little mechanical hazard is involved in this operation. Sewing, on the other hand, while a light machine operation, calls for a high degree of concentration and alertness. The sewers arc mostly girls whose fingers, to the unpracticed eye, move with a rapidity hard to follow. The speed of the work, together with the uoise and vibration of the machines tends to bring on quick fatigue, unless pleasant and healthy surroundings are provided. As machine sewing is wholly a sedentary operation the need tor proper sitting posture is evident. It if highly de sirable that all seats be adjustable to con form to the size, height, arm length and natural posture of the individual worker. Needle guards are rarely used in the in dustry. This may be because the types of scams sewed are often highly intricate, tvro, three and sometimes four needles being used simultaneously. In the tripplestitch seam the needles make two stitches forward and one backward. Needle wounds occur, but skill apparently compensates in a measure for this machine hazard. Under the tables, however, lies further possible danger if countershafts and belts are not completely covered. Girls storing work shoes, umbrellas or other objects may easily be injured in reaching below* the work table if even the smallest openings leading to moving parts are permitted. Two other conditions may develop among machine operators; namely, near sightedness because of the closeness of the work, and dental damage from the habit of biting thread instead oi using scissors or a knife The eyes of the workers can be protected most effectively by providing adequate il lumination and also by the use of corrective glasses, when necessary. Periodic eye ex aminations are suggested. While sewing machine operations cannot be classified as hazardous, nevertheless care must he taken that the general standard of health of the operators remains good. In the laying-off room, workers fit gloves over heated frames and prepare them tor their final shape and finish. Gloves artshaped on forms heated up to 200 degrees F. and as a consequence, high humidity from escaping steam may penetrate the lavirtg-off room. Provisions for controlling humidity and temperature are, therefore, desirable for the comfort of die workers. Iti one case, a glove worker in the layingoff department received a slight bum on his elbow. He failed to report his injury to anyone and within a week's time became seriously ill. A few days later he died. The cause of the death was reported as a Strep tococcus infection and it w*as stated by the doctor who treated this case that if the em ployee had reported the burn immediate!? and received medical attention, his life probably would never have been endangered. Frequently, serious infections develop be cause of the nonreporting of such minor in juries as cuts, pin and needle punctures and slivers. More education is needed to con vince employees of the danger of delayed medical treatment, and possibly more pres sure should be brought oil the supervisor* to make them more alert in detecting minor injuries and in insisting on the proper first- aid treatment. Manufacturing processes usually leave the gloves soiled and this calls for cleaning. Naptha and benzol may be used, in addition to other detergents. Carbon tetrachloride, methyl alcohol, hydrofluoric acid and carbon bi-sulphide are frequently used on spotting tables. Although solvents are seldom used 434 29lh National Safety Congress in large quantities they call lor special pre cautions. guarded that there is little danger of being caught in moving or reciprocating pans. A The two chief hazards to be guarded truckman delivers materials and picks up against are danger of fire or explosion and the finished gloves. health hazards from poisoning or derma titis. These hazards must not be disregarded because solvents are used only in small quantities. Carbon tetrachloride and carbon bi-sulphide have a definitely .poisonous ef fect on the human body and the danger is more insidious because the toxic effect may accumulate in the body from repeated ex posures to small quantities. The making of gloves under home condi tions may not be desirable in all instances. Such enterprises are apt to be conducted under inferior conditions of sanitation. There may be overcrowding, overheating, underlighting and the usual postural defi ciencies. There may also be conditions fa vorable to the transmission of contagion between operators and sick persons in the The usual spotting table holds a number of small bottles or containers of various cleaning fluids- Often these containers are not well marked so as to be easily and properly identified. It is wise to provide a single and same family. The use of child labor is not commended and the home glove maker may be troubled by all subnormal living condi tions of his or her family. The making of fur-covered gloves at home exposes the en distinctive container clearly labelled and pro tire family to undesirable dust. vided with a tight stopper for each solvent. Milk bottles should not be used for this purpose. The cleaning solutions are usually applied with a small Sponge, cloth, pad, chamois or brush. These permit the employee's hands to come in contact with the liquid many times each day. Solvents have a drying or degreasing effect on the skin. This may make it desirable to use a hand cream or lotion daily, preferably one with a lanolin In genera), glove making may be said to closely resemble garment making. There are few hazards in this industry which arc not also common to other industries. Health hazards lark in the sedentary nature of the work. Excessive and repetitious noise, high temperature and humidity, and the inci dental possibility of abnormal Fatigue through all of these operations, are all haz ards which also take their toll in ineffi ciency. base. Employees should be taught the ne cessity of careful observation of their hands, and to report immediately for treatment at the first sign of skin trouble. Good ventilation in this department is necessary for the removal of solvent fumes. This may require a lateral exhaust vent which will draw the fumes across the top of the work table from front to back. Sol vents have vapors both lighter and heavier than air. Open windows and fans are not dependable. The effective removal of fumes also assists in reducing fire hazards. For cleaners, which are sold under trade names with no indication of their composi tion, treatment should be the same because most of these "special'' materials contain one or more ot the solvents mentioned. An interesting feature of glove manu facturing is the return to one of the early manufacturing methods--that of having work done in the homes of employees. In the home, the glove maker usually Has one machine operated by a small motor. The operators of home machines are usually women, and the machine is presumably so Poor housekeeping, the enemy* of all good safety records, exists in many glove plants. Scraps of paper and leather trimmings fre quently litter the floor, and while this con dition is bad in any plant, it is far too com mon in the glove industry* Supervision is not strict enough. Rules for "no smoking" are constantly and openly violated and a serious fire hazard is always present. This is mostly true in the cutting department, although the rest of the plant is by no means without blame. The second serious condi tion lies in the fact that inadequate and im proper building equipment is often used. Buildings originally designed as living quarters in man;* Instances accommodate large numbers of workers. Stairways are usually inadequate and the means of safe exit in case of fire are questionable. This, coupled with overcrowding and a high per centage of female help concentrated about batteries ot sewing machines suggests the idea of conflagration and consequent panic that one hopes will never materialize. The visitor to the glove makers comes to the conclusion that the industry presents no Meat Packing, Tanning <& Leather Industries Section 435 new* problems in safety and heatth, but rather needs to realize the safety status it could attain. Safety committees of super visors or employees are apparently untried and plant inspection from an unsafe condi tion or unsafe practice viewpoint is at best infrequent. There is opportunity for im proved personnel work to relieve the strains that develop from concentrated and high speed work in confined quarters. Once the economic and humanitarian importance of safety is brought home to employers and employees alike, accident rates in the glove industry should decrease to a very tow level. THURSDAY AFTERNOON SESSION October 10, 1940 Safety in the Meat Packing and Tanning Industries Panel Discussion This session was planned as a Panel Dis cussion of the general subject, "Safety in the Meat Packing and Tanning Indus tries'* and a list of specific problems had been prepared and presented to delegates in the program, as will appear in order during the general discussions to follow. The session was called to order by Gen eral Chairman H. G. Schaffner, of Schaffner Brothers Company. Erie, Pa_, who presided. Chairman Schaffner conducted some prelim inary business of the meeting, including the election of officers (a list of whom appears elsewhere in these records), and then intro duced the members of the Panel, listed as follows: Wm. Dunn, District Engineering Man ager, American Mutual Liability Insurance Company, Chicago. A. R. Graham, Safety Engineer, Bitu minous Casualty Co., Chicago. John H. Lee, Resident Engineer, Liberty Mutual Insurance Company, Rockford, 111. E. S. Lusk, Director of Safety and Per sonnel, Peter Eckrich & Sons, Inc., Kala mazoo, Ind. CHAIRMAN SCHAFFNER: We are engaged in quite an undertaking in these days of stress and strife, when we need safety for defense. The hiring of employees is a most important problem, especially when we consider that many men have what may be called "warped minds." No employer wants to hire a workman who is physically unfit, who is afflicted with some weakening disease, defective sight or other serious de ficiency- But what about the applicant with a warped mind? What about the abnormal of poorly* adjusted personality? A worker in an office or factory with the wrong kind ot mental equipment may do more damage than one with a contagious disease. The first subject in our panel today is: "What protective equipment should be worn to prevent head injuries? Where? When?*' Head Protection Maybe the fellow* who comes in with a warped mind may have had an injury before, and perhaps the. injury may have affected his mental attitude. But we can take it by the forelock by testing that man early in his employment; that is, testing his mental abil ity before we hire him. You know they say that thinking lengthens one's life. The doc tor says, "Yes, that is all right if you think quickly enough." You have to think prett} quickly these days. We are moving at a rapid pace. To start off this panel, then, I would like to say something about protective equip ment for head injuries. All of us in the packing industry realize the dangers from overhead trolleys, the hanging rails, the chains, the sausage racks, and so forth. I do not know exactly how many head in juries we have had up until two and one- 436 29th National Safety Congress halt years ago--bm they were running into great numbers. Jt was necessary to instruct the men to wear safety helmets. Up until last week, we had had no head injuries in two and one* half years. But last week, about five-thirty in the morning. I got a telephone call saying that one of the night men lad suffered a head injury, a deep scalp wound, caused by a hook coming off of an unguarded switch. The first question 1 asked was, "Was he wearing his helmet?** They said. "No." We sent him to the hospital, and it was neces sary to have four stitches taken. When 1 saw him on the following day 1 asked him why he didn't wear that helmet; and he said. "I never had a head injury be fore. I didn't know that hook was going to come down on me." But if he had obeyed his orders and worn his helmet, he would not have had a lost-time accident. Now I am going to throw the meeting open for discussion. Perhaps some of you have had experience which might help all of us in solving some of our head injury prob lems. ERVIN M. M1XTZLAFF (Oscar Mayer & Co., Madison. Wis.): 1 had trouble in getting men to wear helmets while loading tact" in a car. Of course, the trolleys have to be taken oft the rails to get the beef in the cars, and danger exists. Some of these men lose their helmets, as they are in the way when they earn* a quarter of beef on the shouldfcr. Is there, anybody here who has *ome idea as to the type of helmet that might help in this situation? CHAIRMAN SCHAFFXER: That is a very welcome question. I have had that -ante difficulty. I found some of the men putting padding under their white caps, but it would not save them very much if a heavy hook fell on them. C. C. O'CONNELL (Mine Safety-Ap pliances Co., Chicago, 111.): I wonder if the helmet Mr. MintzlafT mentioned was one with a brim? MR. MIXTZLAFF; Xo. MR. O'CONNELL: Cap style? On sonic of the caps, it is possible to adjust the in side cradle so the head will penetrate farther into the cap. It may be, if they have it ad justed so it fits too high on the head, it could be too easily knocked off. CHAIRMAN SCHAFFXER; I have no ticed in the exhibits of the various safety appliance companies downstairs some hel mets that do not have a rim. They are more like a jockey cap. Perhaps some of those would answer our purpose for beet loaders. MR. MIXTZLAFF: That is the type we arc using. CHAIRMAN SCHAFFXER: And they arc not proving satisfactory? MR. MIXTZLAFF: No. Generally, when a man throws his shoulder under a quarter, he brings his head down, and it just lifts the hat off. \YM. DL'XX (American Mutual Liability Insurance Co.. Chicago. III.): It might be a good idea to use the old type of helmet they had for hockey players. Wc had a helmet with a strap across. It might solve vmir problem. ELIJAH MAHAN (Hunter Packing Co.. Ea<t St. Louis, Mo.): I have a case where a fellow complains ox a headache from a helmet, and he really should wear a helmet because he works with a pole, putting hook' on the rail 25 feet in the air. CHAIRMAN SCHAFFXER: Wc are having our cooler men wear lightweight hel mets. It was hard to get them used to it. They didn't want to put on anything that was hard or cumbersome, but after they got used to wearing this helmet and found out how* lightweight it was and how pro tective it was. wc don't have that trouble any more. MR. DL'XX : You see, with the hard hel met, you strike here. There is no "give" to the helmet. CHAIRMAN SCHAFFXER: There is a cradle on the inside of the hat that docs give. MR. O'CONNELL: It is possible to get chin straps in both hat and cap styles. CHAIRMAN SCHAFFXER: That may be an answer to it. Let some of us try to experiment a lillle on the suggestions wc have had here this afternoon, and perhaps at our next Congress, or even through our News Letter, we may develop something. Our News Letter Editor is always grateful for any experiences that you may have. Our next subject is: "Should safety shoes be required on all operations? If not, why not ?" Me I will call this give us his conce Sal A. R- GRAH. number of meat you know, that p In packing plants for the ideal, altf complish that. W shoes in all the d are working. Our big proble refrigerator, whe wear safety shoe don't. Of course boot type, you mi ihe safety toe ins see that that sal underneath the si lining to protect bitten. We have where that has curring in plants ing in the coole they did not hav old shoe*. I might speal where they hand cut it up, pack i One of our grc. to see the advan on every* onc stantly going in ing barrels, and In some of tl breaking of to< them, by using been done, the ,, vanished. Add t you have got sor There are o w'herc you don the floors are sections like tha they can wear, ment on the be grip to the surl is also the deal siderably. Som over the other, plant that are d loads, barrels a the floors are n 438 29th National Safety Congress can afford to get his own safety shoe.* or ety Co., Des Moines, Iowa): I would like boots ? to ask what the attitude has been of the MR. GRAHAM: We have had some suc local unions m these various plants, toward cess with that, bat in very rare instances. requiring men to wear safety shoes and other We get them to get these small steel caps protective clothing? and place them on the shoes, tack them on MR. GRAHAM: As a rule, most of the the sides and wear them until their pro unions that I have come in contact with arc bationary period is over. Then, of course, in favor of protective clothing. They know when they are hired, they can secure the if their man is disabled, he is going to be regular shoe. the loser and he is going to suffer; and MR. BONNELL: Does the man furnish those himself, or docs the employer get a few tor the temporary employees? MR GRAHAM: Tt has been my ex perience that the employer has bought them and then sold them at cost Some plants have furnished them, but in most eases the . men arc obliged to hay them. MR. BONNELL: He might as well buy they are going to get complaints back to the local union. Then that is going on up higher. Of course, you mil find exceptions here and there, but 1 am thinking of one plant where it was unionized. We introduced a court system in that plant Everybody thought at first there was going to be union trouble but we never had trouble in that plant. Wc went 28 months without a losttime accident and had 95 punch presses. the shoes as the caps. That shows you what can be accomplished MR. MANDTA: What do you do if you find a fellow has flat feet? Do you let him go along, or send him to a chiropodist? in a union shop by requiring protective clothing and devices. The union was with us. Tt <ccms to me that might interfere with CHAIRMAN SCHAFFNER: These your safety program if you allow* tod many experiences are just the sum and substance of thc? fellows to pretend bad feet so they of what we w'Otild (ike to get out of these get out of purchasing the shoes. panel discussions- It is going to help solve MR. GRAHAM: That is right. Some of somebody's problem. the bigger institutions do send these men to JOHN W. STAPLES (A. P. Green Fire chiropodists to be examined and put in Brick Co., Mexico. Mo.): I have had a lot shape, if they can; but someyof them can't. of experience with safety shoes and safety The requirement is not to hire a man unless caps. We tried to enforce safety shoes 100 ho can have his feet corrected. Tf you make per cent in our plant. We ran into corns and an exception in one case, you have to make bunions. The men kept kicking. We have hundreds of exceptions. Tf you are going now stopped it to make a rule. It is best to abide hv that rule. With regard to the smaller plants, that is a different problem. Tt is a problem we haven't solved yet, and T would like to know* if myself. We had four different shoe companies come in. You can get a good safety shoe and fit a man as well as with any highpriced shoe. We have men with feet wide and shorL They will fit them in shoes especially made for those types. We find that 50 per CHAIRMAN SCHAFFNER: Many men cent of the men would rather wear these will risk their lives more readily than they caps over the top of the shoes. Wc have will risk their money. When they come into found that they do just as much good. a plant they will take the protection that the operator of that plant gives them. For instance, they will use a pair of goggles which the plant owner generally furnishes for them to use; but when it comes to furnishing their clothing, you are putting quite a strain on the employer. The em ployee doesn't take into consideration that the employer is trying to protect him rather than to have him spend his money uselessly. W. W. FLYNN (Aetna Casualty & Sur E. S. LUSK: Mr. Chairman, just a word of warning. In safety shoes, so-called, watch out for the one that does not have a steel toe Wc had a rather unfortunate experi ence in one of our plants, in a garage. One of the mechanics was changing a tire, and the wheel and tire fell over on his foot and mashed the toe. He found that the cap was made of pressed paper. Be sure it is made by a reliable shoe company that has a steel safety toe. Meat Packing, Tanning & Leather Industries Section 439^ Aprons and Gloves CHAIRMAN SHAFFNER: We will go on with Problem No. 3. "Should aprons and gloves of special construction be worn by employees using cutlery*? What types?" We arc going to leave that to Mr. Dunn to give u* his version. a few minutes, and when you go through the plant again, the guards will be off. I know the larger plants, through the safety directors and &o forth, do require them; but I would like to know if someone in the smaller plants has been successful in having the worker use the guards contin ually. \VM. 1>UXX: Mr. Chairman: It seems there couldn't be any argument at all about employees wearing special type abdominal MR. LUSK: Wc have made it a re quirement that all employees on our boning bench buy this three-fingered mesh glove. protectors or heavy leather aprons. These should be provided especially to the butchers u-ing knivc>. where they draw the knives toward themselves. Serious abdominal acci dent* have occurred where the men were not wearing heavy leather equipment. The provision of this equipment will eliminate tho<c types of accidents. We experimented with a numher of fingertype gloves, to begin with anti furnished them, as you did. They were coming up missing, frequently. Wc adopted the threefinger mesh glove, and each man pays for it himself. He does not lose them any more We have reduced our finger cuts almost 100 per cent since we adopted that glove a As tar as the fellows boning, wc gen number of months ago. erally suggest that they wear what they call a wire mesh type finger-guard, and, in addition to that, the guard for the forearm where cutting is done with knivo. B. F. HAYWARD (Zurich Insurance Co.. Chicago, 111.): I had a case like that out west, of getting the men to wear the mesh gloves on boning operations. It lias This type of protective equipment lias reduced considerably the high frequency* of cutting accidents that formerly occurred in the packing industry*. Of course, it takes time to convince the old-timer and sometimes the younger employees of the advisability ot wearing these different types of protective equipment. That is one of the greatest problem* you will have--educating some of your older men. especially, to sec the advisability of wearing this equipment. After you have put on a program of education for a while, how done wonderful work. Every* time I have been there l have found the men wearing the gloves on the boning. 1 also tried to get rite men to wear the gloves on skinning operations, but 1 haven't succeeded. The men claim that as soon as they get hold of the skin and start pulling, the hand Mips right off, it will not hold the hide, <o to speak. CHAIRMAN SCHAFFNER: Wc liave had that, too; it doesn't seem to work on the killing floor. For some reason they* just can't get the hang of things. ever. and the men have worn such equip ment they will realize that it prevents nu merous cuts. I think experience has shown that they will ask tor it after you have once educated them I think, also, that with guards to knives, louche* or racks should be provided for the men so the knives can be carried in a safe manner- When the men are steeling the ELIJAH MAHAN (Hunter Packing Co.. East St. Louis, 111.): We Itad that same trouble at first, but now they won't work without the glove. CHAIRMAN SCHAFFNER: How about on the hog kill? They are using them on that? MR. MAHAN: Yes. - knives it would be advisable to Insist that tliev wear the wire mesh guard and also a Slipping Accidents leather guard so that the knife won't come back on the hand. CHAIRMAN SCHAFFNER. The diffi culty we have is in getting the men to wear the guards. Wc have provided them, asked them to wear them, almost" forced them to wear them- They will work with them for CHAIRMAN SCHAFFNER: Question No. 4: "What types of footwear have been found the most effective in reducing the number of slipping accidents? Foot in juries?'* I would like to present Mr. Lusk again. 438 29th National Safety Congress can afford to get his own safety shoes or ety Co., Des Moines, Iowa); I would like boots? to ask what the attitude has been of the MR. GRAHAM: Wc have had sonic suc cess with that, but in very rare instances. We get them to get these small steel caps local unions in these various plants, toward requiring men to wear safety shoes and other protective clothing? and place them on the shoes, tack them on MR. GRAHAM: As a rule, most of the the sides and wear them until their pro unions that I have come in contact with arc bationary period is over. Then, of course, in favor of protective clothing. They know when they are hired, they can secure the if their man is disabled, he is going to be regular shoe. the loser and he is going to suffer; and MR. BONNELL: Does the man furnish those himself, or docs the employer get a few for the temporary employees? MR. GRAHAM: Tt has been my ex perience that the employer has bought them and then sold them at cost. Some plants have furnished them, but in most cases the men arc obliged to buy them. they arc going to get complaints back to the local union. Then that is going on up higher. Of course, you will find exceptions here and there, but I am. thinking of one plant where it was unionized. Wc introduced a court system in that plant. Everybody thought at first there was going to be union trouble but we never had trouble in that plant. We went 28 months without a lost- MR. BONNELL * He might as well buy time accident and had 95 punch presses. the shoes as the caps. That shows you what can be accomplished MR. MANDIA: What do you do if you find a fellow has flat feet? Do you let him go along, or send him to a chiropodist? in a union shop by requiring protective clothing and devices. The union was with us. Ti scents to me that might interfere with your safety program if you allow too many of these fellows to pretend had feet so they get out of purchasing the shoes. CHAIRMAN SCHAFFNER: These experiences are just the sum and substance of what we would like to get out of these panel discussions. It is going to help solve MR. GRAHAM: That is right. Some of somebody's problem. the bigger institutions do send these men to JOHN W. STAPLES (A. P. Green Fire chiropodists to be examined and put in Brick Co., Mexico, Mo.): I have bad a lot shape, if they can; but some of them can't. of experience with safety shoes and safety The requirement is not to hire a man unless caps. We tried to enforce safety shoes 100 he can have his feet corrected. If you make per cent in our plant. Wc ran into corns and an exception in one case, you have to make bunions. The men kept kicking. We have hundreds of exceptions. If you arc going now' stopped it to make a rule, it is best to abide by that rule. With regard to the smaller plants, that i* a different problem. It is a problem we haven't solved yet, and T would like to know it myself. We had four different shoe companies come in. You can get a good safety* shoe and fit a man as well as with any highpriced shoe, Wc have men with feet wide and short They will fit them in shoes especially made for those types. We find that 50 per CHAIRMAN SCHAFFNER: Many men cent of the men would rather wear these will risk their lives more readily than they caps over the top of the shoes. Wc have will risk thetr money. When they come into found that they do just as much good. a plant they will take the protection that the operator of that plant gives them. For instance, they will use a pair of goggles which the plant owner generally furnishes for them to use; but when it comes to furnishing their clothing, you are putting quite a strain on the employer. The em ployee doesn't take into consideration that the employer is trying to protect him rather than to have him spend his money uselessly. E. S. LUSK; Mr. Chairman, just a word of warning. In safety shoes, so-called, watch out for the one that docs not have a steel toe. We had a rather unfortunate experi ence in one of our plants, in a garage. One of the mechanics was changing a tire, and the wheel and tire fell over on his foot and mashed the toe. He found that the cap was made of pressed paper. Be sure it is made by a reliable shoe company that has a steel W. W. FLYNN fAetna Casualty & Sur safety toe. Meat Packing, Tanning & Leather Industries Section 439 Aprons and Gloves CHAIRMAN SHAFFNER: We will go on with Problem No. 3. "Should aprons and gloves of special construction be worn by employees using cutlery? What types?" We are going to leave that to Mr. Dunn lo give us hi* version. a few minutes, and when you go through the plant again, the guards will be off. I know the larger plants, through the safety directors and so forth, do require them; but t would like to know if someone in the smaller plants has been successful in having the worker use the guards contin ually. WM. DUNN: Mr. Chairman: It seems there couldn't be any argument at all about employees wearing special type abdominal protectors or heavy leather aprons. These should be provided especially to the butchers tiring knives, where they draw* the knives toward themselves. Serious abdominal acci dent* have occurred where the men were not wearing heavy leather equipment. The provirion of this equipment will eliminate thOfC type* of accidents. MR. LUSK: Wc have made it a re quirement that all employees on our boning bench buy this three-fingered mesh glove. We experimented with a number of fingertype gloves, to begin with and furnished them, as you did. They were coming up missing, frequently. Wc adopted the threefinger mesh glove, and each man pays for it himself. He does not lose them any more. We have reduced our finger cuts almost 100 per cent since we adopted that glove a A* far as the fellows boning, we gen number of months ago. erally suggest that they wear what they call a wire mesh type finger-guard, and, in addition to that, the guard for the forearm where cutting is done with knives. B. F. HAYWARD (Zurich Insurance Co., Chicago, 111.): l l>ad a case like that out west, of getting the men to wear the mesh gloves on boning operations. It lias ThL type of protective equipment has reduced considerably the high frequency of cutting accidents that formerly occurred in the {lacking industry. Of course, it takes time to convince the old-timer and sometimes the younger employees of the advisability of wearing the>c different types of protective equipment. That is one oi the greatest problem* you will have--educating some of your older men, especially, to see the advisability of wearing this equipment. After you have put on a program of education for a while, how done wonderful work. Every time I have been there l have found the men wearing the gloves on the boning. I also tried to get the men to wear the gloves on skinning operations, but I haven't succeeded. The men claim that as soon as they get hold of the skin and start pulling, Ihc hand slips right off, it will not hold the hide, so to speak. CHAIRMAN SCHAFFNER: We have had that, too; it doesn't seem to work on the killing floor. For some reason, they just can't get the hang of things. ever. and the men have worn such equip ment they will realize that it prevents nu merous cuts. I think experience has shown that they will ask for it after you have once educated them. I thick. also. that with guards to knives, puocfec' c*r racks should be provided tor the men <o tbe knives can be carried in a safe masxMrr. When the men arc steeling the ELIJAH MAHAN (Hunter Packing Co . East St. Louis, 111.) : We had that same trouble at first, but now they won't work without the glove. CHAIRMAN SCHAFFNER; How about on the hog kill? They are using them on that? MR. MAHAN: Yes., kmvr-% it would be advisable to insist that tfw? wear tbe wire mesh guard and also a Slipping Accidents leailter guard so that the knife won't come hack on tbe hand. CHAIRMAN SCHAFFNER: The diffi culty we have is in getting the men to wear the guards. We have provided them, asked them to wear them, almost* forced them to wear them. They will work with them for CHAIRMAN SCHAFFNER: Question No. 4: "Wbat types of footwear have been found the most effective in reducing the number of slipping accidents? Foot in juries?" I would like to present Mr. Lusk again. 440 29th National Safety Congress . S. LUSK: We do no killing. It is all dressed cuts which we process. Bui we have found on the floors where the slipping accidents are most likely, a composition sole and a cordovan shoe is very good. I don't think manufacturers' names would be in order here but it is a cord type of sole. It las worked most satisfactorily in preventing slipping, along with other types of floor surfacing. CHAIRMAN SCHAFFNtK: liroombrush cement over the top of your brick3 helps a great deal, too. MR. HUTCHINSON: Isn't brick ihc material ordinarily used on a killing floor? CHAIRMAN SCHAFFNER: Ordinarily, although I have seen some concrete floors. MR. MINTZLAFF: Our new installa tions are concrete floors. The use of salt might come into the next question. The use of sand in paint around the ice-boxes, or the use of carborundum in paint has also served satisfactorily, and I believe ties in pretty well with the type of flooruear in slipping or hazardous places. MR. HUTCHINSON: Ha* that proved more satisfactory than brick? MR. MINTZLAFF: Seems to be. CHAIRMAN SCHAFFNER: They ran give a rougher grip. MR. GRAHAM: Can't you go over it Of course, where water is used, boots with the safety toe arc a required piece of safety equipment, which our men furnish themselves. before it Is finished? CHAIRMAN SCHAFFNER: Before it is finished, they broom brush it, and it makes a rough foothold. [ do feel that that personal responsibility for a man's own safety gels down to the meat of any safety program, whether it is in meat packing or otherwise. HENRY D. TEFFT (Institute of Amer ican Meat Packers, Chicago, III.): Has any MR. MAHAN: First we had a wood block floor; that was in good shape. Then they replaced the floor with asphalt. That was all right only it went to pieces. Now we have a glazed brick, and they are having all kinds of accidents. one here had much experience with the overshoes that have cords on the bottom? You know wliat I mean? MR. LUSK: Yes- It is either a boot or a safety shoe with a composition sole, or rubber in some instances. I don't like those because they still arc a slipping hazard after the tread has worn down a bit. CHAIRMAN' SCHAFFNER: How are CHAIRMAN SCHAFFNER: Glazed brick is the slipperiest floor I know of. Wc have thrown it out in every department that we could because it really is a hazard unices it is brushed over. MR. GRAHAM: Mr. Schaffner, don't they lay asphalt down and then put *and on it before it is dry, which gives it an abra sive effect? we getting away from the slipping on our CHAIRMAN SCHAFFNER: There arc killing floors, where blood and grease and some of the newer floor coverings that water is a constant hazard? What are some of you men using? Salt, mostly, soda ash? K. W. HUTCHINSON (American Mu tual, Indianapolis, Inch): How da you- pre vent salt and soda ash and so forth from being washed into the drain on a killing floor, when the floor is constantly flushed? CHAIRMAN SCHAFFNER; As a rule, it is flushed right with the rest of the'residuc and it needs constant replacing. That is have an abrasive right in the covering itself. When it dries and hardens, it has a car borundum effect I don't know whether there is carborundum in it but it is that type of effect on the floor. MR. DUNN: On some naval vessel* they used to paint the floors with asphalt cement. When it was dry it could be washed. You have to renew that every so often. MR. MAHAN: We got that asphalt the reason 1 would like lo find out if there paint base. We washed the floor off with is something else that has been found that gasoline, put the base on it, and Jet it dry will prevent slipping. for two days and it lasted three weeks. MR. MINTZLAFF: There is one thing MR. DUNN: You shouldn't use gasoline. can be done in the construction of the floor. That is to use carborundum right in the concrete itself. It keeps the rough finish a whole lot better than ordinary concrete will. CHAIRMAN SCHAFFNER: There are other solubles I think could be used that will not affect the floor. I would think that would be a hazard in itself. Meat Packing, Tanning & Leather Industries Section 441 MR. HUTCHINSON: The general con`Cjjsus is, to prevent slipping hazards on the killing floor, look first at the construction nt the floor rather than the use of any non-slip soles. CHAIRMAN SCHAFFNER: I think that is your basic objective, to first look at the floor itself and then complement it with vour non-slipping soles. MR TEFFT: I think the chief reason for brick floors has been their wearing sur face. By the increased use of rubber-tired truck wheels, the need for such a hard sur face is disappearing. CHAIRMAN SCHAFFNER: That is a good thing to bring out, Xlr. Tcfft In using those in the plants I think we have done a lot to save our floors. I think the question that Mr. Lusk an swered tics in very* well with the question to follow. No. 5 says; "What types of floor surfaces tend to reduce slipping?" I think wc covered that along with the footwear. So, if there is nothing further on that, the next question is No. 6: "Should industrial truck operators be given special training? Why and how?" That question I am going to give to Mr. Lee for discussion at this time. Truck Operators lane at intersections, and so forth and so on. Who gets those instructions? If you have anything to dish out, if you have anything on the hazards of driving a truck, give it to the fellow who is driving it "Should industrial truck operators be given special training?" Well, if they are not given it, then to wltorn will you give it, if it is going to do any good? Why do they give it to some safety committee? That is as far as it goes. I wouldn't presume to say why you diotild give the training. I am not so sure of the "how" part of it. I am quite a nut cm (his so-called visual education. I don't like the word "education." That is all right in the classroom or institution of learning, but 1 go very sparingly on that word in talking to the men, the rank and file of men who do the work. Because if they get the idea that you are going to educate them, they won't like it; they will resent it. Call it something else. Among ourselves we can call it that, if we want to. My thought would be on the `how" of it, go out and get a camera. Don't talk about cost. Don't you know that one thumb costs one thousand bucks in workmen's compensation? The camera or projector he is asking for costs maybe three or four hundred dollars. To save at the spigot and let it run out at (he bung is false cconomj I would go out and gel pictures of these accidents. JOHN H. LEE: When my colleague was talking about shoes and so forth, I kept wondering. "Do they still have them, the kind I used to wear?" Are there any pack ing ltou*e men here or are they all insurance company representatives? Is there anybody here who actually works in the cooler, smokeliousc, and all that, and knows what a knocking pen is? CHAIRMAN SCHAFFNER: Let us have the men who are in the packing house stand up. (About two dozen.) MK. LEE: This business about truck drivers- You know a great many of these big concerns have what they call personnel directors, safety directors, safety commit tees, and so forth, where the recommenda tions and the instructions come from the big fellow with the brass collar. He sends out definite instructions on driving and backing uy hazards and turning from the wrong Suppose you arc driving meat trucks, all right get some old jaloppies, and get them to take a colored film, and some still pic tures and show them on the screen. You can't beat the old stercopticon slide when it comes to detail for a round cable discussion. The movie moves too fast. It is a easy of on-again, off-again, Finnigan. before you can fix in your mind what is wrong. Unless you take plenty of time and have lots of slow shots so you can show the boro coming around the corner and cutting across the comer in front of the fellow with the coupe, it will not do any good. What goes in the eye stays there, not that he can't understand what you tell him when you talk. He is not so dumb- It is just a case of going in one ear and out the o(her. Long ago he took too seriously the adage about don't believe anything you hear and only half of what you see. We can get 50 percent over, if he sees it. 442 29th National Safety Congress I say, sure, give him training, anything in the way of training. Give it to the fel low behind the wheel, who is driving the truck. CHAIRMAN SCHAFFNER: I don't be* lieve any operator of those trucks should be allowed to operate unless he is a licensed motor vehicle operator. I don't know CHAIRMAN SCHAFFNER: Now we whether all the states represented here re arc ready for questions for Mr. Lee on quire operator's licenses for motor vehicle? that subject, "Should Industrial truck but we in Pennsylvania do. Whether it is operators be given special training? Why a motorcycle or whether it is a pleasure car and how?" or whether it is a truck or a tractor, they \V. L. HANAU (Fidelity & Casualty Company of New York, Chicago, III.): I must have a motor vehicle operator's li cense. though' he purpose of that question was to MR. HANAU: Only if they use the discuss mdustrial trucks instead of com highways, isn't that right? mercial trucks. CHAIRMAN SCHAFFNER: Only if MR. LEE: What is the difference? Ihey use the highways. But don't you think MR. HAXAU: There is a lot of differ it would be a good plan to carry that out ence. in our own plants, give them some sort of CHAIRMAN SCHAFFNER: We would like to have your opinion on it. MR. HAXAU: I know it is necessary for a man who drives a commercial truck an examination similar to the examination given by the state, and requiring those operators to be trained men, rather than to put Tom, Dick or Harry on, as they come into the plant? to have training before he is put on the truck. In other words, he is a professional driver. On the other hand, we take a man off the ?rrcet and put him in our plant, with insufficient training and ask him to operate an industrial truck. The only dif ference s that he is jeopardizing the lives of our own employees rather than the general public. MR. HANAU: I know a lot of the pack ers use industrial trucks, and T know some very severe accidents have happened. It has been my observation that they put in charge of those trucks a younger group of men. In other words, it is a job that doesn't re quire any skill, and it is a good job to give a man until you have a chance to peg him or get a line on him to find out whether he is I would Hke an expression of those who going to adapt himself to the industry'. are in the packing industry as to what Consequently, we put in his hands a very training they actually give the men who are important instrument, it can be a very dan driving industrial trucks in packing plants. gerous instrument, and we are not training CHAIRMAN SCHAFFNER: I think him in the use of it. you have reference there to the tractor type MR. GRAHAM: Mr. Chairman, T was in truck that is pulled around in the plant. a plant in Indiana not long ago where they MR. HANAU: There arc a dozen dif do train their truck drivers. When they ferent type*. hire a man, they give him regular training, CHAIRMAN SCHAFFNER: You have reference to interplant trucking? MR. HAXAU: That is right. that is, send an older man with him. They show him alt that it is necessary to know about the truck. Then they have regular traffic rules in that plant. In other words, CHAIRMAN SCHAFFNER: Would if a truck goes down an aisle, it has to go you like to give u= something on that, Mr. on the right side. If it comes back, it fas "Lee: to come on the other side. They have to MR. LEE: Of course, the inter-plant truck, the truck you run around the plant, S a problem in and of itself, depending largely upon local conditions. follow those instructions. If they don't, they are penalized in some way. You probably have noticed that on many of these trucks they have a little platform CHAIRMAN SCHAFFNER: Should they be given special training? Personally, T believe we should. MR. LEE: T agree with jxhj. on the back. That platform has nothing in back of it. Many times these fellows stand on the edge of it and, if they are not trained properly, when they back up, they back into some object and break the heel or .1feat Packing. Tanning & Leather Industries Section 443 break the foot. Those ought to have protec tion around that lower section. MR- HANAU: I think you will find that most of the new equipment is coming out protecting not only the feet but the hands. With some of the older types, if you make a turn too short you are liable to be pinned or capsize. I think the new design takes care of roost of that, providing the truck is intelligently handled. That is what we are after, to $ce that the)* are being handled intelligently. CHAIRMAN SCHAFFNER: I think that would be a fine thing to incorporate in one of oar News Letters, to get some re action from the men who are using those trucks as to what they are doing about driver training. MR. LUSK: I suggest further that the Bureau of Information of the National Safety Council be requested to find some qualified author or writer of an article of that kind in one of the plants and submit it to the industry' through the National Safety News as well as through our own News Letter? CHAIRMAN SCHAFFNER: We will incorporate that in our minutes. P. A. SPRINGER (Liberty Mutual In surance Co, Chicago, 111.): I attended the meeting on Plant Transportation in which an address was given by Mr. C E. Wooliever of General Motors. I would suggest that all.of you read that paper in these Congress Transactions. They have a defi nite set of operating rules- Every truck operator has to have a certificate before he can operate a truck in the plant. Safety Stunts CHAIRMAN SCHAFFNER: Our last question: "Safety stunts that have helped us maintain good housekeeping." May I say in the beginning--one of the <aietv stoats that we have taken on in our ptfcac ha the last few months Is the first aid training of employees. We got an approved Red Cro-i first aid instructor and selected Zj meet aad girls from various parts of the ptaar wad asked them to take that first aid ooorx. There were about 19 or 20 who finished. When the certificates were awarded to cheat, we gave them a dinner and we tried ao that the first aid course was actually chrrr Training in accident preven tion work. That is one of the fundamentals of first aid. The consequence is that, each of them, going out in-o their various departments, has taken a little responsibility for good housekeeping. They come in and report haz ards that the foreman doesn't even see. By the way, most of those who took the course were not foremen. There were salesmen and office workers, and there were bacon packers and sheers and girls from the sausage kitchen and all over the plant: but the fore men, with the exception of one or two in stances, showed the least interest. They dropped out of the class for some reason or other. But these girls and boys are becom ing more or less convinced now that good housekeeping is part of their accident pre vention work- MR. SPRINGER: Mr. R. W. Laughlin. Liberty Mutual Insurance Co., Portland, Maine, gave a very interesting talk this af ternoon at the Paper and Pulp Section, "A Bag of Safety Tricks." He gave various demonstrations on walking and slipping hazard? and falling and lifting, and so forth. CHAIRMAN SCHAFFNER: 1 will ask our News Letter Editor to get a copy of that to incorporate in one of his future publications. MR. LUSK: I volunteer this suggestion. It is hardly a safety' stunt but it has helped in good housekeeping, and that is the paint ing of traffic lanes at all comers where there is likely to be a collision between hand trucks or employees without hand trucks. A yellow hand about four inches wide, dividing the two aisles, around comers, has helped to prevent not only slipping injuries but in slowing the boys down when the) come toward the blind comer. Our own experience in connection with first aid Is comparable to yours except in addition to those who finished the advance course, one of them went on through the instructor's course and thi$ year is going lo instruct one of our plant's new classes. J. WYLIE (Industrial Accident Preven tion Association. Windsor, Canada): I would like to offer an idea that was ad vanced by Mr. E. G. Quesnet at a meeting of the Food Section yesterday. He recited cases of accidents occurring through the drivers jumping on the hub of the rear wheel of their delivery trucks. To overcome this hazard, they provided a step; but this 444 29th National Safety Congress dimply created another hazard, because there was a temptation for youngsters to jump on the moving vehicle. They have evolved a new type of step so that the moment the truck starts up, one revolution of the wheel, the step drops out of position and remains that way until the truck comes to a standstill again. MR. LEE: l was in one of the large plants here in Chicago where they use quite a few trucks that run around through the depart ments. At intersections of the aisles they had large mirrors at such an angle that the fellow coming up one aisle could see the fellow coming from another direction. MR. HANAU: I would like to ask one of the leather men or tanning men whether they have ever seen a guard on a staking ma chine or roll jack as specified in, 1 think it is. A.S.A. standards, which says that a fence 2-houIrf be provided around the thing >u that a man can't get his hand under that. I have seen pictures of them, hut I don't Tecall seeing one that worked. CHAIRMAN SCHAFFNER: Mr. Clo ver. can you answer that? MR. CLOVER: As to the Slocum siakcr you have in mind, where a man puts the hide in on the side and has to work it through-- MR. HANAU: Either the side or front. There is an arm that comes down. MR. CLOVER: I don't know of any guard that is put at the point of operation. Tliej do bring the guard up to a certain point on the arm. and they cover the fly wheel below. As to actually guarding the point of operation on this stakcr, I don't Itclicve it has been done- With the exception of -ole leather, the glazing jacks have been guarded. They are guarded at the point of operation hy having a basket type guard around them, with provision made at the front, point of operation, to slide the skin from the left to the right or the right to the left, whichever way it is. Tf their hand jr the skin of the hide is jerked in, the land is knocked loose before it goes into iltr roller. There are some very good guards that you can make up to suit your condition. MR. HANAU: Can you tell me where ( can see ottc of those in operation in this area? MR. CLOVER: I can send yot- some pictures of them. MR. HANAU: I will be glad to have them. MR. TEFFT: Mr. Lee referred to visual education. I would like to tie that up with a discussion of aprons, if I may. Cuts from lccf boning operations are rare, hut when they happen they are horrifying. I know of one man who bled to death in ten minutes. He cut a big artery. Do you think it would be of any value if picture*, were taken of beef Iwning opera tions to show the men how many times a day that knife aim i>t cuts them but doesn't, and use those in a Mow motion picture? Then they might take to some of the aprons a little hit more readily than they do at tinpresent time. MR. LEE: I think so. Mv suggestion would be that you Itave the still picture or the stercoptk-on slide first. Ixrcause it scon* to me that is the best medium tor detail in formation and round tabic discussion. Then, after that, show the movie. The movie, in the first place, would be too in-L If you have it first in the still picture and go through the fine points and what he did anil what he should have done, and so forth, then show him actually doing it in the pic ture, f think that would be ideal. MR. TEFFT: I had in mind that you would have to take a motion picture because those fellows work so fast you can't sec where the knife is. If you took the motion picture, then you could pick out the proper stills and make the stills from vour motion pictures. MR. LEE: Yes. MR. HANAU: I saw a demonstration of that yesterday, in the Metals Section. Some body took some shots of a punch press 0(Karaiur. He caught a particular operation he was interested in and then he made a loop film; in other words, he cemented the two ends and kept running in through his nnchine. It was very effective. ADJOURNMENT Metals Section Officers 1939-1940 O.mra! L Itntrtnnn-- H. .1. (.U1FKITH, .1 fines & Laugliliti Sad for]... I'iu-burt;li, I`a l "iiv-Chairman -- I Bv. n A. UmnkmaS*, Mackiniosll-Heinphill Co.. Pittsburgh, Pa. A,-.r.-tnry and _Yms Lrtl.r Editor--H J. SrotubH. Yimtiesnnui Slim Jt Tula a, I'-Usl Chicago. Ind. ... ... vv Contest Commxrnv--X. B. MacHi.SK (Cftatnnanj. Bethlehem >leel v. o. l.ackaw;uma, A ' T. < >. \rusticonv.. Wcstinghouse Electric & Mtg. Co.. Springfield. Ma?* F. I. Cmxbov. Union Carbide Co.. Niagara Falls, N. Y. Jint/wcrrina Committee--B. T. Dye, Republic Steel Corp.. Buffalo. X. ^ W. A. Jabvi.-. Cha*e liras* & Copper Co., Waterhury. Conn Foundry Committee--L H. Houinoc (Chairman). C hain Belt Co.. Milwaukee. Vu>- H. S. Health Caterpillar Tractor Co Peoria, 111. __l>h. A. G. Kammkr (Chairman), Inland Steel Co.. Indiana Harbor, Ind. Dk. f. H. Chivebs. The Crane Co, Chicago, UL Dr. T. Lyle Hazlett. Westinghouse Electric & Mtg. Co., East Pit^burgJi, la. .Wcm/vcjhif Committee--E. A. Eu.l* /Chairman). Wheeling Steel Corp. Wheeling. W - \a C. A. Bianchi. H. H. Robertson Co., Ambridgc, Pa. L M. Brook*. Michle Priming Prc** C Mtg- Co., Chicago. 111. Poster Committee--I. P. Cf.\TllF.KUM (Chairman). Great Lake* Steel l F.cor-e. Mivl. C. I>. I^ikwokth. Alan Wood Steel Co.. Consholmckcn. Pa. Ions p Leonard, Blavv-Knox Co., Pilt-burgh, Pa ... Program Committee--EaRI. Fvi.er (Chairman), Cariu-gic-lllinot* Steel Corp. Gary. Inti E t rtJJNEY. Bethlehem Steel Co.. Bethlehem, Pa V\\ 1 Hr*FE. Chan: Brass &* Copper Co., Cleveland. Ohio U. V. Mfjdalie, Interlake Iron Corp.. Chicago, 111 PuNieilv Committee--H. H- HexkY (Chairman), OtK Steel Co. Cleveland. Ohio. E. E. CittWE, The Timken Roller Bearing Co., Canton, Ohio 1 A. Cm tuts. The National Radiator Co.. Johnstown. Pa. Hoik-ay Car Builders Committee--P. 1 Brand (Chairman), Pullman-Standard Car Mfg. Co, Pullman. Chicago. III. ,, statutes ( *mtffaV'-- IohX P. O'Koukk (Chairman). Bethlehem Steel Co.. Sparrow* Point. Md - V- C. >. P*u uh. Revere Copper & Bra>>, luc . Home, X. \ . H. L Sheffield Steel Corp., Kansas City, Mn Mxmthert at Lurqv-- ' M. Ai i ts. The American Rolling Mill Co., Middletown. Ohio. -h\ C. Bennett, The Buckeye Steel Castings Co., Columbus, Ohio. E K Bt.\nk. Jones & Laughlin Steel Corp., Pittsburgh, Pa. "R. A. linms'. Continental Steel C orp.. Kokomo, Ind. H- M. Ojbh.has, Inland Steel Co., East Cliicago, Ind H. W Ivrr. Bethlehem Steel Co . Johnstown, Pa. M. W. Di noore. Beloit Iron Works, Beloit, Wis- I.ihn P Em. American Steel & Wire Co., Chicago, HI. K. H. PYr;u*on. Republic Steel Corp., Cleveland. Ohio. <inmti;E T. Fonda, Weirton Steel Co.. Weirton, W. Va. S. E. Hawkes, Macwhyte Co., Kenosha, Wis. *H. G. Henkel, The Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co., Chicago, III. Pac <:rnrra1 Chairman 445 446 29th National Safety Congress *F. A. Lauerjian, Republic Steel Corp., Chicago, I)]. P. R. McMahos, Superior Steel Corp., Carnegie, Pa. *[. A. Northwood, Bethlehem Steel Co,, Sparrows Pomt, Md. *). A. Oartel, Carncgic-IHinois Steel Corp.. Pittsburgh, Pa. H. L. Rkbrassier, Wheeling Steel Corp.. Wheeling, YV. Va. Jacob L. Rjoinoer, Inland Steel Co., East Chicago, Ind. Robert L.-Schmitt, Louisville Car Wheel & Railway Supply Co., Loui>vtlU.\ K\ Mell E- Trammell, Republic Steel Corp., Alabama City, Ala. A. Voss, Republic Steel Corp., Cleveland, Ohio. Krkd E. Warr, Camegie-lllinois Steel Corp., Homestead Steel Works. Munhall. Pa. Officers 1940-1941 Ct'iurol Chairman--Irvin A. Brinkman, Mackimosh-Hemphill Co., Pittsburgh, Pa. Vice-Chairman--H. J. Spoerer, Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co., East Chicago, Ind. I'ue-Chairman--R. H. Ferguson, Republic Steel Corp., Cleveland, Ohio. Secretary and Xexvs Letter Editor--Jons P. O'Rourk, Bethlehem Steel Co., Sparrows Point, Md. Contest Committee--E. A. Ei.ms (Chairman), Wheeling Steel Corp., Wheeling. W. Va. J. M. Brooks, Miehle Printing Press & Manufacturing Co., Chicago, III. Homer L. Rogers, Sheffield Steel Corp., Kan^s City, Mo. F.nyineeruto Committee--J. E. Cui.ijney (Chairman), Belhlelicm Steel Co., Bethlehem. Pa. J. P. Gatherum, Great Lakes Steel Corp., Ecorse, Midi. Ross Lefflj-r. Camegie-lllinois Steel Corp_ Pittsburgh, Pa. C. S. Phillips, Revere Copper & Brass, Inc.. Rome, X. Y. Foundry Committee--J. H. Hoi.zbog (Chairman), Chain Belt Co., Milwaukee, \Vi>. H. S. Simp>ox, Caterpillar Tractor Co., Peoria, 111. Health Committee--Du. T. Lyi-E Hazlett (Chairman), Westinghousc Electric & Manu facturing Co.. East Pittsburgh. Pa. Dr. J. H. Chivers, Crane Co., Chicago, 111. Dr. A G. Rammer, Inland Steel Co.. Indiana Harbor, Ind. Membership Committee--Frank W. Kelsey (Chairman), Jones & Laughlin Steel Corp.. Aliquippa. Pa T. O. Armstrong. Wcstinghouse Electric & .Manufacturing Co., Springfield. Mass. Reese B- Lloyd, Republic Steel Corp., Birmingham, Ala. Foster Committee--X'. B. MacHose (Chairman), Bethlehem Steel Co.. !.ackawanna. X. V. F. J. Conroy, Union Carbide Co., Niagara Falls, X. Y. C. D. Dorworth, Alan Wood Steel Co., Conshohockcn, Pa. W. J. Hoove, Chase Brass & Copper Co., Cleveland, Ohio. Program Committee--Jacod L. Ridincer (Chairman), Inland Steel Co., East Chicago, Ind. B. T. Dye, Republic Steel Corp., Buffalo, X. Y. H. H. Henry, Otis Steel Co., Cleveland, Ohio. John P. Leonard, Blaw-Knox Co., Pittsburgh, Pa. Publicity Committee--\V. A. Jarvis (Chairman), Chase Brass & Copper Co., Waicrburv, Conn. C. A. Bianchj, H. H. Robertson, Ambridgc, Pa. J. F. Collins, Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co., Youngstown, Ohio. Railway Car Builders Committee--P. J. Brand (Chairman), Pullman-Standard Car Man ufacturing Co., Pullman, Chicago, Til. Statistics Committee--Earj. Fyler (Chairman), Carncgie-Illinois Steel Corp., Gan', Ind. E. E. Greene, The Timken Roller Bearing Co., Canton, Ohio. D. V. Medaue. Interlake Iron Corp., Chicago, III. H. L. Rebrassieh, Wheeling Steel Corp., Wheeling, W. Va. *Pjm General Chairman Metals Section 447 Members at Large-- G. M. Allen, The American Rolling Mill Co.,. Middletown, Ohio. *F. G. Bennett, Tlte Buckeye Steel Castings Co., Columbus, Ohio. *E. F. Blank, Jones & Laughlin Steel Corp-, Pittsburgh, Fa. R. A. Chaffin, Continental Steel Corp., Kokomo, Ind. J. A_ Coltrin, The National Radiator Co., Johnstown, Pa H. M. Crochan, Inland Steel Co., East Chicago. Ind. *H- W. Dark. Bethlehem Steel Co., Johnstown, Pa M. W. Dusdore, Beloit Iron Works, Beloit, Wis. John P. Eib, American Steel & Wire Co., Chicago, 111 George T. Fonda, Weirton Steel Co., Wierton, W. Va. H. J. Griffith. Jones & I-aughlin Steel Corp., Pittsburgh, Pa. S. E. Hawkes. Macwhyte Co., Kenosha, Wis. *H. G. Hensel, Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co.. Chicago, III. F. A. Lauerilvx, Republic Steel Corp., Chicago, HI. P. M. McMahon, Superior Steel Corp., Carnegie, Pa. J. A. Xorthwood, Bethlehem Steel Co., Sparrows Point, Md. J. A. Oartel, Camegie-lllinois Steel Corp., Pittsburgh, Pa. Robert L. Schmttt, Louisville Car Wheel & Railway Supply Co. Louisville, Ky. Mell E. Trammel*., Republic Steel Corp., Alabama City, Ala. J. A. Voss, Republic Steel Corp., Cleveland, Ohio. Fred E. Wair Camegie-lllinois Steel Corp., Homestead Steel Works, Munhall, Pa. Pan General Chairman MONDAY AFTERNOON SESSION October 7, 1940 The session was called to order by Gen eral Chairman H. J. Griffith, Manager of Safety and Welfare. Jones and Laughlin Steel Corporation. Pittsburgh. Pa., who pre sided. Chairman Griffith, in commenting on "Activities of the Metals Section" during ihe past year, took the opportunity to pmiw the chairmen of many standing committees The Report of the Nominating Committee was called for, and officers for the Section were elected. a presented elsewhere in this record. "True or False?" The session bad been planned as a Panel Discussion of a number of safety problems, called a "Quiz-" These problems had been mimeographed and distributed to the dele gates, who found below* each problem the words "True or false?" The list complete is as follows: 1. When new machinery is installed, the Safety Engineer should have final say as to whether or not the machinery is safely guarded before it is put into production. True_________ False---------- -- 2. When an employee works on an opera tion which necessitates the wearing of goggles, he should be allowed to pick the type of goggle which he is to use. True_________ False 3. When a new employee is put to work, the foreman should give him instructions in accident prevention and not merely show him the operation and tell him to be carefut. True_________ False..-- 4. Education in ofif-the-job accident pre vention is an essential part of a plant safety program. True. False. 448 29th National Safety Congress 5. Extra remuneration for service with an employee safety committee, stimulates inter est in accident prevention. True--------------False.. ---------------- 6. A foreman is primarily responsible for .safety in bi> department. True---------- False-------------- 7. The posting of money losses from in juries js a good selling point for safety. True- ......... - False--------------- S. The numl^cr of accidents in a plant goes up or down in relation to the report ing ami correcting >f unsafe practices and condition*1. True . ____ False______ 9. The increase in accidents (hiring the \ear 1939 as compared to 1938 was prin cipally dm to the failure of equipment. True-------------- False-------- ------ 10. One of the chief means of reducing the number of accidents is by the super visors holding group safely meetings with their men. True-------------- False-------------- 11. When instructions are given on how to do the job safely, it is not necessary to follow up and make sure that the instruc tions are being carried out correctly. True----------- False--------------- 12. Men transferred from other depart ments should be treated like old men and not given any particular safety instructions or training. True-------------- False 13. New men should be allowed to decide fur themselves whether or not they 'should wear the safety equipment in common usage in their department. True-___ False 14. Minor injuries should be disregarded and no report made of them. True---------------------False 15. Salt tablets or other means of provid ing suit should never be used in the winter time. True.___________ False 16. It is not necessary for foremen to spend much time observing the actions ot workmen with years of experience* and good safety records. True_________ False-------------- 17. Employees get more safety training from group safety meetings conducted b\ the foreman than they do from foreman vhu holds no safety meeting* and talks to himen on the job. T me____________ False 18. Setting up a dejmsit cltarge for goggles has a tendency to keep the men from using them. True. ------------ False-------------- 19. Impending lay-offs increase accidents. True__!False 20. The physical requirement of new men is more important than the moral or mental requirements from the standpoint of safety True____________ False____________ 21. An accident in a department tends to lower the morale so that other accidents fol low soon thereafter. TrueFalse---- - ______________ __ 22. The word "carelessness" is used loosely in crying to cover up the real cause of acci dents. True -- __ False_________ 23. Punishment mcled out by committee of investigation tends to eliminate future accidents. True_________ False______ ,__ 24. Calling general attention ol the entire working force to the poor j-afety record of any one department is good polio* True_______ False 25. Hue to his position, it is not necessary for a supervisor to wear goggles or other safety clothing which arc required for those working under him. TrueFaLe 26. When valve o*i oxygen lank sticks, it should be oiled so it will work freely. True-------------- False------------- 27. It it is found that a wrench does not fit, it is proper to fill in with a shim. True-------------- False 28. In a welding department, no liarm can Metals Section 449 be done to the eyes unless one looks directly at the electric arc. True_________ False--------- .-- 29. When an employee is found working at a hazardous occupation and is not wear ing safety equipment provided by the com pany, he should be "fired." TrueFalse 30. When purchasing safety equipment, the Purchasing Department should he the controlling factor. True.________ False------------- The Panel Discussion Chairman Griffith introduced the members ot the Discussion Panel, as follows: C. M- Allen. Stafii Supervisor of Safety. The American Rolling Mill Company, Middletown. O. H. W. f>arr. Supervisor of Safety. Beth iehem Steel Company. Johnstown, Pa. E J. Ebcrle, Foreman, Foundry Cleaning Room. Continental Roll & Sled Foundry Company. East Chicago. Ind John P. Eib, District Director oi Safety & Plant Protection. American Sled & Wire Company, Chicago. F. A. Miller. Superintendent Sheet Di vision. Continental Steel Corporation. FCnknmo, Ind. Frank C. Schwartz, Superintendent, OpenHt*arth>. Ohio Works. Carnegie-Illinois Steel Corporation. Youngstown, O- CHAIRMAN GRIFFITH: Gentlemen, this afternoon wc have a program that is a little different than ordinary'* h a *>"P* we have never tried in the Metals Section. Some of thex* question* we may have to take liome and think over for a while. I have here alongside me a panel of -iv men who arc going to help u* in answering thc*-c question*. But I don't want to work these men too hard. 1 am going to depend upon many of you fellows out in our audi ence to help us. too. To get this thing started, I am going to ask men in the panel first, but after we do get going along, any body can pick it up. Any question you see in the list you have may he asked, and wc will try and develop an answer, and whether that answer is true or false. Suppose, for example, we look first at question number 14. It says: "Minor injuries should be disregarded and no report made of them." Is that true, or is it false? 1 will ask Mr. Allen what he thinks about it. MR. ALLEN : Mr. Chairman, that i false. It is the little things which develop into big things. CHAIRMAN GRIFFITH. In other words, the little injuries should be sent to the first aid station and should be taken can. of rather than let them develop into infec tions, or something else. Well, that >ounds as though it might be alt right, but it takes time to get these fellows into these station* all the time. There is a lot of running around involved in that. Maybe wc arc losing money by doing that. What tlo you fellow* think about it now? MEMBER: 1 would like to see dual ques tion divided in two: "Minor injuries should Ivc disregarded." and "No report made of them*' is another question CHAIRMAN GRIFFITH: Let* divide u in two "Minor injuries sliould be disre garded." JIow many think minor injuries should be disregarded? Raise your hand*. Let's get a vote. The consensus of opinion is that minor injuries should not be disregarded Now let's take up the second halt, and >u* report made oi them " Docs that take care of it? E. A. ELLIS (Wheeling Steel Corpora tion) : I don't agree with that answer. 1 think it i* most important that reports Ik.4 made of minor injuries as well as major injuries, be cause it is usually from minor injuries that major injuries develop. CHAIRMAN GRIFFITH. All right, doe* everybody agree with Mr. Elli*? R. SMITH: A gentleman hack hen wanted to know what a minor injury is CHAIRMAN GRIFFITH- All 'right. Bob, you tell us what a .minor injury i- MR. SMITH: l never saw one CHAIRMAN GRIFFITH: You newt saw a minor injury? All right, arc we siti>fied with No. 14? What is the next que-- tion ? W. W. HALL (Safety Director. Pitt* burgh Crucible Steel Co., and Crucible Steel Company of America, Midland, Pennsyl vania) : No. 22. 450 29th National Safety Congress CHAIRMAN' GRIFFITH: All right, Ho. men really care, or do you think there arc 22. "The word `careless' is used loosely in men in the world who don't give a damn, trying to cover up the real cause of acci and.don't care? dents." Is that true or false? MEMBERS: True. MR. HALL: Yes, that is a short cut for trying to evade the real cause of the acci dent. Too many supervisors use the word "careless" as the cause of die accident, when it is really not the basic cause. It is a short cut to evading responsibility. CHAIRMAN GRIFFITH: In other words, you don't think the supervisors use it in the proper manner. MEMBERS: Lots o them. CHAIRMAN GRIFFITH: You have lot? of them? MEMBER: I am certain of this, that there are times in a man's life when he doesn't care very much what happens. He may be in some kind of trouble, or some thing like that, and he really doesn't care. 1 have had that Iiappen. CHAIRMAN GRIFFITH: What do you think of that, Mr. Ziegler? MU. HALL: You should never use the. word `'carelessness." CHAIRMAN GRIFFITH: Now. what do you think? Should the word '`careless ness" be used or not? How are you going to express yourself sometimes unless you use this word "carelessness" ? MR. ZIEGLER : Some time ago we had a lost lime injury', and after it was investi gated the man admitted that something had made him angry*. He couldn't get a piece of machine to work, and he said, "I just lost my temper and gave it a big yank, so much so that I injured myself. I am at fault, MEMBER : It is only an alibi. MEMBER: Mr. Chairman, I don't think the word careless should be disregarded. We should determine what really is the cause of a person being careless. In other words, there may be sickness, or something rise involved. MEMBER: I think you should define care lessness. I don't think there is any such and I did it because I just got mad and didn't give a dang what happened." He was a good man otherwise, but that was his own testimony. MEMBER: Mr. Chairman, you arc talk ing about supervision when you arc talking about what is carelessness. When a man tells me an accident is due to carelessness, his supersision is at a very' low ebb. animat. CHAIRMAN GRIFFITH: All right. Is CHAIRMAN GRIFFITH: All right, we there anything more wc have to say on that arc getting somewhere. Where are we get particular question? ting? MEMBER: Mr. Otairman, what word do MR. ALDINGER: I think that word has you want to use in place of the word "care come into too general use instead of the lessness"? word thoughtless, or indifferent. The word CHAIRMAN GRIFFITH: Thoughtless- "careless" should never be used. Every man ness. cares. I think thoughtlessness, or indifference would fit there better. CHAIRMAN GRIFFITH: That is what I was trying to bring out when I said, "what word are you going to use besides careless?" I think Mr. Aldingcr has hit the word on the head by using thoughtless instead of careless. MEMBER: Parallel to Mr. Ziegler's com ments, suppose a craneman is trying to make a lift. He doesn't know how heavy it is, but he gives the crane what he usually gives it to lift a load, and that won't lift it. Well, he knows that he is stressing it if he goes beyond that, but he gets a little bit of slack, and then takes a run at it That isn't care N. V. B. ZIEGLER (Director of Safety & Compensation, Aluminum Company of America, New Kensington. Pennsylvania): I can't agree with ray friend. He said every' lessness. That isn't thoughtlessness. That isn't indifference. If you are going to throw the word "carelessness" out what are yon going to have ? man cares. I doubt that. I think there are a CHAIRMAN GRIFFITH: Use the word number who don't give a damn. "ignorance '* CHAIRMAN GRIFFITH: Now we are MR. LEWIS (Republic Steel): I can't getting some place else here. Do you think get the drift of substituting thoughtlessness Metals Section 451 for something else when in reality it is just substituting words, and not correcting care- U`J-etJCSS- D. \Y. FOLK (The Aluminum Company r.t America) : Mr. Chairman, what is the difference between what these other men are uiing, and carelessness? I'd like to find a Jefmition of the difference. CHAIRMAN GRIFFITH: Well, let's not >plit hairs on words. Let's try to get some tacts on the thing, carelessness, thoughtless ness, indifference, or whal have you. If you use that in your plant and get the problem across to the individual, all well and good. 1 don't care what you might use. If you get results using carelessness, thoughtlessness, or indifference, or no matter what it is, re sults are the things you are after, aren't they? MR. GARRETT (Carnegie-lllinois Steel Corporation): Mr. Chairman, substitute Itoogy-woogy in there, and wouldn't we still have a problem? Any synonym of careless ness will still leave us at fault it we are trying to cover up the real cause of acci dents. CHAIRMAN GRIFFITH: All right, let*.? have another question. No. 24, some body >aid. "Calling general attention of the entire working force to the poor safety rec ord of any one department is good policy." 1> tliat true or false? MEMBERS: False CHAIRMAN GRIFFITH: I hear several who say false: au> of you fellows think it i* true? MR HARRIS: Mr. Chairman, I think it is very much so. Our job is one of educa tion ; instead of getting something out of a textbook, it we can show a department rec ord lu the rest of our plant and try and help the department out as well as educate the others by our safety experience, we are doing a real service. MR. BRINKMAN: If you show a good record to the other department, then it is educational. But if you show a poor record, publicize the mistakes of the other depart ment, you are not helping that department in the same degree you would if you would bring to their attention a department that is doing a little better than they are. MEMBER: I think any accident in any department is a poor record, and the stress ing of that is a means of preventing others. It isn't a matter of degrees of goudnes*. The question is in terms of badness 1 am in favor of that as a means of correcting fur ther accidents. CHAIRMAN GRIFFITH: All riht. Wo have two sides of it. J. F. COLLINS (Supervisor of Safety. Youngstown Sheet S: Tube Company. Youngstown. Ohio): Whenever you point your finger at any individual, that person is a subject of scorn, or on the spot because everybody in the plant knows the dci&rtincnt has a bad record. They can do things to help and rather build them up instead of pushing them down. CHAIRMAN GRIFFITH: In other wordi, von believe it should be positive in stead of negative. MR. CORNELL (The Aluminum Com pany of America) : Isn't there a tendency to have one department shown in worse shape than the other? If you hold up the record of otic department as being better, won't that create a false pride, and then they will start slipping? MR ZIEGLER: 1 can't agree with my brother from the Aluminum Company. 1 can't see any reason why we should cover up one department if they happen to hav< a poorer record. At the end of the month wc make up a report of the conditions of the plant, and read it before our committee members. That will show the whole thing. We are not point ing any finger of scorn at anybody. We are just showing the facts as they exist at the end of the mouth. If I^epartmem No. 1 ha* an accident, and all the other departments are perfect, it is shown there. We might saj, "Well, now. we had a perfect record except for the record of Department No. 1. and unfortunately, they had an accident. Wc know they are sorry about that, and so arc we. but the truth still remains that they had an accident." Now, there is no finger of scorn pointed at them. I certainly would never agree with covering up Department No. 1 just because, they weren't perfect JAMES R. BYRUM (Safety Advisor. American Rolling Mill Company, Middletown, Ohio): I don't think it is possible to cover up the record of any department in any plant. But at the same lime. I wonder if it is advisable to make too much out of the fact that a certain department has a 452 29th National Safety Congress terribly bad record. There is a certain amount of persona! pride in the majority of tncn who work in any department. They have a departmental pride, and the fact that some men in their department have slipped naturally affects those men. There isn't any question about it at alL But I question very much whether publicizing it ami holding it up as a horrible example is a just point. MEMBER: Mr. Chairman, on some of ihy<c questions, you have neglected our major source of information. Wc have a hoard of experts up there. I would not hesi* talc to call upon them a little hit. t would like to hear from them. JACOB L. RISINC.ER (Inland Steel Company. East Chicago. Indiana): Mr. ( liairman. we have had a lot of controversy :it our plant about this same question, and u seems like it boils down to tins: Each de partment is more or less interested in itself, and when you start comparing it with other departments, you get into the old argument of the hazard ratio between tin's department and that department. What we try to do is compare the. record within the department month by month, year by year. In other words, it is tlieir particu lar hazards you are trying to work out, and it i> their problem. It is not a problem for the balance of the plant. You won't get any place by show ing them up to the other de partments. when they think their hazard* arc a loi worse than the other?. WILLIAM JORDAN* (American Rolling Mill Company. Ashland. Kentucky) : This \o. 24 is really not a question. It is a state ment; calling the general attention of the entire working force to a poor safety record of a department is poor safety policy. 1 dare s-ny every one of us does that in our monthly reports, showing one department against the other. \\V do call attention to the poor de partment* as well a.* the good department*, so in a general way I would *ay the answer i* true. CHAIRMAN" GRIFFITH: All right.gen tlemen. i* it true? Kai*c vour hands. (Ap proximately 60 member* raised their hands.) Is it false? (Approximately the same number raised their hands.) F will ask Mr. Harr hi* opinion on the thing? H. W. DaRR: That is a controversial problem, I know. Bur in our plant, and I believe in every steel plant, you try' to instill in the minds of your men that they are just one big family, all working together for one common end. Naturally, your plant is di vided into different departments, and each one has a particular group of men. If one man sees another man with a heller record, be feels sorry for himself, if hi* record is bad. But I remember my early childhood. In our family there were eight children. If my parents held me up to ridi cule before the other seven children, 1 was very' much hurl, and became disgruntled, sometimes antagonistic toward anything good in the family. Take that same principle into the >trei plants. Suppose I pick out one department that ha.* a poor record, for example, in our plant, the Rod and Wire Mill, and I go around and tell the other departments the Wire Mill hasn't had a loss in this year, and why don't they do the same, they would naturally have a hatred in their hearts toward .the Wire Mill. T think every' depart ment should be worked and calculated and reported on its own merits, and let the other fellows be left out of tt. CHAIRMAN' GRIFFITH: What is the next question? STANLEY WARZAL1 (Chemical Di vision, American Cyanamid Company. Round Brook, New Jersey): I would like to have Question No. 23 discussed; but 1 would like to edit it so that it is discussed this way: "Punishment meted out tend* to eliminate future accidents, regardless by whom." I would like that discussed here. CHAIRMAN GRIFFITH: The gentle man says he would like to have the question >tated this way: "Punishment meted out lends to eliminate future accident?*, regard less by whom." MEMBER: It seems lo me that question i* packed with dynamite. I think that it the kind wc ought to discuss here. We should find out what we mean by punishment other than lay off. Maybe (hat is all the punish ment we can mete out. I think we should find out whether it docs any good. CHAIRMAN" GRIFFITH : Mr. Eib, sup pose you discus* that a little, if you don't mind. JOHN P. EIB: Of course, everybody is entitled to his own opinion, know ing his own conditions. Mv own notion is that on the Metals Section 453 last three questions wc have "missed the in doing thi*? Does punishment eliminate boat" a little bit. This is just one of my accidents in the future? ideas. I think we have faded to hring out MR. WARSALA: Mr. Chairman, 1 v. hat I might express a* the cause of the would like to see us go a little dec|>cr into cau.*c of accidents. We are just taking a this thing. Now, you aren't drawing a line little bit here and a little bit there, and we that we ought to mete out the discipline lx.** haven't really expressed it. fore the accidents happen. 1 think it it is a The question of discipline depends upon matter of discipline it ought to l*c a-- much -o many things that I couldn't guess at all l>cfore as after, or not at all. the condition* you might have, or even that 1 don't know how many of you listened tn I might Itavc. You might >ay, in many cases, Mr. Mitchell speak this morning. He said, the injury* itself was ample punishment, or "apply penalties firmly." I l>clievc Mr. ample discipline. You can't make a general Mitchell has given much study to the -tih- -Ulemcnt on that. jeet. 1 believe discipline should Ik admin The gentleman over here wanted the ques tion changed. I agree with him. I am still a strong believer in super* i>ion. and not a committee. My thought then would be to go further inro the cause* of accidents, pub licize those, and in determining the question of discipline, it depends a lot upon circum istered before and after an accident. It you have told the fellow, in connection with h work, to do something in order to prevent injury to himself, or to other?, and if lie fails to do that, and you have noticed it. yii should discipline him regardle** rt how you do it. stances, but surely supervision is the answer, V. E. SCHLOSSBERG (Inland Stwl and not a committee, tn my opinion. Company. East Chicago. Ind.) : Mr Chair MEMBER; That still doesn't answer hi* question. The question is whether they lend to eliminate future accidents. L. 5. HARRIS (Continental Rolling Steel Foundry Compan>): If discipline is given, it should be given before the accident occur*, when the workman makes a care less move, or does a job carcle*.*!y. He should be disciplined at that time, and not after the accident occurs. MEMBER: How do we putii*h the em ployee who ha* been careless? man. the question stated now is that puni*hrncrx tends to eliminate future accident-. In the United States we maintain jail* in which to punish criminals. If that policy i* wrong, then this thing here is false. If that policy is right, then this statement is true. B. 0- BAIRD (State of Kansas l.alior Department, Topeka, Kansas): f think ihr wholc question of true or ta!>e dependupon the individual with whom you arc dealing, ft* the man is one of the-c fellow* who happen* to miss work on the least pre text, one or two days* lay off won't matter CHAIRMAN GRIFFITH: All right, to him; but if he is a man who come- to how do you punish? Why do we discipline work on time all the time, and happen? u> individuals? he violating one of the safety rule-, then HOMER L. ROGERS (Sheffield Steel whatever punishment is meted out to him Corporation, Kansas City. Missouri): Do will do <omv good. So the one who [> nu-tin;. you punish the man who is injured, or the out the punishment will be the one rv-pon- mail who caused the injury? CHAIRMAN* GRIFFITH : Well, that all depends. I would say. however, whoever might be at fault should be disciplined, whether it is the injured man himself, or somebody else who might be involved in the *ib!e to judge whether the man i- going to benefit from the punishment or not. That i* why 1 think, in my humble opinion, the question can lie true or fjlse. whichever the case may be. according to the individual you arc studying. It is a matter of p*ychokgy accident, too. But I think somebody else hit CH.MRMAN* GRIFFITH: Well. yon the nail on the head when he said we lock may gel an opinion one way or the other the door after the horse is gone. We cer But I think, as this gentleman *tated. \sc tainly ought to lock the door before the have set up certain laws which govern the horse gets away from us. In other words, don't wait until wc do have accidents. But we still don't have the answer to the qucstktn. Does it eliminate future accidents operation of our country*. In your steel plant you set up certain laws to govern those op orations. If you are going to eliminate fu ture accident*, you certainly can't permit 454 29th National Safety Congress accidents to go on witiiout doing something about them. That, I think, should be done previous to the happening of the accident?. There is where we should place our empha meetings conducted by the foreman than they do from the foreman who holds no safety meetings and talks to his men on the job." sis, on the training of the individuals, and tty to eliminate accidents so we don't have to punish individuals to get our elimination of them. All right, let's go to anotficr question. You had better study tliat a little bit. There is a little complication there which l can see. MR. ZIEGLER: Mr. Chairman, the prob lem i*n`t properly worded. IF the foreman MEMBER: No. 30. talks to hi* men individually, he has a group CHAIRMAN GRIFFITH: "When pur chasing safety equipment, the purchasing de partment should be the controlling factor.** True or false? .MEMBERS: False- of safety meetings, and if he talks to two or three, or four at a time, he lias a group safety meeting. He is educating the indi vidual. It doesn't matter whether he has one. two or three around the machine, or four, five r six in a group. The question isn't CHAIRMAN GRIFFITH : Well, wait a solved by that. minute, you fellows. What do you think we arc paying these high-priced purchasing agents for? The safety engineer gets $150 a month, and you have a purchasing agent who gets eight or ten thousand a year. He CHAIRMAN GRIFFITH: Would you consider them both group meetings, or would you consider one a personal contact, and the other a group meeting? Which way do 1 get the better results? Do I get better re- saves the company more money. Why -ults from personal contact with the indi shouldn't he be the controlling factor? vidual, or do I get better results by getting MR. ZIEGLER: The purchasing agent is those fellows in and talking to them m a not a controlling factor in purchasing other group? That is practically what this mam types of equipment, is he? MEMBER: You would get results if vou CHAIRMAN GRIFFITH: Yes. indeed. talked to everyone individually. Where he can get it cheapest, that is where MR. REN'WICK (Russell Iron Sc Steel he sets the thing. Company): I think it depends upon tlv op MEMBER: Mr. Chairman. maybe we eration. It it is a group operation nherc should decide whether or not the safety man should set the standards, and the purchas ing man should do the purchasing. The pur there are ten men working tcthcT. and they Iiave to uork in harmony, the thmg to do is di>cuss it with the ten mm. If -t t- a chasing department knows as little about ingle operation, and tJc man i- <Iotns rh* safety as the safety man knows about pur-liasiiiff, if you want to put it that wav CHAIRMAN GRIFFITH: Well, tUU is more or less a catch problem. There is no question about it. There has to be coopera tion. The safety man certainly has to coop erate with the purchasing department, and the purchasing department has to cooperate with the safety man. The safety man, if he is a safety man at all, knows what equipment he wants, and lie knows what works best in the plant, and regardles* of price, T think he should be the man who should specify what he has to have. Does that concur with the thinking of everybody ? The next question. MEMBER: No. 17. wrong thing, then the thine to hair :* fonal contact. That would brim: rtw f- AulU. MEMBER 1 would like to qtmtr ihr ,Ji principle that two or three head- ajv than one. If the same man alway* fca* rtv personal contact, it is only hi* iiptmet tka> you are to listen to. whereas if ><*o h>rr a meeting everyone s allowed to talk, and everyone is allowed to give his own ester prctaiion of everything concerned. Many .t the best safety ideas come from the edct themselves, which means the meeting will give them the outlet for such 9xgxbcm* That is why I would prefer meeruxc* to personal contact. CHAIRMAN GRIFFITH: AH right. Wt go to the next question. MEMBER: No. 29. CHAIRMAN GRIFFITH: -Employees CHAIRMAN GRIFFITH AH right, in** wt more safety training from group safety look at 29. "When an emptoytt found Metals Section 455 working at a liazardous occupation and is not wearing safety equipment provided by the company, be should be 'fired.' " MEMBER: Mr. Chairman, I don't like that word "fired." I think we should use the word "disciplined" there. CHAlRhLAN GRIFFITH: Well, 1 think we understand this word "fired" a little bit better than we do the word "disciplined." MR. JORDAN: Mr. Chairman, do I un derstand that you would fire a man who was tound working in a hazardous occupa tion mid not wearing safety equipment? I don't agree with that. I think it is up to us and up to the supervision to train that man, to sell him on the idea to wear that equip ment for his own protection. We have a job of training to do. I certainly wouldn't fire a man if I caught him working without using the safety equipment, even though he had been told. CHAIRMAN GRIFFITH: Here is an operating man. I am going to ask Mr. Schwartz what he would do in such a case. It is probably just a personal opinion. FRANK G SCHWARTZ; My feeling in the matter is this: Wc are all human, and if we got fired the first time wc made a mis take, we wouldn't be in a job very long. 1 feel that a man who works in a hazardous position, and does not wear the safety clothing, or use the safety equipment which is provided, should be reprimanded, and cautioned that the next offense might mean a lay off. I certainly would not be in favor ot firing that man the first time he did not a<* the safety equipment. MR SMITH (Genera! Electric Company, Fort Wayne. Indiana): I think we have gotrrn akao<t dear away from enforcement in me factories. There was a time in the old ia>- mhezi if a man did anything wrong in that respect, he was canned. They didn't <! with him- But in the past 15 cart we have been trying to sell people on safety We art getting a little bit afraid to en force the safety rules we make. I think we -hould get bade to some of the old ideasI don't say you should fire a man right off the reel. That would be inhuman. But if he persists in violating the rules, and the com pany spends money for safety equipment for him. I think he shouldn't be fired, of course, but he should be laid off possibly for a few days. CHAIRMAN GRIFFITH: All right, gentlemen. Is there anything dse on that? MR. FORGY (American Rolling Mill Company): Mr. Chairman, I thunk the man should be "fired." We must be persistent in doing the things that prevent accidents. That is our job, together with supervision. A man might be careless in doing a particular job, simply because he doesn't have the proper education along safety lines. He may not have the proper viewpoint as to his personal responsibility. He doesn't yet realize that he can do something about prevention, and tliat is our job, to get the point over to the man. It may be done in some instances in a week's time, and in other cases it may take a year, but that is our job, to be patient with the individual, and help him to realize, as we do, tliat accidents are avoidable. When wc do that we will get results. MR. SCHLOSSBERG: How about the man who involves not only himself in an accident, but a year from today he involves somebody else in an accident, and a year from then he has another accident? Nobody is going to do any punishing, and nobody is going'to do any firing. MEMBER: No. 25. CHAIRMAN GRIFFITH: Let's look at No. 25. "Due to his position, it is not nec essary* for a supervisor to wear goggles or other safety clothing which arc required for those working under him." True or false? MEMBERS: False. CHAIRMAN GRIFFITH: I think that is very true. All right, another question. MEMBER: No. 19. CHAIRMAN GRIFFITH: No. 19; "Im pending lay-offs increase accidents." Do they or don't they? How many think it is true? (Practically unanimous.) Well, that is fin ished. Another question. MEMBER: No. 3 - CHAIRMAN GRIFFITH: All right, gentlemen, No. 3. "When a new employee ts put to work the foreman should give him instructions in accident prevention and not merely show' him the operation and tell him to be careful." How many of you fellows think it is true? It is unanimous. MEMBER: No. 8. 456 29th A'ationaf Safety Congress CHAIRMAN GRIFFITH: "The number of accidents in a plant goes up or down in relation to the reporting and correcting of unsafe practices and conditions." True or false? CHAIRMAN GRIFFITH: `When new machinery is installed, the safety engineer should have final say as to whether or not the machinery is safely guarded before it is put into production." MEMBERS: True. MEMBERS : True. CHAIRMAN GRIFFITH: You arc sat isfied it is true? All right, let's go on to another one. MEMBER: No. 2. CHAIRMAN GRIFFITH : No. 2: "When an employee works on an operation which necessitates the wearing of goggles, he should be allowed to pick the type of goggle which he is to use." MEMBERS: False. CHAIRMAN GRIFFITH: Arc you sat isfied with that as the answer? All right. MEMBER: No. 6. MR. ZIEGLER: False. Mr Chairman, that is only half true. The safety director should not have the final sa\. But a safety director, and a committee composed of some of the safety committee members in that de partment, perhaps, and the foreman, and the department engineer, should make up a com mittee to investigate and examine that ma chine before it is ready to be put into op eration. The report of that committee should determine whether the machine should go into operation or not. It should not be ju-t a final definite statement of the safety di vertor himself. CHAIRMAN GRIFFITH: All right. No. 6. "A foreman is primarily responsible for safety in his department." MEMBERS: True. MEMBER : No. 7. CHAIRMAN GRIFFITH: No. 7. "The posting of money losses from injuries is a tfood selling point for safety." MEMBERS; True. MR ZIEGLER: The company'* or the individual's? Whose money? CHAIRMAN GRIFFITH: Wail a min ute. Who U the loser? MR. ZIEGLER: Are von talking about the company or the man? CHAIRMAN GRIFFITH: The money hi't bv the company. Let's put it that wav. MR. ZIEGLER: That i* false. If It i the company, yes. CHAIRMAN GRIFFITH: I* tlrai factory? No one objects to that, so we will go on. What is the next one? CHAIRMAN GRIFFITH: H. mam or you safety engineers would he willing to accept tjie responsibility* of putting iha machinery into operation if it wasn't prop, erlv guarded? (Nobody answered > All right, how many of you fellow- think this thing is true? Read it over carefully. All right, is it true? Is it false? True winThey say the safety engineer should Ira\final say. IX POLK (Aluminum Company of America): This is the cart before the hor-c, to -ome extent. The settlement of the safety features of the machine should com*- in the initial buying or building of the machine in stead of at the time of putting it into pro duction. The safety engineer and the design ing engineer ought to cover that question, and when the machine j- constructed it .-hould be finished to comply with all the safety regulations. CHAIRMAN GRIFFITH: I think -**agree on that. MEMBER: No. 5 CHAIRMAN GRIFFITH: There seems to be quite a call for No. 5. "Extra remuner All right. No. 4. "Education m accident prevention is an e*-cntial pan of a plant safety program," ation for service with an Employee Safety Committee stimulates interest in accident prevention." MEMBERS: False. CHAIRMAN GRIFFITH: It doesn't stimulate? O.K., if you are satisfied with that, we will cross it off. MEMBER: No. 1. MEMBERS: True. CHAIRMAN GRIFFITH : True. No dis cussion there. All right, what else have v\c? Wc arc going to question X'o. 9: "The increase in accidents during the year 1939 as compared to 1938 was principally due to the failure of equipment." MEMBERS: False. Metals Section 457 CHAIRMAN GRIFFITH: False. O.K. MEMBER: No. 26 CHAIRMAN GRIFFITH: No. 26. "When valve on oxygen tank sticks, it should be oiled so it will work freely." MEMBERS: False. MR. POLK: Because you have all the elements of combustion, spontaneous com bustion, when you get oil or grease and oxygen together. CHAIRMAN GRIFFITH: In other words, you get an explosion. MR. POLK: Yes. MEMBER: No. 12. CHAIRMAN GRIFFITH. 'Men trans ferred from other departments should be treated Iik*.* old men and not given any par ticular safety instructions or training." MEMBERS: False. CHAIRMAN GRIFFITH: Boy. then* was m question a!>out that one. wa- there r MEMBER: No. 15. CHAIRMAN GRIFFITH: O.K. "Salt Tablets or other means of providing sale should never be used in the winter time." MEMBERS: False. CHAIRMAN GRIFFITH: If a little salt m the outside will do what it does, cer tainly it should be good for something on the in-idc. All right, another question. MKMBER: No. U, CHAIRMAN GRIFFITH. "When in- -truction* are given on how to do the job -aiclv. it is not necessary to follow up and make sure that the Instructions arc being carried out correctly." MEMBERS: False. CHAIRMAN GRIFFITH: I can't get anyone to talk on that one. What is the next rite? MEMBER: No. 16. CHAIRMAN GRIFFITH: `Ml is not necessary for foremen to spend much time observing the actions of workmen with years of experience and good safety records." MEMBERS: False. CHAIRMAN GRIFFITH - I will ask Mr. Miller if he will talk on that. F. A. MILLER: Mr. Chairman, my thought on that is that "Familiarity breeds contempt." I would say it is decidedly neces sary for the foreman to observe the actions of hi- men in his department, even though they are men with a good many years' ex perience in that department. Thoughtlessness or carelessness enters into this, and in my own department I watch the old men just as closely as I watch the new men, because they arc just as apt to get careless and have an accident. MEMBER r No 20. CHAIRMAN GRIFFITH: All right,lets take a look at No. 20 "The physical .re quirement of new men is more important than the moral or mental requirement* from the standpoint of safety." MEMBERS: False. MEMBER - No. 10. CHAIRMAN GRIFFITH One of the chief means of rcducintt the number of ac cident* is by the -uper\i*nr? holding group safely meetings with their men" MEMBERS: True- CHAIRMAN GRIFFITH- On.- more question. MEMBER. No. 1& CHAIRMAN' GRIFFITH "Setting up a deposit charge for goggles has a tendency m keep the men from using them." MR. HART: I would like to hear some discussion on that. CHA1RMAN GRIFFITH: You would? Mr. Ebcrle, possibly you could say some thing on this. F .1. EBERLE. In a lot of plants it ncustoniarv for every new man coming into a shop to have a pair of goggles, regardless of whether he uses them day in and day out or not. It is usually a rule that every man should have goggles. At some time or other hi* duties might lake him through a depart ment which required every man to wear goggles, and he should have them in a cat like that. I don't think a charge should be made for goggle* when a man is hired, hut in our plant when a man t, hired he is given goggles, and when lie leaves our employ he must turn (hose gogg in. If he is not able to do that, wc deduct - small charge from his last pay check. MR. HART: Do you find that has a tendency to keep the men from wearing them in your plant ? MR. EBERLE. Absolutely not. It is a steadfast rule that the men should wear 458 29th National Safety Congress goggles in our department. They wear them. MR. POLK.: Mr. Chairman, there is a little thought there I don't think has been brought, out. The first pair of goggles is usually given to the employee, but through some reason he may have lost them or broken them in his ordinary pursuit of work. Now, I think what the committee was after was whether or not it was necessary for this employee to pay for the next pair of goggles, or the next pair. The point is that if he had the goggles with part of the glass broken out rather than turn those goggles in and pay eighty cents for another pair, or one dollar, or whatever it may he, wouldn't he use the inferior goggles rather than pay the mono* to get the safer pair ? CHAIRMAN GRIFFITH: Maybe he would. CHAIRMAN GRIFFITH: Gentlemen, do you like this type of meeting? Hold your hands up if you do. Let's see what you think of it (Practically unanimous raising of hands.) Very good. I am glad you do. It 5s some thing new, something we have never tried before- We have tried to get as much in formation to you in this way as you would probably get in a paper. * TUESDAY LUNCHEON SESSION October 8,1940 Accident Prevention in the Steel Industry By WAITER S. TOWER President. American Iron and Steel Institute, New York City It is most appropriate that representatives of the iron and steel industry* Iia\e always taken an active part In the meetings and deliberations of the National Safety Coun cil. It fostered and financed many of the early safety activities. Indeed, the very idea of the National Safetj* Council, itself, had its roots in the steel industry- In 1912 a committee was appointed by the Association of Iron and Steel Engineers, diarged with the task of "organizing and guiding a permanent body devoted to the piomulion of safety to human life In in dustry in the United States." Out of the work of that committee the National Safety Council was bom. The job of promoting safety in the mills at the start was not an easy one. It involved substantial expenditures for mechanical safeguards in the plant and much patient and persistent educational work throughout every department. It was necessary, if the idea was to succeed, to transform deeplygrooved habits of devil-may-care attitude or actual carelessness into firmly fixed habits of care and caution. It is obvious, but still worth stating, that the work carried on for nearly three dec ades has paid large dividends in terms of human lives saved and human suffering avoided. To management belongs the credit for initiating and directing the movement, but to industry's employees must go the credit for the intelligent cooperation neces sary to Its success. That success in the steel industry* has been most impressive. Once employment in the Steel industry was regarded as a hazardous occupation. Today it is a common saying that a steel worker is safer in the plant than in his own home. Actually the steel industry's safety record last year ranked fourth in the list among the thirty industries covered by the reports of the National Safety Council. Only the to bacco, cement and printing industries had a better record than steel. At the beginning of the safety movement steel stood near the bottom of the list and it was only a few years ago that it stood in twelfth place in the Council's rating of freedom from accidents. That progress is a notable achieve ment, and a share of the credit for it be longs to the earnest and helpful efforts of the National Safety Council. I have referred to tbe human benefits of the safety movement, and those benefits in the saving of life and limb, of course, are Metals Section 459 of first importance in any consideration of the problem of safety. But the financial benefits also have been very considerable, not only to the companies but to the em ployees themselves. Accidents are customarily measured in terms of lost time and in industry that means lost money both to employee and to employer. It means impaired efficiency and diminished productivity of the working force. The progress made in reducing "lost time" has been a notable contribution to industrial efficiency, higher output per man hour, and better earnings for the worker. If safety and other factors contributing to productivity are important to the steel industry in ordinary times, they are doubly so at this critical period of world history wheu this country finds itself forced to enter upon a vast program of preparedness for national defense. Steel must play a vital part in the defense effort, and there must be no avoidable "lost time" in national de fense. Steel is a raw material which can be specified for defense products as freely as for articles of peace. Fortunately the same technology and the same plants which have produced the steels for modem automobiles, refrigerators and all the other familiar peace time products, are available to turn out steels to required specifications and in required quantities for guns and shells, tanks and war planes, torpedoes and battle ships. No revamping of the industry is necessary. To supply these essential needs as well as hundreds of additional requirements, not directly in the nature of armaments or mu nitions but equally vital to the national de fense, steel in almost every form will be in demand. Army and Navy cantonments must be erected, shipways built, industrial plants ex panded, roadways constructed and many military articles produced. For these and similar requirements regular commercial steels in proper specifications will be largely used. In some cases special needs may re quire kinds of steel little known to peace time use, but these the industry is prepared to produce. With the possible exception of electric furnace steel, the industry is confronted with no immediate problem of any impor tant additions to plant capacity. Greater quantities of electric furnace steel are needed to provide stainless and various other al loys for planes, tools, special armor and other products. To meet that need the in dustry has been increasing electric furnace steel capacity by some 700,000 tons, or 40 per cent, and before the end of the year the available supply should be ample for all needs. In some quarters the steel industry has been the target of sharp criticism because of its policy of spending large sums for plant modernization. During the past decade, for example, the industry expended approx imately $1,500,000,000 in new facilities and improvements. But you will all agree that the position of the United States in the the midst of turbulent world events today would be far less reassuring than it is if the productive facilities of the steel indus try' were less efficient. Along with such betterments, brain has risen in value over brawn, and correspond ingly the ground bas been improved for sowing the seeds of safety ideas. The total ingot producing capacity of the industry today is close to 83,000,000 net tons, an increase since 1920 of 22,000,000 net tons, or more than 35 per cent As the defense program takes shape the probable requirements of steel are becoming somewhat clearer but even now no complete or positive statement of needs beyond a few months Is possible. On the basis of different assumptions, estimates of total require ments for the full defense program range from 7 per cent to 20 per cent of annual steel output. According to one calculation, based mainly on the amount of authorized expenditures for national defense over the next three or four years, steel requirements are estimated to approximate 15,000,000 tons. Tliat amount of steel could be pro duced by the industry, operating at capacity, in a little over two months. Although the Congress has authorized expenditures of nearly $14,000,000,000 for defense purposes, most commentators agree that it seems unlikely that more than onethird of any such amount can be expended during the first 12 months. Largely that is due to the fact that it takes time to build and equip new plants, to retool existing plants and to change operations from peace time work to armament production. Although the domestic demand for steel 460 29th National Safety Congress lor direct defense purposes is not yet large, export demand chiefly from Great Britain and to a lesser extent from South America lias readied a substantia] volume. Shipments to England alone are reported to be run ning at approximately 600,000 tons monthly. The various factors of demand have com bined to lift operations above 00 per cent of capacity, with some competent predic tions that output will continue at a high level. When production is being pushed deep-rooted habits of observing safety prin ciples are doubly essential. At the current level of operations the in dustry is producing ingots at the annua! rate of roughly 75,030,000 tons, so that it is still theoretically possible to increase present output by about 600.000 tons monthly, with everything running at ca pacity. Because the industry's plant has been kept in excellent condition, it probably is better prepared to maintain operations at capacity tor a longer period of time than ever before. On a few occasions in the industry'ex perience, capacity operations have been held without interruption for varying periods. The most notable of these instances was during the first World War in 1917 when operations were at 100 per cent of capacity for seven months. In view of these tacts there seems to be no present prosf>vci of any lack of capacity for making sufficient supplies of steel to meet all requirements, for national defense, as well as tor export and regular commer cial needs. Another factor of great importance in the industry's ability to meet the rising demand for steel is that of available and efficient working forces. A survey recently made by the American Iron and Steel Institute indicates that there is not now any shortage oi skilled or unskilled workers in the iron and steel industry. Moreover, it is generally felt in the industry* that even though the rate of operations does rise somewhat higher, no such shortage will develop. The demand for workers has steadily in creased over recent months and further ex pansion of numbers on the payrolls is probable. In August the number of em ployees in the steel industry was 560,000. The ability of the steel companies to find die trained men with which to expand their forces on the scale of recent months is due primarily to two long range policies. One has been the policy of maintaining tixdr organizations in dull times to the full est extent possible through work sharing. Skilled and semi-skilled worker* have been retained on the payroll instead of being cut adrift, and the effects of patient education in ways of safety have not been lost. The other policy* is that of conducting apprentice training programs. In addition to the regular apprentice training many com panies are meeting the current situation by inaugurating programs of intenrive training on the job. Under this plan known as "learner train ing" promising voting men are selected in the locality of the plant or from amonc those already on the payroll and given in tensive training in special operations or on particular jobs when additional skilled help i* needed. This training may continue for varying period.* ranging from three week- to threv mnnth*. and the instructors are .-killed me chanic* especially chosen tor the purpose. Haring it* calculation upon tire assumj*tion that its available sources of labor -upply will not lie depleted by con-criptmn. federal regimentation of labor, or by an unprecedented boom in indu-trv generally, the steel industry* is confident of its ability to meet all probable demands with it- pro em plant and equipment and the working forces now available. The supply of certain raw material- pre-ent- a problem which conceivably* could in terfere with production but certainly there i> m immediate threat of any such interfer ence- Steel producers in this country arc wholly or in part dependent upon foreign -ourco for seven of the twelve important non-ferrou- metals used in the making of various steel products. The metals in the list arc chromium, cobalt, manganese, nickel, tin. tungsten and vanadium. Supplies of these metals are being watched closely by experts working with the Defense Ad visory Commission. Stock piles of some of (hem are being acquired by* government agencies to serve as possible emergency protection in the event that the flow* of sup plies from overseas sources is interrupted. And every precaution is being taken to make cure that essential materials for our great basic industry shall not be lacking. Metals Section 461 In that unprecedented defense program, which is now getting under way, the steel industry is working in the closest coopera tion and harmony with the Army, the Navy and the Defense Commission. With out any reservation whatever, members of the steel industry arc making their produc tive facilities and combined technical skills available for every national defense need which they can supply. If the defense program * to succeed, ami it is a huge undertaking, it will call for the best effort and the greatest pro ductivity of every essential industry' and * every man connected with those industries. With facilities, materials and men available the steel industry' face* what may be -the greatest task which it lias ever been asked to perform, with complete confidence in its ability to deliver. It is keenly aware, how ever, ot the need for no loss of man or machine power by the sapping effects of ac cidents. To the enduring credit of those who have carried forward the safety movement over the years, safety for the worker now' stands forth as a vital clement in industrial efficiency at a time of critical national need Presentation of National Safety Council Awards in the Metals Section Safety Contest Oui.-tamling tacts were briefly sketched by Col. John Stflwell, President of the Na tional Safety Council, who also presented the awards in the Council's name. Participation in the 1939-1940 comjxiition carily exceeded the enrollment in any previtui- contest- Two hundred ninety-five plants employing 451.115 people who worked 913..5W>.$P0 hours during the year participated. The average frequency for all participants wa- MIS. Steel mills had the lowest av erage. 4.91. and foundries had the highc-t rate*, averaging 15 05. Group A plants, consisting of the largest in each divirion, had sharply lower rales than did the smaller plant*. Frequency rates averaged 4 per cent higher than in the previous come.-!. Only participant* in light and heavy machine -hop division' reduced rates. Pcreenioue ehonue Division from /93?-/9i9 Contest Light Machine Shops -m Hcaw Machine Shops - i% Steel Mills 4- 59c Rolling. Finishing & Fabricating 4-11% Foundries -\-22.cU . Injuries averaged one per 81 employees. Thirty out of the 295 participants went through the contest period without a report- able injtiry*. The awards consisted of handsome bronze trophies, each in the form of an eagle in flight and the Universal Safety Em blem. which were given to winners of first place in the contest; and Certificates of Merit, in the form of a lettered scroll, which were given to winners of second and third place. In the lists below* the winners of first place are indicated by* the numeral (1), nnd the winners of second and third places bv the numeral (2) and <3) respectively. Division i Group .4 1. South Chicago Works Republic Steel Corp., 3.322.260 man-hours with 4 reportable injuries 2. Warren Work.-. Republic Steel Corp., 10.738.064 man-hours with 17 reportable in juries. 3. Camegie-Ulinoi- Steel Corp., Farrell, Pa.. 4,899.717 man-hours with 10 reportable injurie*. Grout B 1. E. & G. Brooke Iron ompanv, flirdsboro. Pa., 453,528 man-hours with no report able injuries. 2. The Youngstown Sheet and Tube Com pany. South Chicago Works. 1,129.708 man hours with 1 reportable injury. 3. The American Rolling Mill Co.. Inc.. Hamilton Div., New Mtami, Ohio. 849.032 man-hours with l reportable injury Division II Group A 1. Niles Works, Republic Steel Corp.. 1.- 530,394 man-hours with no reportable in juries. 462 29th National Safety Congress 2. Youngstown Works, Truscon Steel Co., Republic Steel Corp., 3,579,865 man hours with 1 reportable injury. 3. Aluminum Company of America, New Kensington Works, 14,330,178 man-hours with 18 reportable injuries. Group B 1. Bethlehem Steel Co., Coatcsville. Pa., 725,891 man-hours with no reportable in juries. 1. I.aclede Steel Co., Madison, Til., 611,560 man-hours with no reportable injuries. 1. Dilworth Porter Div., Republic Steel Corp., Pittsburgh, Pa., 395,504 man-hours with no reportable injuries. I. Brooklyn Works, Steel & Tubes Div.. Republic Steel Corp., 338,279 man-hours with no reportable injuries. 1. Hartford Works, Union Drawn Steel l>iv.. Republic Steel Corp., 243,608 man hours with no reportable injuries. 1. Pullman-Standard Car Manufacturing Co.. Hammond, Ind.. 239,407 man-hours with no reportable injuries. 1. Los Angeles Works, Truscon Steel Co.. Republic Steel Corp., 230,500 man-hours with no reportable injuries. 1. General Cable Corp., Los Angeles, Cal.. 173.806 man-hours with no reportable injuric-. I. Joseph T. Ryerson & Son. Inc.. Bufnlo, X. Y.. 175,213 man-hours with no rcj-ortablc injuric*. 1 Hamilton Plant, Union Drawn Steel 1 *iv.. Republic Steel Corp., 144.006 man hours with no reportable injuries. 1. The Xational Radiator Company. Leb anon. Pa- 77,735 man-hours with no re portable injuries. 1 Joseph T. Ryerson & Son, Inc.. Mil waukee. Wis., 75.266 man-hours with no rcIK>rtable injuries. Pizisiou /!/ Group A 1. Haynes Stellite Company, Kokomo, In<L, 570,173 man-hours with no reportable injuries. 1. The Perfect Circle Company, New Castle, Ind., 492,221 man-hours with no re portable injuries. 3. The Central Foundry Company, Holt, Ala., 1,721,486 man-hours with 2 reportable injuries. Group B l. National Cast Iron Pipe Co. Birming ham, Ala., 448,679 man-hours with no re portable injuries. 1. The American Rolling Mill Co., Inc.. Central Works Foundry, Middletown, Ohio, 170,243 man-hours with no reportable in juries. 1. The American Rolling Mill Co., luc.. Sixth Ave., Foundry', Ashland, Ky., 120,875 man-hours with no rcjwrtable injuries. Division IV Group A 1. Whiting Corporation, Harvey, 111., I,605.995 man-hours with no reportable in juries. 2. Gilbert & Barker M fy. Co.. SprinuneM. Mass., 2,226.47/ man-hours with 1 report able injury. 3. United Shoe Machinery Corporation. Beverly, Mass., 6,117,920 man-hours with 7 rc]>ortahle injuries. Group B 1. United Stales Rubber Co., Shoe Hard ware Div., Watcrbury, Conn., 938.930 man hours with no reportable injuries. 1. Link-Belt Co., Caldwell Moore Plant. Chicago. III., 434,575 man-hours with no re portable injuries. 3. The Challenge Machinery* Co., Grand Haven, Mich., 239,845 man-hours with 1 re portable injury- Dizisioti V Group A 1. Mine Safety Appliances Co., Pittsburgh, Pa.. 1,340,388 man-hours with no reportable injuries. 2. Weslinghousc Electric & Manufactur ing Co.. Lamp Div., Bloomfield, N. J., 6,547.660 man-hours with-I reportable injury. 3. Westinghouse Electric & Manufactur ing Co.. Newark Works, 3,834,096 man hours with 2 reportable injuries. Group B l. Boston Gear Works, Inc., North Quincy, Mass., 1,122,182 man-hours with no reportable injuries. 1. Westinghouse Electric & Manufactur ing Co., X-Ray Co., Long Island City, X. Y., 1,010,029 man-hours with no reportable injuries. Metals Section 463 i. Dictaphone Corp., Bridgeport, Conn., 1.002,076 man-hours with no reportable in juries. 1. Pressed Steel Div., Truscon Steel Co., Republic Steel Corp., 761,680 man-hours with no reportable injuries. 1. Ilg Electric Ventilating Co., Chicago, I1L, 552,979 man-hours with no reportable injuries. 1. The Perfect Circle Co,, Tipton, Ind., 227,292 man-hours with no reportable in juries. 1. Kester Solder Co., Chicago. III., 191,426 man-hours with no reportable injuries TUESDAY AFTERNOON SESSION October 8,1940 The session was called to order by Lamar S. Peregoy, President, Sivyer Steel Casting Company, Milwaukee, Wis., who prestdedThc meeting had been planned to discuss special "Foundry Problems/' and the Chair man immediately turned the Chair over to the new presiding officer, John H. Holzbog, Personnel Director, Chain Belt Company, Milwaukee, and Chairman of the Foundry Committee, Metals Section, National Safety Council. Chairman Holzbog briefly discussed some outstanding foundry problems, and then in troduced the regular speakers in order. Maintaining Safety Interest in the Small Plant By L. C. WILSON General Manager, Reading Steel Casting Division, American Chain & Cable Co., Reading, Pa. The job of making castings, whether as a straw-boss, assistant foreman, foreman, suIttrinlendcnt or manager, entails a great many details which go to make up the whole of the job. We can pick out a great many items which go to make up this whole, but in many cases one component part will be outstanding for pressure by the manage ment Until comparatively recently Safety was one of the things that was little thought about To the credit of industry, however. Safety in shops has received more and more atten tion with the progress of years and today takes, to my mind, as prominent a place in shop practice as do quality of product, cost of product and other items which go into the process of manufacturing castings. Thinking this through, I believe to get the proper perspective we must substitute some word for "interest" and I believe that "safety coosdoosncss" more definitely de fines the intangible something with which we are attempting to deal. With this substi tution, I am convinced that safety conscious ness is as important in supervisory jobs as are the element? of production, quality, cost and all other parts of the job of mak ing castings; and if approached from that point of view, more definite progress can be made toward safer shops and better work ing conditions. We are supposed to discuss safety in a small plant. However, this brings before me the question of how to designate a small plant. Number of men does not seem to answer the question entirely, as it may mean a small number of employees where the head of the business gives his undivided attention to all details from top to bottom. Again it may mean one with a much larger numoer of employees managed in identically the same manner by the chief, with little or no authority delegated to subordinates. From the point of view of Safety it may mean a plant with a large number of em ployees but maintaining a safety program which segregates the separate departments, thereby making each one quite comparable to a plant with a small number o em ployees. The answer as to what constitutes a small 464 29tk A ational Safety Congress plant is left to one's own opinion; bur as I see the problem, the safety programs in all three of the above instances should be han dled in identically the same manner and the success of the safety program will be de pendent upon the safety consciousness which is instilled in the men through the super visory force but propelled by the head of the organization. This brings us to the first of the ten phases of safety work which I will try to develop. 1. Who is tin lay man on safety in the wall plant? In what has been said as to a small plant, the key man on safety is. of course, the Chief, as only through him could any pro gram live or flourish. To ray mind this chief, manager or head of a %usiness should he the key man in either smalt or large business; and by key man T mean not what we sometimes describe as key men in industry, but the msut from whom all inspiration, enthusiasm and direc tion originate*--the head oi the organiza tion. Management has a definite moral interest. When men are hired and taken into the foundry, management has a definite respon sibility to send them home to their wives and families at the end of the day's work in av good physical condition and health as when the men reported for work in the morning. The neglect of machine guarding, or con dition of equipment, or poor housekeeping eventually spells accidents; for accidents do not just happen but arc the result of neglect or carelessness. This mut be prevented by instructions to newly hired men, and these must be repeated continually' b.v the super visors and foremen, who must necessarily reflect the moral responsibility of the top. The financial interest i> in the hidden costs due to losr of time and production, as well as other items, which arc four time* the direct costs which appear on the book* of the industry*- Every accident costs money, whether it al*o causes injury or not. Management has a large investment in men trained to do our work and cannot af ford to overlook these losses, all of which may' be prevented. A' 1 interpret safety consciousness it start* at the top and always remains top responsibility. To be sure, the burden of making safety plans and carrying them to a *ticce*si*ul conclusion does largely, if not altogether, tall upon the shoulder* of others in the organization who should be. and probably arc. trained and expert in safety and who mu?t support all others in the or ganization in attacking this never-ending job. Even so, the chief must be the key and make it known that he is the real key, or )wst results arc usually lacking. I believe this it the answer to the way and means to approach and maintain safety consciousness. In order to get a broader opinion six dif ferent plants were asked this same question. Their answer* were: employment, manager, safety director, cliairman of safety commit tee. plant manager, personnel supervisor; but all indicated that the real direction orig inated From the head of rhe plant or com pany, which bears out my opinion that the real key man of Safety is sitting at the top. It is only right that this should be so, and here is where I believe a place for the word "interest" applies fully; that is. management interests, and there are two: first, moral in terest: second, financial interest. 2. What docs i/ cost not to maintain safety consciousnessf Not to maintain safety consciousness i* difficult to represent in monetary* values, but we do know ilia! the absence of it in any organization will very quickly cause absence of workmen on account of injuries, result ing in interruption of production and op erating schedules. The cost may be further represented by the cost of breaking in other workmen, plus accident compensation and medical expense. High frequency* of accidents in any shop will caue workmen to become nervous, irri tated and dissatisfied and will contribute to labor difficulties. J. Hose can foremen he heft on their toes? Foremen may* be kepi on their toe.* through frequent distribution of safety* lit erature and accident statistics, as welt as assigning time in all meetings of foremen and supervisors to safety subjects. Tn addi tion, in case of a reportable accident of even a trivial nature, the assistant foreman or straw-boss on the job should be required to make a written report, stating his recom mendations for the prevention of future accidents of that nature. This form or report should be submitted Metals Section 465 by the under-boss to his department head or superintendent, and transmittc to the works manager's office, and in turn given to the perxnuid department to assist in completing the formal report, which will be filed eventually under the name of the em ployee along with his other records. This may appear to involve some detail, but such a system ha* proved very* effective in reduc ing the frequency ot* accidents through mak ing the foremen more safety conscious and alert to hazards and unsafe practices that may exist in their department or section. In case of serious accident a special com mittee should be appointed by the manage ment to investigate, and upon receipt of their report the hazards should be corrected and a meeting called of all supervisors and the matter thoroughly discussed and analx zed for the benefit of other departments in order to prevent a recurrence of similar accident*. 4. lime run the men in the shop he kept enthusiastic.* A< previously staled, records sliould Ik: kept of all injuries and recorded on the employee's personnel record. Also, as there arc always some worker* who prove more careless than others, by careful analysis these careless workers may be discovered very quickly As workmen welcome a safe place io work in. it will be found that they arc enthusiastic about even the slightest effort on the part of the management to bet ter working condition*, and to show them how to their jobs more safely. To main tain thi* cntbu*iam. try to show, in the ca*c of a lr*>i-timc injury, the financial loss suffered hy ile injured person as well as the phy deal -offering he sustains. By keep ing their mind* refreshed as to the possible financial lo** in the case of an accident, a* well a- following through on suggestions and -atety recommendations, thereby prov ing tHr management's sincerity about the subject, the %*orkman retain* hi- i- ihusiasm in regard to safety work. It is also recommended that general rules with regard to safety be established for the individual plants. These rules should lie of a general character and one should not try to cover everything in the category of safety in thc>e rule*. A card or pamphlet listing from 24 to 36 general rules should be more tlian sufficient, but they should be agreed upon before being primed and once they are issued, the rules should stand until condi tions make it necessary to change them. With this set of general rules it is easier for the management to apply discipline more fairly, because when a man violates a rule lie expects such discipline. 5. What can your insurance company do for you in this respect f The foundry industry has learned to use the knowledge of technical mett in its organ ization and relies upon their advice As we have developed men of this type, >o liavc our insurance companies, who employ tech nical men trained in accident prevention methods It i* extremely useful for many plants- to utilize the technical accident prevention service of their compensation insurance car rier- examination of boilers, machinery and elevators upon which accidents are seri ous. Vfe of the technical inspection service of insurance companies is almost universal; also suggestions on the safeguarding of machinery, on netting up safe operating practice*, the analysis of plant accident re ports, and help in working out safely pro grams. attending satety meetings and giving general advice and suggestions to the safety supervisory forces. The technical knowledge in accident in vestigation and analysis which the insurance safety engineer ran provide is good school ing for foremen. 6. What are some devices used jor mow- taining safety consciousness? (a) Exhibits of safety equipment, such a* goggles, safety shoes which have saved ar cidenis, photographs of particular accidents, as a chipper whose goggle lens shattered \\ithout eye injury. (bj Insurance and National Safety Coun cil posters changed frequently. (c) Boards showing number of day* with out lost-time accidents at convenient loca tions such as main gate (d) In one plant green lights are shown on a board to desigqatc no accident, and turned to red to notify all in the plant that an accident has taken place, with designa tion of the department suffering the acci dent. This helps create safety conscious ness. (e) Showing of safely films. ft) Use of men other than foremen on safety committees, changed and rotated to give large numbers the experience Thi* helps to educate the workmen in safety 466 29th National Safety Congress methods and the reasons for them, and de velops a lasting safety consciousness. (g) Contests; a number of types such as prizes for individuals and departments. How ever. ail such devices are only of temporary value, and contests are extremely difficult to devise that will be entirely fair, due to tlie wide variation of hazards in the sev eral departments of the shops. Unless the factors can be equalized in order that de partments with few hazards can compare with those with more hazards, and at the same time take into account the varying number of men, little safely consciousness can be maintained and it may seem better to save the effort. 7. U'hat are some of the causes of tack of safety consciousness f fa) Management not following through with a program once started. When em ployees sec any let-up on the part of man' agement and supervisors they are quick to let up themselves. (b) Lack of safety consciousness in de partments or sections of plants is caused by remain accident probabilities, the time should be found somehow to give the matter proper attention. 7/irt** much can the small plant offord la spend on Safety? Assuming that a steel foundry can afford to spend whatever may be its own normal rate in the state In which it is located, it is my opinion that within a tew years, by ap plying a simple common sense safotv pro gram, the foundry or plant can operate its entire safety program and bear its compen sation and medical costs for the original rate. If such a plant is rated above the normal rate, which would indicate the poor experience of that plant, then it can well afford to spend more in order to bring that experience down to better than normal. Actually it is not necessary, nor is it rec ommended. to spend great amounts of money for a safety program. Of course, some money ought to be spent to guard dangerous operations, but with care there is no need of spending large amounts tor this purpose. unfairness of so-called safety contests due to not taking into account difference in hazards, number in department, etc. Unless all factors can be equalized the safety rec ords should not be used as comparison be tween departments. One company has told me that ihcir com pensation costs in 1938 averaged $19.77 per man. and in 1939 averaged $23.33 per man. These amounts, it seems to me. arc indica tive of a basic guide for further expendi tures for, if by additional moneys spent fc) The old human failing in thinking compensation expense can be reduced (and that something may occur to injure some it can) the plant is a large gainer in in one but will not happen to himself. fd) Poor housekeeping is .a very large contributor to lack of safety consciousness, as is poor maintenance of equipment. Each department would like to go on in definitely without accident and if this idea tangible costs, plus the greater satisfaction of their employees. The amount of money spent by a small plant must necessarily be determined by the individual plant after analyzing its " own conditions thoroughly. ' can be put across it will help dispell the 10. What is the value of personal contact lack of safety consciousness. lit keeping safety consciousness alive? 8. Does the smalt plant devote enough time to Safety? t cannot attempt to answer this question. It seems to me to be a question not of the amount of time consumed, but more the method of handling the problem of Safety. Some plants expend a great deal or time and effort without the desired results, while others, with apparently little effort, achieve a good record. However, whether the time be little or much, if accidents arc occurring, or there In analyzing the accidents in a number of plants it was found that 8 per cent of the accidents were attributable to housekeeping, 10 per cent to mechanical causes, and by far the greatest percentage to handling ma terials. This percentage actually totalled 43 per cent of the total accidents." This large percentage of accidents from handling mate rials indicates the importance of manage ment s part in reducing accidents, and I be lieve it is self-evident that this can onlv be done by personal contact if frequency'and severity rates arc to be reduced. Metals Section 467 How to Build a Safety Program for the Small Foundry By PETER E. RENTSCHLER President, The Hamilton Foundry ft Machine Co., Hamilton, Ohio We icel that we have had a very coopera tive spirit on the part of our employees to wards our program, because we have run the program not on the basis of philanthropy or paternalism, but on the sound business liasi'. of more earnings to the employees and Iv-S loss, or greater possibilities of profit to the company. Many people have used this a> a basis for ihcir safety' work, but have not followed through with health work. At every opportunity we have stressed the ad vantages to Ijoth the employees and lo the company that better health of the employee* results in better attendance, with less inter ference to production by absentees, and bet ter production means more earnings tor the :iim that they will have more money to -pend for their families. 1 feel that there is a definite appreciation of the employees for proper consideration liy the management, and when the individual is convinced that safety and hygiene in a plant means more money in his own pocket, h'e. in turn, becomes the management's best assistant in the handling of himself as an individual and in working with his fellowworkmen, making a collective group effort to help himself, his job, and his fellow-work men. In April 1929 when we were trying to im press upon our employees certain safety re quirements, we issued a leaflet of "Informa tion For Employees'* and in trying to stress the necessity* for having minor injuries treated immediately, vve carried a paragraph under "Cooperate With the First Aid Dcjartment" that stated "You must call at the First Aid Room to have all injuries cared for. no matter how slight. Failure to call at the First Aid Room after an injury will make you subject to discharge." We made certain inspections that were in accordance with tlc requirements of the Ohio Foundry Code. In addition, we made inspections covering sandblasters' masks, sandblast mills, grinding room equipment, and fire equipment. We had rigid requirements as to the use of goggles for chippcrs, grinders and weld ers, and the use of helmets by sandblasters, and our leaflet of information stated "Grind - tc?, dappers and welders must wear goggle?. Sandblaster* must wear helmets." This leaf let also referred to our requirements on the use of goggles and leggings when handling molten iron, and as far back as January 1932 wc had posted special porcelain enam eled *igm through the shop reading ".State l,a\v--All handlers of molten iron must wear goggle? and leggings." Other metal accident prevention and safety signs were posted around the shop Mon-silica partinc vva* used in the foundry as soon a? vt learned of its manufacture. We cleaned ceiling, walls and beam? of the building* at various interval* by using an air line with water >pra> and blowing down ttic walls. After the 1936 A.F.A. De troit Foundry Show, we purchased a heavi duty, portable vacuum cleaner, and after the 1937 Milwaukee Show, an oil <!u*t layer to improve our shop conditions. Steel grit was used in the blasting booth and roiarv blast mills, and the blasters wore healthguard masks with outside protective hoods A few ladders were equipped with safety shoes but not all. Certain guards were in use on l*elt driven equipment and our pat tern working machines. However, there was no organized plan to stress safety, and no safety committer \\a? functioning, but in spite of all of tin* wc were progressively improving our conditions. We had taken pot shots at stimulating vari ous safety activities, and when the Hamilton Industrial Safety Council contest wa< started for the year 1937, we went in with 72 other Hamilton companies. Five companies weri in the Foundry and Foundry Product group, ami we finished fifth or Iasi for riu year. Now, it would be well tor me to bring von up to date in our health work Wc had started physical examinations back in 1927 with the policy to examine men at the com pany's expense as often and whenever tin- company saw fit, and then to advise each man privately of his physical condition, telling him of any physical attention he needed and suggesting always that he con sult his own family physician. We fed that the cooperation we have had from our own 46* 29th National Safety Congress men. has been because they have been grate ful for these health-check-ups. We think chat the only reason we have had this co operation lias been that wc have continually meeting on company time for July 13, 1938, to again State the company's policy, and to clarify in the minds of tlie men tuberculosis and silicosis, and explain again the Washer advised our men that no matter what we man blood test, and syphilis. found in our examinations, no one would be dropped from our employ by reason of any <>; the findings, unless he had a condition that was contagious or harmful to others. The last physical examinations that we marie prior to our intensive safety and hy giene efforts in September 1938, were made At this meeting we had the cooperation of the Ohio Industrial Commission in that the Medical Director came in and gave an excellent, practical, non-technical talk tn the men on silicosis and tulxrronlosis. We were fortunate in having the Assistant Chief of the Bureau ot Venereal Disease of the in December 1936, and these examinations very somewhat more rigid because of the contemplated amendment to the Ohio Work Ohio State Department of Health on hand to show several movies and to give an in formal talk on vcncrcaj disease*. Wc also men's Compensation Act to include silicosis had the cooperation of our County anti City ,* the 22nd disease to be covered under the Health Commissioner at this meeting who Act. with this amendment to become effec gave an outline of the social diseases pro tive July 31, 1937. In order to know where gram and the tuberculosis program being -,\c *tood as far as chest conditions were carried on in the city'- He explained the free concerned, wc proceeded to re-examine every Clinic services on social diseases and tuber employee---'hop. clerical and office workers, culosis tliat were available in the city. In supervisor? and executive?, and to take the fir-t chest x-rays that had ever been made in our plant. formative literature was distributed. We duplicated the shop scsMun program the same evening by a meeting ot our super For some time we had been giving con- visors. office personnel and invited guests .-idei ation to Wasserman blood tests for all from other local industries. We felt that employees. We made an arrangement with if we could get the outside community inter :hc local hospital to have an interne talk to ested, that the community as well as our each of the individual: sent for x-ra\, ex own men would know that our program was plain ilu Wasserman blood test and give not something that wc trying to do just tor the man the test if he was willing; otherwise the company, but that we were doing some :o pa** him up. a? there was to he no com- thing very* definitely for our men that other* rml-ion in the blood test. Of 197 men sent weren't doing in this community. r- f<r x-ray examination and blood test. -n!\ one man refused to take the test. We found 8 positive blood tests but none of ihc-c men were in an infectious stage. Each man wa permuted to continue to work but with the stipulation that it was absolutely necc**ary that he undergo treatment and bring a certificate from the doctor or the* ciin.'c after each treatment. On re-examinatiou* made December 1939. after a new Mood test, rme man was dismissed from fur ther treatment, and ir. August of this year *..ur men were di*nti**cd from further treatment. After wc completed our examination pro gram. there was some delay in Retting the report* to the men. because we wanted the examining physician to talk with them indi vidually and take whatever time was re quired to answer their question?. We found that quite a few of the men were worried about the result of these chest x-rays and the Washerman test. We arranged a shop Wc had .*uch a friendly response from our employees to thi* first meeting that wc decided to schedule another educational meeting on August 25. 1938. with the Chief of the Bureau of Tulicrculo*i* of the Ohio .State Department of Health a* the -pcaker. Again with the assistance ot our local Health Commissioner, a well balanced pro gram of talks and movies was pre-cnced. We concluded that (he meage*- could best he gotten aero?? to the group by lectures sup plemented by movie* much more readily than meetings without movies. This last program was very well received, and before long we bad expressions from a number of our men that they would like to have their families hear a program on tuberculosis, so that they could avoid the occasion* of contact and educate their children. We canvassed the plant to see whether there would be any response, and to our surprise we had 560 reservation* for a meeting from 128 employees. When wc Metals Section 46V finally had the meeting. 7ll attended. This general interest in health led us to believe that v.e could advantageously interest the families in saiety. It occurred to us that an opportunity to go through the foun dry and sec where husband, brother or sweetheart worked would be quite unusual And then the thought occurred that we might al-o show a few finished products in which our ca.-ting were used. Before we knew it, wc had plan* for an "Open House" tor employee- ami their iamilic*. all built around recent -afety and hygiene activities. While wv wi-rc formulating there plans, we decided to cmlark on an organized safety campaign m conjunction with the health work we had liccn doing In the meantime w- had take*! a Complete Industrial Mem bership ui the National Industrial Safety Council. Itad consulted w-itii the Regional Safety Engineer of the Ohio Industrial Commission and various individuals who had considerable experience with -afety work On September 13. 1938, wc marled our intensive safety* and hygiene campaign, based on a program that the writer personally felt would In; best suited for our own plant need*. Previous exjicricncc had led u to Ixdicvc that wc could have more effective work it the Safety Committee were divided into two separate group*, a foreman*? group ami a workmen's group. *o that the workmen might feel more free to di*rn-* safety and hygiene without their supervisors being on hand and perhaps having a deterring influ ence on the dtj-cusbion: of the workmen The committee >.* a rotating committee, in that two new men are added each month to the workmen's committee and two men dropped. The foremen's committee, how ever. is a more permanent committee; the head of each one of the dqtartments serves tor one year. I set my*c!f up a? general chairman of the General Safety anti Hy giene Committee, with Don Mel^anicl. vicepresident of our company, a? chairman of the foremen's committee, and Eldon Altman, our employment manager, w ho i* now also rilled safety director, to act as chairman of the workmen's group At the Workmen*? meeting no foreman was to be in attendance nor company representative without an invi tation. unless it happened that the writer was to come in to the meeting. Throughout it all I have tried to be a very vital part of the program, follow my the thought "Sat'eiv begins at the top." The safety meetings are practical ami edu cational to the members. We post at five different places throughout the plant very detailed minutes of the meeting, the action* taken, as well as all of the recommendation** that have been acted upon, and an explana tion is always given as to why recummciida lions arc not followed. Recommendationto the safety and hygiene committee turned m by members of the organization since tin la.-l meeting, are discussed, acted U|>on hy the workmen's committee, and tho.vc that in volve policy, considerable expenditure. ->i are not practical as far a* the workmen * committee can see. are turned over to tbt foremen'-* committee This group ntakfinal disposition of any recommendation-. The general safety meeting is ju*t a *lmr meeting that I conduct based on tip rv.-ithof the other mn meeting*, at which firm, i announce any change of policy. >r an; change of rule* or regulation*. It an ord/-r i< issued at the general safety meeting, every one know* that it is definite and final In 24 months, 531 safety and hygiene recommendation* have hccat turned in by men in the shop, of which 75 were hvgienc recommendation* and 456 sat civ reco: mendation- To date, the recommciidaiun that has cost the most cash outlav .: i one i> one that came from several molding machine operators at various rime-, rvmu-'t mg Itettcr lighting in Xo. 3 Foundry. Th* co-t was approximately $2,000 Tin- in*" lighting -ystem was ju-t one of tlnnjr* wc had in our minds for a long time hut never before had anything to give n* tl pu*h to make u* decide to spend the mom < until if came to the management on r* mernu* occasion? from men working in it: department. With unr accident reports \v<. -ut.- :n the safety meeting* flic cost ot uur ace*dent' Each month we give the committer men the day* Jo*t and the condensation pantor each lo*t time accident. In addition to keeping the men uilornieri on current conditions, wc find that tiny ;ir greatly interested in the figure* showing the total cost of case? that '`drag*' along We show them the figure: on each individual ca*e as they accumulate, and then of course show the final cost of a case. The men themselves, have no idea what the cost* of industrial injuries amount to, not only to the 470 29th National Safety Congress company bui to the individual on compen test a letter and a reservation slip lor the sation. test, and after the tuberculin test an analy At ihci-c meetings we also stress the use of unsafe tools and equipment, as we have a practice that at irregular intervals our safety director goes through rhe plant searching for any unsafe tools or equip ment, and of course committee members or any one in the shop is instructed to bring in any unsafe equipment. These articles are then exhibited at the next safety meeting, and then posted on the board provided for this purpose as a permanent exhibit. sis of the results and the relationship of each person tested to the employee; a Icttci on community hospitalisation, as our com pany was the first to offer this plan to ii> employees; a letter on urinalysis available under our group life policy; at the start of the school year a booklet furnished by our insurance carrier ''Common Diseases of Children"; a letter on our health pro gram accompanied by an Eastman KodakCompany 36-pagc booklet "X-Rays and You" followed by another letter and an 11- Members of the safety committee assist in page booklet "How To Prevent Toothache" plant inflections so they learn at first hand furnished by the Medical Division, Eastman the health and safety conditions that arc Kodak Company; a mailing, "The X*Ra\ too freely discussed only m the abstract. Reveals," furnished by the Butler County We have inspection forms that are used tn Tuberculosis and Health Association, and an inspecting various parts of the plant and eight-page letter--summary of our year's various safety appliances. experience in safety and hygiene work, cov After our Open House wc noticed an increase in the use of safety and health facilities. We fee! we have since had less difficulty in introducing new practices and new equipment than previously. In the case ering lost time accidents, costs, not only in the aggregate but for individual cases in volving more than $100, our standing in the Hamilton Industrial Safety Council con test and the National Safety Council. >f safety shoes where we had in 11 months -old 2,1 pairs up to the time of our Open House, or had 13 per cent users of safety -hoc.*. we jumped up to 62 per cent in use n the five months after the Open House, and 97.2 per cent in fourteen months after ho Oj>cn House Wc attribute a lot of this --'leri-asc in the use of safety shoes to our * 'pen House educational show display and nortf. and the balance to accidents resultit;? in toe injuries. In January 1940 every person on the pay roll, except men newly hired after Septem ber 1, 1939, was given a general rc-examination, Wassennan blood test and chest x-ray. All chests were Q.K. and while the number of positive Wassermans remained the same, this was because one man had been dropped from further treatment and an additional case added. These examinations, however, were more rigid than previous examina tions. and there were 76 employees *t up During the holidays we scheduled a first for re-examination in July 1940. showing of the Open House movies in our assembly room and restricted this to our employees only. 70 per cent of our em ployees other than foremen and supervisors .vere in attendance. At this same meeting we showed a safety and hygiene movie that \\c had made the previous month in our own plant with our own employees. We have shown this Open House movieat sub sequent meetings, and had requests from time to time that it be shown again. Another method of stimulating interest of our employees and their families in the things that we do, are the letters to the em ployee.*. that are sent to their homes by first-class mail. For instance, during the summer a letter on heat exhaustion and the use of salt tablets; before the tuberculin Wc were highly gratified at the coopera tion of the men who had been advised to consult with their family physicians in Jan uary 1940. because of the 76 men that were up for re-examination in July, 40 had been dismissed by their physicians for their faulty conditions, whereas most of the balance had shown quite an improvement or were still undergoing treatment During our vacation period, one week, from August 9th to Au gust 19th, some of the men endeavored to improve their physical conditions--five ton sillectomies, two basal metabolism tests and two eye corrections. Wc feel that our health program and the group hospitalization con tracts that we encouraged our employees to take, were directly responsible in all nine cases. Metals Section 471 WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON SESSION October 9, 1940 Safety An Operating Problem Panel Discussion This session program was planned as a Panel Discussion, the special subject be ing, "Safety An Operating Problem." Gen eral Chairman H. J. Griffith called the meeting to order, and immediately intro duced as Acting Chairman Earl F. Fylcr, Assistant to the Director of Industrial Re lations, Camegie-Illinois Steel Corporation, Chicago, who presented the members of the Panel, as follows: F. A. Hagedom, Superintendent, Coke Ovens, Interlake Iron Corporation, Chicago L. B. LueJlen. Superintendent, No. 1 Open Hearth, Inland Steel Company, East Chi cago. Ind. George B. McKee, Master Mechanic, Re public Steel Corporation, Chicago. J. H. Miller, Electrical Department Su perintendent. Wisconsin Steel Works, Inter national Harvester Company, Inc.. South Chicago. Donald Petersen, Superintendent, Trans portation Department, Gary Works, Camcgie-Illinois Steel Corporation, Gary* Ind. H. R. Sanow, Superintendent, General Lines Processing, Acme Steel Company, Riverdale Works. Chicago. Frank Snyder, Superintendent of 96 Inch Plate Mill and 44 Inch Slab Mill, South Works, Camegie-Illinois Steel Corporation. Gary, Ind. George T. Williams, Superintendent, Blast Furnace & Coke Plant, Youngstown Sheet & Tube Company, East Chicago, Ind. Chairman Fyler then introduced as per manent Moderator of the Meeting, W. Dean Keefer, Assistant Manager, Safety Engi neering Department, Lumbermens Mutual Casualty Company, Chicago, who assumed the Chair to direct the Panel Discussion. MODERATOR KEEFER: We are going to assume that our little crowd here on the platform are the members of the operating board, or whatever you might call it, in a given plant in any part of the United Stales. Here we have a bunch of superin tendents who are responsible for high grade operations. We have gotten together to dis cuss the accident problems in our respective departments. Wc told each fellow here that he must recite before us the details of a given accident in his department, and then wc, the other members of the panel, are going to quiz him; we are going to ask him questions. Maybe we will have some sugges tions to make to him, all with the general idea in mind of trying to do two things: First, we want to make sure that we have discovered or unearthed the definite, under lying causes of each accident; and, second, we want to try to make sure that we have planned those things that will definitely prevent recurrence of similar accidents in the future. Finally, after each fellow gets through with his accident and we get through with our quizzing, and after we have arrived at what we think are the logical conclusions, then we are going to throw that accident open to you for discussion from the floor and you will have the privilege, if you want it. of asking questions, embarrassing or otherwise. You will have the privilege of disagreeing with any of our premises or any of our conclusions, telling how you would handle the same thing in your plant, if it is different, and so on. All right, we are going to pretend that we are in this meeting, just nine fellows, talking over our problems. Mr. Snyder is going to be the first speaker Accident In Plate Mill Mr. Snyder, you had an accident in your department the other day. In order to get at the root of this thing, we want you to tell the rest of us how that accident hap pened, then we are going to talk with you about it and see if you have found the 472 29th National Safely Congress right way to prevent a simitar accident. Please tell us about it FRANK SNYDER (Superintendent of Plato Mill and Slab Mill, Carnegie-IIIinois Steel Corp.. Gary, Ind. (Blackboard) : This liulc sketch is supposed to represent a hear in a continuous plate mill. Here is the approach table. Here is the shear block and the j-hear. This is the stationary block, and this is movable. This is the delivery table. Here is a scrap sheet which is con veyed from the shear. Here is a space about 18 inches, walking space or working *pace. ii found necessary. This is the safety stop used for any plates that may approach the shear. Tins stop is down, when a man i* working in thi* position. Normally a plate cannot back up to this, if tins center line is lower than this shear block. Remember this little sketch, and I will attempt to ex plain the accident. The age of the man was sixty-four years: occupation, multiple shear helper, with five hours* experience. His total plant service was twenty-six years as a shear scrapman. He was injured in the finishing end ol the continuous plate mill. >ustaimng contusion. 1 lA inch laceration of right thumb, tender ness. hegiuniug rigidity in left lower abdo men. fracture of pelvis and fracture through head of the metacarpus of right hand. The injured man was engaged in remov ing sheared plate *crap ends, approximately h in. by 0 in. by 72 in. from the rear end of a plate, 650 in. by 72 in. wide hy in thick at a K in. by 100 in. multiple shear. He was standing in the 18 in. wide space at the south or entry side of the shear. He had completed removing two pieces of the above-mentioned small plate scrap from the rear end of the plate which had passed completely through the shear and which travels in a northerly direction, when the plate started to hack slowly towards the entry side, through the shear, pinning him between the end of the plate and the first entry table roller, sending this plbte back and lopping up right over the roll. The first table on the delivery side of the shear where the above plate was resting, was operated by a multiple shearman, with a pulpit on the opposite side, and within two feet of the "take." The man could prac tically look over the table. The man worked on the near side and the operator was on rhe far side. The multiple shearman stated that he suddenly observed the plate backing through the shear, although he maintained that the controller tor the delivery table was in neu tral position. He immediately reversed the controller, but the plate had already struck tile injured man. The accident occurred at 3:25 a.m., with excellent illumination and good housekeep ing. Investigation revealed injured man at tempted to push the last piece of -mall plate scrap onto the scrap conveyor located on the opposite side of the shear from where he was standing. He then stepped out m the space and, for some unknown reason, stepped back into the space between the shear block ami the entry tabic. One end of the last piece of small plate scrap did not fall onto the scrap conveyor, but remained resting on the bottom shear knife at an angle of 30 de grees to the table. That i> what I have at tempted to show here. Thi-. lat piece re mained in this position. Further, it was brought out that tin- mul tiple shearman, in trying to dislodge this piece of small plate scrap, backed up the plate on delivery* tabic by reversing the con trol withoul ascertaining that everyone was in the clear. That is, briefly, the docnptiin of the accident. .This plate had gone through the cropped end, was laying on the block, the man stepped in there. The Ia*t piece re mained in this position. The operator, in at tempting to dislodge that piece, lacked the plate up. In so doing, this plate, acting a a chute, shot the plate up over there and came hack and pinned the man. Remember, the man was sixiv-four years old. After twenty-five years* experience, he could not talk English; he could not under stand English. Ho had had five hours of ex perience at this location. MODERATOR KEEFER: Mr. Snyder, you are the superintendent in this depart ment, I judge, and this man who was hurt lias a foreman who is under viur super vision ? MR. SNYDER: That is right. MODERATOR KEEFER; Wltcrc were you when you heard about the accident? MR. SNYDER: I was at home It was three o'clock in the morning. MODERATOR KEEFER: How soon after the accident did you hear about *it? Metals Section 473 * MR. SNYDER: Within an hour. .MODERATOR KEEFER: Did yon go down to the plant? MR- SNYDER: Yes. MODERATOR KEEFER: What did you dor MR. SNYDER: I got the preliminary in formation. I did not start an immediate in vestigation but l got the pertinent facts of the case. MODERATOR KEEFER : When did you Start your investigation of it. then? MR. SNYDER: That was started by the court of inquiry the next afternoon when that same crew came on duty. Conducting the Investigation MODERATOR KEEFER: Tel! o- a little about that investigation. How do you con duct it? Where do you conduct it? Who is there, and why? MR. SNYDER: It is held by the depart mental court of inquiry, our departmental safety committee. MODERATOR KEEFER: Arc you the chairman of it? MR. SNYDER*. No. the a?-Utant super intendent is chairman of that committee. It i composed of two foremen, two work men, and the assistant -upermtendent. Others are brought in to assist and advixr. MODERATOR KEEFER: Are any of the safety men there? MR. SNYDER: The departmental -afety inspector acts in an advisory* capacity during that meeting; also, the mechanical man actin an advisory capacity. MODERATOR KEEFER: Well, you were there, too, at this particular court of inquiry*? MR. SNYDER: At that particular time I was chairman. MODERATOR KEEFER: You were chairman; you took over the job from your assistant? MR. SNYDER: I was the assistant at that time. MODERATOR KEEFER: How do you go about it to get your facts? You couldn't interview the workman. He was in the hos pital. I suppose. MR. SNYDER: We did have one state- ment from the 'workman, who told tlie -afety inspector at the hospital that he didn't know the last piece ne shoved in there came hack. That is all the -tatement we had from the workman. MODERATOR KEEFER. What wa-* your purpose in holding this court ol in quiry ? What was your objective5 Mk. SNYDER: The fir?t objective was to prevent a similar accident. We try to find .iut all of the fact- leading up to the acci dent and any way that similar accidentmay he prevented. MODERATOR KEEFER When you hold thi- court of inquiry, do you try to find out who wa- at fault or who wa- to blame? Do you u-c such word* m your mvc-tigatton ? MR. SNYDER: We finally boil it down to who i- responsible. That i one plta-c of the investigation. MODERATOR KEEFER: AH rief.i. tdl ii-- a little more now about this court of inquiry. What conclusions did you arrive at ? What were the causes that you determined ? MR. SNYDER: The cause* of the ac cident were, first, violation of published and po-ted safety rules on the part of the mul tiple shearman. MODERATOR KEEFER: What mk dul he violate? MR. SNYDER: "Do not turn >u .on electricity, gas, steam, air, acid or water, or set in motion any machinery without rir-t making sure that no one i* in h i-i tim to be injured." He reverxd the controller which .-tarted the plate back and finally' pinned the man MODERATOR KEEFER: That i- omdefinite point that you arrived at in \niir investigation. What did you do about it ? MR. SNYDER: In that particular case the man wa? found to be experienced on tin* mechanic- of the job but not on the other duties of the job which he wa* being paid for. like supervisors, and the safety angle and all of those things that were taken into the rate structure. MODERATOR KEEFER: You arc talk ing about the multiple shearman? MK. SNYDER: The multiple shearman. MODERATOR KEEFER: He theo retically had charge of this whole opera tion? 47* 29th National Safety Congress MR. SNYDER: That is right. MODERATOR KEEFER; He isn't a foreman? MR. SNYDER: No. MODERATOR KEEFER: But he had cliarge of two or three other men? MR. SNYDER: Right. MODERATOR KEEFER: Ail right, you found he was wrong. What did you do about it then? MR. SNYDER: That particular man was taken off the job until the departmental supervision was assured that he knew all of tire requirements of the job. It happened in this case that the man was found to be not experienced for the job. MODERATOR KEEFER: You took him off that job temporarily until he could become more experienced in that kind of work? MR. SNYDER: Until he proved to local su|>ervisioo that he could do the job satis factorily. MODERATOR KEEFER: That was one cause. (Let me explain a point here to our lis teners: None of this has been rehearsed in advance at all. Mr. Snyder is answering questions in pretty rapid-fire fashion here. We are just trying to do the job the way we think it might be done in a given plant.) All right, that was one thing you un earthed. You tell us that is one thing you did about it. Did you discover there were other causes? MR-. SNYDER: The first cause was the failure of the man to follow published and posted safety rules. The second cause was failure on the part of supervision to. in struct employees as to specific methods of performing work and hazards incident thereto. MODERATOR KEEFER: That was a failure on the part of your foreman? MR. SNYDER: Yes. MODERATOR KEEFER: And the fore man comes under you. Did you do any thing with the foreman? MR- SNYDER: I would first like to tell how we arrived at that conclusion. The foreman placed this man who had had thirty years of experience at handling scrap --heavy duty work--on this job under the direction of a man who bad two turns of experience on the job. That man was sup posed to leach him all about this particular job. Normally everything might have run along all right, but two nuns of experience on a job of that nature was not considered experience enough to be a teacher. MODERATOR KEEFER: What did you do about it? The Foreman Disciplined _ MR. SNYDER: The foreman was dis ciplined. MODERATOR KEEFER: How? MR, SNYDER: Disciplined and in structed and explained the need of proper training of men, before placing them on jobs, and following up to observe and see whether they arc doing the job as they had been told to do it. MODERATOR KEEFER: That was your job, to exert that discipline in your foreman? MR. SNYDER: That is right MODERATpR KEEFER; Did you do anything else with the foreman? MR. SNYDER: No. MODERATOR KEEFER; I think that brings out an important point, tiiat discipline isn't always firing a man. Discipline isn't always laying a man off. Discipline is much more fundamental tlian either of those two things. Discipline, as you know, means "to lead." Anything that is done from the standpoint of real leadership can then very properly be placed under the head of dis cipline. I am not going to argue with Mr. Snyder whether {hat was a sufficient amount of discipline or not; al] I am trying to bring out is that they did discipline this foreman. MR. SNYDER: This was entirely for training purposes, not for punishment. MODERATOR KEEFER: You were leading and instructing. MR. SNYDER: That is right. MODERATOR KEEFER: AH right, now you have two points, the failure of the multiple shearman and the failure of the foreman. Did you find anything else that ought to be done? MR. SNYDER; The blame again was on the foreman for improper placement of Metals Section 475 jhc men. Here was a man sixty-four years old, who could not read or - write or talk English. He also had a lame shoulder. This was considered a lighter job, and that is the reason the foreman brought him up there. It was considered a lighter job al though it paid more money. The foreman should not have placed that man in that location because it requires a man who is mentally alert. As you can sec, it is work ing with moving machinery, around a shear. Even in pushing the scrap there is a cer tain amount of danger. He works with a plate wrench. Even then there is a certain amount of danger. MODERATOR KEEFER: Anotlicr ca-e oi lorcmanship failure. MR. SNYDER: I would > <0. MODERATOR KEEFER: You included that in your disciplinary action you ;n-t described? MR. SNYDER: That is right. Safeguards Provided MODERATOR KEEFER: Were there any other causes of that accident that you unearthed? MR. SNYDER: The fourth rau*c was failure of management to provide safety devices. MODERATOR KEEFER: How do yon make that out? You didn't have any safety device on there in the first place. Did you put one on after this accident occurred? MR. SNYDER: Yes. -MODERATOR KEEFER: What? MR. SNYDER: Dogs were placed 10 pre vent that plate from backing up through the shear. Normally, the block is two inches above the level of the table, but dogs arc provided now, so that if the plate at tempts to back up. it conies against the dog. The operator has no control over back ing it up and slipping those dogs. MODERATOR KEEFER: Is that all you found and all you did about it ? I am not trying to indicate that you should have done any' more. I am just asking you. MR. SNYDER: I would like to explain the general instructions to foremen that we have in our plant. "When placing a workman on a job, do not assume that he knows anything about the job. Give him personal attention or place him under the guidance of an experienced workman who is qualified to train hint." That is about the sum and substance of this particular accident. MODERATOR KEEFF.R: Your disci plinary action you probably read all over to him again, didn't you? MR. SNYDER: Well, there is quite a bit more to him. The foreman liad thirtythree years' experience, twenty as foreman. MODERATOR KEEKER: You probably didn't use quite as gentlemanly language as you did right now. MR. SNYDER: l try not to use other wise. MODERATOR KEEKER: Fellows, what do you think about it? Has he done a pretty good job? Has lie completed it? What else have you got to say about it? L. B. IXELLEN: 1 would like to raice pos-thly a little different viewpoint, on that. I wouldn't absolve the foreman from re sponsibility for placing an elderly man, who was obviously unfitted, at work around a multiple shear. On the other hand, it seems to me tfie mam spotlight should be. not on that foreman, but on the shear operator. The evidence points out two vital things First, that a piece of scrap which the old man had pushed through to the conveyor had caught on the knife. It is logical to I*clieve that after he stepped in the clear, lie stepped back in there to dislodge that fur ther. in plain view of the multiple shear man. 1 can't quite sec how the multiple shearman, inasmuch as he was only six or seven feet from'the man who was making a move directly in front of him, could be moving that plate backward in order to dislodge that piece of serpp, unless he was certainly very inattentive. Although the age of the old man was a factor, and also that be couldn't speak English, and again that lie hadn't been given a great deal of in struction. I still feel that the major diffi culty was with the man operating the tabtes. 1 wonder if he wasn't possibly dozing and his hand pushed the controller in the wrong wav? MR. SNYDER: Wc can only assume that. You notice I took these in rotation. Tn investigating any accident, the primary cause is No. 1 and then in order as they go down. The safety device was mentioned last 476 29th National Safely Congress because vvc bad a partial safety device in shear knife which is two inches above the level of that table; but the primary cause was Xo. 1. That is one of the reasons why lie was taken off. Incidentally, he luts never been returned. MODERATOR KEEFER: How long ago was this? MR. SNV'UER: About a year. MODERATOR KEEFER: He has never been returned since then ? MR. SNYDER: Not to that job. MODERATOR KEEFER: 1 would say he has been disciplined pretty well. Arc the rest of you fellows satisfied? .1. H. MILLER: Was any consideration given to keeping the man out of that 18inch space ? MR. SNYDER: That is 100 inches wide. When you take the crop end, tt may only be 24 inches long ami 100 inches wide. A man has to get in with the plate wrench to turn it around. F. A. HAGEDORX: What were the cir cumstances surrounding the operation? I believe you said this elderly man had four hours and the shearman had three turns. MU SNYDER : The shearman had about three months. His duty was to instruct this man. He remained with him one hour and then went back. .MR. HAGEDORN: The question arises, was there a sudden expansion, of work that required the foreman to go out and pick anybody he could to fill the job? MR. SNYDER: On the contrary, work was running low. This man had formerly done heavy duty work, handling scrap, and had injured his shoulder outside. So that the scrap was too heavy for him and the foreman elected to put him on another job. H- R. SANOW: Mr. Snyder, is it cus tomary to dislodge that piece of scrap by backing up the plate? MR. SNYDER: It ig not customary to let it pile up. MR. SAN'OW:' When it is piled s.; , is it customary*? MR. SNYDER: There has been discipline issued tor scrap piling up, for two reasons; from the safety angle, and from breaking down the machinery. MR. HUTCHINSON: Tf that shear had been in operation for a very long time prior to the accident, it seems strange that diffi culty wasn't encountered before, and the protecting dogs placed in such a position as to prevent that. MR. SNYDER* The main reason for that is that an operator may never back up a piece. In the second place, a> l explained, tliis shear block is two inches above the lop of those tabic rows. Unless there is a piece of scrap in this position to act as a chute, the piece cannot conic back through tinshear. MODERATOR KEEFER: Have any of you men in the audience had an accident like that? .fust raise your hands. One man has had an accident like that. Are there any other questions or any differences of opinion? MR. EFFEXBERGER: I think, regard less of who was working on that shear, it wouldn't help very much it he had a man there he couldn't explain anything to. MR. SNYDER: They were both of the same nationality and could talk the same language. 1 won't mention nationalities, but they did converse during the turn. MR. EFFENBERGER: Everything was explained to the man before he started? MR. SNYDER: The foreman was of the *mc nationality, too. F. W. KELSEY (Jones & Laughlin Steel Corp., Aliquipa, Pa.); Isn't it quite possible that a man might get caught on the forward movement ? I am thinking now of the cut out a man might have to open up before going in there. MR. SNYDER: There is a safety gate there. Before any plate can be run ihi* way, the man must come over and hold the lever down. MODERATOR KEEFER: I am glad you brought that out. That is interesting to me. 1 didn't know that was in there. MR. SNYDER: He can't run a plate'in this direction unless he holds the lever down. MR. SKYRME (Employers' Liability Assurance Corp., Boston): Was it just a bright idea of the operator, reversing that thing to clear the shears, or was that part of standard procedure? MR. SNYDER: It was not a part of standard procedure. We do not know Metals Section 477 whether it was a bright idea of his or whether he felt it was the easiest way out. The man could have reached in here with a hook, which he has there, and released that, too. MR. SUT-LIYAX: I wa- wondering what the foreman had to say in hi* own defense and, also, whether the foreman may have suggested later that the dogs be applied. MR. SNYDER: The foreman did not. The foreman knew he wa> in the wrong He had no resentment whatever- MODERATOR KEEFER- Who did .-uggc*t ihc-e additional dot;-? MR. SNYDER* That wa- the court of inquiry. ! forget who it a-> in particular. MODERATOR KEEFER In conclu sion. let me -umroan/c very quickly. Jt -com* in me that Mr Sn\der and hi* group have Horn a very good ,.b on tin*. They found amt placed rv-pon*ibhn three !}>. on a helper, on the management, and on the foreman, and you all practically exonerated the injured workman btm-cti imer* all rc-pon-ibility MR. SNYDER Thai i- r:cht MODERATOR KEEFKK Mr S.-m.w. you had an accident in vonr department. \Vhat about it* Slitting Machine Accident H. R. S\N`OW {Superintendent. General Lines Processing. Acme Steel Co., Riverdale Work*. Chicago). Tin- accident oc curred on the coder *cctio of a multiple strand dining machine. For the lienefil of thoc who arc not familiar with a machine of this type. ! will attempt to give a dc -enption of it and the ojwration \\ hen a coil ot steel is dit lo several strands of lcs*er widths, the usual method ot coiling is to have a coiling block for each strand. When a slitting machine f* dedgned for slitting narrow widths, the coilcr block i* comiKiscd of a back plate, a core on which the strand is wound, and a removable front plate. So that coil can l>c taken off when completed. On this particular machine the coilcr units are about 2 feet in diameter, mounted on a framework on about 5-foot centers, staggered dightly to allow* for strand align ment. Just ahead and somewhat above each coder unit is placed a flanged guide roll about 10 inches m diameter. The dit strand- from the -Inter unit come to the coikr tmu- at eye level, rttnning in a parallel position. When a -trand rcache- its coiling uxotl it run* jvct the guide roll, down between back plate and front plate onto the core When the cd Ifetnjc -ht coroe- to the end. the wHle i- -tapped The next Coil i- -pm wrMrd. and the wrldcd section i- rtm through rh* machine Tht machine i- xcam -o f*pet and the welded -ection i- cut oci *ith hard -nrp* .md th* hni-hed coil terrurtcd fn-m the machine The next coil i- ra-fmrd t *o- and ih machine t* started acair. The crew operating ths- mah?m of an operator and one r two helper- im pending on the numU-r u -trand- heint: she The machine is equipped w ith -can and stop button- at slitter unit and ai-o at thr coiling unit. The u>ual procedure i- for th*operator io start the machine at the ditter unit The hand cools required w ojicraie ma chine arc pliers and long-handled snip* Plicr* are carried in a leather holder fas tened to the workman's belt The longhandled -nip* are usually placet} across the top of one of the skids on which finished coil* arc placed or piled. The injured man wa- one of the helperHe is 23 year* old, American liorn. with two year* of high school education He had two year* of machine operation e\iK*riecc before coming to our company, and one and one-half years' experience on machines of die type cm which lie wa- injured Hi* previous safely record wa* verv good The machine wa< -topjH'd to pick up slack which ha* developed m t of the strand.-. The operator. itjwm -cc-tarting the machine, had observed that both helpers were in the dear hut immediately after he had pushed the -tart hultnii. the helper who wa- mmred attempted P place hi- longhandled -nip- tm the top of the coder unit between the -tram!-. To do this, it wa* noce--arv to reach Itctween the -irand and toiler, ami. as he did *o. In.- shirt sleeve was caught between the strand and coder plate? Tin* re-ultetl in his arm being caught likc- wi-e. and. before the operator could stop the machine, the coilcr had made two revo lution-. forcing the helper to take two in voluntary cartwheels. The helper sustained 478 29th National Safety Congress a compound fracture of the radius and ulnar of the right arm, temporary disability being three months. MODERATOR KEEFER: Mr. Sanow, I suppose yon made an investigation of this accident? MR. SANOW: Yes. When we have ac cidents of this type, other than minor acci dents, the foreman of the department, the safety department and myself make an in vestigation. MODERATOR KEEPER: You don't have a meeting like Mr. Snyder did in his plant: Analyzing the Accident MR. SANOW: Not exactly a meeting. We go right on the job where the accident took place. We analyze it from that point. you, was the fellow who operated this ma chine the boss? MR. SANOW: The crew boss. MODERATOR KEEFER: How many helpers did he have? MR. SANOW: Two helper-. MODERATOR KEEFER: One at the helpers was injured? MR. SANOW: Yes. MODERATOR KEEFER: Alter you made your investigation, dtd you decide tu make any mechanical improvements in this set-up ? MR. SANOW': Yes, we did. We now have put around the guide rolls, in the po sition where the strands travel, a guard that if anyone else has the same habit, he will not be able to put lii$ snips in that position. MODERATOR KEEFER: What did you MODERATOR KEEFER: Then you find was wrong in this particular case? think that management had .-omc responsi What was the cause? bility tu this accident? MR. SANOW; Well, we believe that the main cause of this accident was force of habit. This man worked on various types of machines, all Of the same nature. Some of them were much smaller than this particular machine. The customary' procedure is for the operators and helpers to place their tools on top of the coder unit, the units themselves being smaller. They use hand .-nips which are perhaps one foot long and weigh two pounds. A rack is prodded on top of the coder. That is the customary procedure. In this particular machine, the work is heavy. The weight of the stock, the thick ness, is greater. It requires a tougher pair of snips to do the work. So tliat they use a long-handled snip which weighs- approx imately ten pounds. The machine itself is high. As I said before, the stramls'travcl at about eye level. We did not intend that the top of the machine be used For the keeping of the'tools. Most of this man's experience had been on the smaller machines. He had formed, as I term it, a habit pattern of keeping his tools on the top of the machine. He worked on this particular machine several weeks. In an unguarded moment, he, through force of hahil, tried to pul his snips on the top of the machine. MODERATOR KEEFER: Let me ask MR. SANOW: We did. in not anticipat ing just what he might possibly do. MODERATOR KEEFER: Did you find that the machine operator himself was in any way responsible? MR. SANOW: No, we think the ma chine operator was entirely in the clear. MODERATOR KEEFER: The unin jured worker was not responsible? MR. SANOW: He was not responsible either. It was definitely this injured work er's habit, and the responsibility rests en tirely cm him. MODERATOR KEEFER: The respon sibility rests on the injured man. He was careless or thoughtless or something or other, whatever it was? MR. SANOW: Well, I don't want to say careless or thoughtless. I think it was definitely his habit, a habit which he had formed. MODERATOR KEEFER; Did you ex onerate the foreman on that job? Was he in any way responsible? MR. SANOW: The foreman, I believe, had done his part in instructing the man as to the operation of the machine. I don't be lieve that we could hold the foreman re sponsible in this particular accident. MODERATOR KEEFER: You say that the man himself was partly responsible or Metals Section 479 entirely responsible. What did you do about ii? MR. SANOW: As far as the man was concerned, he was cautioned, of course, about the unsafe practice, and all the other men in the same department were likewise cautioned. MODERATOR KEEFER: That was part of your disciplinary action, instruction and educational activity ? MR. SANOW: I would say it wa. mostly education. There was no disciplinary action taken at all. MODERATOR KEEFER: Although he was responsible, you didn't feci that the blame was sufficiently -trong to justify any real form of discipline? MR. SANOW: Considering that it was a habit. I don't think we would be right if we had disciplined him on that basis. MODERATOR KEEFER I won't argue that with you. Let ns ert bock to The su pervisor. You say this mawx't the first time this man had ever done that >J> of putting the snips up m that posiuoo ? MR. SANOW* I did not say That, I said that it was a habit which Sc had developed. That doesn't mean be had dune this before MODERATOR KEEFER: Well, maybe 1 was misled by your <e of the word "habit." What do you mean? If be had never done it before, then be wasn't following habit, was he? MR. SANOW: Yes. Now we arc going to get technical. [ heard a man say the other day that when he gets up in the morning and goes to work he puts his coat on and always puts the same arm. cither the right or the left, in the sleeve first, but he doesn't know which one it is. That is habit. This man had this habit unconsciously. He put the snips where he did in this case, by habit. MODERATOR KEEFER: Then he had done it before ? MR. SANOW: He may hast, and he may not have. MODERATOR KEEFER: Men of the Panel, do you agree with this so far: that the management had little or no responsi bility, that the crew operator didn't have much responsibility, that the helper who wasn't injured had no responsibility? All the responsibility lay on the shoulders of the man who was injured, and that the supervisor was not responsible? Do you agree with all that ? L. B. l.UELLEX: Mr. Sanow brought out the fact that the man who was injured had been working, prior to his transfer to this large machine, on a smaller machine, where I assume that his habit of placing the snips on top of this area was entirely safe. That is where he formed the habit, as I understand it. of throwing the snips up there. However, on this higher machine, it wnc necessary* for him to place his hand in be tween those strips in order to get the <nip in that same place. There seems to be a definite tendency to point toward the foreman here, and I am going to defend him. The foreman would have been at fault had he seen this man do that particular act before and nut had the foresight (remember, second guess is much easier than first guess) to sec or sense the danger in that man's act and to provide what >vi` later provided to prevent a rccurrrncc. That is the thing as I see it. MODERATOR KEEFER: Do the rest of you fellows agree w ith that ? FRANK SNYDER: We have to assume that the operator did not see the man do this previously. How long had he worked on that big machine? MR. SANOW: Several week*. MR. SNYDER: The machine operator did not see him do this9 MR. SANOW: That is right. MR. SNYDER: I happen to know those units. If the machine operator, who was standing where he couldn't help but see the man in almost every act, tf he did not sec him do tliat previously, you have to as sume that this was the first time he laid the snips there. MR SANOW: That would be a fair as sumption. MR. SNYDER: In that case I do not believe that the machine operator, who is a group leader or the foreman, could be held responsible. MODERATOR KEEFER - That is pretty logical. Tn your investigation, did you find out from this injured man or anybody else where he had placed the snips before? 480 29th National Safety Congress MR. SANOW: The usual place for that is on the load of finished material. The reason we do that is because these machine units arc quite long, and the man goes from one unit to the next and cuts out the weld and carries his snips with him and lays them on the last load of material. These snips weigh ten pounds. That if the most convenient place to put them. MODERATOR KEEFER: Arc you all satisfied ? What does the audience think about it? MEMBER: Was there a roll of unfin ished material lying there at the time this accident happened? Did he have a place to pm hU snips? \!K. MXOW: There i* always a skidloaif of material at the machine. MODERATOR KEEFER: Do you do it that way in vour plant? MR. ROGERS: No. This is only an opinion formed here. MR. SANOW: l think the answer to that is, the man cuts out the welds. He cuts out the weld on the first coiler, moves down to the next one, and he carries the snips in bis hand. He doesn't put it on a rack. Hr would have to move the rack. He cuts out the next one am! moves down, and so on. until he gets to the last one and cuts it out, and then Jays the snips down. If he bad a rack or portable unit of some kind it would mean one more thing around the machine. They have, of course, their proper working space, but it would he one more thing to move around. MR. ROGERS (Pittsburgh. Pa.): The statement was made that the man must carry his snips from one |rt of the job to tin.' other, and at the last operation, he leaves the snips there. Is that true? MR. SANOW: Yes. MR. ROGERS: Well, how many points * f operation are there? We liave felt that the skid load of ma terial, where they place the snips, ha* been as convenient as possible when they han dled that type of snip. It the coder unit was strictly a one-station affair, a rack nr hol der for the snips would work out very nicely. But since they have to step or move by stations, it is convenient that they carry* the snips along with them a* they go. MR. SANOW: It will vary. It may be three or six. depending on the number of -trand- that are being slit. The coiler units are -ide by side, so that they have a coiler unit on five-foot centers. MR. ROGERS: My point is this: a uate- MODERATOR KEEFER : Jh-e- anybody else have a suggestion to otter? MR. SANOW: Wc have considered using an alligator type of power -nip. They arc a little dangerous and. frankly, wc arc a little afraid of them. ment i* made that the man carries a pair of pliers and a shield is provided and a carrier on the man's person for these pliers. If we bear in mind the rules on handling tools, wc must take into consideration that we use the proper tool for the job, which T assume the company supplied the man, and then we must use the tool properly Evi dently he had the proper tool. So. in my opinion, it boils down to the fact that the tool wasn't put away properly. That is the thing we must remember in MODERATOR KEEFER: Has anyone in the audience been confronted with a problem like this and solved it in a different way? Arc you satisfied with the investi gation that Air. Sanow told us about? Are you satisfied with hi? conclusions that all the responsibility in this case rest* on the shoulders of the injured man? 1 guess they are all satisfied Mr. Petersen, you had an accident. Will you please tell us about it? handling tools. My suggestion if that at these different stages of operation along Stumble Costs Two Fingers the line, why can't you put up a proper rack for the snips, the same as the guard the man carries on his person for the small pliYrs? MR. SANOW: You mean to have a pair of mips at each coiler unit? MR. ROGERS: Well, the one snip; he DONALD PETERSEN (Superintendent. Transportation Department, Gary Works. Carnegie-IUinois Steel Corp.): The accident which 1 will describe is a very simple one. The man who was injured was 24 years old. He had worked in the plant for a year and a half as a Stillman in the coke planr. could put it on a portable rack. While carrying a pail of ammonia liquor. Xh'tate Section 481 he stumbled over au r*n bar whi-*h Ik h*ni^elt had left extending partially aero-- the walkway. As he fell toward, lie km<kcd ott the guard which covered *mc zrarn pump machine, and hi- nmrer- went mto the gears and Itv lo-t the end- of w firuvf- wltich were crushed in the vrar- Th causes of the acodmt were unsafe housekeeping, the bar tUfndmr m to the passageway. and a jruard which wa- not securely fastened Because of the rnij*rtaei sm-atc housekeeping a- a cau-^ .* accident-. 1 would like to hear -mc di-eu--u.n in what ilits audience and the mvxe.licr- of ths- panel arc doing to promote <*-! h*'U-ckp" This accident did not !:apjen under my -upervrsion. MODERATOR KEEFER Thi- wa- in another department? MR. PETERSEN: Ye-. MODERATOR KEEFER: Him .lu von know the injured man him-elt left the bar extending out in the aide; MR. PETERSEN: It wa- hi- admt-<ioii Inter that, in using the bar -omc ten or fifteen minutes earlier, he had taxi it in the passageway so that a portion >? slu* bar u.n* in the road of travel MODERATOR KEEFER Wa- there a *uiiah!c place for that haT ? MR PETERSEN: Ye-. There wa- a rack on the v-all. adjacent to where he leit it; \nu might -ay almo-t a- convenient ;t> when- he left it. except for the act of putting it up ni-ivad of laying it down. MODERATOR KEEFER He put it down on the tk*or: MR. PETERSEN W- Hr may have dropped it. MODERATOR KEEFER: How lung had the liar been in that jm.-itton? MR. PETERSEN Ten or fifteen min ute-. MODERATOR KEEKER: Since there wa* a good place for the storage of that bar. you therefor*- exonerated management? Management wa- not rc-poti-tble * MR. PETERSON- No. I wouldn't say that. It i- difficult i*> determine whether management condone- |*`r Inm-ekevping to any degree. It they had been in the habit of having a guard -rcurelv placed, providing holding r'acilinY-. rack-, and >o forth, that .* mmor part of the problem. The education of the man to u*c them is die major portt*>o If they had com!"tied In* halm of laying u m the ea*ie>t -pt when he was through, then I would -ay management had part of tin- rc*jn-ibtlity Of course, in the case of the cover to the gear-, that was rusted, in had condition, and entirely unsatisfactory. MODERATOR KEEFER: Was that the. re-pon-ihiliry of the supervisor? MK. PETERSEN It wa- tlte responsi bility of the -upcrvi-or to have caught thi' ca-v l>ccaii-c it wa- so obviou- MODEkATOK KEEPER What did \<u d<> about it ? Results of Investigation MR. PETERSEN We investigated and determined the cau-c- It led to tin' -ct up ot in-pvciiou of all guards MODERATOR KEEFF.k liwccimn h> -upervwir? MR. PETERSEN: By maintenance and by >upvr\i-iiii. I would -ay probably the best rc-ult wa- the rviu-tallation of job training to in-urc, in the cycle of work, the return of tools to the proper place MODERATOR KEEKER Did you do anything with the man who gut hurt? \Va he responsible? MR. PETERSEN: He wa.- responsible for hi- rardi**-nc-- in leaving the bar then which he admitted. I believe in the matter of discipline, it v\a- fell that hi* lo-t time and the discom fort he went through wa- sufficient; he had a lal*or im-ition atnl there wa* nothing in the line of di-cip!iue there which would pul him on a job more -uitable to lu- ability MODERATOR KEEFER. I suppose the *upcrvi-i>r talked to hint, though, when Incame back' He went into.,tin- educational program you arc talking about: MR. PETERSEN : Ye-. MODERATOR KEEKER Then the twi big thing* you did were to work out some plan `>r -mm* -cheine for careful inspection ami some educational plan that would pre vent a think like thi- occurring again. MR. PETERSEN: That i* right. Out program m approaching the problem of good housekeeping i* one of i!t*pcction by th* 4S2 29th National Safety Congress supervision in the districts in which they work, and inspection in the higher bracket oC management of plants as a whole, and periodic inspection which leads to reports and checking of supervision, and job train ing to teach the men to do the job right. MODERATOR KEEFER: Did the >afety men enter into this at all? MR. PETERSEN7; I wouldn't say they did. MODERATOR KEEFER: Do they make inspections? MR. PETERSEN: Yes, they arc a por tion of this committee that makes inspec tions. MODERATOR KEEFER: There is a satety man on the committee that makes the inspection? MR. PETERSEN: That is righr. MODERATOR KEEFER: They failed to catch the thing on their previous inspec tion? They failed to catch this rusty guard? MR. PETERSEN: Well, the guard por tion of it is separate from this inspection for good housekeeping. There are two ma jor points to that accident. In relation to good housekeeping, this inspection I speak of is the answer. Speaking of the guard, that is maintenance and supervisory respon sibility to have checked that. This guard was, rusted, and its poor condition was ob vious. It was also loose. MODERATOR KEEFER: Are you men satisfied? MODERATOR KEEFER: 1 have asked Mr. McKee if. he will tell us about the house keeping program that they have instituted in his plant. A Housekeeping Program GEORGE B. McKEE (Master Meehan*. Republic Steel Corp., Chicago): We have instigated in our plants a program whereby a superintendent of one department makes an inspection of another department. These schedules of inspections occur once a month. Finding something, such as was described here, would be a demerit. There is what we call a clean-up order filled out in duplicate. Both of these copies are sent to the safety department where rec ords are compiled. At the end of the month the statistics arc gathered, and they are rated in percentages. The department win ning or having the highest rating is awarded a plaque. I might say this pbqoe is a > early affair There are twelve places on it where the name of the department can be in scribed or engraved. There is quite a little ceremony about the awarding of this plaque. For the men, we have a priae drawing of several pieces of stainless steel which they can use as kitchenware. This drawing i? held, and the superintendent of the depart ment winning the plaque the previous month awards it to the department winning it the present month. We have found that it Jut* done a lot of good. GEORGE T. WILLIAMS: Who has the responsibility of reporting a faulty guard to the operating department, the operating foreman or their own mechanical inspector? MR. PETERSEN: The operating fore man has the responsibility of notifying the maintenance department to perform the work necessary to make the equipment safe. MR. WILLIAMS: In the general house keeping of the department, would a bar out of place on the floor be obviously out of place, or were there enough other things out of place so it wouldn't be noticed? MR. PETERSEN: It would be noticed by all men It could hardly be otherwise, because it was in the pasageway. MR. WILLIAMS: The plant otherwise i* clean ? MR. PETERSEN: Yes. I think our safety record can bear that out. MODERATOR KEEFER : Arc there any questions you want to ask either ot Mr. Petersen or Mr. McKee? Are you satisfied with Mr. Petersen's conclusion tliat there was a partial supervisory' failure there, and more failure on the part of the injured man himself, and that these two things led to further education of supervisors and fur ther education of workers? Arc vou satis fied? MR. NOLAN: I don't think so. I think they were lacking in the safety committee. Why shouldn't they have caught the guard ? They did afterwards. Why not before? MR. PETERSEN: 1 said in housekeep ing it wasn't the responsibility of manage ment, if they had condoned not using a Metals Section 483 rack. I say in the case ot the guard it is entirely the responsibility of management. MODERATOR KEEFER: Manage ment, or the supervisor? MR. PETERSEN: The supervisor, yes. Tliat was part of his work in this place, to inspect such obvious things as this guard. MODERATOR KEEFER: How often docs the committee make inspections? MR. PETERSEN: The committee makes inspection?, about once every ten days. The supervisor makes an inspection as a normal portion of his routine work. In addition, the safety man makes an inspection every day. MODERATOR KEEFER: There were three or four fall-downs there on inspec tion, apparently. MR. NOLAN: Did they find am more guards in similar condition after they in spected later? MR. PETERSEN: I believe they did find a couple of other guards that were ia need of changing, not that they were rusted, but guards that should have been lightened or repaired. MODERATOR KEEFER: You agree with this man? MR. NOLAN: I think it ts obvious they are lacking on inspection. MEMBER: Was the ammonia in a nonhrcakable container ? MR. PETERSEN: Just in a pail. MEMBER: Did it spill over? MR. PETERSON: I imagine it did. MEMBER: Were there any harmful ef fects from it? MR. PETERSEN: None at all. MEMBER: Did the nature of the work where the guard was installed cause the breaking down of die metal on the guard? MR- PETERSEN: Tl was heavily rusted. The conditions in the department contrib uted to that. EDWARD SCHMIDT: I can put the blame on the man who makes the daily in spection on that. MODERATOR KEEFER: The daily in spection, as 1 understand, is made by the foreman, and a ten-day inspection is made by a committee. MR. SCHMIDT: He should have re ported it to the maintenance department That guard should have been fixed. MR. PETERSEN: 1 am of the same opinion. The foreman is part of the manage ment, and management has the rap for that guard. I don't see how they could avoid it. MODERATOR KEEFER: Thank you. Mr. Petersen. Mr. Williams has an interesting accident to tell us about. , A Coupling Accident GEORGE T. WILLIAMS (Superintend ent, Blast Furnace and Coke Plant, Youngs town Sheet & Tube Co., East Chicago. Ind.): The accident that 1 will describe in volves a man 41 years of age. He is some what of a new man. He has had experience on this job for about six weeks a year prior to the accident, and again seven weeks im mediately before the accident. His occupation is that of unloader on a blast lumace high-line, or trestle. Locomo tives are prevented from coming onto the high-line, when men are working, by a safety gate which is swung across the track. When a locomotive must come onto tlu high-line, it is the duty* of the unloadcr to open the gate and to close the gate again when the locomotive has left. Switchmen are not permitted to open or close the safetygate. Thus, we arc certain that the car un loader knows when the locomotive is work ing on the high-line and when it is gone On the day of the accident there were four cars on the high-line, of which three were empties to be removed, and the one on the end was a load of coke. None oi (he cars was coupled together. The locomotive arrived to do fts work. The safety gate \va opened by the unloader, and the unloader asked the conductor of the crew to couple the third car to the fourth car and pull it forward a little so that he could get hold of tt with a car puller to spot it onto the proper bin when he was ready. The conductor said he would make this coupling as requested. The conductor then took his position at the junction of the firi and second cars and faced the locomotive He signaled for the coupling, which was made. The conductor then walked to a posi tion between the second and third car and again faced the locomotive, with his back to the fourth car. He signaled for the coupling of the second and third car, and, as he made that coupling, he beard a cry and shouts of 484 29th National Safety Congress oilier men, and found that the injured man had caught his liand in llie coupling of the third and fourth car. The injured man had tried to help the conductor to do the con ductor's job, and he had put his hand in to open the car knuckle on the fourth car just as the conductor coupled the second and third cars. He lost his hand above the wrist. MODERATOR KEEKER: Thai is an interesting case. Mr. Williams. Did the con ductor do his job in the hc*t and safest way ? MR. WILLIAMS: The investigation ?howed that he gave clear hand signals to his engineer. MODERATOR KEEKER; He did his job just exactly as he should have done it? MR. WILLIAMS: Nothing hat beat done. MODERATOR KEEFER: You exon erate the management itself pretty well. You exonerate from responsibility, the super visor. You throw most of the responsibility onto the man who was hurt. Ant I right: MR. WILLIAMS; That is correct- MODERATOR KEEFER : What did you do with him? MR. WILLIAMS: He is hack there with a mechanical hand, doing what he can, jan itor work-and such things as he can do. MODERATOR KEEFER: He was dis ciplined automatically a* a result of hi* acci dent. MR. WILLIAMS; Ye*. MODERATOR KEEFER: Had the in jured man been carefully instructed concern* mg the danger of his job: MR. WILLIAMS: He is disciplined from now on. MODERATOR KEEFER: For the rest of his life. MR. WILLIAMS: This plant uses a printed form called "L'n-afe Practice Re port." When a foreman give* a man a ver bal instruction, he makes a note of the fact that lie did instruct the man and. in many ca*c.4, they ask the man to sign that report, to acknowledge that he was instructed. There is such a written report signed by the man. which is dated six weeks before the accident, to the effect tluu whenever the engine is on lhat high-line he must stay dear of the cars and away from it. MODERATOR KEEFER: In other word?, the foreman had caught him doing this thing before? MR. WILLIAMS: Yes, tor the rot of his life: MODERATOR KEEFER: I suppo-c the man's foreman had a talk with him. too? MR. WILLIAMS: They talked to tbc man about safe practices. There were two other instances in group safety meeting*, which this man had attended, where the foreman used as his subject the dangers of the high-line. MODERATOR KEEFER: That to be pretty clear. Is there anything d*r you want to add, anything else you did. or should have done, or could have done? MR. WILLIAMS: He had told him not to do it, but without catching him. MODERATOR KEEFER; He had not been caught in this unsafe practice?. MR. WILLIAMS; Xo. MODERATOR KEEFER: Had he ever i*cen caught in any unsafe practices on which \mi have record? MR WILLIAMS; There wa? a general foreman of the plant who *aw him working ittneaih a car one l\ in a way lie thought iin-au*. and he took the time to show him how to work ?atcl\ on the door* of the car :>n>| made a note of it. MR. WILLIAMS: There is nothing we can think of lhat would prevent a man from asking a conductor to make a coupling for lum and then go and make it himself, \\Y couldn't think of a possible tiling. Xobody has been disciplined except the man; but the foreman wants to discipline himself. He *ay>. "There mtlst have been something that I might have done to prevent that acci dent. I tell the men that they must watch tln-e places, and still they &ct. burl. I teel a jjcr-onal re-poiiMbility for the man who got hurt." MODERATOR KEEKER: He is a prcti> decern foreman. 1 should say. MODERATOR KEEFER: You didn't. alter the thing was all over, institute any mechanical improvement in any way. did I.ll? MR. WILLIAMS: He asked me what i \\ a.- going to do about it. MODERATOR KEEFER: What did you tell him : Metals Section 485 MR. WILLIAMS: I -aid. "You sit in -jtYty meetings with your men; you hold them regularly; you do a good job of it. You arc a good foreman, but your are a )H>or preacher When you are preaching, how do you know they are listening?" He -said. "That is what I would like to know. How do I know when a man I talk to knows what I said or instructed him to do?'* MODERATOR KEEKER- Do you fel low* want to ask Mr. McKee a question? "Selling" Safety MU. SNYDER: l would like to bring out one thing that may or may not help to prevent accident*. 1 have found that a fairly effective way to sell to workmen the prac tice of reporting and correcting unsafe practice-, is to put it up to them in this way: "Gentlemen, ihi* plant will run if we arc all in the hospital. It will keep right on going. Bui it you arc injured, your family and >>u lo?c the income that you might ha\c made. You might receive a little compcn-atuei. hut it will not compensate for the art that >uu arc going to lose your camax |*wcr *' Tin* man may be a .-killed workrun If lie Iu*c-* hi> hand lie is going to late to go hack to laboring work. Selling ;l m that way. I do not know whether it has j real dice* or itot except that in our own deportment we d< have a higher percentage .f nn-afe practice.* retained by workmen than any other IVpanmcnt in South Work-. I wanted to firing that out because in this .rodent the man lo*t hi* hand He lo-t hi* arrm:g j*vier. \\ \\ HAl-I. {Crucible Steel C<>. of Ameriai. Midland. Ha.) : The unloadcr was indent!}' a laborer with some knowledge of railroading. He realized that one knuckle should have hcvn open. The conductor was a railroad man. Before he gave the signal to make (lie coupling, shouldn't he have seen That one knuckle, at least, was open, so the coupling would have been effective!} made ? MR. WILLIAMS: There are tour car?. The conductor is standing between the sec ond and third. The accident happens be tween tlie third and fourth, behind him. The nmductor wa? making hi* couplings one at a time. He would ha\c gotten to that one in turn- Mk HALL: Shouldn't he have walked behind and *ce the knuckles were open, be fore he gave the signal to the engineer? MR, WILLIAMS He was not trying to couple the lour car? with one move of the engine. He wa* taking them one at a time, and as he came to each junction of the car he saw that that knuckle wa* in position. MR. XOl.AX: How many men were on liiat crew ? MR. WILLIAMS: Engineer, fireman ami. two switchmen. MR NOT. \N . Two switchmen and a conductor ? MR. WILLI \MS conductor and run switchman. MEMBER: Where was the switchman when the* conductor was doing all the work'* MR. WILLIAMS: On the fore end i the engine. MODERATOR KF.KKKR : That i= whe re lie should have liecn- MR. CAMPBELL fYour.**town Sheet STubc Co): Why wasn't he Ivavk where un coupling wa* being made? MR. WILLIAMS The conductor un making flic coupling AIR. CAMPBELL What wa- the om-: man doing ? MR. WILLIAMS: Nothing. MR. CAMPBELL: I am a tran-poit:t lion man. We have two men ut the junc tion wi the car. When then are coupim;.;to make, the brakeman ami conductor an back there helping to do the work, and sve need them, dies go to the front end. MR. WILLIAMS: I know a tYlhnv wit*., i* goingr to hear that rule. MEMBER: 1 Would like It. it-k if _vo consider the act of the unloadcr. in a*i?tu._ r,r attempting to help, a definite violation *.f a known *afets mle. or wa* it ju-i p*M.r judgment ? MR. WILLIAMS : It w^< a dchnm. vi-. .xtion of an in*truciion to him which wa-. "when the engine i* on the high-line, la shall *tav away from car?." MEMBER: That bring? up the question, was lhat man observed previously in In* general work to he a type that would vio late safety rule*, that had been caught do ing similar thing.* along that line previously? .MR. WILLIAMS: He had not been caught. Xo high-line foreman had even seen 486 29th National Safety Congress any oilier man attempt that, and no man would ever admit he had ever attempted it. MR. McKEE: You mentioned that they were pulling this up so a car puller could reach it. I assume the car puller cable wu t<*o short. man. There is a coupling to be made at the engine. There is the possibility of having to pass a signal. If the conductor were doing the work of a switchman, because of the two-man crew, it would be only natural to go and make the first coupling, the second, third and, progressively, the fourth. MR. WILLIAMS: Too short. MR. McKEE: Does this happen regu larly' MR, WILLIAMS: Tliat is a regular thing. The extra cars are set on the back end of the high-line, and these fellows pull the last car down. MEMBER: Was it possible for the loco motive engineer lo see that the man was in x hazardous position? MR. WILLIAMS: That was brought m in the investigation, that they were on the same side, and it would have been pos sible, hut the engineer did not see the man, and you have to give him ihc benefit of the doubt that his attention is concentrated on the conductor who is giving him signals. MR. PETERSEX: I believe you said the crew consisted of a fireman, engmeman and *ine switchman. That is not a full crew, *i he man from Youngstown employs a fiveman crew. An engineer, in looking after his train crew, observes any man or any member of the train crew working around cars, and if they go in between cars, it is the job of a man going between the cars to make certain the engineer sees him so that he is pro tected. Therefore, the engineer could hardiv be expected to be looking for a third man if he has two men in full view, ft could hardly be the responsibility* of the conductor to go back to the fourth car to sec that tltc coupling was open there. Suppose there were forty cars and forty couplings- H. A. W. KERWIX: T would assume that this man had been in the habit of be ing a good fellow to the conductor. That is the way it looks lo me. I don't think it would be the first time he tried to do that. MR. WILLIAMS : That is always a ques tion as to whether it was the first time. But his own statement later was tliat he had never done it before. MR. HARR (\nierican Rolling Mills Gmpam): We liave a set-up that possibly might help in taking care of a situation of that kind. We lake the responsibility for getting men in the clear when our railroad engines are working, but we have made it \ery definite that we do not take any re>fK)n-ibility away from our transportation department. They must satisfy themselves that everyone is in the clear when they go in to make a coupling. MR LVELLEX: Before any switching crew can make a movement, do I under stand that they have to go up and down looking under the cars, over the cars, in the cars and every place else? MR. BARR: They have to satisy them selves there is nobody around those cars when they go into a department to make a -u itch. .1 M. TRANSUE (Superintendent, Plant Protection, Philco Radio Corp., Philadel phia) : I railroaded for fourteen years. You spoke about the switchmen being at the front end of the engine. As T understand this, that would be the proper place for this MODERATOR KEEFER: Nobody had every caught him ? MR. WILLIAMS: Xobody had ever caught him. MEMBER: There is one point'that hasn't been brought out. If this was on a straight track and they had the latest type of coup ling which has been in use foe several years, there would be no necessity for even an ex perienced railroad trainman to go in and make the coupling, open the knuckle. Supervisor Responsibility MEMBER: I believe the discussion seems to be getting away from what the speaker was seeking to find. I think the thing he trying to arrive at is whether or not the supervisor might be held responsible in any way for this accident, in something he over looked. MR. WILLIAMS: You are right about that. I didn't bring this up as a problem in railroading. I believe railroaders generally operate under strict rules, and thev operate safely in regard to railroading. The point Metals Section 487 o'i all this is that the foreman is asking me, ` What can I do now with the man l have definitely instructed as to dangers? What do I do to make sure he heard what I >aid?" MEMBER: In conducting safety meet ings, your foreman will throw out the mate rial to the men, but 1 wonder tl he goes lack a week or so after the message has been given, with a questionnaire, seeking to find out bow much of what he gave them has been learned and how much they arc carrying along with them. That might be the answer. MR, WILLIAMS: That is a good sug gestion, back-checking to see whether or not the information stuck when he gave it to the men. They do this: If there is a doubt in their minds, sometimes they will ask the men, "What did I just tell you?" MR. SHERILL (Pittsburgh Plate): We have a condition that unfortunately is very congested. Two tracks run between two buildings, and men are constantly going over these tracks. Men arc loading and unloading the cars during the day. If we had cars shifted around such as in this case, we would be hurting somebody every day. In our case wc have a conductor that is responsible to go clear around the cars and look between them and sec that there are no men loading the cars. He is entirely re sponsible. I don't see why, id a case like thR, the conductor can't be made entirely responsible to see that men are in the clear- MODERATOR KEEFER: Do you idlows think the conductor was in any way responsible? Raise your hands. There are about fifteen hands up. The rest of you ap parently disagree on that. You think the conductor was not in any way responsible. MEMBER: Is there a possibility that that man might have been illiterate and did not understand what he signed? Isn't the answer probably in how arc you going to prevent a similar case happening with some other il literate employee? MR. WILLIAMS: The man was not il literate. He understood English. MR. MILLER: Perhaps that foreman had the feeling that possibly the signing of the slip had gotten to be a mechanical mo tion, and the matter of getting over to the man tliat he should stay out from between the cars wasn't really put across. MR. SANOW: I believe Mr. Williams has a first rate idea of how to put an idea across. Visual Education MR. WILLIAMS: I did talk to the* fellows on the idea that, if what you say and what they Azr doesn't register, maybe we can do something with what they sec. So we took an eight millimeter movie cam era, and we made a film that takes about four to five minutes to run. The subject wc chose was the handling oi a ladder, in which two men came onto the scene to use the ladder. They did about a dozen w rong things with the ladder, and then came back with the ladder and repeated it, doing the opera tion correctly. 1 took that to the foremen's meetings, and also to the men's meetings with their foremen, showed it to them and said, "Does this help you fellows? Docs it help put a better idea into the safety meet ing if the men see something?" Wc showed the picture tor four or five minutes. Then the men discussed among themselves-what they had seen which was right and what they had seen that was wrong. Wc showed the picture again in four or five minutes, and then in twenty* minutes we had a safety meeting. A lot of fellows thought it \va* a help to them to put over one idea at a time. The film cost $2.25. 1 don't see why there shouldn't be a thousand films on a thousand similar subjects. With them you can break up the monotony of foremen preaching lo men in safety meetings. MODERATOR KEEFER: Who made these films for you. Mr. Williams? MR. WILLIAMS: A boy in the chem ical laboratory and a couple of pipe-fitters. MODERATOR KEEFER: Did the safety engineers take any pictures? MR. WILLIAMS: They haven't yet. MODERATOR KEEFER: You are try ing to get them to do it? MR. WILLIAMS: T think it is their job I am no scenario writer; 1 am a blast fur nace man. MODERATOR KEEFER: I have been trying to get somebody to take a crack at the safety engineers here. We are throwing an awful lot of responsibility on Injured workers, on supervisors and some on man- 4$X 29th Xationai Safety Congress ftgement. Xobody has rraUMl hit much ahuut she failure of the safely chparunem to do amthinji. You sort of toiuhed on it here. MEMBER- I <n you ihink a safety en gineer t> never w rung ? MODERATOR KEEFER: \W haven't 'ound him wrv much wnmir tki* a'tcrnnon. Max he of :I<o other men will have a little u*.rc to <av about safety engineers. have yoi nt agree that management ju>t can't jjo wr\ much Jmiher In safeguarding these To me ii appears that this is one of ihvm. W c .|`|>;<rv:nly agree that the injured mao \x;* UK,-:ly responsible. but that there i- a ri>potiihiliix also resting an the shouldero: the supervisor. Apparently the majoruy led that rliat rc-tn.;i*ihtlfty is divided. >pavl*. not tistj-hfiy ini! at ivii't divided. MEMBER: Isn't iherc a mechanical remedy m some type on that high-line? Have you got room for a catwalk? J think xxi' wiM haw in go on to our next accident. Mr. Hnueduni of the Imcrlahc lr< Corporal ion. I'hirago. MR. V. !M 1 \MS: There i- a catwalk on D-:h tin- nDT-lint. MEM *'Ki< \V..i:!dr.'r i; hv :it>-sihU* u* l<v; the i!**nder- m: the r>ti!*:fe of that: i u!d \*-u :,:i\v a hcjoitj! vn:r- track -vi-l ike n*ak' xr.ij*- tmlnader* MR. U ILL! VMS fi, :.t ear* t* r-j v dn.-r-. al ihe MKMt'Kk: Y*.*.. hut h dnv-u't have to 4V at tlwro wren they arc switching. MR. WIU.IAMS: He t dofmiich ui)d pjat he to ?t,v. away from them. Ml-.M llhK: C'iui*l::; n.u ye; a penalty that v.o-.tM >c sc. ere er'ni*h ;<< make him HR. V li.i.I VMS' ih ; the penally. MEMBER: Yi.u haven't any harrier bctveei* :ht *U'- atv'i t: r :*nle *-' \> ijr track. Mix v\ i< u \m>: .. Accident on Coal Bridge ] A. H .El " M-:\ ; Thy accident wliich 1 desire to p*.n i. '---'.ire thi*. panel occurred on a cu! I.flyi* !*!:- hriijyc has- a span of 2.3S fee! ami ;li Iwsihl of the trolley abow lire xin.uml k uppr./vimascly 60 feet. The irollvx has a .peed of 150 feet per minute, liumedia'.dy hd*w this trolley is a lorry car vvhich in*.v\* hack and forth the fuM iengtk t*f the hriilge and which receives coal jr"in the hucket <m the trolley. The lorrv car iron**ter? !u- cl,ante of coal to one cn! of the hrfdce where it t> unloadetl onto a IktIi conveyor. The man who \\a- injured was 24 \x;.rv sdd. American Ikto. while. *.nglc, had one and nne-ltal' >ear* *f liigh <chr>ot ctlucaU*n. He had been :n the employ of the c<rr* panv f.ne >ear and four mor> h-. ami had Iftti r.i |]|i partix'tdar job a* a bridge oiier f..t nvx n'.onti:*.. M `l KRATi M< KEEKER ; Haw >-u o`mS like tha: r; y j;r ] lam: MEMBER: X... xx, haven't. MR. X' >T. \N f >y vt.u fed ilmt that "few It. t c*-:r:ue`. nun? .Mk|lR|x \1< ij-' K KF i* r.R Hot*, many led there w*v e:< me*, m the crew for iki* job? fMsjorit;*) D<- \>u agree with that? MR1 Wli.I.f \MS" I .'..tic that four men .tv cnon ;h fr the higi'-Hp.c. MEM HER: \ -neet-i that everybody lm the ra*r^ul crew Raw the high-Hnc. MODERATOR KEEFF.K : These fellows aie niter an iiitere-rtnji point here. Thcv arc tf.'ing u yet management to do something before they place the Maine on injured workers. Bui there arc -omc cases where we Ti.e arcuiet't otvurred at 5:15 in the ir.rrnin^. approximately an hour after tin man had eont to work. The foreman u: charge of the drck o|vraiton went up r^i the eon) bridge lo make a shift in operator* *% a- tr, aUxxv tht- reuuhtr operator to attend a meeting on welfare work-. Tlu> regular ivrator was replace*! 1\ a relief njierator who was fully as experi enced a* the regular operator. The foreman ihen in-irucwd the man rtmning the lorrv car ami ihe injured man that they were to grease the sheaves on the lorry car, and a** soon a*- till*, was completed the operation *<' conveying coal was to proceed. The foreman then xxalkcd north a few tVct and slopped where the trolley was locaud. to inspect the gears on the hoisting ma chine of the trolley. While the foreman wo- Metals .SVf/io/i 489 standing at thi> point, looking at the trolley, the operator moved the trolley south in or der to get it in po-itktn where he wanted to dig coal. Shortly after the trolley started to move, the foreman heard a -cream and. not knowing what ha*! happem-tf. hurried to the cage of the trolley m order to stop the op erator. The uoi*e of the trolley machinery and the fact that the operator was in a cab underneath the trolle} made it imiko-siblc fur the trolley operator to have heard or -ecu the injured man. Alter the trolley was >upi*el. the injured man was found on top of the machinery, his liody lying over the housing of the machin ery and caught between the housing and one of the cross -pans of the bridge. Investigation at tin- lime brought out the fact that the injured man had no gn-a^e buckets or oil cans with him. The -cream was the first indication that anyone had of his being on the trollcj. He had liven .specifi cally instructed by the foreman to grease some sheaves on the lorn' car which w.\ at the other end of the bridge, anti no <mv knows why tin* injured man got up tm the trolley. It is an ojeratmg rule on the dock that no one must oil or work on the trolley without the full knowledge of the trolley operator, since there is not man clearance Ixuwecn thv trolley h<*Using and Ihe cross mcmljcrs of the bridge iimnoliately alx>vc. <,,hjrstiming of all o|M*rators itight out tin fact that thi rule was fullv K,idcrstoo<l among them, and no mc coiilxl give am reason xxhv the injured man sh<mld have l*ccn >jn tl.*v trolley. Tbs- imdge has l>cen in o|>eration about iwcr.tv jrar* and no accident of that kind ha* xrr ,*crurrcd There never lia* t>een kfMmri a ca-e where a man got up on iop m work i.r oil. without tir.st notifying his 4rai<>r The question is one that we have never bem able to solve. Xo one has ever a- a satisfactory answer as lo why he cnf o* t/>rre MoHEKVTnk KEEFER - It that clcar- a-ve ><eeti greater, the accident couldn't have .*cx:r-et. Wa> there any necessity tor th*-sr cri*** members being that low? MR H.VEIK)KN ^ In the original de sign it wield have been made larger, perhajs.^ hot there i> nothing wc can do now witKrtjt wrecking the bridge. MODERATOR: Doesn't that bring out an interesting point that, although the thing is twenty years old. we still come hack to the idea that somebody, when designing that bridge in the beginning, didn't take safety into consideration? V ; lltal point given consideration in your pi. I don't suppose the -designer was even working for your company when this accident occurred. You certainly couldn't go hack at him and dis cipline him. I suppose. MR. HAGE1X)KX : Xo one in our com pany designed it. It wa- built by a bridge company. MODERATOR KEEFER: Are they U- inj; built in that way now? * MK. HA(EIH)KX'; Every lri*lcc that 1 have .-tren i- dilTen-nt. They are n*il built vxactlv this tvjx. MODERATOR KEEFER: The cues be tng built now. lo they have that very short clearance? MR. HA(il%DORX. X... I would *av most of them have plenty of clearance now. MODERATOR KEEFER: The dc-igr.tr' have learned their hs>on. either from similar c\|eriences nr they have gotten some sense? ' MR. HAC.EDORX: Yes. MODERATOR KEKFF.k: Uj >.u fel lows want to say anything al*OUt it? MR. McKEE: Was it this man's dim io oil this particular crane or trolley? MR. HAGEOOKX: Ye-*, that was one of his jobs. MODERATOR KEEFER: Wa* there any investigation of hi* home romlitiotw? Was he a pretty good man? Was he mar ried? MR. HAGEDORN ; Xo. lie wa; a singh man. So far a wc know, his home condi tions were excellent. He wasn't in any kind of trouble financially or al home. MODERATOR KEEFER: He jiiai did something crazy that you"can't account for in any way, shape or farm ? MR. HACEOORX: Yc>- MODERATOR KEEFER.- He had m> financial worries? MR. HAGEDORX: Nm that we know of. MODERATOR KEEFER. Did he have Any girl lricuds? MR. HAGEDORX: 1 don't know 490 29th National Safety Congress MR. SNYDER: How long did lie work as an oiler on that particular job? MR. HAGEDORN: Five months, MR. SNYDER: Sufficient time so he should have known better? MR. HAGEDORN: Oh. ye*. He oiled that every* day, every shift. MR. MILLER: What arrangement docs he make when he goes up to oil it ordi narily? MR. HAGEDORN: He notifies the trol ley operator that he is going to oil, and that is the rule on the dock. MR. MILER: How does the trolley op erator know' when he finishes oiling? MR KERWIN: I would like to again assume it is possible he may have told the trolley operator and, in a lapse of memory, while the man went up above, he could have started that thing. MR. HAGEDORN : The injured man did not get anywhere near the trolley from the time he was instructed until this move took place. There was no possibility of his hav ing told the operator. G. I. SMITH (American Car & Foundry Co., St. Louis, Mo.): Years ago wc had an accident nearly identical to this. We had those trusses, as you have, that will not dear a man. After we had that accident we put cut-out switches on all our cranes and put MR. HAGEDORN: He comes down and a lock on them. Every man who has any tells him he is through. thing to do with going on top of the cranes MR. MILLER: I would like to tell about what we do in our plant that is a little fur ther than word of mouth. We furnish every man with a safety sign, as it is called, is given a key to lock the safely switch. We school them. If a new man is put to oiling or repairing, we take particular pains to instruct him about locking the switch. and he carries this sign. If he is going to MR SCHMIDT: I found these condi oil any machinery, he opens a switch that tions in 1917 over in the Buffalo Plant of has a hasp on it, and he locks up that switch the Lackawanna Steel Company. They have with this sign with his name on it. We have had that method there. If the oiler went up had to put teeth in that, of course, to make on that crane, he had a lock, and there was the men use it. If a man is caught working a red light in that cage. If the operator on a piece of machinery without his safety , was not in the cage, when he came back, sign on that machinery. be is given a day he knew there was somebody on top of that oil for the first offense. We have had pretty crane doing some kind of work. When this good results with that. In other words, we man came down, he pulled the red light try to keep the man out of a place where switch, pulled his lock out. he will get hurt, and have some definite means of letting the operator know he is up there doing his work. MR HAGEDORN: We have that rule also on most of our machinery, but in this case there are only two men involved in it. We feel that two men can certainly be trusted with each other. MODERATOR KEEFER: Let me ask this question of the audience. Probably you have conditions somewhat similar to that. Raise your hands If you answer this "yes." Would you, in conditions like tlus, require the installation of a safety lock by the man who goes up? (A large number raised their hands.) MR. HAGEDORN: I would like to ask the question, if the man wouldn't tell his operator he was going to oil the bridge, would he put a safety lock anywhere? MR. SHERILL: Yes. MR. SHERILL: In our plant wc do very much the same thing, except each individual man has his own padlock with him. There is no danger of mixing keys. It is his own responsibility. MEMBER: Was there a chance the fore man could have seen where the man was? MR HAGEDORN: No, the trolley is about 40 or 50 feet long, and some of the drums stand that high. It is about 20 feet high. It is quite a large trolley*. You can lose half a dozen men up there very easily. MEMBER: Could (he foreman inspect the crane without the switch bong locked out or the operator knowing he was up there inspecting? MR HAGEDORN: He was standing alongside looking at the gears. MEMBER: And the operator didn't know that? MR. HAGEDORN: I doubt it. MR HAGEDORN: No. Metals Section 491 MEMBER: That is a very bad practice. MR. HAGEDORN: ! don't think so. You can stand on the sidewalk and watch auto mobiles go by. MEMBER: What did you do about the foreman? He was on the crane. MR. HAGEDORN: He was on the walk way alongside of it. MEMBER: The walkway is connected to the crane, isn't it? MR. HAGEDORN: It is not connected with the movable part of it. It is the sta tionary part of the bridge. MEMBER: This bridge doesn't move? MR HAGEDORN: This trolley moves along a track, and there is a walkway on each side. MEMBER : The bridge doesn't move back mnl forth ? MR. HAGEDORN: Yet, the whole bridge moves up and down. MEMBER: Ht was on the crane? MR. HAGEDORN; Yes. MR. PETERSEN: The walkway was put there the foreman might go up there without getting into any danger. MR. HAGE!>OKN:*Ycj. MODERATOR KEEFER: How many think the foreman was in a dangerous posi tion unjustifiably? (Majority.) MEMBER: Wc are like this gentleman. We learned the hard way. We killed one man and cut the legs off another one be fore wc learned to lock the crane while there was anybody up there. MODERATOR KEEFER; Fellows, as a result of our discussion of this accident, in my opinion, the management ha< to lear tile biggest share of responsibility on two counts: the low clearance--1 think that is a lousy situation. Even though we might accuse them by saying tliat it was a twentyvear-old installation, nevertheless if there had been gTeater clearance, this accident wouldn't have occurred. Maybe the cost would be almost prohibitive, but neverthe less that rotten clearance is there. The man agement has to take that count The other count is on this failure to pro vide safety lodes. There is a supervisory failure there. Also, certainly there is a fail ure on the part of the injured man himself, some responsibility on his part, although ! am inclined to relieve him of an awful lot of his responsibility, because I am inclined to think he was given a lousy example by the foreman who was up there. Does that seem logical? Do you agree heartily with that? (Applause.) The hour is getting awfully late, and I am going to adjourn this meeting. But, first there are one or two things that, it seems to me from our session here this afternoon, we can conclude about safety work ?n gen eral. First, it is necessary to investigate every accident and investigate from top to bot tom. They arc not investigated simply to determine who-was at fault in the thing. Accidents arc investigated to determine responsibilitj, \> hich is a little different from fault, to determine what you are going to do to prevent recurrence--that is, both what you are going to do and who is going to do it. Is it going to be the supervisor or a worker or a sujierintcudcnt or the chief en gineer or the purchasing agent or master mechanic? That U part of the investigation job, and. certainly, responsibility can he di vided about four ways: Management, super visors, injured workers and fellow work ers. There'is one other thing I think we get out of this- Miny ojKrrating men approach the problem of accident prevention from an entirely different angle. If they can show that the man was injured because of his own carelessness that is, if there w*as any element of carelessness, they think they have finished their job. They think they have alibied them selves completely out of all responsibility, and have thrown all the responsibility on the poor sucker who got hurt. Any supervisor who says he is not respon sible for an accident that has been due to carelessness is simply using the boomerang kind of argument that comes right back on himself, because he is admitting that he was cither a poor job trainer, or a poor super visor, or a poor disciplinarian, because those are the three ways to eliminate carelessness. I think we have condemned supervisors and foremen here pretty heavily. Probably we could have condemned them a little morr heavily. But T wish we had gone a little further on a couple of these accidents and condemned the safety engineers. That is where I think we fell down on our job this afternoon. I am one of them. I would take some of the blame if I were in some of the plants where these accidents happened. 492 29th A ot-oiwi Sufi'fy Ctmr/rcss THURSDAY AFTERNOON' SESSION' October 10, 1940 Ask the Employee By T. O. ARMSTRONG Supervisor, Industrial Relations, Westinghousc Electric & Manufacturing Company, Springfield, Mass. In trying to formulaic a policy for safety or any other factor in employee relation ships. it seems that our first step is to under stand what the people who are to be affected by such policy think and fed about the Would wc l*c willing to ``go along with" and do something about the suggestions or criticism that might be offered? Were they tired of the very word "safety'*? problem. A mere statement w Inch says in effect that wc are interested in safety, safe working conditions, safe practices means nothing to the individual employee if he has a feeling within him that we arc not sincere in uhat we say. In orher words, what we say with Westinghouse. at its East Springfield Works, found the answer to these and many other such questions. The safety program lias withstood the inquiry of the employee* because the employees take an active part in setting up the safety policy for each year. words may mean one thing which is dis "Safety Inventories" were started in the counted when our actions indicate otherwise. year 1937 with wliat is known as the "Clean Wc all agree that employee cooperation is essential to the administration of policy or procedure; and I mean all those within an organization that are employees, workers, shop or office, salary paid or hourly paid, supervision as well as those supervised. Anyone dealing with the problem today al*n knows that employees inut be sold be fore they will become a part of die program, ami they are sold through the medium of words on the nc hand, and actions on the other Sxeee/ for Safety" Campaign when wc merely asked the employee to report to lu*> own departmental safely man any unsafe condition which he found around hi* work place. In 1938. vxt went a step further and our questions were designed particularly to the equipment u-cd hv him and hi* suggestion or thought* concerning its use safely. The* 1939 inventory questions were de signed to create an interest and develop a di ire in ilic employee to inventory hi* own 1 believe chat the average employee will experience in the. matter of lost time due to personal reasons. feel reasonable aiout u. policy which states that we want to protect him against acci dent. and T believe that the average worker will feel more strongly about it when our actions demonstrate to him that wc mean Our 1940 inventory is one that give* llucmployee an opportunity to tell us what makes a safe worker from his own personal work experience. " hat wc say. Inasmuch as the 1910 inventory ha* not TIus latter fundamental was a part of our been tabulated, the following analyst i* on thinking when we approached the idea of a.-king the employee: Were wc willing to let them have a part the basis of the inventory taken in 1939 with some reference to 1938 on certain ques tions not asked in 1939. in the safety program? It is also well to note that the inventory* Would they, if such an opportunity pre sented itself, voice their opinion? docs not replace any of the other safety- work that is constantly going on throughout ilte year. Would our safety program stand such an inquiry? Immediately and upon "return to work" after the plant's regular inventory of ma Would the employee feel that he was com terials and stock, cards are distributed to mitting himself if he answered the question presented? each employee from sweeper to manager, hourly paid and salary paid, requesting each Metals Section individual to "take >tock" of hi* own work situation with respect to safety. Two tlKHisand tour hundred and seven workers polled. Ninety-nine per cent of them made a return. The questions asked were answered as follows : Questions Asked l>o you operate a machine?--Yes, 821. Is it properly guarded?--Yes, 808; No. 13. If not. what arc your recommendations? Two suggested an improvement in guards. Eleven suggested additional guards. In a.'kmg this question, we were interested in how the employee felt about it--believing that if lit had an opportunity to express himself freely, he would l*e likely to co operate in its use safely, and would ap preciate the part equipment played in allevi ating suffering and mishap. In the thirteen No's the safety committee had an immediate job to do. ll'hcre U the nearest fire alarm box/ Where is the nearest stretcher? The real intent of these questions was to draw the attention of the employee to the location r*f each. Wc recommend these question* periodically to keep everyone posted. The-e questions were interesting and were thccau*cor considerable commotion throughout the plant--everyone asking the other fel low where the fire-alarm Ik>x or the stretcher was located. It clearly indicated to n* how little wc know about the things around us which arc commonplace; hut which arc necessary when needed. It'hot personal safety equipment do you use* Tim often equipment; such as. apron*, gloves, tweezers, etc. is issued out of stock without any thought on the employee's part that it i* issued for his safety. This ques tion wa* designed to call his attention to the extent to which we safeguarded his welfare. Tabulation of this question presented the following facts regarding materials pur chased for the employees' protection. Apron* ..................... -................. 105 Gloves ............................................ 537 pair# Goggle*. .......................................... 420 pairs Muchinii-i Glasses ........................... 49 Respirators ....................................... 22 Weldinc Masks ............................... 24 beggings ......................................... 18 pairs Tweezers ..........................................66 pairs IVhot additional sufetx equipment do you requiret 47 suggestions were received, compared with 111 suggestions the previous year. Do you wear safety shoes at work/ ff not, why/ 335 said >Vx--an increase of 120 over the' previous year. 255. however, gave definite reasons why they did not want to wear them. These answers ranged from a mere state ment of *' I don't like them" to "They're not comfortable"--"Hurt mv feet"--"Pinch my toes." Others stated: "Tender feet"-- "Wear arch supports"--etc. Do you Wear low or cubau heels at work* This question was to point out that the wearing of Cuban heels was hazardous. 198 Mated they wore low heels; while 14 said they wore cufon heels. 383 women were asked--the others prolwbly felt that w %va* "none of our business." ir/nvj working do you wear finger rings arm bracelets, tong sleeves/ Such practice on operations of rotating machinery i* particularly hazardous. Some of the most serious accidents recorded in *nme firms result on punch presses, lathe*, drill pre*<*. etc. Are there any physical ill effects frout your work/ 1,330 said .Vh--while 84 said )'es--giving their reasons a*: fume*, vapors, draft*, etc Each complaint was investigated and cor rected even to the extent of calling in a chemist to analyze the job* where fumes and vapor* were the causes of complaint. Do you believe that the .uifety rules should be enforced f 2.000 employees >aul emphatically--I'r.v, Thi> would indicate that the average worker is still rather sensihle al>oiit the wel fare of htm*clt and'those around him. Hv will not stand for any tomfoolery altom safety, and he will not hesitate to state so if given the opportunity. How about those who said .Yof Wliai i> their opinion? These workers were Inter viewed and in all cases their experience* with other plants had not Keen one of a sell- 494 29th National Safety Congress ing program, but one of an enforcing pro gram. They stated that anyone who dis regarded the rules of safety should be fired, but too often they had seen the wrong per son fired. Jrr the safety rules for your benefit or the company's? This question seemed necessary m view of all the odd thinking that seems to be going on. What would the employee have to say about it? The following tabulation indicates that most employees felt that the safety rules benefited both the worker and the Com pany. For Your Benefit..................................1,800 For the Company's Benefit ............. 300 For the Benefit of Both ................. 2,000 Have you completed a course tit first aid? . . When? . . . With whom? In 1938, we asked the same question and found that 243 employees had completed First Aid courses at some time or another over a period of 20 years--gaining such experience with the Boy Scouts, Army or >favy. Red Cross, in colleges, former em ployers, schools, etc. Six hundred and sixty employees stated their desire to attend classes in First Aid and such classes were formed immediately. Hue to limitations in the number of instruc Did you use salt tablets this summer? 750 said Yes. -The comments with regard to their use were tabulated in the following manner for guidance of the safety com mittee: Favorable comment: Very good, 107; Good, 71; O. K., 69; Helpful, 44; Very Helpful. 29; Beneficial, 12; They Helped, 9; Very effective, 9; Satisfactory, 9; Be lieved they helped, 10, and Slows up per spiration, 9. Unfavorable comment: Tablets not read ily available, 13; Upset my stomach, 5; Make me sick, 13; Docs not agree wirh me. 4; Do not care for them, 4; Doctor ordered no salt, 3, and Didn't notice any difference, 22. How much time did you lose this ycar be cause of sickness? Ho.me accidents? Auto mobile accidents? Other? Here was an opportunity for each em ployee to take stock of his own situation with respect to this question. Of 335 cases reported as liavjng lost time due to reasons ranging from the com mon cold, to infection operations, home ac cidents, automobile accidents and recreation, 2,850 days were lost While on the other hand, of the five cases ot lost time within the plant, only 145 days were lost tors, 143 were enrolled, meeting each week 1 Industrial Accident for every 6 Outside tor a period of ten weeks and finally re Accidents. ceiving their diplomas at the Annual Meeting of the Local Red Cross Chapter. 1 Industrial Accident for every 61 Cases of Sickness. Would you be interested in offending First .-lid dosses again this year? Six hundred and forty-eight new ones ap plied, and all of those who had completed courses last year applied for the advanced course. 1 Industrial Accident for every 67 Ollier Cases of Lost Time. I Day Lost for every 22. cases of outside accidents. 1 Day Lost for every 19 cases ot sickness. Thirty applicants were office girls, 24 were engineers from the engineering department, and 31 were departmental supervisors and foremen. Would you be interested in a class tti home and highway safety? Five hundred and eleven said they' would le. Among this group were 20 female em ployees and 35 foremen. 1 Day Lost for every 21 due to other causes. What is die feeling of the average em ployee with regard to physical examina tions? Do they want them? Would they avail themselves of them ii they had an opportunity ? To determine the answer to these ques tions the following was asked. During the past year and particularly in When were you last examined by a doc the summer months salt tablets were dis tor? tributed extensively throughout the plant, and in order to find out the extent of their use the following question was asked? Our tabulation indicated that for the most part the entrance examination when applying for work was the only one that the greatest Metals Section 495 percentage of the workers had availed them selves of. Do you want a physical examination? Only 10 per cent indicated any desire for one, which seems to indicate that the average worker is not inclined to physical examina tions periodically--at least within the plant where he works. Have you any additional recommendations for the advancement of safety and health among our employees? 250 suggestions and recommendations re ceived in spite of the fine record of safety, and work of the safety committee: Better ventilation, exhausts for equipment, storm doors, lighting, eliminate drafts, sani tary drinking equipment, toilet facilities, bel ter health and safety publicity, and more of it, a health and safety forum, enforce safety rules more rigidly in some depart ments. We are very much sold on the "Inventory Idea"--as a basis for planning our next year's program--as a measure of the kind of a job we have and are doing. In the past, we thought we were doing a good job; our records proved that we were. Yet, we found after our first inventory that there is always room for improvement. The inventory idea will not allow you to slip. Wc were gratified lo know tliat in the main, the employees not only were enthu siastic about presenting their point of view, but they wanted to be a part of the safety program, and wanted it enforced--if neces sary. Three factors seem to be important in building up an attitude toward a real Safety Program. 1. Every one must believe that you are sincere in your Safety Policy. 2. Every person must have opportunity to express his feelings about the policy. 3. His expression must be considered and something done about it. "Safety Kinks in Preventing Accidents" The final feature of this program was a presentation of numerous motion pictures, by T. R. Smith. Safety Supervisor, Youngs town District, Republic Steel Corporation, Youngstown. O., showing "Safety Kinks in Preventing Accidents." The pictures in truded devices in the Coke Plant, Blast Furnace, Open Hearth Furnace, Blooming Mill. Bessemer Converting Mill, Slag Yard. Scarfing operations. Chipping, and Miscel laneous operations. .-IDJOURNMENT Mining Section Officers 1939-1940 General Chairman- -Am.i s I). Campbem.. McIntyre Porcupine Mine?-, Ltd.. Schumacher, Ont.. Canada. Vice-Chairman--Cal>wali_\dek Evans, Jk.. The Hudson Coal Co., Scranton, Ha. Kicc-CAairmaii--W. 1). Hasw.ton, Pickauds Mather & Co., Duluth, Minn. Vice-Chairman--*X. P. Khixf.haht. We*t Virginia State Dept, of Mines. Charleston. \Y\ Va. Secretary and Xews Letter Editor--IXvnhx Haruinctox, L'. S. Korean of Mines. Wash ington. D. C\ Engincerutg Committee Chairman--John Trewkkk, Hnmcstnke Mining Co., Lead. S. I). Health Committer C7inrwr/--I*. M. Arthur, American Zinc Company of Tennessee. Mascot, Term Membership Committee Chairman--Heath Ci-ark, Rochester & Pittsburgh Coal Co.. In diana. Pa. Poster and Slide Committee Chairman-- I. I. Pokhes, l*. S. Bureau of Mines, Pittsburgh, Pa. Statistics Committee Chairman--\V. W. Adams, V S. Bureau of Mines. Washington, P. t . Entertainment Committee C hoimum--I. T. Rv\x, Mine Safety Appliances Company. Pitts burgh, Pa. Members at Large-- Thomas Ai.i.ex. State Inspector of Coal Mines. Denver. Colo. *J W. Ai.t. Calumet & Hecla Consolidated Copper Co., Calumet. Mieh. *G. J. Barrett, Oliver Iron Mining Co.. Duluth. Minn. FkED E. Bed.m.k, Consolidation Coal Co., Ine., Fainnont, \\. Va. John L. Boardman. Anaconda Copper Alining Co.. Hmic, .Mom. *L. C. Camphem., The Koppers Coal Co., Pittsburgh. Pa. *W. H. Com vs, .National Lead Co., Texarkana, Texas. M. L. Cout.TEk, Clearfield Bituminous Coal Corp., Indiana. Pa. C. M. Fellman. Montreal Mining Co., Montreal, WK *C, W. Gibbs, Duquesnc Light Company. Pittsburgh, Pa. K. Dawson Ham, "Coal Age," McGraw-Hill Publishing Co.. Inc.. X%\ York, X. Y. H. T. Harper. Tennessee Copper Co., Copperhill, Tenn. *H. C. Henri e, Phelps Dodge Corp., Bisbce, Ariz C. K. Keck. Jamison Cool &. Coke Co., Lai robe. Pa. Thomas E. Lhjhtsoot. The Koppers Coal Co.. Pittsburgh. Pa. Geo. Martinson, Pickands Masher 5: Co,, Cleveland. Ohio. C. E. McKxiuirr, Lake Shore Gold Mines, Ltd., Kirkland Lake, Oiu., Canada. Wili.iam C. Metzuer, The Hudson Coal Co.. Scranton. Pa. D. D. Moffat. Utah Copper Co., Salt Lake City, Utah. \ . O. Mlkhav. The Union Pacific Coal Co.. Rock Spring*. Wyoming. K. H. Seif, The Xcw Jersey Zinc Co., Franklin, X. J. L. T. Sicka, St. Joseph Lead Co., Bonne Terre. Mo. O. V. Simpson, The Koppers Coal Co., Morgantown. W. Va, Howard I. Yoom;. American Zinc Lead & Smelting Co., St. Louis. Mo. General Chairman -197 498 29th National Safety Congress Officers 1940-1941 General Chainnan--Cadwalladeh Evans, Jr., The Hudson Coal Co., Scranton, Pa. f:irst Vice-Chairman--W. D. Haselton, Picfcands Mather 8c Co., Daluth, Minn. Second Vice-Chairman--*N. P. Rhinerart, West Virginia State Department of Mines, Charleston, W. Va, Third Vice-Chairman--Joan TrKweek, Homestake Mining Ccl, Lead, S. D. Secretary and News Letter Editor--Daniel Harrington, U. S. Bureau of Mines, Washing ton, D. C. Engineering Committee Chairman--M. L. Coulter, Clearfield Bituminous Coal Corp., In diana. Pa. Health Committee Chairma~~DR. A. L. Murray, U. S. Bureau of Mines, Pittsburgh, Pa. Membership Committee Chairman~~*L. C. Campbell, The Koppers Coal Co., Pittsburgh. Pa. Poster and Slide Committee Chairman--J. J. Forbes, U. S. Bureau of Mines. Pittsburgh. Pa. Statistics Committee Chairman--W. W. Adams, U. S. Bureau of Mines, Washington, D. C. Entertainment Committee Chairman--J. T. Ryan, Mine Safety Appliances Co., Pittsburgh. Pa. Program Committee Chairman---J. J. Forbes, U. S. Bureau of Mines, Pittsburgh, Pa. Members at Large-- J- W. Alt, Calumet Sc Hecla Consolidated Copper Co., Calumet, Mich. *P. M. Arthur, American Zinc Co. of Tennessee, Mascot, Tenn. *C. J. Barrett, Oliver Iron Mining Cal, Duluth, Minn. Fred E. Beoale, Consolidation Coal Co., Inc., Fairmont, W. Va. John L. Boaroman, Anaconda Copper Mining Co., Butte, Mont Angus D. Campbell, McIntyre Porcupine Mines LtcL, Schumacher, Out., Canada. *W. H. Covins, Baroid Sales Divn National Lead Co., Taxarkana, Texas. M. L. Coulter, Oearfreld Bituminous Coal Corp.. Indiana, Pa. C. M. Felluan, The Montreal Mining Co., Montreal, Wis. *C. W. Gf ibs, Duquesne Light Co., Pittsburgh, Pa. D. Dawson Hall, "Coal Age," McGraw-Hill Publishing Co., Inc., New York, N. Y. H, T. Harper, Tennessee Copper Ccx. Copperhill, Tenn. *H. C. Hen*it, Phelps Dodge Corp., Bisbee, Ariz. Tkovas E. I.ichtpoqt, The Koppers Coat Co., Pittsburgh, Pa. George Martinson, Pickands Mather & Co., Cleveland, Ohio. C. E. McKLnjcht, Lake Shore Gold Mines, Ltd., Kirkland Lake, Ont., Canada. William G. Metzger. The Hudson Coal Co., Scranton, Pa. D. D. Moffat, Utah Copper Co., Salt Lake City, Utah. V. Q. Murray, The Union Pacific Coal Co., Rodk Springs, Wyoming. R. H. Sap, The New Jersey Zinc Co., Franklin, N. J. L. T. Sicka. Sl Joseph Lead Co., Bonne Terre, Mo. Howard I. Young, American Zinc Lead & Smelting Co., St. Louis, Mo. 'Past General Chairman MONDAY AFTERNOON SESSION October 7, 1940 The session was called to order by Gen- rral Chairman Angus D. Campbell, Safety Engineer, McIntyre Porcupine Mines, Ltd., Schumacher, Ontario, Canada, who presided. In his opening remarks the Chairman sketched activities of the Section and Stand ing Committees during the past year, and then introduced the first speaker. Muting Section 499 A Course of Training Foremen for Safety Work By F. E. BEDALE Assistant to General Manager, in Charge of Safety, Consolidated Coal Co. Inc., Fairmont, W. Va. Before one can even start the education of the foreman a great deal of ground work mast be done--a price must be paid for safety. count each personal injury occurring under hts jurisdiction. The causes of these acci dents will probably disclose just where each foreman needs training and education. This preliminary work will determine, to a A safety program must be decided upon large extent, just how the foremen on (he and unless the executive ofheisds realize job wilt fie into the new company policy. that such a program is merely a sound and profitable operating program and arc will ing to cooperate and stand behind such a program, the desired results cannot be obtained. A department of safety should be organ ized with a director or chief reporting di rectly to someone of the higher executive officials. This department should have suf ficient mine inspectors, ventilation inspectors and other field men to properly cover the various operations ol the company. There must be an office force sufficient to study and properly assemble the information Whether new foremen are employed or whether the old ones are retained, the max imum benefits cannot be realized unless care ful consideration is given to Ivndzmenml qualifications. Intelligence and a magnetic personality, in addition to experience, must be weighed carefully, A well rounded high school education is desirable, its equivalent should be required. Each foreman under ground should hold a first grade mine fore man's certificate, a first aid certificate and a mine rescue certificate. Ambition and a sense of loyalty to the company and its operating policy are essential qualities if turned in by the field force. the educational effort is to bear favorable The first work, of the safety department results. is to study the past record of the company. This stud> should cover the various acci dent causes. The official foreman organiza tion should be studied; many of these men will, or should be excellent material for the program that is to be carried out. The study of the foremen on the job is a diffi cult one and must not he hurried, it may lake a year or more. You must have a re port of the conditions found under each foreman, meet them personally and find out whether the}' are popular with their men; whether they are able to have orders car ried out, or whether they are considered "easy marks." The health, habits and thou sand and ouc little things that go to make up personality should be ascertained for each foreman. Arrangements must be made to have a report covering each and every accident that occurs and a method of classifying these in juries. This process, carefully carried out wilt automatically determine where and how injuries are occurring. A method of perma nently classifying your foremen should be made. This is done by keeping a record of each individual foreman, charging to his ac As the work progresses the first step toward the education of the foremen is the preparation of a set of safety standards and operating rules. This involves an enor mous amount of study and work. The safety standards and operating rules must cover all phases ol operation underground and on the surface. They should be gone over by tltc entire executive staff, criticized, cor rected and revised; then sent in preliminary form to the superintendents, foremen and others for criticism and suggestions, until finally \ou have what is really a text book for your operations. By the time the safety standards and op erating rules are prepared you will have completed your 'preliminary study of the foremen and laid the ground work of mak ing them receptive to a safety education. You have impressed upon them that safety i* pure operation with care and common sense, that safety and good mining arc synonymous and that safety and mining ef ficiency are usually found together. The next fundamental step is to place a complete set of the operating rules in the 50(1 29th Notional Safety Congress hand* of each foreman and to arrange for dashes so that each man will become thor oughly familiar with them. Classes should be established at each mine, preferably con ducted by a member o the safety depart ment. The study will be along the line of safety and the proper application of the ?.tandVrds; together with the inevitable dis cussions and the reasons for each item of the safely standards and operating rules. After completing tlic course of study a writ ten examination should be given and only those men who are able to pass with a satis factory grade should be retained as fore men. (Men failing to pass the examination are usually given a rc-cxamination after (0 days, but failure to pass the re-examina tion automatically eliminates them for a supervisory position.) When new foremen arc employed they must pass a satisfactory examination on the standards and rules and this stipulation is understood at the time of employment. .The school on standards and operating rules is only the beginning of the education tions can usually be corrected with reason able effort and within reasonable time. The elimination of unsafe practices is an endless job of supervision and education an the part of the foremen. Consequently the final success of the entire program depends on the ability* of the foremen to enforce the standard requirements and to secure the re spect and cooperation of the men under them. This is the most essential part os the foreman's education--the personal equation in each foreman may* have weaknesses to be corrected. The foreman must be taught, not only* how to educate his men, but how and when to apply disciplinary measures. In order to know each foreman's ability, where he is falling short, there must be some plan of checking his accomplishments and failures. A merit rating system should be established giving each foreman a classi fication based on inspection records. This foreman classification should show the num ber of men working under hhn, the number and kind of substandard conditions or vio lations of rules found on the section, and hi trier foremen. Most mine officials, until educated to better ideas, consider safely .mly as a by-product. Care must be taken to impress the foremen that there is nothing my-icrious or objectionable to safety in coal :umc< and that all requirements laid down arc the result of the study of facts. The education of employees must always be accomplished through the foremen and all foremen must he taught the proper mrfhr><! of imparting their knowledge. This i* k very important part of foreman train ing The hardest task of the safety depart ment is to keep the official organization in line with the program. This let-down is .-omcrimes due to the pressure brought on the foreman for cost or coa), bul in many rases it is because of indifference to the wel fare of his men or a lack of determination (o accomplish his work thoroughly. The attitude and loyalty of the employees inward safety and the company is almost wholly derived ironi the attitude and loyalty the general condition of the section. Based on this information there is estab lished a ratio ot the number of substandard conditions and violations to the number oi men under his -supervision. The defects enumerated against each foreman over the period of a year win show his weaknesses and these conditions can then he brought to the attention of the mine organization. Weaknesses in the work ot the various fore men must lie corrected and this important phase of the education is an operating de partment function and usually the responsi bility of the mine superintendent. To further discover and eliminate the weakness oi the individual foreman, all lost time accidents should be classified as to re sponsibility. Usually* this is done each month by mine officials in' conjunction with the safety department. The classification should be on (he primary' cause, tabulated against the foremen and placed in one of the follow ing classes: of the foremen, and one foreman in the of ficial organization, who may be out of line, can tear down the structure of safety and ruin a record that has taken years of labor to build to a desirable result. 1--Substandard Conditions. 2--Violations of Rules. 3--Lack of or Poor Supervision. A--Carelessness. 5--Unavoidable. Far more accidents tn coal mines are Ci--Doubtful as to Compensability. caused by unsafe practices than by unsafe or substandard condition*, Unsafe condi Obviously this information is of no value unless full information is available. The Milting Section 501 first tour classes come within the direction and responsibility of the various foremen. Substandard conditions, known to exist pre vious to the accident, must lie poor super vision. Violation of rules denotes lack of discipline; carelessness denotes poor super vision and lack of effort on the part of the foreman in educating his men. It full in formation surrounding the arcidcnt is avail able. and honestly used, each classification has considerable value for accident preven tion purpose*. There i* also cou*tdcrahIc educational value to the ioreman and officials making then.* classification*. When such a system is first started carelessness is a favorite place to assign the cause of an accident. Carcles*ne** i* an e.\prc**ion cherished by many operating officials when accidents are increasing and the record going bad. Of course, from a supervisory standpoint this i* an alibi accepted hv the majority of sympathetic foremen. Many minor and some <criou* accident- are attributed to careless ness of the employee, but in mines where carelcs*ne>- prevail*, the cause i* doe to in-ufficimt and poor quality of supervision. Then, too. the cardosness is not aluay* on the part of thr injured employee; it may !.% and often ri on the part of the foreman. In due cour*c of time the foreman Teams to prefer that accidents n> his men be placed under *ouc other classification than care lessness realizing that it reflect* seriously on his ability. This responsibility classification not only helps educate the supervisory man. but indicates Lo hi* ability a< a supervisor, as an education in the right and wrong methods, and t. another measuring stick a* to his interest in his job and the welfare of the tmn under hint. Another point in the foreman's education is to have him express his ideas, opinions and corrections relative to the safety stand ards and operating rule*. Foremen's meet ings should be held frequently at each mine or group of mine>, during which problems relating to accidents, investigations, mine inspector's reports, discipline and genera! supervision should be thoroughly discussed. These meeting* should be conducted by a member of the safety department, but the discussions and various problems should be raised by the foremen. Such meetings should operate as a clearing house for ideas and ail questions raised should be thoroughly discussed, opinions and idea* all recorded and followed up. Definite programs of di-- cussion* can lie prepared and papers should be required from selected foremen, dealing with subjects in connection with their work. These papers should lie short and concise, covering subjects essential to a good acci dent rccord. Everv foreman -liould be an inspector, and one very effective method of education i- to require the various foremen to inspect and make a record of the .-uh*tandard condition:and bad practices coming under their juris diction. This should always be done when accompanied by the mine inspector in order that nothing is overlooked. This *y*n*m train* each foreman, not only in standard requirement*, but also aids him in correcting bad practice.* among the employees. If thi* system i* established it should he extended and foremen exchanged for other* for in spection purpose*. Finally it sltould Ik* ex tended to include other mine.* of the com pany. Such procedure stimulates the inter est of the foremen and gives a sen*e of added responsibility which most foremen appreciate. Further effective education of foremen in accident prevention can be given by encour aging inspection trips to the mines of Other companies, to the experimental mine of the United Stales Bureau of Mines and to min ing institute meetings, and to the u*e i> mine extension cor*vs of the various col lege*. As education and advertisement i* much more effective through the eve than through the ear, a visual system of education should be established. Moving pictures, illustrated lectures to foremen, showing the right and wrong way of accomplishing the work should not Ihj overlooked- Anything that stimulates interest amvuig foremen advances education. A competitive spirit in safety must he established and maintained between foreman in the same mine, also between mines and in large com panies between divisions. Monthly progre-* as to safety results must be kept before the employee*. Many different methods of stimulating the competitive spirit can be ef fective. A card system, displayed on the bulletin lioards, and classifying departments is effective; the cards are classified as "A." "B," "C" or "D" and designate the extent of substandard conditions and bad practice* 502 29th National Safety Congress found by the mine inspector. In companies operating several mines rotating: "Honor Flags" or plaques can be awarded for the best monthly record. Miniature race tracks, barometers, clocks indicating the safety progress, all will promote interest. Such special features arc effective for a compara tively short time and should be changed when interest begins to lag. Executive in terest in the competitive spirit is always the greatest stimulant. What Do We Actually Know About Roof Testing? By JOHN E. JONES Safety Engineer, Old Ben Coal Corporation, West Frankfort, 111. In many phases of mining progress is pro nounced in knowledge with respect to ef ficiency and safety including the loosening and loading of coal and ores, timbering, transportation, power, hoisting, machinery and preparation of the product. procedure. For correction of this neglect there is need hirst, of a more thorough understanding by all underground workers of the inspec tion means at hand, that it is more than a simple tapping procedure, that more fre 1 here is, however, an omission in mining progress that is difficult to understand. We .-till guess about the looseness or solidness quent inspections must be made, and that a fundamental knowledge of the science of sounding should be understood. of the roof and sides. Our guessing has Second,* there is need of scientific *tudv I wen had. In the fifty-seven year period of to find, if possible, a more definite means anthracite and bituminous coal mining in of measuring the looseness and the solid ihe United States, 1880-1956, 87,052 fatali ness of roof and sides. The scientific prog ties occurred in underground coal mining. ress of the last half century has frequently 53.4 per cent of these (46,476) were from approached possible solution of this prob /ails oi roof and sides. In the same period lem. Much has been done in the finding oi I-'2 per cent or 13,189 lives were lost from flaws n metals, in alarms from vault mine explosives. This and other data in the burglary, and various accomplishments in the nation and lor Illinois coal mines are shown measurement and analysis of sound waves. in the accompanying tables. There is possibility of accomplishment from It is generally recognized that foils cause the majority of injuries. It is puzzling why there is such absence in mining tests, mining instruction courses and mining ap prenticeship of the recognition and correcinm of this outstanding type of hazard. Front time immemorial the criticism has been, "He should have set a prop." Proper timbering is unquestionably the correct an swer. It is fair to estimate, however, that the majority of the 46,476 fatalities from falls in the coal mines of this nation during scientific research of a more certain means of roof and side inspection. That which is most prevalently known about roof testing is that if the roof sound* dnimmy it is loose and might fall, and if it sounds solid it is safe. Injuries front working under the known loose roof occur from the acknowledged risks that arc taken. Occasionally injuries occur while in the act of correcting known loose roof and sides. Facts which arc not widely understood are:-- the 57-year period resulted from incorrect (1) The many variations of sounds other judgment as to the solidness of the rock or than those that sound drummy. coal. They sounded and guessed it was safe. (2) It is difficult to recognize a sound that Many simply looked, and guessed it was safe. is not quite solid without comparison with Occasionally there have been sonic who did a solid sound. not even look. (3) The reasons for the various sounds. There has not been aroused an interest in the study of too! and side inspection com parable with gas, electrical, mechanical and other departments of underground safety (4) That an angled roof break docs not reflect sound as does a break at right angle to the direction of sounding. (5) A vertical break will not reflect sound showing there is a cavity. Mining Section 503 Bituminous and Anthracite Mines UNITED STATES 1880-1936 Avg: per Vear Percentage of Underground Fatalities ii.ij.vnis 1832 to 1938, inc. Avg. per Year Percentage of Underground Fatalities Falls of Roof, Sides or Gob Ex plo sions Haul age Elec tri city Grand Total Ex Other Total In On Includ Sur ing face U4 plo Causes Un Shafts Includ Strip sives der ing ping ground Strip Fats. ping Since 1930 46,476 13,189 14,324 2,485 5,956 4,622 87,052 2,596 6.633 96,395 815 231 251 43 104 81 1,527 53.4 15.2 16.5 2.8 6.8 5.0 100.0 Falls of Roof and Sides 3,383 Ex Haul plo age sions 586 1.20.1 Elec tri city 154 Ex plo sives Total Other Un In Causes der Shafts ground 645 602 6.573 347 On Grand Sur Total face 253 7,173 59 (0 21 3 11 I! 115 6 4 126 51.41 8.9 18.3 2.3 10 8.1 100.0 (6) A rough or staggered break will not reflect sound as does a smooth break. (7) A break even sufficient for the rock to fall will not sound drummy if there is no space at the break. (8) That a thud sound is frequently indi cation of greater hazard than a drummy sound. (VI The importance of thud sounds and rhar recognition in relation to solid sounds. (10) The loose rock, if not cracked, would sound solid if slung in midair. (11) It is not the loose rock that gives tiie loose sound; it is the relationship of the loose rock to the parent rock. (12> The relationship or position of a loose rock can be of such nature as to not indicate hazard upon sounding. (13) The most perfect drum sound is from cavity condition having a complete en closure. Where enclosure is not complete because of broken rock the drum sound is lessened. (14) Damping of sound is frequently caused by fracture which may result in a deceptive sound approaching that of a secure rock. (15) A fallen uncracked rock on the floor can sound solid. (16) Fallen rocks on the floor can be sounded and found to give varying solid to loose sounds similar to (hose on the roof. Certainly all those on the floor are loose. (17) Improvement in sense of hearing is necessary and can be developed in practice of sounding fallen rocks and coal. (18) The importance of material that is used for sounding. (19) That two sound vibrations are started, one in the rock and the other in the tool. (20) The sound from the tool, such as the 50-1 29th National Safety Congress ringing of a pick, often predominates and a thud roof sound is not recognized. <21} Sounding with a shovel is practically of no value. The rock must be thin and very lrummy to sound louder than the ring oi the shovel- (22) Sounding with the knuckles is of no value. (23) An iron bar or miner's sledge arc the best sounding tools. locity of sound waves along the grain of elm wood is 13,517 and across the grain is 4,658 ft. per second. There is added difficulty in ascertaining breaks (other than those a few inched from the sounded surface) in the coal seam and in sounding rock roof edgewise as compared with flatwise. The action is somewhat sim ilar to tapping a steel rail endwise to And a flaw instead of crosswise. The travel of sound in rock and coal is well understood by miners. In the approach of passages before connecting there is often a tapping on the solid coal face from each working face by the workers to estimate by >ound the distance yet to be driven when the distance is short. When such sounding is done a solid piece on the coal face is chosen to do the tapping. Usually the sound cannot he heard a long distance. As a boy listens on the rail or the Indian listened on the ground, sound can be beard farther hv listening on the coal. Blasting can be heard at much greater distances than ham mer blow-, on the coal. Geophonc A >tiiiicicntly sensitive device can detect * >ound waves at much greater distances than ' the human ear. Such a device, the geophone. ha< been made for detecting the tapping of miner> in event of their inijK*>>il)ility of escape and tapping is done by iltcm in effort towards communication with rescuers. Min ers o imprisoned can organize a tapping -vSlcm in live hope that listening is being done by means of the geophone on the sur face. the coal rib Or rail in another part of (he mine or the coal rib of an adjacent coal mine. With geophonfc success not only is it possible to hear the tapping but it i> po-sible to locate the direction of the source of the sound. Unfortunately, practical de velopment >s not completed. Sufficient tech nical development has been made to prove the theory is true and possibility of practical -access. Lamination Factors Sounding* with the gcophone arc across the laminations when listening is on the sur face and along the laminations when listen ing is on the coal scam. Sounding of coal in line with the partings is entirely different in tones and velocity than sounding at right angles; such as sounding roof coal. The differences may be shown upon sounding a prop or bar crosswise and length wise. Ve Wrong Analyses Factor It is my Ann opinion that falls accidents usually occur from a wrong analyses of the true conditions, the majority of these wrong analyses resulting from improper, inade quate and non-understanding of sounding. In apparently solid sounding drawslate. ior istance, the sound is nearly always a thud sound approaching a solid tone. Even though no cavity exists there is sufficient absorption oi the sound waves in the drawslatc parting to dampen tone resulting in a thud sound. Insufficient comparison with truly' solid sounding is done to develop cor rect knowledge of the thud sound, the most treacherous rock and coal sound in coal min ing. Sounding Tools The found from impact oi two bodies may be front the vibration of both. In strik ing an anvil with a steel hammer the sound waves from both the anvil and hammer will l>c heard. To using a lead hammer only the sound waves from the anvil can probably be heard without \erv close attention. hi sounding of rock and coal the minimum oi vibration from the sounding tool i- ric-ired. A baseball bat. a billiard cue and a copper rod arc good in this respect. They would, however, be special equipment for the miner. He usually has a steel bar. a shovel, a pick and a 3- to 4-lb. hammer. The choice of these is the bar or the hammer. General use of a hammer for mounding throughout the length and breadth of coal mining plus proper vocational instruction upon the principles of structures, sound and testing would materially lessen falls acci dents. Instruction at the mines and in study courses by laboratory' means of sound varia tions and their causes would be of additional value. There is possibility of improved sounding toot or sounding instrument development of sufficient simplicity and greater accuracy Mining Section 505 than our present means in the measurement of a loose rock. Its greatest value would be its possible use by all who sound the rock and coal. 1 f not sufficiently practical for general use it would be of value in better development of sound sense. Other Than Sounding Inspection J effort towards determination oi the condition of roof, the miner in his analysis u.-es other means >n addition to sounding. When sufficiently loose and not too big a physical vibration may be felt with the oilier hand w hen sounding. When a vibration i fell the re is no question as to the very loose condm-n : the roof rock. Rock or coal. I'-Ktt.viy l'(>al, on the rib or face can with c*n*!d- 'fMv certainly lie tested in this man ner H -ueb vertical position it can lc very \*t remain in |K>snion because of virti-rd -upport. there living m other hotdimr -u- >rt H'i'i-- ivr root weight is diown h> the *tu-: i-v of pillars and timbers. Prior and hir.r.i: -vh cru-hing i> the usual chipping nw-i .md breaking off of face and pillar p.irtivk-. A -oft liottom will heave Evi dence j- nr-t -hown in the weakest structure. The presence of vertical roof break- may upon rlo-c -carch be found. Sounding will not give evidence of these vertical breaks. Search tor dtp* is also important. The fresh chipiK-d surface edge from weight of a very big rock is evidence of a bad hazard that cannot, because of the rocks burner, he found by -ouiuhus. Occasionally >uch chipped edge can K followed from fre*h dial** chips that have (alien to the floor. In occasional locations the conditions arc peculiar in that a moisture line appears along the line that soon will break. Instruction with respect to safety and cfficicnev in mines is given in alt mining efforts exccjrt funding. These include gas, ventila tion. haulage, drainage, timbering and many other- Sounding is accepted as so simple in procedure and understanding as to require no study or in>truction; simply advice and instruction that the root be sounded. Need of Improved Technique Proper technique i> understood by very few* and much good can be accomplished from proper standardized instruction given as in gas, ventilation, electricity and first aid. The usual falls fatalities arc one by one and do not arouse public condemnation as explosions from which hazard fatalities per accident occasionally approach 100 and even go beyond that figure. In the bituminousmines of the United States during the 33 years of mine operation ending January 1. 1939, there were 27,080 fatalities from fall?oi roof .and face and 8,048 from local and major explosions; 77 per cent from falls and 23 per cent from explosions. My contention is not that too much interest is given the explosion hazard but it certainly is that the falls hazard problem has nor been given it* proportionate attention and study*. Safety Culture There has not been bred into us in the three centuries of coal mining a safety cul ture to balance the tails hazard. The Amer ican Indian was adept at looking and listen ing to see and hear with amazing sensitivity the possibility of food or enemies. His ability to sense footprints in the (eaves, hear tin rustic oi a branch and to walk silently im pressed us in our school histories. Umpu-tionably there was iraimn.a irum babyhood through the play of l*oyhm>d and an important part in the discussion at family and com munity gatherings. All individuals lived in their industry' from birth to the end, succvnof each largely depending upon development oi his senses arid correct interpretation. Jt ts difficult to conceive of an industry in which the family life* is >> divorced from the industrial physical activity as coal mining. There are no toys or play in copy of the father's work. There are toy soldiers, guns, wheelbarrows, wagons, tractor*, building blocks, too! chois. airplanes, chemistry setand what-nol, but certainly no roof 'mind ing. The boy approaching maturity upon get ting his first job in the mine enter* into a new- environment. The type o industry com pels absence of sense development in tho-v most important impressionable years. To listen or to look and not understand that which i> heard or >ecn i> similar to at tendance at a tiaschall game without know l edge of tltc game. Sufficient interest m at tention and questioning util soon result in knowledge of the game. The technique of baseball is well established in the majority of those who attend. A similar efficiency of technique with rcNpect to the hazard?- of falls in mining is essential for safer work manship and safer management. The trend of thought is that our practical knowledge is in direct proportion to our number ox years of work in the mines. Thi- 506 29th National Safety Congress Age at Time of Accident and Number of Fatalities in Illinois Coal Minea from Falla of Rock and Falla of Coal Fiscal Year 1924 and Calendar Years 1925, 1926,1927 and 1928 Annual Coal Reports--Illinois AK(. 17 IN 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 2H 29 Ml 3} 32 33 34 Fatalities Rock 2 1 2 4 1 3 2 3 1 4 4 4 4 2 2 5 4 50 Coal 2 1 l 4 1 2 S 3 2 2 3 4 1 3 1 5 40 Age 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 4S 44 45 46 47 4$ 49 50 51 52 Rock 4 3 3 4 11 9 2 5 8 S 5 9 2 1 4 14 7 9 108 Coal 3 4 4 1 > 4 l 3 6 2 6 2 2 5 3 4 l 53 Age 35 54 55 56 57 i8 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 74 Rock 2 6 8 6 3 5 3 3 ) 0 1 I 51 Coal 1 2 4 7 4 7 3 I 2 1 1 7 28 Fatalities from Rock Falls for 5 years..................................................................................................209 Fatalities from Coal Falls for 5 years.................................................................................................. 121 Age not given............................................................................................................................................... 1 TOTAL 331 Average age of 209 men killed by rock falls was............................................................43.53 years Average age of 121 men killed by coal tails was..............................................................41.22 years Average age of 330 men killed by falls was....................... 42.<# years Rock falls arc roof and brow falls. Coal falls arc face, rib and roof falls. is equally as applicable to mine workers as 10 any other class of folks. Many* of us ab sorb the maximum of all we know* on safe workmanship withm the first year's experi ence on a job. Those of us approaching half a century of work in the mines without a Serious Injury naturally think it is due to our knowledge from the many years of prac tical experience. From my Study of this particular experience factor I am convinced tlm this years-of-expericnce factor per indi vidual is of less importance than his ability factor. It is true there are many of ns who have experienced many years in the mines without serious injury. The reason is pos sibly our safety ability and perhaps the good break* that have been ours. Statistics tend to show that the number of years of ex perience is of little, if any, value with in juries from rode and cool falls at the working faces. Falls-Age; Fatality Data The most recent Illinois mine data avail able upon ages is from the annual coal re ports from 1924 to 1928 inclusive. Fortu nately for statistical data that five years is a fair representation of normal employment conditions. Sons of miners were normally employed and labor turnover as to ages sim ilar to previous years; somewhat different to present abnormal conditions with respect to age per individual. We now hancr on <-> Mining Section 507 our jobs more tenaciously irrespective of hov\ old we are. Youth at present has not been employed in our mines as in the past and split time is a factor that upsets statis tical data. A better study could be made if wc knew the age of each employee during tiiat five year period. The data given, how ever, is such that conclusions of unquestion able character can be deduced. From those five annual coal reports the following table is made. It is a tabulation of all the fatalities from rock and coal falls occurring in the coal mines of the state in those five years showing the number of rock fall and the number of coal fall accidents per age of injured at time of accident. In the first 18-year column, from l? to 35 years of age, there were 90 fatalities. Some of these were haulage men, the cause of accident being runaway or derailment; In the second 18-year column, from 35 to S3 years of age, there were 162 fatalities. fn the third column, from 53 to 74 years of age, there were 79 fatalities for the same number of years. These columns speak ior themselves in that length of experience apparently is i--t a factor in the reduction of falls accidents. The average age of 330 men who lost their lives by falls during those five years is 42.7 years. Unquestionably they had an average of over 20 years of experience in the mine?. From the foregoing it is evident that we as individual mine workers do not. irres pective of how many years we have worked in the mines, leant dangerous rock suf ficiently well to affect the records or else wc develop indifference to the danger at about the same rate that we grow in knowledge of the hazard. Systematic Timbering There are occasional mines that have made remarkable progress in the lessening of all accidents, including falls accidents. The basis of their success is they don't trust the roof to be good, assume it is all bad and timber It, good or bad. Systematic tim bering is adopted designed to safeguard the worst conditions. Safety posts arc set t proximity to the working face usually ahead of the car 2nd certain prescribed distances only are permitted (o exist between timber, rib or face supports. This is the most ef ficient and safest plan so far tried. Its suc cess has been proven and demonstrated by many companies. With this system there is a definite and interlocking supervision to ascertain first that material is at hand; if not, the working place is not worked. Second, that timbering is completed as per the system adopted and third, that the worker has his safety post or posts properly set or cleaning to set them. In addition is the assumption the worker and the supervisor know the technique <f sounding tooi, ribs and face. This is an es sential part in the safety program of sy>tematic timbering. Need of Scientific Study Irrespective, however, of how well timber ing is done the need to correctly test roof and sides remains. We have not approached our best endeavor with the safety mean* wc have at hand. We have not given pro portionate scientific attention tills fatality rate suggests when compared with the ex plosion hazard. Wc certainly have not at tempted application of recent sound and vibratory applications to our problem that have been scientifically successful in other industries in improved efficiency and safety. There is unquestionably room for much im provement in our present technique and probably scientific application of roof inspec tion that can substantially improve over our present method of estimating the looseness or solidness of a rock. Ventilation and Dust Control in Ontario Mines The dosing feature of this first session was the showing of a large number of mo tion pictures illustrating "Ventilation and Dust Control at Ontario Mines," by C. Gib son, Ventilation Engineer, Ontario Mining Association, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The pictures covered many phases of both acci dent prevention and health procedures. 508 29th A ational Safety CoiH/rcjj TUESDAY AFTERNOON' SESSION - OcloberS. 1940 The Necessity of Active Participation of Management in Safety Work By H. C. HENRIK General Superintendent, Copper Queen Branch, Mines Division., Phelps Dodge Corporation, Biftbee. Aria. Fhelp* Dodge Corporation may be con sidered one of the pioneers in industrial >aiety work. In 1913 when sateiv work was inaugurated at one of its mining properties industrial accident prevention work was in its infancy and it was difficult to convince either employer or employee that accidents could be prevented. During the early years of oar safety ef fort;1 the system of administering the work consisted of appointing a safety inspector whose dunes ucrc to <ee that no accident occurred in the mint or in the plant. Later a separate safety department was created and a -afety engineer was placed in cliargr o all acridtnt prevention work. In these early year* <everal system* of administering the wo-k and many methods designed to -limubne interest and promote safety educa tion werv- trwd "with varying degrees of *ucvc>* Progrc** made. howcveT. was noi -an-faciorv duu to the tendency of the *u- f*crvj*<ir> to rrrard accident prevention .<*rk a- tfK" msmeer** job in-lead of . yh for tl.t un* </rcn>rai>on. i *unnv :1k w*; iv,4 tlwsr ere .'.AJO .* vultiu* at :it u:i.k>` toal and metal min- y jcujk-Ik-- tiK- urr}K<raitii whh a -u.tmg i*efoei. ratt **f Ml accident- ;*f* *Dm*:id min. *in*i* worked, or at the iii' o?n irr cut) 7_200 man :s* v.o-kfd h. !h< hum iKYcednu' year* 1.. .ni.iln.' Vri|uriu\v ran iWvrcad *tead- iSt l. ac ckrit> i*oumng m the tear I4*.'.' a irv^uvnvy rate oi 0.9J9 acci- Uni* ji-r 'lHuand man worked. Tlu* rcj*r* *ciit J a Uviva*< { 9fi.5 j<r cent from the 192-4 rxj*erjmcc However, during the latter year minim: j*eraiion* were conducted ifli a greatly reduced !<x*i*. and the person nel con-i-ted largely of 1t*ng--<v\Scc em ployee*. *o the prinrsfa! \alur <f iljc fore* going figure ty in indicate wbai can l*e accompli sited wiilt an experienced. safetyconscious organization. Since 1933 the expansion of operation* ha* resulted in the employment of a large num ber of men. many of whom had no previous experience in mining. This condition neces sitated a mere intensive training and educa tional program. During 1939 at all metal and coal mining branches* of the corporation. 105 accident* occurred with a resultant frequency rate of 0.05 accidents per thousand shifts, or at the rate ot one accident for every 160.000 man hours worked, a decrease of 95.5 per cent below the 1924 rate. The accident severity rate during the same year was 2.21 jkt cent. Plan of Organization T!ie present system ot administering >aicty work, which was adopted in 1925. wa* de signed to correct certain weaknesses in our former procedure. As our experience had very definitely indicated that the respun*:btlity for effective accident prevention work re.*ted primarily in the executive officer* and management of the company*. it wa* tele that if this group would devote a reasonable amount of time to safety work, the accident record of the corporation could be improved. Tn accomph*h th*> objective a committee, known a* the Corporation Safety Committer, wa* established. *n>i* committee. of the mcc- prc*ii<hrtu of the corporation. the gttx--al manager. and (lie managers of the vaxvoo* *ubsidtarv comjiaDje:-, i responsible for the administration of tin- accident preventx/n program. Meeting* arc held approximate!* every four months, and are arranged -o that the committee vi*it* each of the different 1'ranches or subsidiary companies in rota tion. At these meetings the accident record of the various branches is reviewed, the ac* Mining Section 509 cident record of tlie corporation analyzed, and methods for improving practice and new innovations studied. During these visits a meeting is held with the branch safety or ganization, and inspection of local operations is made. This committee has been successful in de veloping a definite and uniform safety* pol icy. Methods and practices at the various branches have been standardized to a very large degree. The active participation of the management group has been in a large measure responsible for the excellent prog rcss made in reducing the accident rate ot the Corporation and in creating what w*e be lieve to be a safety-conscious organization. At each branch or subsidiary company there was established what is known as the General Safety Committee. This committee, consisting of the manager, who acts as chairman, and the superintendents and de partment heads, is responsible (or the proper administration of accident prevention work at the branch. Through this committee, mat ters of policy*, methods, and procedure de veloped by the corporation committee are carried directly to the departmental oper ating heads. Meetings with the manager pre siding are held at least once a month at which time the branch accident record is reviewed, accidents analyzed and classified, methods for improvement discussed, and *pccific hazards and existing practices stud ied. Recommendations submitted by the de partmental safety committees, many ot which involve the expenditure of money, are iliscu<ed and passed upon. In each major department of the branch. *uch as the mine, mill, smelting and mechan ical departments, there were established de partmental safety* committees which consist of the superintendent, who acts as chairman, and the supervisory staff of the department. Karh departmental committee is responsible tor tbr accident prevention work in its deparfuat TW departmental safely committees arc the ke> committees- of accident prevention ork aod are the mediums through which .< - axvie a routine part of the operating dune* of the supervisory staff. These comn-.nrr* meet as least once a month, at which tw all amdent* occurring in the departMKtxt are analyzed and classified, and methods drtefioped to prevent repetitions of similar accident* Methods for improving existing practice and elimination ot possible hazards are studied. In each operating unit of the department, such as a shop or mine division, a work men's safety committee carries the accident prevention program directly to the day's pay employees, thus securing their interest and cooperation. This committee consists of tlic foreman, as chairman, bosses, and workmen representing the day's pay employees of the unit. It investigates, analyzes, and classifies ` accidents occurring within its department. The workmen's committees have been a prolific source of suggestions and recom mendations relating to the improvement of practice and the elimination of accident haz ards. Ccenmitteemen representing the work men serve for a three-month period, and through a system of rotation an ever-in creasing number of workmen arc brought into direct contact with the safety program, which is an important educational measure. The plant safety engineer acts as secretary for all plant safety* meetings, compiles acci dent reports and statistic*, and, in conjunc tion with the departmental safety commit tees, investigates all accidents. In general, the Safety Department has full charge of first-aid and mine-rescue training and acts as a service department for the entire plant. We are convinced that the committee sys tem of administering accident prevention work is basically sound, and, when property directed, results in making safety work an essential part of the operating duties of the supervisory staff. It also results in securing the cooperation of officials, managers, super intendents, foremen, bosses, and workmen in the safety program Methods of Procedure We have found that complete and accu rate information covering the accident ex perience of the various plants and opera tions is fundamental to effective procedure. A detailed written report- is required on every accident, irrespective of how slight the resulting injury* may have been. Employees failing to report an' accident promptly to their boss arc subject to discharge. To obtain this information the safety inspector investigates every accident, and he may call on members of the safety commit tee of the department concerned tor assis tance and on any other persons having knowledge pertaining to the accident. After 510 29th National Safety Congress viewing the scene of the accident and secur ing all available information pertaining to it, the investigating committee classifies the accident as to cause, and places the respon sibility on (he proper parties. A full report on the accident is then written by the Safety Inspector. ing the work; after which the workmen were instructed to follow this method. The required use of protective clothing has resulted in marked decreases in certain types of injuries. In 1925 it was ascertained that eye, foot, and head injuries were the contributing causes of 28 per cent of the All accidents are thoroughly discussed and disabling accidents during the year. To cor analyzed by the departmental safety* commit rect this condition, the use of goggles was tee in order to ascertain just how the acci made compulsory on certain jobs; safety dent occurred, the circumstances contributing hats are compulsory for all underground to it. and the parties responsible. By analy cmloyees; and safety shoes for both under sis of an accident we mean a study of the ground and surface work. During recent particular work being performed, a survey years these types of injuries have been prac of the equipment used, the method of pre tically eliminated. The wearing of woolen paring for the work, the personnel involved, underclothing by certain groups of employees and all the contributing causes which it is engaged in smelting operations was insisted possible to obtain. The findings and recom upon as protection from splashes of molten mendations of the departmental safety com metal, sparks, and hot calcined material. mittees are reviewed by the General Safety After several employees were saved from a Committee of the company. serious or fatal injury due to these articles The information secured through this sys tem of analysis invariably indicates the rem edy by which a similar type of accident may be avoided. This remedy may be additional mechanical safeguarding tbe elimination of unsafe tools or equipment, or in other direc tions that constitute an engineering problem. Again it may indicate unsafe practice, the need of more complete instruction as to safe methods of doing the work, closer super vision. laxity in enforcement of safety rules, nr the need of disciplinary action. After reaching a certain point in the re duction of accidents, further progress is largely dependent upon the ability of the of protective apparel, little difficulty was ex perienced in enforcing their use. Accidents due to -bums decreased from 69 in 1925 to' 5 in 1939. In 1925 in metal mining operations there were 222 accidents resulting from falls of ground. During 1939 there were 18 such accidents. This decrease was accomplished largely by the use of duraluminum bars, which, being about one-tlurd the weight of steel, permitted the use of longer bars and lessened the fatigue of the operation; bet ter illumination, including electric lights In stopes, which permitted more thorough in spection of the backs; the use of sufficient timber; Teaching men where lo stand and safety organization to recognize unsafe prac how to bar down safely; and insistence by tices and to correct them before an accident bosses that working places be thoroughly occurs. The analysis of no lost time acci barred down. dents presents a fertile field in which to 1mcover unsafe practices. The difference be tween a no-lost-time and a fatal accident Is often very slight. In operations connected with underground haulage, 146 accidents occurred in 1925 and 4 in 1939. Tn this operation, improvements in the design of ventilation doors will un In analyzing accidents, we have observed doubtedly prevent many serious and fatal numerous cases where an employee, through accidents. lack of knowledge or instruction, was doing his work in the wrong manner. As a conse quence, it was necessary to make job studies of the more common operations where it seemed that practice could be improved. Committees composed of superintendent, foreman, and bosses studied the movements connected with a certain job or operation and agreed on what they considered to be the most efficient and safest method of perform Considerable attention and effort has been devoted to the problem of safety education. Of the many methods tried, the most effec tive results have been obtained through di rect contact between the safety inspector or boss and small groups or individuals. The employment of relatively large numbers of inexperienced men, which often takes place in a short period of time, necessitates additional efforts. Mining Section 511 Talks to new men are given by the safety inspector. As many of these man are en tirely inexperienced, a great deal of patience and explanation are necessary, and many ele mentary details must be covered, such as how to light and handle a carbide or elec tric cap lamp. At lunch time talks on safe practice and safety rules are given to rela tively small groups. Employees are also ex amined as to their knowledge of the safety rules, and in certain occupations, such as motorman, on their proficiency and knowl edge of their duties. Discipline is a necessary adjunct to safety work. Regardless of whether the employee is a foreman, boss or workman, if, after in struction, he fails to show proper interest or cooperation, it is necessary to take disci plinary action. Maintaining Interest Safely competitions whereby the various subsidiary companies compete for safety trophies have been powerful factors in maintaining interest. Six different branches or subsidiary companies compete for safety trophies which are awarded to the branch having the best frequency record and the best severity record. Under the standard method of compiling accident statistics, a lost-time accident is defined as an accident where the employee docs not return to his job the shift immediately following the ac cident. No safety bonuses are paid either to supervisory staff or workmen. The safety program of the corporation contains nothing new in practice or methods. We have not resorted to safety rallies, the emotional or revival-meeting type of appeal, in an effort to stimulate interest, and acci dent prevention work is handled in the same routine manner as are other operating prob lems. Wc fed that the present plan of safety organization has been largely responsible for the reduction in our accident rate during the past sixteen years, since this system of ad ministering the work; by bringing the entire organization into direct contact with thv accident prevention program, has resulted in creating a safety-conscious organization. What Should an Anthracite Mine Safety Inspector Look For? By C. A. PETERSON Safety Inspector, The Hudson Coal Company, Scranton, Pa. "You only see what you look for" is a time worn adage. Tbe hazards encountered in mining are so numerous and varied that unless they arc systematically tabulated and frequently reviewed by safety inspectors and foremen many of them will slip into the background of our consciousness until they are suddenly and sadly brought to our at tention by a fatal or serious injury. A case with which I am personally fa miliar is that of my own employer. We have experienced the benefits of keeping con stantly before safety inspectors and fore men what to look for in the line of injury hazards. We have done it by various means: First: by providing a printed list of 210 more common hazards to be read over as a reminder by inspectors and foremen from time to time. Second: by issuing a monthly letter briefly describing each fata] or serious in jury which occurred on our property dur ing the preceding month. Third: by bulletins based on our current injury experience, issued at frequent inter vals by our Safety Key Men's Organization, which is composed of officials -who have achieved outstanding safety records. These bulletins are required to be read and ex plained by each of our sectional foremen to the employees under his jurisdiction. In discussing what a safety inspector should look for I think it may be well to classify the subject matter into a few main headings: 1. Physical Hazards; 2. Unsafe Practices; 3. Mental Attitudes and Habits Inimical to Safety; 4. Methods of Super visors and Inspectors which are Inimical to Safety. You will note that I do not limit seeing to mean what is seen by the eye, but include also the mental and institutional searching which we most employ if we expect to ef fectively understand and influence others. Correction of uhvsteal hazards i* nf 512 29th National Safety Congress fundamental to any safety program, but that alone is not enough. Physical hazards and unsafe practices are merely the visible results of wrong mental attitudes and habits, and of wrong supervisory and train ing methods. In order to prevent a recur rence of physical hazards we must, there fore, look for and correct (lie faulty super visory and training procedures. The detection of physical hazards and unsafe practices represents the urgent and inescapable short-term problem of the safety inspector. The long-term problem is that of discovering and correcting unsafe mental attitudes and unsaic habits. inevitably to the same conclusion. Safety inspections furnish evidence of a general tendency to neglect thorough and systematic examination of roof, and even more uni versal neglect of ribs and face, ft is there fore evident that the most profitable place to expend accident prevention effort is in the prevention of roof falls. Roof fall hazards in the northern anthra cite field are extremely varied, There are the usual hazards from slips and saddles, from overhangs, from a thin weak stratum directly over the vein of coal, and irom neglect of props and timbering. They* artcommon to bot!i chamber and pillar mining. Disaster Hazards With regard to physical hazards, X be* licve that the safety inspector should give special attention to hazards of potential disaster magnitude, Lc., hazards which may cause the toss of several lives at one time. Fortunately, disasters have been on the de crease but therein lies their greatest danger in tliat we may be lulled into a false sense of security regarding them. Hazards of this type arc large unsup ported open areas in pillar mining which might cause sudden extensive squeezes or fall-, neglected timber replacements in crushed ground, accumulations of methane clue to geological structure, faulty mining methods or ncglcci of ventilation, bodies of water standing at elevations higher than the active workings, travel of groups of men on slopes or planes, improper handling of explosives, mine fire hazards, and inade quate second openings. Falls of Roof Much of the mining now being done con sists of skipping pillars in crushed or caved ground. As a pillar is skipped a very defi nite danger zone is created along the original rib line of the pillar because there the roof has been weakened by exposure to air and moisture and by fracture. In such min ing almost all roof fall accident* occur along the original rih line of the pillar and the safety inspector should therefore note it this zone receives special support and spe cial attention when testing roof. High veins, i.e., 9 it. to 16 it. and more, also have an extremely serious roof hazard on account of the height which make? in spection. trimming and limbering and prop ping more difficult. The number of root fall injuries in high working places t- entirely out of proportion to the tonnage obtained from them. The safety inspector should ob serve if the necessary effort is made to in spect, trim and secure the root, and if necessary facilities in the way of planks and horses arc provided. lu looking for hazards of less than disas ter magnitude the safety inspector can well i>e guided by the statistics of mine accident experience. Roof falls cause, roughly, onehalf of all fatalities. It would be well if the inspector devoted something more than.half ut* his time and effort to roof hazards for there is no type of accident which is more often inexcusable or which can more readily be prevented. A number of sectional fore men have supervised mining over long j-enods c-f lime in actions where the root \a> vcr> bad and yet have had few roof fall accidents This proves that such acci dent- can be largely eliminated. Investigation* of roof tall injuries lead Change in roof conditions a> a working place advances is an important factor in many of our roof fall injuries. The safety inspector should note if, when conditions change, the miner changes his timbering and mining practice to meet the changed conditions. Strata Between Veins in some cases in the northern anthracite field we have as many as fifteen different veins of coal being worked at one time at a single colliery. Safety requires that the pillar robbing face in any given veins be kept a sufficient distance in advance of the robbing face in the underlying vein. The Mining Section 513 safety inspector must familiarize himself with the nature and thickness of the rock strata separating the veins of coal in order to correctly evaluate the roof conditions found at the working faces. Mining on a heavy pitch is frequently as sociated with injuries from fails of roof and coal, as well as injuries from falls of per* son. In such places we must make sure that roof, ribs and face are thoroughly trimmed; that props are stood dose to the face and in such a manner as not to be dislodged by falling material; that sufficient loose coal is kept dose enough to the face to permit the miner to have a secure footing and be in a safe position when trimming down loose raaierial, and also when doing his other work; that manway steps are of sufficient strength and not too far apart; that top of manway is protected from falling material ; that proper safeguards are used to prevent men from falling into chutes; and on ex treme pitches that two manways are pro vided. one on cither side of the place. Transportation Tran*i>orttmon continues to maintain its place a* the second most serious source of injuries. Defective rolling stock, defective trck>, poor clearance, and neglect of sen sible and well known safety rules arc the common hazards we must look for and cor rect in order to effect a reduction in this type of accident. Mechanical loading has largely* eliminated the hazards from the handling of cars on heavy grades in chambers but the spotting of cars at convey'01' discharge points on the gangway has taken its place as a prolific cause of transportation accidents. Fortun ately*, the spotting of cars on the compar atively gentle grades generally found on gangways does not require much skill or agility, regardless of whether the cars arc spotted manually with the aid of snubs or mechanically bv means of a car spotter (hoist). The hazards which cause such accidents arc--inadequate clearance and dirty' track at car loading point, insufficient blocking of loaded and empty cars; use of improvised snubs which needlessly expose fingers to the danger of being pinched; starting to load car too close to the end and thus causing it to tip while being loaded; and hazards associated with car spotter hoists, such as worn rope, unsafe mechanical conditions, and operating switch in wrong location (docs not permit operator to remain a safe dis tance away from moving cars when using switch.) In the occasional cases where heavy grades are found on the gangway at the conveyor's discharge point, it is necessary to make sure that the man spotting cars is capable of doing the work safely or chat a mechanical car spotter is provided which will permit the work to be done safely. Methane Ignition of methane has been largely elim inated as an accident cause by the use of electric cap lamps. However, the feeling of safety inspired by electric cap lamps may in some cases lead to neglect of brattice, flame safety lamps, doors, and ventilation gen erally. The safety inspector must be on the lookout for evidence of such neglect. Blasting Blasting has been made safer by the wide spread use of electric detonators and ig niters. Nevertheless, ignorance and careless ness continue to cause injuries even when electric blasting is used. The more important things to look for arc--condition of blasting battery, especially the last date on which it was tested by the mine electrician; condition of firing line footing whether joints are tightly twisted and staggered, also noting presence of short pieces of wire which should be discarded); location of firing sta tion, whether blasting battery is kept under lock and key at all times except when ac tually in use, and whether ends of firing line arc kept twisted together to short cir cuit them. When there is no opportunity to observe a miner's blasting practices he should be questioned about them, the inquiries being directed toward determining his method of stretching firing line, whether signal lines are removed from face and all electric power is cut off before beginning to charge holes, method of handling misfires, and method of giving warning to others. The latter is especially important with regard to working places approaching each other or about to tap through into an opening. Unsafe Practices Unsafe practices are naturally much more difficult for a safety inspector to discover than are physical hazards, yet they arc the 514 29th National Safety Congress cause of so many injuries that they merit particular attention. Unsafe practices are connected with every step in the mining process--blasting, loading, timbering, trans portation, etc., and they are so numerous that it is not feasible to attempt any land of enumeration of them here. One general rule the safety inspector may adopt for detection of unsafe practices--and that is. to closely observe every act of each man with whom lie comes in contact, par ticularly noting what a man is doing at the moment u-hen the inspector first sees him. Although many unsafe practices are diffi cult to detect, there is one that is almost impossible tor the safety inspector to Over look. and that is, failure of an employee to wear suitable protective clothing. It is an easy matter to note whether skullguards, goggles. respirators, gloves, knee pads (in There are a couple of miscellaneous items that also should be mentioned. On travelingways the safety inspector should look for slippery or icy places, obstacles over which a man might trip or which he might bump into, and roof and timber hazards. In working places approaching bodies of water, the safety inspector should note whether the State Mine Law with regard to width of place and boreholes drilled in advance and on the flanks is being complied with. The safety inspector should also look for physical hazards which reflect oversight or neglect on the part of the sectional fore man, such as crosscuts not started at speci fied legal distance, and roof and rib con ditions at other places than the immediate working face. low places) and hard toe shoes are being uom. Ir is important too to note their con Mental Attitudes dition. We frequently hear of injuries pre Employees may he classified according to vented by wearing hard hats, but it should their mental attitude toward safety, as fol al.-o be remembered that there have been lows : cases ol injury due to wearing broken hats which failed to give protection. Mechanical Mining 1. Unaware of the real magnitude and seriousness of the hazards of their work. 2. Hostile to safety suggestions from The increase in mechanical mining in re others. cent years has brought with it many new 3. Tolerant safety rules and admitting problems in safety. Although, in general, mechanical mining has inherent possibilities their merit, but not willing to change old habits. of greater safety than the methods which it superseded, such increased safety will not come about without a great deal of vigilance 4. Willing but not able. After years of exposure to the safety message, that is the condition of many a workman on the part of those charged with the safety ojieratians. today. These men offer the greatest opportunity I6r immediate improve Some* of the most important hazards which the safety inspector must look for in mechanical mining are--Insufficient clearance ment in our safety record. They arc willing to work safely but doc able because habits are Hard to change. around machine installations, inadequate Sporadic hell-raising bas its useful func guarding of moving parts, defective or in tion in safety work as well as elsewhere, adequate signaling apparatus, pulleys and but it is a poor way of aiding a man to jacks not securely anchored, apparatus not build up a safe habit. That can be done only maintained iu safe mechanical condition, by friendly but firm and frequent admoni worn ropes on undercutters and other equip tion at the right moment. ment. failure to place guard on undercutter chain when not in motion, delay in standing props or timber in order to facilitate loading with certain types of apparatus, improper fu-ting, insulation, grounding and splicing on electrical installations, and the handling of heavy or cumbersome parts iu an unsafe manner when installing or removing equip ment. Tiie safety inspector should to* 10 dis cover which of the four mental attitudes an employee has, because from that we can determine how to handle him. If it is No. 1--Unaware of Hazards--he requires teach ing. If it is No. 2--Hostile to Safety'--he requires teaching and a firm hand; perhaps punitive discipline followed by friendly teaching if he seems to respond to the safety' Mining Section 515 idea--by discharge, if he does not if it is No. 3--he needs teaching and perhaps ex emplary discipline. If it is No. 4--he may need some discipline, but more than likely he needs a talk od habit formation followed by frequent check-ups and reminders before discipline is resorted to. The safety inspector cannot of coarse in terview every workman he meets to deter mine his mental attitude toward safety. He should, however, keep Ids eyes open to dis cover employees who seem to need attention along the lines I have just mentioned, that may be perhaps as few as one or two a day. The object of such effort is not so much the direct good it may accomplish as it is to focus the sectional foreman's at tention upon such matters. New Employees Now how shall the safety inspector dis cover what employees need special attention? He should look especially for young men and new employees. New employees are generally conspicuous by their lack of fa miliarity with the company's safety rules and practices. A little judicious question ing as to previous place of employment and safety practices followed there will gener ally reveal his mental attitude toward safety. Young workers should have special atten tion. The safety* inspector should look for ways of showing the young worker that he has a genuine interest in his safety. This can be done by discussing with him in a friendly way recent injuries to young work ers or some particular hazard which he must guard against in his present occupa tion. Not many years ago one of the great obstacles to material safety improvement was the type of foreman who felt that both duty and responsibility were fully dis charged if he could say when an employee was injured, **I told him not to do that but he wait ahead and did it anyhow.*1 For tunately, years of safety education and re fusal fay management to accept such excuses has largely eliminated or reformed this type of foreman. The fault most frequently found in sectional foremen today is best described by the expression--"willing but not able.** Not able because he is in the clutches of old unsystematic habits, and either the pressure of hts daily work or plain inertia prevents him from getting rid of them. The Sectional Foreman In general, die individual sectional fore man today has a better safety record than In the past, but there is stall a wide dis crepancy between the safety records of the best and the poorest, and this discrepancy may be attributed largely to three wrong habits of supervision which can readily be discovered by the safety inspector. (1) Distraction by matters other than safety. Other matters are, of course, equally as essential as safety, but it is simply good business and good psychology for a sec* tlonal foreman to devote the first part of his visit to a working place to a thorough and relentless search for injury hazards, to make his last words before leaving the place an admonitioa concerning safety and to take up other matters in the interme diate part of his visit (2) Does not place enough emphasis on safety training of his men. Safety training should be a constant process. Even such a simple device as the habit on the part of the sectional foreman of asking a miner how he expects to do the balance of Jus day's work is helpful. In answering the question the miner naturally thinks of sate ways to do his work^nd the chances of safe work being done are much better than i f the question were not asked. (3) Compromising on discipline. This is the most serious wrong habit of all. When mere}* or the desire for production, as the case may be, seasons justice, the stew often becomes all seasoning and no justice. Correction of the foregoing habits is of course largely up to the sectional foreman's immediate superiors. However, if the safety inspector is observant of such faults, the sectional foreman quickly becomes aware of the fact with good effect The Safety Inspector Finally, the safety* inspector should now and then take inventory of himself; to* to discern his own faults and failures and overcome them. He should ask himself-- am I becoming merely a routine recorder and reporter of physical hazards? Do 1 study the men 1 meet and look for oppor tunities to leave a worth white safety thought with as many as possible of them? 516 29th National Safety Congress When 1 look for safe ways of doing things, do I also ask myself if my way is efficient and acceptable to the workman ? Do I study the sectional foreman and his record to determine what personal quality of h!s is preventing him from having a bet ter safety record? Do I keep my awareness of al( hazards and unsafe practices at a high pitch by frequently reviewing them? Do T try to sense whether my safety work is being accepted by the sectional foreman and his men? Do I try to acquaint the sectional foreman with all that he may ex pect ihc safety inspector to look for? Effects of Change Keeping posted on what to look for is of primary importance to any inspector, and to none more so than the mine safety inspec tor. .\H the factors which affect safety have been changing during the past few years and are continuing to change. Pre dominant physical conditions have changed from higher to lower veins, from open to more and more caved and crushed ground. Hand mining has given way to mechanical methods, and the original mechanical meth ods have been and continue to be displaced by more efficient mechanical methods. Even our human factor is changing sig nificantly as foreign born arc displaced by native bom. The man who started to work >oon a> he was big enough to carry a dinner pail is being displaced in many cases by a high school graduate, and men who were old in the industry and whose work habits have been formed before they were subjected to rigorous safety training arc being displaced by young men who hear safety prearbed to them from tlic first da>* they enter the mines. The result, is a changing picture in which new hazards and practices are arising and emphasis on otd ones is constantly changing. If safety is not ro lag behind otlrcr phases of our progress, the safety* inspector must know not only what to took for today but also what to look for in the changed situa tion of tomorrow. Finally, I would like to address a few remarks particularly (o the higher execu tive---whoever he may he--who is the safety inspector's superior officer. It is axiomatic that the workman will be found paying at tention to whatever his foreman pays at tention to. It is equally axiomatic that the foreman will be found paying attention to the things which the safety inspector pays attention to. From whom then does the safety inspector take his cue? From the general manager, vice-president, or other executive, whatever his title may be. Moral: Furnish your safety inspectors with the right cues if you want your wishes to be carried out by the work man who handles our physical product Incidentally you may wonder why a safety inspector should have the temerity to offer that last bit of advice: so I will tell you-- that is the way my boss does it and it works. What Should a Mine Safety Inspector Look for? By JOHN L. BOARDMAN ' Chairman, Bureau of Safety, Anaconda Copper Mining Co., Butte, Mont. uicty in?jtciorf frequently develop pet aivrrion.-. 1 once knew an inspector wltosc pet awr.-ion was caches of blasting caps and dynamite. The miners and bosses kept him >/i Im-v Miooping about the gobs and old tim ber in search tor powder caches that he failed to sec many of the more important hazards. Again, there might be a vast difference be tween visualizing and seeing. For example, a drift turned off at right angle from a main haulage crosscut. The track grade was quite steep. The inspector saw to it that the motorznan had orders to always keep his motor on the down grade end of his trains, and that the car loaders were instructed to block the cars securely. He saw the danger of a possible runaway, but someone had ex cavated ground and built a powder magazine in the crosscut exactly opposite the track frog of this drift. The inspector also saw that but he did not visualize the con sequences which might follow a runaway train. One day the motonnan was very Mining Section 517 busy, lie pushed the empties* up the grade and blocked them, uucoupled his motor and went elsewhere to work while the loader dropped the empties down grade one by one and filled them from the chutes. He blocked the car wheels, but a passing miner acci dentally kicked the block from in front of the wheels. The train ran away and piled up when it struck the frog. It shot across the crosscut into the powder magazine. The old powder monkey was inside opening cases of djmamite. It nearly scared him to death as he could not get out until the wreck was cleaned up. This inspector learned that his job re quires something more than merely seeing. It requires that one took ahead to visualize the whole dependent train which may follow a simple accident. He learned that. "What can happen will happen/' and this should be one of the inspector's axioms. It may take a long time, but if a dangerous condition exists time is the only factor one must wait tor. As a usual thing the safety inspector has a rule book which specifics how things should be done, but unless he understands and is able to connect things mentally in a logical order, which will enable him to go far be yond the specifications of the rule book, he may overtook important hazards. Mining is an ever changing scene. It is difficult to set up a list of things which a mine safety inspector should took lor or cc. The inspector must constitute himself an ani mated question mark, take nothing for granted and follow each item through until he knows that it is as it was intended to be. In Hoisting and Haulage we first en counter the signal system. Is it dependable? I * there an auxiliary system ? Are cont rectors i.c.. pull bobs, conveniently located and in good order ? is a standard signal code used and complied with by all? Is there a definite regulation requiring that the signal system be tested after a period of idleness and be fore it is used in hoisting or lowering men? Cages: How frequently arc ropes and cages inspected and is there a regular crew or a particular person responsible for this inspection? Are king bolts, safety dogs, cage bonnets, guide slices, rope thimbles, and clamps in good condition? Is there compli ance with the rule requiring that cage doors be closed and latched when erne or more per sons are no the cage? Are rules regarding keeping drums clutched in when handling men complied with? Are rules regarding carrying men and materials on the same deck complied with? Are cage doors closed and latched before hoist signal is given? Are men allowed to get on to the cage while smoking or carrying prohibited material such as powder? Shafts: Is the shaft regularly inspected ? Are shaft doors provided at the various levels and are station sheets near the shaft kept clean and in good condition? Is the' auxiliary' signal system available to men on the cage at all points in the shaft? Atc skip chute doors, either hand or power operated, kept in good condition to insure complete closure? Is there a proper shaft gate or bar ac each level where shaft doors are not used? Is there a safe platform and proper guard rails at skip loading stations? Is the rhaft properly lighted at stations upon which tight doors arc used? Are dump holes on stations properly guarded? Arc safety belts and ropes pro vided and used by persons who must go down into ore pockets? Are stations kept in a neat and orderly condition and provisions made for free access to the shaft, the call bell, circuit breakers and fire extinguishers? Arc proper provisions made to prevent run away cars or locomotives running into the .-haft? Uaulogc; Are the 1ocoinolcv4-> in good condition, good brakes, sandcr*. couplings, circuit breakers, and are cabs neat and orderly? Are mine cars and trucks in good repair? What is the condition of the tracks, -witches, ties, ditches, etc? Are there grades to steep as to prevent quick stopping of a (rein? Is there proper clearance between cars and motors and timber, chutes, pipe lines, electric cables, fans and rock? Is there a signal system on levels where more than one motor is used to inform motormcn that a track or section is being occupied by an other motor? Are ventilation doors provided with peep holes to permit pedestrian* seeing the approach of a motor or train from the Other side of the door, and are doors pro vided with reflector signs to apprise motor mcn whether the door is open or closed? Are doors located at points where there arc steep grades or near noisy machinery? Arc chutes properly located and provided with loading seals or benches? Are tracks tinder chutes kept clear and free of derail ing hazards? Is there a method of warning 518 29th National Safety Congress pedestrians of the approach of a train ? Are nails? And is old timber properly disposed provisions made for blocking cars on grades ? of or allowed to accumulate on stations and Mining: Are the back, breast and sides levels? Are timber hoists properly spragged of all working places tree of loose rock down and safely located ? hazards? Is timber used where conditions Arc sharp tools such as axes, saws, picks indicate that it should be used? Are timber sets properly placed with butt blocks, back blocks and lagging properly used? Are man and bars properly handled on cages? Are broken powder boxes, sawdust packing and wrapping paper promptly disposed of or al ways offset a sufficient distance from the lowed to accumulate about powder maga track? Are timber hoists so located as to zines? Are raotormen permitted to push protect the operator? Are chutes sufficiently trucks of long material ahead of the motor? braced and tight on the manway side? Are Electric Power and Compressed Hir: Arc ladders in manways safe and are landings provided at proper intervals? Are air and water lines properly supported in the man all circuit breakers, both automatic and man ually operated in workable condition and arc they readily accessible at all times? Arc way and clear of the ladder way? all electric cables, switches, motors, trans Arc manways free of loose rock, tools or timber? Are stope floors safe and free of -tumbling hazards? Is timber in slopes and rai-es and drifts kept sufficiently close to :hc face? Are there any backs being car ried so high that they cannot be safely reached with a pinch bar? Are safety stulls and bark stringers being used where re quired? Is filling kept close enough to the working floor? Are grizzlies properly placed on chutes and are guard rails placed around all openings which might constitute a falling hazard? Are ilie miners using safety belts and life lines when lining chutes? Are scraper hoists properly located and cables and blocks in safe condition? Are the tools, particularly pinch bars, adequate and in good condition? Arc the temperatures and humidity too high and are the miners taking full advantage of ventilation facilities provided? I> there a two way exit from the working place except in development work such as drifts, crosscuts and raises? Are manways large enough to permit use of a mine -tretcher? In approaching to hole into other workings are proper precautions taken to warn men working therein at blasting, or it approaching old working which might contain water or bad air, are proper pre cautions taken? formers, charging panels, etc., properly grounded? Are electric cables and wires properly insulated and supported upon in sulators? Is breaking or moving timber or ground producing an undue strain upon elec trical conductors or crushing or abrading them? Are ventilation fan motors properly located with reference to fire hazards? Are electric blasting switches kept locked and a key in the possession only of the man who makes the connection? Are electrical con ductors run through gobs or other inacces sible places and are control switches for slusher hoists and fan motors readily acces sible? Are compressed air lines and water lines properly supported and clear of motors and cars? Are air receivers properly located so that drainage from them does not consti tute a fire or slipping hazard? Are air line valves allowed to project into passageways so that they constitute a bumping hazard or might be damaged by passing traffic? Explosives: When blasting powder and caps arc delivered to the mine are they promptly disposed of? Is hoisting permitted in one compartment of the shaft while pow der is being lowered in another compartment of the same shaft? Are properly constructed special powder cars in use? Arc powder and fuse magazines properly located with reference to the shaft and haulage track, Handling Material: In caging long ma timbered sections and other hazards? And terial is it being properly lashed on the are they provided with identifying signs? cage? Is material such as timber, pipe, rails, Are electric blasting wires in good condition etc., which is stored along the drifts and and properly insulated ? crosscuts properly piled and clear of passing Fire Hazards: Are there at least two es cars and motors? Are timber crates pro cape ways from each producing level and vided and used in handling shorter timber are they properly marked by exit signs? Arc on the cages? Is salvaged timber, lagging. there any ventilation doors or brattice* p!ank. etc. properly trimmed of projecting across designated escape ways which are not provided with manholes or wl difficult to open? Are there a lions of old timber, wood chips mg. or other debris which migt tancously or which might in ar ncr constitute a fire hazard? Arc fire extinguishers of th provided and are they properly charged and regularly inspec electrical conductors and mad possible shorting due to abit from transportation, etc? Are supplies properly located wit! fire hazards? Are fire hoses provided with proper wrenchc nozzles fit? Are surface buil fire hazards? Are any buildii that a fire in them might ca enter the mine air intake and i any provisions whereby such ii dosed? There are many other thing the men who work in the mir receive the inspector's attentic observe closely the actions of encountered. If a man couple cars while they are in motioi serves a miner using undue vi mg holes or working under !o doing any one of the thousanc which miners in common wi' of us are wont to do, he shot talion of the occurrence and, d his own status, perhaps warn 1 the spot, or if he is delegate thoritv, take disciplinary mea; Although this is an made know that after the inspectoi observed all of them he wil only 10 to 20 per cent of the dent causes. We might here call attentio menial difference between ; inspector and a mine safer mine safety inspector is per by the state or by the comp ries the employees compen It is his duty to inspect th according to a definite set o When he has made his insp< his company or to the State is finished. The safety engineer cm operator, must go much fu- 520 29th National Safety Congress What a Mine Safety Inspector Should Look for in Bituminous Coal Mines By JOHN L. LINDUESY General Safety Inspector, Koppcrs Coal Company, Montgomery, W. Va. Mine safety inspectors as persons may be classed in one of two general groups. One mine inspector may expend his efforts to ward the prevention of mme disasters. T mean multiple fatalities. Another mine in spector may make his primary consideration the prevention of individual accidents. Here conditions will develop until the coal is ex tracted and the natural condition is dis closed. Hence, a* a mine safety inspector moves from one coal mine to another lie must, in a measure, recognize a new.- problem. Management and Labor the mine safety inspector must make a de cision as to what job of work his employ ment demands. In my opinion, strained relations between management and labor have been indirectly responsible for a considerable portion of Designing a safety program is frequently the lost-time and fatal accident* that have the first job of a mine safety inspector. occurred in the industry* during the past ten Hence, he should design a program in which years. he is qualified to participate to the fullest The very nature of a mine safety* inspec extent. This calls for self-analysis. Call it tor's routine work places him in a position engineering, if you will, but it is engineer to learn more about this subject than any ing that is' not affected in any way by the other individual employed by the manage lack of or the possession of a college degree. ment or by the various governmental agen A mine safety inspector can be greatly as cies. Whether employed by the company sisted in his work by the analytical reason-' or state, his is the opportunity of personal ing that is the real product of a college contact with the individuals who constitute training in engineering, bat this same faculty the two groups. can be developed by industrious and ambi tion* men who have not availed themselves of <uch training. Through tactful approach and diplomatic contact he may be able to determine the cause for the collective mental disturbance An important view m self-analysis is the lo which labor groups are subject. Such ability to make other people feel that they mental disturbances arc frequently a result have done, on their own initiative, the* job of misunderstanding of company or govern k,u want them to do. If the safety inspector mental policy. They may be caused by indi too ready to assume that a good safety vidual representatives of management Mho record i solely the result of his own effort, may have been tactless or unreasonable in he is liable to lose ihe co-operation of those their interpretation or representation of who made the record possible. company or governmental policy. One fucli The First Consideration The fir-t problem, if wc may call it that, of a mine safety inspector is to recognize what hi* individual problem is. After several lerson can upset the morale of an entire organization, and it is definitely one of the intangible items for which a mine safety inspector should look. year* of experience in accident prevention Company Policy work. I have come to the conclusion, that each mine presents a separate and somewhat different situation in the job of preventing aceidc *. Any safety program that is de- stv:d -o meet the situation at one mine canned be equally effective, in its entirety, in ?*: other mine--even though they may be ;ent properties in the same coal seam. i'V statement is based on the fact that *.o two men think and act exactly the same and tb.-t no one actually knows what natural The policy of a mining company or gov ernmental agency is always one of the ab stract problems of the safety inspector be cause his is, frequently, the job of mediator between men and foremen in those contro versies that arise when a written or un written point of company policy is capable of two interpretations. Hence, he should exhaust every available source to learn the policy* of his company or agency* in regard to the safety program. Mining Section 521 The mine safety inspector, whether em prevent a type accident will be accompanied ployed by a companyor governmental agency, by a higher degree of efficiency in that phase may not agree that the policies of the or of production. ganization are correct. He may even feel To change one of the many procedures of that application of existing policy is detri mining is an extremely difficult thing to mental to the success of the safety* pro accomplish because the change must break gram; however, such political deficiencies down some old established work habits of should never be discussed except in the men and create new habits to take their presence of his superior in authority. The place- Hence, any change in procedure to mine safety inspector should see that he does remove an existent hazard must be simple of not criticize, destructively, the policy of the design, easily understood, and definitely organization he represents. If he docs, he shown to be more efficient and easier of ac succeeds only in undermining the ground on complishment than the procedure lltat is be which be stands. ing replaced. If the new procedure does not Official Requirements The inspector should know the legal re liave these qualifications it will usually fail in its purpose of reducing the type accident the inspector or safety* engineer is trying quirement* of all state agencies that pertain to mine safety*, and be able to interpret the statutes or departmental rulings. Frequently, the legal phraseology used in writing law is confusing to the layman. But the inspector should be able to express them in language that is easily understood. The natural or physical conditions of an individual mine may affect, to a considerable extent, the meaning of a section of mining law, or its application. A thorough knowledge of the mmmg laws and their practical application to eliminate. Although disciplinary* force may be used in an effort to establish a changed procedure that lacks the qualifications mentioned, it can never be a permanent improvement because old work habits are more easily understood or more efficient or perhaps require less manual effort, and as a consequence will "wear out" the new procedure whenever disciplinary* enforcement is relaxed. Change In Procedure will better equip the inspector to look for If die same rule of procedure is per and find these exceptions. sistently violated, the rule should be closely The staff of the United States Bureau scrutinized to determine whether or not it of Mines has been gathering information is correct. Perhaps the rule of procedure from investigative, experimental and theo may lack one of the essential qualifications, retical sources for years, and it is yours if after thorough study it is found to be for the asking. At least some of these out deficient in design, too complicated to be standing recommendations will have an ap vastly understood by workmen, or too great plication in your mine or group of mines. a hinderance to efficiency*--then some change Although each mine represents an individual must be made to overcome it* ineffective problem in accident prevention, the mine ness. ** safety inspector may obtain a plcntitude of informative material from the publications of the bureau as well as sonic valuable as sistance from its personnel. For example, the following quotations arc from a safety* rule that is one of a group applied by my company: "All employees must remain in a sheltered place at least The Type Accident 100 feet away from where the shot is being The next thing a mine safety- inspector must do is to determine the cause for the ty*pc of accidents that arc occurring at one mine. At this juncture each mine has to become a separate problem. The various pro cedures of work should be given as much engineering thought and planning as the layout and projection of the mine. When an error in procedure is found to be the cause for a certain type accident, then this procedure should he corrected. In most in stances the correction of the procedure to fired"; and "not more than one shot shall be fired at a time" In ordinary hand loading into mine cars where (lie coal is shot by individual miners, compliance with the above parts of a rule was the natural procedure to follow. How ever, the advent of conveyor mining in thin seams of coal where four to six men work at one coal face, changed the effectiveness of this safety rule in one important phase. Compliance became a hindrance to efficiency in production and added a definite hazard to 522 29th National Safety Congress the process of shooting' or blasting down a cut of coal. I not more than one shot were fired at a time and six shots had to be fired to blast the cut of coal, then five men would be idle while one man crawled cm bis hands and knees a distance of 1,200 feet In addi tion to the loss of time, a man was return ing to an unknown roof condition at the face, in an atmposphere do filled with smoke and fumes, that aside from the health haz ard, he exposed himself to falls of roof and rolls of face coal on each return to the face. This procedure would necessarily be dupli cated from one to four times in a working shi ft The question of how this safety rule can be enforced without being a handicap to both men and management was finally an swered by a process of multiple shooting with the shots connected in series. The six shot* in a cut of coal are then discharged at one time by a ten-shot blasting battery. White the series connection does not elimi nate the possibility of a "misfire," tt is much less likely to occur than in a parallel con nection This change in the procedure really made the process of blasting a cut of coal safer and more efficient from a standpoint of explosives cost as well as productive ume. An incidental improvement was coarser coal ami better results from face prepara tion h- tolquantity of impurities. Enforcement -- Penalties When the program of corrupted proce dures and standardization Is established as such, that disciplinary action of the proper kind must govern those who are deficient in compliance- If the penalty of suspension or discharge is used as a medium of enforce ment it must originate from the foreman who is in direct charge of the man who has violated a rule. It must be administered fairly, and only after all doubt has been removed that the violator is solely respon sible. The penalty, to be effective as a cor rective measure, should be applied Immed iately after the sole responsibility of the violator is established. Too often, penalties ars imposed as a re sult of a safety inspector's findings. This procedure can have only one result--namely, that compliance with rules will never be good while the inspector is absent The real test of good discipline and enforcement is the answer to the question, "What does the man do when I am not looking down his shirt collar?" Items of Inspection My company has set up a general program for accident prevention. We feel that this general program has enough flexibility to meet and cope with practically all our prob lems--but, even so, we frequently find it necessary to make allowances and restric tions apply at one of the plants that may or may not apply at others. This company has been using an Inspector's Inside Rating Sheet and an Inspector's Outside Rating Sheet for the past right years. During this period these two lists of items of inspection have been changed several times to meet changing physical conditions and mining pro cedures. WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON SESSION October 9,1940 Safety Accomplishments During the Past 25 Years by an Old Timer By A. A. BAWDEN Range Safety Inspector, Piclcands, Mather St Co., Ircrawood, Mich. Mv mining experience covers about 51 years and is mostly confined to the iron mines of the Gogebic Range. This district is located in the northwestern pomer of Michigan and about the north western cor ner of Wisconsin. These mines arc now nearly all down to 3,000 ft depth. I can make the picture more vivid by going back about 25 years prior to the beginning of safety work- fUtiriif<7 Section 523 In thinking over the conduct of the men in those days and the condition of the mines it .cuts one cause to wonder how we got by with as few fatalities as we did. Guards of any description were unknown. Shaft, winze and slope openings were wide open at surface and at every underground station; ratlings or guards at these openings or on elevated places either on surface or underground or on machinery' were un dreamed of. The men generally were a hard boiled bunch. This made it mandatory that every one should establish his right to belong by talcing every haiTbratned risk he could think of. Such stunts as jumping on and off passing skips was common practice; also drilling into and digging out missed holes with steel drills or iron scrapers. In handling explosives, which in those days were much more sensitive than they are today, no arrangement was made by the employer to thaw* dynamite; this was left up to the miner: f worked many shifts with three sticks of dynamite in each Itool leg and at times with several sticks also inside ray shirt. 1 liave done and have seen others do the stunt of placing several short piece* of candle under a shovel full of dynamite sticks and squat there turning those sticks over on practically red hot metal to soften them enough to use. The man known to use any other means than his teeth to crimp caps on his fuse was ridiculed as a sissy, and no miner left the mine after blasting without groping his way back into the face to see how she tore. First aid, as we know it today, was un known. Doctors were few and far between and injured men received little sympathy from their fellows. In cases of fatalities, however, some respect was shown and all work would cease until after the funeral; generally the hat would be passed to raise funds to give the dear departed proper burial. It seems pathetic now to note how the attitude of workmen has changed on this .-core of personal iniurics. With the coming of compensation acts our men today will accept no responsibility for any of their acts. No matter how flagrantly silly may be the act that causes an injury the Company must bear all of the responsibility morally as well as legally. Our Company insured their risk about 1902 but the record is not dear that any inspections or recommendations were made by the insurance carrier. Condi tions seemed to run along about the same until 1910 when our people made a serious move to get the situation under control. In launching their program our people drew up forms for formal reporting of in juries, safety committees were appointed and these committees made detailed inspection* and reports covering only the physical con dition of these properties. Books of rules intending to outline and efjforce human behavior to some extent were published in several languages in 1911; the first issue contained 214 rules. This book was revised in 1917 and condensed to 186 rules rearranged departmentally. Many of those rules became obsolete and when the printed supply of books became exhausted we got along, for several years witlout any and finally found ourselves with no authoritative rules to be enforced. So a new rule book was issued for our Gogebic District in 1937, containing 56 rules. The drastic reduction in the number of rules was not because we bad any fewer hazards to contend with but largely because many of the earlier rules covered employer behavior which by this time was taken to be a matter of course and a routine part of the operations. The Safety Committee plan of procedure was maintained for a couple of years, then a safety supervisor of some experience was employed in the home office and he in due lime organized oar present Safety Depart ment. Tins organization for the mines of our Company consisted of one man known as the Range Safety Inspector on each Range. There were three of these inspectors, located one each, in Michigan, Wisconsin and Minncsota in starting me out our General Superin tendent said. "Well, Gus, there's a job and that's the title: what the duties of the job are you know as much about as 1 do; let's sec what you can make of it." We worked a six day week with an 8 hour day underground and s 10 hour day for surface wage earners. The salaried workers did the best they could; in my case Italf of my work was so located that I put in 14&4 hours three days a week and 10 hours a day the other three days for slightly over six years. Then came the auto mobile a?* working equipment and life wa* caricr. 524 29th National Safety Congress Our original safety committees, as well as ourselves, were pioneering in every* sense of the word. That pioneering' was made difficult because the demand for results came from the home office and was looked at by most local executives as an unneces sary frill that would be short lived. And for some time it was right down their alley air compressors. Permanent fire doors are installed at strategic points in our mines, usually set in concrete frames, and shown on our mine maps. Our man cages wher ever located are equipped with safety catches and our hoists are all equipped with auto matic control devices, preventing over speed ing or over winding. to have occasion to report an injury that might occur when men were installing guards or if in any way a guard or safety device could be shown to be involved. In checking back on our history l find that our first safety* meeting was held on March 26, 1913. At that meeting the new safety inspector introduced the subject at With the organization of the "Depart eye protection and was instructed to try to ment of Safety, Welfare and Insurance*' obtain usable goggles. The record of a meet came systematic procedure, very slowly to ing held two months later shows that wc be sure, but in time standards were set up. were experimenting with non-fogging prepa These standards covered requirements for rations. Our first goggle was a wire screen guarding machinery wherever located; in affair made in the shape of an eye cup arid stallation of Jadderways; maintenance of was of no use except possibly for du<?; a exits; procedure in storing, distributing and blow of any consequence would surely have handling of explosives; and all other items knocked the eye out because of the shape that could he thought up at the time. The of the goggle and its close fit around the standards adopted in 1918 were considered eyes. by tlic operators as very drastic, but today it is safe to say that we do not have a supervisor who would not voluntarily* go much farther than those original standards required. Our goggle program has grown remark ably since the introduction of the spectacle type goggle and we arc now on what wc call 100 per cent use of goggles both on surface and underground. We have some excep In 1913 our Gogebic District, normally tions to the mandator}* rule that every man employing about 1,100 men,' employed one muot wear his goggles throughout the >hifi. safety worker, working alone against the but In those cases the workman roust have odds of tradition and prejudice. First Aid the approval ot his foreman and the fore training was just beginning with him and man takes the responsibility. the Mine Rescue equipment consisted of Our mandatory* placing of goggles on all three Draeger one hour breathing apparatus. men during all working hours grew out of Today the personnel of this department consists of five full time workers backed by the active support of all of the official fam ily. Wc carry on regular training in First Aid and Mine Rescue work, have had 100 per cent First Aid training by the Bureau of Mines at all of our mines, have`fre quently had extra Mine Rescue training by the Bureau, and have had several sessions of advanced Mine Rescue training for mem bers of the supervisory force. One of our First Aid teams entered the International First Aid contest in Kansas City in 1929 and came away with third place Nationally and first place for our state of Michigan. Our Mine Rescue equipment has grown from three one-hour machines to twenty two-hour machines, twenty self rescuers, twenty-five all service gas masks, several sets of carbon monoxide detectors, several initiators, stench injector alarms at alt mines, and carbon monoxide alarms on all an injury* in which a mechanic lost an eye in 1937. This mechanic had been m the em ploy over 20 years, always in the mechanical department, still did not see the need for using protection on that particular job. So it was decided that the only wav to get rea sonable protection was to insist on the use of goggles on all jobs just as much of the time as it was humanly possible to wear them. A survey of the progress made by this program was based on our experience in the ten-year period prior to the enforced use of goggles. During that period our average annual cost of compensation for lost eyes was $2,314.03. Our survey was made after 2# years* intensive use of goggles and we find tliat after spending $1,834.32 per year for goggles and adding the cost of compen sation payments and specialist's services for two eye injuries, wc liavc a net cash saving of $342.11 per year plus the saving of two eyes. Mining Section 525 We had two eye injuries that required specialist's treatment; one of these was com pensable for 21 days, the other lost no time; and at this writing, after three years, wc have had no others. I feel also that it is fair to take consider ably more credit for the program than I have shown because for the ten year period compensation for lost eyes was the only item used, we did not bother to check up medical or compensation cost on eye injuries or medical cost on the lost eye cases, ol which there were eight. Our next venture in protective devices was in head protection, about 1918. In the l-ake Superior copper mutes they had used a hard hat similar to those in use in the tin mines of England. It was made of renin and fiber, ami the hats came in three --izc?oitly and were all round in shape; they re quired heating and shaping to the head be fore they coutd be worn in comfort. We obtained six of them, but never had occasion to order any more as they did nut take well with the men. This hat when cold was quite hard, that being its only protective feature; it had no inner harness, such as the present day hat, and depended for cushion only on padding if the hat size were large enough. On this matter of introducing new ideas iu device* men have to wear, such as hats and goggles, the trying out of samples by a few men was never a success. Ridicule by those not supplied, made the wearer* self conscious and embarrassed ami wc did not get satisfactory results. But where we look the same items and put them on everybody at the same time there was no trouble, and the good qualities of the item soon won fa vor for them. All of our underground men today ami a few surface jobs are equipped with protec tive hats: these as well as our goggles are furnished by the employer without cost to the emplovec- Modem Safety Methods Today in our underground operations cen trally located magazines arc maintained with a man in charge; this man is responsible tor the maintenance of the supply in differ ent grades and for the accounting of where it is used. Powder only is stored in this magazine which, where possible, is cut into a rock wall, the dimensions varying with the demand of the mine. These rooms are electrically lighted with wires in conduit, the light hull)* being placed in a vapor proof globe usually with a metal guard, the light switch being outside of the room. They arc also heated electrically where heating is needed. The only tools allowed in the maga zine are a wooden mallet and wooden wedges and a bar of some non-sparking metal for opening cases. Heavy rubberized canvas sacks are provided the miners for transporting their powder from the magazine to their working places. A separate magazine is maintained for tire storage of fuse and detonators. Here the one man in charge of explosives cuts the fuse to required lengths and places the de tonators on it, using what is known as the California cap crimper in the operation. Where electrical blasting is done this man generally makes up {he primers with the necessary routine of timing in the electric detonator* as require*}, this generally only lor rock work. Ore miners usually make up their own primers in the working place, using a non-sparking metal punch for mak ing the hole in the dynamite to receive the cap. Capped fuses and electrical primer> arc transported by the men from the maga zine to their working places in felt lined gal vanized iron containers of different sizes as required by ihc operation. Clay tamping or Stemming is in general use, this is made up in the size and form of the dynamite sticks by the powderman and is paper covered. Wooden charging sticks are always u*-ed. The powder bags, fuse cans, powder punches and charging sticks are all furniished by the employer without cost to the employee even though he may be a contract worker. From the earliest days of our district it has been the custom for the employer to provide a change house in which the work ers could change from street to work cloth ing, as a complete change of clothing i> necessary*. In the early days of our development these were crude affairs indeed, consisting only of the cheapest tyPe of log or frame Structure with a mere pretense to furnish wash water, this provided sometime* in a common trough. When one had any type of individual wash utensil hr furnished it himself and was looked upon a* a dandy putting on airs and assuming a superiority* over the common herd. We now have quite modem facilities in our change houses; the buildings are usual!}' of brick and are equipped With modem toilets, individual 526 29th Rational Safety Congress metal lockers and ample shower bath equip* ment. Disinfectants are liberally used and toot baths for protection against athlete's foot arc maintained. In addition to goggles and hats already mentioned our men arc required to wear safety shoes and boots on surface and un derground. These they are required to pay for themselves, but in some cases they may be purchased through the employer at whole sale prices, the employer standing the cost of shipment only. Shin guards are furnished all timber framers and men using adzes; these guards are being used underground by men work ing caves and stopes where leg injuries may occur. The guards are supplied by the em ployer. All miners in rock work are required to wear respirators and several types of filter respirators are in use on different classes of jobs, these also being furnished gratis by the employer and baring the Bureau of Mines approval. At the beginning of our safety program underground sanitation was a problem that' we wrestled with lor some time, in those days we were using a crude paraffin for our underground illumination. This came to us in wooden barrels about the size of a 50 gal. barrel. Our first attempt at an underground toilet was by using one half of one of these barrels enclosed in a wooden box to form a one-holer and large enough to embody a compartment to contain lime as a disinfectant. We next tried the same sort of a scheme with carbide cans, but we got nowhere but in trouble on that attempt, too. Then when we were about ready to give up hope on that problem we attended one of these mining section meetings in which a paper was read that described an allegedly successful solution to the vexing problem. This was described in some detail which we thought we had grasped and we went home so enthused that we prevailed on the operators to to* it out This trial involved sinking a hole in rock and lining it with concrete and putting in a concrete partition from the bottom up for a given distance. I was told that the cost of the job was about $800 and the results certainly were worth that amount more than our previous at tempts. Our more modem change houses with their toilet facilities have seemed to solve this problem for us very nicely. On the subject of underground lighting. we are now using individual miner's electric cap lamps, and in addition our mine open ings are all wired and lighted by electric current of 110 volts. For many years in this scheme of underground lighting the current was taken from the haulage trolley wires at 250 volts. With the increased use of electric tugger machines wc have now installed sepa rate wiring systems throughout our mines, and the}* are so thoroughly illuminated that it is safe to say that men acquainted with the mines could travel from surface to the most remote working place without auxiliary light in about 90 per cent of our openings. Also considerable use is made of flood lighting in large slope openings and some times in rock drifting. Our moving of ore from the working face to the loading chutes has progressed from loading into wheel barrows with hand shovels, through a period of using buggies or small tram cars to slusher operation. Each of these cycles has presented its peculiar hazards which have been slowly fought down. In our present slusher operations wc place a heavy screen guard in front of the machine operator to prevent him being struck by a possible back lash of a breaking cable. In our drilling operations wc are now using the comparatively new "Jack Bit" which requires the transporting oi the bits only to the shops for sharpening. This de vice saves the transporting of drill steel re peatedly with its attendant hazard of in juries from several handlings of hundred> of tons of that material On our drilling machines operated by compressed air we place safety chains at hope and machine connections to prevent injuries by a hose thrashing around under high pressure in case the connection should part. Our minus are now air conditioned by controlled air circulation, dust allaying is general practice, controlled by regular sam pling of airways and working places. All openings are guarded or covered as closely as air circulation will permit. Tinmacutatc housekeeping is being striven tor and at tained. Safety meetings of foremen are generally held monthly and frequent short meetings of the working force arc intended, but we have not gotten these down to as nice a routine as the foremen's meetings. Wc have tried several safety incentive plans and at present have two of these in Miniity Section 527 effect, both based on cash payments for good records. Posters of the National Safely Council arc used regularly and have been ever since the introduction of the service. Wc have at times Itad a foremanship service, and a pictorial bulletin service and at present we are using two commercial bulletin services in addition to the National Council service. Frequently home made bulletins are used to advertise items of local interest find these we often illustrate with photographs, our Department being equipped with a camera for that pur pose. We also get out a monthly bulletin to foremen which is mailed to their homes. Having given >ou this picture oi general conditions, the accomplishments can be shown by stating that in fifteen years of participation in the National Safety compe tition my Company's division of the GogebicMarquette district consisting of the four underground and two open pit mines has won the Sentinels of Safety twice, once in the underground division and once in the open pit. For 1939 the severity rate for our under ground mines was .81 and for our open pin .10, combined rate .72. For the first six months of this year our severity rates are underground .37, pits 0, combined .34. Advantages That Have Been Gained Due to the Invention and Use of Methane Detectors By J. H. ZORN Safety Engineer, Union Colliers Co., Oakinont. Pa. Methane, commonly called "fire damp" or simply "gas** by the average miner, is found in all coal mines and in some metal and other mines. Its safe removal is a problem of modem production methods. Methane is flammable, colorless, odorless and tasteless fis flammability and explosiveness when mixed with air in proper proportions is the chief characteristic that is of concern to mining men. In concentrations less than 5 per cent which is the lower explosive limit, methane will bum, but there is oot enough to support propagation. When the source of ignition is removed, there S no further burning of the gas. However, concentrations between 5 per cent and 15 per cent, the latter being the upper explosive limit, mixed with air are explosive and when a mixture of methane gas and air in this range is ignited, an ex plosion results. Mixtures of air and more than 15 per cent methane will not explode, as there is not enough oxygen to support combustion. Maximum violence and force are developed when approximately 9.5 per cent methane mixed with air is ignited and the intensity of the explosion depends upon the volume of the mixture. Although an air mixture containing less than 5 per cent of methane is not explosive, it has been shown conclusively by experi ments that lower concentrations of methane in tnine air increase the chances of coal dust explosions. With fine coal dust suspended in the air, one or two per cent of methane may produce an explosive mixture. Mechanical mining and high speed haul age systems increase the amount of methane and explosive dust so that it is of primary importance to have sufficient ventilation to keep the methane content to a minimum at all times in all parts of coal mines. Under normal operating conditions, the percentage of methane should be so small that short interruptions in ventilation by doors being left open or broken stoppings will not per mit the accumulation of an explosive mix ture. Adequate ventilation in modem mining is of primary importance and is the best means of preventing explosions. Sources of ignition are secondary in importance but should be guarded against in all production programs. To have adequate ventilation, the detection of methane even ia minute concentrations is a requisite and a most important factor with respect particularly to the efficiency and cost of air distribution. Ventilating equipment should be operated 24 hours every day, and a sufficient volume of air supplied to maintain specified ventilation standards, ft is desirable to learn as much as possible regarding methane in mine air and to locate its sources whenever feasible. The quantity S28 29th National Safety Congress and rate of escape of gas arc unknown fac tors from solid coal as well as from reser voirs of gas in rock strata which may enter a mine through cracks or other openings in the roof or bottom as "feeders" or "blow ers." Atmospheric conditions have some ef fect on the amount of methane liberated in vi mine as a fall in barometric pressure may permit more gas to flow from "feeders" or crevices. Changes in barometric pressure may be considered as important in bleeding methane gas from gob or worked-out area particularly. Iii Mill air. methane, being about 45 per cent lighter than air. wfll -trartrj and hr . found near the too? However, m moving air current*, methane ga- n-naflx Income* diffused or mixed readily *d *wr daffw-ard will not stratify *JEair. The arnotni u- methane in return air %( ft mm* dejwmd'. not only on the axnutmi ' y*- given off hut also on the amtxmt o: tor vet*Ja. tion. Tlic methane umteef mj*% j-fv*, day to clay. e\cn lubes' tbr kept at a uniform volume i**r**tt \* Tbtrc are fin ttnpon^n! i-` *t\\ coal mute that Omttld be renuhmi^ u,sfi. ut: so that complete wih \* -v-^i able regarding the percentages oi mettuni* in air currents under operating eoitibttvn^These are 1. The face working- *ttpp!K-d tti. mtake air. 2. Each oj/t-n Ijreak-through afv iU *r leave the working face. 3. AU split returns after the air Leave- Ok; last working place. 4. The top- of tall* on the rib-line and the bleeder returns after the air leaves the gob section. 5. The outlet that includes the complete return of the air. for the detection of metiiane and an esti mation of the percentage above 1 per cent can usually be made with fair accuracy by those accustomed to this method of testing. Some experienced men may detect even less than 1 per cent. In any case, experience, condition of the eyesight, temperature, and condition of the lamps are factors that may cause differences in readings or observations by various individuals. For the accurate detection and measure ment of methane in mine air, even in ex tremely low concentrations* and as a guide to proper ventilation control, it is most de sirable to use methane detectors approved by the Bureau of Mines. The operating pemcipie of these is hated on the burning uf methane on the surface of a platinum wire heated by current from dry cell or the wtrU known Edi<on Cap 1-amp Battery*. Among th many valuable applications for electrical methane detectors, the following com may. serve as examples and be interc-ima A* a result of readings obtained with riii* of detector, ventilation change* rfr portable that could not be taken care by aoy other method of gas sampling. \ One Mine Outlet carried .52 per cent aid *a.s reduced to 27 per cent This was accomplished by removing falls and other ubntrtsctsoe* in the air courses, constructing nc*w oirf<a-ts. and adding new intakes and return*. 2 One Mine Outlet carried .0 per cent aad was reduced to .4 per coil methancThc reduction in methane was due to remov ing obsolete stoppings, leveling off falls in the air courses, constructing new overcasts, and sweeping gob sections with the return air from other working sections by increas ing the number of openings. Three common methods tor the deter mination of the methane content in the vari ous section.- of the mine are by laboratory analysis, using an Orsat nr similar appara tus, flame safety lamps, and electrically oper ated, portable methane detectors. 3- A split carried .35 per cent and was reduced to .18 per rent methane. This re duction in methane content was due to a regulator being changed to increase the atr, falls cleaned, and an additional return added. In the laboratory* method, samples are cob leered in sampling tubes or bottles and taken outside the mine, where the analysis is made by someone skilled in this work. Consider able lime is required to collect the samples and there is usually* a time delay until the results are available for practical use. Flame safety lamps are commonly used 4.. A split carrying .9 per cent was re duced to .45 per cent methane by* opening tip additional returns, leveling off falls and increasing the air. 5. A split carrying .43 per cent was re duced to .22 per cent methane by installation of a new overcast, an additional air course, and increased air. Mining Section 529 G. A split carrying .37 per cent was re duced to .19 per cent methane by increasing the amount of air after a new overcast and return were added. 7. A reduction in methane and an in creased volume of air resulted from a meth ane detector survey at one mine. At this particular location, a return carried .6 per cent methane in approximately 80.000 co. ft. of air. Under certain conditions this air volume varied from 50.000 to 80.000 co. Cl By opening up three intakes and two re turns. constructing three no* overcasts, and tightening up and rebuilding so era! stop ping*. the volume of air v increased to 105.000 cu ft which wa constant and car ried onl> 2S per cent tnrthanr ft. In a -fttucw tr*-pc*r?Kn. 79 per cent methane a ivand ta a Sht which was re ported clear by the mine utfictfcU m the sec tion. Additional asethame detector reading* were made immediateK ^3 the Lace of the last rc*v i*i the return vide where -6 per clay-veins were being cut at the same time and all were generating smalt quantities of methane. Tests made with the meth ane detector showed that there was too much gas being carried in the air current in two machine sections for the safe opera tion of the machines. The other two sec tions in the same split were found to be safe enough to move the machines, motors, and other electrical equipment to unaffected ports of the mine. This split of air had to remain idle for about a week until the air could be rearranged. Two machines were tied up for this length of time. Without the methane detector to determine the con ditions in the air current, all (he machine.' in this case would have been tied up for several days. In commenting on the value of methane detectors, the Chief Mine Inspector of a targe bituminous coal mining company made the following statement: "We work in a coal area that is broken cem mctlvaar wa> ;*rc*eiu ami at the Utst up by many clay-veins. At any time, one or breakthrough or the uti tl*e Atake more of these clay-veins may be cut, cither winrrr ]*e *etu Hicthanr was mdteated. by a cutting machine or a drill, and a large As a fr*uh .i thr-v ftndmg*. the electnc gas feeder liberated. Quite often the libera power a* cut off and the men removed tion is so rapid and heavy* that the normal trots the +cciMJ*i .wriwduielv On further assocat of air will not carry* the gas away inspect!**! a fad located ia a 'ingle fast enough or keep it diluted to a safe face retwu min outby the ifcvclopms Bon. limit. In these cases, wc must shut dawn The earn <*> ctrarh ck**d and consider the section while the gas is bleeding off. able g*' being liberated from the roof. When this occurs, we use the Detector to Dwblc door* ottf&tdc the Bar? were* opened follow the progress of the "bleeding off" which permitted 24,000 cu. IL of air to period. Several determinations are made sweep tle Mrctkxa. The small inby area was each day. This gives us accurate knowledge ventilated and ooc of the two bleeder rooms of the condition of the air current. Wc parallel to the caved entry' was cut through as it had only needed two cuts. Ventilation was immediately restored by this procedure can be positive that the gas has been re duced to a point where it is safe to Atari work again. There is not the gue work to its proper bourse and further methane that wc once had." detector readings showed only .18 per cent. Although the methane > detector can be 9. At another mine it was necessary* to used for detecting methane in any concen completely reverse the air. As the mine gw- trations that may be encountered in mines, erated considerable methane, it was most the importance of detecting low concentra important in making the change which was tions of methane should-not be overlooked to be permanent, that the methane content and it is well illustrated by this example: was determined immediately before and after the change in all sections of the mine. In making this change, a methane detector was used to obtain the percentages of meth ane which permitted the reversal of the air to be made without any undue delay. Assuming a ventilating current carrying 200.000 cu. ft. of air per minute containing .1 per cent methane, it is obvious that 200 cu. ft. of this mixture is pure methane. In an hour, this ventilating current would discharge 72,000 cu. ft. of pure methane 10. At another mine, four machines were down because of gas, and no particularly large feeders wcre 'found. However, many which converted to an explosive mixture of 5 per cent methane would be equivalent to 240.000 cu. ft. of explosive mixture. Should 530 29th Xational Safely Congress this ventilating current be interrupted for a period of 24 hours and with the same amount of methane being liberated, there would be 5.760,000 cu. ft of explosive mix ture. Should this be contained in an entry 10 ft. square, Che length of the entry would fx? approximately ] 1 miles. Methane detectors are now available which will automatically indicate and record percentages of methane. One type may be located in working sections on cutting and loading machines, in the last breakthrough and along haulage roads: This can be ad justed to give a warning by a signal light or other means at any predetermined meth ane concentration. For example, at i per cent or any specified percentage between .5 per cent and 3 per cent, it will operate >pecial electrical circuits through suitable relays to cut off the power in a section or give warnings in other parts of the mine or to the outside. Metlvane recorders for con tinuously indicating and recording methane in main returns particularly have been per fected recently and are designed to be lo cated in fan houses or other convenient places. There is no relation between the volume of methane given off in a coal mine and the chemical composition of the coal, as both bituminous and anthracite mines produce methane, and methane has been found in metal and other mines when tunneling through carbonaceous shales. The common occurrence and expansibility of methane are responsible for numerous mine disasters and every precaution should be taken to keep it within safe limits. This can best be done by (lie use and guidance of methane detec tors. Pulmonary Diseases in the Mining Industry By DR. R, R. SAYERS Director, United States Bureau of Mines, Washington, D. C. Although the attention of those interested in diseases peculiar to mining has been focused recently oa one dust disease--sili cosis--other respiratory' diseases may cause more suffering and economic loss. The in creased incidence of these diseases usually is attributed to exposure to abnormal air conditions underground, such as sudden changes from high to low* temperatures, ex cessive dust, and noxious gases. The prin cipal- respiratory diseases to which the miner is subject are bronchitis, influenza and pneu monia, pulmonary tuberculosis, anthracor ilicoif. and silicosis. Although the mor tality statistics in some of the tables in cluded in this paper are old they have been corroborated by later, less complete data. Bronchitis Bronchitis is an inflammation of the bronchial tubes due, among other causes, to the inhalation of irritants such as dusts (organic and inorganic). Occupations that entail exposure to atmospheres polluted by irritating gases carry with them the risk of bronchitis. According to Collis,1 it cannot be distinguished clinically from bronchitis occurring among the general population and Its association with the inhalation of dust or gases usually is unrecognized. During middle life bronchitis cause* much recurrent invalidity and incapacity. Mortal ity records compiled by Collis' indicate that it is of a chronic traumatic origin asso ciated with irritating atmospheric condi tions, rather than of an infectious origin. Statistics for bronchitis for the general population and for workers exposed to dusts in Great Britain" for 1921-2? show the role played by dusts in the increased incidence of the disease in certain industries. The comparative mortality per thousand (ages 26 to 65) for those in occupations exposed to siliceous dust was 214, for those exposed to nonsiUceons dust 59-5, and for the gen era] population 49A (See Table 1.) In this connection it is interesting to note the mortality statistics per thousand (ages 26 to 65) for oood miners of counties of Wales (in which most of the coal mined is anthracite) compared with those for two other groups in England and Wales.4 The figures for coal miners are 112 for all un derground workers and 139 for hewers and getters compared with 46 for males in the same social class and 50 for all occupied and retired males. (See Table 2.) In a study by the United States Public Health Service* 35 cases of chronic bron- :\lining Section 531 Table 1.--Mortality per 1,000 from Brotachitia in Dusty Occupation* and in the General Population, by Age Groups Occupations exposed to Nonsiliceous dust.................... General population..................... 20-- 1.1 0.5 Ages at Death 25-- 1.0 1,7 35-- 13.7 4.9 5.4 45-- 44.6 12.8 13.3 55-- 153.7 41.8 28.8 Comparative Mortality Figure * 20--65 214.0 59.5 chitis were found among 344 employees of two anthracite mining companies examined. In the study conducted fay the Bureau of Mines and the Public Health Service at Picher, Oklau,4 the highest incidence of sili cosis or tuberculosis, or both, was found among men who reported having had bron chitis, pleurisy, and asthma. Table 2.--Comparative Mortality Fig ures for Bronchitis per 1,000 of Certain Groups in England and Wales Coal miners1.................................... Bronchitis All underground workers........... 112 Hewers and getters...................... 139 Males in same social class.............. 46 All occupied and retired males... 50 Ratio of rate for hewers and get- ters to rate for same social class. 302 * la three coacti'c* in Wales. Table 3.--Influenza-Pneumonia Mortal ity Ftnrta| Bituminous Coal Miners--- October to December 1918 Age Period All Ago1 15-25 25-15 45415 Annual Death Rate per 1,000 Bituminous Coal Miners 50.1 29.5 62.1 44.4 All Industrial White Males 22.3 17.5 32.6 11.7 * ytm and over. Influenza and Pneumonia Figures of mortality available for 4,700 miners insured in the group department of the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company* show that tn the last quarter of 1918 during the influenza epidemic 64 of these miner? died of influenza- or pneumonia. This is equivalent to an annual death rate of 50 per 1,000. Among all occupied males aged 15 years and over, the rate from influenzapneumonia in the same 3 months was 22 per 1,000 or less than half as high. In the age period 45 to 65 years the rate among bitu minous coal miners was about four times a* high as among all occupied males tn the same age group. (Sec Table 3.) Influenza and pneumonia, as reported, were responsible, in the years under study, tor 31 per cent of the mortality in the group of bituminous coal miners at ages 16 to 70 in Indiana, Missouri, and Wyoming com pared with 19 per cent among both farmers and "all other'males'* at these ages in the same counties. (See Tabic 4.) In 1918, the year of the great epidemic, influenza and pneumonia deaths constituted 55 per cent of total mortality exclusive of accidents among the bituminous miners in contrast with 27 per cent among the farmers and 34 per cent among all other males. These percentages were not as high as the figures for Wilkes-Barre. The fact that the soft-coal counties under consideration are largely rural areas may have made some difference. In the epidemic year 1920, the proportion of deaths from influenza and pneumonia was smaller than in 1918, but, as was Totmd tor tlie anthracite miners, the bituminous group showed a wider difference in the pro- 532 29th National Safety Congress Table 4.--Percentage of Deaths from Influenza and Pneumonia (After Deducting Accidents) Among Bituminous Coal Miners Compared with Farmers, and With Other Males in the Same Areas of Several Soft-Coal Producing States1 Male Groups Under Comparison 16-70 16-30 Ages 31-40 1 41-50 51-60 61-70 1 o fri C?m U Farmers................................................... All other males.................................... 31.1 18.7 18.6 49.4 38.4 30.0 32i4 29.0 19.7 12.4 11.3 10.4 10.8 !0.8 1 The death records for coft-coal miners were obtained from 13 coal-producing counties of Indiana. i*|0- 20..inclusive. *cnal counties of Missouri. 1917-21. Inclusive, and the 6 principal coaJ-produdnr connrse* ( \\ ynmin$. 1919-2J. inclusive. The record for formers and for "atl other males'* was obtained from the ;riv vc-mentioned coal-mininfj counties, and also from 3 agricultural counties of Wyoming. I9i9-?.t portion of deaths from tins cause compared with ``all other males*4 than in 1918. The percentage- in 1920 were 29 for the soft- coal miners and 16 for "all other males" In this epidemic the bituminous miners at age* 40 to 60 suffered heavy excess mor tality from influenza-pneumonia, but the differential mortality was not quite so great a> at age- 16 to 30. gaged in pursuits other tlian coal mining in Wilkes-Barre and vicinity. The percentage of deaths from influenza and pneumonia for these two groups by ages for the years mentioned was 19.3 for anthracite miners compared with 13.3 for males in other in dustries. (See Table 6.) Tuberculosis Among hcwcr.s and getter* of soft coal in England and Wale*, fhe death rate from in fluenza and pneumonia, 1921-23, was about J2 per cent greater than among males of comparable social statu* (social class 3). The difference iva* found to he 5.8 times the probable error ox the difference which is certainly a significant variation. Thus, an abnormal mortality from influenza and pneumonia i consistently indicated among miner* of coal--both anthracite nnd bitu minous--in England as well as in America. The pneumonia mortality figures in 192123 for occupations in Great Britain exposed to siliceous and nonsiliceou* dust com]iared with those for the general population were given by Collis* as 134.3, 76.0, and 85.3, re spectively; similar figures for influenza were 47.1. 49.6. and 36.5. respectively. (See Tabic 5.) Tn 1925 Collis* said that for coal miner* generally the tuberculosis rate apparently is low although miners at the coal face suffer front the disease more than other coal min er* underground and workers above ground. Results of more recent investigations scon to contradict the assumption that tubercu losis docs not occur among coal miners. An investigation hv the Welsh School of Med icine, reported in 1937,* indicates that this supposed exemption of coal miners from tulierculosis may be due to a mis- or partial diagnosis. This investigation revealed a high incidence of tuberculosis (35 per cent if the ''probable" cases are included) among the pncumoconiotics of the South Wales coa! fields and supports the theory* that coal dust modifies the tuberculosis, leading lo failure to recognize the disease or to the mistaken diagnosis of "bronchitis/* According to Brundage/ an outstanding feature of the statistics of death tof hardcoal miners in the United States is their extraordinary' mortality from influenza and pneumonia not only during influenza epi demics but at other times as 'well. In a study by the Public Health Service at Wilkes-Barre, Pa., in 1915-23 and 1906-25* it was found that influenza and pneumonia were responsible for 40 per cent of the total deaths compared with 25 per cent among males at ages 15 to 65 who had been en Studies by the United States Public Health Service** revealed that 6 per cent of hard-coal miners examined had clinical pulmonary* tuberculosis. The average prev alence in the adult male population of the United States is about 2 per cent. The prev alence of pulmonary* tuberculosis among hard-coal mining employees at ages below 35 was shghtly less than that found through studies among male adults in the general population. In the age group 35 to 44, how ever, the prevalence of tuberculosis was Mining Section 533 Table 5.--Mortality per 1,000 from Pneumonia and Influenza in Dusty Occupations and in the General Population Pneumonia Ages at Death < kcupattons exposed to Nonsiliceous dust.................... < General population.................... |20- | 25- 1 3s- ! 45- j 55- 3.3 1 14.4 ' .10.6 1 47.2 38.7 : 9.6 13.7 : 28.7 ! 23.9 4.i 11.5 19.6 24.2 : 25.7 Comparative Mortality Figure ' 20-65 134.3 76.0 S5.3 Occupations exposed to Siliceous dust.......................... Nonsiliceous dust................... < ieneral population.................. I 1.1 5.4 ! 2.0 Influenza 4 . 4 i 11.3 1 8 7 4.8 13.7 10.6 5.2 7.7 9.7 I;__ ! 18.3 14.9 12.0 47.t 49.6 i 36.5 l__ about twice, at ages 45 to 54 about 5 times, and for age* above 55 tt was about 10 time* the rate found in the general population. The highest prevalence of clinical pulmonary tuberculosis occurred among the rock work ers (mat who had been employed in rock loading or rock extraction for more than 2 or 3 years). After 20 years' service, of which more than 2 or 3 years were in rock work, 3" per cent presented evidence of pulmonary tuberculosis. Tn a group of 135 completely disabled former anthracite work ers. which did not include any known cx<es of tuberculosis, 10 per cent proved positive for pulmonary tuberculosis. These finding* would appear to corroborate those of the Welsh National School of Medicine that in dicate that the supposed exemption from tuberculosis of coal miners is crroncoa- due to incorrect diagnosis. There i evidence that the above increased incidence of tu berculosis is associated with exposure to dltca du*t. Tlte incidence of tuberculosis is much higher in metal mines than in coal mine*, due no doubt to exposure to dust containing a higher concentration of silica. An investi gation tn 1914 by the Bureau of Mines in cooperation with the Public Health Service of pulmonary disca*c among the zinc miner-* of the Joplin. Mo., district, revealed a high death rate from pulmonary* tuberculosis. The mortality rate for tubcrculori> for Jas per County was- 200.8 per 100.000 for 1911 and 1912 and 229.7 for 1913, according to -tati-ttc.-s of the State Board of Healthp On the other hand, according to the Ja>pt-r County Antituberculosi- Society, during the calendar year 1912 there were 720 deathamong miner- who had worked 2 year- or muv underground in Jasper County Not all Table 6.--Percentage of Deaths from I&Ancnxa and Pneumonia among Anthracite Miners and among Males in Occupations Other Than Mining in^Wilkes-Barre and Vicinity < troops t *mler Comparison Antharacite miners . Males in other industries ! IS-*4 39.* 35.3 15-24 45.2 2S.7 Ages 25-34 35-44 67.9 46.2 42.9 31.0 45-54 31.8 16.8 55-64 19.3 13.3 534 29th National Safety Congress Table 7.--Mortality per 1.000 from Pulmonary Tuberculosis in Dusty Occupations and in the General Population <.)ccu}Mtion exposed to Siliceous dust.............. Xonsiliceous dust___ (icncral population. ... ! >o- 13.6 . 20.6 25- 63.4 26.3 37.6 Ages at Death 35- 45- 141.0 46.1 43.6 2IJ.6 56.4 39.0 55- 150.6 29.9 22.7 20-65 592.2 172.4 163.5 of tiiese 720 deaths occurred in that county hut they had contracted the disease there and some of them had moved away. Of 93 miners in the Joplin District examined by Lanza in 1914,11 64 showed definite symp toms of pulmonary disease and 39 of the 64 had the classical symptoms of pulmonary tuberculosis. high among those exposed-to silica dust but the incidence of these diseases is not atways the same under other conditions such as exposure to other dusts, heat and fumes, or working Indoors. (See Table 8.) Anthracosilicosis In a study by the Bureau of Mines ami From 1931 lo 1937, 87 per cent of the the Public Health Service** in Butte, Mont) total deaths in Great Britain due to silicosis luring 1916 to 1920 the death records of the occurred among the coat miners of South State Board of Health were examined. Wales; two-thirds of the deaths and dis These showed that during 1915, 122, during ease occurred in the Swansea Division; and 1916. 126, and during 1917, 169 Butte miners S9 per cent of the medical certificates lied of tuberculosis. The significance of the granted in the Swansea Division related to death from tuberculosis of 169 miners in anthracite collieries.* 1917 ic indicated by comparison with the rec ord- of other regions. In 1917 approxi mately 14,000 men were employed under ground in Butte mines; with 169 deaths from tuberculosis for the year, the rate per 100.000 was 1,207. The tuberculosis death rate of Michigan for the 10-year period 1910 to 1920 was 97.4 per 100,000; hence the tuberculosis death rate of Buttr miners was nearly 13 times as great as that of Mich igan. In the United States the chronic disease among miners due to breathing air contain ing dust generated in the various processes involved in the mining and preparation of anthracite is called anthracosilicosis. This is a descriptive title for the form of pneumo coniosis commonly called miners' asthma. The disease was found in about 23 per cent of 2,711 employees of three anthracite min ing companies studied by the United States Public Health Service in 1933. About 63 The part played by dust, especially dust containing silica, in the production of pul monary tuberculosis is shown clearly by figures for Great Britain for 1921-23.* The per cent of those having anthracosilicosis showed evidence of disability, compared with less than 10 per cent in the control group. Moderate and marked degrees of disability death rate per 1,000 for ages 20 to 65 was 392.2 for those exposed to siliceous dust, 172.4 for those exposed to nonsiliceous dust, and 163.5 for the general population; for handicapped aproximatelv 21 per cent of those with anthracosilicosis compared with less than 2 per cent of the men serving a control**- ages 35 to 44 the- figures were 141.0, 46.1, and 43.6, respectively; for ages 45-54 the figures were 211.6, 56.4, and 39.0, respec tively; and for ages 55 and over the figures wore 150.6, 29.9, and 22.7, respectively. (See Tabic 7.) According to Collin* the prevalence of bronchitis, pneumonia, and tuberculosis is Wide differences were found in the ex tent of physical impairment in the several occupational groups. The highest rale of disability from all causes combined was found in the group of men that had changed more than 5 years before the date of ex amination from very dusty to relatively nondu-ty occupations in the industry. In a 3/tiling Section 535 Table 8.--Prevalence of Bronchitis, Pneumonia and Tuberculosis Under Certain Conditions of Exposure Exposure Bronchitis Outdoor and indoor life.................................................. Indoor industries. . ...................................................... Coal trade....................................... ............. ...................... Alcohol trade..................................................................... Heat and fumes .................................................... Dust of * 1. Animal origin.......................................................... 2. Vegetable husks and debris, certain inorganic materials.................................................................. 3. Silica.......................................................................... low low high moderate high low high high Pneumonia Tuberculosis low low high high high * low high low high low low low medium high low high number of instances the change in occupa tion probably was made on account of physical condition. Miners at the coal face, rock workers, and men who bad had appre ciable exposure to harmful dusts in other industries also showed evidence of much greater physical impairment than was found in the control group. Moderate or marked physical impairment from any cause was found In 1.7 per cent of the control group, in 9.9 per cent of the regular miners, and among 12.6 per cent of the rock workers. There was a marked tendency toward in crease in the proportion having physical im pairments with increase in the number of years of employment in anthracite. This tendency is manifested whether one con siders disability of any kind, disability in which pulmonary infection was contributory, or disability due largely to tuberculosis. In each case the occupational groups arrayed themselves according to extent of physiol impairment as follows: (1) Rock worker*; (2) regular miners; (3) all others exposed ro more than 100 million dust particles per cubic foot of air; and (4) men in haulageways except rock workers. The pathology of anthracosilicosis as ob served in these cases is essentially a deposi tion of coal dust in the lungs, accompanied by an extensive fibrosis, both diffuse and nodular, with associated functional and de generative changes, (silicosis modified by coal dust). That excess mortality from respiratory* disease* as a whole is experienced by Amer ican hard-coal miners is dear from the studies made by the Public Health Service.4 The anthracite miners' proportionate mortal ity from all respiratory diseases was about \y2 times that of the other adult males in the same region. When proportionate mor tality was computed for ages 16 to 65 in Wales,* it was found that respiratory* dis eases accounted for 53 per cent of the deaths of anthracite miners compared with 382 per cent among males in the same social class. The proportion among hewers and getters of anthracite therefore was 1.4 times that of men of the same social status. Silicons There are various definitions of silicosis but all agree that the cause of the disease is the inhalation of silica or quartz dust.H Silicosis is a well-recognized clinical and pathological entity at least as characteristic as that of any cause of death known to epidemiologists^* The definition of silicosis, adopted at the International Silicosis Con ference in 1930 and reaffirmed at the 1939 Conference and generally accepted is: "Silicosis is a pathological condition of the lungs due to inhalation of silicon diox ide. It can be produced experimentally in animals." The first investigation of silicosis in the muling industry in the United States was made in 1914-15 by the Federal Bureau of Mines in cooperation with the United States Public Health Service in the Joplin (Mo.) mining district.1* As only a few men were examined at that time, it was decided to examine a larger number to gain a more accurate idea of the prevalence of consump tion among the miners of this .'rict. From Kcapiratory Diseases 29th Motional Safety Congress May 15 to December 31, 1915, 720 miners were examined: 45J per cent had silicosis and tuberculosis and 5,3 per cent had tu berculosis.- A later report (1917) of this same investigation by Lanza and Childs" included the results of the first detailed X-ray studies of silicosis made in the United States. Investigations of mining conditions by Harrington and Lanza" in Butte, Mont., in 1921, revealed that 42.4 per cent of 1,0)8 miners examined showed definite signs of lung damage due to dust From July I, 1927, to June 30, 1932, the Metropolitan Life Insurance Co., the TriState Zinc & Lead Ore Producers Associa tion, and die Federal Bureau of Mines op erated a cooperative clinic at Picher, Ok1a.,u to demonstrate to industry a workable method lor diagnosis of silicosis, to educate workers in preventive measures, and to serve as a model to industries presenting a dust hazard. Of 27,553 individuals exam ined during this period 5,366 had silicosis, 742 silicosis plus tuberculosis, and 320 un complicated tuberculosis. The chief cause of disability in silicosis Is tubercle infection. The silicotic lung appears to be a more favorable medium for the growth of the tubercle bacillu* than the normal lung, not because it is fibrotic, nor because its Iympliatic drainage is interfered with, but because it contains silica.- Ap parently silica dust possesses this character istic of increasing the liability to pulmonary* tuberculosis. That ibis is true it indicated by the statistics quoted in ibis paper which indicate also that silica dust increases the liability to other respiratory diseases. (Sec Table 9.) The results of virtually all studies arc in agreement regarding the high mortality* rates from tuberculosis for industries in which large numbers of men are exposed to a silica hazard. These rates are so high that they leave no ro'*m for doubt of the causeand-effect relationship between the hazard and the high mortality.** Joint studies made by the Actuarial So ciety of America and the Association of Life Insurance Medical Directors'* revealed that there were 65 deaths where 6 were ex pected (about 11 times the expected num ber) from tuberculosis in 1925-1936 among a group of underground miners, most of Mining Section 537 whom were employed in metal mines. Tu berculosis deaths were fourteen times the expected among copper miners, nine times the expected among gold and silver miners, and eight and a half times the expected among iron miners. In an earlier study* covering the years 1915-1926, there were 18 times as many deaths as expected among lead and zinc miners. An analysis by the field division of ^the Saranac Laboratory*71 of the roentgenograms of 5,000 white miners exposed to the in halation of harmful concentration of silica dun shows that the incidence of pulmonary tuberculosis lesions increases as the degree of reaction to dust progresses. In this group of miners tuberculous lesions were found in approximately one-fourth of those with first stagr silicosis, one-half of those in the second stage, and 65 per cent of those in the third stage.- Prevention of Dust Diseases in Mining The data given in this paper point to dust as the greatest contributor to the excessive mortality* from pulmonary' diseases experi enced in the mining industry and to silica dust as the immediate cause of the disease silicosis. Therefore, the principal method of preventing these diseases is to eliminate as far a< possible or reduce to harmless con centration the dust in the breathing zone of the workers. Experience has shown that the properties of a dust that determine its ca pacity to produce injurious effects are its composition, the quantity suspended in the atmosphere breathed by the worker, and its particle size. Although any dust may be harmful to breath under certain conditions, as indi cated by the data presented here that show* a higher incidence of pulmonary* diseases in nonriliccous dusty industries than in the gen eral population, physiological studies reveal that, in mining the harmfulness of a dust is proportional to its content of free silica or quartz, in particles small enough to enter the finer spaces of the lungs, and in high enough concentration to overcome the nor mal defenses of the respiratory system. The prevention of dust diseases is the function of the physician and the engineer, working together to determine the extent of the dust hazard in industry and methods for its control. The first step is to determine what dusts are harmful and in what concentrations. The procedure is somewhat as follows: It is ob served that respiratory diseases appear more frequently or with greater severity among workers in certain industries or in connec tion with certain operations within an in dustry. The physician attempts to determine the extent of the injury to the health of those exposed and the cause. It the cause appears to be exposure to excessive dust, the engineer samples the air to determine the kind, amount, and size of the dust pres ent. The physician and the engineer can correlate the results of their investigations to determine allowable concentrations of dust, exposure to which is not likely to cause harmful physiological reactions. The en gineer is then in a position to device meas ures for the reduction of the dust to a harmless concentration. The aim, of cour-e, should be to eliminate the dust entirely or to reduce the dust to a concentration that will not cauc disability during the working lifetime. Allowable Concentrations of Dust in Mining Investigations conducted over a period of years show that exposure to certain concen trations of harmful dusts for a certain time causes varying degrees of respiratory dis ability but that below* these concentrations disabling pulmonary diseases do not occur w ithin a working lifetime. The classical ex ample of thi is the experience in South Africa with the reduction in mortality from *ilicois that has followed the reduction in air dustiness in. the mines of that country. The reduction in the incidence of mHcoK in the South African mines attests the ef fectiveness of the control measures em ployed and the practicability of using a defi nite dust concentration as a guide in setting allowable limits of air dustiness in the pre vention ot pneumoconiosis in dusty indus tries. The production rate-of silicosis in the scheduled mines of South Africa" in 193235 was 9-59 per 1,000 compared with 21.95 in 1917-18. (See Table 10.) The incidence rates for silicosis uncom plicated by active tuberculosis among South African miners in 1936-1937 was between 8 and 9 per 1,000 per annum." The liability among the whole body of miners to con tract the disease m 1936-37 was (ess by 05 538 29th National Safety Congress Table 10.--Average Number of Miner Examined Annually and Production Rates for Silicosis in Each Triennial Period Since 1917-18 Period 1917-20 1920-23 J623-26 Average Number of Miners Examined Annually 14,070 13.260 12,523 Production Rate of Silicosis l*r 1,000 21.95 19.16 33.28 Period 1926-29 1929-32 1932-35 Average Number of MinersExamined Annually 14,624 16,774 20.139 Production Rate of Silicosis per 1,000 21.11 13.87 9.59 per cent than it was in 1920-23. Among the "new Kand miners'* who entered the indus try by way of initial examination since 1916 and who have been exposed solely to the progressively improving occupation condi tions that have obtained since that date, the liability to contract silicosis was less by 87 per cent than the similar liability among all miners working for an equal period in 192023. These "new Rand miners'* constituted 77 per cent of all working miners examined. The group of pre-1916 turners, who in 193536 constituted less than 17 per cent of the total number of working miners contributed nearly 78 per cent of the new case* of ilicod*. In the study by the Public Health . *>ice:" oi anthracosilicosis among hard coal minor? silicosis was not found in a control ?roup of mining employees whose dust ex posure averaged 1e*s than 5 million particles per cubic fool of air. The prevalence of anthracosilicosis among the entire group of employees was found to be about 23 per cenL Among all except rock workers- lr<? than 2 per cent of the men developed amhracosilicosis when the duration of employment was less than 13 years, regardless of the amount of dust in the air. Among men exposed 15 to 24 years to dust containing less than 3 per cent free silica, 14 per cent of those who had worked where the average dust count was 100 to 199 million particles per cubic foot, 29 per cent of those exposed to 200 to 299 million panicles, and 58 per coat of tbc men who had worked for this period in more than 300 million particles per cubic foot, devel oped anthracosilicosis. Among men employed for more than 25 years in dust containing less than 5 per cent iree silica, the proportion of persons found with anthracosilicosis under different con centrations of dust was as follows: 5 to 99 million particles, 7 per cent; 100 to 199 mil lion particles, 54 per cent; 200 to 299 million particles,. 71 per cent; 300 or more million particles per cubic foot. 89 per cent. With the exception of miners, their help ers, and rock workers, about 25 per cent of all the men employed underground devel oped anthracosilicosis after a working period of more than 25 years. This group was ex posed to dust having a quartz content of about 13 per cent. The prevalence of anthracosilicosis among persons who had been exposed for more than 2 or 3 years to dust of which about 35 per cent was free silica, varied from 10 per cent among those who had worked in concentra tions of less than 200 million (articles per cubic foot for less than 15 years, to 92 per tent among those who had been employed for more than 25 years in dust concentra tions exceeding 300 particles per cubic foot, more than 2 or 3 years of which lime was span in rock work. Age pet se appeared to play a minor role in the development of amhracosilicosis. Analysis of the data for the purpose of determining safe of dan exposure in dicated that <mptn>a>ege in an atmosphere containing less than 50 million dost particles per cubic foo* woold produce a negligible number of cases of anthracosilicosis when the quartz content of tbc dose was less than 5 per cent. in die gangways where the silica content of the dust was about 13 per cent, a afe limit appeared to be 10 to 15 million Mining Section 539 Tabic 11.--Pneumoconiosis Cases Occurring Among 798 Workers Exposed to Mixed Dust, Classified by Average Dust Concentration, Length of Employment, and Number of Workers Exposed Average Dust Concentration t Million Particles per Cubic Foot) 0-4.9 0-9: Number of worker# exposed........................... Percent with pneumoconiosis.......................... 10-24: Number of pneumoconiosis case#.................. Number of workers exposed--.................... Percent with pneumoconiosis.......................... 25-49: Xumlter of pneumoconiosis cases.................. Number of workers exposed....................... .... Percent with pneumoconiosis.......................... 50 and over: Number of pneumoconiosis cases ................ Percent with pneumoconiosis........................ 0 81 0% 0 123 0% 0 43 0% 0 45 0% Years in Industry* 5-9.9 10-14.9 15-19.9 20 ami Over 0 56 0% 0 94 0% 0 45 0% 4 44 9.1% 0 29 0% 0 66 0% 3 31 9.7% 5 25 20.0$; 0 13 0% 2 29 6.9$e 3 11 27.1% 4 8 so.oc; 0. 8 os 4 23 17.4*.; 6 18 33.3'r 4 6 66.75; particles per cubic foot. The limit of tol eration for rock workers was set tentatively at 5 to 10 million particles per cubic foot of air. Similar results were obtained by the Pabitc Health Service in an investigation of pneomoconiosis among mica and permatitc workers- (See Table 11.) The relation of the average dust concen tration and duration of exposure to the per centage of workers found to have pneumo coniosis was as follows: Of those who had worked in an average concentration of 50 million particles of dust per cubic foot of air, 9 per cent had pneumoconiosis in 5 years, 20 per cent in 10 years, 50 per cent in *15 years, and 66 per cent in 20 years. Of those who worked in an average concentra tion of 25 million particles 10 per cent Had pneumoconiosis in 10 years, 27 per cent in 15 pears, and 33 per cent in 20 years. Of tlwse who had worked in an average con centration of 10 million particles of dust, 7 per cent had pneumoconiosis in 15 years and 17 per cent in 20 years. (See Fig. 1.) The data obtained in other studies of dusty trades, anthracite mining, asbestos textile manufacture, and the pottery industry have been treated in a similar fashion and have yielded similar, although usually less regu lar. remits. The position of the threshold value below which no cases were found and the magnitude of the trends between per cent affected and both time and intensity of ex posure varies in different sets of data, de pending, to a large extent, on the chemical nature of the dust to which workers were exposed and possibly on the regularity of employment. It is tempting to seek to summarize the data of table 12 and figure 1 into a simple mathematical relation such as the follow ing: With each twofold increase in average dust concentration above 10 million particles per cubic foot, the probability of finding cases of silicosis (in men exposed for com parable lengths of time) is approximately doubled. Application of the standard meth ods of curve fitting would yield more re fined descriptions of these data. Neverthe less, it does not seem to be advisable to set up any mathematical treatment because, of all the men who entered the industry, only the survivors have been studied. There is no adequate way of finding out whether or not men who dropped out of the industry were in a better or worse state of health as far as silicosis is concerned than men who remained in the industry, and thus there is no way of introducing a correction for this clement of -`'election into a mathematical 540 29th National Safety Congress Figure 1.--Relation of average dust concentration and duration of duat exposure to the percentage of workers found to have pneumoconiosis. Based on data pre sented in Table 11. r treatment. It seems to be preferable to pre sent the facts as simply as possible, to gether with the precautions to be kept in mind in studying them, and to emphasize that the principal use of these data is to ihow the degree of improvement in health to be expected in the future if dust forma tion and dust dispersal are brought under control in these and in similar industries. Methods of Dust Control After the physician and engineer have learned by observation and experimentation what kinds of dust arc harmful and in what concentrations, it is the function of the en gineer to evaluate the hazard in a particular industry, plant, or mine and devtsc measures for its elimination. The first step is to be come thoroughly familiar with the industry being studied to determine the dusty occu pations, the number of persons in each, and the various activities and time devoted to each activity in any one occupation." The amount of harmful dust created by various activities can be determined by tak ing samples of the atmosphere in their vicin ity and counting and identifying the dust particles. Sampling of air is also a means of checking the efficiency of any control meas ures that may be adopted. Several devices are available for collect ing and counting dust samples. The im- pinger. however, is the instrument used most frequently in the United States. The Bureau of Mines and the Public Health Service have issued publications describing the method of sampling dust by the impinger (as well as by other methods) and pro cures for counting and identifying the particles.**' ** Dust sampling is complicated by the fact that air dustiness fluctuates rapidly from moment to moment. A single dust count rep resents only the amount of dust in the at mosphere at the time and place of sampling and gives no indication of the average ex posure of the worker over a period of years, especially if he has not worked continuously at one job. The ultimate lung injury that he may suffer will depend upon the inte grated effect of the dust over a long period.5* A proper measure of dust exposure re quires a picture of the variations in dusti ness. The best procedure is to determine the dustiness during different stages of an operation and. with the aid of a time study, break down the worker's day according to the time spent in each step; from these data the average dost exposure of the worker can be calculated. Drilling.--Experience in South Africa** with new methods of sampling have revealed that more dust is produced by rock drills Mining Section Table 12.--Period Worked at Face by First-Stage Silicotics 541 Average Number Job Number of of Years Men Average Number Job Number of of Years Men Shoveiers' helpers (bruno Shoveiers.............................. Drillers* helpers (dummies) Trackmen............................... Roof trimmers.................... 6.8 S.4 8.4 98 11.4 Machinemen (drillers).. . n.4 8 11 5 428 Shovel bosses....................... IS. 8 79 ("round bosses.................... to.o 52 -'6 I 34B 24 21 54 than had been .-uspectcd, the difference con sisting entirely of dust too fine to be de tected by the older methods. The importance of control of drilling dust as a measure of the prevention of silicosis is demonstrated by the fact that the incidence of silicosis has remained consistently and considerably higher among machine drillers than among those who have never worked machines, and the excess incidence amcmg machine drillers has been in direct proportion to the amount of time spent upon rock drilling. Until relatively recently drilling of holes for blasting was a negligible producer of dust or air dustiness in coal mines especially other than anthracite mines. The handoperated auger drill produces very little fine dust, hut with the extension nf mechanized mining power drills arc becoming more and more essential and some of them arc heavy producers of finely divided dust: this is especially, true of reciprocating drills of the jackhammer type drilling dry and using compressed atr in the clearing of holes cither in coal or in root or floor material. Blasting.--The exceptionally heavy inci dence of Mlicosi* among rock drill miners in the early period of the gold-mining industry in South Africa** was due to the exposure of the rock-drill miner not only to drilling dust but to high concentrations of dust from blasting, and frequently to the inhalation of varying amounts of the irritant tunics pro duced hy blasting, owing to the methods of blasting then in use. Blasting produces large quantities of very fine dust, the finest frac tions of which tend to remain suspended in Uie mine air for a long time, unless removed by ventilation. Shoveling or Mucking.--In the Pichcr, Okla.. study.* it was difficult to show the relationship ot the duties of the men to silicosis because of frequent change of oc cupation. All examined were divided into two groups--those exposed lo large amounts of dust (those employed at the face) and those exposed to relatively small amounts (those away from the face). In the order of exposure to the dust hazard, the men at the lace included shovelcrs' helpers, shoveiers, drill helpers, machinemen, trackmen, roof trimmers, powdemten. shovel bosses, and ground bosses. According to analysis of the occupation^ of face workers the hazard was greater for shovelcrs* helpers and shovelcrs than for machinemen {{ length of time re quired to produce fir*t*<tage silicosis is a criterion. It is noted from table 13 that the average number of years worked by shovei ers' helpers and hovelers was 6.8 and 8.4 years, respectively, while that for machinemen was 11.4 years Loading and Hauling.--Under some con ditions hand loading of coal throws into the atr of the working place-considerable quan tities of dust, but the amount is about onetenth that caused by some types of mechan ical loading. The greatly increased occur rence of dust from mechanical loading is due not only to the stirring of the dust into the air by the loading machines themselves but also to the greater rapidity of breaking down and taking coal from the face regions which increases other ddst-producing proc esses, especially blasting, cutting, and haul ing* Poorly constructed or ]>ooriy maintained pit cars or over-topping of coal in cars al lows fall off or fine material to sift through lo the tra'cks to be ground under the wheels of rolling equipment or the hoofs of mules and then to be thrown into the air by speed ing cars or shuffling mules or men.5* 542 29th National Safety Congress Where conveyors (either the shaker or belt type) arc used they form potential sources of dust clouds at the points where the coal is dropped or thrown which occurs at the discharge ends only. Also, where conveyors arc used conditions at the face differ from those experienced with the older methods of working in that the miners are closer together, there is a tendency with the more systematic working for a larger number of the men to perform dust-raishig operations at the same time, and the air speed at the faces is higher.* These condi tions, if not controlled, tend to increase the dust exposure to the face workers. Machine coat cutting.--When coal-cutting machines came into the picture early in the present century' to supersede in large part both hand cutting and blasting off the solid, the really heavy' producer of coal dust that the worker has had to endure was at hand, and this was especially true of the chain machines operated by electricity. Top cut ting is The worst offender in so far as im pregnating the air with dust is concerned, shearing occupies an intermediate position, and undercutting is the least offensive in this respect. However, undercutting ma chines under some conditions (such as cut ting dry in friable coal with dull bite in a confined place with little or no circulating air) may produce air dustiness so dense as to reduce visibility almost to zero with available types of mine lighting and to cause between 100,000,000 and 500,000,000 (or even more) dust particles to be carried per cubic foot of air of the face region.* Methods of Control The principal measures for controlling dust in mining operations are ventilation, wet methods, proper blasting practice, the use of personal respiratory protection, and physical examination. Ventilation.--The more or less generally accepted conclusion that coal miners, suffer less from miners* consumption than metal miners, who either die early in life or are incapacitated in middle age, is due almost entirely to the superior working conditions in coal mines as a result chiefly of ventila tion. Approximately in order of their impor tance, the main features that affect air in metal mines are (I) movement, (2) tempera ture, (3) relative humidity, (4) gases, and (5) dusts. In coal mines tne order oi im portance would probably be (1) movement, (2) gases, (3) dusts, (4) relative humidity, and (5) temperature.* The matter of movement of air from the surface, through the working faces or places, and then back to the surface is by all means the most important consideration in effecting adequate ventilation of mines and in protecting the health and forwarding and maintaining the working efficiency of the underground workers. If adequate quantities of pure air are directed to the places where men work; most of the requirements of health and many of the demands of safety will be well served.*1 Ventilation probably is the most effective dust-control measure although under some conditions it ranks second to wet methods. Where ventilation can be applied effectively, dust can be removed from the air or its con centration can be so diluted as to render it almost harmless* Wet tnethods.--As dry drilling is the dustiest operation in mining, wet drilling will keep air dustiness within safe limits if used with care and judgment in collaring wet, using plenty of clean, dirt-free water, and keeping the drills in good repair with ade quate regulation of the proportion of water and compressed air flowing through the drilt steel.** In tests by the Bureau of Mines* the dust concentration in the air during actnal drill ing decreased as the water flow through the drill increased. The water flows for stopers was 0 to 3 gallons per minute, and that for drifters from 0 to 1.02 gallons per minute. The rate of decrease for stoper drills was greater for water flows from 0 to 1.3 gal lons per minute than for higher water flows. The rate of decrease for drifter drills was similar to that for stoper drills at cor responding water flows and rather constant for water flows of 0 to 1.02 gallons per minute. The results of this study shows that as water flow through the drills was increased the dust concentrations in the air decreased, but they do not show whether the decrease was caused directly by the increased water flow, by some condition influenced by varia tion in water flow, or by a combination of these factors. In most pneumatic rock drills air passes Mining Section 543 through the drill steel with the water. Ordi narily mmx of the high-pressure air sup plied to the drill for its operation escapes Into the buck end of the drill steel, even when the operating throttle is not in the blowing position, and travels up to the face of the hole being drilled. The amount of air escaping is affected by the water flow through the drill steel; as the water flow through the drill steel increases the air flow decrease*. Mining officials in South Africa concluded that such air leakage, although probably facilitating removal by the water oi the cuttings from the hole, was respon sible tor entrapping fine dust and blowing it into the air daring drilling.* Conse quently they have devoted much attention to designing drills that permit the minimum practical air leakage through the drill steel and have established regulations on the use of such drills. Canada is also doing much work along this Ime, and recent reports state that such drills are practical and pro duce about one-fourth the dust concentra tion of corresponding drills without the "duslless-head** features.** The results of this study show that op erators can reduce dust concentrations re sulting from drilling by increasing the water flow through the drill steel, either by increasing water pressure or by the use of water tubes of larger inside diameter. Tests also liavc been conducted by the Bureau of Mines" on the effectiveness of spraying water along the outside of the drill *tcel compared with that of standard wetdrilling practice. The tests show that spray ing water along the outride of the drill steel should not take the place of regular wet drilling. However, if a method is developed by which the device may be used on holes oi any inclination, it might prove to be a valuable accessory to regular wet drilling in collaring and drilling the first 2 feet of a hole. Tests show that the greatest amount oi dust is thrown into the air of a working place in drilling the first 2 feet of a hole.* Wet drilling standards have been adopted in Xcw York State for drilling in various classes of rock. The requirements for drill ing in Class II rock (rock containing more than 10 per cent free silica) in confined areas, which include the use of mechanical ventilation, are quoted below.** 1. "Wet drilling shall mean the continu ous application of water through the central hole in the hollow drill steel to litc bottom of the drill hole. The central hole in the steel shall not be less than A* diameter. 2. "The water flow shall be maintained continuously whenever the drill is in opera tion, including the period of collaring or starting the drill hole. The valve in the water line shall be of such design that it has only two fixed positions, namely, closed and completely open. Sbc months after date oi approval, all wet drills shall be equipped with a combination air throttle and water valve of such design that the required rate of water flow through the drill sled will be insured whenever the air throttle is In the operating positions, half speed as well as lull speed. 3. "The water shall be clean and bacteria free and shall be delivered to the drills under pressure from an adequate source of supply. Portable water tanks for individual drills shall not be used unless approved by the In dustrial Commissioner. "Wet drilling in Class II rock in confined areas shall be used with mechanical ventila tion, or in confined areas under decking by natural ventilation, if approved by the Indus trial Commissioner and subject to the fol lowing provisions: 1. "The rock surfaces for a distance of 30 feet from the heading or other drilling area shall be maintained in a damp condi tion. 2. "Hand-held drills (maximum piston bore, 3?) minimum rate of water flow through drill steel, 0.75 gallon per minute; maximum rate of air flow through drill steel at full speed, 2.0 cubic feet per min ute; maximum'rate of air flow through the drill steel at half-speed operation, 1.0 cubic foot per minute; minimum rate of genera? ventilation in the drilling area, 500 cubic feet per minute per drill and shall be in creased if found upon tests by the Industrial Commissioner that the dust concentration is not in accordance with the requirements of the Code. ** 3. "Drifter-mounted and wagon-mounted drills (maximum piston bore, 4*) minimum rate of general ventilation per drill in the drilling area, as shown in the table `Limita tions m Air and Water Flow Through Steel.* A. "In the case of positive-pressure ven tilation, the air must be well distributed over the drilling and must not create drafts 544 29tli National Safety Congress at the various drilling positions, in a man ner satisfactory to the Industrial Commis sioner. The intake for the ventilating sys tem must be located at a point free from contamination with dust or provided with an efficient filter. 5. "In the case of exhaust ventilation, the location of the intake pipe or pipes must be such as to insure the removal of air from the entire drilling area, in a maimer satis factory to the Industrial Commissioner. 6. `The required ventilation may be ob tained by means oi a recirculating air-clean ing apparatus provided the dust concentra tion in the air at the breathing zone of the drill operators is maintained at a level below that required in Rule 33-2.3 and the appa ratus otherwise acceptable to the Indus trial Commissioner. 7. "The above rates of ventilation shall he increased whenever necessary to reduce dust concentration to the amount permitted by Rule 33-Z3." Proper blasting practice.--Methods of controlling dust and fumes in mines by proper blasting practice have been deter mined hy members of the Bureau of Mines staff by observation and experiment.** * If at all feasible, blasting should be done at the end of the working shift or on an off shift, and the dust- and gas-laden air should be removed or thoroughly diluted before the men return to work. Ventilation is an es sential agency in cleansing the air where blasting has been done. Results of investi gations by the Bureau of Mines** show settling rate of dust after blasting tinder the following conditions: 1. The atmosphere was bratticed off for 3 hours while the dust samples were being taken. In this period, under these conditions, the dust concentration dropped from ap proximately 3,000 million particles per cubic foot to 50 million particles per cubic foot. 2. The atmosphere was bratticed off until 26 minutes after blasting when the'brattice was raised and natural ventilation (which was virtually negligible except for eddy currents was allowed to dilute the dust laden air. It required 2 hours and 20 min utes after blasting for the dust concentra tion to drop from approximately 5,000 mil lion particles per cubic foot to 50 million particles per cubic foot, and 2 hours and 50 minutes to drop to 15 million particles per cubic foot. 3. The atmosphere was bratticed off until 37 minutes after blasting, when the brattice was raised and 10-inch canvas tubing in stalled to about 50 feet from the face. At 46 minutes after blasting, about 1,000 cubic feet of air per minute was forced into the face. It required 66 minutes after blasting for the dust concentration to drop to 50 million particles per cubic foot, and 70 min utes to drop to 15 million particles per cubic foot. The accompanying table show's the time, in minutes, required for the dust concentra tion to drop from 825 million particles per cubic loot to 50 million and to 15. million panicles per cubic foot under (he three dif ferent conditions: Time, in minutes, to drop from 825,000.000 Ventilating particles per cubic foot Condition to-- No ventilation............. 121 1SI Natural 'ventilation. 105 Mechanical ventilation 20 135 24 In addition, the place (walls, Boor, roof or top, and timbers) should be wetted thoroughly before blasting is done, and a water blast should be used during and after the blasting. The region should be wetted thoroughly when the men return to the face region after blasting, and the muck pile should be kept well wetted at all times while it is loaded out, as the water not only lays the dust but also either absorbs or otherwise aids in diluting or eliminating harmful or poisonous gases that follow blasting and that usually cling to the blasted material. Tests* on the effectiveness of a spray of water mist in reducing the concentration oi dust in the air after blasting and during mucking of the blasted material were con ducted in three headings in medium hard to hard rock. The use of the spray apparently madf It possible to reduce the concentration of dust generated and thrown into the air during blasting more than 99 per cent from the amount present when the spray was not used. Dust dissemination during mucking of material sprayed several hours before mucking was begun was much less than during shoveling of material thoroughly sprinkled just before and during mucking; and, of course, the dust present after use of either the spray or the sprinkling method is Mining Section 545 tar lc^s than it the mucking had been done dry. In general, the larger the quantity of ex plosive used, the more finely divided the blasted material, the more heavily the air will be impregnated with dust and smoke, and the greater will be the quantity of poisonous gases left at the place; hence, methods should be used that will tend to reduce the quantity of explosives used and of gases and dust produced. In this con nection it will be found that the use of stemming or of some types of blasting plugs now available will confine more definitely the explosive, hence, increase its efficiency and reduce (he quantity of explosive used and also reduce the amount of poisonous gas produced and possibly reduce the vio lence of the blast and its tendency to raise dost and disseminate it into the surrounding air. It would be well for users of explosives to investigate types of explosives that arc known to give off minimum quantities of harmful gases on detonation and to use them; also, the discontinuance ot the use of fu*e and the substitution of electric blasting would aid in reducing the amount of poison ous .gases from blasting. Explosives that have been held in storage too long or that hare been stored under unfavorable condi tions as to moisture, temperature, etc., are likely to give off maximum quantities of harmful gases, it they detonate at all; Iwrncr. um>0'i care should be taken in the <tormg of explosives to see that they are not held too long before being used. Personal respirator protection. -- ThU method of rontrol of air dustiness is unsat isfactory in underground mining except for temporary u>c in emergencies. Although dust respirators give adequate protection against dust, they afford the wearer essen tially no protection against toxic or asphyx iating gases, and are too cumbersome and uncomfortable for constant wear. Tlie Bureau oi Mines has established a schedule of minimum requirements for mechanical respirators, one type of which is for protection against dust generated by dis integration as in drilling and blasting. About 30 respirators have been approved under this schedule. Physical evamuia/iou.--Although strictly speaking physical examination is not a dustcontrol measure, it is an important means of determining the efficacy of the methods em ployed to reduce the dust hazard. If work ers exposed to dust arc examined period ically increased incidence of respiratory disease can be discovered and measures taken to reduce the amount of dust in the air or remove any affected workers to a less hazardous environment. In South Africa all white applicants for underground work are examined and certi fied to be physically fit and free of any dis ease of the respiratory organs and then re-, examined every 6 months to determine and report all cases of simple silicosis, tubercu losis with silicosis, and simple tuberculosis that may have developed. In this way com parable records can be obtained for measur ing the degree of pneumoconiosis and the extent of impairment of working capacity among employees from \ear to year. Com parable record* will not be obtained unless periodic examination are conducted in a standardized way, preferably by a permanent medical board composed of physicians spe cially trained and having adequate experi ence in the diagnosis of pulmonary disease*. Summary 1. The principal pulmonary diseases to which (he miner is subject arc bronchitis, influenza and pneumonia, pulmonary tuber culosis, anthracorilicosis, and silicosis. 2. Statistics indicate that much higher morbidity and death rates from pulmonary diseases are experienced in dusty than In nondusty industries, especially where silica dust Is used or produced. 3. Investigations by the Public Health Service reveal that hard-coal miners suffer a high mortality rate from influenza and pneumonia not only during influenza epi demics but at other times as well. In 191523 and 1906-25 influenza and pneumonia were responsible for 40 per cent of the total deaths among hard-coal miners compared with 25 per cent among males at ages 15 to 65 who were engaged in pursuits other than coal mining. Six per cent of hard-coal miners had pulmonary tuberculosis com pared with 2 per cent in the adult male population of the United States. The rate for metal miners is still higher. 4. Anthracosilicosis was found in about 23 per cent of 2,711 employees of three anthracite raining companies studied hy the United States Public Health Service in 1933. 546 29th National Safety Congress About 63 per cent of those having anthracosUicosis sho-wed evidence of disability, compared with less than 10 per cent in the control group. Moderate and marked de grees of disability handicapped approxi mately 21 per cent of those with anthracosilicosis compared with less than 2 per cent of the men serving as controls. 5. The occupational groups in anthracite mining, arrayed by the Public Health Serv ice according to extent of physical impair ment, aTe (1) rock workers, (2) regular miners, (3) all others exposed to more than 100 million dust particles per cubic foot of air, and (4) men in haulageways except rode workers. 6. The principal pulmonary disease in metal mines is silicosis and the chief menace in silicosis is tubercle infection. Apparently silica dust alone increases the liability to pulmonary tuberculosis. Joint studies made by the Actuarial So ciety of America and the Association of Life Insurance Medical Directors9* revealed that there were 65 deaths where 6 were expected (about 11 times the expected number) from tuberculosis in 1925-1936 among a group of underground miners, most of whom were employed in metal mines. Tuberculosis deaths were fourteen times the expected among copper miners, nine times the ex pected among gold and silver miners, and eight and a half limes the expected among iron miners. In an earlier study9* covering the years 1915-1926, there were 18 times as many deaths as expected among lead and zinc miners. 7. As dust is the greatest contributor to the excessive mortality from pulmonary diseases in the mining industry, the prin cipal method of preventing these diseases is to eliminate as far as possible or reduce to harmless concentrations the dust in the breathing zone of the worker. cosis when the quartz content of the dust is less than 5 per cent; when the silica con tent is about 13 per cent 10 to 15 million particles ap|>ears to be a safe limit. 10. The amount of harmful dust created by various activities in mining can be de termined by sampling the atmosphere in their vicinity and counting and identifying the dust particles. Sampling of air is also a means of checking the efficiency of dust con trol measures. 11. The impinger is the dust-sampling in strument used most frequently in the United States. 12. The dustiest operations in mining arc* dry drilling, blasting of dry rock or ore, shoveling or mucking, loading and haulage, and machine coal cutting. 13. The principal measures for controlling rhe til effects of dust in mining operations are ventilation, wet methods, proper blast ing practice, the use of personal respiratory' protection, and physical examination of workers. 14. The efficiency of these measures in the reduction of the incidence of dust diseases is attested by the experience in the mines of South Africa where among the whole body of miners the liability to contract silicosis in 1936-37 was less by 65 per cent than it was in 1920-33. Among the *new Rand miner*" who entered the industry by way ot initial examination since 1916 and who have been exposed solely to the progressively improv ing occupational conditions that Itavc ob tained since that date, the liability to con tract silicosis was less by 87 per cun than the similar liability among all miners work ing for an equal period in 1920-23. Thew "new Rand miners" constituted 77 per cent of all working miners examined. 8. The aim should be to eliminate the dust entirely from the air breathed. Where this is not always feasible it nuy be possible to reduce the dust to a concentration (hat will not cause disability during a working life time. 9. Analysis of data collected by the Pub lic Health Service to determine safe limits of dust exposure indicate that employment in an atmosphere containing less than 50 million dust particles per cubic foot pro ducer a negligible number of cases of sili Conclusion The mortality and morbldi'y from pul monary diseases are excessive in the mininir industry* as a result of exposure to large amounts of dust in the air breathed. There fore, control of the dust hazard is necessary to prevent these diseases. No single measure of control is applicable to all dusty opera tions and processes, therefore, all the means of prevention must be practiced to insure success in the solution of the problem. Mining Section 54/ REFERENCES 1. Colli*. E4c2r L Occupational Dtut Diriiicc BulL Hjrxicoe. vot. 6, 1931, pp. 663*670. 2. CoI lii. The General and Occupational Preva lence of Bronchitis, and its Relation to Other Respiratory Diseases: Jour. Indust. Hygiene, rol5. 1973-24. pp. 264-276. 3. CnJli.v The Mortality Experience of in Oc cupational Group Exposed to Silica Dust, Com pared with that of the General Population and as Occupation*! Group Exposed to Dust Not Cootaining Silica:' Jour. Indust. Hygiene, voL IS. 193}, pp. 395-417. 4. Brundage, Dean K. Mortality of Coat Miners: Cniied State* puttie Health Bull. 210. 1933, 17 pp. 5. Office of Industrial Hygiene and Sanitation. The Health of Workers in Dusty Trades. Ill Expoure to Dos* in Coal Mining: United States Public Health BulL 208. 1933. p. 10. 6. Sayers. R. R. Meriwether, F. V., Lanza. A. J.. and Adams, \V. W. Silicons and Tuberculosis Amonr Miners of the Tri-State District of Okla homa, Kansas and Missouri--J, for the Year Ended June 30. 1928: Boxcan of Mines Tech. Paper $4$. 1933. 30 pp. 7. Dublin, Loon I. Tb Mortality of Bituminous Coal Miner* from Ingoeoxa-Pneumonia. October to December. tflS: Jour. Induat. Hygiene, rot f. 1919-20- p. *9i. K. Colit-. Edgar t_ The Coal Miner: His Health, IliKtaes and General Welfare: Jour. In<1ut. Hygiene. *aL 7. 1923, pp. 221-243. 9. Sen, PrafuJla Komar. Pneumoconiosis in Pouth Wales Cal Miner* and Its Relation to TubcrculoMt: Jotar. ladtm. Hygiene, rol. |9, 1937, Hi. 225-257. 10. t>ffice of Industrial Hygiene and Sanitation. Amhraco-SiUcoria Anoag Hard Coal Miners; United Scare* PaVic Wraith BttU. 221, 1935, 114 IT1|. lann. A J.. and Htcxms. Edwin. Pul monary Difeair Ai im; Miners in the Joplin HiMnct. Missouri and Its Relation to Rock Dust in be Mines; Bureau of Mines Tech. Paper 105, 191S. 48 pp. 12 Himaitoo. !>.. and laim. A. J. Miners* Conatun|*tion in the Mine* of Butic. Montana: Bureau of Mine* Tech. {*ai<r 260. 1921. 19 pp. 13. RobeeUv John. Sdicosis; A Review U GtTtO of Souk Recent Researches on the Cause of the Disease: Colliery Guardian. coL 147. 1938, pp. 290.292. 14. Lama* A. J. (Editor). Silicon* and Asbotori*: Oxford University Pres*. 1938, 4J9 pp. 15. Coflis Edaar L The Statistical Cliarac(eristics of Dust Phthtws (Pulmonary Silicosis): Jour, Indus*. Hnnesur. nt 8. 1926. pp. 4S7-465 16. Hijrjno*. Luu*. A- J.. I-ancy, F. B,, anti Hicc, G. S. SilKcoo* Dust io Relation to Pul- nonary Disease Aston* Miner* >" the Joplin Dis trict, Missouri: Bureau of Mines Butt 132, 1917. 116 pp. 17. Lann, A. J.. and Childs, Samuel B. 1. Miners' Ctmsurnptiow: A Study of the Disease Anion* Zinc Miners in Southwestern Missouri, II. Koentgen-Ray Finding* in Miners' Consump tion: United States Public Health Bull, 65, 1917, 40 ,,p. JH. Meriwether. F. V., Sayers, R. K,, and l^nra. a. j. Silicosis and Tuberculosis Among Miners of the Tri-State District of Oklahoma, Kansas, and Missouri. K. For the Year Ended June 30. 1929: Bureau of Mines Tech- Paper 552. 1933. 28 pp. 19. Kettle, E, H. Experimental Silicouv Jour. Indust. Hygiene, vot. 8, 1926. P. 40]. 20. Lanxa. A. J., and Vase, It J. industrial Dust* and the Mortality from Pobsoniry Dis ease: Am. Rev. Tuberc., roL 39. 1939, pp. 419-436. 2). Cummings, Donald E., Downs. Robert N-. and Berg, Melvin. Tuberculous Lesion* in Male Industrial Workers; Am. Rev, Toborc-. vul. 39.. 1939, pp. 439-455. 22. Union of South Africa. Report Upon the Work of the Miners' Phthisis Medical Bureau for the Three Years Ended 31st July. 1935: Pub lished by the Government Printer, Pretoria, S. A.. 1936. 76 pik 23. The South African Mining and Engineering Journal. The Incidence of Silicosis: A statistical Examination of the Position--Progressive and Noteworthy Reduction--Mining Industry's Initia tive in Investigating the Dust Problem: Yol, 49, 1918. p. 717. 2-t, Bloomfield. J. J.. and DaUaValtr, J. M, The ' lleicrrsmation and Control of Industrial Dust: United State* Public Health BulL 217, 1935, 167 PP25. Brown, Carlton E, and Schrenk, H. H. A Tcchoi^ue lor Use of the Impinger Method: Bu reau of Mine* lof. Circ. 7026. 1938. 20 pp. Schrenk, H. H.. and Fcicht. Florence L Bu reau of Mines Midget Impinger: Bureau of Mine* Inf. Circ. 7076. 1939, 7 pp. Foster. Wilder P., and Schrenk. H. If. IVtrographic Intimtification of Atmospheric Dum Partieies: Bureau of Mines Kept, of InveMtitatiou33GF, 1933, 10 pp. 26. Hnnkcr. Philip, and Hatch. Theodore: In dustrial Dust, 1936, 316 pp. 27. South African Muting and Engineering Jour nal. .Minrr' lTithi and Working Condition*-: Vol. -9. 1938, pp. 521-523. 29. S.A.M.E. Journal. Future of the Miner-* l*hthili Problem: Vol. 49. 1938, p. 13. ^9. Harrington, 1>. Formation, Collection, and Treatment of Coal Dust in Mines: Bureau of .Mines Inf. Circ. 7089, 1939, 11 pp. 30. Davies, A. L. Airborne Goal Dust: Abate ment of xhe Nuisance in Intensive Conveyor Min ing: Coll. Guard-, vol. 153, 1936, pp. 755-758. 31. Harrington, D. Mine Ventilation: Bureau of Mines Inf. Circ. 7047, 1939, 16 pp. 12, Brown, Carlton E-, and Schrenk. 11. H. Relation o! Dust Dissemination to Water FlowThrough Kock Drills: Bureau of1 Mine* Rcju. nf Investigations 3393, 193S, 6 pp. 33. Johnson. John A., and Amor. Wing G. Dust Produced by Drilling When Water i*Sprayed on the Outside of the Drill Steel: Bureau of Mines Kept, of Investigations 3476, 1939, 6 pi* 34, Industrial Bulletin. Standard* for the Test ing of "Wet" Drilling Equipment and **Wet Meth ods" of Dust Control: New York State Dept, of Uibor, vol 17. 1938, pp. 63-64. 348 29th National Safety Congress 35. Brown. Carlton 1L and Scbrenk. H. H. Control of Dust From Biasdnf by a Spray of Water Mist; Bureau of Mines Kept, of Inventix*. non* 33R8, 1938. 13 pp. Jhn C;V* A*ncw' W"S G.. and Mosier, McHenry. Sterommf in Metal Mines. I rogres* Report J: Bureau of Mines Rik. of InvestiKMtioiif- J309, 1940. 1? pp. ADJOURNMENT Paper and Pulp Section Officers 1939-1940 itaural Chmrman--1>. B. Chant, Ontario Pulp & Paper Makers' Safety Assn., Toronto, One, Canada Vur'CMeirma* in Charge of Membership--Clayton O. Braatz, Marathon Paper Mills. Ok. Rothschild, Wis. Secretary and Program Committee Chairman--C. O. Holmes, Minnesota & Ontario Paper Co,, Minneapolis, Minn. .Witt Letter Editor--D. A. McAlarv, Fraser Companies, Ltd., Madawaska, Maine. Contest Committee--A. Scott Dowo (Chairman), Fritz Publications, Inc., Chicago, III. B. L). Rogers, Bird & Son, Incx, East Walpole, Mass. F. H. Rosebush, Nekoosa-Edwards Paper Co., Port Edwards, Wis. Data Sheet Committee--R. G. McGivney (Chairman), Oswego Falls Corp., Fulton, X. V. J. J. Hastings, Port Huron Sulphite & Paper Co., Port Huron, Mich. D. T. Meaxy, Xew Brunswick International Paper Co., Dalhousic, X. B., Canada. James \V. Towsea*. West Virginia Pulp Sc Paper Ca, Xew York, N. Y. Engineering-Safe Practices Committee--Arthur Murray (Chairman), Container Corp. of America. Chicago, III M. W. Duxoore, Beloit Iron Works, Beloit, Wis. Francis T. Rooney, George Banta Publishing Co., Menasha, Wis. G. R. Vauchan-Evaks. Anglo-Newfoundland Development Co,, Ltd., Grand Kail*. XcHioondlani Health Committee Chairman--.Dr. Louts H. Frechtunc. Champion Paper & Fibre Co., Hamilton. Ohio. Statistics Commsistee Chairman^-Fred W. Braun. Employers Mutuals, Wausau, Wis. Publicity Committee--Walter E. Strong (Chairman), Menasha Products -Div., Marathon Paper Mills Co.. Menasha, Wis. A. S. Cook, Quebec Pulp & Paper Safety Assn., Quebec, Canada. M. L. Marmo. 401 Pittock Block, Portland, Ore. Roland \V. Richardson, The Gardner"Richardson Co., Lackland, Ohio. Safety Instruction Card Committee--R. W. Croucher (Chairman), Minnesota & Ontario Paper Co_ International Falls, Minn. Ernest Augustus, The Mead Corp., Cfailticothc, Ohio. G. J. Bienvcnu, Gaylord Container Corp., Bo^altua, La. S. H. Brown, Union Bag Sc Paper Corp., New York, X. Y. H. P. Heubner, The Flintkote Co., New York, X. Y. Arthur E. Winslow, Hollingsworth & Whitney Co., Waterville, Me. Visual Education Committee--Juuus A. Draper (Chairman), Consolidated Paper Corp.. Ltd., Grand 'Mere, P. Q., Canada. lkix E. McDowtu., Kalamazoo Vegetable Parclimcnt Co., Parchment, Kalamazoo County, Micb. b. S. G.muick, Hummel & Downing Co., Milwaukee, W'is. J. R. Latter, Anglo-Canadian Pulp & Paper Mills, Ltd., Quebec. Canada. L R. Simpson, The Brown Paper Mill Co., Inc., Monroe, La. K. G. Urfer. Hawley Pulp & Paper Co., Oregon City, Ore. Past General Chairmen-- George ). Adams, International Paper Co., Glens Fails, N. Y. Robert M. Altman. Marathon Paper Mills Co., Rothschild, Wis. Kenneth L FaisT, The Champion Paper & Fibre Co.. Hamilton, Ohio. 549 550 29th National Safety Congress Walter A. Gleason, Hammcrinill Paper Co., Erie, Pa. E. E. Grant, The Crystal Tissue Co., Middletown, Ohio. M. G. Hovman, Kimberly-Clark Corp., Neenah, Wis. G. W. Philups, The Champion Paper & Fibre Co., Canton, N. C. .1. J. Pi.zak, Consolidated Water Power & Paper Co., Wisconsin Rapids, Wi*. Samuel Pruyn, Finch, Pruyn & Co., Inc., Glens Falls, N. Y. S. F. Shattuck, Kimberly-Clark Corp., Nccnah, Wis. Georce E. Williamson, Strathmore Paper Co., West Springfield, Ma.w. Officers 1940-1941 General Chairman--D. B. Chant, Ontario Pulp & Paper Makers' Safety Assn., Toronto, Ont., Canada. I'lcr-Chairman in Charge of Membership--Clayton O. Braatz. Marathon Paper Mills Co., Rothschild. Wis. Secretary, and Program Committee Chairman--Roland W. Richardson. The GardnerRichardson Co., Lockland, Ohio. -VcZi's Letter Editor--J. F. Berry, Alton Box Board Co., Alton, III. Contest Committee--A. Scott Dowd (Chairman), Fritz Publications. Inc, Chicago. III. R. D, Rocm, Bird & Son, Inc, Hast Walpole, Mass. F. H. Rosebush, Nckoosa-Edwards Paper Co., Port Eduards, Wis. Patti Sheet Committee--R. G. McGivney (Chairman), Oswego Falls Corp., Fulton, X. Y. P. C Browx, Strathmore Paper Co., West Springfield, Mass. .1. J. Hastings, Port Huron Sulphite & Paper Co., Port Huron, Mich. D. T. Mlany, New Brunswick International Paper Co., Dalhousie. X. B.. Canada. B. J. McCi.osky, Hoberg Paper Mills, Green Bay, Wis. W, B. Pi-Acr, Kieckhefer Container Co., Delair, X. J. James W. Towsen. West Virginia Pulp & Paper Co., New York, X. Y. htumccring-Safe Practices Committee--Julius A. Draper (Chairman), Consolidated Paper Corp.. Ltd., Grand'Mere, P. Q., Canada. M. W. Dundore, Beloit Iron Works. Beloit, Wis. J ames J. Hanks. American Paper & Pulp Assn., New York, N. Y. C. O. Hoiaier, Minnesota & Ontario Paper Co., Minneapolis, Minn. IX A. McAlary, Fraser Companies. Ltd., Edmundston, N. B., Canada. E. A. Page, Kimberly-Clark Corp., Xeenah, Wis. C. R. Vaughan-Evans, Anglo-Xcwfoundland Development Co.. Ltd., Grand Falls. X ewioundland. Health Committee Chairman--Dr. Lours H. Frechtling, Champion Paper & Fibre Co., Hamilton. Ohio. Statistics Committee Chairman--Fred W. Braun, Employers Mutuals, Wausau, Wis. Publicity Committee--Walter E. Strong (Chairman), Mcna.ha Products Div., Marathon Paper Mills Co., Menaslia. Wis. R. P. Almour. Fibreboard Products, Inc., Los Angeles, Calif. J. C. Fitzgerald, Bowater's Newfoundland Pulp & Paper, Ltd.. Corner Brook, New foundland. O. R. Hartwig, Crown Zellerbach Corp., Portland, Ore- Safety Instruction Card Committee--R. W. CrouckEr (Chairman), Minnesota & Ontario Paper Co.. International Falls, Minn. Ernest Augustus. The Mead Corp., Cbillicothc, Ohio. G. J. Bienvexu. Gaylord Container Corp., Bogalusa, I_a. H. P. Heubner, The Flintkotc Co., New York, N. Y. John M. Lavin, St. Croix Paper Co., Woodland, Maine, C. J. Munk, Racquette River Paper Co., Potsdam, N. Y. Arthur E. Winslow, Hollingsworth & Whitney Co., Waterville. Maine. Paper end Pulp Section 551 Visual Education Committee--L. R. Simpson (Chairman), The Brown Paper Mill Co., Inc., Monroe, La A. S. Coox, Quebec Pulp & Paper Safety Assn., Quebec, Canada. D. S. Gauo, Hummel & Downing Co., Milwaukee, Wis. J. W. Kueblex, Dixie-Vortex Co., Easton, Pa. J. R. Latter, Anglo-Canadian Pulp & Paper Mills, Ltd., Quebec, Canada. Don EL McDowell, Kalamazoo Vegetable Parchment Co., Parchment, Kalamazoo County, Mich. B. L. Wood, American Coating Mills, Inc., Elkhart, Ind. Past Ceneral Chairmen-- Georcc j. Adams, International Paper Co., Glens Falls, N. Y. Robert M. Altman, Marathon Paper Mills Co., Rothschild, Wis. Kenneth L. Fajst, The Champion Paper & Fibre Co., Hamilton, Ohio. Walter A. Gleason, Hammermill Paper Co., Erie, Pa. E. E. Grant. The Crystal Tissue Co., Middletown, Ohio. M. G. Hoyuan, Kimberly-Clark Corp.. Neenah, Wis. G. W. Phiijjis, The Champion Paper & Fibre Co., Canton, N. C. J. J. Plzak, Consolidated Water Power & Paper Co, Wisconsin Rapids, Wis. Samuel Pruyn, Finch, Pruyn & Co., Inc., Glens Falls, N. Y. S. F. Shattuck, Kimberly-Clark Corp., Nccnah, Wis. George E. Williamson, Strathmore Paper Co., West Springfield, Masv MONDAY AFTERNOON SESSION October 7, 19-10 The opening session of the Paper and Pulp Section convened with General Chair man IX B. Chant. Ontario Pulp & Paper Makers* Safety Association, Toronto. On tario, Canada, presiding. CHAIRMAN CHANT: We arc very glad to see so many here at this first ses sion. We have an old custom which we liave followed for a number of years: that is, for each person attending this first session of our Congress to rise in turn and intro duce himself, naming his company affilia tion. Let us again follow the custom this year. (The members arose individually and in troduced themselves.) CHAIRMAN CHANT: As your General Chairman. I look back over the past year with mingled feelings of satisfaction and re gret : satisfaction because of progress made, and regret over lost opportunities and fail ure to accomplish some of the things we had hoped we might achieve. The year has not been a norma] one, either in oar industry or the economic life of North America, There is no need for me to detail to you the disturbing elements which have made themselves felt with grow ing force as the flames of war rose higher and higher with each month since the At lantic City Courtcss. No doubt the months ahead will also bring many surprises and many new and difficult problems to each of us. To me, however, there is something par ticularly encouraging in the way the work of the National Safety Council has been steadily pushed forward during these evil days. With so much of the world's area seemingly abandoned to the forces of de struction and violence, the knowledge that here In America thousands of men and women are voluntarily giving unselfishly of their time and efforts for the betterment of human welfare, safety and health, must con stitute a sure guarantee that those great democratic Ideals of liberty and justice, to which your nation and mine are dedicated, shall forever prevail, and, come what may. that "government of the people, by the peo ple, and for-the people shall not perish from the earth." 552 29th National Safety Congress (The General Chairman then briefly re viewed the activities of the standing com mittees of the Section during the year, and gave to each Committee Chairman some words of praise for his efforts and encour agement for the future. In closing, he said further) . As to what the immediate future holds for us, I would not venture to prophesy. I do feci most strongly, however, that whatever problems may confront us as a Section, as an industry' or in the national or inter national sense, wc need have no fear of the eventual outcome of the struggle between free democracy and the evil forces now at tempting to destroy it, as long as our lib erties are defended by men and women in whose hearts the pure flame of self-sacrifice and service to humanity still dwells. The same spirit of mutual assistance, which has in the past enabled us to meet the problems of our Section with marked success, will make it possible for us to deal effectively with the larger and more vital questions t national defense and ensure to us that peace and security which we all so earnestly de sire. The first item on our program consists of two papers on the "Safe Handling oi Ma terials." I will first introduce to you Mr. ) A. Long, of the Bay West Paper Com pany. Green Bay, Wis. ' Safe Handling of Unit Materials By J. A. LONG Superintendent, Bay West Paper Company, Green Bay, Wia. No doubt, the reason 1 was selected to The safe handling of materials is taken into discuss this subject Is because of the safety 1 consideration with these production require record established at Bay West Paper Com ments. Many converters like the Bay Wc*c pany. A record of 39 months without a Paper Company, operate in rented buildings lost time accident has been made by our and there isn't always sufficient space for employees. We are very proud of them for the safe handling of each material. it. 2. Large mills think very little oi pur Jt is necessary that a brief comparison of chasing proper and expensive equipment a small convening plant like ours be made with which to handle their materials. Smalt with the larger mill which, I assume, most plants can seldom afford to buy expensive of you represent. material handling equipment to install in a While we are owned by a large mill, the rented building which usually is not laid out Msince Paper Mills Company, our opera properly fbr such an installation. tions arc entirely separate and different We are converters, and deal only In finished paper. Oar paper is trucked from Mostnee (100 miles) to our Green Bay plant in rolls --it is unloaded and stored on our floor for a few days before it is run through the con verting machines into Mosinec towels, after which it is cither shipped or stored as a fin ished product. 3. Another comparison is that of labor ex perience--the large mills usually have cer tain men trained to handle each material. The stockroom men in the converter's plant must know* the safe method of handling all materials involved. They must know how to handle safely rolls of paper in various sizes and weights, how to pile finished cases in freight cars and warehouses, how to store The process sounds very simple and yet bundles of cartons knocked down, how to we have had our struggle trying to cope handle bales of broke (waste), how to move with accidents. like any other mill. The heavy- machinery--yes, in some instances small mill or converting plant is uot ade they are expected to be machine operators quately equipped as a rule to handle ma as well. terials as compared to the large mills. In my opinion, there are three basic reasons for this: 1. Large mills construct their buildings, to best meet their production requirements. Fortunately, our mil! is constructed fairly well for our operations and during the past few years we have done a lot to make work easier and safer for oar employees--and we have found the exper ience profitable as wdf. Paper and Pulp Section 553 However, there is right and wrong equip ment as well as right and wrong methods in handling unit materials of any kind and that is mv point--the right equipment for the job. For example, about seven years ago our men used planks to triple deck rolls 40 inches long, 33 inches in diameter, and weighing from 500 to 600 pounds. It took four men to triple deck each of these rolls and the method was slow and also unsafe. Many strains developed from this daily practice. To remedy this situation, we purchased an electric lister at a cost of only $520 which does the job with the help of two men in Ivalf the time. Let me call your attention again to the fact that oar mill is small. We have to be sure that equipment of this kind isn't too large or bulky tor our needs, which would discourage its use- by our employees. The platform, with turned down edges, lowers to within one inch of the floor so that stock can be easily rolled onto it in front or from cither side directly from the floor surface. A few years ago one of our men experi enced a hernia when he tried to tip a roll onto a two wheel truck. This roll, because of its 33-inch diameter and 40-inch height and weight of 600 pounds, is hard to tip by a rather small man. This experience taught us to use the lifter for loading these rolls onto two wheel trucks. Now the only time this particular material has to be tipped is when it is unloaded from our Mosinee trucks. After the roll has been placed on the plat form and blocked, it is easily elevated to the proper height and rolled onto the pile. It is also an tan process to remove a roll from the pile with the aid of the lifter, although the process is much slower than placing a roll on the pile. We do not use the lifter for removing these rolls from the stock pile, because of insufficient floor space in which to operate. Therefore, it is necessary that we lower them by removing the blocking. This was a dangerous process and it called tor real employee and employer cooperation to remove the harani First let us explain what happens when these rolls are lowered without proper blocking. It* the second roll from the from of the pile has not been properly blocked, and the roll hauler knocks out the block from the front roll, immediately the rolls m the sec ond and third tiers force the bottom rolls out and all the six rolls are soon out of the roll hauler's control. He is forced to leap for a safe spot allowing the rolls to go at will. Wc experienced difficulty with six rolls coming down unexpectedly from time to time for quite a few years. Even though it was an infraction of a safety rule not to check the blocking on the second roll, the unsafe practice continued. There were many strained knees, injured legs and considerable loss in damaged paper, before the "positive visible block" was developed. Rolls that arc triple decked (nested or cradled) can very easily* be removed safely from the pile, one at a time. However, this can only be done safely when the second roll from the front of the pile is securely blocked. When this is done the roll hauler hxs complete control of the three rolls being removed. Let us follow the procedure of removing a roll from the pile. First the second roll from the front on the floor is blockcii. then the roll hauler stands directly in front of the first roll and keeps it from rollmg with one hand, while be knocks the block out with an iron bar used m the ocher hand. He then allows the first roll to roll out slowly in a clockwise direction. This movement causes the second tier roll to tom in a counter clockwise direction until it comes to rest on the floor immediately back of the first roll. The roll in the third tier follows down and stops in the second tier. From there it is lowered to the floor by the same method described above. We use a block which is nothing more than a regular wedge-shaped hard wood block about 7J4 Inches long with a *4-mch iron rod running through its length with a washer and cotter pin to keep the block in place. The other end of the rod is bent at at right angle and is welded to an Iron 14inch pipe 14 inches long. Into the end of this pipe, a }S-in<h iron rod or pipe is inserted, on the end of which is attached a six-inch spring. The other end of the spring is pinned firmly to the lower part of the pipe which pulls the rod down into the pipe until the handle brings it to a stop. In order to keep the block in a fixed position while it is be ing handled, the rod going into the pipe has a $-inch slot and a pin is then installed through the pipe and the rod. 354 29th National Safety Congress The handle of the blocking device is a }4-mch iron rod welded horizontally across the top end of the spring rod. The outside end is bent downward to form a hand grip while the opposite end is also bent slightly downward with a sharpened point. This is the inside end of (lie handle, and it is in* **crted into the core after the block has been placed under the roll and the tension placed on the spring. If the roll should move slightly the block will be pulled all the more firmly into place. However, the greatest feature of this blocking device is the fact that it is always visible. A safety rule pro hibits the lowering of these rolls without first having this block In place. beginning a few years ago, our operations demanded the handling of much larger rolls than those already described. These rolls, 66 inches long, 33 inches in diameter, and weighing approximately 1,000 pounds, soon had us searching for a truck with which we could move them about our mill easily and safely. Several truck manufacturers sent us trucks on trial. Most of them were too large and bulk)' for our little plant. The trial operation of one of them nearly caused a serious accident. Finally, wc decided to visit some of our neighboring mills to sec if we could find the answer to our problem. We were happy to find a truck which is equipped with a special tipping rod with a hand grip on one end and a curved metal plate to fit the contour of the roll on the other end. The operator first works the shoe of the truck under the roll, and then tips the roll onto the truck with the aid of the putl-rod which is ex tended over the far side of the roll, thus giving more leverage to the pull than when pulled from the core or center of the roll. The turned down handles make it easier for the operator to handle it with his hands in a natural position away from the roll. These handles also serve as an extension so that the operator has better visibility over the roll when moving forward. The third or rear ballbearing wheel, because of its central location, allows the operator a nat ural walk which is essential in the safe op eration of this type of track. All the wheels are large enough to assure easy handling. CHAIRMAN CHANT: In the absence of Mr. J. F. Robertson, of the Crown Will amette Paper Company, Camas. Washing ton, I am going to ask Mr. John Roche, of the National Safety Council Staff to read the paper prepared by Mr. Robertson. Mr. Roche complied. Safe Handling of Bulk Materials By J. F. ROBERTSON Personnel Director, Crown Willamette Paper Co., Cinn, W*h. -The responsibility of the management of a mill rests heavily on a few individuals. The success of a safety program depends on the interest taken by employees in the duties assigned to them by the foremen and sub-foremen. Let us call it planning your time and timing your plans. In other words, you run the job, don't let the job run'you. Every supervisor, foreman or sub-fore man mast have a plan for his own day's activities and must have a plan for the work of each of his men. If we allow the emergency of the hour to determine our course of action, we cannot hope tp accom plish definite results on schedule. Very often a foreman has occasion to send a man to the storeroom for suplies such as bolts, rope, wire or belting. Be sure the measurements taken or the quantity re quired is correct and avoid waste. However, the big item of waste In almost any organ ization is time lost by lack of supervisory planning. The safe handling of butk materials un doubtedly presents many problems which are the direct responsibility of the foremen in the proper planning of work. Tn a num ber of plants a lot of our raw materials arc received in such a manner as to require considerable manual labor. It becomes nec essary to carry out a well thought-out plan Paper and Pulp Section of job training, for unless this is done, it is practically impossible to avoid accidents by the installation of guards. Let us concentrate for a short time on the handling and delivering of materials such as hog fuel, lime rock, saltcakc and sulphur. 1 believe that the handling of hog fuel from the tunc U is first received at the mil) up to the time it is used can present more problems than any of the others men tioned. In a great many instances this fuel is received by barge and cannot always be obtained in a regular supply so that it may be used without a considerable amount being stored either on outside storage piles or in fuel houses. It is quite generally recognized that work on piles or in a storage house is hazardous. Perhaps we should start with the un loading from the barge. This requires cer tain work to be done on or around barges. It should be tlx practice never to allow the operators to perform these duties alone; in ail cases when work is being done on a barge, it should be a rule that the individual be required to wear at all times, a life pre server of a type that U in no way a htnderance or cumbersome. From the barge the fuel is generally un loaded to a bunker from which it is carried to tbe storage pile, storage house or power plant by belt conveyors- Fuel from the bunkers is carried on an overhead belt conveyor and is removed from this con veyor with shear boards, after which it must be distributed over the pile. There are various methods of doing this but I believe the more general practice is with the use of a caterpiller. Few hazards exist here if the operator is experienced with his equipment and uses it as it is intended to be used. A caterpiller for a hog fuel pile operat ing at times under the conveyor sltouid be equipped with a substantial cab to protect him from anything that might fall from the conveyor above. The conveyor should also be provided with safety board* along each side and only the short section removed where the fuel is being raked from the con veyor to the pile. If this is done, there is slight possibility of accidents occurring at this place. It has been found advisable, though, to see that at all times when such an operation is carried on at night the pile should be encircled by lights strung on poles that can readily be stuck in (he pile around the edge and changed at any time by the man on the job. Now let us assume that the fuel is to be delivered directly to the power plant after some has been delivered to the pile. All safety boards alongside the conveyor over the pile should be in place to prevent any thing from falling from the belt. Fuel to be stored in the house is handled in a man ner very similar to the pile. However, sometimes it becomes necessary to supply your power plant with fuel from the storage house due to interruptions in fuel delivery' from the source of supply. The storage house operator may be in clined to enter the house to dig a little fuel without taking the necessary' precau tions of going overhead to put his safety' boards along the side of the conveyor. As a means of overcoming this, we have found it advisable to equip our storage house with an entrance gate, making it necessary for the operator to raise this gate before he enters the house. Connected with this are hinged boards running parallel to the overhead con veyor that .are automatically dropped into place at all times when the house is en tered. This, along with the insistence that at no time is an operator allowed to work in the storage house alone, has practically eliminated any possible chance of an acci dent occurring in this location. Needless to say it is important that the driving mechanism of the conveyor be prop erly guarded. If necessary to cross a con veyor proper, special places and means should be provided. One of the outstanding dangers is that men are tempted to clean off material that sticks to drums or pulleys while the conveyor is in motion. Fixed scrapers or brushes should be provided so it will not be necessary to perform this oper ation by hand. Guards placed directly in front of the belt nips are advisable and the rollers under the belt should never be placed so near a bracket holding shear boards that it is possible for any object to pass through. Switches are another important part of a conveyor system. The fewer starting switches the better, but an emergency stop switch should always be provided that may be readily reached. One of the best methods is a cable along the entire length of the conveyor that may even be reached by an employee should he in some manner be caught in it. 556 Z9th National Safety Congress Only workers who are thoroughly acquainted with the dangers involved should be allowed to work on conveyors. New cmployees should be thoroughly instructed by the foremen as to the correct methods of operation. In spite of all safeguards which may be installed, accidents will occur un- (ess workmen are constantly instructed and warned about the dangers that exist. New men sltould never be permitted to work around equipment merely after being instructed. They should always work under the supervision of an experienced worker until such time as they become aware of the existing hazards. General Discussion CHAIRMAN CHANT; Now wc have an opportunity for discussion of the two papers just presented. Air. Long, there are one or two questions that 1 would like to ask you. You referred to your drawing of prizes or sweepstakes. I would like to ask you if you have these prize drawings monthly? MR. LONG: That's righL We have prize drawings each month on the anniversary* of the last lost-time accident, and it is a kind of reminder. Wc build up the cash award by starting out with fifty cents: that is, after there has been an accident, tlie follow ing month the award is fifty cents, the next month it is a dollar, the month following that it is a dollar-and-a-half. so that it takes them a long time to build it up to ten dol lars. a period of twenty months. While this amount is small, it could easily be worked out in larger mills by departments. Wc have found it very successful in our plant. This, of course, goes on indefinitely until there has been a lost-time accident. On the eleventh of this month, which is this week, we will have gone (let me knock on wood) forty months without a lost-time accident. CHAIRMAN CHANT: How many men de you have in your plant? MR. LONG: There are about fifty work er> in our organization. CHAIRMAN CHANT: Do you include the foremen in the prize drawing? Are their names put in with the others? MR LONG: Yes, they arc. HOLLAND \V. RICHARDSON (Gardner-Rtchardson Co., Lockland, O.): Mr. Long, do )Ou have any trouble with men having their hands injured when using a two-wheel truck? Have you made any kind or provision whereby their hands arc pro tected? MR. LONG: No, we have not had that experience. We usually have our aisles wide enough to operate in. We use this three- wliecl truck mostly for unloading rolls of paper. It is not very good, for example, if you have to take your rolls out of the pile, then take them to the hackstands of a winder, and then let them down. You see, there is no way of lowering that roll unless you have a chain hoist. So we use that truck mostly for unloading, taking the rolls from the truck and standing them on end in the stock pile. ERNEST AUGUSTUS (The Mean Cor poration, Chillicothe, O.): T have never heard of .this particular type of three-whetl truck and T am quite interested in it. Why not have something printed about it in the Safety Exchange section of the National Safety XcwsT AfR. LONG: I shall be glad to give them any information they would like to have. \V. A. GLEASON (HammermiU Paper Co.. Erie, O.): Perhaps Mr. Long will tell us how he gets the rolls down from storage? MR. LONG; Well, we take those rolls and tip them over with the regular type 01 heavy two-wheel truck, and then wc bring them over to the hackstand and put them in die hackstands with a hoist. LYLE PARMENTER (Kimberly Clark Corp.. Neexiah, Wis.): I didn't notice any foot hrakc on the wheels on an ordinary two-wheel truck. I have seen accidents hap pen while you are tipping a roll over onto uch a truck without a foot brake on it. MR. LONG: You mean the ordinary twowheel truck? Oh, yes, wc have foot brakes on all of those. MR. PARMENTER: It is always pos sible to block the two front wheels. MR. LONG: Yes, they do that W. j. COWLES (Commonwealth Edison Company); I am not familiar with the han dling of paper, but did I understand you to say that as regards these extra long rolls your operator stands up on top and tilts those over? Paper and Pulp Section 557 MR. LONG; They stick a bar in as you 5zw in one of the pictures that T showed you. MR. COWLES: Is tfiere any danger of lliat bottom slipping out and the top coming over and hitting the operator while he is going through that operation? MR. LONG: There is very little danger because there is a shoe that goes underneath the roll. CHAIRMAN CHANT: Has anyone any particular problem which has been causing accidents in the handling of unit materials? MR GLEASON: In connection with the Occupational Disease Act, the unloading of bulk sulphur from the box car to the wheel barrow, wheeling it out, do you have any suction fans to take care of the extra dust that arises? CHAIRMAN CHANT: Personally I haven't seen the vacuum system used in the handling of sulphur from cars; T have seen it used in the handling of lime. I sec no reason why it couldn't be used in the han dling of sulphur, provided, of course, that the necessary* precautions were taken to avoid any sparking which migbt cause an explosion of sulphur dust It is not at all uncommon to see sulphur handled from cars with shovels. In two mills that T know of the sulphur is handled out of incoming freight cars by hand, shoveled into barrows and wheeled a short distance to a dumping ground, and the men doing that work arc regularly required to wear respirators of the <imple nuisancc-dusl type. I don't know of any place where a ven tilating system is being used. I think per haps the lmlk of the -rntphur--certainly the bulk of it coming into the mills with which L am familiar--is handled mechanically, cither dropped from hopper cars or unloaded with a clam-shell and mechanically dumped into piles. It is a bit unfortunate that Mr. Robertson chose to deal principally with the handling of hog fuel. A good many of our mills do not use hog fuel. I understand it is quite a general practice on the Pacific Coast to use hog fuel as a principal source of steam, large quantities of it being used for boiler fuel. But the same hazards that Mr. Robert son dealt with in connection with hog fuel would also apply In the handling of other similar bulk materials. Coal, for example, would be handled very much in the same way in a good many of our plants, I'm sure. MR. RICHARDSON: l would like to know what hog fuel is? CHAIRMAN CHANT: 1 believe U is wood refuse run through a hog or chipper to produce a sort of mixture of chips and sawdust that will bum rapidly even though the wood itself is not very dry. Paper and woodpulp mills that are operated in close conjunction with a large sawmill often ob tain much of thdr fuel from the wood refuse supplied by the sawmill. Up in Can ada we are reckless with our timber re sources: we just bum up the slabs in a burner outdoors in order to try to modify our severe winters, and then we import coal from Pennsylvania to run our boilers and paper mills. It hasn't occurred to us to u*c hog fuel. CHAIRMAN CHANT: Wc will proceed with the next 'item on our program, which is the report by Fred Braun, Chairman of our Statistics Committee. Review of 1939-40 Accident Kxperience By F. W. BRAUN Vice-President and Chief Engineer, Employers Mutual*, Wausau, Wis., and Chairman, Statistics Committee, Paper and Palp Section, N. S. C. T would like to tel] you that we had both; but last year we lost some ground, another very successful year m accident pre- According to reports covering 236 mills vention, as I did last year. Each year during and factories which worked: 206.300,000 the past tbirleen the paper industry has- . hours during the year, the paper industry made progress in reducing either the fre- averaged 15.2 injuries per million hours quency or severity of injuries, and often worked--no improvement over I03& The 5SS 29th National Safety Congress severity of injuries--days lost per thousand hours worked--soared 41 per cent to 1.71. Perhaps it was too much to expect another improvement in severity rates after an aver* age drop of 48 per cent in 1988. While wc had a sharp rise in severity and no change in our frequency rate, American industry as a whole took a step forward by making progress in both injury rates. This general improvement means, of course, that we have fallen behind a little in our efforts for a place in the group of low rate industries. Our 1939 frequency rate of 15.2 was 28 per cent above the average for all industries. In 1938 we broke into the group of industries with lower than average* severity rates, but the large 1939 increase resulted in a rate 21 per cent higher than the alt-industries average. The analysis of our injury experience discloses some facts which I believe are. helpful. It is unnecessary* for us to consider steps for more effective work m small mills and factories. Unlike small organizations in some industries, ours have kept pace with their larger neighbors in reducing both fre quency and severity. Frequency rates have been somewhat higher in the small organi zations of the industry but in 1939, for ex ample, severity rates averaged lower than in large plants. But when we examine the records of dif ferent branches of the industry, such as remanufacturing plants, paper mills and board mills, wc find the types of milts with sub stantial safety problems. The industry's ac cident rates are determined to a consider able extent by the experience of paper mills. The exposure of re-manufacturing plants is less than one-fourth of the total for the entire industry and furthermore, the fre quency and severity of injuries in this type of work are considerably less than in other branches. For 1939 re-manufacturing es tablishments averaged only 11.6 for fre quency and 0.9 for severity. I do not infer that the record of this division is completely .satisfactory- The fact is that frequency rates have not decreased during the past four years and during this period severity rates have gone up in box and container manufacturing. My purpose ss to emphasize where special attention is needed in order that we may make the most progress and at the same time con tinue efforts in less hazardous branches of the industry*. In the important paper mill group our problem is principally in news print and wrapping mills. 1939 rates for wrapping mills, for example, average 23.5 for frequency and 22 for severity. The exposure of these two types of mills is almost one-half of the total for all paper mills. Newsprint mills have made consistent progress in reducing frequency during the past six years but no improvement has beat made in severity. Board mills have the highest injury rates in the industry, averaging 27.6 for frequency and 4.00 for severity during 1939. The re duction of these rates, therefore, would ma terially improve the general experience of the entire industry. Getting down now to the individual de partments the question is, "Which have the worst records and, therefore, require the most study and attention?" Based on reports made to ihe National Safety Council, I call your attention particularly to the records of employees engaged in paper and board mak ing operations. This is one of the largest de partments in paper mills; frequency rates are high--averaging about 220; and sever ity is sharply higher than the-average for any other department, being about 4.0. I be lieve that a study of the circumstances of accidents would reveal'that the nip hazard is an outstanding factor in the high severity for paper board making. The hazards involved in handling and storing raw materials rank second in impor tance as shown by a frequency rate of 40 and a severity rate of 28. The safety prob lem in yard operations, according to our sta tistics, takes third place with an average frequency rate of 26.0 and a severity rate of 24. While the severity of injuries in wood room operations is only about one-half of the average in other high-rate departments frequency averages 28.0 and, therefore, I be lieve this department warrants special ef forts. The high-rate departments, in order of their importance, are paper and board mak ing, handling and storage of raw materials yard, and wood room. There i* room for improvement in other branches of the industry and in departments with better experience. Many factories have worse than average records; in fact their injury rales are higher than tho*e of many organizations in more hazardous branches. Paper and Pulp Section 559 Paper goods manufacturers, for example, averaged only 9.46 for frequency and 0.44 for severity during 1939. Some factories, however, had rates that were two and three times these averages. In the paper mill group, book and specialty mills have low rates, averaging 12.8 for frequency and 1.5 for severity* but frequency rates above 20.0 and severity rates above 2.0 are not unusual. Therefore we must also look to these mills and factories for the reductions which will help to lower rates for the industry as a whole. Many paper mills and factories, oa the other hand, have achieved records compar able with the best m industries with low in jury rates. The* 1939 honor roll in "Accident Rates in the Paper and Pulp Industry," the annual statistical publication of the National Safety Coraxpl, gives the names of some of (hem. In efforts to find answers to some of our accident problems and thus help members to achieve low injury rates, officers of the Paper Si Pulp Section have given consider able time to developing information on the outstanding causes and circumstances of ac cidents in the industry- As far ms I know, no other section has done as much in this work. The 1939-1940 paper industry safety contest rules required a report on the details of each accident resulting in a reportable in jury* and f want to summarize some of the outstanding facts from a study of these re ports. We had splendid cooperation from contestants; T am able to present informa tion based on 1,000 of these reports. For years wc have discussed the nip haz ard and struggled with the problem of elim inating it. 1 do not believe that we have ever had any* reliable measure of the importance of this hazard in our injury experience, but according to this study the nip hazard ac counts for about 10 per cent of the injuries. Please remember also that this hazard stands out particularly in plants participat ing in the Contest--a group of leaders in safety* work. The analysis showed that employees were usually engaged in performing one of the three following duties when caught in the nip of in-running rolls. They were, first, threading or feeding paper into rolls; sec ond, cleaning rolls; third, checking the con dition of the paper by feeling for wrinkles, checking the size, etc. Reports showed that efforts to eliminate the hazard through mechanical means were directed principally at guarding, formulating a safer method of doing the work, and changing the arrangement or design of the equipment or installing safety devices. Elimination of the nip hazard through guarding is a real problem. Numerous state ments were made that a guard was imprac tical and in other cases existing guards were redesigned and in still others guards were Installed for the first time. One-third of the injuries due to the nip hazard were charged to lack oi or inadequate guarding. Changes in the design, construction, and arrangement of rolls, reels and winders were made less frequently. Improved guides, rope carriers and air pipes for drawing the paper from one felt to another, foot board* for preventing slipping were installed. For one-half of the injuries resulting from being caught in a nip, mechanical pre ventive measures were principally* a safer method of doing the work. Efforts were made particularly to keep employees a safe distance from the nip by providing longhandled scrapers for certain cleaning opera tions, air for feeding and cleaning, hooks and spear poles for removing paper and rubber tipped paddles for feeding sheets into the rolls. Reports showed, however, that these methods were not entirely effective be cause the hose or scraper was caught in the nip and before the employee released his hold, his hand or arm was drawn in. Other changes in working methods placed still more dependence on safe performance by the employee. These were performing cleaning operations from the out-running side of rolls whenever possible, stopping thr rolls on certain equipment for adjusting and cleaning, tearing paper to a point for thread ing, testing for wrinkles only when the roll readied a diameter of 8 or 10 inches. Many reports, however, did not show tlvat im proved working methods were formulated either previous to or after the accident; re sponsibility for avoiding the hazard was placed entirely on `the employee by ascribing the accident to a personal cause, such as dis obedience of instructions; inattention, care lessness, or unawarencss of the safe practice or lack of knowledge or skill. Such personal causes, however, were fac tors in 80 per cent of the injuries. Dis regarding instructions was of most impor- 560 29th National Safety Congress cancc particularly among employees with years of service. Violations of safe practices were often ascribed to lack of supervision. On the other hand, it is doubtful from many reports whether the experienced employee was instructed or thoroughly trained in the work.. In addition, numerous injuries were assigned to haste, abstraction, and similar attitudes showing failure to keep safety up permost in their work. New employees with less than one year's experience also figured frequently in acci dents due to the nip hazard. They often failed (o follow instructions. It is doubtful from many reports, however, whether spe cific instructions were given and whether orders were clearly understood. Aside from an unsafe mechanical condition, most in juries involving new employees were as signed to unawareness of safe practice. For our No. 2 safety problem the analysis l>omled lo floors particularly and to stairs, platforms, scaffolds, and similar working surfaces. These were involved in 12 per cent of the injuries. Outside oi the mill the prin cipal danger spot was log piles, especially when employees climbed and walked on them during wet ot cold weather. 1 was sur prised, also, at the number of injuries re sulting from falls on icy* sidewalks and step*. The slippery condition of floors especially, stairs and runwa3*s was a particularly out standing caue of accidents. Oil spots on floors, worn treads on stairs, and smooth steel floor plates used for runways were often reported but wet floors, due to the extensive use of water in certain processes, far outnumbered any other single slippery condition. Numerous reports stated that the condition was inherent m tbe process and there was no remedy other that) vigilance on (lie pan of employee*. Numerous injuries also resulted from rough floor* due to holes and ridge*, open drain and broke holes, and poor housekeep ing. Rough floors and poor housekeeping figured particularly in accident* to trucker-*. In accidents involving floor*, stair*, run ways, platform*, etc, 90 per cent of the in juries involved some unsafe condition in comparison with 50 per cent involving em ployee cause*. U seem* logical, therefore, to look principally to engineering measures for eliminating these hazards. Two additional safety problem* were driclosed by tins study, of about equal impor tance--one involving the operation of truckand the other the use of hand tools. The condition of tools and truck* way not an important factor in accidents. Causes of em ployee actions figured in more accident* than did mechanical causes. This is especially true of causes of lack of training. skill and experience. On the basis of this -study wc can well afford to give more time to instruction and emphasis on the safe use of picaroons, axe*, hammer* of all types, crow bars and knivc-. In truck accidents we found a wide va riety of circumstances figuring in their oc* currcnce. The following Factors were re ported frequently: overloading; shifting of load due to improper arrangement or failing to secure it; pulling instead of pushing: operating trucks too fast; jumping off trucks; failure to wear safety shoe*--foot injuries occurred frequently when struck !v falling materials or when the feet were caught under the wheel*. General Discussion CHAIRMAN CHANT: Mr. Braun re ferred particularly to the important part that nip hazards continue lo play in the pro duction of accidents in our industry. He sug gested that it might be again made a subject of discussion at our next annual gathering. I am wondering personally whether much could be done by a further discussion of tbe problem of nip hazards in general. It is not particularly surprising to me that nip haz ards continue to figure in 10 per cent of the accidents of the paper industry'. Ail the way through our pulp and paper mills wc have equipment which in its operation and in its very nature creates nip hazards; but 1 am not prepared to admit and will not admit that the nip hazard cannot be overcome. I am thinking of one particular plant, a large, modem, fast-running newsprint plant wherein the paper machines operate at a speed of approximately 1,200 feet per min ute. and where the winders, of course, to keep up with the machines, must operate at a much higher speed. In this plant up until about two years ago winder accident* were alarmingly frequent and serious. A Paper and Pulp Section 561 relatively targe number of their paper ma chine crews, particularly the fifth hands, fourth hand* and third hands operating those winders and working around them, got caught in the running nip of the winder* with more or less serious injury resulting. The superintendent of that mill determined to put an end once and for all to accidents of that nature on his winders, and he fenced been due to the advancement in the art of paper making and in the equipment of the winder itself and the provirion of a rider roll to ride on top of the growing roll of paper. I am just citing that instance to show what can be done to eliminate nip hazards and the accident* from them when the man agement oi a plant is sufficiently determined that accidents of that nature shall cease. those winders in so that they were com F H. ROSEBUSH (Xcknosa Edward* pletely enclosed. The fence was made in Paper Co., Port Edwards, Wis.): Mr. such a way that it could be dropped down Chairman, 1 think if you will look hack in below tbe floor level or to the floor level for the record* of this section IS or 16 years, access to the winder in making splices or in you will discover that we have discussed >tarting up. or removing the finished set. Strict instructions were given the crews that tbe winder* were not at any time to be op these nip hazard* quite a number of time*. I don't think tliat this problem of overcom ing the hazard on sheet rolls is insoluble. erated unles-i those fences were up and in I believe it can he met. There was a guard position. perfected by Bcaugaard of the Flambeau About a month after that, during one of the night shift*, one of the winder men was again the victim of a winder accident. Upon investigation it was found that he had. con trary* to instruction*--or hi* crew had done so contrary to instructions--operated the winder with the fence down so that the Paper Company at Park Falls. Wisconsin, which overcame the difficulty. Hut the thing that we liaven't solved m our discussion i6 the hazards attendant to the making of the counter rolls where the 9 inch counter roll is dropped between the winders and then taken off every* couple of minutes. winder man could have access to the roll on the winder in order to feci it. Thr super intendent immediately took step* to have those fence* interlocked electrically with the starting mechanism on the winder*, and from tltat day to this there have been no nip acci dents on those winders for the simple reason that it is utterly impossible to start the winders unless the fence is in position. Un less a member of the crew sees fit to climb up higher than hi* head over the fence and then climb down again on the inside, he can't possibly get into the winder nip. This Bcaugaartl guard had a shell tlvat came over the winder close up to the sheet roll, and a few year* ago they* were trying to work over that guard so that it would take care of counter rolls; but 1 don't think anything ha* been dime lo overcome that particular hazard. CHAIRMAN CHANT: Has anybody had any experience in making counter rolls-- these rolls with a small diameter--with the direction of winding reversed? I don't know whether that is practical or not. To a great many paper maker* of my day that would have been considered a physical and operating impossibility. The first an E_ A. PAGE (Kimberly-Clark Corp.. Xctnah, Wis.): What do you mean by counter roll*? swer you would have received from any of the paper maker* that T grew up with would simply have been that "You can't operate a paper machine winder if you can't get at the rolls." Well, they are doing it and they are not having any more culled rolls than they had before; in fact, they are haring less. It does mean that the back-tender a step further bade in the operation must make a better reel, because be ha* to wind the paper off on the winder without having the oppor tunity* to feel the roll and perhaps make some adjustment* during the winding. CHAIRMAN CHANT: Small diameter roll* of about 9 inches. I have seen news print winders where the direction of rota tion of the winder drums was changed. <imply reversed. It i a simple mechanical operation. I don't know whether it ha* been attempted on counter roll* No doubt, how ever, that in the event of being caught the resulting injury might even be worse because it would involve not only the burning and mashing of fingers but perhaps the throwing of the whole body over the winder. How ever, I believe we would all agree that the Part of the development, of course, has hazard would be less when the inrunning 562 29th National Safety Congress nip is over and out of sight than when it is on the front. MR. PAGE: It would reverse your sheet, too. wouldn't it? CHAIRMAN CHANT: Yes, you have to make provision For it right through your setup. It can be done on your reel, you see, by reversing your reel rotation also. MR. PAGE: As regards this problem of nip hazards, has anybody any device or any means of enforcement of the rules? For in stance, a rule that a roll less than 9 inches is no: to be felt. MR. AUGUSTUS: After we had had a couple of accidents on our winders, where a fellow* was feeling a roll just being started, we made it an iron-bound rule that regard less of wlial might be the necessity, a man was not to feel a roll until it was at least 9 inches in diameter. They don't do it any more and \vc are not losing more paper. CHAIRMAN CHANT: That's fine! How many of you have seen and read the data sheet relating to drum-type rolls which came out during the year? (Several hands raised.) I would like to know whether you think the data sheet has dealt adequately with that problem, which has also the haz ard of an inrunning nip on a drum-type roM? Is it your general feeling that it does answer some of the questions involved in that piece of equipment, or should it be considered a fit subject for further development and fur ther study? A considerable amount of difficulty was encountered in the preparation of that data sheet, mainly because of the very wide dif ferences in the type and arrangement of drum-type rolls in various plants-in various parts of the country. That is one of the problems that we have run up against in this industry, trying to develop safety in struction cards, pamphlets and data sheets. What is a perfectly good recommendation as to the avoidance of a nip hazard in one plant is inapplicable in another plant because of some difference in arrangement or some difference in type of equipment. That is a condition. I'm afraid, which we will always liave with us as an industry* I am not going to add anything to what Fred Braun has already told you in connec tion with the accident experience data that is to be issued periodically by council head quarters for the use of our section members. I am sure that as the practice is instituted and goes on from month to month, we will find very great usefulness in that informa tion. and if it needs any revision as to it." form or as to the basis on which it is pre pared. I am sure that such revision can be made as soon as we have decided what changes we would like Co have. I think that is a great forward step in the service which the Council headquarters staff is rendering to this Section and to this industry as a whole, namely: the provision of accident data and accident statistics as we go along rather than as a report at our annua! meet ings only. TUESDAY AFTERNOON SESSION October 8, 1940 CHAIRMAN CHANT: I have a sum mary of the attendance at yesterday after noon's session. There were 101 persons reg istered at our session yesterday afternoon. Of that number 67 were members of the Paper and Pulp Section; the other one-third, 34 in all, were visitors. We were very glad to have those visitors with us, and I take this opportunity to also welcome the visitors with us today. The distribution of the membership that attended yesterday might also be of interest to you. From the State of Illinois there were 6 members; from the State of Wisconsin 28; from the State of Maine 2; from Lou isiana 2; from South Carolina I; front North Carolina 2; from Pennsylvania 3: from Massachusetts 2; from Ohio 5: from Michigan 2; from Tennessee 1; from New York State 6; from Minnesota 2: from West Virginia 1: from Kansas !: from Newfoundland 1; from Canada 2. MEMBER: There were four from Ten nessee present here yesterday. CHAIRMAN CHANT; Tins is a mmary of the registrations which were mmciT Paper and Pulp Section 563 in yesterday. If you know of four Ten nesseeans who were here yesterday, all I can say is that only one of them registered. I take much pleasure in presenting to you now a former General Chairman of our sec tion, Mr. Earl Grant, who will give us the first of two papers on the general subject, "Practical Uses of Accident Cost Data in the Safety Program." Practical Uses of Accident Cost Data in the Safety Program By EARL E. GRANT Preiident, The Crystal Tissue Co., Middletown, Ohio Personal experience has taught me that accidents are costly to the injured and the company, to the extent that 1 have always believed in rising accident costs as a barome ter in addition to severity and frequencyrates. Accident statistics or cost data really start with the departmental accident report and include the report to the State Industrial Commission with the medical, hospital and compensation awards and finally end with the settlement sheet. The direct costs can be used for cost data, but we cannot get an accurate cost for damage to machinery, effect on fellow work ers, suffering to the injured employee, or the cost assumed by his family. I want to deviate from the cost angle and read you a paragraph from monthly ac cident statistics' report for Ohio compiled by the Department of Hygiene for the month of May: "TItc 16,259 injury and occupational dis ease claims filed with the Industrial Com mission in May, an increase of 98S over the preceding month, reflect a gradual in crease in employment as shown by research reports, especial))' in the heavy industries. The 81 fatal claims filed are a decrease ot 18 over April." This was the first time that I had been forcibly struck with the fact that accidents were lieing used as barometers or indicators of employment. Some of you may treasure an old farpily Bible with births and deaths recorded in it, but I have an old black book in my 'desk which is almost bursting with statistics gathered in the last twenty years. These statistics cover tonnage, hours worked, pay roll. cumulative accident reports, bowling and baseball schedules, etc, and arc very important and interesting to me. It sometimes pays to check up in the old book and find out what we did ten or twentj years ago and check with today's record. Wt occasionally get in a rut or have a com placent feeling that wc are going fine and a check-up on past performance may sliou that after alt there was a time when condi tions were even better. During the last twelve years we have run from a low of 354,946 to a high of 648.556 man hours worked with, an average of 509,145 hours and a total of 72 lost-time acci dents. Our two first years in the Paper & Pulp Section Contest saw us pile up 26 or 13 lost-time accidents per year; which were followed by a no-accidcnt year. The lost-time accidents are costly, ot course, but they are the ones you natural!} guard against. Our total accident awards for the 12 years amount to $35,619.22 and our accident costs total $43,275.92. Accident costs arc a tax on industry ju>t the same as excess profits tax, social se curity or real estate taxes, but are levied by die careless employer and the untrained or thoughtless employee. Our accident costs have averaged .007 per hour or 57.08 per 1,000 hours worked during the last twelve years; and the com pensation, medical and hospital fees have averaged .0058 per hour or $5.83 per 1,00 ) man hours worked. The premium in our manual group under the Industrial Commission of Ohio amount* to $2.00 per $100 of payroll and will increase or decrease according to the attention given it by the representatives of the mills in the group. We had an increase from $1.60 tu $2.00 about five years ' ago, and tagged it there when we had a meeting and decided to pay more attention to the hazards in the mills affected. 564 29th Notional Safety Congress Frankly, I am ashamed to admit that our net cost per ton o product has been as high as .67/,r in 1931 and as low as -31/ in 1928 with an average of ,45c per ton for tlic twelve-year period, Co>ts and personnel have always been two ot the mo5t interesting phases in business to me and l cannot think of accidents without immediately tying in the cost and personnel angles. Accident cost data interest us`in keeping cn-ts down as our business is very competi tive and from a personnel viewpoint we are morr deeply interested as most of our em ployees have been with u? for more than ten years. In concht'iou I'd like to refer you to the Managing Director's Page of the July issue of "National Safety News" and to the ar ticle by our good friend Bill Cameron en titled "YVho Directs Your Safety Pro gram?1* The article deals with the various department heads who may be charged with the Safety Program. He points out- that a Safety Program delegated to the treasurer or auditor will be treated from a cost angle, the sales manager will try to sell from post ers, signs, literature, etc, the plant engineer from planning safety through equipment de sign and layout, materials and maintenance schedules, etc A full time safety director is preferable, as Mr. Cameron concludes the article, but the most important question in my mind is "Who Controls the Safety Director?" CHAIRMAN" CHANT: I am sure that after the next paper has .been read, which has to do with the other half of this same subject, there is going to be considerable discussion centering around your very ex cellent paper. While Mr. Grant was speaking I could not help but think that in a good many or ganizations in our industry' the safety man or the safety director or the safety super visor iv, to some extent at least, regarded throughout the organization as a sort of generally useless cuss who isn't much good at am* other kind of work. But we have here a living example of the fact that oc casionally a safety man, without losing his interest in safety, can either because of that interest or in spite of that interest rise to greater heights. Mr. Grant is an example to us of one who has risen out of the safety* department Into the position of senior execu tive The second paper on this subject, the use of accident cost data in our work, was as signed to a fellOW-Canadian in the person ot Julius Draper, Safety Director of the Con solidated Paper Corporation, Grand Mere. Quebec, Canada. I am very sorry that Julius cannot be here to deliver his paper in person. I have it here and with vour permission will read it for him. Practical Uses of Accident Cost Data in the Safety Program By J. A. DRAPER Director of Safety, Consolidated Paper Corporation, Ltd., Montreal, Canada .Some time ago I made "Accident Costs" the subject of an address before one of our mill safety meetings; there were a few fore men present and one or two superintendents, hut most of the men were from the ranks. I told them how much our accidents had cost the Workmen's Compensation Commis sion the previous year--how much we paid the Commission in assessments--and explained that as our accident experience improved so would our assessment be lowered. The less money the company paid in accident insurance, the more there would be to spend on plant improvements, wages, etc. I thought I had made it fairly interesting, but during my visit to that mill the follow ing week, the secretary of the Safety Com mittee said to roe, `You know, Mr. Draper, your talks are usually pretty good, but you sure pulled a `lemon* last week! Those boys don't give a tinker's hoot how much our accidents cost the company. All they want to know is, `Has the company enough money to pay our wages and will we receive Com pensation if we are hurt?"' 1 believe that Paper and Pulp Section 565 the secretary* was making too broad a state that show very little or no cost for acci ment, but he was, to a great extent, quite right. If you arc going to use your accident costs to further your safety program, take them to the men who are most vitally inter ested in costs, your managers, superin tendents and foremen. By and large, if there is one man in a mill who is as keen or keener to prevent accidents and show an improvement in acci dent experience than the safety man. that man is the mill manager. dents. In the case of the other departments, It is pointed out that accident costs arc by no means a small item. The manager wants to know what caused that accident, or tho.se accidents; what has been done about il? Has that floor been fixed? Are there anj more such bad spots in the floors about the plant? Have those track handles Ireen altered so that wc will have no more broken toes? Are you encouraging your men to. wear safety shoes? Are you insisting that your men obey our safety rules? Do you show to the whole personnel by your words All managers are vitally concerned with and actions that you are right behind our costs. There is at least one type of meeting safety work, and are determined to do vour where .the manager takes charge and keeps utmost to prevent accidents? These arc the initiative--where the superintendents some of the points that can be brought be know tliat he means business, t refer to fore the supervision of a plant by the man cost meetings. It is indeed a happy concern ager at a cost meeting. where cost meetings are jovial, carefree affairs! I am going to describe now bow we have formed our accident cost figures into an ac cident prevention tool, and how that tool is placed in the hands of our division man agers. Cost meetings are to discuss way* and means of reducing costs. Accidents arc a needless waste and therefore are a legiti mate subject at such meetings. The per sonnel at cost meetings are also the wry men who, in many cases are, and in all ca-e> should be, among the most enthusiastic Placing a tool in a man's hand is one safety workers in a plant thing, hut whether or not he uses that tool aud the efficiency with which he uses it, arc other matters. However, the following "dicmc is used by* some of our managers at some of their cost meetings. It may or may oat be a novel idea. Some of you, no doubt, have other and perhaps better ways of using accident costs.' Early each month our safety inspectors receive the accident cost statements for their reflective mills from the insurance depart ment. This statement shows the money paid out by the Workmen's Compensation Com mission during the preceding month for each individual accident case. From this sheet the safety inspector prepares a state ment showing the accident costs by depart ments and this is sent to the division ac countant. who' incorporates the accident costs by departments as a footnote to the departmental cost sheets. The footnotes show the accident costs for the month and the cumulative total for the year to-date, for each individual department. The money cost of accidents is far from the most important reason for installing guards on machinery, it is probably the least important. Nevertheless, a safely di rector can use the proved savings of guards in one instance to help sell the idea of in stalling guards or making improvements in other places. Many years ago the winders for our m*\>print machines at two of our mills were not equipped with guards for the in-running nip between the winding roll of paper and the drum. Accidents were fairly frequent, and nearly always serious. The\ ranged from pinched fingers to fatalities, but usually re sulted In mangled arms. The cost ot these accidents was very* high, sometimes ranging into thousands of dollars .per year per mill. Again let me emphasize that this mone\ cuj-i is small compared to the loss in human values. T never want it said, that "This man tries to prevent accidents chiefly because they cost money." These figures are discussed between the To get hack to our winders :--Some years manager and superintendents at the monthly ago the winders were equipped with simple cost meetings. guards, the cost was in the neighborhood The manager makes appropriate remarks of $100 per winder. Total cost for the two when reviewing the costs of the departments mills certainly not over $1,600. The spend- 566 29th Xtit'.oiial Safety Congress mg of this sum has virtually eliminated our nip point accidents at those winders. Based on our experience before installing guards we can say that they are saving at least 100 per cent of their cost per year. Many of you can cite similar instances. If your management hesitates to install guards, or make other improvements designed to in crease safety, because of the cost, be pre pared to point out that they cannot afford not to do the work! If they talk cost, you talk savings, and have some such example as I have cited to back up your argument. A safety director naturally would know the rate his company is paying for accident insurance. He should also know how much this amounts to in a year. He should know what rate was paid in previous years; how much money is being saved because of an improving accident experience; and he should be able to compare the insurance costs in hi* state or province with the costs that prevail in neighboring states or provinces. He should be "cost conscious/' and be able prove, in conversation, that he has a larger grasp of his job than that necessary to install guards, address safety meetings, and compile accident statistics. Men are far readier to listen to a man and take hts ad vice when that man can show that he knows his job, can point to the savings that have been made in the past because of accident prevention, and holds out the prospect of further savings, provided further improve ment in accident experience is attained. To sum up:-- 1. Accident costs can be formed into a useful accident prevention tool, and wielded most efficiently by managers at cost meet ings. 2. A safety director should be able to cite concrete examples where money spent on accident prevention has brought in hand some returns, and be able to use such case* as an argument to secure further improve ments. 3. He should know his company's present accident- costs, be able to compare such costs with previous years, and with comparable industries in other parts of the country- General Discussion CHAIRMAN CHANT: Now we are ready for discussion on those two papers on accident cost. CLAYTON O. BRAATZ (Marathon Paper Mills Co., Rothchild, Wis.): I won der how man3' men here keep their accident co>ts, as referred to by Earl, on a cost per one-hundred-dollar-of-payroll basis, which is the cost generally used in compiling in surance rates? I would like to compare our costs, for example, with other mills. (Sev eral hands raised.) ERNEST AUGUSTUS (The Mead Corp., Chillicothe, O.): Mr. Chairman, Earl commented on the compensation and treat ment costs shown in the Industrial Commis sion records. I wonder whether those costs arc kept and charged back to the particular years when the , accidents occurred or whether they are charged out currently as ihey are paid? For example, wc have one case of an acci dent which occurred to one of our work men about 15 years ago, and we are still paying that man compensation and will con tinue to do so until he dies. Of course, that ^how<? up on the Industrial Commission's records as compensation paid each year, bat for our records we are charging it bade to that year in which the accident happened. It makes a whole lot of difference in the final comparison wherein you want to show whether your records arc improving or not. MR. GRANT: Ours are all charged back to the year in which the accident Inppened. That is the reason we have been able to compile an average cost by year for com parative purposes. CHAIRMAN CHANT: I am familiar with a few firms where the costs arc kept both ways. R. W. CROUCHER (Minnesota & On tario Paper Co., International Falls, Minn.): Do these costs of accidents include the hid den cost or merely the dollars and cents paid out? MR. GRANT: In our company, they do not include the hidden cost; T mean, that cost which you just arrive at more or less by guess work. There are a lot of accidents which are costly but it is difficult in most cases to tell what the costs are. All the actual costs, of course, arc compiled and kept. There is another thing we have always done in our accident program (and 1 think probably -a good i with us on this): cost of a guardinj any money we sp< the good of the ex that is good for s our company; so facturing cost ar program in any w: MR. CROUCH include hidden co< of course, is the hundred dollars c CHAIRMAN ( The actual cost year is the aroou: dustrial Commtss you may get Fo: ord, however, th< dent is a much b< setups in the pro\ United States the a group of firms in your cost of p; that represents p; cany' fr the ot provided your cx average; or, on paid to the Com your cost of accit carrying you for I think that both 1 would like t< tcncc that I reca paper, where he little for having group of men a mills, a group o composed of indi men or supervise there. In my re: good deal of ta from the variou: have found, muc men in the mill costs. Perhaps Mr. 1 logical one: that knowing whethei continue paying arc hurt, they ca pensation, but I believe that the ; pulp and paper thing that relate: of his company*s 5M 29th National Safety Congress ing oi this sum has virtually eliminated our nip point accidents at those winders. Based on our experience before installing guards we can say that they are saving at least 100 per cent of their cost per year. Many of you can cite similar instances. If your management hesitates to install guards, or make other improvements designed to in crease safety, because of the cost, be pre pared to point out that they cannot afford not to do the work! If they talk cost, you Talk savings, and have some such example as I have cited to back up your argument. A safety director naturally would know the rate his company is paying for accident insurance. He should also know how much this amounts to in a year. He should know what rate was paid in previous years; how much money is being saved because of an improving accident experience; and he should le able to compare the insurance costs in hi* <tatc or province with the costs that prcva:l in neighboring states or provinces. He should be "cost conscious/* and be able t* prove, in conversation, that he has a larger grasp of his job than that necessary to install guards, address safety meetings, and compile accident statistics. Men are far readier to listen to a man and take his ad vice when that man can show that he knows his job, can point to the savings that have been made in the past because of accident prevention, and holds out the prospect of further savings, provided further improve ment in accident experience is attained. To sum up:-- 1. Accident costs can be formed into a useful accident prevention tool, and wielded most efficiently by managers at cost meet ings. 2. A safety director should be able to cite concrete examples where money spent on accident prevention has brought in handsome returns, and be able to use such cases as an argument to secure further improve ments. 3. He should know his company's present accident- costs, be able to compare such costs with previous years, and with comparable industries in other parts of the country- General Discussion records as compensation paid each year, but CHAIRMAN CHANT: Now we are ready for discussion on those two papers on accident cost. for our records we arc charging it back to that year in which the accident happened. It makes a whole lot of difference in the final comparison wherein you want to show CLAYTON O. BRAATZ (Marathon whether your records are improving or not. Paper Mills Co., Rothchild, Wis.): I won MR. GRANT: Ours are all charged back der how many men here keep their accident to the year in which the accident happened. costs, as referred to by Earl, on a cost per That is the reason we have been able to one-hundred-dollar-of-payroll basis, which compile an average cost by year for com is the cost generally used in compiling in parative purposes. surance rates? I would like to compare our costs, for example, with other mills. (Sev eral hands raised.) CHAIRMAN CHANT: I am familiar with a few firms where the costs arc kept both ways. ERNEST AUGUSTUS (The Mead R. W. CROUCHER (Minnesota & On Corp., Chillicothe, O.): Mr. Cltairman, Earl tario Paper Co., Internationa) Falls, Minn.) : commented on the compensation and treat Do these costs of accidents include the hid ment costs shown in the Industrial Commis den cost or merely the dollars and cents paid sion records. I wonder whether those costs out? are kept and charged back to the particular - MR. GRANT: In our company, they do years when the accidents occurred or not include the hidden cost; I mean, that whether they are charged out currently as cost which you just arrive at more or less ihey are paid? by guess work. There are a lot of accidents For example, we have one case of an acci which are costly but it is difficult in most dent which occurred to one of our work cases to tell what the costs are. All the men about 15 years ago, and we are still actual costs, of course, are compiled and paying that man compensation and will con kept. tinue to do so until he dies. Of course, that There is another thing we have always shows up on the Industrial Commission's done in our accident program (and I think probably -a goo< with us on this cost of a guard any money we : the good of the that is good fo our company; s facturing cost program in any MR. CROUC include hidden ( ot course, is tl hundred dollars CHAIRMAN The actual cos year is the ami dustria! Comm you may get I ord, however, dent is a much setups in the pr United Slates t a group of fin in your cost of that represents carry for the provided vour average: or. oi paid to the Co vour cost of ac carrying you f< I think that bo* 1 would like tencc that I re paper, where h little for havir group of men mills, a group composed of in men or supervi there. In my good deal of from the vario have found, m men in the m co<t. Perhaps Mr. logical one: th knowing whetl continue payinj arc hurt, they pensalton. but believe that thi pulp and pape thing that rela: of his company 568 29th National Safety Congress dollars, and cents go into our state head quarters. When you take time to explain the thing to them, they see a different picture. E. A. PAGE (Kimberly-Clark Carp., Xeenah, Wis.): Do most of these accident coil figures include the cost of first-aid dressings and that sort of thing or just the cost of compensable accidents? How do tltc insurance companies run those things? CHAIRMAN CHANT: Most companies, so far as T know, in most industrial com pensation setups have the cost of the firstaid treatment in the plant borne by the em ployer. I don't know whether that is correct iu your jurisdiction or not, but it is true in Canada. However, there are many cases in which no lost time is involved--that is, no time lost beyond the day of the accident-- which are not really counted as lost-time accidents--hut in which there is some cost home by the Commission. Any service rendered by a doctor or by a hospital, re gardless of whether the man himself is dis abled Jong enough to get compensation, is -till paid for by the Commission under our Act* in Canada, and I think that most of your states have the same or a similar type of coverage. MR. PAGE: Were they included in Mr. Grant's figures? MR. GRANT: As regards our first-aid i-quipment, it is charged out currently as it comes in. It Is a mill expense item. MR. PAGE: How about the salaries of nur<c*, etc. ? MR. GRANT: We don't have any nurse*. Wc have two first-aid men in our organiza tion. Their salaries are charged against the mill and a)) supplies are charged out cur rently as they are received. M. D. KOSSORJS (U. S. Department of Labor. Washington, D. C.): I lave been greatly interested in this discussion. It seems 10 me that safety men who may have to justify their programs in terms of savings arc not putting their best foot forward when they are counting their savings in terms of insurance premiums or compensation actu ally paid out. When accidents do occur you have, in addition to the premium paid out, these medical, first-aid expenses, spoiled materials, possible damage to equipment, stoppage of machines, etc., all of which things cost money. Why not include these costs, why not charge them to the accidents to which they belong? Keep separately, if you wish, the compensation cost and the insurance cost, but in addition to that keep, on the other hand, these other costs. I won't call them hidden costs--I think they arc not hidden costs but rather indirect costs, ii you want to call them that. I believe you will find that these indirect costs will be about four times as large as your direct outlays. When you have to make out your for safety programs or the guarding of equipment or the teaching of safety habits, etc., and when you want to show what the savings have been as a result of those programs, I think you are perfectly justified in including not only what is actually paid out in terms of compensation and insurance but also in these oilier costs that you haven't been able to prevail. CHAIRMAN CHANT: I think you are perfectly right. But it is a difficult thing in most instances to accurately determine the indirect costs of some of these things. I have taken a number of individual cases and spent a great deal of effort trying to get at those indirect costs. I have one case on record where the indirect costs, which we could definitely put a finger on and measure, were 27 times as much as the di rect com; whereas I have many other case* where I couldn't find that it even equalled the direct cost. In genera! and on the aver age I think you are absolutely right. H there is any way by which wc can record definitely and directly the indirect costs, then we cer tainly should have such a record; but if wc can't do that, then X think we are quite safe in claiming that they amount to four or five times as much as the direct costs while let ting the other fellow* try to prove that it i-n*t so. MR, GRANT: 1 would like to take ex ception to the remarks made by the gentle man from the Department of labor. I per sonally maintain that if you arc going to charge the costs for your machinery into your direct accident costs, you will find that you can charge about SO per cent of those costs against the management for lack of proper and sufficient guarding, which has no part in your accident program, instead of against accidents. CHAIRMAN GRANT: I agree with you there. MR. PAGE: To mate the argument a Paper and Pulp Section 569 bit more sound, as regards the savings on and the cost of accidents, do any of the firms represented here keep an account of the cost of meetings, accident prevention programs, educational programs and the like? Are those things charged in? CHAIRMAN CHANT: I know of sev eral instances where such accounts are kept, yes! I am familiar with a number of cost departments where those figures are kept accurately, where the time allowed to safety committees in their monthly inspections, to safety meetings and all other measurable items of the cost of safety programs, is ac curately recorded. However. I don't know of any firm where any great use is made of such records, other than to include them in their detailed cost sheet. MR. PAGE: Is that added to the cost of accidents? CHAIRMAN CHANT: It is itemized and kept separately so that they can tell how much the operation of the safety committee has cost in dollars and cents for the past year or for the past five years. By means of such a record the manager from time to time is made aware of what these things cost and he has some knowledge of whether they arc unduly increasing in cost or de creasing, which might indicate a lack of at tention or perhaps a falling off in the num ber of meetings or in the number of in spections or something of that sort MR. PAGE: You don't know the com parison between the cost of safeguarding and the cost of accidents in votir organiza tion? CHAIRMAN CHANT: T don't know where that is being done, although perhaps it is being done somewhere. In all fairness to the men who prepared these two excel lent papers on this subject (I should have 'stated this before) it ought to be said that in both instances it was suggested to them that they do not attempt to go into a dis cussion of detailed accident costs at a meet ing of this kind. The reason for that was not that there was any hesitancy about mak ing known the cost of accidents in any given plant, but Tather because of the very great difficulty in making anything like an accu rate comparison between plants located in different compensation jurisdictions. I know that wc have had a difficult time Cor years trying to compare compensation costs in Ontario with those in other provinces of Canada and with other jurisdictions in the United States. That is a very difficult thing to do because of the differences in the Arts. It is easy and simple to obtain the assess ment rates. You may know* that the cost per one hundred dollars of payroll is lower, but >ou first have to know what you get for the dollar of assessment that you pay, and there is so much that is included in what is being paid for under the Act: the period during which compensation is paid, the waiting period, the percentage of wages, and all these other things which make it a tre mendously difficult task to obtain anything like an equalization of the figures. For that reason the Executive Committee, when sug gesting that this item be put on the pro gram, thought that wc might better discuss it from the point of view* of the general use of figures rather than the actual cost figures themselves. JOINT SESSION WITH WOOD PRODUCTS SECTION October 9,1940 Tlie meeting convened with J. C Wilson, Vice-President, Lumbermens Mutual Cas ualty Company, Chicago, and General Chairman. Wood Products Section, Na tional Safety Council, presiding, CHAIRMAN WILSON: In our Wood Products Section meeting Monday after noon the Illinois Department of Labor sent ik over a picture which was presented by Deputy Camion, and it met with such a fine response and so many people did not see it that we urged than to show that picture again this afternoon. After that picture has been presented, we will have shown to us a British Colum bia picture that has to do uith heavy log ging and that was sent to u$ by our friend Jenkins. We also have a picture from the Western Pine Association, all of which will tie into a part of this discussion. 570 29th National Safety Congress The American Standards Committee is rewriting the code on logging and sawmill activities and I know that some of the points that will be brought out in the discussion and some of the things that will be empha sized in these pictures are going to tie in to rids suggested code. (The motion picture was presented.) WILL D. JENKINS (British Columbia Lumber Manufacturers Assn.): On my way up here somebody was asking me about strains. Along about the fall of the year a lot of the men seem to get lumbago when they want to lay off for a while and re ceive compensation for it Well, with these power saws we find that we are not elim inating any labor but we are making it easier for the men to work. Heretofore we have always hired a hunch of men with strong backs and weak brains to tell timber. But now we are trying to conserve some of the timber and to teach -omc of the boys whom we get out of uni versity how to fell this timber, because there isn't very much to it, you see. Besides, it is the only medianical device to be intro duced that didn't eliminate somebody from a job. and we are kind of hot on this thing up there in British Columbia, you know. These saws which you noticed on the screen are the big ones; those are the ones that fell the timber. But we have fellows who go around with something like an Evenrude engine on their backs that has a flexible diaft which they run along a tree in order to clean these knots off and all that sort of thing--there is nothing to it, you see-- and \vc don't knock anybody out of a job. QUESTION Can two men do any more work with that saw than one man? MR. JENKINS: No, the power saw does not increase the production. But they can work a power saw all day long, as our boys do out there, and then the}* can come in after quitting time and play tennis or volley ball, if they want to. Before wc usually hired a man only (or about thirty days, after which he was so worn out that he wasn't able to work any more. Besides, we paid him for eight hours* work and only Sot rix hours' work out of him. QUESTION: Have you had any acci dents with that saw? MR. JENKINS: We have had fewer ac cidents with them for the reason that the men who operate these saws arc of a some what superior mentality--if you gc: what I mean. They ate not so broad in the back. QUESTION: Hew much does that outfit weigh ? MR. JENKINS: About 125 pounds alto gether. QUESTION: Dragging it from one place to another, is there any possibility of com ing in front of it? MR. JENKINS: In walking through the forest you have always that hazard of not knowing where you are going to Step. You are likely to step on top of something or into it. That's where wc get our worst and greatest number of accidents, from falling down, slipping, tripping, etc. They are about the greatest hazards that you have in this kind of work. QUESTION: What is tlte approximate cost of one of those power saws: MR. JENKINS: I don't know exactly, but I imagine that they cost around $400 a unit. QUESTION: Those saws help you eave considerable timber, do they not ? MR. JENKINS: I don't know that they do. Wc never figure that we are saving any timber on tlte end of the log. QUESTION: How often do you hare to sharpen that saw? MR. JENKINS: Oh, about as often as you would a chain saw. QUESTION: How long would you say the chain would last--a day. a week or how long--before it would have to be resharp ened or replaced ? MR. JENKINS: In felling timber you could probably run the saw all day long, but if you are bucking timber--that is what we call cutting the logs off--and if it hap pens to fall and gets a bunch of rocks into it, it might not last fifteen minutes. FRED H. STAFFORD (Chapman & Dewey Lumber Co.. Marked Tree, Ark.): How do you guard it ? MR. JENKINS: We have never had any trouble in that respect. CHAIRMAN WILSON: The frame over which it runs is very* substantial, ) suppose? MR. JENKINS: Well, there doesn't seem to be much danger in the use of this saw in that respect because we haven't had Paper and Pulp Section 571 any accidents reported from that particular hazard. I would like to add this: Wc had a big camp in which there occurred a whole lot of head injuries. Out of 60 fatal accidents that we had in our woods operations in Brit ish Columbia, we had 50 fatal accidents that resulted in fractures of the skull. 1 am hop ing that the National Safety News will pub lish a picture which shows IS hats in one camp in logging work that are crushed in/ each one of which might have been a taial injury. Twenty years ago when I advised the use of thc*e hard hats in the mines of British Columbia, one of the superintendent* told me that he wouldn't let a man put one of these hard hats on, that he wouldn't think of asking anybody to do it; but today no man can ask him for a job unless lie wears one of the^c hats. CHAIRMAN WILSON: All right, now let's liavc the showing of the next picture. (The talking film sponsored by the West ern Pine Association was shown.) CHAIRMAN WILSON: Before introduring the experts in our Panel Discussion, I would like to introduce Mr. John A. Dick inson. Secretary of Logging & Saw Mill Sectional Committee, National Bureau of Standards. Washington, D. C. 1 would like to have him say just a few words concern ing the new code, because the code. I think, will answer a lot of these questions offi cially. Comments on the Code JOHN A. DICKINSON: Gentlemen, those of you who are at the pulp and paper md of the fence will probably remember that logging and the bringing of logs to the mill is referred to in the logging and saw mill code. Now that code was published hack in 1923. At that time wc thought wc did a fairly complete job. Twice since then wc have asked for criticism--whether it needed revision--and up until 193? the an swer Has negative. In the last few years in the Western pine forests in the mechanization of logging there has developed the use of tractors, of large truck units of about 50 or 60 ton capacity. Those arc some trucks, mind you. And it is evident that we have to revise the section on logging very materially by adding several new chapter*. Our small tool section is also going to be amplified, and we are going to put in per haps. if necessary, a section oft the special handling o pulp wood from the woods to the mill. One of tlte questions that came up for a vote yesterday was this: Shall we divorce the logging from the saw mill section of the rode? The vote yesterday of the sectional committee was to this effect: we will pub lish separately two sections, one on loggitig and one on the milling operations, but we will also provide a combination bound vol ume in much the same way as certain other codes arc handled, such as the A.S.M.E. boiler code, which takes in power boilers, miniatures in dry cleaning plants, locomo tives, etc., which can be obtained in separate pamphlets or all together. H we get that flexibility it was the opinion that it would lie more desirable to do that through one sectional committee rather than two, because the latest figures we have available show* that about 50 per cent of the logging is done hy companies which actually do the milling, it is about a fifty-fifty split between inde pendent contract loggers and companies which log and mill their products. However, I am not going to enter into a lengthy discussion of that topic because we are going to have a very interesting panel meeting here this afternoon. If any of you folks disagree with any of pur conclusions or if you have any ideas to suggest, we would like to hear from you. We are going to split the thing up into sections. Wc are uoing to have a group up in New England, another group ut on the West coast, an other group in the Northern section, etc. and then we will form skeleton outlines of this. new material and from that build the thing up. If you have any criticisms of our plan of procedure, if you have any sugges tions to send tn on the revision of the code, either as regards the logging or <aw mill ends, we shall be very happy to receive them You can address them either to me at the National Bureau of Standards or to Robert McA. Keown. Qiief Engineer and Secretary of the Industrial Commission of Wisconsin. CHAIRMAN WILSON; I will now briefly introduce to you the members of our panel, to whom questions on our active work operations and their hazards will he presented: 572 29th National Safety Congress ). E. Cantin. Safety Director, Quebec North Shore Paper Company, Baie Comeau, Quebec, Canada. Harris Flaherty, Fiekl Officer, New Brunswick Accident Prevention Association, Dalhousie, New Brunswick, Canada. F. H. Stafford, Safety Director, Chapman and Dewey Lumber Company, Marked Tree, Ark. G. R. Vauglian-Evans, Employment Su pervisor, Anglo-Newfoundland Development Company, Ltd., Grand Falls, Newfoundland, Canada. C. E. Wilds. Superintendent. Wood Op erations. The Brown Paper Mill .Company, Inc., Monroe, La. Safety from Woods to Mill Panel Discussion CHAIRMAN WILSON: The first queslion is this: "Can we improve in any way on our camp facilities from a safety stand point?** Which one of you gentlemen is the biggest camp operator? C- E. WILDS: We have about 1,500 men in our camps and they cut nothing but pulp wood, of course, running from 9 to 12 inches through. CHAIRMAN WILSON: The size o the cut doesn't make any difference, does it? MR. WILDS: It makes a whole lot of difference in safety operations. 1 think wc can improve our camp facil ities very' much. To be perfectly frank with yon, the pulp operations in the South fol low a safety program only to a remote de gree. After you get outside of the mills, why, there is nothing except the nigger, ax and saw and it is telling on our contractors. That is why I wanted to come here today and see if we couldn't get someone inter ested in our problems in the South. We*have a safety director and he is very efficient in our plant, but when we get beyond the rail road yards of our plant, why, there is abso lutely nothing doing. It is costing our con tractors a good deal of money and, of course, that reflects back on our wood pay roll. CHAIRMAN WILSON: There is no question about that. Taking advantage of the Chairman's privilege, T might suggest that you get some definite legislation down there on safety codes pretty soon, because good ness knows you need them. MR. WILDS: Wc sure do. CHAIRMAN WILSON-: The solution to safety in a great many places rests entirely' on legislation and enforcement. It has taken us here in Illinois a good many years to get to the place where we now arc. and we still have a long way to go; but we have a De partment of Labor and this deputy* who was here today with his movie film is an ex ample of the present-day Department of Labor inspector in this state. They' are try ing to do an honest jab. Still, we havai't a complete set of safety codes. As for you folks down there, you need it and need it very badly, not only for the logging industry hut for almost everything else down there. New Brunswick Regulations HARRIS FLAHERTY: We have re cently' had some legislation passed in our province on the way in which a camp should be constructed and where it should be lo cated in relation to sanitation and health. I quote: "C-amps should be located and constructed with due regard to sanitation and health, lo cated at least 100 feet from any lake, stream or other body of water, with floors one foot from the ground which shall be properly drained and with smooth surface so as to permit of washing. The walls must be at least eight feet in height above the floor. "As regards lighting, there shall be one square foot of window area for every 20 square feet of floor area. A|] windows shall be constructed so that they may be opened or closed at all times. Roof windows shall not l>c located over bunks. Paper and Pulp Section 573 "Ventilation--at least 300 cubic feet of air space for every occupant and a separate ventilating system in the roof. "Bunks to be cither single or double deck at least 18 inches above floor. Field beds are deemed unsanitary. Straw ticks or mattresses to be in good condition and blankets kept clean and sanitary"Wash room space where men may bathe and wash clothes. Provision made for ex clusion of flies from dining room, kitchen or other places where food is stored, pre pared or eaten. "Latrines or privy pits shall be provided so as not to be a source of danger to any water supply. They should be at a reason able distance from the camps and kept in sanitary* condition." Now, gentlemen, the camps in the section where 1 come from have been built any old way and there has been no legislation until recently as regards the manner in which they were to be built. However, through the leg islation which we have been working on this past year, wc hope to get better living quar ters tor the men working in our lumber camps. MR. DICKINSON: Do you have any prohibition about the storing of dynamite in the bunk house? That sounds like a fool question, but 1 have seen many a bunk house in Wisconsin and Michigan where dynamite was kept under the shooter's bed to keep it from freezing. 1 have seen two or three tons of it stored away in a hut in the middle of a village, and the mill owners were very* wrathful when I suggested to them that the stuff be moved out into a bulletproof mag azine about a thousand feet away from tbe camp boundary- That was a common oc currence not many years ago. MR. FLAHERTY: Dynamite in our camps is usually stored in a storage house outside the camp. .T. E. CANTIN: We employ about 5,000 men in the woods during the cutting season and so wc have a good many camps. Up in Baie Comeau we had about 35 camps last year, contractors' camps. We have had reg ulations concerning the construction of lum ber camps in tbe provinces of Quebec and Ontario for a number of years. The regula tions are very strict as to the way we can build a camp--how far away from or close to the water it most be--as to the number of square feet per man that you can put up. etc. I don't sec, so far as Quebec is con cerned and possibly Ontario, just how we can improve our camp facilities. CHAIRMAN WILSON: I would like to say that about ten years ago every province in Canada took over the idea of compensa tion insurance. Don't let these Canadians get away with the idea that they have always had this type of camp, because they haven't. We were tickled to death to have the prov inces take over some of the camps that w.c insured 100 miles from anywhere, and God knows the)* were plenty tough. To our friend here from Louisiana 1 would like to say that there is your answer; legislation--definitely. They won't do it un less they are forced to do it. And the next job they have to do is to force these hohunks to use the facilities that they* have had to provide for them. Our second question is tins: "What facil ities can be provided for first aid (a) in the camp, fb) in the field, and fc) during trans portation?" Who is a good first aid man in this group of expert*? Who doe* a real job on that ? Facilities for First Aid MR CANTIN: We do not allow a con tractor to go into the woods for the execu tion of his contract before he has met (he safety director or the first aid man, at which time he is handed a first aid kit which wc think covers the requirements. These first aid kits are supposed to cover the require ments for a camp of 25 men. If the camp has 50 or 75 men, we give him two kits or three kits, as the case may be. The company gives him the kit free of charge, but he has to refill the kit as he goes along, as it is used up. We have a safety' inspector, a safety director or a scaler who acts as an inspector, and as he goes around to the different camps, he checks on (he safety supplies. CHAIRMAN WILSON: Who renders first aid in these isolated locations? MR. CANTIN: That's another question. Each contractor has to have a clerk, because we have a forestry commission which is very strict as to what we must do in the way of keeping proper records of the wages earned by the employees in the bush, whether cut ting by cord or working by the day or tht month. 574 29th National Safety Congress For the last two years we have made it a rule that this clerk must be a first aid man. This rule has been a little hard to enforce because it is liard to get these clerks a week or two or three in advance in order to give them some first aid trauiing. However, we have sold the comractor on the idea of hav ing a good first aid man in his camp and so when seeking to hire a clerk he looks for a man who has had some first aid knowledge and experience. The course which we give to our em ployees and to these clerks is the St. John's Ambulance Course, which is something like vour Kcd Cross here. It takes about three weeks to give this course. As a matter of tact, there arc four different courses to fol low. They can take them inside of three years, after which time, if they pass their last course, they receive an instructor's cer tificate. In my company we fiave about 55 or 60 first aid men who work in woods operations during the season and we have found that it wa.< good money invested, because many times in previous years we had men with bad wounds come in from the forest with a dirty old sock wrapped around it and that's how they were taken to the doctor. You all know wltat results from infection. We have succeeded in reducing the cost of our acci dents because we have been able to give good first aid, and we are certainly sold on rhis idea of a good first aid man in every ramp during the season. We are working now on the problem o y'viny the man in the field a first aid kit. We already have two or three of the first aid companies interested in diis idea. One ihing wc pointed out to these companies is that the first aid kits which you buy in a drug store usually have these straight-edged boxes, so they arc actually selling you a hazard. Wc told them flatly that unless they supplied us with a rolled edge box, it was no dice, and they are working on the prob lem now. MR. DICKINSON: I'll say "Amen" to that. ! got myself a first aid kit, and when I came upon somebody who had been hurt in an automobile wreck and went to offer a hit of first aid. I cut my thumb when I tried to open the box. MEMBER: One other thing you didn't mention, in connection with your first aid outfit; it seems to me that one of the most important items to carry in it is a tourniquet. MR. CANTIN: I am glad lo say that we use the American Army tourniquet in every one of our boxes. Safety Consciousness CHAIRMAN WILSON; Let us go on to our next question: "Since as in other in dustries the majority of accidents in logging and lumbering have human failure as their basic cause, what steps can be taken to pro mote safety consciousness among the actual workers in these operations?" Would you like to say something about that, Mr. Staf ford? F. H. STAFFORD: Well, you can't put mechanical safeguards around the men in the field, and so you must depend entirely on the strength of supervision. Personally, 1 believe that that is about the only way, through a process of education and safety' supervision, that you can make them safety conscious* CHAIRMAN WILSON: Here is some thing which may interest those of you liv ing in Arkansas and everywhere else. The Canal Zone today is working at least sev eral thousand Jamaica negroes, who perhaps are of a much higher caliber than those fellows you have down in the hillbilly coun try- These men are being educated to do every form of work by visual education, by means of movies. They are trying to show them how to use a saw properly from un derneath. They can't be taught to use a handsaw on the top of a stick; they saw only from underneath. But they are shown every operation, even as to how to use a shovel and how to use a hammer and how to ser a board or make any kind of a trim. The contractors have taken along with them 10 key men, and these key men manage 700 or 800 or perhaps 1,000 of these negroes, and they are taught every job they are sup posed to do by means of visual education. It seems to me that you folks down in Lou isiana might very well take a leaf out or that (took. Educational Programs MR. CAXTIN: The suggestion is very good. I believe that what is needed in the pulp wood logging operation is an educa tional program; wc have to educate the workmen on how to work safely. It i< a big Paper ami Pulp Section 575 job in our kind of operation because of the large turnover of workmen. We have these men for about four to five months in the year, and from one year to another I would say that about 75 per cent of them are new workmen who come in. You have no sooner started a program ot education to teach these men how to work safely in the woods than you find that the operation is finished, so you have to begin all over again the fol lowing season doing the same thing. With this in mind my company has pub lished a monthly magazine, a little house organ, which is entirely for the woods op eration end of our business. Our pulp and paper mill has nothing to do with it. Every thing in this little magazine concerns the forest worker. Wc have a page for the cooks, we have a page for the teamsters, we have a page for the tractor operators, and we have two or three pages which contain items of local interest. We have three plants and (his little magazine is sent to the work men in all three. It is issued once a month. We also have three or four pages show ing these men how to do a certain job, how to avoid an accident when doing a certain task, and, incidentally, we have a page that deals with the subject of first aid. This year we published 2,000 copies of this magazine cadi month. We can't very well give a copy to each individual man but we try to give each camp a copy tor every two men in that camp and they pass it around to one another. 1 have found that this manner of educat ing the workmen is bearing fruit because they have a radio nowadays in the camps at night and lots of the men tike to read. We supply them with newspapers as much as we can. This little magazine is interesting also because we try to make sketches to show in picture form what wc aTe attempt ing to convey in words. Wc have found this to be a good wax of educating the wood cutter. Another good way i> by means of safety posters. I am sorry' to -ay that I have yet to see a safety poster issued by any associa tion which covers woods operations specifi cally We arc beginning to get some- Local safety associations have started to pot them out, but they are somewhat limited, doe to the fact that they are *tatc-*ub*kzeti insti tutions. In Quebec it is called the Work men's Compensation Commission; in On tario it is called the Workmen's Compen sation Board. These associations depend for their activities on grants received from tinCommission or the Board, and they haven't received enough money to go very far into the problem. That is why we are looking to the National Safety Council to help us an tins work. Promote the News Letter CHAS. E. JONES: I think this man lias brought up something that is close to me. We have a "News Letter" in the Wood Products Section that supposedly includes logging and lumbering, ami 1 know that you fellow's in the woods operations are let out of that thing because you don't use it. In being an editor one must also be a sort ot clearing house, and in answer to the gen tleman's question regarding posters I would like to say that that can easily be arranged provided wc know* just what it is that w want. I can't sit here in Chicago and draw a picture of a fountain, for instance, and >cd it up to the north woods and expect those men up there to think of it as a safety poster. I have been requesting them to send us ideas ami pictures for more than a year, and yet ! still have to receive one. You prohably have cameras in the woods. Win don't you work it out a little bit? May!*.- the information you have t* the very tiling the other fellow want*, and we have to ar range some place where it can all be put together. As regards this movie business, wc all saw a swell movie here today sponsored by the Western Pine Association. I would like to give you mv opinion of that movie, which is this: They are celling western June wood and that'* the object of their picture, am! 1 know* that that i*n't what you fellow > want. You can't take a picture like that up into your cami*. What does it have to ay? Nothing more nor less than the fact that western pine r* a dam fine wood, and we probably all know that already If you arc going to u-se any movie* at ail. then l believe that the thing for you to <l is to let ns know about it. \Vc arc not ask ing you to ftonaie any film. We only waul you to let a. know that you have it. After that, by means ot a little cooperation. \u may be able to get -ome ot these picture* in *och a form that they* will not only be shown here hat may be loaned out. Let us 576 29th National Safety Congress Uy and find pictures on logging operations that aren't trying to sell something besides this thing that we are ail vitally Interested in, namely, safety. I am very much disturbed about this thing, fellows, from this angle; You elect a man to a job as a "News Letter" editor and von say, "Well, wc hope he docs a good job." How can be? You lick him at every' turn he makes. My friend up there in the chair answered one of my letters last year and said, "Sure, 1*11 help you out," and then he sem me one little article and I sure put it in the "News Letter." After that he just forgot about its existence, it seems. I know Jim is a busy man, and every one of you fellows has had the same alibi. Now I hope that some of you fellows will ju?t pick out one of these subjects that arc listed here on this sheet and write me your opinion on it in an article containing not more than fifty words. If wc could only get ten iuch opinions on various topics and print those in the "News Letter," it would lie most interesting and help a lot, because then you would all be able to sit down and digest that information at vour leisure when vou are not at these meetings. MR. CANTIN: I agree one hundred per cent with what Mr. Jones has said about motion picture films. As a matter of fact, my company has been working on the project of making a film of woods operations, their' hazards and how they can be avoided. Wc already have a scenario prepared. CHAIRMAN WILSON; You will find that von will get a lot of support from the other association* if you will pet something worth while. MR. JONES: Why don't you put the Wood Product*' "News Letter" on vour mailing ILl? MR. FLAHERTY: As regards this mat ter of education and the development of safety consciousness in the lumber woods, there is something ivc have got to put over and we arc trying hard to put it over in order to cut down accidents. You not only have to talk to the men but you also have to get the foremen safetyminded. The companies must get after the foremen and see that they go around to the men so that they can keep after them and see that they are doing the work safely. MEMRER: Who reads those magazines you put out? After all, some of these ne groes down South can't read. MR. CANTIN'; It just happens lhat up our way the workmen can read them. There is no fancy stuff in them. They are written in the language which these men use when they speak. Whenever they use any word incorrectly or whenever they use a slang word, we try to educate them by putting the correct usage or the correct spelling of the word in brackets. MEMRER: Would %\ be possible to train all your men in first aid, do you think? CHAIRMAN WILSON: That is a diffi cult problem, because of the length of time required in which to give a man an intelli gent first aid course. Take the case of the Western Electric Company out here at Hawthorne, for example, where they taught something like 4,800 men. ail of them key men. over a period of one year. Then the following year they taught the group of men second in command, so that in ihc course of the last few years they have prob ably trained about 5.W0 men who arc ca llable of being first aid instructors, all oj whom they now have on their working staff. Rut it's just wonderful, the reaction which some of these fellows receive, the minute they get into a first aid training school or class, because they immediately become con scious of safety procedures. O. C. BOILEAU (R C A Manufactur ing Co., Camden, N. J.): What we did was to start a class of about 30 fellows, giving them 100 hours oi training-. That included the standard Red Cross course of 20 hours, and an advanced course of 10 hours, and the standard instructor's cour>e oi 37 hours with a little thrown in for good measure. Then wc broke them down and gave each of those instructors a certain group of men to teach. Thus far we have put through about 1,000 people, and the same sort of thing is spreading all over our local county. Mechanization Problems CHAIRMAN WILSON: All right, let's go on with the next question: "Has the mechanization of woods operation any effect on accident experience? If favorable effect has been noticeable, how far can mechaniza tion be efficiently carried?" S. W. HOMAN (U. S. Labor Dept.. Washington, D- C.): We have just com* Paper and Pulp Section 577 pletcd a study of the accident experience in various parts of the country. One of the things we wanted to find out also was the accident experience in those sections that are highly mechanized compared to the accident experience in those sections where mecha nization hasn't been carried quite so far. CHAIRMAN WILSON: What was the result of your findings? Has it increased or decreased? MR. HOMAN: It has increased mate rially. la the Washington and California areas where they have a great deal of mech anization, both their frequency and severity rates were higher than they were in the South: and in the South they were some what higher than were those in the central section of the country', which included such states as Michigan and Wisconsin. CHAIRMAN WILSON: What is the answer? Selection and training and super vision ? MR. HOMAN: I don't think so. I think more than anything else this mechanization has increased so Tapidly, and the type of machines that they* use are >o powerful, that it lias simply gone ahead a great deal more rapidly than any safety program of training which should have accompanied it. CHAIRMAN WILSON: I think you have to select the men who aic going to handle any kind of machinery- Take this long chain saw, for example, which we saw* in the picture--you certainly must have a properly selected, properly trained, properly supervised crew to handle that sort of equipment. M. C. GOODSPEED (General Electric Co., Eric, Pa.): I would like to ask this question: You compared the mechanization of the West with that of the South and with that of the central section. Did you com pare the mechanization of the West with the hand operators of the West and the mech anization of the South with the hand op erators of the South, because the products arc so different that you can't even com pare the two industries? MR. HOMAN: The answer to that, so far as wc are concerned, is no. We base this entirely on getting together as large groups as possible. In other words, wc were not doing this for individual companies. We were making comparisons of a section where a certain type of logging was being carried on with another section. We purposely didn't want to bring in the experience of any indi vidual company. This study was not based. I believe, on pulp wood. Pulp wood was cx eluded. It was only based on commercial logging. CHAIRMAN WILSON: Have any of you gentlemen ever had any actual experi ence in a relative measure between mech anized and hand labor? MR. FLAHERTY: I have found that m the mechanization of woods operations, par . ticularly in the sawmill operation of handling of heavy hardwood, almost every* year there has been something new going on. All sort* of tractors and trucks have been operated night and day in order to get lumber out ot the woods in as short a time as possible. CHAIRMAN WILSON: And that has increased accidents. MR. FLAHERTY: There have been mam more severe accidents as a result of On* mechanization of woods operations. CHAIRMAN WILSON: A lot oi tlu men iiavc been killed as a result of such mechanization, haven't they? MR. FLAHERTY: Yes. especially in tincase of those companies handling heavy lumber, such as yellow birch. Take some fellow who perhaps has only driven a truck around a farm or a bit of freight on the highway and put him on a lumber truck, expecting him to propel the vehicle through the woods on poorly* constructed roads with huge loads of heavy* timber. Of course a lot of accidents are going to take place as a result of that practice. CHAIRMAN WILSON: All right, let's go ahead to the-next question: "1* it ever safe for one man to work alone in the woods?" The answer is definitely no. I don't think we need to discuss that at all. That is one of the things we must do in this country: we must have some regulations prohibiting that from ever happening. I'm sure we all agree on that. Here's the next question: "Since the acci dent rate for large operations seems to be lower than that for smaller ones, what measures could be taken to control the op erations of smaller operators for the bene fit of all?" Every safety man here knows that that is a problem today not in the paper and pulp woods operations alone or in any other one 578 29th National Safety Congress particular operation; it is a universal prob lem. Safety for the small operator is the big problem before us today. .Large or Small Operations MR. HOMAN": Mr. Chairman, may 1 interrupt for a moment? On the basis of this study that \vc have just made, strange it may seem, the larger operators have had considerably the worse safety record. CHAIRMAN WILSON: You haven't cot the story correct. You are not getting the reports from these fellows who are gypping you. The contract cutter, whether he i< cutting logs or pulp wood or what not --running sawmills in Minnesota or Wiscon sin or down in Arkansas--just doesn't furnidi >"u with the correct figure?. MR. HOMAN": I agree with what you >a\. It was always my impression, too, that the >mall operator should expect to have the worst experience. But strange as it may >tvm. >o far as we have gone with this thing, it seems to be just the reverse of that. The very large operator employing 1,000 or more men has had a worse experi ence than the operator employing, say. 500 men; and as you come down the line to the small operator employing up to 25 persons, you find that the latter's experience is still better. Now, there is no question about the fact that iu taking a national sample you don't get the small fellows at all, but you do get practically atl the targe ones and practically all the medium-sized ones. CHAIRMAN WILSON: You also get an accident report from the first aid room or from the first aid man in the camp. You may get dressing reports in many of fifie states which state that these arc not'acci dents. but I say that they are- When you get these reports, the higher degree of intelli gence that is displayed in their handling, the more accidents actually have taken place. I say that your picture is somewhat clouded. MR. HOMAN: We could get a great deal better and more accurate reports than those we do get. I stated a little while ago that the higher the mechanization, the greater the accident rate. Maybe that is reflected over into the fact that the larger the com pany, in all probability the greater its mech anization has been. MR- DICKINSON: Mr. Chairman, I think I have a little sidelight on something that has been brought out here. The gentle man a few moments ago said something about the small contract logger. In many cases it is made up of a partnership of two or three or maybe as many as twenty-five men, all of whom share equally in the profits, if there are any. Because they are all owners of the business, they do not come under the jurisdiction of the compensation law, and if one of them is hurt or killed in the woods, it's just too bad. He is a partner and he is just our. Another point is that that type of indi vidual probably is a man who has had 10 or 15 years of woods experience, and he has saved up a little stake, and he gets together with Harry and Bill and they start a little logging cooperative, and they probably arc the pick of the woodsmen That's just an other slant on the point that was mentioned. CHAIRMAN WILSON: Would you be good enough to take the chair for a few minutes, Mr. Dickinson? (Mr. Dickinson took ihc chair.) Felling and Cleaning CHAIRMAN DICKINSON: Our next question comes under the heading of felling and cleaning: "What arc the greatest haz ards involved in felling and what mean< can be taken to control them?" Would you like to say anything on that. Mr. VaughnuKvans? G. R. VAUGHAN-EV'AXS : Wc don't have a great number of hazards in connec tion with felling. I would rather "pass the buck" on to somebody else who can prob ably answer that question better than T can. MR. FLAHERTY: Our chief hazards, as I see them, in felling operations are to be found in old stumps, in limbs falling down and cracking the men on the back of the head or on the shoulders, and in kickbacks of trees over stumps. The only thing we can do is to have our foremen instruct their men as they go into the woods to watch out for those hazards. Undercutting and clear ing the ground sometimes will have a great deal to do with offsetting those hazards. CHAIRMAN DICKINSON: There is one other angle that hasn't been mentioned in addition to your kickbacks, I had a good deal of experience in the insurance field many years ago. We had a lot of accidents Paper and Ptdp Section 579 oi what wc called the "bear-trap" type wlwrcin a tree after being cut will hang at a 45 or 60 degree angle on a couple of small trees. What are you going to do in such rases? How are you going to get the tree down safely besides not spoiling the sup porting trees ? That, of course, is a very hazardous operation. It is more or less akin lo the rock pillars in a coal mine. MEMBER: I have worked in the wouds quite a bit myself and I know that the best oi sawyers will hang up a tree and often times they have gotten out by having an other tree thrown across it. But if you are careful in seeing that your road is fairly clear so tluu they can make a quick get away when the tre* begins to fall, there won*! be any cliancc of getting caught in it- CHAIRMAN DICKINSON: It would seem where you have tractors and trucks that a cable or chain around vour small tree could straighten that situation out. MR. STAFFORD: Wc have instructions to the effect that the workmen should not cut down tree:* when there is a high wind. CHAIRMAN DICKINSON: There, again, your supervision is responsible. When you have men working on a contract cord basis, they are probably going to keep on cutting and take chances under unfavor able conditions sometimes. Our next question is this: "Is any prep aration of the ground feasible?" MR. CANTIN: Tn our kind of an opera tion l don't believe we can prepare the ground. Wc are cutting in a very hilly country and the wood is small, running on an average of about 20 cords to the acre. I never found it practicable to prepare the ground in our kind of business. CHAIRMAN DICKINSON: I shall read these questions through and then if anybody wants to discuss any particular one he can do so. "What precautions should be taken in regard to the tools used in fell ing?" That is one thing which the logging committee is definitely going to cover. We have appointed a committee on small hand tools, and we hope to have the forest serv ice and three or four sectional groups figure out some definite operating rules on the handling, carrying, sharpening and using of tools which the men handle. Question: "Can any considerable amount of clearing or cleaning be done before fell ing?'' That i tied in with the question pav ing to do with the preparation of the ground. The answer seems to be no except on the big stumps. Question: "Can any safety training methods be used to promote sate telling ? If so, what?" Docs anybody want to discuss that? R. W. LAUGHLIX (Liberty Mutual In surance Co., Portland, Me.): One thing has been done that would line up with what ha.* been done by the gentleman from On tario and Quebec. Wc have made up some booklets with pictures on every operation in the woods which we distribute to the men in the camps. They contain illustrations uf typical jobs in the woods and can 1k: 5tudied by the men. CHAIRMAN DICKINSON; Will you >cn<! *omc of those copies to me at the Na tional Bureau of Standards or to the State Industrial Commission at Madison. Wiscon sin? MR. LAUGHLIX: I shall he clad to do so. CHAIRMAN DICKINSON: Our next subdivision has to do with swamping. The first question is this: "What types of equip ment can be used for safe swamping from the stump to the loading point?" Here, again, you could write a book on this sub ject, quite obviously. Question: "What is the general opinion of the use of `Go Devils' or sleds support ing one end of the sticks?" Well, that is a common method of logging up in the north woods of Michigan and Wisconsin and else where 5n this Midwestern area, and it has been in use for a hundred years or more. Question No. 3: "Should any attempt at cutting 'ticks to uniform length? lx made before swamping?" Well, that again is a function of the terrain and depends on your method of handling tog* or the purpose for which you are going to use those logs Our next group of questions comes under the heading of laadmsc. "transportation and unloading Qocsrioa No t is this- "What i the nw-t efficient -jjr range both a* to di ameter and length for -a:r handling of pulp from nod* to mill>_ MR. STXFFORD Mr Chapman, we cut a 12 or JA-fooe tog ~n preference to a 16-foot with two knotx. ii the 12 and 14 i< clear, for the- himWr vatiar CHAIRMW mOKLVSON On the 5*0 29th National Safety Congress other hand, your cypress is cut entirely full log because they float them on rafts and boats and it is much easier to handle them in the milt in full lengths. Question: "Is there any particular type of which particularly lends itself to safe handling with cranes?" MR. FLAHERTY: The safest sling I have seen is a double steel chain with a ring at each end and a bar between the chains. Safety Shoes CHAIRMAN DICKINSON: Question: "What methods can be used to promote the use of safety shoes by wood handlers?*' Does anybody here use special shoes? MR. CANTIN: We have spcnl a good deal of money trying to get our workmen in the woods to use safety shoes. We had a lioot made with a safety cap and the best calf leather which would sell ordinarily at retail lor $15 or $16, and wc offered this hoe in the workmen at cost price, which was $7-10. Well, I think I still have 25 pairs of them left, having sold the balance to hunters. These woodsmen don't want them, they don't like them. They prefer a boot or this rubber boot with a leather top. Now J found that one of the exhibitors here luis a rubber boot with a safety toe cap and in the soles he has some strips of metal, and I was very much interested in it Itccausc I think this may be the solution of nur problem, as it is the kind of a boot that the mrn p our way want. If we can get them into Canada, the men will buy them because they are buying the other kind. MR. FLAHERTY: I have asked the men why the\ didn't use the safety shoes and their answer was that they found them too told, particularly up in the north section where I come from. CHAIRMAN DICKINSON: Of course, the answer to that is to get them two sizes bigger and wear two pairs of woo! socks. MR. CHANT: Have you had any ex perience with gum rubber boots with hard toe caps r CHAIRMAN DICKINSON: That is the common type used now. MR. CHANT; What sort of a boot were you talking about, Mr. Cantin? MR. CANTIN: The shoe I had in mind has a rubber sole on it. 1 have had a manu facturer in Montreal make me a few pairs of those and put a safely toe cap on them. MR. CHANT: A steel toe cap? Have you had any experience with the regular rubber footwear that had a lard rubber toe cap in it? MR. CANTIN: No, I haven't. MR- CHANT: Those are made in Can ada. They only cost 25 cents a pair more than the regular ones. CHAIRMAN DICKINSON; Question: "Is there any particular type of toggle which reduces the hazard in releasing a load?" One of the most hazardous occupations in the whole field is that of unloading logs, whether they are heavy logs or mediumweight saw logs or pulp wood. There arc more men hurt in that type of occupation than almost any other. As far as your sawmill accident statistics are concerned, I know that 20 years ago that ms the pri mary cause of serious accidents, the high est rate. On the -West coast, strangely enough, you didn't have so much trouble because your togs were so big that they had to be tmloaded by power. In the East to unload car* they would cut out the wires and chop out the stakes, and then lake a pcavey and roll off the logs which didn't roll off the flat car when the stakes were chopped. On the West coast they use mechanical unloaders which consist either of a jib crane arrangement over a poke or pusher, which is a parallel bar mounted on very* heavy timbers, perhaps 18 inches square, used as pivots, and they simply place those alongside a car, release the chains or stake*, and start the locomotive, and as it pulls this parallel bar sweeps across the car and pushes the load off. I know of only one mill in the East where they haw put in equipment of a similar type. Safe Loading Methods Question: "What is the safest method of loading on (a) wagons or *!cd? (b) trucks? fc) railroad cars? and (d) ships?" As for wagons, and sleds, the usual method is to establish a woods deck about the height of your body, bring your wagon or sled up to it, and roll the logs onto U with a pcavey or jib pole. MR. CANTIN: As far as pulp wood is concerned, they arc thrown on to the wagon or sled by hand. Paper and Pulp Section 581 CHAIRMAN DICKINSON: When load ing on railroad cars, of course, that is gen erally a power operation, although not nec essarily so with small logs. Has anybody any ideas to offer on how to cut down your load ing hazards on railroad cars? The conven tional method for years has been to load from one deck about six inches higher than your ear platform. How about ships? Quite a lot of bad ac cidents have happened in loading logs onto ships. In many cases the pulp wood is rafted down to the big booms and then it is picked up with a conveyor and dumped into the hold, after which the crew down there picks the logs up and stacks the cord wood as the stuff comes down. Apparently that is a rather hazardous undertaking. MR. CANTIN': There is some hazard in loading a ship but I think we have con trolled that very well because we don't al low anyone on the ship when the wood is coming down from the chute into the hold. They* work in a second hold a little farther on and then they move in when there is enough wood dropped down into the first hold and ting- stack the wood. The accidents which we have had are mainly due to the pickaroons when the pick slips along the log and the man usually catches it on the ankle or on the calf of his leg. If we could find a leg guard and an ankle guard that would be practical, that would answer the problem, but wc haven't got any so far. CHAIRMAN DICKINSON: Did you ever try* a football shin guard? MR. CANTIN: No, it's too stiff. CHAIRMAN DICKINSON: Question* "Referring back to the question on mechan ization, what mechanical loading equipment is available which can be efficiently carried into the woods?" Of course, we saw pic tures today of a truck-type crane which was loading a truck in the woods and that is as portable as the truck it feeds. THURSDAY AFTERNOON SESSION October 10,1940 CHAIRMAN CHANT: The first thing on our program this afternoon will be the presentation of the contest awards by Mr. f. E. Long, Superintendent of Safety, The Delaware & Hudson Railroad Corp., Al bany, New York, and Past President of rhe Xationa! Safety Council. Presentation of National Safety Council Awards in the Paper and Pulp Section Safety Contest Enrollment in the 1939-40 Paper Industry Annual Safety Content xt a new high mark. 146 p.-.'cr and pulp rati! units and 29 paper and board rc-rnanufactoring plants--a total of 175 contestant*, employing 77.128 em ployee*. working 16L63k962 man-hours-- reported a total of 21197 lost-time injuries in the 12 months. July 1, 1939 to June 30. 1940. Frequency rates of identical contestants averaged 2 per cent above the rates in the 1938-39 competition. Rates increased 2 per cent in paper and pulp mills and 6 per cent in rc-mamj factoring plants. Two groups, C and D, consisting of the smaller paper and pulp mill*, were successful in improving their rates. Large mills had the -lowest frequency rates, averaging 11.52 in Group A and 13.43 in Group B. There were 10 perfect scores in all: one in Group C, eight in Group D. and one in the Re-manufacturing Division. It is with great pleasure that I present, in the name of the National Safety Council, the following awards of bronze trophies to the winner of first place in each division of the contest, and Certificates of Merit to those companies which placed -ccond and third in each division: 5S2 29th National Safety Congress Division 1 Group A I- Price Brothers & Company Limited. Kcnogami Paper Mills, 2,258.785 hours, l injury. 2. Anglo-Canadian Pulp & Paper Mills. Ltd., Limoiloi, Quebec, Canada, 1,712,994 hours,.1 injury- 3. Hollingsworth & Whitney Company, WatcrviUc. Maine, 3,365,605 hours. 9 in juries. Group B 1. Hoberg Paper stilts. Inc., Division "A," Green Bay, Wis., 1.008,543 hours, 1 injury. 2. St. Croix Paper Company. Woodland. Maine. S46.377 hours, 1 injury. 3. P. H. Glatfelter Co.. Spring Grove Pa.. 1.079.752 hours. 2 injuries. Group C t. Strathmore Paper Company, Woronoco Mills, 538.231 hours, 0 injury. 2. Southern Kraft Corp., Continental Div. York Haven, Pa., 691,229 hours, I injury. 3. Eseanaba Paper Company, Escanaba, Mich.. 706,464 hours, 2 injuries. Group D 1. Sylva Paperboard Company, Sylva, N. C,, 337,656 hours, O'injury- I. Spaulding Fibre Company, Inc., Milton, X. H., 190,367 hours, 0 injury. I. United States Gypsum Company, North Kansas City, Mo.. 183,742 hours, 0 injury. 1. International Paper Co.. Livermore Falls, Me., 170,199 hours, 0 injury. 1. The Mead Corporation. Nashville. Tcnn.. 169,686 hours. 0 injury. I. Hollingsworth & Whitney Company, Afadison, Me-, 128,572 hours, 0 injury. 1. International Paper Co.. Kilty. Me.. U6,074 hours 0 injury. 1. Spaulding Fibre Company. Inc.. Haves. N. H.. 82,061 hours, 0 injury. Division ft 1. Bay West Paper Co.. Green Bay. Wis., 97,663 hours. 0 injury. 2. Gaylord Container Corporation. St. Loui? Container Plant. 1.038.307 hours, 2 injurie<- 3. Kimberly-Clark Corporation. Atlas Mill. 329,5fo hours, I injury. CHAIRMAN CHANT: There remain ^ tiic presentation of one more trophy award, and it is unnecessary for me to roll you what it is I ?hall call upon our good friend Scott Dowd to again deal with that award. Presentation of the Edward Benton Fritz Memorial Trophv SCOTT DOWD (President and Gen eral Manager, Fritz Publications, Inc.. Chicago): The close of this sixteenth na tional competition in safety among mcmliers in' the Paper and Pulp Section. National Safety Council, again brings the associates or Eduard Benton Fritz (affectionately known to us as "Dad") to this annual meet ing for the purpose of awarding the major trophy of this contest. "Dad," as the most of you know, was a pioneer of safety in the pulp and paper mills of North America. Through the medium of his magazine, The Paper Industry and Paper Warld> and the inauguration and sponsorship of these annual contests, his efforts were expressed in promoting safety in this industry. Since his passing in the spring of 1939, the staff of Fritz Publications, Inc., Chi cago, has conceived the idea of perpetuating his memory in this safety work by namim* our annual award the "Edward Renton Frit/. Memorial Tjophj," bearing hi-* likencs>. It was our pleasure to make the first award of this type al the Congress of l-t year. Now. wo have the honor again to name l he winner, which in the opinion of tin* judges provided for in our rules, has estab lished the best record based upon fre quency. man-hours worked, physical condi tions, and other contributing factors. Wc were honored last year in having with us the treasurer of our company, the widow of our founder, our mother. Mrs. Edward B. Fritz. She presented the trophy with that loving thought that is the spirit in which it is given by our company. Paper and Pulp Section 583 She is honoring us again in the making of this award to the mill member which I shall now announce is the Strathmore Paper Company, Woronoco, Mass-, the win ner of Group C with the highest number of man-hours without a lost-time accident in the duration of the contest. Friends, it is an honor, indeed, for me to present Mrs. Fritz. MRS. EDWARD BENTON FRITZ: Gentlemen and Ladies: It is with profound pleasure and with profound gratitude that \ greet you today. I am grateful because of the great progress that all of you have made in safety, and 1 am glad that I know you arc not working for a trophy, that you are working for something to hang on your wail >o that you may later point to it with pride and say, "YVc did the best job of all." You have all done this oat of the goodness of your heart> for the safety of life and limb, for the safety of men who would be injured in accidents and perhaps be crippled for the remainder of their live'You have done all this because you want to be able to lie down at night with a good dear conscience, feeling that you have done the best you could in your milt today for the safety of humanity. It is for that reason that I am grateful today, and I am so happy to be able to pre- sent this trophy to Mr. Charles E. Hig gins of the Strathmore Paper Company. CHARLES E, HIGGINS (Assistant to Treasurer, Strathmore Paper Co., Woron oco, Mass.): Mrs. Fritz, it is indeed a great pleasure for me to accept this trophy*, es pecially from your hands, in memory* of your husband, Edward Benton Fritz, and on behalf of the employees and the manage ment of the Strathmore Paper Company we thank you sincerely. Wc want you to know that when we get back home, this trophy will occupy a position of prominence in our mills as a continuous inspiration to those employee who established this type of safety record. CHAIRMAN CHANT: May I tltank you. too, Mrs. Fritz, and attempt to ex press to you the pleasure that all of us have had today in your company. tA brief recess was taken). CH.MRMAN CHaNT : Gentlemen, wc will get on with the rest of our program I am going to introduce to you now R. \V, Laughlm, Safety Engineer. Liberty Mutual Insurance Company*. Portland. Maine. Mr. Laugh!in has very kindly con sented lo give us a talk and a demonstra tion this afternoon. Some of you may have had an opportunity of seeing and lisitnmv to this "act** before. 1 have not seen it but from what I have heard about it I am looking forward to it with a great deal of anticipation. (Mr. RL W. Laughlm then gave a demon stration lecture which he called "A Bag of Safety Tricks.** which, unfortunately, cannot be reproduced In these records because it <*a chiefly a demonstration bv pantomime.) General Round Table CHAIRMAN CHANT: Acrotdioac to the program, the next item combr* of re marks by the General Chairman Elect With your permission i am going to Oup that However, I do want to say that 1 deeply and sincerely appreciate the coe&detuT which you have shown by giving me another chance to make good as yoor General Chairman. 1 shall certainly try to tbr ut most of my ability to work in toot murre* and in the interest of the general .-*-< of safety*. I want to thank you all tor the coopera tion which I have received from you dur ing the last term and 1 hope to deserve a continuation of it during the ensuing twelve months Now, we Have on our program a round table discussion of certain subjects, but wc have no table and it isn't round. With those -light differences, I think we can proceed with our round table discussion. The first -abject listed is that of "Safety Contest? m the Plant." I think that is intended to 584 29th National Safety Congress mean interdepartmental contests or general contests as applied to the one plant rather than as between groups or numbers of plants, is there any discussion to be had on that subject at this time? amount of time lost, a 68 per cent reduction of frequency, a 93 per cent reduction m severity' and a 66 per cent reduction in costs, or a 70 per cent reduction in cost per $100 payroll. 1 am absolutely certain that a Plant Safety Contests large part of that reduction was due to the fact that our boys are trying so strenuously to get one of these bronze plaques. We have ERNEST AUGUSTUS (Mead Paper never won one of them yet, whereas some Company, ChiHicothe, O.): Mr. Chairman, of the other mills have won them several 1 believe I have mentioned at various times times, and our boys want one of those something about a plan that we have in our group of mills. First of all, we have an intcrplam contest based somewhat on the *ame set of rules as those used in our paper industry contests. We give a trophy at the end of the year to that plant which has made the lowest and best safety record based on the combination of frequency and severity. Some of you gentlemen may have been at the round table discussion meeting this morning and, if so, you will recall having heard some argument as to how important severity is. I maintain that severity should be taken into consideration when determining the winner of any kind of a contest. And so we give .frequency rating 8 points and severity 2 points. Every three months, in addition to the hig bronze plaque awarded at the end of the year, u c award a quarterly first place banner aud a quarterly second place banner. It i? based on tlie same svstan of scoring but it creates a little added incentive if every three months somebody has a chance to win something, even though they may not have a chance to win the big prize at the end of the year. t have some figures which prove tliai the conte.'t idea is all right. Over a period of 6 years, among ll plants in our group' iliat were participating in these contests, we showed an 11 per can reduction last year over the previous five-year average in the number of accidents--a 2-1 per cent reduc tion in time lost--a 21 per cent reduction in frequency--a 33 per cent reduction in severity--and a 30 per cent reduction in compensation, or a reduction in cost per $100 payroll of 26 per cent. plaques. Now, in addition to this intcrplam coo lest, in our plant wc have a safety sweepstake plan. Every month on the pay day prior to the beginning of the mouth we give to every hourly-paid employee, at tbe pay office window, a card which has a serial number printed at the top. On this card the worker writes his name and department, then tears tlic stub off. puts it in a box. and later these stubs are collected. He must retain his portion of the card if he wihc* to win a prize. At the end of the month all employ evs in departments in which no lost-time acci dents have occurred during that period are eligible to win one of five cash awards if his number should happen to be pulled out of the box. However, if in any department there lias been a lost-time accident during the month everybody in that department is disqualified. The first prize is $25, the sec ond, $20, the third, $15, the fourth, $10 and the fifth, $5.00, the total of the five prizes amounting to $75. Mind you, the departments really aren't competing against each oilier; they are -im ply trying to win these prizes One from another. As a result of this system, every man is watching every other man in his de triment. I have seen this happen: Some fellow will come along and put a ladder up against a wall and if he has it out a little further than it should be, somebody else in his department will come along and say to him. "Say, you big so-and-so, what'* the matter with you? Do you want to keep me from getting that $25 next month? I intend to win that $25, so you had better put that ladder up at the proper angle." Each fellow I can show you some of the results that have been obtained in individual plants. For instance, in our plant a) ChiHicothe last year wc showed a reduction of 65 per cent in the is looking out for the other and, incidentally, he is looking out for his own interest, of course, because each man feel* that he is going to be the lucky winner. number of accidents and 93 per cent in At the end of the year wc put $175 into Paf>t r ami Pulp Section 585 a big pot and all these departments arc given an opportunity, regardless of whether they have had an accident or not, to take these numbers for the last month and draw them out, and somebody wins $100, another person $50 and another $25. We did that for the boys in some departments who per haps month after month had a bad record and so began to fee) that they just didn't have a chance to ever win any of that money. In addition to that, every three months we have a drawing for the foremen of these departments on exactly the same basis, where we give prizes of $15. $10 and $5, and every foreman is eligible in whose de partment no accidents have occurred during that three-month period. If he has had an accident in his department, then he and all the other foremen in that department are out automatically; they can't draw a prize. In my opinion, it is as a result of these two things more than anything else that our accident record tor the last five or six years has consistently shown an improve ment, and we have gotten the boys inter ested so that they are working for them selves, they are working for each other, and the plants are competing with each other in trying to develop a better safety record. And wc send out every* month to these mills a list of figures whieh are posted on the bulletin board showing just where each one stands, also containing a short description of each accident that has been reported--who is to blame; how much time is lost, what it costs, etc. CHAIRMAN CHANT: Will that make us eligible for prizes next month ? MR. AUGUSTUS: There is one addi tional thing that 1 might say. When we first started a year ago we gave about 40 prizes. There was the same amount of money* involved but we had a $15 prize, a $10 prize, fifteen $2 prizes and thirty $1 prizes, so (lot more people got some of the money. But when wc put the matter op to the em ployees themselves, they said that they would rather Have fewer prizes and more money for each prize. CHAIRMAN CHANT: There are a number of variations in use on that basic sweepstake idea. Mr. Long of the Bay West Paper Company of Green Bay, Wisconsin described to us on Monday a somewhat similar type of sweepstake. I personally know of a number of others in ue in dif ferent plants, just variations on the basic idea. I would like to ask Mr. Augustus, as re gards this matter of data to be put up on the bulletin board in the different plants, whether such information is only posted each month or whether something is put up immediately following an accident in one of the departments, telling just what hap pened? MR. AUGUSTUS: As soon as an acci dent occurs, an .Investigation is made and the findings posted on a bulletin board by the safety man in that particular plant. MEMBER: Do you mention the man's name and present all the details of the case? MR. AUGUSTUS: Absolutely. We give the man's name and if the supervision was tn blame for the accident, we say so. We give the whole story and we have never had any kickbacks from it yet SAME MEMBER: I have been toying with that idea and was wondering how many kickbacks one would get. In addition to the posting of that information, have you ever tried posting photographs showing the unsafe condition or possibly the grue some aftermath? CHARLES H. ABEL (Kimberly Clark Corp., Appleton, Wisconsin): Kimberly Clark for the past few years has taken pictures immediately after the occurrence of the aecident and in some cases has gone through the actual procedure of showing how the accident occurred--making a scries of pictures and displaying them on the bulletin board wjth a full report. SAME MEMBER: Any kickbacks? MR. ABEL: No, they were very well received. In fact, I think the reception on that type of material has proved much bet ter than on just a plain mimeographed report. CHAIRMAN CHAN;X: I call to mind a certain plant where this sweepstake idea has recently been applied. Previously the}* had quite an elaborate setup wherein a rather large safety committee always made a very thorough investigation of every lost time accident, and the procedure took up quite a lot of time. They used to arrive at some very laudable conclusions and did a thorough job of investigation, the com pleted report sometimes extending over on 586 29th National Safety Congress the second page of the bulletin that went up against that and, if so, how they overcame on the board. it? However, since they iiave adopted the sweepstake idea they have dianged that method of publicity with good results. They now put up on the board, if possible, with in 24 hours of the occurrence of a lost-time accident, a notification of that accident and this automatically wipes that particular department out of being a participant in the sweepstake for that month. They put up just the bare facts of what happened, without taking the trouble immediately to find out who was responsible for it and all the details involved. Merely a note saving, "Sorry, boys, but no sweepstake for your department this month. John Jones tripped over a truck liandle and injured himself/* That may be a thought which some of you may want to use. MR. CREIG; Wc arc wondering whether that tends to create a let-down for the balance of the month for that particular department? From what Mr. Augustus has said it seems that the reverse of that is true, namely, that there was no let down in his plant. CHAIRMAN CHANT: There is a way around that. In the plant I have just men tioned the}* do not use a calendar month basis so far as the sweepstake is concerned. Each department will have a sweepstake ever}* time they go along for 30 days with out a lost-time accident. So if they have an accident today, they start their thirty-day period over again tomorrow. Whenever they have hit thirty days clear, then they have a sweepstake. There is no period dur ing which the}* can say, "Oh, well, we're washed up anyway, so what's the use of trying to be so careful?" MR. CRIEG: Mr. Augustus, how many men do you have in your mill? MR. AUGUSTUS: We have about 1,250 hourly paid men who get these tickets. In cidentally, I might say that those depart ments are divided into 2| different groups. You may have departments of 7 or 8 men and wc put several of those departments together and call them one group. PHIL STARBUCK (Meredith Publish ing Co., Des Moines, la.) : I have a bit of a problem here. We wanted to start a con test but we have a great difference in the probability* of accidents in our various de partments. I wonder if anybody has come up MR. AUGUSTUS: We had that argu ment at one time and we still have it once in a while, but I am convinced that it is just something which we think is'true but which really isn't. For instance, >vhcn wc first started out with our paper machines, the men who worked them said, "Why, we can'r get by for even a single month without having an accident, let alone for a longer period of time." Well, we have now ! I paper machines--some of them arc pretty big and quite fast--and yet the men haven't had an accident on those paper machines for more than a year; yet the}* used to have one about every two or three weeks. It has been proved that working on those ma chines is not any more hazardous than work ing elsewhere if you have a group of safety-minded men in there. For example, we have 27 men in our electrical department, and last August we had a record of going along for fifteen years in that department without a single lost-time accident; and yet your maintenance and electrical departments are normally' considered very hazardous departments, ft so happens, however, that wc have a fore man in there who is safety-minded, and he has simply trained his men in such a man ner that they just don't have any accidents. We have had more accidents in our storage department than our electrical department has ever had. * R. \V. CROUCHER (Minnesota Sc On tario Paper Co.): Mr. Augustus, did you mean to say that if your one plant goes along without a lost-time accident you pav out $1,200? .MR, AUGUSTUS: No, no. we pay $75 per month in this one plant of ours at Chillieothe. There is one thing I would like to men tion. Here is something that a great many of our employees prize very* highly (holds up sample certificate), a certificate that costs us less than a penny apiece to print which says that such-and-such a person of a division, in recognition of a 100 per cent safety record during a period of five years, is awarded this certificate. On the bottom it bears the signatures of the president of our company, of our division manager, and of the superintendent of that particular plant at which the man is employed. Paper and Pulp Section 587 At the end ot five years the worker re ceives that type of certificate, which comes in a frame. At the end of ten years he re ceives a gold certificate like this. (Shows sample.) At the end of fifteen years He receives still another type of certificate. You can go into the home of any one of these employees who has received such an award (and I have done so many times) and you will find that little frame hanging up on the front room wall in a spot where every body who comes in can see it. Also, I know of a number of instances where employees who have left our company in order to apply for a job elsewhere have taken (hat certificate along with them as a means ot convincing the employment manager that they were good, safe workmen so that they might more easily get the job. W. S. BREWSTER (Masonite Corp.. Laurel, Mississippi): Sometime ago wc tried to get a little competition among our foremen. Naturally, the hazards are dif ferent all ovct the mill Some foremen have many men and others not so many men. Finally I arrived at a system some-, thing like this: I got the foremen divided into groups; in other words, a foreman with 50 men and over, a foreman with 25 to 50 men, and a foreman with 10 men and un dci. Here is the way I count the accidents: 1 count each minor accident one point, each ubmajor accident 9 points, and each major accident 25 points. That is the ratio. At the end of the first week, let us say, if a fore man has a submajor and a minor accident in his department, that is 10 points against his department, and 1 divide that by the number of men he has working under him. At the end of the second week, if he has not Had any more accidents, then I divide, the figure by 120 because he has had that manv* men working under him during those two weeks. I keep this record of each fore man on a sheet showing his last week's record and his record to date. 1 don't know just how fair that system is. It seems to be working out quite well. The foremen are interested in it and the men are becoming interested in it as well. In other words, copies of it go to all superintendents and to the general manager, and they put copies on the bulletin boards, and the fore man gets a copy. My theory is that even tually he is going to get tired of seeing his name on the bottom of the list. Of course, it doesn't count severity, t am wondering if any other plants have used such a plan and, if so, how it has worked out there? CHAIRMAN CHANT: Will you define a submajor accident for us? MR. BREWSTER: We count a submajor accident as one that is not lost time but which requires a man to be sent to the clinic (we have our own company clinic), after which he will come back to work. In other words, it is a little bit more serious than a minor accident, so that it requires, not just first aid but a doctor's care. MR. RICHARDSON: I don't see how we can control severity. We are interested in preventing accidents. Whether it's a bad accident or a minor accident depends upon various conditions. For instance, if you have a slipping haz ard in the mill, one man might slip on that and fall down and light on his "fanny" and get up and walk off again without any more ado; whereas another fellow might fall down and receive a serious bruise; and a third person might come along and slip and break an arm or a leg. So I don't see how we can involve severity* in that and be fair about it CHAIRMAN CHANT: I think that is something you have to work out for your own plant You arc perfectly right in saying that in general, by and large, we have very' little control over severity. About all we can do to control it is to make sure of ade quate first aid, proper medical attention, etc., <o tliat wc don't aggravate an injury' need lessly. Aside from that, there Is little else we can do. 1 am sure that we are all agreed that there is a sprat potentiality in a safety contest within the plant It doesn't matter so much how you work the thing out or what rules you have, there is a value there that wc can obtain by using a suitable type of scheme. " I mentioned a few minutes ago some thing about the proper type of publicity for an accident that was almost completely solved by this sweepstake idea. Just ar range it any way you want. Instead of ask ing everybody to read a long report and to expect them to agree that the committee found the right solution to the accident after it happened, just put up the bare 588 29th National Safety Congress farts and t>icn let the arguing be done by those who read them. State nothing unless it is absolutely definite. The minute you say. "John tripped over a truck handle" and then add, "while not watching where he was going." you have the basis for trouble. MR. CANTIN: 1 liavc known the sweep* 'take idea as applied in the camps and one vomjiany in my group has used it with good effect. However, they don't give a cash prize. They give a prize (which amounts to the same thing) once or twice each year for any camp that lias gone along without a lost-time accident for a certain period of time. There is a drawing in the same way as that already described here, and the prize is usually a purchase order which is good fur a certain value in the company store. \ man can get himself a $5 pair of shoes *r an S8 mackinaw or something oi that <ort. As mills usually do not give a worker any time off with pay, sometimes the prize s a certain amount of time off with pay. which in some plants in certain locationworks better tlian the money itself. Plant Housekeeping CHAIRMAN' CHANT: Our next sub ject has to do with the methods of main taining plant tidiness and good order. can hire 150 janitors, but those janitors still won't be able to keep the place clean. I might also add that we have an all union shop--wc have contracts with five union*.--and of course all of you know that in the standard union contract there is a clause pertaining to the cleanliness of the mill. After a long time we really got some cooj*ration from the boys and it came mostly from certain individual members. M c could hardly hold the representative committers responsible for the clcanlincsof several hundred employees. Then we started a contest, which, although young, is working out fairly well thus far. Me hope to be able to improve on it by correcting some of the mistakes which m*w exist in the contest rules. M'e had a planned inspection, and we got the general manager to be one of an inspecting committee of three, and wc an nounced the date of our first inspection. M'e thought it only fair that everybody know when the first inspection would be made. I was also a member of that inspec tion committee. Our plant never looked so dean as it did that day. Wc couldn't be lieve it ourselves and yet we were in it all the time. Honestly, there were departments where you could have held a dance had ih<machinery been shut down. W. E. STRONG (Marathon Paper Mill*o.. Mcnasha, Mis.); By way of explana non. while we arc more in the converting !>usines* than in Uiai of paper manufac turing--that is. our division does printing and waxing and finishing and converting of that >ort--we had a lot of headaches main taining a clean plant: and as we look hack at it now, it seems as though we ditl a lot of fumbling for several years. One of our problems was the starch spray problem, and while you might refer to it jptimisiically as clean dirt, nevertheless the department in which it was used always looked very mu^sy, Then we had a waxing problem caused by a wax spray and wax splashing, a a result of which our press rooms were hard to keep dean. Our little jwper mill unit is a very old unit and that also offered a problem. We kicked this thing around and argued about it a long time and we are definitely of the opinion that the answer to cleaning up is not additional jamtin* service. Yon Me were pretty much hepped about it. M'e finished about noon, and we derided that wc would break the departments up for prizes in the afternoon, and that is when our troubles started. There were twelve de partments set up and our task was a very difficult one. I would like to tell you what the prizcwcrc and still are. Wc arc located about 35 miles from Green Bay and everybody living within a hundred mites of Green Bay if very much interested in the Green Bay Packers football team. So we offered as prizes tickets for seats located on the fiftyyard line to all the home games. Just what wc arc going to do when the football season is ended wc don't know yet. TIk? second inspection was unannounced, and here is the interesting part of the whole thing: the deparunent that was in third place at the time the first announce ment was made fell down. I believe, to -ixtli place, the department that was in sixth place at the time of the first inspection Paper and Pulp Section 5S9 came up to second place, etc. There is keen rivalry not only between the foremen but among the men themselves. Wc found out after oar first inspection trip that there was a committee of fellows, self-appointed from the pressmen's union, who inspected the milt the day before we did, and we also discovered tliat two or three of the fore men got together and made interdepart mental inspections. To summarize the advantages of this program: They are becoming cleanliness conscious, and if it takes $15 or $20 or $30's worth of football tickets to do it, it is money well >penL wc think. The reaction of certain individuals in the mill has been interesting. The day I wa> an inspector I walked into the fimdiing department and found a cer tain chap who fed the gluing machine clean .haven, and 1 had always known him to be one of these fellows who liked to go around with a black beard and hated to -have and only did so on Saturdays. There was an element of personal cleanliness which entered into this thing without any .vlverlidng or hullabaloo. MV arc proud of the transformation. The foremen, who I think were more respon-ibk: for the old condition than anybody rl*c. are now building up a competitive -pirit between themselves. The morning after <mr first Inspection I kept on getting continuous calls from the various men wanting to know why their individual de partment* weren't in first place. It got so had that 1 called the plant manager and -aid to him. **We've got to have a meeting.'* I told him why, and he answered, "Let them go out am! look for the faults them selves." "Bui that isn't the answer," I re plied. "They won't accept it." "All right, then, suppose you call all the interested parties together at eleven o'clock and we'll meet with them." The three of us who lud made the inspection met with those fellow's and wc got the damnedest "haircut" you ever a\v or heard of from tliosc foremen who didn't win first place. Obviously the cost factor has to be taken into consideration in this matter. Some de partments arc hard to clean because of the process and type of building they are in; others are easy to clean. The nature of the product in some departments has a very' direct influence. As wc have gone along and worked on this thing, we have definitely decided to set up scheme whereby the cost factor will play an important part. Inci-. dentally, one of the two departments that dliared first place just before wc left for this convention, managed to do so without one dime of expenditure over and above the normal amount of money allotted in the budget for clean-up work. CHAIRMAN CHANT: Docs anybody want to say anything about home-made bulletin board material ? ). F. BERRY: Mr. Cliairman, I have a few sample prints here. They were made by one of our trucker's helpers, a fairly good artist, and I have brought them with me in case you fellows care to see them. They will give you an indication of wliat we have been doing along this line. CHAIRMAN CHANT: It had been hoped that wc might have an exhibit in this room of home-made poster material, but a number of things cropped up to prevent that from being done this year. I still hope that hy the time the next congress comes around we will have been able to work out some method for having a display of our poster material on bulletin boards right in our own meeting room, aside from any displays which the Council might tiave in the outside exhibition hall. I am sure that in our own group many firms, because they have been fortunate enough perhaps in having an artist on their staff, have been able to work out some splendid poster ideas. The particular problem that some of the member firms run into up in the province of Quebec, Canada--and in other localities-- R that of obtaining suitable safety poster material with the wording in a language other than English. Mr. Cantin, I see, has in his hand a number of posters which he has had developed and then translated into the French language for use in his locality. MR. CANTIN: Wc haven't much as far as woods operations are concerned in suit able posters. Occasionally wc have found that the Safety Council has issued pouter* that applied to some extent to woods opera tions. Then it was our difficult task to translate them into the French language. You may have slogans in English made up of three or four words, but when you translate those into French sometimes a whole line of words is required to give the same meaning. 5<X> Kotioual Safety Congress i am no artist but I can copy pretty well. Some safety posters issued by the Council l have reproduced and then had mimeographed in two colors, naturally with French wording. 1 1 lAJRMAX* CHANT: I am familiar with some of the difficulties that Mr. Cantin and his associates in the province of Quebec have had in obtaining suitable poster ma terial. 1 am much interested in what he has accomplished. I know that pressure has been put on our section poster committee or Visual Education Committee lor several ears back o that we might, through them, reach the Council poster department with the view of getting posters put oat hy the * 'turned worded in French. But we run up against the facr that the demand for such material is limited and the Council can't afford to make up such material in small quantities. The answer seems to he in the tact, as hnwn by Mr. Cantin. that the company ri-clf has to do much of this sort of thing. In time we may be able to do, something about tins through the Council. At least I hope so. The first requirement toward that end. of course, is to get more members-- more Council members and more section member*--from those localities where such poster* arc required. If we can get to the point where we can say to the Council. "W e need 1,500 or 2,000 of these French |b*Ut* even.- month," then they may be able u- -upp]\ them without loo much expense, but when tt is only a matter ot supplying 25 or 50 such posters, then the Council naturally informs us tJtat it cannoi afford to do Is there anything else, gentlemen? It not. may I again thank you all for coming ke-c and express to you mv appreciation for the very free and worthwhile discu**ii>n- that we have had at these meetings? You have all taken a splendid part in them and l am sure we will go home with some new idea* to make use of in our own work, a1 well as with some very happy recollections of this congress. MR. STRONG: Gentlemen: I think that this group should express to Doug Chant a vote of tlianks for his continuous efforts in holding this group together am! building a program and giving us the title meetings which we liave had. Suppose we give him a rising vote ot thanks. (The audience arose ami enthusiastically applauded.) CHAIRMAN CHANT: Thank you very much, gentlemen. It is undeserved but ap preciated nonetheless. .-IDJOURXMEXT Petroleum Section Officers 1939-1940 General Chairman--C. J. Xoriianw, Shell Oil Co.. Inc.. Sacramento. Calif. Vice-Chairntan far Production--H T. Markee, Phillips Petroleum Co., Bartlesville, Okla. yiee-Chairtnan for Pipelines--C- A. Miller, The Texas Co., Houston, Texas. Piec-Chairman for Manufacturing--J. Howard Myers, The Atlantic Refining Co.. Phila delphia, Pa. Pice-Chairman for Marketing--F. R McLean. White Star Div., Socony-Vacuum Oil Co, Inc., Detroit. Mich. A'cav Letter Editor--H. B. William:*, Pan-American Refining Corp., Texas City, Texas. Engineering Committee Chairman--J. P. Sutton, Ohio Oil Co, Findlay, Ohio. iloiJlh Committee Chairman--Dr. ). \S\ Long, Guli Oit Corp.. Port Arthur. To:a*. Industrial Data Sheet Committee Chairman--H K. Disciuxcer, Shell Oil Co.. Inc. St. Louis, Mo. Program Committee Chairman--I. H. Brown, Tide Water Associated Oil Co.. New York, X. Y. Pnb/irnfion Committee Chairman--T. C. Youwe.. Tide Water Associated Oil Co.. Tulsa. Okla. Statistics Committee Chairman--Hadley II M>kus, Sinclair Prairie Oil Co., Tulsa, Okla. Pisuat Education Committee Chairman--T. S. M tmrr, Jr., Houston Oil Co. of Texas, Houston, Texas. Atlantic Division Chairman--J. \Y. Lord, The Atlantic Refining Co., Philadelphia, Pa. Great Lakes Division Chairman--Frank Harrison, Pure OH Co., Chicago, III. Cuff Division Chairman--W. I. Kent, Magnolia Petroleum Co., Dallas, Texas. Mitf-Coufincnl Division Chairman--F. K. Dalr>mhle, Tide Water Associated OH Co., Tuba, Okla. AYrr England Division Chairman--John* W. Welch, Cities Service Oil Co., East Brain tree, Mass. Pacific Coast Division Clunrman--A. J. M.\rtin>on. CalifomiR Petroleum Safety Board, Inc.. Lo Angeles. Calif. Past General Chairmen-- R. W. Black, Standard Oil Co. of X. J., Elizabeth, X. J. H. \V. Bogcess, Sinclair Prairie Oil Co., Tulsa, Okla. R. S. Boxsib, Standard Oil Co. of N. J., New York, X. Y. A. \V\ Breelano, Lone Star Gas Co., Dallas, Texas. J. H. Brown*. Tide Water Associated Oil Co., New York, X. Y. R. E. Donovan, Standard Oil Co. ot Calif., San Francisco, Calif. C. L. Hightower. United Gas P\pe Line Co.. Shreveport, lla. G. O- Lockwood, Continental Casualty Co, Tulsa, Okla. Geo. F. Prussixg, Union Oil Co. of Calif., Los Angeles. Calif. R. B. Roaper, Humble Oil & Refining Co., Houston, Texas. E J. Sekne, 61 Park Avenue, Baldwin. X. Y. C. \V. Smith, Standard Oil Co. (Ind.), Chicago, HL D. J. Wallace, Sinclair Prairie Oil Co., Tulsa, Okla. Secretory--H. N. Blakeslee, American Petroleum Institute, New York, N. Y. 591 592 29th National Safety Congress Officers 1940-1941 General Chairman--Chap. A. MlLUk, The Texas Co., Houston, Texas. Vice-Chairman for Production--H. T. Markee, Phillips Petroleum Co., Bartlesville, Old*. Vice-Chairmen for Pipe Lines--J. I.. Masks, Sun Oil Co., Dallas, Texas. Vice-Chairman for Manufacturing}. Howard Mykrs, The Atlantic Refining Co.. Phila delphia, Pa. Vice-Chairman for Afarkcling--F. K. McLean*. While Star-Ohio Div., Socony-Vacuum Oil Co., Inc.. Detroit, Mich. Acxe.f Letter Editor---George A. I.kxandek. Socony-Vacuum Oil Co.. Inc., Boston, Mass. Engineering Committee Chairman--J. W. Welch, Cities Service Oil Co., East Braintree. Mass. Health Committee Chairman--Dr. J. W. Long, Gulf Oil Corp., Port Arthur, Texas. Industrial Data Sheet Committee Chairman--J. L. UisixcEk, Soconv-Vaeuum Oil Co.. Inc. New York, X. Y. Program Committee--J. L. Maxes, Sun Oil Co., Dallas, Texas. H. T. Mabkee, Phillips Petroleum Co., Bartlesville, Okla. P k. McLean. \\ hitc Star-Ohio Div., Soconv-Vacuum Oil Co., Inc., Detroit, Mich. .1. Howard Myers, The Atlantic Refining Co., Philadelphia, Pa. Publicity Committee Chairman--R. S. Hcffuas, Oklahoma Natural Gas Co . Tulsa, Okla Visual Education Committee Chairman--'T. S. Maehtt. Ir.. Houston Oil Co. of Texas. Houston, Texas. Atlantic Division Chairman--A. H. Vineyard, Shell Oil Co.. Inc., New York. X. Y. Great Lakes Division Chairman--J. \V. Atkins. The Texas Co., Lockport, III. Gulf Division Chairman--H *Rvf.y B. William*. Pan American Refining Corj*.. Texas City, Texas Mid-Continent Division Chairman--Hadley H. Myer*. Sinclair Prairie Oil Co Tulsa Okla. .V.*w England Division Chairman--J. J. Reilly, Tide Water Associated Oil Co.. Boston Mass. Pacific Coast Division Chairman--Rhinos Cater, Standard Oil Co. of Calif. Lo* Wdes Calif. Pur. General Chairmen-- k. W. Black, Standard Oil Co. of X. J., Elizabeth. X. J. if W. Bocgess. Sinclair Prairie Oil Co., Tul.a. Okla. k. 5. Bonsijj, Standard Oil Co. of X. New York, X. Y. \ W. Bke.eland. Lone Star Gas Co.. Dallas Texa*. j. H. Brown, Tide Water Associated Oil Co.. Xvw York. X. Y. R- E- Donovan, Standard Oil Co. of Calit., San Francisco, Calif L. Hightower. United Gas Pipe Line Co., Shreveport, La. G. O. Lockwood. Continental Casualty Co., Tulsa, Okla. C. J Xobmann, Shell Oil Co., Inc, Sacramento. Calif. George F. Ppussinc. Union Oil Co. of Calif.. Los Angeles, Calif. R. B. Roafer, Humble Oil it Refining Co., 1 Touston, Tex*-. E. J. Sense, Baldwin, X. Y. C. \V. Smith, Standard Oil Co. (Ind.), Chicago, III. D. J Wallace. Sinclair Prairie Oil Co.. Tulsa, Okla. 'ivrrwr;--H. X. Blakeslee, American Petroleum Institute. Xcw York, X. Y. Petroleum Section 593 MONDAY AFTERNOON SESSION October 7,1940 The pcnnvK was called to order hy We-<.*hamnan Charles A. Miller, As- -i*tam r< the Manager of Personnel, The Tcxa* Gacntafl). Houston, Texas, who pre- -xkd. Thi* had been devoted largely to annual reports by Standing Committee* of the Section, the following being sched uled: Ptfehne*: Vice-Chairman Charles A- Mil ler. Production: H. T. Market, Supervisor of Safety, Phillips Petroleum Co.. Bartlesville, Okla. Manufacturing: J. Howard Myers. Super visor of Safety and Fire Protection Di vision, The Atlantic Refining Co., Phila delphia. Marketing: P. R. McLean, Safety and In surance Departments, White Star-Ohio Di vision. Socony-Vacuum Oil Co-. Detroit. Cleaning Gasoline Storage Tanks Used for Leaded Gasoline By OSCAR B. LEWIS Manager Safety Department, Ethyl Gasoline Corporation, New York City For a number of years the medical depart ment of the Ethyl Gasoline Corporation ha* !>evn studying the hazards connected with the cleaning of tanks that have contained leaded gasoline. With the cooperation of the petroleum industry* data have been ob tained which in our opinion show that a definite hazard exists. Serious cases ot lead poisoning--several fatal--have occurred from exposure m tanks that have contained leaded gasoline, but these have occurred only when such tanks were cleaned without follou'ing our rec ommended safeguards. To aid the petroleum industry in estab lishing <afe practices in cleaning gasoline tank- that have contained leaded gasoline, we are -ummarizing briefly the results of a recent analytical study of samples of sludge, -calc and water bottoms for such tanks: An appreciable number of sample.- of kludge had an inorganic lead content suffi ciently high to be considered dangerous, but practically all such samples came from re finery tanks into which litharge had been introduced. No -significant difference in or ganic lead content was found to exist be tween sludge of tank? used for mixing leaded gasoline and sludge of storage tanks. Both type* of tanks may contain dangerous amount* ot organic lead compounds. Neither the organic nor the inorganic lead content of the sludge was significant!). attectcd by size of tank, frequency of clean ing, geographical location. length of service or by steaming. Any tank that has contained leaded fuel may offer scriou- danger of lead exposure. This danger i-> due to vola tile organic lead compounds in the sludge, and to the presence of these compounds in the scale as well. There may Ik* additional tUnycr from inorganic lead compounds in the water bottoms and sludge, a- the result of the ue of lead comjioiinds oilier than tctraetlixl lead, in tfic trcatirn nt ni ya>oIinv It is apparent, therefore, that n11 tank used for leaded gasoline may he assumed to he free front a lead hazard. This applies with equal force in the case uf refinery*, terminal, bulk, tracksidc or an> other tank which i* entered for cleaning or repair. One of the most discu-sed phases of tank cleaning is steaming, anil the part it plays in the process of freeing tanks from gase* which might cause fire of explosion, or as phyxiation, In the latest A.P.I. manual dated August. 1931. tin* following appears on this subject. I. ``After all lines arc blanked, the bot tom manheads arc opened as the first step in ventilating the tank. If steam is used to heat the tank preparatory to ventilation, the lop manheads arc usually left closed and the steam is introduced through n swing line or other ix>ttom connection. 594 29th Kai'wnal Safely Congress 1. "The effectiveness of the use of steam in the ventilation of tanks depends upon the temperature to which the tank may be ratietl and this in turn depends upon the quantity of steam available, the size of the tank, atmospheric conditions, and the sludge and sediment in the tank. 3. 'it appears that to make a combustible mixture >aic, it should be steamed to a Tem perature of at least 166 degrees, or snv hi round figures I/O degrees, which corresponds to a saturation of about 40 per cent of steam by volume. This applies to a gasoline-air mixture of just the right proportions for complete combustion, about 2J4j to 3J4 per cent ot gasoline vapor by volume. Where the mixture is richer or leaner than this, )e steam will be required; 20 per cent or a temperature of 140 degrees, may be enough to give protection to a large percentage of tanks: but to be safe under any conditions, the higher saturation of around 40 per cent is necessary.'' The second paragraph of this quotation -eem- to cover the main purpose of steam ing, namely, to volatilize the product and cause ventilation. It might be observed that by following the procedure in (13 and removing manheads. combustible mixtures are formed vkhere the too rich mixture in the tank meets the too lean mixture (air) outside the tank. Thus, one of the greatest sources ot hazard in all tank cleaning operations (flammable mixtures in and around tank) ha? not Iteen eliminated. The purpo>c of (3) Is to make a com bustible mixture safe, but when manheads are first removed, this is like locking the -table after the horse is stolen. And, since it is generally not feasible to steam to 40 per cent saturation of steam, the fireproofing of the mixture is only one of degree. That i. the fire resistance of combustible mix tures (2J4-3J/3 per cent) of gasoline vapor in air) is proportional to such saturation. This appears to leave matters in a somewhat dubious state. Ventilation, apparently, is the thing de-ired--fresh air and a diminution of haz ard, whether irom fire or asphyxiation, or toxic source, and, this is the point that -hould be emphasized and understood. Steaming has usually been done on a basis of time (so many hours being judged ample for a certain tank). With the volume of swam varying from a trickle of hot water all the way really to adequate volumes, there would seem to be little rational basis for predicting safety from the number of hours this operation is altoxved to continue. I f 170 degrees F. is the safe temperature, probably details should be developed as to where and how the temperature diould be taken. Many persons in the industry feel it practically impossible to secure *uch a high temperature in large tanks under usual op erating condition?. Regardless tn whether steam "saturates" or acts as a diluent to gases found in tanks, or whether due to heat and convection currents it displaces gnse-. its universal acceptance would seem to indicate that it performs a useful service. Rut it is expensive, not available in sufficient quan tity in marketing areas, and may have other unfavorable aspects. - In a recent case a water terminal tank had to be cleaned because of leaks in the bottom. After 46 hours of steaming by a harbor tugboat, an inspection showed the tank to be gas free (maybe one hour would have sufficed, but 48 hours was a company rule). As soon as workmen entered, however, the tank again was found to be gassy, presumably because of vapors emanating both from sludge and through cracks in the bottom of the tank. By reason of the dis appearance of the original source of steam, and because of t(ic company's rigid safely rules which demanded another steaming, the operation was shut down for several days and at considerable expense. Finally, the U. S. Navy came to the rescue and steam was supplied from a destroyer. If the steaming really was necessary, the destroyer story has color; if other simpler devices will accomplish the same end, it would ap pear a large part of the petroleum industry* is subjecting itself to useless expense. The advantages of steam arc: 1. It volatilizes a group of hydrocarbons from parts of tank which can be reached and brought up to a high temperature. 2. When effectively used, it can volatilize thin layers of gasolene. 3. It retards combustion to the degree that it saturates the combustion mixture. The disadvantages are: 1. The production of a fire and explosion hazard; Combustible mixtures arc present at the vents, as in all tank ventilation pro- Pctrolatnt Section 595 9 cedures, and static sparks may arise from der -these conditions, considerable quantities steam nozzles at high temperatures. of gas are driven off. In the tank men tioned, this operation was carried out for 2. The co-4 o; supplying steam in ade 10 hours and it was evident that large quate quantity: Large quantities are needed amounts of volatile vapors were being re for effective work and in many places this Is moved irom the bottom. Thi* method of too expensive to he icasiblc. steaming also heats the empty portion of the 3. High temperatures within tanks: If en tank and produces similar effects to those tered at elevated temperatures, the hazards when steam is introduced above the sludge. of exposure to volatile hydrocarbons and Presumably when the temperature can b<* organic lead compounds which remain in the raised some of the volatile lead compound* tank are increased, and the high temjtera- will be driven off but this cannot he counted ture itself may be hazardous to workmen. upon to be complete, and is therefore of ::o 4. Loss of time: Workmen must often won for a long time until steaming has been completed and the tank has been permitted to cool. Unless sludge and scale are first washed out, work in a dirty tank stirs up avail, since a small \olume left in a tank may be almost as dangerous as a lar.ee amount, if enough is present to saturate the air within the tank, ot to produce dangerous concentration-*. gases and gas freeing (steaming) must be It may be of interest to show the effect? repeated. of temperature change on the volatility ot Il has been >bown by a recent observation one organic lead compound, namely, tetra that the temperature of sludge may he only* ethyl lead, which may be present in tank: slightly affected by steaming. Apparently it under suitable conditions. is necessary to introduce the steam within or Grams of Ixmcath the sludge to heat it effectively. If Volume % TEL per this is generally or even frequently true, the TEL in cu. ft. introduction of steam serves no useful pur pose in heating sludge and water on the bot Temp. * F. 32 vapor space .0062 of vapor .0254 tom of a tank. The importance of this mat 41 .0096 0385 ter justifies a detailed account of the ex periment. 50 59 .0145 .0224 .0572 .0867 The tank. 115 x 50 feet (135,000 barrels) 68 .0329 .1255 had been lor some time in leaded gasoline, 77 .0487 183 service and contained about 9 inches of 86 .0711 261 sludge. A 2 inch steam line was connected 95 .103 .372 to the -.wing line, which was 8 inches in diameter, and the tank was steamed in the 104 113 .146 .205 .520 .720 manner described for 151 hours continuously, 122 .271 940 with a full stream of steam. At the end of 131 * 396 1.35 thi period, the surface of the sludge was 140 .535 1.80 warm but at inch below the surface there was no noticeable Increase in temperature. 149 158 .720 .970 2.38 3.16 That the steaming operation did not drive off vapors from the sludge was demon strated by the fact that the moment the sludge was disturbed by a hose stream, gases were released and within 15 minutes, the gas indicator reading of the interior atmosphere was tripled. It would appear that the steaming opera tion may be more usefully applied it jets are inserted well below the surface of the sludge in a tangential direction, so that the sludge will be directly cooked and, at the amc time, agitated by the steam jet. In this way- the sludge Itself can be heated to some where between 175 and 185 degrees F. Un It uill be noted that the volume percent age of tetraethyl lead in the form of vapor has increased from .0062 at 32 degrees F. to .970 at 158 degrees F., pr 156 times. All parts of the tank may not experience a rise in temperature and the increase in organic lead vapors may be expected only from the material containing tetraethyl lead which actually is raised in temperature. While one would not be justified in con cluding that the lead hazard has actually Wen enlarged by steaming, it is apparent that it has not been effectively reduced, since it has been established that recent accidents 50-', 29th National Safety Congress nave aJl been in tanks which liad been there was measurable turbulence in all parts steamed in preparation for cleaning. of the tank, at breathing levels, except for Certain procedures suggest themselves as possible improvements upon steaming as means of removing hazardous vapors from tanks. Inasmuch as the chief effect of steam the resultant introduction of fresh air by chimney effect and convection, it is obvious that any device which will increase this ven tilating effect will accelerate the removal of gas. This is the purpose of various mechan ical ventilating devices now being developed. The theory of freeing tanks of explosive mixtures is the same with mechanical air movers as with steam. With approximately (he same hazard to be guarded against when opening the tank, the use of mechanical ventilation improves conditions immediately and. after passing through the explosive range, keeps conditions safe so tar as fire and explosion are concerned. There arc a number of efficient air movers on tile mar ket. Some of these operate on the venturi principle, generally with an annular nozzle, operating with either steam or air. in the throat of the device. The venturi type air movers are nearly always used as exhaust er*. Other equipment is of the positive dis placement blower type which may be used cither as exhausters or as positive pressure Mowers. The quantity of steam to operate an air mover of any type Is small compared lo that required for raising an entire tank to a high temperature. Steaming through a 2 inch line may consume 11.000 pounds of steam per hour. One exhauster type air tuvcr on which data are available, is capable of moving 300,000 feet of air per hour with 900 pounds of steam. When an exhauster type of air mover is used, the mmo-phere within the tank moves positively and the movement can be measured if neces sary. Use on large tanks has not been too successful, but it is felt that with study of tank design and improved air mover design, results can be obtained similar to those re corded in recent tests on a 5,000 barrel tank. On this tank, 35 feet in diameter, a steam operated exhauster was placed on the roof a space of about 6 inches around the periphery of the entrance manhole. The tank was tested and found to be free of gas within one hour after the gasoline had been removed and the exhauster placed in opera tion. Gas indicators can be used to show when a tank is safe where air movers arc used but steaming on the other hand may continue needlessly, long after the safe point is reached. There are various procedures tor moving atmosphere from tanks. A combination of steam followed by mechanical ventilation might be the ideal method. When the dis advantages of steam make its exclusive use undesirable or impossible, the following procedure has frequently been used: First, wash out sludge and scale with high pressure hose from outside the tank. Here again care must be exercised to avoid any static build up. (Borrow hose equipment from the local fire department if necessary.) Steam jets to "cook" heavy deposits have been used with success. Wash to drain. This removes the chief source of vapors. Place a blower on top manhead of the tank. Mobility as to direction would seem to be a desirable development, and it is suggested this could be accomplished with a movable ell within the upper manhole. Make tight connection. A steam or air operated eductor at the bottom manhead would accelerate movement of tank atmosphere. Operate and at intervals take gas indicator readings from tank. When gas free, take off the bottom eductor. Keep a top exhauster moving air out of tank continuously, as long as men arc in tank. If men must weld or work in ques tionable atmosphere, continuous operation of the eductor will move fresh air past the workmen, resulting in safer working condi tions. Air may be supplied by blowers and exhaust fans, which do the same general work as eductor type air movers, but have limitations from the standpoint of expense or portability. Although theoretically there may be "channelling" of air from the top manhead to the bottom, preliminary tests have indi manhole, creating a slight vacuum on the cated that some movement of air occurs in entire lank, which was continuously relieved every part of the tank. Occasional accidents by a stream of fresh air entering through from the accumulation of gas from unsus the open lower manhole. The velocities within the tank ranged as high as 750 feet a minute as tested with an anemometer ami pected sources, such as a leak in the bottom of a tank, might well be avoided by the con tinuing operation of a ventilating device. Petroleum Section 597 Mechanical ventilation will not eliminate the necessity of testing for combustible gases, hut used in conjunction with such tests, it gives double protection. Thus, the chance of an accident from asphyxiation or ex plosion >hou!d be greatly reduced. In an unclcaned tank, full protective equipment for workmen (including airline masks) should be insisted upon. But in the liest of regulated companies, a hose or mask may leak, a coupling may become undone, or something unforeseen may start a chain of circumstance* that may lead to exposure. One of the most common causes of acci dents is the removal of protective equip ment before a tank lias been thoroughly cleaned and conditions are safe In all such instances ventilation will result in the reduc tion of hazard. In a thoroughly clean tank--one that can J>e entered without protective equipment-- ventilation i* -till desirable and good in>urance. To determine if a tank is thor oughly clean, wc should require that all loo>e scale Ik: knocked off side walls and appurtenance* of tank, that alt bottom dudge be disposed of in a pit outside the tank, and that cam and rivet heads are free of more than slight deposits of sludge nr *calc. All places where liquid might ac cumulate should upon inspection be deter mined lt be dry. No fitting, sump, or low place in the tank should be overlooked. Saw dust i< good for the finishing touches of this drying job. The sawdust should be swept out and buried in the pit with the kludge which was previously removed. Those parts of a tank which will be subjected to liot work or welding should be cleaned down ir> dean metal The question may now arise, after the tank has been cleaned, using mechanical ventilation, should we continue to operate such equipment a.< long as men arc in the tank? \Ycll--whj not? Probably the equip ment is still in place on the tank and the steam or air necessary to run the eductor or venturi would be negligible. In various types of tank work considerable dust is raised. Air currents help carry' this out. Certain work such as burning, consumes oxjgen and gives rise to combustion prod ucts--a fresh air current maintains the nor mal oxygen content of the atmosphere and dilutes the combustion products; burning also may volatilize lead from paint, litharge or <*alt- that otherwise is harmless, white ventilation ma> serve to eliminate or greatly reduce danger from this source. The advantages of mechanically moving the aii from tanks, as against steaming would appear lo be: 1. It is cheaper and quicker. 2. The equipment is mobile. 3. Lower temperatures result within tanks. 4. Continuous ventilation is possible. 5. It is an added safeguard and operates to reduce most of the hazards. The actual extent to which the advantage* will materialize and expand in practice wilt have to be determined by critical study of operations. Certainly wc would not advife any relaxation of present precautions in the use of airline masks for workmen in tanks through substitution of ventilating proce dures. However, we believe that certain of these procedures will be advantageous, and wc expect to subject them to experimental test. A great deal might be done were it pos sible to rc-design existing tanks. Tanks >u constructed that workmen need not enter them would be ideal. While this is not im mediately feasible, certain improvements may be suggested. First of all, larger oval manltcads. nr manheads of at least twenty inches in di ameter. should be employed. There should be at least two of these on all vertical tank- and as many more as arc necessary to give reasonable natural ventilation and light Some bottom opening for sludge di*|H*al on small horizontal tanks might permit hom ing from the outside, and thus remove (he necessity- for entry. Dropping into tank- or using ladders is'hazardous. On Urge tankthe ratio of one manhead to each 20,000 barrels of capacity would help. But. of course, this means more expense and nioe opportunity for leaks. Another suggestion is that in building new tanks, the bottoms be cone shaped or sloped toward the draw off. Most tanksettle and (hen slope awaY from the pipe lines connecting the tank, and unless there is a draw off on the opposite side, a ditlicult cleaning operation results. In such a tank it is conceivable that liquid lead com pounds may remain trapped for years be neath a water Ixittom. High pressure nozzles through the tank shell and a trough type or draw off sump near a manhead are other suggestion)-. m 29th National Safety Congress Floating root tanks arc a large subject unto themselves, and present problems from the Mamljwim of safety in cleaning that would occupy more space than we Jiavc lierc avail able. The use of underground storage tanks seems probable in the near future, and will present many new problems to the petroleum safety engineer. Ventilation and cleaning will he major problems. Certainly improved de>ign may be considered one of the major objective' or a long range program. Again referring to the present problem of the tank? now in use, it is our opinion tltat many of these have been entered and cleaned unnecessarily. Some companies have a set program for cleaning tanks at intervals of two or three years. Probably such a scliedulc was set up when "water white" was im portant, but today with most gasoline col ored, off color in gasoline docs not show or affect its use unless it is extreme. Probably there arc very good reasons why tanks should be inspected at intervals, but a widen ing of the gap between tank openings and cleanings would be a trend in the right di rection. Each potential hazard avoided i> a gain in safety. When and Where, and If So, What Fire Regulations Are Needed for Producing Fields? By GEO. F. PRUSSING Safety Engineer, Union Oil Company of California, Los Angeles, Calif. The past ten years have added tremen dously to the known oil resource* of the t 'nited States and have added gray hairs to the heads of the oil industry* in about the same proportion. The flood of oil made available by better geologizing and deeper ar.d more rapid drilling has not been an yrsM-.wd Messing. Ruinous price* and the dUruptw.n of the "solid" as well a* the 'liquid** fuel market has followed in due -tMjT-c. Finally, as though that were not vnouah. attempts at self help within the in dustry have brought down on it the wrath : ;!.c federal government. <">tl producing unlike oil marketing, ha -offered little from legal restriction aimed perifically at its fire hazard. The record of he producing fields clearly tells why--fire, '0"cc have been small and conflagrations practically unknown. The occasional well that has taken fire during drilling or pro duction has been a local two- or three-days' wonder but has done little more harm than .-i-pirc a few bad movies. "Normal wcll-pacine has provided the greatest safeguard against spread of fire. Unlike the burning hay bam. lumber mill or even the humble dwelling, oil fires seldom have spread far beyond their point of origin. With the increase in production, however, ha' come the occasional drilling of town-lot areas, both urban and suburban; areas of small, widely held ownerships, often in closely built-up residential and commercial neighborhoods. In almost every such case, the lure of sudden wealth has forced the local autliorities to throw up their hands and to make little or m> effort to enforce orderly drilling. The economic evils of town-lot drilling arc known to all oil men --the waste involved in drilling 20 well? where one would serve. The aesthetic result* of town-lot drilling, viewed from the com munity standpoint, are often appalling. Der ricks, boilers, separators, tanks, pumps and sumpholps sprout like mushrooms between existing structures- Roads and streets de signed for light traffic become quagmires a* the heavy loads of pipe and machinery break through their fragile surfaces. Oc casionally a well is brought in unexpectedly and out of control, to paint the landscape with black gold. The possibility of fire tn such a field is a serious and ever present hazard Only the introduction oi the steel derrick and the be lated drafting of fire regulations have kept losses down, in those areas of town-lot drilling and producing in California with which I am most familiar. These regula tions have been developed over a period of years by the fire prevention bureaus of Los Angeles county and city and by the munici palities of Long Beach and Signal Hill. They have been guided by the fire protec tion engineers of several major oil com panies, ft may be safely said that where drilling Petroleum Section 599 and producing derricks arc spaced less than 100 feet apart, serious hazard exists. Where they are less than 600 feet apart, some form of regulation is justified and will not be opposed by conscientious operators. Experience has shown that regulation must start before drilling, if it is to be tlioroughly successful Tt must be predi cated on the police power of the county or municipality, not on conservation. It can well take the form of an explicit prohibi tion of any act of drilling for. producing, storing, or transporting crude petroleum, un less a permit has first been obtained and has neither lapsed nor been revoked. The permit should only be given if certain specific re quirements are complied with and should be renewed each year. A bond guaranteeing a forfeit for failure to comply has been used with success. A drilling permit fee and an annual fee for inspection and permit renewal makes the system self-supporting and if not abused, is cheap insurance for every operator in the field. In spite of all regulation, fires will oc casionally start in every drilling and pro ducing field. Their extinguishment and con trol in town-lot areas is best and most eco nomically accomplished by training the local municipal or county fire service in the spe cial arts involved. The cost of the special apparatus and chemicals required is far less than the oil fields pay in ordinary property* taxes for their share of maintaining the fire Service. I know of one small community where the local city fathers required each operator to provide his own foam chem icals and apparatus. As a result, no one had enough for a serious fire, while as a whole, there was enough in the community to have put out a hundred fires. That was absurd and helped no one but the foam-pcddlers. Even in the absence of state regulations on well-spacing, local authorities can make some effort in that direction. One such method is to permit no drilling on a site less than one acre or at a point less than 100 feet from the nearest street or property line. Such a regulation must be backed up with other rules that will not permit the isolation of small tracts without payment of royalty by contiguous owners. Otherwise the owner of a lot might well find himself cut off from any revenue and without re course. Another vital regulation is one that is usually imposed by state bodies, requiring the use of adequate blowout prevention de vices. These can also be included as pan of the fire code, for their absence has been the largest single cause of derrick and well fires during the drilling process. As in most regulations of this sort, the essential things arc those that any prudent operator would do for his own protection and would want his neighbor to do. Keep vapors away from fires--keep fires away from vapors! That is the basis for all fire protection in the oil industry. One hun dred feet, where possible, never less than 25 feet between derricks and other structures, such as boilers or pump houses, where sources of ignition are assumed to be pres ent. The same regulation should apply to run-tanks and shipping tanks. Boiler* should be protected against oil flow by low dikes, where indicated; and tanks, where their rupture or boil-over would endanger other property, should be diked, or the flow diverted to safe areas. Where boilers are dose to drilling wells, water or steam lines, run into the fire box make simple "snuffers" in case of trouble. Valves on such service lines should be adjacent to master fuel valves a;id plainly marked. Diking around tanks to take care of spill* and pipe tine breaks is essential in con gested areas but the amount of pondage required for safety is relatively small. Ex perience indicates that a dike should provide capacity for 100 per cent of Ihe tank en closed. if there be but one; however, if more than one tank is within the same dike, the capacity need be only 100 per cent of the larger tank plus 10 per cent of the sec ond or* all ocheri. That formula has been adopted and is in successful use in a num ber of places. Dikes designed to impound botl-overs must be provided with flare back*. Good housekeeping i.c as trite an ex pression as "safety first." Yet any kind of housekeeping was a rare sight in some of the earlier town-lot fields.-The condition of such properties can be compared only to the proverbial wild sow's nest. When a firestarts in a densely drilled field, it is bad housekeeping that makes fire fighting prac tically impossible. To control that situation, requires good regulation from the beginning and tough fire prevention inspectors armed with plenty of red tags. Prevention of bad conditions Is onfv possible if regulation comes ahead of drilling. 600 29th Notional Safety Congress One of the currently used regulations in California, is that which requires all tanks for crude oil to meet API specifications for bolted, welded or riveted tanks. Bolted tanks are limited as to size and number. The old galvanized iron tank with the soldered joints has been ruled out. Speaking ot tanks, next only in impor tance to a standard specification for the con struction oi tanks is the recognition of tank venting as a factor in fire protection and control. Small tanks, if not vented ade quately, will distort and sometimes rupture in exposure fires. Larger tanks, as a rule, ran relieve themselves through the weak `-cam between the shell and roof. Recent fire codes have recognized this fact and have provided safeguards. The formulae used arc not wholly approved by the API but the theory* sound and should be part of every fire code. Adequate venting and the use of automatic palate type breather valves is al most sure protection against most types of tank fires. 1 have touched oo the highlights of oil field regulation as seen from the viewpoint of the county* and municipal fire-marshal. I have obviously omitted many items that might be included in a manual ot fire pro tection. Generally speaking, the oil fields are pretty safe. The fire loss ratio is such as would pay good dividends on a premium rate of twenty-five cents a year per hundred dollars of value. Such large losses as have occurred have been in the town-lot fields and these can be controlled, by the enforce ment of a few simple principles, by men with ample authority. The fire departments of Los Angeles and Long Beach point with pride to the fact that in the last few years the Wilmington field of 700 high-pressure wells has been drilled and is still yielding an average of more than 100 barrels a day per well, and all without a serious fire. TUESDAY AFTERNOON SESSION October 8.1940 The opening feature of this session was entitled. "Photography as a Visual Mean* of Education in Accident Prevention," pre sented by T. S. Ma/fitt, Jr, Safety Manager, Houston OH Company of Texas, Houston. Texas; and demonstrating by the use of a film strip how pictures taken on the job can be used for safety meetings. Seventy-five pictures of boilers and boiler operation? were shown. The film strip had been pre pared by J. H. Curhrell. Humble Oil and Refining Company. The speaker pointed our the features of each picture for discussion by committee members. Enlisting Employees in the Accident Prevention Program Panel Discussion Panel Leader--joe L. Risinger, Safety Supervisor, Socony-Vaeuum Oil Ca. Inc.. NewYork City*. Panel Members--John W. Welch, Safety Engineer, Cities Service Oil Company, East Braintree. Mass., representing the northeast. \V. W. Weldon, Director of Safety, Standard Oil Co. of Louisiana, Baton Rouge, La., representing the southwest. ' J. Howard Myers, Supervisor Safety and Fire Protection Division, The Atlantic Refin ing Company, Philadelphia, representing the east. George F. trussing. Safety- Engineer. Union Oil' Company, Los Amrcles. Calif -enting the west. Petroleum Section 601 The panel leader introduced the subject by presenting the members of the panel as representing the four corners of the petro leum industry area, and with the following remarks: Three elements are involved In accident prevention: materials such as machines, tools, equipment, tl>e unsafe conditions of which, or the operating methods of which are conducive to accidents and possible in jury; protective equipment that shields the employee against inherent hazards of a par ticular machine or procedure and possible error that may be present in the particular procedure involved; and the enlisting- of the employee, mind, body and heart, in correct operating procedure and activities that in volve materials and the accomplishment of results without mishap that may injure him or his fellow worker or destroy property. It is essential that the term employee be defined. In its broad meaning, the employee is anyone who works for a company, from company executives to laborers. However, emphasis should be placed in this discussion upon the enlisting of employees from di vision and district executives to laborers. Since the steps taken by chief executives govern the procedure and results of effort*; in enlisting the employees in accident pre vention, we have accepted a sufficient num ber of questions pertaining to chief execu tives, to provide continuity and to lay a foundation or set a premise upon which conclusions may be based. The essence of enlistment in this case could be given in four words--objectives, policies, procedures and responsibilities. If everyone in the organization understands the objectives, the sound policies that arc to support the objectives, the procedures that help to carry out the policies, and the assign ment of responsibilities, and then carries out the procedures which support the policies which obtain the objectives and fulfill the responsibilities, all will be enlisted In effec tive accident prevention. Question--a. Assuming that a company has taken the first step only toward the in stitution of a safety program, and a safety supervisor has been placed on the job, what can the chief executives of the company do to make the enlistment of employees m the program easier? Answer: With the assistance of ihc safety upervisor determine the policy and objec tives of the program, and announce this policy and these objectives and place respon sibility upon those down the line for the success of the program. Each supervisor should have placed upon him the same re sponsibilities for accident prevention as for the performance of his regular operating duties, this responsibility to be in propor tion to authority and jurisdiction delegated by the company to Uie supervisor. Question--b. Assuming that the program has been under way for a period of years, and chief executives have not taken the *tcp given in answer to Question A, what can they do to remedy what they did not do at the beginning of the program? Anxiecr: Determine policy and objectives in some manner and promulgate in the same manner as though the program is just being instituted. Management Interest Question--a. What importance should chief executives attach to an accident pre vention program? .4iifuvi*: Accident prevention should re ceive the same administrative attention a* every other operating problem because: (a) Accident prevention not only prevents accidents from a humanitarian standpoint, but is part of the efficiency program as well. (h) It ils an important part of a company** public relations policy, for if a plant ha* a number of accidents, this information is not retained in the plant. It gets out--and makes it extremely hard to secure worker*, amt also results in loss of sales because of the "bad taste" accidents leave with the public. Question--b. How often should chief ex ecutives re-declare themselves on safety to obtain the best results in enlisting employees in the accident prevention program? Answer: Any accident prevention program worthy of the name must be consistent and progressive, continuing froth month to month and year to year. Management must continuously declare themselves for accident prevention. Question--o. What do you consider to be the most important procedure of the safety supervisor toward enlisting employees in the accident prevention program at the be ginning of a systematized program of a company ? 602 29th National Safety Congress Anszeer: In any safety program the safety supervisor occupies the position of the central coordinating agency, and it would be well for him <o keep this in mind from the very first day that safety work is started. Accepting the above statement as a self-evident axiom, wc may derive the fol lowing corollaries relative to starting a safety program: Coordinating the Program 1. The more the safety engineer gets other people to sav about the safety movement ami the less he says himself, the better off he will be. 2. h chould be the safety engineer's goal to inconoratc the safety idea into every fabric involved in his organization. The Ingjcal place tor him to> start is with the supervisory group, and get them to accept the responsibility for the observance of safe practices. 3. A meeting might be held at which the higher management would impress upon the supervisors the necessity of observing safe practices, and cooperating with the newly formed Safety Department. At the begin ning and throughout the program the pres tige of the Safety Department will depend upon the active support of the hfanagement, not only in words but more particularly in deed-. 1 -\* a coordinator the safety supervisor will deal with the supervisory group and the management on one hand and directly with the employees on the other. His con tact with the employees may be bv means of committees, or group meetings of vari ous kinds. In such group meetings the safety supervisor should not assume a hard boiled altitude, but be ever willing to help employees with their problems. In the above outline stress is laid upon gelling the supervisory group to do the safety work rather than depending upon the safety engineer to personally see that rules and regulations are enforced. The attitude of the men will be the exact reflection of llie attitude of their foremen on safety mat ters. A? an established leader the foreman in a plant is in a position not only to inaucurare new rules and regulations, but to influence the personal attitude that the indi vidual? will take toward a new safety pro gram If I were limited to just three words with which to answer this question I be lieve I would choose these: sincerity c\f pur pose. When a safety supervisor bukds his entire program on a foundation of sincerity and makes a Teal and determined effort to cause the prevention of accidents he will, without even being conscious of the fact, have the wholehearted support of the ma jority of the men he is endeavoring to pro tect. When he gets the influence of the ma jority with him he can then devote a lot of sweat to that minority group that still re mains to be enlisted. Before too long the very men who caused him the most concern are demanding the protective devices and regulations that a short while ago they re fused to accept Question--b. Assuming that he did not properl)' take this procedure at the begin ning of the program, what can be done after the program has been in for several years, to correct his failure to use the pro cedure at'the beginning? sitixtcer; The true position of a safety supervisor is that of a coordinator; if he fails to assume this position at the start of his safety program it would be well for him to get rid of any direct responsibility for safe working conditions and practices, and saddle the responsibility* upon the men di rectly in charge of the work. Of course, these men will not accept this responsibility without the urging of the higher manage ment: but here again, as a coordinator, the safety supervisor is in a position to bring whatever pressure that may be necessary to bear. "Safety is a part of the job" is an excel lent slogan for day by day accident preven tion. The safety supervisor should keep his eyes firmly upon the goal of having a smooth working organization cooperating toward maintaining a safe plant. To achieve this goal he must be willing to meet the various agencies half way, to compromise when necessary, to play fair and be equally careful with his praise and reprimands. He should not rely too much on the big stick; neither should he place the success of the safety movement entirely in the hands of the employees either directly or through committees. Question--a. In brief, who should be en listed in the accident prevention program? Petroleum Section 603 Ansiver; Each and even* employee from the top executive to the newest workman should be enlisted in this arm). Any person not definitely "in," is definite!) "out." and each person "out," is a real menace to his own safety and to the safety of all others with whom lie comes in contact. Accident prevention is a comprehensive program cov ering the Jives of everyone---at work, at home and on the street--2-1 Imurs of the day. seven days a week. Question--K When should enlistment take place ? Ansteer; Enlistment should take place at once for those already at work. As others arc hired, accident prevention should be brought forcefully it> their attention. In many companies the applicant for a job is interviewed, given a physical examination, qualification.- are checked ami then he i taken aide and is given a safety rule book, and is talked to concerning the outstanding harards of his new position and the pre cautions his company has taken to safe guard his working hours. He should know the hazards of his job and how to avoid them. It is not necessary to scare a man half to death, but the impression made should be the beginning of hi* safety edu cation. past month. Any other subjects pertaining to safety should be taken up at these meet ings. The meetings should not be of a rou tine nature as this may tend to cause the meetings to become uninteresting. They should be of a round table discussion type with llie chairman holding interest by changing his method attack from time to time. The safety engineer should see that the operating managers are invited to attend safety conferences (whether they be local or national) every' so often. In this way the busy operating manager can get first hand information and possibly a better line on safety activities as conducted in other plants and industries. U would also help him to keep abreast ol* up-to-date safety equipment which should he used by his workmen. This would not only enlist the manager's interest, but would make him more conversant with safety ideas and ready to cooperate when the safety engineer would ask for new equipment. Employee Committees Question: What do you think of "Em ployee Safety Committees" and what should In: the scope of their activities? Question--r How long should the enlist Answer: Employee Safety Committee* ment last ? bring the employee into the program as a Answer: Definitely "for the duration" of his employment- For years wc have scratched the surface; any accident preven tion program must be workable, consistent and progressive, continuing from month to month and year to year. An accident pre vention program must be planned, diversi fied. interesting and instructive. The em ployee must be *old on the program and he mu-i be kerf convinced during the term of liK employment. Question: How can operating managers best be cnliled in the accident prevention program ? Ansiecr: Operating manager could appoint an Accident Prevention Committee consist ing of a -uperiruendciit or -.upervisor of each department in the plant, with the man ager a- chairman. The committee should meet at least once even month to discuss any outstanding hazards of the plant and any lost time in juries which might have occurred during the vital part of it. Their prerogative should extend to presentation of hazards discov ered and checking through until such haz ard* are corrected or an answer received as to why the suggestion concerning the haz ard cannot be complied witli. We think that the discipline for failure to comply with rule* and regulations or to otherwise ful fill responsibility in accident and fire pre vention *hotiId be a prerogative of regular operating supervision incurred in by the committee. Question: How can we build the will to win among the employee group in our acci dent prevention program? Ansieer: I raised thia question hoping the chairman would put it to some other mem ber of the panel, for I am at a toss to an swer it in less than 10.000 words. Thi* question has often occurred to me in my own organization when men who had In curred painful, though not serious, injuries, would insist that they be allowed to return to their regular jobs and not be sent home 604 29Ih National Safety Congress 1 can only summarize* my beliefs by saying that this spirit of "the will to win" in acci dent prevention is just another manifesta tion of one's loyalty to the company for which he works. This enthusiastic sense of loyalty doesn't only show itself after an injury* has oc curred, but 5t is everywhere evident in the efforts of men to prevent injuries to them selves and their fellow workers and damage to company property; and this thong wc call "will to win" isn't built in a year. It comes about ever so gradually and only as an out growth of fair dealing on the part of man agement through many years in all their relations with the men down the line. When the rank and file know that management is sincere and fair in its dealing with them, when they see all about them management's interest in their welfare not onty- in protect ing them from physical injuries while on the job but also when they arc sick or in jured off the job, the ''will to win" is firmly taking root. When management shows by action and deed that the standard of living, comfort, convenience, health and old age security of the personnel is equally impor tant as quality oi product and manufactur ing schedules, the "will to win" is being cul tivated and is growing in the group. When men say "m3* company is the finest outfit in the world to work for" (and I've heard that and like expressions from many men. many times) you may know that a fine sense of loyalty* toward the company exists. And this "will to win," whether it be evi dent in the accident prevention program or turning out a superior product or reducing the manufacturing cost of the product, is simply the result of management's fairness in dealing with its employees. And you can't bu>* it with dollars; you've got to build it through the years. Question: Are departmental safely meet ings necessary to stimulate workers* interest in the safety program? If so, shoutd safety* meetings for the rank and file be conducted by members of that group, supervisors, or safety men? Answer: Properly conducted departmental safety meetings are excellent For stimulating the workers' interest in the safety program. These meetings should be held at first by the department supervisor, and after a few meetings, they should be conducted by the men in the department. This will give them the feeling that they have a definite part in the program. As many as possible should be given'something to do, and every idea or kink should be given full recognition and credit. The safety man should voluntarily stay* in the background of these meetings. They* should be handled through the imme diate department supervisor. When con ducted thus, everyone understands that working safely is part of their regular job. The immediate supervisor knows their problems, talks tlieir language, and his men feel free to discuss their problems with him. if meetings are conducted by a high ranking representative of management or by the safety men. employees feci that he is inter ceding for them. They fed that they cannot express tliemselves freely and do not do so. and believe that safety* is something apart from their regular work. The supervisor may, and frequently does, lose intimate contact with his men in this manner. Top management may and should attend some of these meetings to show their backing and interest, but should leave before discussion of department problems starts, so they may be discussed freely*. These meetings should not be long and should not be held too fre quently. Question; In our program of enlisting employees in accident prevention, shoutd we emphasize safety* or operations? Ansxeer: Both. An accident is an error. It these errors continue to occur, someone wilt be injured. The solution to the pre vention of these errors is correct operations. Safety should be emphasized however, both as a means of the prevention of these errors and as a common ground upon which both employee and supervision can stand; being of benefit and essential both to employees and the company. Employee Cooperating Plans Question: What method can best be used to introduce and enlist the new employee in the accident prevention program? Answer: Our company* has adopted a plan whereby the new employee; after having fulfilled the requirements of the personnel and medical departments, is turned over to the safety division, where he is: (a) Given a Safety Code Book illustrating and describing the safe practices to be fol lowed in performing his job. Petroleum Section 605 (b) Instructed in company policy and procedure in respect to accident prevention. (c) Instructed in the use of safety equip ment available for his protection. (d) Shown how, when ami where to use various types of first aid fire equipment. (e) Impressed with the necessity for hav ing all injuries treated immediately. This affords the safety engineer a splen did opportunity to enlist the new employee in his accident prevention campaign. The first actual contact as a company* employee is with the safety division. The new em ployee knows immediately that management is "sold" on the idea, so he is usually glad to do his part. Question: How can operating managers get workmen to willingly assist in eliminat ing unsafe practices? Attstecr: Workmen must be sold on the safety program. The elimination of unsafe practices must come from within the men themselves. Proper attitudes must be devel oped to do this. One way is to give every one a part in the program: appoint the un safe worker, die chance-takcr and the "hardboiled" guy to the safety* committee. Set an example yourself (wear goggles, etc. when rules require them), and above ail, make an honest effort to eliminate unsafe conditions which arc reported. By your own coopera tion in these matters you can gain their con fidence by your sincerity, and you will find that they will work together to eliminate unsafe practices. Question: Of what value are contest*, prizes and bonuses in enlisting the employee in the accident prevention program? Answer: It safety work is made a pari of the regutar routine work of the plant, con tests, prizes and bonuses assume a secondary importance in promoting interest in the safety program. Such contests, prizes and bonuses may be looked upon a9 auxiliary* aids in promoting interest in safety, and of the_e the contest is perhaps the most widely applicable and valuable. The advisability* of giving prizes and bonuses depends largely upon the con stitution of the employee group. If the group is made up largely oi unskilled labor \thich may not be paid as high as other lines of endeavor, prizes and bonuses may have a very definite appeal; however, in other employee groups it might be impos sible for the company* to make such prizes valuable enough to even rufHc employee in terest. Contests of all types are extremely val uable in safely work, particularly if winning the contest involves some form of recogni tion of the group or even individuals in the group. The point to be remembered about con tests is that they are of purely secondary importance in safety work, and should not be allowed to detract from driving home the main idea that safety* is a part of the job, and that a man gets his safety bonus every month when he receives his wages. "Employees arc paid to work safely" and "no job is well done unless it is done safely" --both of these are slogans which express the best approach to safety work. If the company lias to pay its employees to work safely, something musl be wrong with the safety policy* or its administration. In my plant we have, for many years, dis tributed cigars to everybody in the organ ization when 85 days have been worked without somebody incurring a disabling in jury. This is not in the manner of a bonus, but merely our way of saying "You've done a good job so let's all smoke a cigar by way of celebrating because not a single person has been struck down by an accident in 85 days." Maintaining Interest Question: To what extent must we vary the safety program in order to make an interesting appeal to men in department* doing different types of work? dtizver: Although it is claimed that 85 per cent of industrial accidents occur from causes common to all industry, the program should be varied sufficiently to make il ap plicable to the other 15 per cent in each case. The program should also be varied for the sake of interest. A* successful acci dent prevention program is never completely organized into routine. The new must be added to the front of the advancing pro gram and the old dropped from the rear of it. Question--a. How do you acquaint your employees with the safety equipment avail able for their protection? Answer: To better familiarize our em ployees with the available safety equipment. r,or. 29th National Safety Congress our company conducts classes made up of from 20 to 30 men and lasting for about 45 minute?, where the safety equipment is dis cussed. shown, handled, and actually tried on. This has resulted in a broader demand and use oi safety equipment because em ployees now know when, why and how the equipment is to be used. Question--b. Should employees be penal ized or reprimanded for failure to use per-nnal protective equipment provided? Why? Discipline for Safety Answer: Yes, employees should be repri manded or penalized depending upon the oc currence of the failure to wear protective vquipment. It is good practice to give warn ing for the first offense and indicate at the time that if a repetition occurs, penalty will follow. When safety guards are not intailed on machinery, the Company is sub ject to fine and this same token the company should reprimand or penalize the employee who fails to wear the safety equipment pro vided for his protection. Question: Should, or should not, an em ployee who has sustained an injury be called before a group meeting to explain the basic rau>c of an accident? Answer: This depends on how accident prevention is handled in your company. If anything occurs which allows the man to feel that he is the "goat" or if he is criticized, he will resent all accident prevention work and \wl be a stumbling block for your progress If It can be done in au impersonal manner, and if it would have been investi gated in that same manner, if the same un safe act had not resulted in an injury, then, and then only do I believe that tins should he done. We will all agree, I believe, that injuries are not what we should investigate, hut that the basic causes of them should be thoroughly investigated with the view of pre\ eating a recurrence. This, however, should be done in such manner that no one has a loss of "face." Question--a. What prerogative should committees have in regard to determining the cause oi an accident and the assessment of penalties or reprimands? Employee Com mittees? Answer: It would appear unwise to have employee committees assume too much re sponsibility in determining the cause of acci dents ami the assessment oi penalties and reprimands, particularly the latter. The ad ministration of discipline purely a Man agement function: to try to hide behind the skirts of an employee committee in fulfill ing this function may have its advantages occasionally, but it is fundamentally un sound. As regards the investigation oi acci dents, such committees may serve a very valuable purpose in making the initial iuve;tigation and report, but wc must remember that the company is responsible for the safety of its employees and therefore must have the final say as to what should be done to prevent recurrence of accident*. For these reasons it would be best for the final rct>ort to be made out by the safety super visor as an agent of the company. Question--b. Supervisory Committees? Anszecr; The supervisory committees should have a part in the accident investiga tions and assessment of penalties in an amount depending upon the rank of the supervisors. Supervisors below the rank of. say, superintendent, are certainly not in a position to pass final judgment upon either the cause of accidents or the discipline nec essary ; though their recommendations may be very valuable. The above remarks apply only to what might be called plant-wide committees; the supervisor directly in charge of the em ployee who was injured should always be called upon to make recommendations as to how similar accidents can be prevented in the future, and what disciplinary action should be taken. The immediate supervisor working through the department foreman is the agent responsible for the administra tion of discipline, whether they are penalties or reprimands. It is well for the Safety Department to remain dear of all the dis ciplinary decisions and their execution as regards violations of safe practices. The safety engineer's part in such action is that of a fact finding agency and an interpreter of the safety rules as appl>ing to the case. A man can only be held responsible for what is actually in the rules when it comes to disciplinary action. The safety engineer will of course give an interpretation of the written rules rather than a personal opinion in such matters. Question: Is promoting safely similar to advertising and selling a product? If so, what are your selling points ? Petroleum Section 607 - hr.fTivr: The promotion of safety in some of its phases is similar to advertising. Wc prefer, however, not to call it "selling -afciy" but rather to exemplify the values and importance of that which they already have, assuming that there is no sale* re sistance to be broken down. Question: What can be done to enlist the workman's interest in accident prevention program*-? Aurzecr: Department Committees should !*c appointed to work on safety problems brought to their attention. These Commit tees investigate all accidents both minor and major, and make recommendation* to elim inate hazards found to exist. Description of all serious injuries >1jouHI he placed on Bulletin Boards so that all can read and gam by the accident experience oi others. This also keeps the workmen inter ested m the program. Safety meetings (conference method) should be held from time to time between the foreman and men working under hi* direct supervision. All hazards reported by men should be taken care of in proper manner as quickly a> possible. There is no better way to keen the men interested than lo let them sec that their suggestions are carried out. Posters >ltould be displayed. Home-made, original posters attract more attention than others. Holding classes to acquaint and instruct the workmen in proper use of safety equip ment that can be obtained in the plant has helped to enlist the interest of the workmen. Teaching of first aid to the injured has, no doubt, helped prevent accidents, and cer tainly keeps the workmen interested in the safety program. Meetings at which the re-enactment of serious accidents arc held has proved not only a benefit to the group involved, but al-o helps to keep the interest of the work men alive. First Aid Training Question: What part does first aid train ing play in enlisting employees in the acci dent prevention program? Answer: In considering the question "What part docs first aid training play in enlisting employees in the accident preven tion program." it may be well to define the term "hrst aid training" and what we mean by "Enlisting employees in. the accident pre vention program." Suppose we consider the last question first: I believe that what we really mean here U effective participation in the accident prevention program, the only true measure of which is the frequency and severity of accidents. Therefore, we may rephrase the question and say "what part docs first aid training play in decreasing accidents?" There are all kinds of first aid training programs: there is the kind that merely gives employees a taste of first aid; there i> the fairly effective first aid training pro gram; then there is the permanent and'con tinuous first aid training program employ ing review courses as well as the regular initial courses. There are three standard fir-i aid courses used in the petroleum in dustry : 1. The 1`. S. Bureau of Mines' 15 hour course. 2. The A. P. 1. 10 hour course 3. The American Red Cross cout sc. It is probable that any one of these cour>es is just about as good as another if correctly administered, though personally 1 have only had experience with the U. S. Bureau of Mines' course. Xow, we again rephrase the question and *ay "Will a good first aid course given in a plant for the first time decrease the accident rate in that plant?*' At this jK>int we shall have to refer to the record. In 1930 approximately 4,000 employees of the S* O. Co. Refinery in Baton Rouge were given the U. S. Bureau of Mines first aid course. This covered ap proximately 99 per cent of all employees, who took the course during tile \ear_ In the preceding year, that is 1929, the refinery had an accident frequency rate of 8.45; in 1930 it dropped to 6.03, and in 1931, after the completion of the first^ aid course, it dropped to 3.57. All these figures are in terms of disabling injuries for a million man-hours worked. Our experience with de creasing frequency rate with first aid train ing is not unusual according to the Bureau of Mines, which has collected data showing that if the first aid training is initiated in the plant on a comprehensive scale, the ac cident frequency promptly declines on an average of several hundred per cent. On 608 29th National Safely Congress the basis of these statistics we may say that first aid training is effective in decreas ing the accident frequency rate. Tlic?c figures refer only to the initial training course in first aid and the immedi ate results obtained. The question may be asked as to whether the accident frequency rate subsequently again increases to its for mer value. The answer to this is that such indeed may be the case unless the first aid training is on a permanent and continuous basis. It can also be noted that these sta tistics apply to a comprehensive program in cluding practically all employers of the plant; and also that the program was car ried out with the full support of the Man agement and on what might be called a "high plane." To he most effective any first aid program, no matter how technically corrrci it may be, must be carried out in such a wav as to enlist the interest and support of the employees. It seems to be the opinion of quite a few safety men that a first aid training program may not only serve as a good opening gun to start off the safety movement in the plant, hut may also serve later as a permanent su-iaining feature that will help enlist cm* pJovccs in the Accident Prevention Pro gram Company Safety Kulcs Question: Should a cumjuny haw safety Tide***? K so, why? Anneer; Safety rules arc essential in some phases of safety. NVc- i elieve, how ever. that hard and fast rules should be held to a minimum. Some rules arc essen tial, however, in order to prevent a few from breaking down the morale ot the many and belittling the program in general. Question: Do company safety rules foster or retard the employees' willingness to vol untarily enlist wholeheartedly in the accident prevention program ? Give reasons for your answer. . f/i/w.'r; Safely rules that are clear, con cise and easily understood, foster the em ployees' willingness to support the accident prevention program for these reasons: 1. The rules serve as a guide to him in the performance of his work. 2. They' indicate to him that the com pany i definitely interested that his task be (performed without injury' to himself or others. It is a mistake, however, to issue safety rules pertaining to alt phases of plant op eration. For Instance, there would be no point in supplying n laborer with safety rules relating to the operation of a cracking unit. If such rules arc furnished, they are very seldom, if ever, read. "Every craft should be given safety rules which pertain ipcdfically to that particular job. Question: How can safety codes, safe practice manuals, and rules be so developed, and instituted as to' cause the greatest amount of results in accident prevention, and voluntary support from the rank and file of employees? Answer: The trend in modem safety work seems to be toward the formation of a few basic and fundamental safety rules ap plying to all employees such a> rules on eye protection, reporting injuries, etc These fundamental rules are expanded into sate practice codes covering details of certain operations. For instance, a company may have a general rule on eye protection, and a safe practice code for the use and main tenance of grinding wheels. Of course, there should be no conflict between basic rules and the safe practice codes--they should be compiled by men actually familiar with the work, and may be modified from time to time. In enforcing safe practice codes one should look for observance of the spirit of the law rather than the letter. Sometimes it is possible to follow the letter of the law of the safe practice code ami miss the spirit entirely. As regards the voluntary support of the rank and file of employees, this depends upon the soundness of the safety rules, the attitude of the Management and the sales efforts of the supervisors. In order to obtain voluntary support from the rank and file of those to be governed by the safety rules or safe practice codes, it is my feeling that we should give them a voice in the formation of such rules. By following this procedure wc find the several groups are in a much more receptive frame of mind than when we wrote the rules with out giving them the opportunity to express their opinion. Get the majority of any craft in agreement on a set of safe practices for their guidance and the battle is nearly won Petroleum Section 609 for they will see that the recalcitrant few arc brought into line in short order. Question--a. What effects do annual cer tificates of merit have when presented to departments of a plant, foremen and other such groups? Answer: The plaque offered in contests carries the contest spirit, pride of accom plishment and desire to win. It is usually used in cases of units having similar haz ard ratings. It has been our observation that the plaque obtains its greatest results among targe groups and has its greatest results among large groups and has its great est influence on supervision of such groups, where personalities are not distributed so individually as they are in a small, well defined group, but that the signed certificate ts as much or even more appreciated, and does more good in the small, well defined group. The reason for this, we attribute to the fact that the certificate is a personal recognition by those who represent com pany policy and is a personal communica tion of current value. The signatures indicate to the individual that those signing are cognizant oi the ac complishment and so recognize it, also would have similar knowledge and interest in a bad record and in remedying the cause. Question--b. What purpose do record boards, or days without accident boards, serve? Anstver: These signs are valuable as a means of imforming employees of the shop's or department's records and, as such, are well worthwhile. They also foster pride in the accomplishments in aeddent prevention. Where these signs are used, the foreman always points to them with pride when he has a good record. Those who do not have such good records are constantly exposed to these signs, reflecting the records of other foremen with whom he works. He may, at first, have an attitude of resentment, but this will soon break down and he and his men will exert a sincere effort to build for themselves a record which they can display. Question: Are individual employee cer tificates oi merit for long periods of ex posure without an industrial accident, worthwhile? If so, at what intervals should they be used? Annccr: The average frequencies built up by* the various departments of the petroleum industry' are such that an individual must work from 20 to 50 years with only one accident in order to have a frequency rate himself, equal to that of the departments of the industry. Therefore, we do not think there is a great deal of merit in issuing awards to individuals for not having an industrial accident over a period of a year or five years. We do believe, however, that certificates of merit or cards are very val uable when presented to drivers for not having a motor vehicle accident over a period of a year or years. We also believe that cards or buttons given to foremen, distinguishing him as not having had a dis abling injury under his supervision over a period of one or more years, are valuable. Raising Employee Morale Question: What can be done to cause the active enlistment of the following in the accident prevention program? a. The long service. Indifferent employee5 b. The foreman who is lukewarm? c. The fellow, who it seems, just can't keep from getting hurt or enuring someone* else to get'hurt? Answer: a. One psychological method of handling the long service; indifferent employee is to place him on a workman's safety committee, fn some cases go so far as to make him chairman of that committee. b. The lukewarm foreman. The same type of handling as applied to the long service employee might be tried on this type indi vidual. If he fails to produce results or if no foreman's safety committee exists, then a little visit "on the carpet" might warm him up a bit to the safety program, c. The fellow who, it seems, just can't keep from getting hurt or causing someone else to get hurt--the accident prone em ployee. A careful study o las aptitude? and the selection of a job to which he is best fitted, will help to enlist this type indi vidual in the accident prevention program. Question: Do you have foremen's meet ings? It so, how are they conducted and what type of subjects are discussed? Answer: Yes. we have foremen's meet ings- We conduct bi-weekly meetings on company time for all supervisors under the direction of our Training Department and 6)0 29th Xaticnal Safety Congress we al>o held bi-monthly safety meetings of foremen in all departments. In the Fore* man Training Program we devote two meet ings each year to the genera! interest of the entire group. Usually with the Safety En gineer in the role ox discussion leader, and wc stress the point of the supervisor's im portance in accident prevention. Wc also use these meetings to re-statc the company's policy in regard to safety in operations, as it applies to both personnel and equipment. In the departmental meetings all foremen and supervisors are required to attend on company time and the Safely Engineer is present. The department foreman, accord ing to the plan, acts as chairman or discus-ton leader. Sometimes this is not too sat isfactory and to keep the interest from lagging rhe Safety Engineer takes over and dicects the discussion. Any and all safety problems having to do with the particular craft or topics pertaining to the general safety program are discussed. Worthwhile suggestions or recommendation? that arc be yond the jurisdiction of the group arc han dled by the Safety Engineer and he reports on the disposition of these items at the next meeting of the group. Question: What is the value of the basic causes of accidents in enlisting employees m the accident prevention program ? sinneer; The basic causes of accidents arc generally those unsafe habits which make a man a poor workman. Most men are proud of the fact that they have been steady work men for a great number of years. AN men arc proud when they have done a good job --they take pride in good workmanship. Real cooperation can be obtained in an acci dent program if men can be sold the motto oi rov own company's employee organization ''Pride of Workmanship--Pride of Service. ' WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON SESSION October 9,1940 The Effects of Legislative Trends on Safety By F. R. McLEAN Manager, Safety & Insurance Department, White Star-Ohio Division, Socony-Vacuum Oil Company, Inc., Detroit, Mich. I shall endeavor to ask and answer four pertinent questions regarding the rules made fur us by public authorities. 1. Why is safety in the petroleum indus try' a subject of regulation? 2. What is the force that carries a'pro posal through a legislative body and makes t a law? 3. What are the sources of the facts and opinions which become the specifications and rules in laws and regulations? -I. What are the effects of present and proposed regulation on safety in the oil industry? Tlie National Board of Fire Underwriters and the National Fire Protection Associa tion were working in a systematic manner to solve our fire problems some thirty years ago. They had a definite program to reduce fire losses. One of their principal methods was. and still is. regulation. It was not until ten years later that the oil industry, through such bodies as the American Petroleum In stitute and the National Safety Council undertook any comparable organized effort to accomplish the same results through methods of education, research and volun tary standards. The first Model Ordinance on flammable liquids made its appearance in 1913. U was not until 1919 that the work of the A.P.I.wa> undertaken. Right to this day, a ques tion which must be met by the industry's safety engineers is whether or noi preven tion can be kept more effective than regu lation. In the past and today law? regulating safety in our industry, or any other, spring from the fundamental right ox constituted authority to impose restrictions or prohibi tions where the public safety or welfare is Petroleum Section 611 advirrseh affected. No one quarrels with this right of society to protect its larger security* by placing limitations on those who might endanger it. Our questions usually arise over whether or not any particular operation does endanger that public safety and welfare and whether the "law" proposed is the only and the best protection. A recent example of legislation by city ordinance to accomplish such public security is found in a large city' situated in a river valley subject to floods, where it was found that flammable liquid storage in the flood areas could create a large scale fire hazard when flood damaged tankage permitted gasoline to cover the water surface. The oil industry cooperated in framing regula tions for equipment and procedure to mini mize this danger. The answer in brief to the first question then is that public welfare and safety* is best served by a safe oil industry and the law makers were first in the field with organ ized efforts to produce this desirable result. However, because of this historical and ethical reason for laws, we need not look to this simple formula to explain alt oil regulations now on the books or currently living proposed. My second question is: What is the force that carries a proposal through a legislative lody and makes it a law? If we follow the logic of our answer to the first question, the answer would be, "public demand for protection against a real or fancied danger." Please note th^t 1 have not said "protection against danger," but rather "against a.real or fancied dan ger." If the public believes they need the protection of a (aw, t suppose they arc en titled to it. The only sane alternatives to regulation in these situations would be to remove or correct the real dangers or to inform the public, and particularly the law makers, if the danger is merely fancied. It cannot lie done by informing the public or the law* makers. No matter how well persuaded law makers might be that the danger is imaginary, they must depend on the voles of the public for re-election and must satisfy their constituents. This "in forming" is not impractical of accomplish ment even as to tlie public. Usually the community feeling that "there ought to be a law" has a few active vocal exponents. These as well as the legislators can usually be reached and if correct information is properly presented to sincere persons whose source of information was limited, they are usually willing to broaden their viewpoint as their understanding expands. We must be most helpful and patient in these situations, for much of what we com plain of in regulations arises from the fact that neither those who advocate nor those who legislate ordinarily have the knowledge of the oil industry possessed by those ac tually devoting their lives to the industry. This Is not surprising when we realize how much education is still to be done among personnel of the industry* itself and how much the Industry and each of us as indi viduals has learned in the past five or ten years. Wc must recognize too the influence of a situation pointed out ten years ago by Rob ert S. Moulton, Technical Secretary* of the National Fire Protection Association, in dis cussing municipal Tcgula m of oil stor age. He observed that small quantities of gasoline misused by the public, as for clean ing in kitchen or garage, was a frequent cause of serious accidents. The public, therefore, tended to regard with proportion ate apprehension the large quantities of gasoline handled by the industry and this resulted in misdirected emphasis a< to pub lic safety. Demand for legislation docs not arise spontaneously from either the public or the law makers. With the exception of certain officials such as fire chiefs and state fire marshalls, others lack the specialized knowl edge of our industry needed to detect and correct a potentially dangerous situation Demand that "there ought to be a law" usu ally follows suddenly after a fire, explosion, or accident or after a series of them has occurred. The more unusual, dramatic and severe the occurrence, the greater the at tention it gets and the greater the demand for a law. Oi! fires are peculiarly capable of attracting such attention with their rapid spread in a vapor area, their black smoke and their peculiarities of extinguishment. Their infrequency adds to the notice the\ get as `news worthy" press items. Hasty legislation arising from public fear follow ing one of these occurrences may be moM unfortunate as the public officials having authority* to regulate may miss both the true causes and the proper remedy. 6)2 29th Xational Safety Congress In this matter of regulation because of real or fancied danger we will have less but better legislation if wc can fully appre ciate the responsibilities to the public of those who possess authority and if we make available to them the help of those in our industry who possess expert knowledge In regard to safely. Where this mutual understanding has been established, well balanced uniform regulation has received strong support of safety authorities in the oil industry in remedying dangerous conditions where co operation and education had not been suc cessful in producing safe conditions among nil elements of the industry without such outside compulsion. One further observation about regulation growing out of accidents or fires. The more *erious the occurrence, the more sweeping is the regulation resulting and the more literal its interpretation and enforcement. This is an outgrowth of tiie atmosphere in which the regulation is written and the nat ural sensitiveness of officials to criticism. This discussion has been based so far on the reason usually advanced, that it is lor the public safety and welfare. But we can often detect other forces at work. To in sure that any demand for regulation pro duces either a practical law or no law at nil, it is often necessary to determine what these other forces arc and to cope with them. I will enumerate a few which I have personally felt were at work in some pro posed laws and ordinances: Competitive economic conditions between different groups within the oil industry is, l am sorry to report, too frequently such a hidden force--the long haul large volume *uppher vs, the local plant; the established operator vs. the new-comcr. Competition between promoters of differ ent transportation methods for hauling the imlu-dry's liquid loads is another cause. Sometimes law makers get too enthused over a device or service which seems to solve a problem and wc have the so-called 'gadget laws." It is not to be interred that these* need have any commercial sponsor urging the passing of the law. Some so-called "safety regulations" arc pushed primarily for the purpose of col lecting a license fee and thus providing a source of revenue. Our industry certainly has shown its fruitfulness as a tax source, and we can understand why others attempt to share in the tribute levied. One early ordinance had no provisions except for the payment of license fees for service stations and operators, for "approval" without any standards being set up, and for severe pen alties for unlicensed operation. Another 3uch proposed ordinance would have financed a fire prevention bureau to serve all commercial buildings in a certain city by the collection of license and inspection fees on service stations and bulk plants. We are sympathetic with civic fire prevention pro grams, but not that sympathetic. Solutions of traffic problems have been sought in ordinances specifying routes for tank trucks. Parking problems have been attacked by attempting to limit the width of service station drives. Summarizing our answer to (he question a* to what the forces are which carry pro posals through law making bodies, we must conclude tliat in most cases it is public de mand produced by actual occurrences, but sometimes created or aided by economically interested groups. If we arc to have fewer regulations, we must reduce the fires or accidents which inspire them. If wc arc to have better regu lations, wc must, as professional safety men be above economic rivalries which seek advantages through restrictions on competi tive operations in the name of public secur ity. Our third question is: What arc the sources of the facts and opinions which become the specifications and rules in laws and regulations? What goes into the legislative hopper has much to do with the kind of a law a state or community must operate under in years to follow. Legislators cannot be expected to possess the knowledge of experts in the many fields on which they must work. Wc can rather assume that they approach a new problem with the ideas, right or wrong, generally held by their constituents, the gen eral public. However, they proceed to ac quire additional enlightenment on a subject before them for legislative consideration. Most naturally they call on their own staff, e g, a council on the fire chief, a legislature on the state fire marshall. Petroleum Section 613 I feel that our industry is indebted to the** professional fire fighters and prevent ers and others in comparable public posi tions for assembling from reliable sources both in our industry' and elsewhere much sound information for enactment into law. In some cases these officials axe given broad responsibility through enabling legislation to promulgate regulations. In almost all in stances they have recognized that those who are best informed on safety for the oil in dustry arc the men in the industry special izing in that work--safety men who know the industry's safety problems and who can cal! on the engineering and operating spe cialists of their companies in seeking prac tical solutions. Because of the public interests to be served by legislation, however, public or term-public sources outside the industry may be largely used. Because of their pioneering in this field, "The Suggested Ordinances on Flammable Liquids" of the National Fire Prevention Association and "The Regula tions for Containers for Storing and Han dling Flammable Liquids" of the National Board of Fire Underwriters are generally accepted "texts." Having a national scope, these possess one great virtue of being an influence for uniformity. However, this uniformity extends in time as well as space. The National Board regulations, in particu lar. suffer from this defect. For example, there has been no change in the tabic of distances for tanks from property lines be tween the edition of 1927 and the edition of 1939. The regulations needed in the age of the wooden roof tank live on in the era of gas-tight steel tanks, floating roof tanks and spheroids. Couple with this tlic fact that much of our petroleum regulation has been on the statute books for many years and that re peat or revision is infrequent. As a result, regulations in almost all jurisdictions are a compromise between our best practices of today and our misfortunes and inexperience of twenty to thirty years ago. In fact, yes terday has much the best of it in most cases. Committees from the oil industry advis ing on drafting of ordinances have secured provisions in the new regulations which make them not retroactive as to existing plants Yet into these same regulations have been written restrictions that had their origin in the conditions of plants which were cou-ititTk'd ob&olete a decade ago. These restrictions will still be on statute books a decade hence and will he handicapping the designers of new plants from taking ad vantage of all the improvements made pos sible by metallurgy, engineering and petro leum science. In considering sources, the tendency to borrow is probably tire most troublesome. One charged with the task of drafting an ordinance or law is inclined to find xvluit others confronted with the same problem have done. A collection of Fire Marshall'* regulation*, or city ordinances is made, they are read, and seemingly appropriate sections arc copied. Where this has been done, it has been my observation that the drafting official, naturally desiring the best possible protection for the public of his area, chooses the most severe and restrictive feature* from several ordinances. Without appreciating the age of the regulations the particular misfortunes which may have pre cipitated their enactment, or the "other than safety" motives behind thdr passage, parts of several ordinances may be transplanted and "inflicted" on the petroleum industry in some community. In some fields the standards or suggested *afo practices of the American Petroleum Institute constitute the nearest approach to both uniformity' and up-to-dateness. I note a tendency by legislatures to appreciate this fact and to accept these standard* a* au thoritative. Though written by the very per son* to be regulated, they appreciate that no one has a more direct concern in adequate safety standards. Widespread adoption of American Petro leum Institute standards and safe practice' on a voluntary basis frequently makes com pulsion by the enactment of law unnece**ar> If some national authority such a* the Xationai Fire Prevention Association couM adopt modem standards, I, am sure the offi ctals charged with regulation would hasten toward uniformity. At present, steps toward up-to-date standards in advance of these national bodies tend to diversity. Fundamentally, the problems of safe han dling ami storage arc the same in all com munities and states and Ixtth enforcement and compliance would be better with mu tual benefit to officials, the public and the industry. 29th National Safety Congress Much of the more recent legislation has l>ee proposed rather Than passed. Neverthc!e>?. f know it has had effects. One of the most frequently sought regulations has been the restriction in either size or routes to be used by large truck equipment. These pro posals have sprung from many motives, in cluding genuine concern for public safety ami competition within the oil industry and within the transportation industry. From a strict safety standpoint, most such proposals are ba>ed on a belief that quantity is the measure of danger rather than quality or lack of it. in the equipment itself. Naturally with this premise, the solutions looked toward restricted size rather than toward good engineering and adequate safeguards as recognized for the modem tank truck to day. Although neither the restrictions nor the substituted safety specifications were enacted, in cases on which l had contact, there was a stimulating effect on haulers to bring equipment up to safety standards and to prevent accidents. Another problem which is coming to the fore in the consideration of legislators a* well as oil company safety men is that of underground tankage, ft has been discussed \n connection with other ordinance*. 1 feel it i* -till a problem of engineering and it would he a matter of regret to have some fixed procedure applied by law originating with ;i body which is not laced with the rc-pon-dbihty ot complying with it or of solving the problem. It might prevent the -ttidv needed to find a real solution to the problem. A* to equipment, the too frequent effect of regulation is to fix a standard which be come.- both a minimum and a maximum. It substitutes rules for engineering. As to human behavior, regulation by law, when done In* a sufficiently large and potent 'Mlitical area that can both publish and po lice- U< regulations, forms a valuable "must" conr<c for employees in the industry'. Un fortunately, too frequently the rule? exist in prim only in the city archives or legal vol umes and arc largely unknown and unob served. They come to light as factors in negligence suits. Wc cannot feel that be cause an outgrown requirement is no longer enforced it is of no further concern. Regulations do not give the basts for cor rect action in emergencies. A -afety pro gram ot education and training based on an understanding of fundamental principles does lay a foundation for proper procedure both routine and emergency. F.et us be entirely fair about this matter of regulation. Unless wc as safely men rep resenting operating companies can adopt all reasonable steps to prevent fire and acci dent# in our companies and can devise ways of getting such wholehearted cooperation from every concern, large or small, engaged in any phase of our industry' that they tx will take all possible reasonable precamions, then wc can. expect public authoritief to seek through regulation thr*c same results. Can we prove that our voluntary and adaptable methods are effective and that the public safety* and welfare and our own safety and success arc so closely dependent 011 each other that public officials can in creasingly trust us without regulation? To merit full confidence, we must really "know our stuff" and hold belief in prin ciples so high that in no situation would w*c advocate any unsound safety measure or unnecessary prohibition or restriction-. Wc must actively campaign to unburden our industry* from outmoded restrictions and obsolete safeguards now being forced on us by old laws or new law* compiled from old sources. Wc must anticipate new problems and prevent their becoming of public concern so that we and the public may enjoy the good effects of safety without the cost and con gealing consequences of rigid requirement* The Problem of Underground Service Station Tanks By H. M. CADMAN Superintendent, engineering Dept., The Schedule Rating Office of New Jersey, Newark, N. J. 1 Hiring recent years there has beat a con- from underground gasoline tanks and piping *Mvr:ihle increase in the number of leaks Tbi- may be due to the increasing length Petroleum Section 615 of time that tanks have been subjected to the corrosive action of various soils. It is not necessary to dwell upon the dan gers where gasoline vapors are present. These are self-evident It might be well, however, to consider the subject of explosive limits. The lower limit ot flammability of a combustible gas or vapor, often called the lower explosive limit, represents (he leanest and most dilute con centration in air that will propagate flame. Tlc upper limit of flammability represents the maximum concentration of that gas or vapor in air that will propagate flame. The explosive range of combustible gas or vapor includes all of the concentrations of that gas in air between these upper and lower explosive limits. The limits of flammability in air of gaso line vapors are lower limit 1.3 per cent and upper limit 6 per cent. Malden, Mass. A modem gasoline filling station with un derground tanks of 1,000, 3,000 and 3,000 gallon* capacity was opened near the corucr of Main and Xewhall Street* in Malden, on November 9, 1939. Tan days later the chief of the fire de partment received a call from the drug store on the corner of Main and Xewhall Streets complaining of a strong odor of gasoline in the basement of the store. The chief traced the odor to a sump pit located in the north west comer of the building. Feeling that the case was one which could best be investigated by other agencies, he immediately contacted the Rating Bureau as well as the State Department of Public Safety. The subsequent investigation was then carried on jointly by Dr. Joseph T. Walker representing the latter department, Chief Dooling of the Malden Fire Depart ment and Mr. Abbott of the Rating Bu reau. All agreed that the odor emanating from the sump pit was unquestionably- (bat of gasoline. Using two types of combustible gas indicator, it was then determined that an explosive mixture was present at this point. It *ecmed logical that the source of trouble must be the filling station. Consequently they had a series ot holes about two inches in diameter and five feet deep dug around the exterior walls and about one foot away from the building at in tervals of about ten feeL Then attaching the inlet tube of the explosion meter to a long rod they checked the possibility of the atmosphere at the bottom of each of these boles with negative results until they reached a point about midway along the south wall of the building. At this point they again detected the presence of an explosive mix ture. They then extended their series of test holes in a direction approaching the underground tanks with the result that the explosibility became increasingly stronger as the distance to the tanks was reduced. At this point they wore informed by the engineer in charge of construction for the oil company that just previous to the open ing of the station the attendant was unable to account for approximately 200 gallon* of gasoline which was a portion of approxi mately 2,900 gallons which lus records indi cated had been pumped into the 3,000-gallon tank. Even after the most careful checking the 200-gallon shortage could not be accounted for, and it was decided to replace the tankThc original tank was then subjected to a hydrostatic test, but no evidence of a leak developed. It was admitted that while re moving the original tank, a leak in the line between the tank and pump was discovered, but this leak according to the engineer was not of sufficient magnitude to account for the sizable loss previously obtained. As a result of the information furnished by the oil company engineer, it was derided to fill each tank to the top of the fill pipe and then circulate the product by means of tlie dispensing pump and flexible hose line until the capacity of each tank liad passed through the pump and connecting pipe line. While a test conducted m this manner would not be as satisfactory as subjecting each tank and pipe line to a hydrostatic test, it was their opinion that if a leak of any importance was present in the system it would unquestionably be noted. Moreover in order to test the tanks hydro statically it would have been necessary* in the interests of safety to replace the product in each tank with water In order to eliminate the possibility of an explosive mixture ex isting within the tank. The results of the test were negative. In view of the foregoing, it was their opinion that the missing 200 gallons of gaso line had found its way into an unused sub terranean drain which apparently extended 616 29th National Safety Congress from the cellar oi the former dwelling w!h-tc tlic tanks were located and passed under the mercantile building, thus account' mg for the presence of explosive vapors in the sump pit of this latter building. If their assumption was correct and the present tanks and pipe lines of the filling station were light, these vapors should gradually disappear. The fire chief posted a man at this ixrini lu make certain that ever}' pre caution was taken to avoid any possible catastrophe. Within a tew days all evidence of explosive vapors had completely disap peared which would seem to confirm the correctness of their conclusions. Patersoo, New Jersey Burly in 1938 our attention was called to ; dangerous gasoline hazard in the basement ui the tenant mercantile building at 247-57 Market Street in Paterson. Adjoining the east wall of the building is a gasoline filling station pumping from buried tanks. For several weeks there had been a seepage ot water and a flammable liquid through this wall to the basement, whence it sva& pumped by a sump pump into a soil pipe leading to the sanitary sewer. Samples of the flammable liquid were toted and the flash points were 24 to 39 de cree* J\ The specific gravity was about JS. The samples were of a reddish color. It is claimed that ground around the tanks of gm-oline service stations in the vicinity has been dug up, but no leaks have Ijcvn discovered. A study of the geology and topography ii ilii- section indicates that there is an un derlying stratum of shale and that there is a natural valley where a stream once flowed underneath the building in question. There are gasoline service stations along the path of the brook at higher elevations, and al-o a large plant that reclaims oils. The owner ha* dug around the founda tion walls of the building and waterproofed them. Since this was done no gasoline or other flammable liquid has seeped through. Ten* have been made in the space between the fir>i floor and the uncxcavated portion of the basement and there was no indication of an explosive atmosphere. Since the source of the gasoline has not been found, it is reasonable to expect a re currence of this condition at some other point in the vicinity. East Orange, New Jersey In December, 1938 the attention of Fire Chief McGinley was called to seepage of gasoline into the transformer vault manhole at William and Lincoln Street, East Orange, New Jersey by the Public Service Corpora tion of New Jersey, owners of t!>e manhole. He and their representative investigated im mediately and found about 300 gallons of gasoline. The chief suspected the two service stations on the northwest and southwest corners, but upon testing their gasoline tanks with 10 pounds of air pressure no leaks were found. These tanks were then dog up; still without results. Chief McGinley consulted with gasoline company representatives to gel their views and experience, after which it was decided to test all stations in that vicinity, and all stations within a half mile of that vicinity were tested and no leaks found. The next step was to test all stations within one mile of this manhole, and again no leaks were found. Tests were made on the border line of an adjacent city without results. During all this time gasoline was continu ing to Bow into this manhole through the sump outlet at its bottom. The chief next resorted to having tests made by several ot the large oil companies. They all agreed that it was gasoline, but were unable to tell what company manufactured it. During this time pure gasoline was being pumped from this manhole at the rate of 335 gallons every two months. After using every means available they were unable to discover the source of this leak. The Public Service Company decided to abandon this manhole and fill it in. This was done in January'. 1940. Chief McGinley. however, was still worried because ot not knowing what might happen next, there being a four-story apartment building at the northeast corner of thii street intersection fully occupied. It had occurred to him that this gasoline might be diverted into the basement of this building. Fortunately this did not happen. Instead it found its way into a telephone manhole about 30 feet across the street, and the seepage at this time was much lighter than originally and disappeared entirely in March, 1940. At this rime there U every indication that this troublesome and dangerous condition is cleared up, at least temporarily. Petroleum Section 617 Throughout the investigation every pos sible effort was made to determine the cause or source of the leak, but without the slightest success. It is hard to understand how so much gasoline could get away with out it* being discovered by the owner. Newburgh, N, Y. On December 21, 1937 a complaint of gas odors in the basement of Sacred Heart Church at the southeast comer of Ann Street and South Robinson Avenue, was received at fire department headquarters. Tite Pastor of the Church stated that tlioc odors were noticeable during the Spring months of 1937, but seemed to dis appear daring the summer months. A check-up of all gasoline stations in the immediate vicinity was started at once. This resulted in the testing of gasoline tanks at eleven gasoline stations within five blocks of the Church. The daily records of these gasoline stations were checked and in no <ase revealed a gasoline loss. These tests consisted, io most cases, of one half hour air te*L Two of these tanks were found to be leaking, but it was found that these two tanks had been out of service for some time and combustible gas indicator readings -howed no indications of vapors in them. In the meantime daily readings were made in the basement of the Sacred Heart Church at points where vapors entered through the footings. These readings varied consider ably ; sometimes no odors being apparent Three lest wells were sunk and samples and meter readings were obtained at vari ous times Daily barometer readings were compared with meter readings, but appar ently no connection existed. Some old maps were obtained showing this area to have been a marsh and pond area; the present grade level resulting from filling in. A survey was made and the natural water level obtained. A pit was dug below this natural level, inducing a flow of water from this water tabic into the pit. This flow of water carried on its surface gasoline. This pit was pumped out daily, starting March 3, 1938 and continuing through to June 30, 193S. Approximately 250 gallons of gasoline was skimmed off the flow into the pit. From time to time the water level would lower to the point where no flow occurred into the pit. The level was then built up by running water, through a 2-mch hose line, into the test wells at the Church, there by flushing the ground, having a tendency to wash any vapor condition away from the Church and towards the pit Finally as the flow* of water continued for several days, with no indication of gaso line and no further odors in the Church, pumping operations were discontinued. New York City On March 22, 1932 there was an explosion in the boiler room at 313-21 West 37th Street, New York City, which severely in jured the engineer of the building. When the fine department arrived another explo sion occurred which killed a fine department lieutenant and injured nine firemen. it is believed that the first explosion was caused by the ignition of gasoline vapors that arose from a sump pit and the second explosion by the ignition of both gasoline and city gas, the gas meter having been ruptured by the first explosion. The gasoline was traced to leaky fill pipes. Buffalo, N. Y. The Genesee Motoramp Garage is lo cated ir the heart of the downtown district in Buffalo. This is a basement five-story modern fire-resistive sprinklered ramp gala^c used for the parking and storage of automobiles with the usual gasoline dispens ing station. The gasoline equipment con sisted, until April, 1939, of four buried 1,000-gallon tanks with die gas displaced by water pressure under a constant head of 15 pounds. This has since been replaced en tirely v/tlh a modem approved system. Gasoline seepage was first discovered fol lowing a small fire in the boiler room on November 16, 1938. There was fortunately no explosion accompanying this fire. The gasoline reached the boiler room through a drain which fed into a sump from the base ment floor of the garage proper. This drain was shortly plugged so that the boiler might be safely operated. Test holes were dug in the basement be low the level oi the boiler room sump so that the gasoline would safely drain to this point and could be pumped out. This ground was at first found saturated with gasoline below a depth of three feet. Additional test holes have been made during the year in various locations and regular pumping out of one of these has been going on ever since. <518 29th National Safety Congress The pumpage of gasoline from June 8, 1939 found to be of the same quality of gas as to June 10, 1940 amounted to 342 gallons. taken previously in the sump in the base The source of trouble has since been defi ment. nitely found to be outside of the Motoramp After many unsuccessful attempts to find Garage property. Their four tanks -were the origin of this gasoline, it was decided tested in the spring under both air and that the basement area should be sealed rvatcr pressure 'and found satisfactory. with cement The cleavage in the rock for However, they have gone ahead and re mation in the basement was grouted in and placed everything. The new installation includes four new 1,060-gallon tanks, new, modem Underwriters approved pumps, and all new piping, the former system having been discarded. also the cleavage in the rode outside of the basement wall was grouted in. The flow of gasoline had by this time greatly diminished, but as there had been some variation in the quantity of gasoline flowing per day pre New Britain, Connecticut On December 13, 1939 the odor of gaso line vapors was very noticeable in the base ment at 112-118 Hartford Avenue. It was found that the gasoline had evidently come in on lop of the storm water and accumu lated in a sump in the basement floor. The basement floor was dug up to ascer tain if possible from what direction the gasoline was originating. It was found that this gasoline was on top of the storm water in rock crevices under the basement floor and apparently was flowing on top of the water to the sump. Samples of this gasoline were taken and artaUzed in an endeavor to ascertain what make of gasoline it was. It was definitely found that this gasoline was a comparatively hi-test gasoline without tetra-ethyt of lead, A check was made throughout the area to determine if any vious, it was felt that this was nothing but one of the low periods, although it con tinued for some time and it was finally felt that the source had possibly been discovered by the owner of the tank and stopped either ly pumping out the tank or depleting the supply within the tank. Drain tile lines were then Installed under the basement floor to a sump from the rock cleavage so that if any gasoline did come in on the storm water, it would immediately be taken out into the store. Also the cleavage in the rock outride in the excavation was filled in with cement and then the hole was filled up. While it is believed that everything pos sible has been done to prevent the flow of gasoline into the building, there is no as surance that it will no! appear later a! some other point. gasoline tanks were giving evidence of leak age and one in the proximity of this loca tion was actually dug up, but no leaks were found. To prevent the accumulation of explosive gasoline vapors in the basement, an explo sion proof exhaust fan was installed. The leakage of gasoline apparently went Oit with very* little change until April of this year without any success in determining its source. A special committee had been formal to determine the steps necessary to find the source of this gasoline and means of -pre venting it from flowing through the groundDye tests were carried on in various tanks, Princeton, N. J. Atom the middle of January, 1940 com plaints were made by residents in the vi cinity of Leigh Avenue and John Street in Princeton that gasoline fumes were present in their basements. It seems that a system of undexdrains has been installed in that vicinity to intercept the ground water and thus relieve the sani tary sewer of infiltration. Residents having conections to the under drain were ordered to plug the connections in the basements so as to prevent the gaso line vapors from entering. but without any success. It was decided to On January 17 a plumber removed the dig a hole in the sidewalk outside of the plug from the drain at &4 Leigh Avenue basement area in line with the rock forma and struck a match. The plumber was tion under the basement floor. When this humed about the head and the explosion excavation was completed, it was found that followed the drain to the street and raised the flow of gasoline was definitely from the manhole covers to a height of about 30 fect- outside of the building Into it. Samples of One manhole cover missed a police officer by Chit gasoline were taken and they were a smalt margin. Petroleum Section 619 Tests were made of all tanks in the vi cinity and the one at Leigh Avenue and John Street was found to leak badly. The gaso line was pumped out and the tank removed. Upon examination it was found that the welding in one end of the tank had failed for a distance of dx inches. Xo complaint of gasoline fume* has been received recently. Conclusions I. Installation of Tanks: a. Tanks should be set on a firm foun dation and surrounded with soft earth or sand well tamped in place. 1j. The back fill should be free from large stones, ashes and other ma terials that might have a tendency to cause corrosion. Filled in land often has a corrosive action on steel tanks and iron piping. c. It might be well to have an analysis made of the soil before tanks arc installed to see whether there is a probability of corrosion; if so, bet ter protection should be provided for the metal. II. Suggested Methods for Determining , the Loaction of Leaks: a An accurate account should be kept of the amount of gasoline placed in each tank and the amount pumped out By so doing, the amount unaccounted for can be de termined. b. Fill boxes and piping around pumps should be carefully inspected. c. Test holes should be drilfed at teu ton intervals around garages and service stations. d. Combustible gas indicator tests should be n.adc in holes, manholes, basements, etc to determine whether there is an explosive mixture pres ent. e. Inquiry should be made as to whether or not gasoline used for washing automobile parts is being thrown out and allowed to seep into (he ground. f. A flash point test of the liquid found would give an indication as to whether or not it w4s gasoline. III. The governing body of the munic ipality should determine at once who i to be responsible for locating the source of the gasoline. IV. The city engineer should prepare a gasoline leakage map. This map should show contours, streams, dried up water courses, former water courses now* filled in, storm drains, sewers, tank car unloading points, bulk oil storage plants, retail gasoline service stations, locations where gaso line leaks have Iteen iound. and location? where riojl is known to accelerate corrosion. V. A careful record should be kept of the methods used in determining the source of leak's. VI. A record should be kept of weather conditions, during investigations, atich a$ temperature precipitation, etc. VH. Tanks and piping should be capalde ot withstanding a static pressure of 10 pounds per square inch without leak ing Where tanks and piping may be weak ened through age or because of the character of the soil in which they are installed, they should be tested annually preferably at a hydrostatic pressure of 10 pounds per square inch. VIIL tf for any reason a tank is abandoned the gasoline should be entirely pumped out and all piping disconnected and the tank filled to overflowing with water and tightly capped or com pletely filled with *andl-( or the tank should be removed from the prem ise*. Summary of Discussion 1. All underground tanks should be pro vided with a coating such as paint, gal vanizing, asphalt, or the like, to protect them against corrosion. 2. The statement MThe governing body of the municipality should determine at once who is to be responsible' for locating the source ot the gasoline" should be clarified. Does this mean the police department, the fire department, or some other body? 3. Tanks and piping should be tested to a static pressure of 3 pounds per square inch rather than 10 pounds a* suggested in the paper. o20 29th National Safety Conyress 4. The statement "Where tanks anti pip ing may be weakened through age or be cause of the character ci" the ^oil in which they are installed, they should be tested an nually" is too vague. A* what age should the Rr>t test he made? Accident Prevention Through the Eyes of an Insurance Executive By K. M. MacDONALD Superintendent* Safety Engineering Department, Zorich General Accident A Liability Insurance Co.. Chicago Most organizations in the oil industry, in- come safety engineers and -akxncn of eluding drilling, production, refining and \kafciy in all of its phases. marketing, arc today doing a mighty fine job 'I The alnlitv of an inaranee company en of accident prevention. We. in the insurance engineering field, can al<o report construc tive progress. Perhaps a brief description of my own experience in this field might be interesting. I am sure the experience is quite gineer r<> gu through an iadosttul pfczm. an oil field, or a refinery and detect unsafe con ditions and specific acridcxrt exposures does not even approach the requirements of hijob today, it is necessary that he sell the .-imtlar to most old-timers' and the same might very well be applied in connection with most insurance company engineering departments. executive personnel cm the necessity for suc cessful accident prevention from the view points of humanity, indirect costs and in surance premiums, and also that successful I have been with mv company about 21 accident prevention is good business from all years. When I started, our department was angles. The insurance engineer must then correctly known as an inspection department al.-o l*c able to sell the supervisory person and the men in it were termed `'inspectors." nel. from the managers and superintendent* For a considerable time we tliought that* down to the key-men. This means that he after going into a plant to make an inspec mU.M Ik* somewhat of a psychologist, and tion and follow mg this up by submitting certainly a diplomat. Above all, to be suc- recommendations through the mail for the ce.-sful. he must have full knowledge of the protection of alt po-*ibU* mechanical and thought habits peculiar to the men in what phj-ical exposures, our job had been well ever field he is engaged at the moment. lone when the recommendations were com plied with. Strangely, as we thought then, Nearly all of the foregoing statements however, there Mimed to be no reduction in apply to a great degree as regards safety the frequency or seventy of accidents, so that gradually wc came to realize that there uac something sadly wrong with our pro- men, managers, superintendents and keymen employed throughout Insured organiza tions. vdurc I know one man, my friend, Frank Har Then wc slowly enlarged our efforts toward the improvement of supervisory methods, usually through superintendents, foremen and key-men. Quite often all this was done without the active support-and -ometmics even without the full knowledge <i the executive members of the organiza rison, safety director of the Pure Oil Com pany, who has enjoyed great success with his company, and yet during his wide travel* thfrmgh many states in which his company operate*, he has very seldom, if ever, issued an order, as such, to any of Iris organization. His success may be attributed to two things: tion. Well, this had some constructive re- Ffr.r/--his personal magnetism and lov -ults. so that finally we definitely ceased our able disjxfsition. I have yet to find a man in *o-callc<l kick door entrances and it is now any capacity who is not a firm admirer of our practice to refuse to inaugurate a safety Frank Harrison as an individual, and one campaign in any of its pliascs without first u ho docs not respect him greatly. -citing the executive personnel upon the iifce-ritv of their active support and coopi raihn. In ollur words, we Have at last be Second--during his travels through the field hi* attitude toward all field and plant iuf.-rviu>ry personnel it one of never-failine Petroleum Section 621 friendly helpfulness, and constructive sug gestions are made regarding unsafe condi tions found or unsafe practices observed. There is one thing sure in your execution of a Safety Campaign; unless the individual is liked, admired and respected, his efforts are sure to be either entirely nullified or in effective to- a great degree. There a another point which invites some aKMrocfxvc criticism from An insurance awn. One of the results of our progress in this field is our ability to convince our in-emk that the insurance premiums involved jkhcmUl ocx become the paramount considcratioe. Admitting that insurance premiums arc worthy of important consideration, neverthe)e, ofttimes the indirect losses surrooadxog an accident may far exceed the cvxts insured and paid by the insurance com pany under its contract. time means lost production, fn these day? of heavy production, time Is an im portant factor. Maximum protection must he provided for employees in order to avoid time losses which might interfere with the maintenance of schedules. For example, an}' accident of link severity might occur in the field. The injured man may require the services of a physician who is available per haps in the nearest town, possibly several mik* away. The injured employee must travel or be transported to the doctor and hack to the lob. Perhaps the injured person mat not return to work on the day of the accident, in the meanwhile losing time for hi* company and not productive of any profits on his labor. The medical bill may be $2.00, which is paid by the insurance com pany. The lost time may amount to twice or three times the cost of the medical bill. This i* an uninsured but none-thc-Icss real b>. Another accident may involve dropped or falling material from above. ! r the men on the ground are wearing hard hats, as they certainly should in your industry, there may not be any injury at plL At the same time, the dropped or falling material might and often docs damage property belonging to the employer, or property belonging to others in charge of the employer. Such losses for damaged propert)- under either of these cir cumstances are not insurable. Therefore, even if the loss ratio of an employer is sat isfactory from live standpoint of insurance, the indirect losses to the employer which are not insured may exceed and often do ex ceed the losses of the insurance company three or four times. If this is correct, and we are sure it is, the application of a suc cessful accident prevention campaign is more important from the standpoint of uninsured losses than the insurance premiums involved as a first consideration. My company at present insures a risk for public liability, automobile liability and property damage. This organization operates in some 30 stales. Its activities are such that employees of this risk must intermingle con tinuously with employees of others, both on and about the rigs. The risk came to os as a so-called "debit risk." which means briefly that the experience ha- been continuously bad over the past several years at least, and the bad experience has resulted chiefly from an adverse accident record involving the specially equipped mobile units In operation Wc, of course, assisted the assured in the inauguration uf an automobile accident pre vention program which, with the cooperation of the assured, has proved decidedly effec tive. Suddenly we realize that the frequency of accidents reported under their public liabil ity contract has become excessive. During approximately nine months al (east 45 of such accidents had been reported to our claim department Among these were five fatalities. Careful analysis of all of these files determined that in all except five or six of these accidents there was no legal liabil ity involving our assured and that our as sured had reported the accidents whether or not there was any responsibility on the pan of our assured, as is customary ami desired. The costs for legal defense in some of these cases will have to be charged against the assured's experience although m0?t of them will subsequently he closed without cost to the assured or my company. The point wc want to make i? that since the accidents did occur and five or six live* were lost, 45 separate acts of carelessness were committed; most of them no doubt could and should have been avoided. The predominating basic causes for the accident* were the dropping or falling of tools or ma terials and the falling of men. Wc have asked our assured hereafter to employ the use of life-lines and to securely tie tools ami materials to the derricks insofar as possible This our assured is now doing. Yet, this 622 29th Xotioiwi Safety Congress particular problem is to a large extent still unsolved because the drilling contractors presumably will continue to have accidents involving* their own employees as well a$ employee:: of others engaged about the rigs. This last Spring I spent an extremely pleasant, as well as profitable, three weeks in Texas. Part of one week c attended the OH Show, much of the remaining time we journeyed through the oil fields and one of the refineries. I was much surprised and gratified to note the splendid housekeeping throughout several of the production fields and the unquestioned attention which was being given the subject of safe operations m both the production fields and the refinery*. With all of this in mind, it is difficult to visualize that such an accident experience as the one above described could occur, especially as because the accidents occurred not in connection with any one risk, but that probably there were thirty or more separate companies or contractors involved, some of them large contractors and a number of them probably much smaller independents. One important safety measure which we believe ad large oil companies advocate and some enforce is the use of hard hats. While hard hats arc being used more and more as time goes on, we can only hope that some time in the not too distant future die use of hand hats will be universal wherever neces sary'. You will note we have not referred at all to catastrophe hazards as related to fires and explosions, which are presumed to be in herent and inseparable with many phases of the oil industry. Granting, of course, lhat these hazards are always present, and must be respected and guarded against constantly, still it is not the catastrophic* which hc fear especially. Acadent frequencies prodoccd tn* the oil industries are really not modi different as to character of accident than those which are produced from opera tion* dealing within the clas-ificatiou* of plumbing, steam fitting, masonry or pulp and paper manufacturing, fn other word*, basically, the classes of accident* remain much the same, the old common <bps and falls, dropping and failing material, handling tools and materials and so forth. If these common classes of accidents can be reduced still further wc shall have made definite progress in our work. THURSDAY LUNCHEON' SESSION October 10,1940 The Petroleum Section Contest By H. N. BLAKESLEE Director, Department of Accident Prevention. American Petroleum Institute, Mew York, M. Y. Although in the Petroleum Section Con tests thcie is no umpire who checks with the rules of the game the action of each in dividual in the contest, the contest report (the box score) may be taken as an index of how well individuals in the participating companies have played the game. The con test report is a collective record of em ployees* errors within a company which have resulted in industrial injuries. These box scores are governed by the rules of the con test which the Executive Committee of the Petroleum Section promulgates from year to year. Reporting is according to the con scientious dictates of each representative of competing companies--usually the safety supervisor'--who acts a* the umpire within his own company. Hi* is the record of those within his company who have put forth the bc*t effort and have achieved the best results in the prevention of industrial injuries. ft has been customary in (he past to hold umanagement" responsible when reports have not been so good. Even some of the papers at this congress attempt to tell man* agement what it should do to improve acci dent records. Now management is some thing abstract, a science--the science of co ordinating the efforts of both man and money to produce earnings for both. It i* Petroleum Section 623 not xmu-thmy human that thinks and acts. Only individuals, think and act. Shall we not get better results if wc make accident pre vention the joint effort of alt employees-- employees including executives in positions of major responsibility? These executives can think and act and, therefore, should be able to develop information and train all employees in the correct method of doing the job--to tlie end that mistakes, mishaps, and accident* resulting tn damage to per son* and property will be obviated. The safety supervisor also is an employee, an individual who think* and acts, and he function* a* the liaison between executives and worker* in less responsible positions. He coordinates the thoughts and suggestions of all employees who contribute to the cor rection of unsafe conditions and to the im provement of working methods. Where accident prevention is concerned, there arc no cHss distinctions. Ranking executives as well as other workers arc in danger of accident. The vice president of a large oil company some time ago had his arm tom off while it was resting on the window in the door of his car. Individuals arc responsible for accidents just the same a they arc responsible for efficiency n pro duction. Aren't thotc broadsides at management u*t duutow boxing? Would it not be more rcsoltfal to bring the matter down to per sonal case*, and mention the individual ex ecutives who are not wholeheartedly playing the accident-prevention game instead of in timating collectively that executives arc not doing their pari? The safety supervisor i< striving to coordinate the efforts of all em ployee*--executive*' and ihox: in less respon sible position?--for the prevention of indus trial accident?. A closer understanding and a closer relationship between all employees should result not only in increased accident prevention, bar tn better employer-employee relation* in all departments. The companies that participate in the Petroleum Section Contests contribute largely to the Annual Summary' of Injuries in the Petroleum Industry. Collectively, these records constitute the accident-fre quency and -severity rates for the industry. They establish the favorable reputation which the industry enjoys with the public. The highlights of the National Safety Council Petroleum Section Contest are a& follow*; Department Alt Marine Refining Production Prilling Retail marketing Oil and gas pipe line Wholesale marketing Natural gasoline Frequency Up 4% Down 22% So cliangc Up i% Up 2% Up 5% Up 10% up 11% Up 44% A comparison of the petroleum industry content figures with those of other industries holding contests shows the following: Industry Ruhlter Paper Petroleum Metal> Public UlUitie* Chemical Marine Frequency Down 13% Up 2% Up 4% Up 4% Up 7% Up 9% Up 41% Employment conditions and general condi tions throughout the petroleum Industry have been fairly constant. The Mid-contin ent and Gulf areas did have a brief shut down. but on the other hand, we have had no special boom programs. Some oil companio made bctlci accident record* during the past year than ever before; the oil tank ers improved their frequency rate 22 per cent; the rubber industry improved its rec ords 13 per cent--yet the petroleum industry frequency, a? shown in the contest, went up 4 per cent. Presentation of National Safety Council Awards in the Petroleum Section Safety Contest The award* were presented in the name oi the National Safety Council by R. T. Solensien. Vice-President, Elliott Service Company, New York City, and Vice-Presi dent for Membership of the National Safety Council Tlte award* consisted of handsome Bronze Trophies showing an eagle in flight 624 29th National Safety Congress and the Universal Safely Emblem, which were given to winners of first place in the contest: and of Certificates of Merit, each a handsome lettered scroti, which were given to winners of second and third places. !. Hope Construction and Refining Com pany, Pittsburgh, Pa., 226,417 hours, no in juries. Oil S' Gas Pipe Line Department Group A In the lists below, winners of first place are indicated by the numeral <1), and win ners of second and third places by the nu meral (2) and (3) respectively. 1. Stanolind Pipe Line Company, Tulsa, Okla., 3,547,300 hours, 13 injuries. 2. Humble Pipe Line Company, Houston, Texas, 4,346,990 hour*, 32 injuries. Manufacturing Department Group A 1. Standard Oil Company of Louisiana, Baton Rouge, La. 7.371.365 hours. 6 in juries. 2. Standard Oil Company, Indiana Chi cago, III., 12,445,593 hours, 23 injuries. 3. Humble Oil & Refining Company, Houston, Texas, 8,941,060 hours, 24 injuries. Manufacturing Department Group B 1. The Ohio Oil Company, Findlay, Ohio, 1,339,707 hours, 3 injuries. 3. Magnolia Pipe lane Company, Dallas, Texas, 731,114 hours; 23 injuries. Retail Marketing Department 1. Humble Oil & Refining Company, Houston, Texas, 336.718 hour*, no injuries. Oil <5* Gas Pipe Line Department Group B X. Kaw Pipe Line Company, Tulsa, Okla, 266,628 hours, no injuries. 1. Tide Water Pipe Line Co, Ltd, Brad ford, Pa., 208,577 hours, no injuries. t. Sinclair Wyoming OQ Cb,, Tulsa, Okla., 201,678 hours, no injuries. 2. Pan American Petroleum Corp., New 1.Charleston Oil Company. Charleston. York, N. Y., 400,023 hours, 1 injury. S. C., 108,120 hours, no injuries 3. Indian Refining Company, Lawrenccvifle, til., 1,194,977 hours, 3 injuries. 3. Union Oil Company of California, Los Angeles, Cat, 4,313,872 hours. 28 injuries. Wholesale Marketing Department Group A Producing Department Group A 1. Continental Oil Company, Ponca City, 1. Continental Oil Company, Ponca City, Okla., 4,680,606 hours, 8 injuries. Okla., 2,730,567 hours, 12 injuries. 2. General Petroleum Corporation of California, Los Angeles, Cal. 2,032,418 hours, 4 injuries. 3. Standard Oil Company, Indiana, Chi cago, 111., 29,647,376 hours, 68 injuries. 2. SianoUnd Oil and Gas Company. Tulsa, Okla., 3,777,851 hours, 23 injuries. 3. Gulf Oil Cory., Gulf Production Div., Houston, Texas, 3,736,734 hours. 25 injuries. Producing Department Group B Wholesale Marketing Department Group 8 1. Texas Pacific Coal and OU Co., Fort Worth, Texas, 227,365 hours, no injuries. 1. Globe Oil & Refining Co., Wichita, Kan., 156,756 hours, no injuries. 3. Panhandle Refining Company, Wichita Falls, Texas, 757,464 hours, 2 injuries. Natural Gasoline Department I. Shell Oil Co., Inc, Mid-Continent Ter ritory', St. Laois, Ma, 335,645 hours, no in juries. 1. General Petroleum Corporation of California, Los Angeles, Cal., 267,335 hours, no injuries. L The Atlantic Refining Company, Dallas, Texas, 1,140,704 hours, 4 injuries. 2. Hope Construction and Refining Co., Pittsburgh, Fa., 493,797 hours, 2 injarics. 3- Texas Pacific Coal and Oil Company, Fort Worth, Texas, 416,598 hours. 2 in juries Drilling Department 1. Standard Oil Company of Louisiana, Shreveport, La., 125,919 hours. 1 Injury. 2. Cities Service Gas Company, Bartles ville, Okla., 120,692 hours, 2 injuries. 3. Gulf Oil Corporation, Gulf Production Div,, Houston, Texas, 3.162,557 boors, 29 injuries. ADJOURNMENT Power Press Section Officers 1939-1940 General Chairman--M. R. Zelder, Edison General Electric Appliance Co., Inc., Chicago, III. Pice-Chairman--G. H. Benny, Western Electric Co., Chicago. 111. Secretary and News Letter Editor--O. C. Boileau, RCA Manufacturing Co., Inc., Cam den. N.^JL Engineering Committee--Louis Boraks (Chairman), Liberty Mutual Insurance Co., Boston, Mass. F. W. Fisk, The Brewer-Titchener Corp., Cortland, N. Y, Exhibit --E. C. Woodward (Chairman), Edison General Electric Appliance Co., Inc., Chicago, III E. R ArdaHl, John Deere Harvester Works, Deere & Co., East Moline, 111. J. G. Fkeoewcjcson, Chicago Hardware Foundry Co., North Chicago, 111. C J. Kolb, Colonial Radio Corp., Buffalo, N. Y. Health Committee--Dr. R. J. DeMotte (Chairman), Pullman-Standard Car Manufacturing Co., Pullman, Chicago, 111. E. E. Greene, Timken Roller Bearing Co., Canton, Ohio. Industrial Data Sheet Committee--W. J. Graves (Chairmau), Michigan Mutual Liability Co., Detroit, Mich. W. C Baker, Whiting Corp., Harvey, 111, R. W. Hobson, Gorham Manufacturing C<x Elmwood, Providence, R. I. Membership Committee--C. E. Libbv (Chairman). Scintilla Magneto Div., Bendix Aviation Corp. Sidney, N. Y. B. A Grainger, Bendix Products Div., Bendix Aviation Corp., South Bend, Ind. A, J. Lawhence, American Forging & Socket Co-, Pontiac, Mich. Poster Committee--N. V. B. Ziegler (Chairman), Aluminum Company of America, New Kensington Works, New Kensington, Pa. Thos. D. Law, Oneida, Ltd., Oneida, N, V. H. A ZaChari, Henry Vogt Machine Co., Louisville, Ky. Program Committee--E. C. Schultes, Jb. (Chairman), C Hager & Sons Hinge Manufac turing Co,, St Louts, Mo il J. Feldman, General American Transportation Corp^ Chicago, 111. C. S. PktujtS, Revere Copper & Brass, Inc, Rome, N. Y, Publicity Committee--G B. Tvbwng (Chairman). International Business Machines Corp., Endicott, NT. Y, J. B. Kafp, Fisher Body Cleveland Div., General Motors Corp., Cleveland, Ohio. H. A. McDonald, Erie Forge Co., Eric, Pa. Safety Instruction Card Committee--J. R. Cox fCAaiVnnmJ, Fairbanks Morse Co, Belnti. \Vi& C. A. DeMokce, Kxlsey-Haycs Wheel Co., Detroit. Midi. A. H, Pfeiffer, Haroischfegcr Corp., Milwaukee, Wis. Statistics Committee--P. J. Brand (Chairman), Pullman-Standard Car Manufacturing Co.. Pullman. Chicago, 111. B. J. Hike, Scovill Manufacturing Co., Waterbtiry, Conn. Members at Large-- J. D. Be&uan, Western Electric Co., Chicago, 111. C. Howsam, Hubbard Spool Co., Chicago, III *P. G. Hunter, Motor Wheel Corp., Lansing, Mich. G. A. Kuechenmeisteh, Dominion Forge & Stamping Co., Walkerville, Out., Canada. T. 0. Meisnes, American Can Co., Chicago, III "Pan Central Chairman 625 626 29th A afioual Safety Congress *B. E< Rockiioff, Detroit Steel Products Co., Detroit, Mich. S. H. Slaymaker, Fairbanks Morse & Co., Beloit, Wis. H. L. Vrrs, Aluminum Goods Manufacturing Co.. Manitowoc, Wi. *E. J. Wai.i.majt, Great Lakes Plant, American Forge Diw, American Urakv Shoe & Foundry Co., Chicago, III. Officers 1940-1941 General Chairman--V. G. Pendleton, West Lynn Plant, General Electric Co,, West Lynn. Mass. f-'ice-CJiairmon-^E. C Scwultes, Jr., C. Hager &: Sons Hinge Manufacturing Co, St. Lemis, Mo. Secretary--G. H. Berry, Western Electric Co., Hawthorne Works, Chicago, 111. .Vettv Letter Editor--E. W. Woo&wamp, Edison General Electric Appliance Co., Inc.. Chicago, III. J.m/irteering Committee--Louis Boraks (Chairman), Liberty Mutual Insurance Co.. Uoo, Mas*. F. W, Fiske, The Brewcr-Titchener Corp., Cortland, N. Y. A. O. Olson, Koehring Co., Milwaukee, Ws. Exhibit Committee--E- F. Ardavu. (Chairman), John Deere Harvester Works, Deere & Co., East Moline, III. Harry H. Davis, Johnson Bronze Co., New Castle, Pa. C. J. Kqlp, Colonial Radio Corp., Buffalo, NT. Y. Health Committee--Dk. R. J. DeMotte (Chairman), Pullman-Standard Car Manufacturing Co., Pullman. Chicago, III. Dk. R. U Nichols, American Can Co., Chicago, Ilk Industrial Data Sheet Connnittee--*\V. J. Gjcaves (Chairman), Michigan Mutual Liability <"o. Detroit, Mich. R. \V, Hobson, Gorham Manufacturing Co., Elmwood, Providence, R. I. C, H. Kranicz, Reeves Steel &. Manufacturing Co., Dover, Ohio. Membership Committee--B. A. Grainger (Chairman), Bcudix Products Div., Bendix Aviation Carp., South Bend, lnd. J. G, FkEDKRiCKSON, The Chicago Hardware Foundry Co., North Chicago, III. Ib.ster CommittceS B. Kapp (Chairman), Fisher Body Cleveland Div., General Motor* Corp., Cleveland, Ohio. K. H. Ferguson, Republic Steel Corp., Cleveland, Ohio. H. A. Zacmari, Henry Vogt Machine Cot, Louisville, Ky. i'r.ujrom Committee--\V. C. Baker (Chairman)r Whiting Corp., Harvey, HI. M. 1. Feldman*. General American Transportation Corp, Chicago, HI. <. B Tvaaixo, International Business Machine Corp., Endicott, JC. Y. I'nbitciiy Committee--X. V. B. Ziegler (Chairman), Aluminum Company of America. Yew Kenritigton Works, New Kensington; Pa. H. A. McDonald, Erie Forge Co., Erie, Pa. O. S. pKtLurs, Revere Copper Sc Brass, Jne., Rome, N. Y. Va/f/y Instruction Card Committee--C. A. DeMonge (Chairman), Kclsev-Hayes Wheel Co- Detroit, Mich. E. E. Greene, Timken Roller Bearing Co., Camon, Ohio. C. F Herbert, Bituminous Casually Corp., Rock Island, Ilk A. H. Pfeiffer, Harni^ch fegrr Corp., Milwaukee, Wis. Statistics Committer--J. TX Bermatc (Chairman). Western Electric Co., Hawthorne Works. Chicago. III.. B. J. Hint, Scovill Manufacturing Co., Waterbury. Conn. Member* at Large-- , P. J. Brand. Pullman-Standard Car Manufacturing Co., Pullman, Chicago. III. "H C. Howpam, Hubbard Spool Co., Chicago, III. Tam General Chatman Power Press Section 627 P. G. Hunter, Motor Wheel Corp., Lansing, Mich. G. A. KuescHENUEiSTER, Dominion Forge Sc Stamping Co., Ltd., WalfcerviUe, Onl.. Canada. *T. O. MtUSNER, American Can Co., Chicago, III. *B. E- Rockhoit, Detroit Steel Products Co.f Detroit, Mich. *S. H. Slaymaker, Fairbanks Morse & Co., Beloit, \Vts_ *. J. U-auvas; American Brake Shoe & Foundry Co., Chicago, III. *R. M- Z-VLuea, Edison General Electric Appliance Co., Chicago. [11. ' Pv: Cb*imAn TUESDAY AFTERNOON' SESSION October S, 1940 The opening session of the Power Press Section wa* called to order by General Chairman M. R. Zeldcr. Personnel Man ager, Edion General Electric Appliance Company, Inc.. Chicago, who presided- In his opening remarks the Chairman took the opportunity to review briefly some activities of the Section during the year, and men tioned the work of many Standing Com mittees. Officers of the Section to serve dur ing the coming year were elected, as listed elsewhere in this record. The Chairman then introduced the first speaker. The Safeguarding of Fast Punch Presses By W. A. VOLI.MER Safety Engineer, Employers Mutuals, Wausau, Wis. Before the most practical methods of punch press guarding can be applied, it is necessary to realize why and how accidents happen. I uader%tand that about S3 per cent of all accidents that occur are due to either hu man or mechanical failures, ff this is true, then the supervisor and mechanical appli ances can be relied upon only to a very lim ited degree, ff methods of die construction and of guarding can be adapted that wilt reduce the need for supervision and the use of mechanical movements to a minimum, the operations will be more foolproof and there wilt be a minimum of potential hazards. In order to accomplish this, it should he the duty of those responsible for designing dies to try and think of some method of die construction that will enable the operator to feed the die and have some method of automatic ejection to unload the finished piece without making it necessary to place the hands at the point of operation at any time during the cycle of the operation. This can be done a large percentage of the time. After this has been done, a basket en closure guard can be used. This guard. when properly made and adjusted, is sta tionary and surrounds the die on two sides and the front and built high enough to en close all of the potential hazards from the bolster plate up to above the clamping boh*on the ram. No moving parts being exposed, there is little chance of the operator being injured. In most cases* where basket guards arc used on dies constructed, as just mentioned, the operator is not only protected against being injured but the speed of the opera* lion is increased. There are different types of practical ejectors that can be used, such as air ejec tors, pick-up ejectors, clearance ejectors m<\ ejecting by bringing the finished piece to the top of the stroke and stripping it from the punch by aid of the knock-out bar hi the ram or by stripping it with a plate stripper or stripping fingers* One method of feeding is to use a gravity chute feed. An apron with side guides is extended to the front of the die. The die is then placed on an inclined press. The piece to be worked on is placed on the apron and slides under the basket guard that surrounds 628 29th National Safety Congress the die and then automatically locates in the nest and is automatically ejected. Another method is the use of a hand op erated progressive type feed where a re tainer, used as a guide, can be placed on the front of the die and the pieces placed in it. They can then be fed by hand, advancing each piece towards the die by pushing the piece farthest from the die, one diameter or length of the piece and ejecting the piece in >ome practical manner. Another method is to place the piece in the retainer guide and push it forward into the locating nest by use of a hand pusher. Sometimes a stack loaded with pieces is placed on the front of the retainer guide and automatically feeds one at a time hi front of the hand pusher and is pushed into operating position. Some operations can be performed by placing a piece in the locating nest or some times in the die itself mounted on a slide and pushing it to the operating position, then withdrawing the slide and unloading ihe piece, or, the same procedure can be followed on a die or a locating nest mounted nt a swinging shoe, swinging it into the operating position and then withdrawing it in the front to remove the piece. When the amount of production will warrant, a dial feed preferably fed automatically from a *tack or from drums can be used, entirely enclosing the dial, punch and ram and also the mechanism that operates ihe dial. Man> operations that arc performed on burn dies can be efficiently guarded with a iM-kct enclosure guard. When a basket guard is properly made sn n- adjustment will allow tlc operator to hold small or large flat pieces under the guard, these pieces can be pierced, trimmed, nwtched or even have /hallow embossings or shallow edges formed on them. Blanking dies, progressive and compound dies run on inclined presses can be effi ciently guarded with basket enclosure guards. There are many operations that cannot be run with the use of a basket enclosure guard. But there are several mechanical guards that can be used. The guard to be /elected for use on different operations of this kind will vary according to the condi tions surrounding the particular operations, hut the one giving the most protection, by eliminating the greatest number of chances of having human and mechanical failures, should be used. One of these is the wrist guard that, when properly maintained and adjusted, has its mechanism connected to the ram and pulls the Hands away from the point of operation with the downward movement of the ram. Another is the gate guard that is con nected to the loot pedal. This gate is up when the die is beirr fed. When the foot pedal is stepped on to irip the clutch, the gate descends and, if properly adjusted, the hand* must be oat from under it so that the foot pedal can be depressed low' enough to trip the dutch, thereby having an en closure around the die and punch when the operation is being performed. Wc also have the two hand trips. The purpose of this guard is to keep both hands occupied by having a hand on each one of the hand levers that are located on both tides of the press while the clutch is being tripped. Then again there are two button trips, intended to operate on the same plan as the i wo hand trips. The sweep guard is another type. It has an arm tliat is pivoted and connected in some way so when the ram descends, the arm sweeps across the front of the die for the purpose of forcing the hand out of the die if necessary. Management's Responsibility for Safety By DR. PERRY L. ROHRER Clinical and Consulting Psychologist, Stevenson, Jordan tk Harrison, Chicago Maxi's ingenuity has developed a society mmgled with devices for transportation and communication to which he is poorly adjusted. Wc must come more nearly to serene and relaxed living in the midst ot all of our present and future developments. This requires an increased emphasis upon the study of human beings, tb-ir behavior, motives and attitudes, Xu brief, wc must bring our understanding of human nature to the point Power Press Section 629 where it equals our understanding of other fields of engineering and science. X liuiployccs who day dream, it is com monly agreed that employees who do not keep their attention focused upon their work The first responsibility of management to are more accident-prone than those who are ward safety is the selection and placement highly attentive lo their work. Wc find in of employees who will: industry that there are two major causes a. Be relatively free from accident-prone- for day dreaming while on the job; ness. b. Be placed in jobs where they are well adapted, and adequately motivated and a. Employees who have native endow ments which arc too high for the work they arc doing. Such employees tend to develop interested in their jobs. Psychology Has developed to the extent that it can furnish valuable techniques in determining in advance certain employees who are highly prone to accident* in specific situations. There arc at least two groups of accident-prone employees. First, those who are inclined toward accidents under almost all working conditions. This group includes: Lad habit*. They may perform the neces sary motions with their hands while in their minds they roam into fields of fancy or hobbies which challenge their abilities. One girl who functioned as a filing clerk carelessly brushed an expensive calculating machine off the tabic, seriously damaging the machine. To tliose in the office, it ap peared that she deliberately did litis. Il was \. Employees who are subject to gaps in later discovered that the girl had led Ikt consciousness. This includes many employees classes in college, ranked in ihe very su who may have a brief lapse of consdous- perior group tn native intelligence, and >hc iH*/s or memory lasting only a few seconds. admitted that while carrying ort her duties Many employees do not themselves recognize a/ a filing clerk she had developed the plot* thcr difficulties of this nature. Yet it is for several short stories which shu wn*u* easy to understand How such employees operating presses and other types of equip ment could cause a serious accident during the brief interval in whirl* they were tm- and sold to a magazine. b. Employees who are highly subjective, moody, ami temperamental. A certain amount of fluctuation is common lo all employees ronscious. Exaggerated tendencies toward moodiness In one plant a press operator would pe riodically show a High waste record due to damaged material. He insisted that he did not know it happened. His only explanation is typically described by Ihe employee a> "feeling low" or the blues- Such employees tend to have a great deal of their attention occupied by their own feelings. They neglect was that "it just happened." A clinical psy their jobs when they feel moody because so chologist, observing him, discovered that at much of their attention is centered inwardly *ueh times be stood moiionJczs and stared blankly ahead tor an interval of about four xrcond*. He did not respond to calling his name during this period- At the close of the period be looked about rather bewildcredly and wait ahead as usual with his work- He had no idea of wbal bad happened 'nd would not believe that he had stood motion less during the time specified. He was transferred to different work and was given medical attention. 2. wf>hyees ivhose reaction time is un usually shiv. People differ widely in the speed at which they respond to what they see hear. In many press operations it is upon themselves. Obviously, this contributc.co acodem-proneness. When called to ac count for their apparent carelessness, they arc likely to feci that they arc being "picked on" unfairly. Frequently they derive a great deal of satisfaction In . feeling sorry tor themselves. Management should be responsible iur selection and placing of such employees iu jobs where these tendenciej will be at a minimum in increasing accidents. Psycho logical tests, combined with clinical proce dures, can largely eliminate this type of haz ard in industry by isolating the employee* who possess a high or low degree oi these necessary to make rapid and accurate re sponses. Employee* who are slow in getting their hands or feet to respond to stimuli coming by way of eyes or ears arc likely to have accidents in jobs where this function i< important and icvsjucnt. two tendencies and govern placement* ac cordingly. Management should also give attention to the person who is to bead up the safety program. Functioning as consultant in van* 630 ~9ih National Safety Congress ous indurtrie, it ha* frequently Ik-vij neces sary to define the personality traits required in a satisfactory safety engineer, I. Hv *hould he able to think coniprehcndvyly with regard to the safety program. He -hould be able to see how safety relates m other aspects of the company. This mv plk'y ibe ability to take second place at times where safety issues are involved and boost other departments to first place when it is for the good of the company. 2. He should have a *otmd educational p*im of Ww with regard to the methods of gctiinp employee}- to observe safety rules, idc should look upon himself in this regard as an educator who is directing the program o?' 'eachfns the cmplovee* afc habit* and A* a* Hi should ta a well balanced j^tnou, from maj<*r 'onflirts or radical ideas. Hv should !> his j^iJst and bearrmc. cum"iaknl :b rrsj<rt of Ins rqu*b and -oprfior* He -h>uM fe* frvr ?rmm bigotry atxl eKtrctn? dra- - H- v'titrpld hi*r * wMl dt ^rl<>fM-d sc-ri*^-f Unmorf He *h*uld W able to mamtain a ser.se of hamor whea under jnv---ore a wist- when accident hare happened. 5. He *houM l*c able m sell Itis idea* to key men `-uch a*, foremen and -at*rvi*ar<; He should enlist their spontaneous cooper' t'nji in the safety program without causing them to feel that he t* a "mtt" or "hipped'' on <afel\. 6. He should be able to speak before groups in an effective ami convincing man ner. 7, He should be able to administer and receive criticism in an objective manner. B. He should be above average in creative and imaginative ability as relates to seeing potential improvements and hazards and to formulating programs of correction and im provement. 9. He should be highly analytical in hi* approach to problems. He should be free from tendencies toward artmc upon '`hunches'' and other unreliable method* of procedure. fwi long as safety remain* in dw realm of just talk>, posters, and lecture*, perma nent and consistent result* are vcr> likely to be very nitagtr. Management should set op regular pru-vdorr* a* a function of the industrial rela tion* it personnel department which will m<arc the systematic and regular carry bn: out of the above mentioned procedures Such a program should trK'lo'k* at fea-r the following t a Writing of a job <fcccip!H>r. b. Defining the personality traits crdaift-d for the job. c. A condensed social hi-toty of each employee. d. A test of personality adiu*tnu-nt. c. An intelligence test Correcting Unsafe Practices Through Methods Study By QUY J. BATES Supervisor of Methods, Inland Manufacturing Division, General Motors Corporation, Dayton, O. Kcoeni developments in the methods study field have brought into use a new technique of operation analysts that has broadened the >rope and value of the methods engineer; h* potential value to the safety engineer i* unlimited. To understand the nature of this new technique better, let vis draw an analogy with a common example. Suppose we have before u* a part, and a blueprint of the part We arc adeed to check the physical dimensions of the part against the print The first too) we would request in this case would be a scale and a pair of micrometers. The new technique of operation analysis is a similar device, a measuring stick, by which the ef fectiveness of an operation in the shop may be jtidged with reference cither to its use of labor, or its safety devices. When the methods engineer approaches an operation in the shop for the purpose of measuring the effectiveness of the labor utilization, he uses the new* technique of operation analyst* and observe* the muscu lar movements of the operator. Power Press Section 631 Through observation of the muscular movements required by the worker to per form the cycle of the operation, he is able to judge the effectiveness of the workplace layout, the tooling, and the training of the operator. The basic principle underlying the movement concept is simply this: the cycle time oi an operation is proportional to the number of muscular movements required by the operator's method, plus the machine time. The effectiveness of any set up may be measured by comparing the number ox muscular movements required to perform the operation: (the input) to the piece* pro duced {the output). To illustrate. take the $unpfe*t oi all operations, that of walking between two point*. We know that the distance >cparatinq two potato is an important factor in determining the time required to cover the distance. Applying the movement concept, wc <*e that the Rme required for the cycle ot thw operation is dependent upon the number of muscular movement*, cteps. re quired tc cover the distance between the two pohtx Tbe greater the distance the more steps, consequently the more time re quired to perform the operation. Suppose a barrier is placed ia oecr path; the additional time required will be proportional to the number of movements required to circum navigate the barrier. Simple, isn't it, and yet it gives the methods engineer a basically sound approach to operation analysis and improvement- Alter observing the muscular movements required to perform an operation the methods engineer applies two basic principles to im prove the operation. First he eliminates the unnecessary movements, and, second he im proves the necessary movements. The re sult is that the cycle of the operation re quires fewer muscular movements in its performance, and for a given period of time, the operator's output vs greater. Not becau.*e the operator works any harder, but because more effective use has been made of the operator's physical input. The result* o die application of this new technique will be obvious as wc proceed to discuss the details of the application of the movement concept in relation to the work of the safety engineer. First let us observe an unftmaKar piece of equipment standing matttflded and try to judge the effectiveness of its safety drvices. Take a standard iqaare shear. Some question may be raised as to a guard to keep the operator's fingers out from under the knife when he steps on the foot treadle. But the real safety hazard is not seen until the operator approaches the equipment to oper ate it. We see the operator's movements with reference to the equipment as he places a sheet of material under the knife and ~teps two feet up in the air to stand, on the foot treadle. Not until wc see him jump several times on the foot treadle to drive the knife through the material do wc realize that rive greatest hazard in this operation is the potential abdominal rupture that may result from the operator slipping off the foot pedal and falling against the bed of the .-hear. It \* therefore ^aie to say in safety engi neering. as well as methods engineering, that we are taxable to judge the effectiveness of an operatioe until we have observed the muscular movement* required of the worker to periorm (be cycle of the operation. In the past too much time has been spent attempting to improve the safety of an op eration by observing the equipment and disrtganfinx (be movement* of the worker. Let us. in the future, observe the muscular movement of the worker required to oper ate the equipment and see if we do not dis cover far more satisfactory answers to our safety problems. In short, we are primarily interested in protecting the operator, not the equipment. The safety engineer has t%vo basic prin ciples for improving the safety of an opera tion. The first is to eliminate the hazardous movements from the cycle of the operationThe second is to .protect the necessary haz ardous movements with adequate safety devices. The solution may require the services of a too) engineer or other trained specialist, Out the fact still remains, that no progress can be made until the need for a safety de vice is discovered. The procedure of waiting until after an accident has occurred to recog nize hazardous operations is both short sighted and expensive. The use of the movement concept there fore, is valuable as 'an aid lo the safety engineer m uncovering potential safety haz ards. I Let us check the feasibility of the move ment concept on some shop operations. First we will watch the picture of the operation, observing closely the movements of the operator: second, as the movement pattern 632 ~9th Xufionuf Safety Congress becomes dear, pick out those movements ibat are hazardous; and third, eliminate these hazardous movements or provide ade quate safety devices. The job is a crimping operation. The part any plant where screw machine pans arc used. The operator is burring a brass plug with a hollow sleeve on the end. Across the end of the-sleeve a milling cutter has been passed, cutting a slot in opposite sides is loaded into a nest in the die by the right of the sleeve. A burr is thrown inside the hand, and the press is tripped with both sleeve on one side, and outside on die oppo hands, using hand trips on each side of the site side by the milling cutter. To remove press, Next the operator reaches under the these burrs a motor has been placed on the die with the left hand to get the crimped bench top with a burring tool on the end part and disposes of it to a tote pan on the floor. Our first impression of the job may be that it is perfectly safe, because the hand of its shaft. One set of cutters goes inside the sleeve of the part, and one set knocks the burr off the outside circumference. The trips require both hands to be out from operator holds the hex head of the plug under the die when the press closes. Ob between the thumb and the first finger, and serve, however, that the left hand must go shoves the part into the end of the burring back under the die to get the finished piece tool. at precisely rite instant the die would dose it the press should repeat. There is a po tential hazard that can only be recognized by observing the movements of the oper ator with reference to the equipment. There Is also some danger in loading the part by hand, but it is not as serious as the disposal of the finished piece The hazard is obvious. The worker's fin gers are wrapped in adhesive tape to pro tect them from the cutters when the plug is deflected by the burring tool instead of sliding in place. The tape is badly tom and the picture dearly shows the jabbing move ments required to get the plug into the end of the revolving burring tool. Let us apply our improvement principles In this case it h again necessary to im to this operation. Can we eliminate the prove the movements required to load the movements required to get the finished piece burring tool. To do this a carrier for the in the die and dispose of it to the tote pan? plug is provided Instead of placing the Certainly, by using a mechanical ejector. In part directly into the burring tool a plncr is fh*< case, an air ejector is used lo blow the picked up in each hand, and placed simul pari out of the die into a chute which car ries the finished part into a tote pan. Also, ob>crve that the movements to load the die are improved. Instead of the right hand taneously in two carriers. The. carriers fine up and guide the two plugs into double burring tools. Here again we remove the operator's hand from the danger area and placing the piece directly into the die; the employ a mechanical device. This makes part is placed on a sheet metal chute outside the job easier and safer. a die guard by the left hand, and then slid into the nest ot the die by a stick held in (be right hand In the improved setup a guard completely encloses the die, neither han<| is required to go under the die, and a ioni trip lias been substituted for hand trips. The third illustration is another condition that is common in plants that use stampings. Scrap trimmed from the part is frequently sent along with the part to the next opera tion. Sometimes this operation is another punch press iob, and sometimes it is an as sembly operation. In any case the trimming This, was not an expensive change, the scrap with the parts is a very definite haz whole improvement cost less than fifty dol lars. From methods engineer's point of view several movements were eliminated from the ard. Where stock savers arc used on blank ing operations two triangular pieces of scrap with needle-likc points are produced lor cycle oi the operation, which resulted in each part Considering the die lubricant, and more effective use of the worker's move the dirt on the stock every scratch sustained ments. From the safety engineer's point of by the operator has an exceedingly high view a potential hazard was discovered and potential infection hazard. eliminated from a seemingly "safe opera tion." The operation is typical of many jobs where safety and better methods go hand in Workers seek to protect themselves from this hazard by wearing leather gloves, but hand. for some types of scrap, gloves are little better than nothing; and in any case the The next operation is commonly found in forearms are still unprotected. In getting a Power Press Section 633 piece from a pan of mixed parts and scrap the operator must direct each movement to the pan with the eyes and carefully separate a part from the scrap. These extra move ments will average between 30 and 40 per cent of those required by the operation cycle. Here is a real hazard and its solution lies in the previous operation. The stock saving feature of the blanking die is removed by widening the stock fed into the die. The skeleton scrap now feeds on through the press as a continuous strip, and the part is blown out the back of the press into a separate pan. True, the materia] cost has been increased slightly, but this is more than offset by the reduction in handling cost on the following operation. The operator no longer has the mixed scrap and stock condition to contend with and those move ments, formerly used to separate scrap and stock, are now available for production work. Bat most important of ail, a very real hazard has been eliminated This is but one of many types of scrap separator*; each job will require a slightly different solution. The important point, how ever, is that here is a prevalent hazard that i* carily aj>d inexpensively corrected, onto the real need i recognized. Your job, as safety engineers, is to spot the need for a safety device The solution will follow as a matter of course and requires a variety of specialized solutions. The use of this new technique of opera tion analysis need not be limited to the safety engineer. Its basic principles arc so simple that they may be passed on to safety committees and the supervisory staff for their use in delecting unsafe practices id any plant. The methods engineer has been using motion picture "before and after" 'hots for years to promote a better under standing of his principles. There is no doubt that similar safety education pro grams based on the movement concept will better equip the plant personnel to deal with the safety problems. Such programs would have the far reaching effect of mak ing the whole organization "safety conscious" and alert for potential accident hazards. Another field where the movement con cept will have definite value h that of plan ning departments. All too frequently a die, a fixture, or piece of special equipment is designed to produce a part, with little or no thought given to the movements of the worker required to operate it. These poten tial hazards are delivered to the production department and put into operation where some kind of make-shift safety device must be provided to correct a poor design. This incurs the additional cost of designing and building the make-shift safety device, and ail too frequently some worker is injured before the hazard is recognized. Using the movement concept, it is possible for the tool engineers, plant layout men. and other planning engineers to foresee potential hazards and adjust their designs to overcome these difficulties before they become a real ity. The methods engineer today is using this some technique to design movement economy into new tooling, with the result that fewer designs are being returned to the tool room for reworking, with conse quent losses in production and rebuilding costPractice in this technique of operation analysis will soon convince you that, as a tool, the movement concept has four im portant uses. 1. It is a simple and effective tool that can be used by all members of your organiza tion. 2. It provides a means qf detecting unsafe practices in existing operations. 3. Onoc the unsafe condition has l>ceu detected the movement concept is a definite aid in suggesting a solution to the problem. -I. It can be used by the planning divirions to forestall potential safety hazards. THURSDAY AFTERXOO-V SESSION* October 10,1940 Joint Luncheon and Afternoon Session with the Automotive and Machine Shop Section The full report of this session writ be found on page 313 of this volume Public Utilities Section Officers 19394940 Cenerat Chairman--H. A. Ptukemv. Public Service Co Northern Illinois, Chicago, HI. l'u\*-ChairtHai>--Ch.uu.6s S. Bowijkx. Ohio Public Service C o., Alliance, Ohio. .S\v/v/0rjw-P. u G. Hasskarm Pennsylvania Power Sc 7_tghi Co.. Allentown, Pa. Engineering Committee-- E. R. Kttovp. Union Electric Co. of Mo,. St. Lou'i-, Mo. Pain. U. Kuhv, Pennsylvania Edi-'on Co. Altoona, Pa. A. A. Ram. Kan.cn* City Power & Eight Co., Kansas City. Mo. J.hitii Sheet Sub-CotnuiiHei--F. C- Bookman (Chairnuin). \'irginia Electric Sc Power Co.. Richmond, Va. \V. H. Crown, Northern State* Power Co., Minneapolis, Minn. Safety Instruction Card Sub'Cvinmil/ct'--W. Rriua Wrjoht (Chairnnt. ), Eastern Shore Public Service Co., Salisbury. Md. T. S. Shinn, Carolina Power & Light Co.. Raleigh. X. C. It. E Wood*, Central Power & Light Co.. Corpus Chrisli, Texas. r* Exhibit Committee--J. F. McCvhk (Chairman). Uuquexne Light Co., Pittsburgh. Pa. I, D. Ham., Atlantic City Electric Co. Atlantic City. X. J. John P. McCann, New England Power Service Co., Boston. Mas*. film Strip Committee-*E. A. Rt'ST (Chairman}. Eric County Electric Co.. Erie. Pa. H, H. Berman, Consolidated Gas, Electric Light Sc Power 0o,, Baltimore, Md H. E. SmoiD, Appalachian Electric Power Co., Blueficld. \V. Va. Health Committee--Da. Maut E, Fkhkk (Chairman). Chicago Rapid Transit Co., Cheag*. HI. Membership Committee--Ww. L. Conk (Chairman). Utah Power & Light Co., Salt Iakv City, Utah. L. P. Hoffman, Florida Power & Light Co., Miami, Florida. Xeu'S Letter Committee---. S. Mink* (Chairman), American Telephone & Telegraph Co., New York. X. Y. A. A. Kuxcfi, Public Service Co. of Colorado, Denver, Colo. Jf B. Porcher, Ohio Edison Co., Akron, Ohio. I. O. Speed, Alabama Power Co., Birmingham, Ala- J. E. Stott, Georgia Power Co., Atlanta, Georgia. Poster and Safety Kinks Committee--W. H. Kinshu'I. (Chairman), Northern Indiana Public Service Co., Hammond, Ind. \Y. L. Smith, Los Angeles Department of Water & Power, Los Angeles. Calif. Program Commitiee--D. C. Dcncan (Chairman). Appalachian Electric Power Co.. BluefieM, \V. Va. E. M Cha*e, Central Vermont Public Service Corp.. Rutland, Vt. * Gpotet G. Waldrop, City Light & Water Utilities, Fort Wayne, Ind. JL L. Weeks, South Carolina Electric Sc Gas Co., Columbia, S. C. Publicity Committee--J. C. Martin* (Chairman), Bureau of Safety, Inc., Chicago, Jll. P.K- Stiles. Ebasco Services, Inc., New York, X. Y. tatisties and Contest Committee--L M. Outs (Chairman), Public Service Corp., Newark X.J. ). D. Ecus, Northwestern Electric Co., Portland, Oregon. D, F. McMcvcky, Tennessee Valley Authority, Chattanooga, Tenu. 635 0.50 29th National Safety Congress Members oi Large-- H J, Bouton, Consumers Power Co., Jackson, Mich. C H. Davis, Commonwealth Edison Co., Chicago, Til. C. H. Djnsmore, Wisconsin Power & Light Co.. Madisou. Wis. E. P. DukFKk, Consolidated Edison Co. of X. Y., Jnc., New York, N. Y. H. \V. Lueck, Commonwealth Edison Co., Chicago, 111. C. X- Rakestkaw. Cleveland Electric Illuminating Co., Cleveland, Ohio. J. M. Struck, St. Joseph Railway, Light, Heat & Power Co., St. Joseph, Mo. Councilors (Past Genera! Chairmen)-- John J. Bakada, The Laclede Gas Light Co., St. Louis. Mo. E. S. Beaumont, The Peoples Gas Light & Coke Co., Chicago, 111. C. B, BoulEt, Wisconsin Public Service Corp., Milwaukee, \Vis. G. A. Doem.br. Dayton Power & Light Co., Dayton, Ohio. J. B. Douglas, The Philadelphia Gas Works Co., Philadelphia, Pa. Roy M. Godwin*, Philadelphia Electric Co., Philadelphia, Pa. E. J. Krem, Philadelphia Co.. Pittsburgh, Pa. WiuA MacLaChi-an, Electrical Engineer, Toronto. Out., Canada. B. B. McCulloch, Bureau of Safety, Inc., Oucago. Ill, R. S. Metzger, Toledo Edison Co., Toledo, Ohio. George Oi'i\ Detroit Edison Co., Detroit. Mich. F. M. PEiri'.K, Illinois Bell Telephone Co., Chiraim. III. C. J. Rutland. Texas Power & Light Co., Dallas. Texas. C B. Scott, Bureau of Safety, Inc., Chfcaoo. 111. H. F. Wcrb, West Penn System, Pittsburgh. Pa Special Representatives'-' C. J. Gkkvbrt. Consolidated Edh-on Co. of X. V, Inc., New York. X. Y. fAGA.) \V. R. Smith. Public Service Electric & Gas Co- Newark. X.J. (EEI) Officers 1940-1941 General Chairman--Charles S. Bowden*. Ohio Public Service Co., Alliance, Ohio. Vice-Chairman--P. L. G. Hasskarl, Pennsylvania Power & Light Co., Allentown, Pa. Secretary--D. C. Duncan, Appalachian Electric Power Co., Bluefield. W. Va. Engineering Committee--J. V. McCabe (Chairman), Duquesne Light Co., Pittsburgh. Pu- H, H. Berman. Consolidated Gas, Electric Light & Power Co., Baltimore, Md. W. P. BtXK*. Tennessee Valley Authority, Chattanooga, Tenn. E. C. Bookman, Virginia Electric & Power Co., Richmond, Va. Paul K, Kuhn, Pennsylvania Edison Co., Altoona. Pa. A. A. Rau, Kansas City Power S: Light Co., Kansas City, Mo. P. K. Stiles, Ebasco Services, Inc., New Yo*k, JJ. Y. J, M. Strike, St. Joseph Railway Light, Heat & Power Co., St. Joseph, MoPata Sheet Sub-Committee--). T. O'Bwex (Chairman), Jersey Central Power & Light Co., Asburv Park, X. J. J. G. Dickinson, Wisconsin Electric Power Co., Milwaukee, Wis. E. L. Fitz'.kraul Ohio Edison Co-, Springfield, Ohio. W. H. Kussmauu Northern Indiana Public Service Co., Hammond, Jnd. Safety /nstrunimi Card Sub-Coinmittee--W. Bumxy Wbioht (Chairman), Eastern Shore Public Service (*o.. Salisbury', Md, H. E. Crain. The Ohio Power Co., Canton, Ohio. J. E. O'ftwf-x, North Penn Gas Co., New York, X. Y. D. E. W**r>s. Central Power & Light Co., Corpus Christ!, TexasP.xhibit Committee--J. B. Porcher (Chairman), Ohio Edison Co., Akron, Ohio. J. IY Ha* i, Adamic City Electric Co., Atlantic City, N. J. B, A Thornton, Indiana & Michigan Electric Co., South Bend, Ind, Public Utilities Section 637 I'ihn Stnp Committee--L. P. Horru-Vc (Ckaimmsmf Florida Power & Light Co., .Miami. Florida. J. L. McNeaixy, Columbus & SotUem Ohio Electric Co., Xelsonvillc, Ohio. H. C Ross. Pacific Gas St Electric Co- So* Francisco, Calif. H. E. Shedo, Appalachian Electric Power Ccx* Bluefield, \\. W Health Committee--Dt, HArr Fishe* (Ckatrmau), Chicago Rapid Transit Co., Chicago 111. Membership Committee--J. O. Speed (Chairman), Alabama Power Co., Birmingham, Ala. \V. L. Smith, Los Angeles Department of Water & Power, Los Angeles, Calif. D. W. PfcAikie, Northwestern Electric Co.r Portland. Oregon. D. A. Fleming, Rural Electrification Administration, Washington, D. C. Xctcx Letter Committee--J. M. ORts (Chairman), Public Service Corp., Newark, N. J. W. H. Ahaus. The Manufacturers Light & Heat Co-, Pittsburgh, Pa. A. A. Kjjnce, Public Service Co. of Colorado, Denver. Colo. P. J. McMahon, Sanitary District of Chicago, Chicago, HI. J, J. Stkuerwau?, Indianapolis Power & Light Co,, Indianapolis, Ind. Poster and Safety Kinks Committee--E. M. Chase (Chairman), Central Vermont Public Service Corp., Rutland, Vt, Raymond Rollins, Missouri Public Service Corp., Warretisburg, Mo. . J. E. Scott, Georgia Power Co., Atlanta, Ga. J. L. Weeks, South Carolina Electric Sc Gas. Ox, Columbia. S. C. Program Committee--E. S. Mixer (Chairmanj, .American Telephone & Telegraph Co., New York, N. Y. P. A. Atwacn', The Ohio Fuel Gas Co.. Columbus. Ohio. Georce G. Waldrop, City Light & Water Utilities, Fort Wayne, Ind. Publicity Committee--J. P. McCann (Chairman), New England Power .Service Co., Bos ton, Mas*. E. R. Kaors*, Union Electric Co. of Missouri, St, Louis, Mo. Statistics Committee--E. A. Rust (Chairman), Erie County Electric Co., Eric, Pa W. L. Cone, Utah Power & Light Co., Salt Lake City, Utah, John* MacLeuxn, Ontario Hydro Power Commission, Toronto, One., Canada. T. S. Shinn, Carolina Power & Light Co., Raleigh, N. C. Members at Large-- H. J. Burton, Consumer Poncr Co., Jackson, Mich, C. H. Dams, Commonwealth EdLon Co., Chicago, III. C. H. Dinsnore, Wisconsin Power tk Light Co., Madison, Wis. E. P> Duarte, Consolidated Edison Co. of X. Y,, Inc,, New York, X. Y. C. X. Rakestkaw, Cleveland Electric Illuminating Co., Cleveland. Ohio. Councilors (Past General Chairman)-- John J. Baraoa, The Laclede Gas Light Co., St. Louis, Mo. E. S. Bi:ac#ont, The Peoples Gas Light & Coke Co., Chicago, III, C. B. Boutnr. Wisconsin Public Service Corp.. Milwaukee, Wis. G. A. Doelleik, Dayton Power & Light Co., Dayton, Ohio. J. B. Docclas. The Philadelphia Ca* Work* Co., Philadelphia, Pa. Rov M. Godwin, Philadelphia Electric Co, Philadelphia, Pa E. J. Krh. Philadelphia Co., Pittsburgh, Pa. Will* AIaclachlax. Electrical Engineer, Toronto, Qnt, Canada, ft, B, McCulloch, Bureau of Safety, Inc-, Chicago, 111. R. S. Mutloul Toledo Edison Co.. Toledo, Ohio. Gkorce Ow, Detroit Edison Co., Detroit, Xlieh H. A. Ptouluv, Public Service Co. of Northern Illinois, Chicago. 111. C I. Ritu.vd, Texas Power & Light Co., Dallas, Texas. C. B. 5corr. Bureau of Safety. Jnc.. Chicago. HI. H. F. Wo*, West Penn System, Pittsburgh, Pa. Special Representatives-- H. A. Ptolemy, Public Service Co. of Northern Illinois, Chicago, III. (A.G.A.) \V. R. SstrrH, Public Service Electric & Gas Co., Newark; N. J. (E.E.I.) 638 29th National Safety Congress TUESDAY AFTERNOON SESSION October 8, 1940 The opening session was called to order by General Chairman H. A. Ptolemy, Safety Supervisor, Public Service Company of Northern Illinois, Chicago, who presided. In his opening remarks the Chairman outlined briefly some activities of the Section during the past year, and mentioned die work of many Standing Committees Officers of the Section for the coming year were formally elected, as found elsewhere in this record. The Chairman then introduced the first speaker. An Executive Looks at Safety By K. B* NAGLER Executive Engineer, The Peoples Gas Light and Coke Company, Chicago I propose in this discussion to answer 'cvcral questions--"What is safety?*' "Why did this movement arise?" "How did it de velop? What has been accomplished?" "Where do we go from here?" I believe that a recent definition of safety hy one of its principal leaders is really our concept of the term and the answer to our first question--"What is safety?" This one v*ocs as follows: "Safety' is a way of living which avoids accidental injuries. Such a way of living includes physical surroundings tlial arc orderly and protected, as well as carefut action." This definition, given by Mr. W. H. ` aincron in a recent editorial in National Safety .Veter, stresses a fundamental of safety, namely, that it is a point of view, an attitude of mind, an outlook in life, expres'-ed in a wav of living, and that the dic tionary items from safety-belt to safetyzone represent the practical working out of the philosophy of safety. The Safety Movement The next questions to be answered are: "Why and how did such a point of view become translated into vigorous organised efforts?" A very brief answer to the why i* that early in this century the loss of human life and the maiming of human beinjr- hy accidents constituted a challenge to industry, both on humanitarian and eco nomic grounds. This led industry, which prided itself on its ever increasing efficiency and prngressiveness, to cooperative effort to avoid this human and economic waste. As to how this all came about we must remember that, as in most enterprises, cooperative ef fort was preceded by individual effort in nearly all phases of accident prevention, both industrial and public. To illustrate the individual efforts that {receded the .organized campaigns on the present day scale, I will cite three well known safety fields--the Sane Fourth of Juty, the Theater Safety Code, and auto mobile accident statement. For this early in formation I reviewed pertinent pages of Mark Sullivan's "Our Tunes," which is practically a high-spot newspaper history* of the United States, and in six volumes covers our social, political and industrial history for the quarter century from 1900 to 1923 On July 4, 1903, James Kecley, then editor of the Chicago Tribune, due to the critical illness of his daughter which de manded quiet, had his attention painfully drawn to the bedlam of that day. He in structed his staff to obtain data on the casualties of that Independence Day and the next day, in the Chicago Tribune, primed a list of the killed and injured from fifty large cities. These totals which ran between five and six thousand, amazed everyone and called for corrective measures. That August, St Paul, Minnesota, passed an ordinance prohibiting the use of blank cartridges, bombs, and pistols. The Chicago Tribune was joined by the old magazine "Life" in its agitation tor restricted uc of fireworks. Further efforts on a national scale were those of Edward Bok in the Ladies' Home Journal, where for a number of years, beginning with 1905. he began his annual Fourth of July campaign in the Jan uary issue of the magazine. This systematic Public Utilities Section 639 work bore fruit in the passage of fireworks ordinances in many cities, and the list of casualties began to drop year after year. The Iroquois Theater fire in Chicago, on December 30, 1903, in which 575 persons out of an audience of about 2,000 lost their lives, several times the number that died in the Chicago fire of 1871, led to a new theater -afety code in practically every American city. This new code required fire walls, more exits, unobstructed aisles, asbestos stage curtain, non-inflammable scenery and exit doors opening outward, and, with the great increase in the number of theaters due to the advent of motion pictures, undoubtedly a\e4 man) lives. A problem now about forty years old and still with us is the control of automobile accidents. It is interesting to recall that the present day gasoline automobile was not the first horseless carnage to develop. At the first real auto show in New York City in 1900. one-third of the space was taken up by electrics and most of the rest by steamers, with a few gasoline-motored cars. The steam cars dropped out for several reasons, one. the grea`cr expert knowledge required to operate it--and this is important for our story--tbz need for a steam engineer's license in many states. In this connection it may be noted that in 1900 Cleveland MolTett recom mended that since all operators of steam carriages in New York required an en gineer's license, examinations and license rcqulrem-nts be extended to drivers of all motor c rriages. When we consider how relatively mxnt the licensing of automobile drivers is, the public inertia and indifference seem astounding. Except for the isolated efforts of partic ularly progressive companies prior to 1907, safety in industry received but little atten tion. The earlier conceptions of safety found expression in what many still think--- "there ought to be a law." So in the first decade of the century employer's liability and workmen's compensation Jaws were enacted which served to call attention to the great number of accidents and to their cost. The Federal Government, which may be considered to have pioneered this field with the establishment of the lighthouse service in 1789. gave the entire safety movement a Itoost during President Taft's administration by instituting safety measures for large groups of federal employees. The individual safety efforts of certain industrial concerns were joined when in September 1912, the Safety Committee of the Association of Iron and Steel Engineers paralleled their convention In Milwaukee with a five day session of a Cooperative Safety- Congress from which arose plans for a permanent organization devoted entirely to safety--the National Council of Indus trial Safety. Development meetings in Pitts burgh and Chicago were followed hy the Second Annual Cooperative Safety Congress in New York City in September 1913 with an attendance of 200. Its object was "to promote the conservation of human life and its incidence in the industries of the nation" and. to achieve this objective, established a six-point program as follows: "(I) Establishment of a central head quarters as a safety information clearing house; (2) encouragement of local coun cils ; (3) annual congresses; (4) practical standardization of safety devices, safe con ditions and practices; (5) promotion of vndutrial safety by publicity'; (6) to initiate, promote, cooperate with and obtain the as sistance of all activities or agencies calcu lated to conserve human life in the nation's industries: and to participate in and aid other activities for the welfare of the indus trial worker of the country." And I submit that this was a far-sighted and comprehen sive program to have been formulated twenty-seven years ago In 1914 during the Third Annual Safety Congress in Chicago, the name of the or ganization was changed to National Safety Council because it was recognized that the field was much 'broader than industrial safety alone. National Safety Council In twenty-seven years the National Safety Council has grown from five io 3,000 mem bers consisting of individuals, industrial concerns, and public agencies. It is a non profit organization receiving tuid spending about million dollars a year. Its principal fields arc industrial safety, public safety and home safety*, covered by a Council program in three directions--Engineering, Education, and Enforcement, which summarize three steps: First, the necessary mechanical safe guards must be provided; second, the in dividual must be taught to do things the >aie way; third, safety* regulations as laid down must be enforced. Since 1915, various 640 29th National Safety Congress council sections have covered specific industrial and public fields from aeronautics and construction to mining, traffic and utilities. Since tbe days of 1913, the objectives of the organization have broadened, as ex pressed in its present official policy, which is "The elimination of accidents to men. women and children; through education it .^ccks to demonstrate that the safe way is the right way and is the best way from the standpoint not only of human satisfaction but of social efficiency and economy, ft seeks those ways and means for safety that satis factorily fit into the practical affairs of life.** Even a casual survey of the titles of con vention papers nr of articles in National Safety News will indicate that the Safety Movement is more than an accident pre vention campaign. Occupational diseases, first aid. artificial respiration, fire prevention, to mention only a few, arc on Integral part of it. For example, the use of salt tablets to avoid heat exhaustion, the use of gloves and unguents to avoid skin diseases, respira tors to keep lungs clean are not accident prevent Ion in the primary sense but are -pccific health measures. In this connection, a quotation from an article in National Safety Nexvs of December 1938 is interesting as reflecting a newer point of view: "The definition of 'accident' has been broadened, the entrance of disease germs into the human system without visible trauma, with result ing .-ickuess or death shown to have probabh occurred in employment is held an accident. The poisoning of the body through the ef fects of toxic substances used in employ ment is held (a Ik? the result of an indus trial accident." [.ike almost any ocher human struggle with a large problem, the point of attack .in accident prevention has shifted from time to time. The earliest concern was principally with providing moving machinery with guards and, when this alone failed to bring the millennium, the carelessness of the worker was stressed and rules were posted io warn him. Successively the foreman and top management have been held responsible for the careless employee. There has finally come about a balancing of all elements-- persuasion, education and training have re placed mandatory rules and regimentation, and shop committees oi workers take an equal part with management in promoting sate practice*. Accomplishment* In twenty-five years tbe death rate for accidents from all causes has been reduced from approximately 80 to 70 per 100,000 population, which is estimated to be repre sented by a saving of 283.000 fives over the period o' a quarter century, sorely no minor achievement. In industry where the concentration on safety was the earliest, the accident rate has been nearly halved in twenty-five years --the figure is 44 per cent. One large group, the steel industry, has decreased its accident costs 90 per cent in thirty years. In 1939, of 93,000 lives lost in accidents', about onethird each occurred in auto accidents or homes, as compared with approximately onesixth occupational deaths. And of these 15,500 occupational deaths, only 1800 actu ally occurred in manufacturing plants where safety control is most nearly com plete, the remainder in mines, on railroads, and in agriculture. To consider our group, the electric and gas utilities combined, it is encouraging to observe the data of the annual safety con tests. In the thirteen contests from 1928 to 1940, the average frequency (number of in juries per million man hours worked} has been approximately halved (from 19-5 to 9.8) with about 8 per cent of the reporting companies (the smaller ones} attaining per fect no-accident records. Wc in the public utility field have a double responsibility--we must prevent ac cidents both to oar employees and to our customers, the public. Because we furnish not only a commodity--energy--but also a service, we arc involved in the very human problem of getting our customers to use our product and service safely and efficiently. The number' of "I didn't know it \va. loaded" kind of accidents still suffered b> our customers indicate that we still liavv much educational work to do. And the cul tivation of this field is important, for the customer rarely points the finger at himself --it is our relations that suffer. In the gas industry*, a group representing 90 per cent of the manufactured and natural gas business reports its data to the Ameri can Gas Association. In eleven years, from 1929 to 1939, the accident frequency rate has dropped from 30.3 to 12.7, a decrease of 58 per cent. The number of deaths and Public Utilities Section 641 permanent total disabilities per UK) cm* management to be matched with whole ployres has been reduced by 67 per cent The Dollar Side It is proper that some reference be made to the dollar side of safety. Tbe economic !><- due to accidents is very real and very great For 1939, with 93,000 fata) accidents am) million non-fatal injuries in acci dents, the economic loss is estimated to be $3,300,000 which even in these days of as tronomical government appropriations is a hearted cooperation from the employees. And this management support cannot just consist of bland endorsement of good intentions like the backwoods minister who, upon being asked to endorse his first check, wrote on the hack "I endorse this check most heart ily." Nor can it be negative.. The story is told ot President Coolidge upon return from church being asked by Mrs. Coolidge what the minister's sermon was about: "Sin." . "Well, what did he say about it?" "He was staggering amount against it." One answer to the cold blooded question ``Docs safety pay in dollars?" is found in casualty insurance rates in the construction field. In the case of the 160-mile Penn Turn pike running from Pittsburgh to Harris burg just completed, which involved tunnel as well as highway work, the contractor with a poor safety record paid $15 per $100 of payroll insurance as compared with $6 tor the contractor with a good safety record. Such a differential gives the contractor with a good record an initial advantage of 53.000 To make a safety program part and parcel of the daily job requires much more than lip service, more than just endorsing the qood and condemning the bad. ft requires continuous, detailed and progressive effort-- for a successful safety record is something like riding a bicycle--shortly after you've -lopped pedaling and have lost momentum, you fall off. Looking Forward l think that wc should bear in mind that on a $100,000 bid. The construction indus individual life is not a matter of averages; try's annuat accident bill represents ap we know that no matter how blameless our proximately 5 per cent of the total cost of building. Last year President Fennell, of the Na tional Safety Council, said that in a sense "safely is actually purchasable--any city, >rau- or industry can determine its own ac cident rate. Accidents rise in ratio to reduc tion in money or human effort expended for safety." The Fabric of Work One oi the earlier thoughts of how to promote safety is fortunately on the way out. This was to hire a very earnest young man. and superimpose safety* on the rest of the operations like a coat of fresh paint which rubbed off readily. The effect of setting safety as a thing apart was unfor tunate--it found its counterpart in proliibition. the mot vociferous support of which came from the league for making virtue odiout--and thus failed of popular support. There is nothing sissy or effeminate about /caution and foresight, about goggles and safety belts, about First Aid and good housekeeping. And there is nothing heroic about foolhardiness. The man who jumps out personal life may have been in the past, we are likely to be judged by the one fall from grace we suffer if it's conspicuous enough. And so it is with accidents--it is only a few per centum--but to those few* individuals or their families it is very real and no amount of statisticating wipes out the in dividual misfortune. The figures I quoted earlier show that very* substantial progress in accident reduc tion has been made--as is natural, the most obvious kind of accidents hare responded most. From now 'on, like the last long mile, the going may be harder, for it means changing human habits and this requires that in all of our activities we obey the Greek injunction "In the name of the gods, I beg you to think." If wc do that, our working habits will reflect it and safety' will become an intrinsic parj of every job. not just a postscript to it Our attitude for the future shoutd be not merely live and let live but live and help keep alive and whole. To achieve these ends requires that wc all do onr part. As Kipling said-- ot a window is not defying the law of "It ain't the individual, nor the army as gravity, he is illustrating it. a whole To make safety truly effective requires But the everlasting teamwork of every initiative and whole-hearted support from blooming soul." 642 29th National Safety Conyres. How It Happened" ByKRLE S. MINER Engineer, American Telephone and Telegraph Cowpmy, New York City We recognize that the world events of ibe past year, over which we have no control, have made it more imperative for the American people to get at the root of the safety problem. Our national defense de pends upon our personal safety. The con servation of men and materials has become a matter of patriotism. It becomes the patriotic duty of each of us to put forth the added effort required to conserve health and eliminate accidents. In viewing these 10 accidents in rapid toccesrian it is croogmacd that one may gel the idea that tekyfaupe work is hazard ous This wxxdd be a mistaken impression 25 the serious cases shown in the picture Tepre<cnt a burge portion of all such acci dents which occurred last year among some 5,000 Bell System men scattered all over the United States. The action shown in the picture does not m all cases illustrate rec ommended practices bat rather what actually With all our wealth and machinery we occurred according to the available reports have no man power to waste. We cannot of the accident*. In showing the pictures spare a skilled craftsman from his job, not to the men of the Bell System, an attempt even for only a few days as the result of a has been made to point out all the unsafe minor injury- Safety on the job, safety practices and to make dear the recommended in our cars on the streets and highways, and practices. safety at home will speed the work and will build our defenses more securely, thus safeguarding our determination to retain our freedom and oar way of life. The production of this picture was prompted by a desire to find some way of giving emphasis to the many activities that the Bell System companies have been carry ing on in their effort to insure safety on the job. Over a long period these activities have produced a gratifying reduction in ac cidents. However, current records showed that the great majority, particularly of the more serious types of accidents still occur ring, were clearly avoidable. Thus, this pic ture "How It Happened" was prepared as an effective medium for demonstrating this fact. White there are usually several contribut ing factors leading tip to an accident, and the workman's iallctre to follow known safe procedures Is generally assigned as the direct cause: the part pUj*cd in accident prevention fcy supervision and by t*ff engi neering employee* cam** be too greatly emphasized. These men have not only the responsibility for seeing that workmen arc properly instructed and tor setting a proper example by their own actions, bat they aho often share a direct responsibility for indi vidual accidents. Also, there hare been In stances of delegation of responsibility to a senior workman, or to as hxhridtql working alone, when the hazards of the fob were sufficient to require the ooctinord presence of the supervisor. Lessons from 'Safety Experience By JAMES L. SHORES Alabama Power Company, Birmingham, Ala. About noon ou June 27, 1934, following an electrical storm, one of our troubtemcn found that service was interrupted on a 4,000 volt tap line- He inspected the fuse on the 7*A KVA transformer and found it good. Checking further he found the tap line fuse had blown. This was replaced but failed again m about ten minutes. The troubleman, who was in sight of the trans former, noticed it smelting badly and on fire. He reported the trouble to headquarters and immediately a line crew was dispatched to the scene to replace the failed transformer. Upon arrival, the crew found that the lid had been blown from the transformer and that dense smoke bring emitted nude working conditions very unsatisfactory. After the foreman ascertained that the line was Public Utilities Section 643 clear he arranged to replace the transformer. One lineman climbed up the pole as far as the transformer while another went be yond him and up to the primary cross-arm. The transformer was reported to be very hot. It was decided that the transformer lid could be put loosely into place to prevent some of the dense smoke from hindering the workmen above. A wire rope sling was placed on the transformer and the blocks hung preparatory to lowering the trans former. When the transformer was raised to enable the Jiangcrs to clear the crossarm, burning oil was thrown upward and onto both linemen. They were so badly in jured dial both died shortly afterwards. A great many theories have been advanced as to the cause of this accident. The most logical explanation is that a fire was smoul dering inside the transformer; or that the tank or coils were red hot and when the oil was shaken up it ignited, causing the explosion and fire. The cause was not elec trical ; in fact, the line was clear and both the primary and secondary bushmgs and leads were disengaged from the trans former. Our recommendations for the prevention of similar accidents are: 1. Treat every new problem as dangerous and proceed cautiously while looking for possible hazards. 2. Where failures have occurred and a transformer or other equipment Is smoking, boiling, rumbling, or is exceedingly warm, avoid it for several hours. If service re quirements justify, a replacement may be installed nearby to supply temporary sendee Another accident deserving our study also resulted in a fatality. It occurred during die process of unloading a railroad car of poles. The load consisted of 125 poles, 35 feel long, and 25 pole*. 30 feet long. The poles were held in place on the car by four Stakes on cither side, and binding wires. The binding wires ran across the load at the top and the vertical center to opposite stakes. The unloading procedure consisted of placing skid poles on the unloading side and the removal of stakes and binding wires so that the poles would roll from the car down the skids and canto the ground. The two inside stakes on this same side had been slightly cut or dapped. The Idea was to fin ish breaking them later by pulling on a rope from a position well in the clear. The bind ing wires attached to the top of the two end stakes were cut simultaneously by work men standing on each end of the load. A* these two wires were cut, all remaining stakes brake and the poles began to roll off both sides of the car. The two workmen attempted to jump clear of the poles but one was caught and instantly killed. This method of procedure was unsafe, and there is little trouble in pointing out the hazards. At the same time, I believe many of you have seen poles unloaded In methods which involved risks very similar. We believe that we have eliminated all possibility of such accidents in the future. We conceived the idea of securely binding the load to the car with stranded wire rope cable* so that there would be no danger in removing aft stakes from the unloading side. As the stakes are removed from one side they are placed in empty stake pockets on the opposite side to Insure against just what happened in this case. We were unable to find an automatic tripping device which would release the cables under tension when the proper time came. Wc were able to de vise such a device. We now release the cables by means of this device with the operator standing a safe distance away. This method was adopted as our standard about a year and a half ago. We have un loaded hundreds of cars at all types of sid ings with very satisfactory results. The question may arise in your mind as to the use of a truck equipped with a winch and cable. Wc have avoided this method for several reasons, the principal One being that many unloading areas arc not so situated as to make the truck and winch method prac tical. The third accident experience occurred on a 4,000 volt phase Kite. The plan of work was to de-energize the line by pulling the fused cuiouis. The cutouts were of a type which had the fuse mountol on a hinged door of the cutout. On one of the cutouts, the ring nhich Held the fuse holder to the door was broken off, and the cutout left in this condition. On this last operation, the door opened but the fuse remained en gaged and made good contact. This hazard was overlooked by the workmen engaged and another lineman was directed to proceed with his work on the line as though it were (k-ciKfgizcd. When he took hold of the live cm 29th National Safety Congress pliasc wire he was so severely burned that his left arm was later amputated at the shoulder. We have constantly endeavored to im press everyone with the importance of mak ing sure that proper line clearance has been obtained. In addition to following through on this, we saw the need oi temporary grounding rules so far reaching in effect that no workman would take hold of a piece of equipment Until he knew it to be de energized and grounded. They cover dis tribution as well as transmission lines. In short, our working practice now' is: "If it isn't grounded, it isn't dead." Water Utility By OTTO ADAMS City Light and Water Utilities, Fort Wayne, Ind. I u-ant to tell yon something of our ex- pal utilities, employing many person* aud ptrrencc in safety work. Because the city operating many motor vehicles should do light ami water utilities of our city won their best to set the right example. In other nr>t place in the passenger car division of the National Fleet Safety Contest of the N'atuwraJ Safety Council, it scents that pos words, we decided that if we were going to preach. we were also going to practice what we preached. sibly F<ri Wayne may have something of iiitercjsi Jo relate to other cities with sim ilar safety problems. I do not wish to grve the impression that our safety program was conceived overnight 1 would Tike to state a very obvious thing. Namely, that the first thing to do when you and put into full operation the next day with everyone of our city officials, our de partment toads and our employees falling have a job to do is to put someone in charge of it. It has always been true that everyone's business is no one's business. Fort Wayne had never had a real job of safety promotion done In its two municipally-owned utilities. The first thing we did was to apjKvirit a capable individual, Mr. George over each other in their zeal to cooperate. It wasn't that easy. Safety work in our municipal utilities was for the most part a new Idea, and there is nothing that ha* fewer friends in political set-ups than a brand new idea. Waldrop, to set up such a safety program The idea had to be sold. To some it wa* a* we needed and to allow him to devote sold with a look. To some, it had to be sold most of his time to the carrying out of that with a stem look followed up by stem program. words; and tu others it had to be sold with WV were mt merely interested in saving human life and limb, and in saving dollars and cents, we were also interested in the matter of safety from the angle of public example. Our particular city administration came into office on a platform which con tained totter traffic safety as ooe of its planks. It was not Just the usual type of ]>olit:cal plank intended to be thrown away after it served its purpose, but one which was to to used. Our mayor really believed in it and a surprising plurality of voters icaUy believed that he believed It. almost everything we had in the way of per suasion. To set up and develop the program required salesmanship all the way around and from top to bottom. We had to con vince employees that we were not merely trying to unroll some more red tape in which they could tangle themselves, hut were trying to do something which was just as important to them as it was to its. Even tually, wc found that employees generally were getting into the spirit of things even totter than we had expected and were even getting ahead of us in their enthusiasm. The important things in a safety program The thought struck us that it our city for utilities are many. There should to administration was to start urging people a welJ-outlincd program. There should be jo obey safety regulations, traffic laws, and someone definitely in charge of it, with au in general attempt to bring about better thority and time to keep it in hand. There safety conditions in the city as a whole, it should to a very accurate listing of all ac was no more tlwm just that oar two munici cidents, even the most minor ones, with a Public Utilities Section 645 thorough analysis of what caused them, so that steps can be taken to sec that they do not occur again. The* of course there should to safety meetings at regular intervals and here again some intelligence is required. Like all meetings, they should Have a begin ning and an cud. They should to well con ducted and when the business at hand has been accomplished, they should be adjourned. About the easiest way in the world to break up any organization is to hold frequent meet ings, which begin nowhere and end nowhere. In our two municipal utilities, one super visor and one employee represent each de partment at every general safety meeting. Monthly departmental meetings are held and regular inspections arc made of both equip ment and personnel. Numerous meetings arc held at which outside persons interested in safety are invited and at which discus sions are held in which everyone present is encouraged to participate. Incidentally, a targe number of our employees have been In one very* definite way, our interest in traffic safety has resulted in the general pub lic having an enemy of bad driving hazards close to city government which has power to institute reforms. Safety-minded public utility employees are in a position to suggest to traffic officials of a police department that a certain intersection is particularly hazard ous and should be made safer by such-andsuch change. They are also in a position to recommend at times that such and such streets need selective enforcement against speeding or careless parking of cars. They are quick to spot intersections where vision ts obscured by bushes and shrubbery and to report conditions in the street which might cause accidents to the public if not repaired. , Of course, you and I know that it if a job which only succeeds by everyone keep ing everlastingly at it. There can't be a let-up now and then or any feeling after a particularly successful year that everyone cm dow sit back and relax. trained in first aid work and have received certificates attesting to their proficiency in this work. One of the very important phases of safety work in municipal utilities sue!) as ours is the possibility of saving money 1 think municipalities have even a greater obligation to stress safety activities within their own deportments than any other land of organixacioo. simply for the reason that the public is constantly watching them. A municipality whose utilities constantly dis play obedience for traffic laws and tto gen eral precepts of safety is in a much better position to demand /aw observance and carefulness from all its citizens. through a reduction of lost man-hours of tabor during the year and a reduction of insurance rates. A safety program not only saves money in itself but it promotes the habit of each municipal employee thinking in terms of saving money. In Fort Wayne, we have attracted considerable national at tention for economy in local government. I like to believe that part of the motivation for such economy has been encouraged by We like to believe that tto drivers of our utility cars are ambassadors of motoring good will on the streets of Fort Waynes I need not remind you that any successful safety* program lias to utilize the competi tive instinct, which is part of ail of us. through the sponsorship of contests. Wc all like to pit our efforts against the efforts of someone rise. Fort Wayne competes in tto National Fleet Safety Contest, but its utilities also arrange competitive events within themselves. We award carefuldriver certificates to drivers who merit them and wc recognize employ ees who go through tto year without an accident. We also award trophies to the departments having the best our safety efforts. There is another reason why municipali ties might do well to foster public safety with all the energy of which they arc cap able. Safety is the one subject under die sun about which there may be no arguments. It i> fool-proot and argument-proof. Persons of all races, all creeds and all ages, irres pective of political affiliations can agree on the need for public safety. It^s tto common denominator of all divisions of opinion that now* and then arise with respect to a munici pality's policies, because there is no one who is not in favor of saving life and limb as well as dollars through the reduction of ac cidents. annual records in safety. In the field of automobile safety, our utilities safety organization has done an excellent job in a great many different ways. Personally, there is another reason why I think the ordinary human being should take a great interest in public safety. We arc living in a world full of great problems. 646 29th National Safety Congress Many of us feel a helplessness in ticing them. We feel that individually we can't do a darn thing about them. But the problem of safety, which also is a great problem, is not one of those problems towards which wc feel a sense of futility. No matter how unimportant each of ns may be, each of tis can do something about furthering the cause of safety in the world. We can save not only our own lives through carefulness, but the lives of many persons. It is one of the few ciose-at-hand ways that the most humble of us can make the most generous of contributions to the betterment of hu manity. Coal Bunker Case By H. H. BERMAN Safety Engineer, Consolidated Gw, Electric Light & Power Co. of Baltimore, Baltimore, Md. This was a case of employee death in a coal bunker by suffocation. Tlie bunker .-pace was In a boiler room containing six water tube boilers of 700 h.p. firing crushed bituminous coal. The bunker roam was readied by means of vertical steel ladders. Fuel was ted from the pockets through chutes to the boilers, flow being controlled by gates in the chutes. In the bunker room there was a steel walkway which ran the full length on the north side of the bunker ro*m. The conveyor belt and tripper were iu>i south of and parallel to the walkway. The bunker room was illuminated by eight btihti oi 100 watts, spaced regularly above the fuel conveyor belt Shortly after 1:00 a. m. the employee, an a-diman, left the boiler room and went to jhc generator house to assist in removing .^*mc ash cars from the cellar. According 10 other employees he seemed in good health, made no complaints and finished his work in the cellar in about ten minutes. He then returned to the boiler room. The fireman ,<a\v him cuter. The ashman commented mu the fact that the flow of coal had slowed up in the cast chute from the pocket at No. ^ fiollcr and stated he would go up to the hunker and see what was wrong. The fire man continued at his duties on die operating floor. About one hour later he realized he had not seen the ashman return from his t rip to the bunkers. He then noticed that the flow of coal from the east chute at No. 0 boiler had stopped completely. Upon investigation he detected the presence of a rubber boot in the chute at the gate opening. He went up into the bunker room and looked around. He saw nothing unusual in the pocket. There seemed sufficient coal. There was no evidence oi the ashman. The fireman reported to the engineer who made an inspection and de cided there was a man wedged in the pocket above the gate. A plant alarm was sounded and valiant but fruitless efforts were made to extricate the unfortunate ashman. Finally it was necessary to remove a large quantity of coal from the bunker before the ashman's body was uncovered and removed. He was dead. The investigation disclosed thai the em ployee had been examined only a short time before the occurrence and had been found in good physrial condition without any ail ment The long rod generally used to poke the coal was not in the pocket so it wa.- concluded the employee was not attempting to use it at the time of the accident. The official opinion reached was that the ashman had left the walkway which ran above the bunker spaoe and attempted to view* the position of the coal feeding the boiler to determine the cause of the stoppage in the flow of coal. In climbing over the conveyor belt or in walking on a ledge between pockets, he had slipped and fallen into the bunker disturbing the coal, thereby causing a slide which covered hint. Recommendations for the prevention of a recurrence were directed at (1) Revision of practices. (2) Improving physical equip ment. Fuel bunker practices in this plant were studied and radical changes were formu' lated. The whole subject of fuel handling was carefully investigated and a set of writ ten regulations drafted and put into effect. Under "Boiler Fuel Bunker Practices" the following was prescribed: Public Utilities Section 647 "Employees are prohibited from entering a bunker containing boiler fuel until the shift stationary engineer is notified. The shift stationary engineer will accompany the employee to the hanker, inspect the condi tion of the fuel, and decide on the need for action. "If it is necessary to send an employee into a boiler fuel bunker he must put on a safety liamcss with safety rope attached. While the employee is in the boiler fuel bunker a second employee must be on watch at a safe point on the walkway. The second employee shall hold the safely rope after securely fastening the loose end. Remember in this connection that the safety' rope must be kept taut. `*fn all instances where the shift station ary* engineer sends an employee into a boiler fuel bunker the shift supervisor must be notified." The physiol equipment of this plant teas made the subject of a safety survey. Recom mendations were submitted to the superin tendent The following changes represent the major alterations made in the bunker room: 1. The lighting was changed. The eight 100-watt lights were abandoned. Eighteen modem fixtures were installed under the direction of a lighting service department engineer. Each fixture was fitted with a 150-watt bulb, thereby substituting 2,700 watts illumination for the previous 600 watts. Whereas it was necessary to climb to replace burnt out bulbs formerly, the new fixtures can be safely reached from a walk way. 2. The existing walkway was equipped with a second handrail on the south side of the walkway, that is the side next to the conveyor belt. 3. A complete, second sled walkway with both sides handrailed was installed to the south of the conveyor belt, 4. Safe means of crossing from one north walkway to the south walkway wen? in stalled at both east and \ve<t ends of the bunker room. 5. Safety' harness and safety rope line* were stored in ihe bunker room. Lessons from Safety Experience By W. A. CORBITT Safety Supervisor, New Jersey Bell Telephone Company, Newark, N. J. \ Imemap-iftttaBcr climbed a 40 foot Class AA untreated cbcAtxmt pole to remove and rearrange dn>p wires. The pole carried three telephone wires running to the east. Two of thew three wires continued to the west to adjacent poles while one terminated at the pole ca question. Two drop wires pulled from this pole to subscriber premises to the north and south sides of the streets. All wires were attached to a 10-pin cross arm. 25 feet from the ground. In addition to the telephone equipment, the pole carried a street light circuit on a 2-pin arm at the top of the pole and a head guy from an adjacent pole, attached eight feet from the ground, The employee did not make any tests of the pole before he climbed it and as he released the last of the three wires spanning from the east, the pole fell with him to the ground He was seriously injured. An inspection after the accident showed the pole to be completely rotted at the ground line. Had the injured employee tested this pole, according to-standard safety practices, before he climbed it, he would have dis covered its condition and arranged to have the pole made safe before doing any work on it. What We Did About It While the lessons learned as a result of this accident were important, it was not the first rime such an accident had occurred; likewise, it was not the first time we real ized that pole falling accidents should be prevented. All will agree that one of the most seri ous types of accidents in pole using com panies is that involving poles which break and fall while men are working on them. With a man strapped to such a pole by his body belt and safety strap, there is little 648 29th National Safety Congress he can do co protect himself and he is usually seriously if not fatally injured. I know of some instances where men "rode the pole to the ground" and were unin jured, or only slightly so, but such case* arc in the minority. Following the investigation of this acci dent and after reviewing the reports and investigations of previous similar accidents, we arrived at the conclusion that it was not sufficient that our people be familiar with the practice of testing poles at the ground line, because a reasonably sound pole might be subjected to so great an unbalance overhead, as to break off. Such failures could )k* caused by strains resulting either from the weight or movements of the man on the pole or from attachments which he was placing or removing. type of accident has been reviewed with our people by means of the model equipment, wc have not had a pole fall od which a man was working in over four years. The equipment used in our original lab oratory model has been varied by other Bell System Companies who later built boards, to develop other features which tended to broaden the use of the model equipment One company adapted It to show' how electric shock soddenIs occur; another added the ladder accident feature. The model is portable and permits the instructor to carry' it to locations in the field where instructions to workmen are to be given. It is so constructed as to permit the dupli cation of almost any of the plant conditions which might arise in discussion, ft may also be used to demonstrate the theory of Realizing the difficulty in attempting to guying, as well as other pole line problems. present our problem in words alone, we con In addition, it contains the necessary appa cluded to develop model equipment and re ratus Tor the reproduction of electric shock produce pole line conditions as well as acci accidents. dents involving failing poles, in miniature, for classroom instructions. Electric Shock Accident Auer perfecting the Pole Safety Dem onstration Unit, in the fall of 1936, we gave demonstration courses of four hours each to all of the 2,000 men in our outside forces. In addition, we included our engineers, all levels of supervision, and any other of our people who might have occasion to climb jKvleS. Open wire was bring replaced with cable. In one span, two, 3-wire, 220 volt service drops crossed under the telephone lead. At the direction of the chief foreman of con struction who inspected the job before the work was started, the telephone suspen sion strand was placed near the top of the 30 foot pole nearest the crossing in order These courses were planned on a district basis in company offices and on company time. The average class was made up of 15 men consisting of a complete line gang, a few Installers, repairmen, splicers and plant engineering forces. to provide the greatest possible clearance. In addition, the strand was pulled somewhat tighter than usual. These precautions provided sufficient clear ance to permit the lineman ringing the Strand, to ride over one of the three wire service drops. As he approached the oilier electric service drop, however, it was found This was done, first, to eliminate the neces that clearance between the strand and these sity of taking too many men from a force at ' secondary wires was not sufficient for him one time and jeopardizing the job; and sec to ride over it. The head lineman in charge ond, to have each of the groups obtain of the work, obtained a 28 foot extension and understand the viewpoints of other ladder, placed it under the strand 10J4 feet crafts. It also stimulated more discussion from the crossing and used it to raise the among those present. strand two feet, 10 inches above the drop. We feel that the pole safety demonstra tions in our company were effective in di recting the attention of our employees to the many observations affecting their own -safety, which they could make before climb ing a pole. Up to July, 1936, we averaged about throe falling pole accidents each year. Since this The lineman then started to ride over the service drop, placing the rings as he went He had succeeded in passing his left foot over the three wires, which were on a level, and had lifted his right foot over the first two. In some manner, his right foot came in contact with the third wire. The head lineman cut the wire with a tree trimmer and the lineman in the cable car, fell to Public Utilities Section 649 the ground. Artificial respiration was started immediately but the employee failed to re spond. Uncman was wearing a heavy* leather glove on his right hand, but his left hand, with which he was grasping the suspension strand when his foot came in contact with the service drop, was bare. Weatherproof ing on the service drop was badly deterior ated. TUESDAY AFTERNOON SESSION' October 8,1940 Presentation of National Safety Council Awards in the Public Utilities Section Safety Contest Outstanding (acts in the contest were presented by Mr. J. M. Oris, Director of Safety, Public Service Corporation. Newark. N. J., and Chairman of the Contest Com mittee, Public Utilities Station, National Safety CoundL The enrollment of 176 companies in the 1939-1940 competition exceeded participa tion in any previous competition. The Thir teenth Contest covered 172,406 employees who worked 353,394,148 man-hours during the year. The average frequency rate for all con testants was 9.79. Combination gas and elec tric companies had the lowest rates, averag ing 800; straight gas companies, had the highest rate*, averaging 1234. Frequency rates increased tn comparison with the previous competition, averaging 7 per cent higher. While the increase among gas and electric companies was only J per cent, the average rate for straight gas com panies was up 12 per cent. Middle sized organizations--Group B in each division--had the worst records, on the whole, in the Contest Small organizations trt each division, gen erally had the best results in comparison with the previous competition. Thirteen companies went through the contest without a single reportable injury. Tlie presentation of awards was made in the name of the National Safety Council by Mr. Roy M. Godwin, Director of Safety, Philadelphia Electric Companv, Philadelphia, Pa. The awards in the contest consisted of Trophies, which were handsome Bronze Plaques illustrating an eagle in flight and the Universal Safety Emblem, which were given to winners of first place in the vari ous contest groups; and Certificates of Merit, consisting of handsome lettered scrolls, which were given to winners of sec ond and third places. In the lists below, winners of first place are indicated by the numeral (I), and of second and third places bv the numeral (2) and <3) respectively. Combination Gas and Electric Dhnsiou Group A 1. Virginia Electric and Power Co., Richmand. Va., 3,945,582 hours, 6 injuries. 2. Wisconsin Public Service Corp,, Mil waukee, Wis., 3,050,206 hours, 8 injuries. 3. Wisconsin Power and Light Co., Mad ison, Wis., 3,364,725 hours. 10 injuries Group B 1. Pennsylvania Edison Co., Altoona, Pa., 1,586.916 hours, 2 injuries. 2. Southwestern Gas & Electric Co.. Tex arkana. Ark.-Tex. 1,286.952 hours, 3 in juries. 3. Central Illinois Light Co., Peoria, M,, 2,288,190 hours, 7 injuries. Group C * I. Fitchburg Gas 8c Electric Light Co., Fitchburg, Mass^ 358,454 hours, no injuries. I. Leominster Electric Light 8c Power Co., Leomfaster. Mass.. 153.328 hours, no injuries. 1. Moncton Electricity 8c Gas Co.. Ltd., Moncton, N. B,, Canada, 116312 hours, no injuries. 1. Athol Gas and Electric Co.. Athol, Mass.. 95,891 hours, no injuries 650 29th National Safety Congress 1. Wachusett Electric Co.t Clinton, Mass., 91,150 hours, no injuries. Electric Diz'tsioti Group A 1. The Ohio Public Service Co., Cleve land, Ohio, 2,691,185 hours, 8 injuries. 2. The Toledo Edison Co., Toledo, Ohio, 3,455,054 hours, II injuries. Group C 1. Fail River Gas Works Co., Fall River, Mass., 501,930 hours, 3 injuries. 2. Lynchburg Gas Company. Lynchburg, Va., 148,528 hours, I injury. 3. Columbia Gas & Electric Corp., Bing hamton Group, 586,053 hours, 4 injuries. 3. Duquesne Light Co., Pittsburgh, Pa., 7,046,693 hours, 27 injuries. Grout" B 1. Nebraska Power Company, Omaha, Xebr., 1,806^372 hours, 4 injuries. 2. Kansas Gas and Electric Co., Wichita, Kan., 2,147,424 hours, 5 injuries. 3. Public Service Company of Oklahoma, Tulsa. Okla., 1.380,953 hours, 4 injuries. Group C Honorable Mention Certificates The following companies had the best noinjury records among those submitting re ports in accordance with Contest Rule 19 which provides "Honorable Mention Certifi cates will be awarded in each group to the winner, not a Trophy Winner having the greatest continuous man-hours of exposure without a reportable injury during the period of the contest." 1. Gulf Power Company, Pensacola, Fla., Combination Gas 6r Electric 487.527 hours, no injuries. Group A 1. Edison Light & Power Co., York, Pa., Philadelphia Electric Co., 1,021,700 con 460.913 hours, no injuries. tinuous injury-free man-hours. ). Quincy Electric Light and Power Co., Quincy, Mass.. 241,046 hours, no injuries. l. Xewport Electric Corp., Newport, R. I., 215.034 hours, no injuries. 1. Canada Electric Co., Ltd., Amherst, N. S., 105,965 hours, no injuries. 1. Granite State Electric Co., Lebanon, N. H. . 141,446 hours, no injuries. 1. Kaministiquia Power Co., Ft. William, Oni . Canada, 136,133 hours, no injuries. 1 Department of Utilities, Fremont, Ncbr . 126,873 hours, no injuries. Gas Division Group A 1. Columbia Gas & Electric Corp., Colum bus Group, 6.256,760 hours, 11 injuries. 2. Hope Natural Gas Co., Pittsburgh, Pa., 4,277,586 hours, IS injuries. 3. The Peoples Natural Gas Co., Pitts burgh, Pa., 3,357,291 hours. 15 injuries. Group B J. The Dallas Gas Co., Dallas, Texas I, 180,432 hours. 3 injuries. 2. Manila Gas Corporation, Manila, P. I., 1.564,722 hours, 4 injuries. 3. The St Louis County Gas Co., St. Louis.. Mo.. 878,489 hours, 4 injuries. Group B Central Illinois Light Co., 963,318 con tinuous injury'free man-hours. Group C Missouri Public Service Corp, continuous injun^free man-hours. Electric Group A 493,717 Duquesne Light Co., 2,334,558 continuous injury-free man-hours. Group B Kansas Gas & Electric Co., 611,256 con tinuous injury-free man-hours. Group C Kansas Power Co., 365,615 continuous injury-Tree man-hours. Gas Group A Hope Natural Gas Co., 1,292,022 continu ous injury-free man-hours. Group B St. Louis County Gas Co., 437,028 con tinuous injury-free man-hours. Group C Columbia Gas & Electric Corp., Bing hamton Group, 260,217 continuous injuryfree man-hours. Public Utilities Section 651 Pole Top Resuscitation Developments By W. R. SMITH Safety Engineer, Electric Department, Public Service Electric A Gat Company, Newark. New Jersey; and Chairman, Accident Prevention Committee, Edison Electric Institute, Public Utilities Section National Safety Council In the March, 1939, Issue of the Edison Electric lnstitmte Bulletin a paper which was presented by Mr. . \V. OeMcrreich. of the Duquesne Light Company, entitled "The Pole Top Method of Resuscitating Linemen After Electric Shock," the following para graph appeared: "The Accident Prevention Committee Edison Electric Institute regards with mud) interest this method for giving artificial respiration to a lineman while on a pole and congratulates the Duquesne Light Company' and Mr. Oesterrcich for this contribution iu the field of resuscitation and on that which has been accomplished so far through the ue of this technique. The shortening of the time to the starting of resuscitation is the vitally important consideration. The results of a more extended experience with the method will be studied -with iniere.st" Essentially the same paper was presented at the Public Utilities Section and will be found recorded in the Transactions of the 29th National Safety Congress. In making this report today 1 consider that I am making a progress report, as the -peria] representative of the light and power croap on year Executive Committee. I wish !< preset this in three aspects * Cl) Record to Date Our experience to date will need to be reported from a qualitative standpoint in larpc dean* a complete quantitative data not is load During the past year there ha bees evidence of an ever increasing in terest in the pole top technique, there hav ing hetu taaar sDqmries for information on the iTwtkud and for copies of instructions that could be Mrd jo training men. Among the iiiipiwr i represented on the Accident Prmotnt Committee ELI. a large ma jority report ttet trxkmtg in the method is being given to Socmen. Mr. Ounmidi in his report referred to 16 rajor in wjurk the Pole Top Method had been taei, wkfc %mcccss at 14 of these. Reporting on the matter of cases T find that nnr E.E.I. data pertaining to Edison Medal awards shows three successful cases since Mr. Oesterrcich made his report and 1 personally know of two others that are on their way and another case on which appli cation for medal has not yet been made. Here we have therefore 22 cases with 20 of them successful. From statements made to me by members of the Accident Prevention Committee and others to whom I addressed inquiry*/ I have information to the effect that of 34 in stances in which this method has been used 25 were successful. In my own opinion these figures are below the actual ones if we had all the information. It is important to report that no instances have come to my attention of any cases in which the men giving such aid have been reported to have experienced shocks them selves and at no time has there appeared in the reports of cases any `-taiemcnU on the part of doctors or others that would even suggest that the victim had been bruised in anv respect by' the resuscitation procedure. (2) Fundamental Considerations It is unfortunate that, from the early an nouncements concerning the pole top tech nique there should have been formed in the mind of anyoqe the impression that here was some new resuscitation method that was being proposed and which might do harm to our recognized standard Schafer method. It is my impression, however, that it is now understood that the principles of the Schafer method arc being made available by this technique to the unfortunate victim of shock when he is in a position where he can not quickly be placed in 2f prone position. And the victim docs not necessarily have tr be on a pole; he may be in a boiler in be* tween tubes and in such a position where many* minutes would inevitably' elapse be fore he could be taken to a place where he could be laid down in (he conventional posi tion. There is already on record a gas poison ing case in which one of two victims, on 652 29th National Safety Congress losing consciousness, slumped down between the edge of a bath tub and the wall in such a way that he could not be readily and quickly extricated. This individual's life was saved by an ambulance driver, to whom information on this method had been im parted by an employee of one of our light and power companies. But the most inter esting aspect of this case is that the em ployee had never been trained himself, be ing in the underground department, but had observed the training being given to line men. Now as to the real justification for action so prompt as is made possible by tills tech nique on a pole. In his discussion of Mr. Oestcrrcich's paper last year, Dr. Cecil K. Drinker, Dean and Professor of Physiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, reemphasized the fundamental relationship of time to the victim's chances of being resuscitated. Up to three minutes there is little loss of ability to resume respiration and the chances are therefore good that ef forts of resuscitation will be successful. After 13 minutes this latent ability- of the individual to respond is in general gone and our hopes are gone too. But wc work on until the evidence of this is beyond all doubt ami convincing. Let us see what an examination of the E.E.l. record show's as to the periods of time within which resuscitation was started in these cases where the Prone Pressure method was employed with success, such >ucccss having been duly attested to, to gether with all pertinent data. f personally examined and tabulated the data from the 21 cases acted on by the Com mittee of Judges of the E.E.I, Prize Awards Committee from January 1st, 1938, to the present, and the average of the elapsed time to the starting of resuscitation was \x/i min utes. In no case did the time to starting of resuscitation exceed three minutes. In all but five cases the time was two minutes Or less. The length of time over which resusci tation had to be continued before revival was effected seemed to bear no particular relationship to the time before resuscitation. Now what docs this mean? Emphatically that the majority of the successful cases will be found to have been started within the three minute period emphasized by Dr. Drinker. In weighing the relative merits of the pole top technique and a welt studied and perfected procedure for lowering the victim in the shortest possible time and performing resuscitation on the ground, it seem> not amiss to direct thought to the consideration that when the actual experience confronts us many factors can influence the realiza tion of such short periods of time for lower ing, and on which we are counting strongly for success. And it seems to me that all of our experiences and certainly our under standing of the physiological aspects would suggest that even with such perfected lowering procedure I would wish to give the victim every chance and therefore give him aid as quickly as possible and then carry on from there. And to this point of view Dr. Drinker gave support in his comments above referred to. and which I have found also to be held by Dr. H. B. Wiliams of Columbia and Dr. \V. B. Kouwenhoven of Johns Hop kins. men also prominent in the field of sci entific investigation with which we are con cerned. Returning now to the questions of danger to the rescuer and to the rescued it has not appeared to those in the light and power field who have studied this entire matter thoughtfully and who have in turn been guided by the opinions of physiologists and medical men that there is any greater cause for anxiety in this regard than in connection with many another aspect of our work. There is. it would appear, no greater risk to be run by the rescuer with safety to him self when lie goes up to give pole top resuscitation than when he goes to make the usual rescue which involves freeing the vic tim from the circuit if necessary and mak ing all arrangements for lowering him. And there is an aspect of this that it seems to me has not heretofore been stressed sufficiently. Shortly after we received our first instruc tion in this method from the linemen of the Philadelphia Electric Co. who had previ ously been instructed by the men of the Duqucsne Light Company, we prepared an outline of procedure for our field forces, in order to completely relieve the rescuing group from the urge for haste which would necessarily exist if the victim's chances de pended on how soon he reached the ground, wc established a minimum of 50 respira tions to be given to the victim before he was to he lowered. At 12 respirations per min- Public Utilities Section 653 ute this gives a period of slightly over four minutes. If everything is then in readiness and Ihe state of the victim does not justify continuing with the Pole Top Method he is lowered. In general the time will more probably be five minutes or more, depending upon pole conditions. The advantage of this procedure in casing the strain on the men and lessening the likelihood of accident will lie apparent, bat recently it was shown to have another very fundamental value. Dr. Yandell Henderson of YaW, one of the- leading authorities in this field of invoiigation. has called attention in his writ ing* and especially in bis "Adventures in shown to be slightly less for the Pole Top Method which indicates the ef fectiveness of the Pole Top Method. Dr. Kouwenhoven presents a record of a Schafer Prone Pressure test, which in re sponse to my inquiry he has stated is iden tical in important aspects with that made on the Pole Top investigations. This record dwnvs clearly the 1$ to 20 seconds period of apnea and cessation in normal breathing following about four and one-half minute* of efficiently given artificial respiration. Ft is, therefore, obvious that after such a period with all in readme>$, the 15 to 20 seconds time for lowering the victim is not Respiration" to the state defined as apnea- likely to lessen the chance of recoverywhich cxit5 when there has been a sufficient Whether or not it is desirable to lower just In-riod of over-breathing which has increased the concentration of oxygen in the blood and m* diminished the concentration of car bon dioxide that the respiratory organs in the brain were not stimulated to activity. Under this state, normal breathing ceases for a brief time, presently to be resumed when the carbon dioxide concentration builds hi that time is a matter of good judgment on the part of all concerned and it is believed that well trained men can be depended upon to do what is best. If the working condi tions are bad lowering as soon as possible is no doubt indicated. I f conditions are fa vorable and at the expiration of the five minute period the victim is beginning to up and agam produces the stimulus. When show signs of recovery', the pole top resus "corwao*** subjects submit to artificial citation might he carried on uninterruptedly respiration which is efficiently performed for a longer period. ihU period of apnea is shown in the rec At all times it must lie remembered that ord* made of the movement of air in and the rescuer is working in a very abnormal out of the hmg*. manner ami that fatigue will come more In ihi> connection 1 am privileged to re fer tv> a paper which will be presented on Friday. October 11th at the Middle Eastern District Meeting of the American Infinite quickly. Relief is not easily given him ex cept by lowering the victim. I have referred ro well trained men and to resuscitation effi ciently given. As we consider this mailer of or Electrical Engineers by Drs. W. B KnunmlwvnL D. R. Hooker and O. R. l-anjcworthy. all of The Johns Hopkins Uni versity. entitled "A Comparison of the Rela tive Efficiency of the Schafer and Pole-Top risk to the rescuer wc should recognize that the pole top technique is not a procedure to be undertaken by other than trained per sonnel. The Accident Prevention Committee has laid emphasis on the importance of thi* Methods of Artificial Respiration." 1 *hail not attempt to go into the detail of the in vestigation but am privileged, as a member of the Institute, of its Committee on Safeiv which sponsored this paper and because of the great fundamental interest that we have in this investigation to say the following. from the beginning. There is no greater service that can be rendered to this whole situation by all of you men of the Public Utilities Section than by earn ing forth the message that the adop tion and use of this method by field forces should only be after adequate training has (1) Both the Pole Top and Scliafer been received by at least one gang at the methods when correctly performed hands of those qualified to teach the are hown to be efficient and the ac tual volume of air used by their usc in a given time is comparable to the amount that the subject would method. Such a trained gang can then pass the instruction on to all the others. If I were privileged to leave only one thought with you it would be this, "adopt the pole breathe under normal conditions. (2) The time to move a given volume of air OO liters 1L -1000 cu. cm.) was top technique or not as your own system conditions and other procedure dictates, but if you do adopt it, carefully train and peri- 654 29th National Safety Congress odtcally drill your men in its principles and execution." Edison Electric Institute would undertake to receive reports on-cases of electric shock, Pole Top resuscitation can be seriously in order that the information that would harmful and those men who might live thus accumulate over a period of time because of its performance irrevocably af could be analyzed and conclusions reached fected by untoward experiences unless the that would be helpful to all concerned. The men who attempt its application are care- E.E.I. Accident Prevention Committee Itad fully trained before they undertake it. taken action to bring this about at its meet The Schafer Prone Pressure method ing in New York during the previous week, stands today in a position where it is not and Dr. Drinker's suggestion and proposal affected by any of these considerations. Pole ot form were welcomed. Top is making its way. Let there be no I made a preliminary report to your Ex stumbling blocks cast in its path by any un ecutive Committee at its meeting in Roanoke informed and untrained groups or individ last spring and am now pleased to report uals when there is information and instruc the appointment of a Resuscitation Review tion to be had for the asking at the hands Board of the Accident Prevention Com of those who have the knowledge and the mittee E.E.I., which will receive and review experience. all reports on important electric shock case* As concerns an}' likelihood of injury to which come to its attention as the result of the victim by the technique, it is my opinion procedure already set up and now beginning that this is no greater if as great as the to function. danger from the Prone Pressure method, The personnel of this board is ooe of all conditions being equal. Dr. Drinker which we can all feel proud and I am glad mentioned this aspect of the matter in his of this opportunity to express our apprecia comments last year, especially when a tion to each and every one of these men powerful man worked on a relatively thin from the fields of medicine, physiology and one over a long period of time, but gave it our own industrial ranks who have offered as his opinion that such was unlikely, espe their services. cially within the length of time that such resuscitation would be given and which would probably not exceed 10 minutes. During recent years we have noted the emphasis that has been placed on the avoid ance of too great pressure in the Prone Pressure method. Men are cautioned not to drop cm the victim with any violence, and not to return to the "rest" position by a sudden thrust against the victim. Here again, training is of the very- essence of the whole matter and the experience among linemen who regularly practice the method lias shown nothing that would constitute an argument against its use. It is my under standing that this point of view is con (Personnel of this Board is given below.} The fullest cooperation on the part of ail concerned is solicited and the Outline of Purposes and Procedure of the Board and forms for reporting may be obtained from E.E.T. headquarters. Any efforts that can be put forth by the members of this section in bringing this matter to the attention of the proper rep resentatives of light and power companies, electric associations and others who can contribute through rendering reports will be greatly appreciated and will further the work of investigation that the E.E.I. Acci dent Prevention Committee has initiated. sistent with the results of Dr. Kouwenhoven's recent investigation and in the re Personnel of port on which there is no mention of this at Resuscitation Review Board all, in spite of his having worked with a number of subjects of varying physical characteristics. Chairman--Dr. H. B. Williams, Dalton Professor of Physiology, Columbia Univer (3) Case Review Procedure sity. Dr. Cecil K. Drinker, Dean and Professor It will be remembered that at the October of Physiology, Harvard University. 19th racering of this section. Dr. Drinker suggested in the closing remarks of his dis cussion that it would be very heloful if the Dr. W. B. Kouwenhoven, Dean of School of Engineering, The Johns Hopkins Uni versity. Public Utilities Section 635 Dr. C H. Watson, Medical Director of American Telephone and Telegraph Com pany, New York. Dr. Hart E. Fisher, Chairman of Health Committee, Public Utility Section, Na tional Safety Council. Dr. Yandell Henderson, Laboratory of Applied Physiology, Yale University. Dr. R. R. Sayers, Director, United States Bureau of Mines, Washington, D. C Dr. Paul A- Neal, Acting Chief, Division of Industrial Hygiene, National Institute of Health. Washington. D. C Mr. E. \V. Oesterreich, General Super intendent of Distribution, Duqucsne Light Company. Mr. Wills Maclachlan. Consulting En gineer, Toronto, Canada. Mr. Ralph A. Bloomsburg. Niagara Hud son Power Corporation, Albany. Mr. H. F. Webb, Chairman of Sub committee on Artificial Respiration, Penn sylvania Electric Association. Ex Officio--Mr. A. B. Campbell, Secre tary* Accident Prevention Committee. Ex Officio--Mr. W. R. Smith, Chairman, Accident Prevention Committee. Mr. Pro and Mr. Con Discuss Safety Safety Enciaerr--L. P. HOFFMAN, and Foreman--J. J. BROWN. Florida Power and Light Company, Miami, Florida In preparing this dialogue it caturall)* follows that the operating procedures and engineering standards arc those in use by our company. Certain reference to types of orders in the dialogue are mentioned in abbreviated form. For instance, an Engi neering Order is an "EO " while a Work Authorization is a **WA** and an "ER" is an Expenditure Reqa&ticn. A "DA" is a Delivery Authorization, used to secure material from aa outside vendor on a Purchase Order previously issued- Atj "ER" covers expenditures in excess of $1,000, while a "WA" is for expendi tures up to that amount Engineer: "Good morning, Jim, how's the job going?" Foreman: "Not so hot" Eng.: "What's the trouble?" Foreman: "Everything seems to be going wrong. I have tried to lay this job out to finish up Tuesday night and 1*11 sure play hell doing it at this rate." Eng.: "What allowance do you tiave on your 'ER?' " Foreman: "That's just the trouble. Those damn engineers have an estimate on this job that no one can work to. You get a layout for a job like this, you Have all the wire, hardware aod other supplies you need, but labor and truck time is sure cut thin. Now. to add to the troubles of this job, you came along." Eng:, "Wait a minute. Where do jou get the idea 1 am going to add to your trouble? [ came out here to help you sf 1 can." Foreman: "Yes. J know, you fellou s do help. You see things that get past us notv and then, you give the men a lot of help. They* are an their toes because they know that the tools they work with are always subject to inspection and-- Say, wait a min ute Ticy, Red, what's the idea of putting that tic wire on that way. You know' better that than, coil those ends. Can't you sec there'?* a Safety man on the job?* Thai's the way it goes. No wonder a fellow get*; gray hair. Always have to keep your eves open. And this last bunch of 'Kium Sums,* arc the)* a headaclte?" Eng.: `Yes, but how about that remark of yours, that I was going to add to your troubles," Foreman: "Oh. that. Well, here I am trying* to finish this job by Tuesday, going to need all the time I can get in, hoping that rains will not bother me, and then you come along. You'll want to inspect the truck and equipment, all the tools, the men will have to stop what they are doing. Now don't get me wrong, it's a good thing, but why in hell didn't you pick romc other job to come out on." Eng.: "That*- ukev with me, you know very well we never do anything to hold von up. On the other h^nd we try to help you. You said that the `ER* did not give uhj 656 29th National Safety Congress sufficient allowance for labor and vehicle?" Foreman: "That's right, they don't have any trouble measuring the distance of the run, counting crossarms. pins, insulators, braces and other hardware. So we always have enough material, but their idea of labor is something else. I did have one the other day that forgot to include a trans former for the job. I guess he thought I was going to run 4 KV right into the meter socket." Eng.: "Those pikes look like they could stand a little cleaning up. Why don't you leave them with Mac and take out another set?" Foreman: I'll take care of that in the morning." Eng.: "How come Red is only using two line hose and one hood up there?" Foreman: "That's all he needs." Eng.: "How about that hot phase right Eng.: "Say, didn't Woodie have part of in back of him? Also that head guy just this same job?" below his feet?" Fan-man: "Yea. he worked the other Foreman: "He don't Have to get that tar cud" over or stand on the guy." Eng.: "He had about the same mileage Eng.: "He could lean back and hit that a.-s you have, didn't he?" hot phase, perhaps step on the guy at the Foreman: "Yea." Eng.: "If I remember correctly, he had a two per cant underrun on his `ER/ You wouldn't be trying to beat hiTM would you?" Foreman: "Hell no, he got the breaks, same time. Did you stop and think just how much time you would lose U you liad an accident on this job? Here you arc fussing about the time this job is taking and then you let Red work up there in that position, taking a chance on having him hurt and that's ail. Only one comer pole (hat was really setting you back." bad. Ho cross over or jogs, and only very few junctions. If I come out with a two per cent overrun I'll be lucky. Then I'll have to write a letter explaining the overrun. Just because those engineers didn't give a large enough allowance." Foreman; "Oh, Red's a careful work man; he won't get into anything." Eng.: "No? Perhaps not, hot you must admit he could." Foreman: "Yes, he could." Eng.: "Have you been having this trouble Eng.: "It's not your habit lo let men on ah your jobs?" work that way, is it?" Foreman: "Ho, 1 usually come out about Foreman: "No, but he is all right," the same as the 'ER` or "WA.` Sometimes X Eng.: "Look here, Jim, let's look this have a small overrun or underrun." thing straight in the face. You are not Fug.: "Well, I'm not going to do any thing to hold you up on this job; however, let's just take a look around. Maybe I can help you some way." Foreman; "Okey, what do you want to look at? Want to go over the truck?" Eng.: "No, let's let that go, I am quite sure everything on the truck is in good shape. You always did keep a dean truckCan't recall when I ever had to 'write you up* for poor housekeeping. Your tools are always in good shape. You keep the heads ground down on chisels, you have good rope. By the way, did you get a new set of sleeve twisters to replace those that were shot? Remember the last time X inspected your truck I told you that they would not last much longer?" Foreman: "You bet, I changed those the nevt day. You know I'm Cor safety." kidding me one little bit First you figure you are going to have an overrun ou this job. Then you start cutting corners, trying to save time. One way you arc trying to save time is to cut down on the use of rub ber goods on the pole, am I right?" Foreman: "Well, maybe; but Red's all right." Eng.; "Sure, Red is all right neno. But you must admit he is in rather a hazardous position. And on top of that, Jim, you are not saving anything." Foreman; "What do you mean I am not saving anything? It takes time to put up rubber. That 'grunt? would have to earn* more rubber from the truck to the pole; he would have to take more time to send it up the pole; Red would take more time putting it in place; then when he finished it would take longer to dear the job and move to the next pole. How come I'm not saving time?" Public Utilities Section 657 Eng.: "Well, for instance, you say the take to it better and you will have fewer ground man would have to carry more rub gray hairs. ber goods from the truck. He looks like a "Now, let me point out several things to fairly huky fellow. I am quite sure he you. Down on that comer pole there should could carry' all he needs in one load, the be a rope mat on top of that blanket which same time that it took him to carry two ells is on top of that transformer. You should and one have three cone blankets on those j.D. in /\*ri'ifiun; ~Yc. that's right, but how al>out -coding >i up the pole and then putting it on?" ling.: "Sure, it will take a few minutes longer to .-end it up and perhaps a few rninuie* to put it on. But watch Red for a min ute. t.<>ok how he moves around up there. sulators, you should make those fellows put two hoods and two line hose on that street light series circuit we were talking about. "How come Meyers is not wearing gog-` gles ? The saw-dust or chips from that hole he is boring or the gain he is going to cut can get in his eyes. Always looking around back of him. Look, "Now, here on Red's pole, he should have see him glance down at his feet. Now that's a hood and an ell on that hot phase at his taking time. Not a few minutes time to put hack and also a line hose on that head guy. up proper protection but real time that's cut ting into your *ER.' That man's uneasy up there. He is losing time in his work because he is apprehensive of his position. He is losing time because he knows that one false move will really get him into trouble. He is not working with a mind flee and clear, ire*- from outside worries, and dear to think nhout the job at hand. "Take a look at those two fellows down on that next pole. They have twice the protection that Red has. Still they should have more robber materia] up that pole than thev* hate. Why not put an ell on that street light scries. Sore, I know you say its not hot. But you know as well as I do, and I know* you know that cm the slightest provo cation that relay will trip and energize that circuit Look at Meyers down there; he knows that circuit is cold, but look at him stretch over it That's taking time. There is where you arc losing it You are not saving time in cutting down on protection, but "If you will take the few minutes it will require to put up that protection, and see to it that it is followed out on this job, or on any job. I'll be willing to bet you a new* hat that not only will you be able to finish the job by Tuesday but (hat you will have an underrun on your 'ER-* "Remember, if you use plenty of rubber goods, day or night, you will never get burned" Foreman: "Yea, I guess you are right. Never quite looked at it that way. Sort of couldn't sec the forest for the trees." Eng.: "Well, Jim, think it over. When lunch time comes get the boys together and tell them why they should coil tie wires. Talk to Meyers about wearing goggles. Don't try to 'rawhide' the job, explain when you would like to finish. But let the boys know that you want everything 'covered up.* I know you don't want to have anybody hurt and I know you don't want the job to rather, you arc losing rime in not providing it. Watching pennies but losing dollars. "I noticed a while ago you hollered to Red about coiling the ends of tie wire. Did you ever take time to explain why the ends of tic wires should be coiled? Show the men how to roll a tie wire on rather than let the ends fly all over the place?" Foreman: "No, I just said that in putting on tic wires they had to coil both ends." run over. Well, Jim, think I'll be on my way. Don't want to hold you up, but re member what 1 said about *Tae new hat." Foreman: **Okey fellow, i'hartks a mil lion. Come baric any time and don't worry about holding me up. So-long and thanks again."-- "Hey, Red, drop down a little. That's good. Now get a couple of line hose up there on **B" phase. Put an ell on tliat head guy, too." Eng.: "That's a point you should cover. T am quite sure when you have an idea of any kind if you will take the trouble to ex plain why it's to be done, the fellows will "Meyers, where in hell arc your goggles? What are you trying to do, get hurt? Let's put a mat on that transformer. I sure want to talk to you fellows at lunch time." ADJOURNMENT Refrigeration Section Officers 1939-1940 General Chairman--A. A. Raix, Kansas City Power & Light Co., Kansas City, Mo. Vice-Chairman--Ivan L. Scott, Bureau of Safety, Inc., Chicago, UL Secretary--Emerson A. Brandt, National Association of lee Industries, Chicago, 111. Setvs Letter Committee--Jay Ai_an Reid (Chairman), Southwestern Ga* & Electric Co.. Texarkana, Ark.-Tex. S. R. Kaluns, C. Hoffbager Co., Baltimore, Md. j. F. Nickerson, American Institute of Refrigeration. Chicago, 111. W. H. Sexyard, Louisiana Power & Light Co., New Orleans. La. Engineering Commi7/<v--H. L. Lincoln (Chairman), The Union Ice Co., San Franci>co. Calif. Votaw Harrison, Gulf Oil Corp., Port Arthur, Texas. Fred Johnson, Southern United Ice Co.. Jackson, Miss Health Committee--0. E- Woods (Chairman), Central Power & Light Co.. Corpus ChrUli. Texas. C A. Under, Booth Fisheries Corp., Chicago, III. C. H. Meitk, Public Service Co. of Okla., Tulsa, Okla. Membership Committee--Eres S. Lusk (Chairman), Peter Eckrich & Sons, Inc.. Kala mazoo, Mach. T. A. Adams, Union Terminal Cold Storage Co.. New York. X. Y. Program Committee--T. \V. Rodes (Chairman), Carbide & Carbon Chemical* Corp., Whiting, Ind R. H. Brandow, City Ice & Fuel Co., Cleveland, Ohio. Dos* T. Lacey, Central Illinois Public Service Co., Springfield, 111 Publicity Committee--E. C. Barnes (Chairman), Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Co., East Pittsburgh, Pa. John Burke, Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Co., Sliaron, Pa. i'/ofulio Committee--T. S. Sfdlnn (Chairman), Carolina Power & Light Co., Rak'iqh. N. C Visual Education Committee--R. B. Oakley (Chairman), Chicago Ice Producers Mutual Liability Co, Chicago. IIL A. G. Henriksex, California Consumers Corp., Los Angeles*. Calif. H. D. Santoro, Peoples Ice Co. of Syracuse, Syracu-*c N. Y. past General Chairmen-- L. W. Dawixy, Southern United Ice Co., Jackson. Mis>. C. H. Harter. Southern United Ice Co., Jackson, Miss. Officers 1940-1941 General Chairman--A. A. Rall, Kansas City Power & Light Co., Kansas Ciiv, Mo. Vice-Cfuurma*--E&cr S. Lusk, Peter Eckrich & Sons. Inc., Kalamazoo, Mich. Secretary--Emerson A. Brandt, National Association of Ice Industries, Chicago, 111. bCeu's Letter Committee-- S. R. Kallins, C. Hoffbcrger Co., Baltimore, Md. J. F. Nickerson. American Institute of Refrigeration, Chicago. III. W. H. SewyaRD, Louisiana Power & Light Co.. New Orleans, La. 659 660 29th Xalioual Safety Congress Engineering Committee--H. L. Lincw.S' (Chairman), The Union lec Co.. San Frandsco, Calif. VoTAW Harrison, Gulf Oil Corp., Port Arthur, Texas. L. P. Reiss, Southwestern Gas & Electric Co., Marshall, Texas. Jlealth Committee--D. E. Woons (Chairman), Central Power Sc Light Col. Corpus Cbriiti, Texas. C. A. Linder, Booth Fisheries Corp., Chicago, 111. C\ H. Meyer, Public Service Co. of Oklahoma, Tulsa, Okla. Membership Committee-- T. A. Adams, Jr., Union Terminal Cold Storage Co., New York, N, Y. Program Committee--T. \V. Rooks (Chairman), Carbide & Carbon Chemicals Corp.. Whiting. Ind. U. H. Bkanoow, City Ice & Kuel Co., Cleveland, Ohio. Don T. Lacey, Central Illinois Public Service Co., Springfield, 111. Publicity Committee--E. C. Barnes (Chairman), Wcstinghousc Electric & Manniaeiiirim; Co.. East Pittsburgh, Pa. John Burke, Wcstlnghouse Electric & Manufacturing Co,, Sharon, Pa. statistics Committee Chairman--T. S. Shinn, Carolina Power Sc Light Co., Raleigh, N. C. I 'isuui Education Committee--R. B. Oakixy (Chairman), Chicago Ire Producers Mutual Liability Co., Chicago, 1(1. H. G. Henriksen. California Consumers Corp., Los Angeles, Calif. H. D. Sanyokd. Peoples Ice Co. ot Syracuse, Syracuse. N. Y. Past General Chairmen-- L. W. Dauhley, Southern United Ice Co., Jackson, Miss.* C. H. Harper, Southern United Ice Co., Jackson, Miss. MONDAY AFTERNOON SESSION October 7, 1940 The opening session was called to order h\ General Chairman A. A. Rail, Safety .Supervisor, Kansas City Power & Light Compam, Kansas City, Mo., who presided. The opening remarks of the Chairman dwelt briefly with activities of the Section during the past year, and with the work of some Standing Committees. Officers of the Section were elected, as listed elsewhere in this rec ord. The Chairman then introduced the first speaker. Hazards of Car Icing and Their Elimination ; me.) WRk^ortr. By R. C. LEDBETTER J v. ll" Manager, Safety Engneering Department, Texas Employers' Insurance Association, Dallas, Texas In this subject, as well as all other phases of safety engineering, the usual conception of safety is that of practical, every day horse sense. So, to my approach, I first sought an answer to the question "When should safety begin?" And it appears to me to be at the time the necessary equip- mrnf to do the icing job Is secured, and almost coincidentally with the employment of men to make use of it. In considering the employment problem more and more thought is being given to physical examinations, but numerically there is a long way yet to go. Many employers do not have physical examinations made at all; many have them made, and, having done Refrigeration Section 661 so, consider the job as done and make no further use of them, except as hie material; a comparative few make intelligent use of such examinations and the examination lee is made to earn its keep many over. The larger business organizations, with their personnel man or department, are usually in this latter group but the smaller organizations are too prone to plead lack of time, lack of 'knowledge, or expense of examinations, as an excuse. Yet, at the same lime they arc probably the very group who would best benefit by taking time or by acquiring knowledge of the cardinal IH?int.< to be observed in intelligent selection. (Croat the expense angle the average physi cal examination costs $240; the average her nia $35040 Q. E. D.) Xo human eye has yet developed the abil ity 10 see through clothing and flesh and determine whether a man has a potential or taken mto consideration is the tactical con dition of the employee. It is inviting disas ter to place either a low degree of intelli gence in a job requiring forethought and consecutive sequence planning or in placing one; otherwise sound, but with slow mental reactions, in a position demanding continued alertness and instant responses. Many acci dent prones are in this category' and their inability Co recognize potential accident mak ing situations, their faulty judgment of speed or distance, and sometimes their im pulsiveness {jumping at the job) cause a considerable percentage of the injuries to which they arc subject. Luckily (here are many readily recog nizable accident-prone types which can lx detected by the medical examiner. The epi leptic, the late syphilitic, the pre-seniJc, those suffering from high blood pressure, the feeble-minded, and the chronic alcohoho can be excluded from jobs where lack of a developed hernia. Xo superficial survey can detect high blood pressure or a defec tive heart. I have seen eyes, stone blind, that had all the appearance of perfect, nor mal eves. Only the physician can detect these and other conditions which may make it a dubious favor you are conferring by control may be a source of danger not only to themselves but to others. The ansuer to Mark Twain's remark about the weather finally reached the rail ways; and pullmans and passenger cars had after-thoughts swung beneath (heir floor*, in which several tons of ice are placed for employment. the purpose of temperature control. TIu>r For example, high blood pressure often bunkers open on both sides of the cars ami provokes spells of dizziness. Put together in some of them the doors are hinged at one employee u-ith high blood pressure, one the top, others at the bottom. These latter, high job on platform or car top, and one from an icing standpoint, are probably the dizzy spell, and you liave the makings of easiest to fill as the doors drop, leaving a one had accident. Again, take a potential wider opening; but from the railroad's stand hernia, pul him m an awkward position, throw a sudden strain on him and the dull pop of a rupturing peritoneum blows 350 point are not so safe. In one instance a bunker door on a chair car dropped down while the train was in motion and a wreck bucks down the river. How many times have E heard the remark after an accidental injury', *T had a hunch -1 should not have employed him, but I felt sorry for him/* was narrowly averted. At best all these bunkers are hard tu gu at and must be loaded by main strength and awkwardness with the attendant discomfort Thai's what I mean when T say you may confer a dubious favor on a man by em ploying him for a job he may be physically of cold and wet clothing. A potential her nia here is most likely to become a realio Slips and falls, bumped heads and upper incapable of performing. parts of the body, particularly against iUom- Susceptibility to hernia often dates back to birth and in approximately one man in five the normal closure of rings does not rake place. By way of comment, many of iliee potential hernia conditions need not be a bar to any job it the person affected has knowledge of the condition and takes pro tective measures, one of which is learning how to lift properly--and (hen remembers it. Another pre-employment hazard seldom doors which lift op, ice ems and scratches, abrasions from doors and doorway opening*, and perhaps a serious injury from a dropjxd door striking the head or the small of the back; present the major hazards. These arc complicated by the mandatory speed with which the job muse be done in order that no unnecessary delay my occur to th? train. Let's begin with the arrival of (lie (rain 662 29th National Safety Congress which finds the icing crew on hand, a loaded hand truck approximately in position where the car is to stop. Right here is where cooperation between train crews and loaders is demanded. As the train slows, the hand truck is jockeyed into position, and as it stops the latches of the bunker doors arc tripped and the doors opened. less noise, a desirable feature when night loading is performed. Personal injuries such as bruised heels, ahrased or bruised amide* or shins, when the kick misses or slips off-- this latter injury' easily* can become very serious as you welt know, and tbe off-bal ance slips and falls are by-products. Pro vide a hammer and insist on its use. A rapid survey determines the number of blocks which the bunker will take. Usually this means that the parti)' melted blocks in (he bunkers must be pulled or at least .shifted about and the loaders must literally dive tnto the ice cold water to perform this task. Half in and half out and wholly at the mercy of the train crew, who if the)* Hand and arm protection is a big problem. Most loaders prefer (o work bare-araed instead oi enduring the discomfort oi vet sleeves. Injuries to the arms are tuaQjr m the nature of cuts and scratches. The ody suggestion here is prompt attention to tbo* skin breaks. Some loaders wear rubber gloves, but most of them work with no inadvertently or thoughtlessly move the car hand protection. There have recently been can cause serious injury, the loaders make mom for the re-supply* Then, to their feet, grab a block, heave to the door's edge, placed on the market inexpensive gkwT* made of rubberized fabric which a nader of men say are very satisfactory. They get >pfash and a geyser of ice water shoots out, repeat until full--all of this on the passen ger dock side. wet through and through, bed they <k> summtze the cold and they con very Estrfr. hence, can be replaced often. Hut there are bunkers on the opposite side to load, too; so, hurriedly closing the doors, seeing that the safety catches are secure, a chute is slid under the car,--and there is only one place it will pass under--blocks arc passed across the tracks and the bunker loading repeated with the added complica tion that the level from which this is ac complished is invariably higher or lower than (he dock side Add poor lighting con ditions and it is easy to understand why many of these loaders luve a poor opinion about this work. However, let's take some of these hazards in order and see if we can find a means of combating them. Strains and hernias can he largely avoided by proper selection and training of employees. Slipping can be mini mized by proper footwear--this remedy will to a large degree also assist in eliminating (he serious bumping--against injuries. Cuts, scratches, and abrasions will respond to first aid. The only remedy for a falling door-is to make sure that those which raise are se curely locked open. With the present highly efficient battery lights available the poor lighting conditions can be ameliorated. There is a public hazard in comccme with this job which is serious and caa U* very costly. The hand trucks, of courw drip water on the passenger docks and. m the process of leading, small pirce- and chips of ice fall to the floor. Alfo. many passengers will attempt to pas< between the truck and the car. Should one of thrw passengers slip and falL the talc of \cwr bankroll may hang on the opinion of a trial jury. This hazard can be largely avoided by cleaning up after the loading and by al lowing only sufficient working room between car and hand truck. There have been a ft"" cases in which the bed of the hand truck is made up as a shallow* tank with a dram pipe and a hose carried to the edge or tbr dock. This, however, provides a stumbling liazard, but perhaps is the terser of two evils. It has been suggested that a dram pan under the truck would solve the problem of drippings--to be emptied a* a part of the clean up program after the loading ts ac complished. Improvement In the design of bunkers will eventually come, of course, but at present each icing location presents particular prob lems that will respond only to individual There is one particular liazard, that of study*. Cooperation with railway employees kicking safety latdics open or closed with is absolutely mandatory. Good equipment the heel. This practice should be discour property maintained should be provided and aged and a heavy rubber hammer provided only crews who have been trained to work wub which to loosen these often stubborn together should be used. Employee replace safeguards. The rubber hammer also makes ments should be made from physically and Refrigeration Section 663 mentally selected men and supervision vested only in careful, considerate, foremen, who will sec they are adequately broken in. In supplying ice-to dining cars it appears to be common practice to toss 12^4-pound pieces from the truck to a man on top of the car. The principal danger here is from failure to catch one of the pieces and from slipping of the man on the car top. I don't know what's to be done about it other than to perform the operation with as much pre cision as possible and to attain speed by steady prosecution rather than by ''haste." It goes without saying the men doing this job should be physically capable. Quick frozen products have been tossed into our laps in very recent times. The usual hazards of extremely low tempera ture-. the problem of extra employees workrag for short periods, and the speed of fcwitmg demand careful planning and prepa- Hands and feet numbed by temprraterrs of 10 degrees or lower can suffer without men being conscious of thrw Slow or stopped circulation is pro-irae*vc >f gangrenous conditions, difficult .,w without amputation. Suitable cloth- *ur body protection and woolen gloves *r*-r-r h*rh are worn heavy* rubber gloves w n pnjfrct hand* against braises and cold. V *4 protection can be had by rubber boots >uri.onTh large to allow* the wearing of -evcral pairs of socks, one of which prefer ably -honk! be of wool. For hand protection one company I know* procure condemned linesmen's rubber gloves. The small solidly frozen cartons are apt to have glass-hard and razor-sharp pro jections and edges which rapidly cut and de stroy any hand protection, but these rubber gloves have, with this company, given the best service of all means tried. The installation of chutes or conveyors wherever possible will assist in reducing in juries occasioned by tossing smaller pack ages from man to man in loading out car load lots. Supervision to the Nth degree is compulsory* in this situation. Employ ment of many extras presages a large turn over in labor. Speed in handling is demanded by the nature of the product where a sharp rise in temperature means total loss. In point of newness the servicing of longhaul vegetable trucks with crushed ice is die infant of the icing family. These Uuck> usually run in groups and hauling perish ables, as they do, can't afford avoidable de lays. This calls for heavy duty, high speed crushers. The hoppers must be designed for safety and for ability to be fed quickly. Discharge bias must avoid rough spots and projections on which the scoop may hang It may be necessary to change or re-dcsign platforms to reduce public liability* hazard.-* or to allow spotring of trucks in position for safe and economical loading. At one plant 2,000 pounds of tee was crushed and loaded by two men in 8 minutes. It is good practice for .these truck group* to give advance notice of the approximate time of arrival at icing points and of the number of trucks and probable amount of ice required by each. WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON SESSION October 9,1940 Safe Practices in Refrigeration of Breweries By B. L. KIERNAN Chief Engineer, Jackson Brewing Co., New Orleans, La. The brewing industry has become one of the nation's largest users of refrigeration. The industry relies upon the regulation of temperatures for the control of its product. The start of the process is by the appli cation of steam to convert the grain to liquids and to change the starch of the grain into sugar; continuation of the application of steam and heat concentrates the process; further use of steam is for purposes of sterilization and cleaning. Immediately upon the completion of the conversion and concentration process, re frigeration is applied and from thence after- OW 29th \'attonal Safety Congress uarti, to the final consumption of the beer refrigeration is the controlling factor. With few exceptions all breweries are equipped with plants using anhydrous am have an unqualified person select that per sonnel in preference to selection by the person trained in engineering. monia as the refrigerationg chemical. It is a highly volatile substance having an alka linity, very nearly caustic having the ability to digest copper and copper alloys (such as brass and bronze) and has the same effect on aluminum, zinc, etc. It has a high af finity for water; one volume of water at 60 degrees fahrenheit will absorb about 15 volumes of ammonia. This chemical will develop pressures of from five pounds per square inch to 210 pounds per square inch in normal operation in a brewery. The exposure of any part of the human body to anhydrous ammonia results in pain, to a greater or lesser degree. If the tender membrane of nasal passages is affected, a terrifying, burning sensation *. experienced. Tf the membrane of the throat or laiynx is affected a desire to gasp for more air is the natural result; if this happens to the subject in a confined place and the ammonia gas is taken into the lungs, the subject may lose control of his faculties and become panic stricken. Installation of, Equipment Many serious accidents can be traced to faulty* installation jobs. Misalignment of compressors has caused stresses to develop in places where they are least expected, and since it is generally considered that the machine was properly installed, a check up on alignment is only made when other mean* fall to disclose the trouble, usually, a tier someone has been seriously injured. When hangers are installed they should be calculated for safe working stresses with a good measure allowed for corrosion when they are used for evaporator? made up of black piping. We in New* Orkuis have all hangers in our cellars galvanized and find that it saves many dollars in cleaning and repairs. Materials which are produced by manufac turers of ammonia equipment are the only kind that should be used and great care should be taken to check into the reliability of the manufacturer. Loss of direction will cause the subject to invariably waste any oxygen reserve he may be able to retain and result in uncon sciousness. The eyes are in great danger from the lTcct> of exposure to ammonia. When so exposed, there is a natural flow of fluid, or tears, which absorb large quantities of ammonia, which change in chemical compo So pressure vessel should be installed un less it meets the requirements of the A. S. M. E- Code for unfired pressure vessels, and hears the symbol of the A. S. M. E. and inspector's number. A pressure vessel so marked guarantees the highest type of work manship and safety which can be put into a vessel and guarantees that it is the proper vessel for the work to be performed. sition to ammonium hydroxide; the effect is a decomposition of the transparent covering of the eyeball, and if not quickly and prop erly treated, will result in permanent blind ness. Maintenance In this branch there are hidden cau-r* of accidents. Selection of the Personnel So oiu- should be allowed to install, oper ate or maintain refrigerating equipment un less he is fully qualified by experience and has a sound knowledge of the principles of refrigeration. The installation, operation and mainte nance of refrigerating equipment should be under the supervision of a highly competent engineer, who should be given all the tools and supplies to do a good job and men of his own selection. It is folly to attempt to We have found that the continuous use of the same bolts, which have been tight ened and loosened a number of times, is a great hazard; gaskets which have been used too often take their toll in accidents and in a way you would not recognize. A tremendous force is exerted on a bolt by screwing a nut up tight. How tight? Well, give me a spud wrench and a piect of pipe and I will break your bolt. Some where between the contact at the nut and flange and the limit of. flexibility, or the yield point of the metal, is the sate work ing point tiefrigeraiion Section 665 LctV be safe, throw the old bolt away; a new bolt costs very little, an accident costs much. Every time vour man goes up a lad der to work on a leaking flange there is an exposure. A good repair job on an ammonia flange should last 40 years, if new bolts and gaskets arc used. If old bolts and gas kets arc used, who can say when you will be called back for repairs? Maybe in an hour another exposure, maybe another fre quency* Painting of the ammonia line a definite color is good practice. Training the person nel to have respect for an ammonia line is good practice. We train our men to always sxr an olcey from the assistant engineer on watch that the line is dear. Too many acci dent* are caused by the maintenance crew caking the work of someone else. In our plant the assistant engineer in charge of the watch i* the only one who can dear an amtxxeua line. We believe that only one man should handle that job and we hold him rc*pt*i*ibte. Since this rule has been in force wc have not had an accident from opening charged ammonia lines. Many major accidents have occurred from compressor heads being blown off. Usually this type of accident happens where the old style machines are still in use. I do not know of a single aeddent which involved the more modem machines having safety heads and safety valves. Usually the fault does not lie In the machine but can be traced to maintenance which may be at a very remote point and hundreds of feet from the ma chine. Et is my opinion that every moving part of the whole plant should be taken down for inspection and repair, as well as check ing, at least once each year. When coils are submerged in brine they should be inspected at least once each year. I emphasize the great necessity for a higher intelligence among the personnel of the engineering department of breweries. Our refrigerating systems are growing more complicated and we are applying principles of operation and maintenance to equipment which has advanced by leaps and bounds. Wc have lost the benefits of the apprentice training system, which so thoroughly equipped our men of the past generation in the art of operation and maintenance. We are increasing our frequency rate of accidents, which is our punishment for neg ligence on that point. It is my opinion that we should encourage the licensing of engineers who operate equip ment of the type under discussion and en courage trade schools where the technical information will be imparted to those who have the ambition to study. Good housekeeping is the greatest contri bution that man can offer to safety. A clean shop will be free from the disease we know as accidents. Above all places, the brewery should be the model for cleanliness and sani tation. Safe Practices in Dairy and Ice Cream Plants By E. G. QTJESNEE Director of Safety, The Borden Company, New York City In one of our large cities an ice cream driver, while serving a stop, was rearrang ing his load in his truck when the wind blew the door closed. This door could not be opened from the inside and because of the lowered temperatures from within, a life was lost. Jn another city the hardening room door was locked, not knowing that a man was on tltc inside. Since no provision had been made for his escape he had to remain until discovered sometime later. As a result he suffered severe disability because of ex posure. In still ajjotiier city the supports holding ice coils which had become overloaded with icc, gave way and in falling struck an em ployee. The result was another life lost. AH of these regrettable cases could have been prevented. In the case where a man was locked in his truck, the doors should be so equipped that they can be opened from within. This should be considered standard practice for all ice cream refrigerated trucks. 666 29th National Safety Congfesz In tlic second ca.se adequate alarm systems should be installed m all hardening rooms so that employee can advise others of his situation. Also an axe should be available so that he may chop his way out if neces sary. In the third case overhead coils should )>c defrosted at such intervals that excess jee will not accumulate, and further all hangers supporting coils should be regularly in spected to see (hat they arc substantial ami secure. lowed and also how easily tliey could have been prevented. The reason so many of us are having a hard time stopping accidents is that we are spending too much time causing them; dux is to say, we permit certain practices to coo* tinue which we know lead to accidents. Probably the reason far this is that we our selves experience few accidents but wc for get that we may be causing many accidents to other people. The prevention of accidents, as looked upon from an operating viewpoint, is after all a common-sense and practical way of doing work. Taking chances is usually go ing out o the way or disregarding normal practices. Therefore from this standpoint alone there should be little justification for Among the many things tliat cau<c u- to dismiss accident practices and causes at the moment, are expediency, familiarity or posi tion. We often feel we are privileged lo do things others should not do. This, of course, is not good business nor does it set good examples. permitting continuation of work habits When wc analyze accident causes we find which lead to both inefficiency and accidents. as a rule that most accidents arc the tcsuU Men working where it is cold should be properly dressed and likewise when handling dry ice their hands should be protected. Ammonia pipes and containers, aside from Iwing regularly inspected for leaks, should bo definitely marked so that inexperienced employees cannot easily make the mistake of turning the wrong valve. As a matter of precaution the re<Cue technique in case of accidents caused by ammonia should be thoroughly understood and men shou/d be taught the use of gas masks and know defi-, of cither improper work habits or wrong attitudes toward work. Both of these char acteristics can be corrected. During such correction wc learn a lot of things not only about the other fellow* but about ourselves as well. The one thing we ought to realize is that if we are to help people wc must leant to like them. Wc must also do things that will make people like us. This attitude cultivates a desire, and desire always pre cedes accomplishment. Another interesting observation is that niteij where they arc located. This also ap most people want to do right and further plies to emergency control valves. Housekeeping is important wherever ice is present and loose ice should be removed from floors just as quickly as possible. While trucks are being refrigerated at the plant, definite instructions should be issued so that truck will not be moved while iL is on die line. Ignition key should not be left in the Ignition lock and not carried by the operator. A good location for the key is the rear of the truck where operator can read ily set* whether or not truck is still con nected Wheels should be blocked and a rover placed over steering wheel Some trucks are now so equipped that when the rear door is open the ignition is automati cally cut off. When we stop lo think about these things it is surprising to see how easily accidents occur when working procedure is not fol it is just as easy to leam to do things right as it is to learn to do them wrong. These things being true wc can approach our accident prevention program with con fidence as there seems to be no longer a mystery connected with safety activities. There is a reason for work. There is also a reason as to how work diouM be done. When these things are understood and in telligently applied safety will be accepted as an operating problem.. Therefore it is no longer necessary to wait for accidents to occur in order to correct the conditions which cause them. There can be but one answer to all (he many questions as to how accidents can be prevented and that is under stand what we are doing, why we are doing it, be conscious and alert to our surround ings and skillful in our performance. Very few accidents ever result from such a com bination of events. Refrigeration Section 667 Safe Practices in Ice Plants By W. BRILEY WRIGHT Safety Director, Eastern Shore Public Service Co., Salisbury, Md. It seems to me perhaps the most good can come from discussing the A B C7s of ice plant safe practices. Yon know, frequently we become so interested in the advanced stages of accident prevention work that we forget the elementary things, which after all are the real causes of our accidents in the ice industry. In a review of the elementary things in accident prevention wc may find the reason for the unfavorable comparison oi this industry with other industries which statistics so clearly show. During ray investigations over recent months, I have been reminded of the follow ing conditions existing in the ice business: "Most ice plants arc small, have no com plete set of proper tools for maintenance work and take chances with tools on hand. Also, all maintenance is done by a lew all year around men, only part of whom are qualified for the work. ^ "Working tinder variable temperature conditions causes unfavorable muscular reaction resulting in accidents. "Frequent opening and closing of doors results in eventual carelessness m observ ance oi door hazards. "Ammonia gas. "The natural SLICKNESS of ice present in moMI pieces on our tanks, platforms, storage room floors, walks, etc., presents an unusual bazard- "Xo pride in the icc business by employees and supervisors results in indifference and carvles-snesa." I absolute!}* agree that all of the^c Itazards exist in our business; hut other indus tries have hazards in far greater numbers and importance and are aw*av ahead of the ice industry in eliminating accident*. In my search for information to present to you, 1 began checking our own accidents for the past four years*, from the beginning of 1937 through 1940 to dale. Our operations. I believe, are about on a par with the average group of small plants Wc operate in Maryland. Delaware and Vir ginia. The management has been sincere and active in providing all mechanical and personal safeguards. Periodic checks arc made to see that the protective equipment is in good order and is being used. Wc have a safety department with di vision safety supervisors who hold safety, meetings regularly in the territory* to which they* are assigned. All safety meetings are held on company time and attendance is part of the employee's job. Every employee 1ms a safety manual. In fact, immediately after employment the new employee spends his first day with the com pany reading the safety' manual and dis cussing it with his supervisor. The person nel department notifies the division safety supervisor in the area where the new em ployee is located so this supervisor can, as soon as possible, spend some time with the new employee, going over the manual and stressing the importance of safely from all angles. In spite of what I call an average, or per haps better than average, safety set up, wc had 39 accidents in our refrigeration depart ment during the 1937-1940 period: 21 of these accidents resulted in loss of time. I azn not far wrong when 1 make the statement that all of these accidents could have beat prevented by observing safety rules. Most of them would never have hap* pened had the employee used the simplest principles of self-protection, such as common sense, forethought, good housekeeping. In other words, in practically all cases the em ployee did something fic knew was wrong He just didn't give any thought to the danger ahead. He failed to recognize the hazard. I could go into an extensive discussion of the use and care of amm&nia masks, the proper guarding ox machinery and equip ment, safe practices in defrosting coils, the liandting of electrical equipment, eta, but to do this would be to repeat only those in structions which are included in the safety rule books of practically every company. And then, too, our experience show's we have very few accidents caused by the failure of employees to use protective equipment or to follow safe practices in doing those joh> 668 29th Xatioiiul Safety Congress which we have pointed out to them are hazardous. !n order to illustrate n*y point, J will briefly run through reports of some of our accidents. 1937 Employee was assisting carpenter when piece of timber slipped, falling on employee's left toot, mashing toes badly. Employee, helping to do some rebuilding, -oratched palm of his right hand against a protruding nail. Employee was going after drinking water in the dark, when he walked into a hole at the end of the ice tanks. The trap door covering this hole had not been put in place. Left side bruised. barrels and the side of the chute, skinning his Angers on left hand. Employee was walking backward* with can on crane when he became lodged be tween the can on Ute crane and cake of ice. bruising his left leg. Employee stepped off of to; runway when he turned hie left ankle, spraining same. Employee was putting ice m crusher when hook* caught in teeth of crusher, crushing three finger* oi Ute employee's right hand against the side ox the crusher. Employee was scraping ceiling when lad der slipped, causing him to fall and sprain hie right ankle 1940 1938 Employee was burned on face and left (land when he poured hot tar into a bucket, evidently containing some moisture. Employee was helping to unload pipes from a car when he caught his Anger be tween the side of the car and a piece of pipe, breaking the middle finger on the right hand. Employee started down in condenser pit and slipped, falling into fan placed to blow ammonia away. Employee was wearing am monia mask which had clouded. He sus tained several cuts on his left forearm. Middle finger of employee's right hand frost bitten from staying in quick freezer too long. Employee sustained a hernia in right side vi hen he slipped while attempting to lift a carboy of sulphuric acid. Employee was loading apples on elevator when rope holding safety gate broke, strik ing employee on right forearm. Employee's instep of left foot mashed when cake of icc which he was loading in truck slipped and fell on foot. Employee's big toe on left foot mashed when icc hooks slipped out, allowing cake of ice lo fall on foot. 1939 Employee was moving icc from one stor age room to another where the floors are of different levels and tn palling the cake over the sill, he slipped, spraining his back. Employee was lowering barrels when he 'aught hi finders of left hand between the Employee was attempting to start blower fan which had stuck, by throwing oil into tltt fan. when it started, lacerating the end of the second finger of his left hand so Jtadly it was necessary to amputate the b>t joint. Employee was working in cold storage room and worked too long, getting right heel frost bitten. Employee was helping welder when a spark was blown in his left eye- (Goggle* would have prevented this addent.) Employee was stacking strawberries m cold storage room when he strained his back. Employee was carrying 150 lbs. of ice from rear of truck to the sidewalk over snow and icc when he slipped on ice and <|>rained hi* right ankle. Employee was dumping a grid of ice from the tank to the handling room and while pushing cake of ice from the chute, his foot slipped, causing him to fall. Sustained a hernia in his left side. Employee was stooping over setting up cake of Ice to load in truck when he felt severe pain in his right groin. Examination showed that the employee had sustained a small hernia in his right side. While employee was carrying cake of ice from platform to truck, hooks cut oat. striking the employee on the left leg. caning same. Employee was working on hoist repairing reverse latch when hand came in contact with 220 volt cable which supplied curron to the motor on the hoist. Employee rr- Refrigeration Section 669 edved shod; and slight burn on the fore head. Employee was helping to defrost storage room coils and in lifting piece of canvas to move it from one location to another, felt a sharp Pain in his right side. He sustained a right inguinal hernia. Of 39 accident* reporied, vve find in anal yzing them for cause that 10 were the result of employees slipping on small pieces of ice-- or oily surfaces--conditions that could have been eliminated by following simple rules of good housekeeping: five by equipment, such a* ladders, platforms, etc., slipping and causing injury to employees; four resulted in finger injuries and were due entirely to rareJessness; four resulted in strains caused by either undue haste or an absolute dis regard of safety rules and practices: three by employees walking backwards into open ings or off of elevations; three hand in juries by nails extending from boards, etc. I dare say that the majority of us empha size mot strongly in our accident preven tion work the hazards arising from the handling of ammonia and the danger of elec tric shocks. We have not had an accident due to the handling of ammonia or electric circuits in our icc plants during the period analyzed. One nf the accidents resulted in frost bit ten fingers due to too long a stay in a low temperature room. I am personally inter ested in knowing more about the hazard* existing in low temperature freezing plants and how* to avoid frostbitten finger'., ctr. In my efforts to secure some data on this subject, l have found very little information available. Now going back to ice plant safety' and to my analysis of ottr company's accident*. You can see that most ot these accidents were the result, not of hazards peculiar to the ice industry and those that are dwelt upon at length in our safety manuals, but by situation* and conditions that arc and will continue to be present every day unless we develop a safety consciousness on the part of everyone in the plant. In our own case, the so-called little things, which may have been overlooked or cer tainly not emphasized in our accident pre vention program, have been the cause of our downfall. 1 fed that my supervisors and myself are as much to blame as the em ployees involved. Wc were no doubt con centrating on hazards peculiar to the ice in-' dustry and overlooking the importance of constantly reminding employees to watch for the little things that happen or exist each day and may be overlooked. The old rvatch your step, if uppermost in our em ployees' minds, would have prevented at least half of our accidents. All of this naturally leads us to a dis cussion of the value and necessity of '`inter ested,** "safety minded" supervisors, from the owner to the most trivial "straw boss." We men who have been doing accident pre vention work for years know that the very keystone of a successful accident prevention program must be the wholehearted coopera tion of our executives. 1 believe that any manufacturer will agree that in order to prevent personal injuries to industrial employees, safety activity* mmt include three fundamentals: 1. Atl mechanical and personal equipment must he adequately safeguarded. 2. Employees must be furnished with a yet of safety rules covering their job and on frequent occasions be taught ami en couraged to work safely in conformity with -uch rules. 3. And most important--management and employee must both accept and di<rharg* thrir respective responsibilities. And--it is the management's job through its supervisory organization to keep before the employee in a convincing manner hi* portion ot the mutual responsibility. ADJOURSMEST Rubber Section Officers 1939-1940 General Chairman--R. \V, Morse, The Firestone Tire & Rubber Co., Akron, Ohio. Vice-Chairman in Charge of Program--Oliver Hopkins, U. S. Rubber Co., Providence, R.1. Secretary--C W. Ufford, Ohio Rubber Co., Willoughby, Ohio. News Letter Editor--Ralph S. Fakkuu, U. S. Rubber Co., Detroit. Mich. Engineering Committee Chairman---D. G. Welch, Hewitt RubbeT Corp., Buffalo, N. Y. Health Committee--Dr. W. S. Ash (Chairman), U. S. Rubber Co., Detroit, Mich. Dr. P. A, Dams, The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., Akron, Ohio. Dr. J. Newton Shirley*. Arrow Mutual Liability Insurance Co., Watertown, Mass. Membership Committee Chairman--John L. Gkioek. American Hard Rubber Co., Butler, N.J. Publicity Committee Chairman--R. M. Weiner. The Dayton Rubber Manufacturing Co., Dayton, Ohio, Statistics Committee Chairman--G. E. Teal, U, S. Rubber Co., Naugatuck. Conn. Members at Large-- J. J. Loge, General Tire & Rubber Co., Akron, Ohio. J. E. Lovas, U. S. Rubber Co., Passaic. N. J. W. H. MacKay, Dunlop Tire & Rubber Corp., Buffalo, N. Y. Urban L. Mom, Inland Div., General Motors Corp., Dayton, Ohio. C. Pritchard, Ball-Band Plant, U. 5. Rubber Co., Michawaka, Ind. Wn. SpantoN, American Hard Rubber Co, Akron, Ohio. Paul Van Cleef. Van Oeei Bros., Chicago, 111. Past General Chairmen-- E. W. Beck, U. S. Rubber Co., New York, N. Y. R. A. Bullock, Corduroy Rubber Co., Grand Rapids, MichC F. Horan, Hood Rubber Co., Watertown, Mass. J. T. Kidney. The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., Akron, Ohio. Officers 1940-1941 General Chairman--XHjxts. Hopkins, U. S. Rubber Co., Providence, R. I. Vice-Chairman at Charge of Program--Ralph Farkun, U. S. Rubber Co,, Detroit, Midi. Secretary & Engineering Committee Chairman--D. G. Welch, Hewitt Rubber Coro Buffalo, N. Y. News Letter Editor--John L. Genuat, American Hard Rubber Co., Butler, N. J. Health Committee--Dr. W. S- Ash (Chairman), U. S. Rubber Co., Detroit, Mich. Da. J. Newton Shirley, Arrow Mutual Liability Insurance Co., Newton, Mass. Membership Committee Chairman--K. C. Looms, Ohio Rubber Co., Willoughby, Ohio. Publicity Committee Cftvirman--R. M. Weinex, The Dayton Rubber Manufacturing Co., Dayton, Ohio. Statistics Committee Chairman--G. E. Teal, U. S- Rubber Co., Naugatuck, Conn. Members at Large-- *E. W. Beoc, U. S. Rubber Co., New York, N. Y. *R. A. Bullock, Corduroy Rubber Co., Grand Rapids, Mich. *G F. Horan, Hood Rubber Co.. Watertown, Mass. J. J. Locr, The General Tire & Rubber Co., Akron, Ohio. J. E. Lovas, U. S. Rubber Go., Passaic, N. J. p*jt Gmcral Chairman 671 072 29th National Safety Congress W. H. MacKay, Dunlop Tire St Rubber Corp- Buffalo, N. Y. Uhhan L. Moler, Inland Div., General Motors Corp.. Dayton, Ohio. *R- \V. Morse, The Firestone Tire & Rubber Co., Akron, Ohio. William Spanton, American Hard Rubber Co., Akron, Ohio. C. W. Ufford. Ohio Rubber Co., Willoughby, Ohio. Paul Van Cleef, Van Cleef Brothers, Chicago, III. * Past General Cbtirnaa MONDAY AFTERNOON SESSION October 7,1940 The opening session of the Rubber Secnon was called to order by the General Chairman, R. W. Morse, Director, Work men's Compensation & Safety Departments. The Firestone Tire and Rubber Company, Akrnn, O.. who presided. The Chairman first made a brief resume of the activities of the Section during the past year, taking the opportunity to mention the good work of various Standing Committees. He then in troduced the first speaker. Getting Safety Off the Defensive By A. C. HORROCKS Public Relations Department, The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., Akron, O. It you are in supervision, you were placed there because you possessed, first of all, craftsmanship; second, judgment; and third, because you were a skilled handler of men. Your most acute need then is to learn to use what you already know. Op to the present time we haven't had a technique for men in supervision to use in handling other men. We have told them they were chosen because they had devel oped a fine craftsmanship. We also paid tribute to the fact that they had a keen judgment and knew how to render decisions. We also told them they were skilled handlers of men and promptly started to take away the personal contacts they had. We decided it would be a fine thing to have a personnel director, and the hiring and the firing was taken away from the foreman. He wasn't to set any piece wort prices or day rates. The time study man,* the efficiency department did that. He no longer had anything to do with the pur chasing of materials used in his department. The production control department esti mated his needs and the purchasing depart ment bought them. He didn't have anything to say about his monthly budget and the breakdown of that was given to him by an accounting department By and large, he found himself assuming the role of being responsible for his production mindedness or. in other words, he was charged with the responsibility of getting the work out. But of the three M's of industry---Man, Materia! and Money--Man is by far the most important. So I am asking chose in supervision to get back again to the contacts that mean so much to them and to realize that your most acute need is to learn to use what you already know. What I mean by that is that you are a skilled handler of men. The success of a safety man revolves around his contacts with the individual workmen, and the success of a production foreman likewise revolves around that work man. We recently made a survey in seventeen cities, large, small and medium size, in vari ous industries, to find out what the fore man's job was as he contacted men, and of the hundred and five duties that were listed we found ninety-six: of them to be human contacts. Therefore, I wonder in the promotion of danger consciousness if we have seriously Rubber Section 673 asked some of the following questions. They will get glorious results for us if we will follow a plan: What makes this employee tick? If I am going to make him safe while lie is in my employ, I must know him. What is his education? What experience lias he had prior to coming to me? Then you should ask and be satisfied to know, what are his tendencies toward soci ety ; toward work and toward management? What is his temperament ? Is he the kind of a fellow when things get going a little bit tough who will be the emotional type, who blows up. or is be the plodder type that you can count on and rely on in an emer gency. like a fire, and know* full well you have a kvel-bcadcd nun pitching for you who will do exactly what you told him to do? What are his supervisory needs? If you have a hundred men working for you no two have the ame needs when it comes to super vision. How docs be present his problems to me? Thai tells rae a lot about how that man's mind works. How molt 1 approach him? What plan ot progress have I made for him? How important it is in this new day be cause there is a pattern or common pro cedure. which applies to all foremen-workmen contacts and it ts as fine and swift in the final conclusion as the steps to a sale, which are: Favorable attention, interest, ap preciation of value, desire, decision, action, satisfaction, confidence. My next statement is probably one that you would like to challenge until you hear the explanation. Listen carefully: Productiort-mindedness is at once an asset and a liability. An asset when service is cheer fully built into the product, and pride in wiut is turned out, because we know the consuming public is able to get out of the article the service wc built into it. A lia bility when our drive is emphasized and men are considered as only a cog in the machine, when we ignore the human feelings and the human element So it seems to me the production-minded supervisor in this new technique, in order to make men conscious of what they owe soci ety. in order to make it a sacred place; in order to make them conscious of danger. has to step up to a man and give him a wholesome greeting with a smile. It doesn't cost much. That is the initial step. That corresponds with the salesman getting favor able attention from his prospect Then you are going to create the proper atmosphere before you start to talk to that man about the job. If you are in super vision, if you are up there because of your craftsmanship, your judgment and because you are a skilled handler of men, you must take a step down to that fellow's level whin you step in to create atmosphere. He can't come up to you in your thinking, in your planning or in your conversation. You might be thankful he can't If he could he would be competition for your job. It is necessary for you to come down to his level. Then the next thing you can ask yourself is what are the dangers of the job; and that doesn't only mean physical dangers. It takes in mental dangers and you can watch that man's attitude and help to lift the w*orry from his mind- A short time ago we had one of the gen eral foremen notified that an employee of eleven years' service In his department had broken the machine for the third time. Now, Jack was a big raw-booed Pennsylvania Dutchman, who stood about six feet and weighed about 225'pounds, and there was no fat on him. He was the kind of a fellow who had come up from the ranks years ago. He knew his job, he thought he knew how to handle men. Jack had listened to some of this develop ment, and he remembered a chance statement made by the lecturt *o the Goodyear su pervisors. He had ha, pened to . say those words: "Remember, foreman, a good man doesn't go wrong in a few days' time with out there being a sufficient reason." So Jack said, "All right," to the inspector who had just brought the news to him, '*! will fix him," and out of his office he went and came over toward jhe -workman stand ing with his bade up to the window, con templating the destruction of the machine. Jade took in the picture and he walked a ltttie more slowly, then this thought flashed into his mind: "A good man doesn't go to pieces in a short time without a good rea son.*' He said, "Jim, it looks to me as though you had bad a pretty rough night at sea last nighL This Is the third time this week that you have smashed this machine." 674 29th National Safety Congress Without looking up, Jim said, "It was rough Then he went back to the job--everything and tough. Jack." Jack said, 'Tell me about had been taken care of. it." He said, "You wouldn't be interested. 1 saw Jack after Christmas this year and The thing that worries me is you might fire I said, "Jack, how did that case work out me." * up on the hill that you were so interested Jack said, "Well, if it is that serious, in?" He said, "Mister, you know, I am not come over into the office and wc will talk, Jim." So he took him Into the office and closed the door and offered him a smoke. He said, 'Tell me what you were doing last night." Jim said, "Jade, the wife is awfully sick, and now the baby is sick. My mind isn't on my work. I know I am wrong. I know I am all they have got to take care of them, I know that fire is out up home and my mind is there. Jack; it is not on my job." Jack said, "Why didn't you tell me about it. Go and get your hat and coat, you are going home." "Q, Jade, please, I need the money every' day to pay* for the doctor and buy* the medicine." a church man, but honest to goodness, I have had a vision of heaven." I said. "What do you mean?" "Well," he said. "I know what it is now to get a Christmas present by knocking on the front door on Christmas Eve and throwing the door open and seeing a Kule toddler coming to me lisping my name, `Merry* Christmas, Jack,* and that is worth more than anything 1 get in the pay envelope at Goodyear." That is what I mean when I say we need to learn to use what we already* know. We are going to look carefully for the dangers, to become danger conscious; ob serve the job difficulties and then decide wliat action is necessary*. "Don't worry about that, Jim, we are go ing on home and I promise you, you won't lose out." He called for a police car and by the time they got to the gate it was wait ing and it whisked them to Jim's home. So far. .so good. Any bright productionminded supervisor can do that We walk away telling ourselves that the job is well done, when really there is an insulation point between the man and supervision, right When they got in they found the house here, and an opportunity* for grievances to was cold. Jim hurried up the stairs to take build up in his heart a look at his wife who was coughing and wheezing. He looked over at the little crib, and the little hands were blue and numb with cold. So. now I am going to ask you to split your personality, to Imagine that you have a dual role to play. With your one eye on production, knowing that you can only pay Jack said to himself, here is where I go your way as you can get the work out, and into action. He told Jim to get the fire go arriving at the point where you decide what ing and he went down to the comer grocery immediate steps arc necessary, then you as and called the hospital and asked them to sume the role of a skilled handler of men. send a nurse and a doctor right away. The doctor came and when he looked at the wife he said, "Yes. it's pneumonia." He looked at the little crib and said, "Likewise here." Now, take a definite step into the thinking and planning area of the workman; decide right then and there what idea* must be presented to that man, whether lie need*: So the little baby was sent to the Chil repetitious instruction or additional and new dren's Hospital and the nurse stepped in instruction; and before you say anything and took over. make a plan and present it to that work While the doctor was making his exam ination, Jack went into the kitchen and threw the cupboard doors open. He saw that the shelves were pretty bare. He looked at the supply of coal and there were only a couple oi handfuls there. Jack got into action and in a short time a coal wagon backed up and Jack came up to the back door with two big baskets of pro visions and had the pleasure of putting them in the cupboard. man, and do it bv using the third person. Talk about "it." The new technique says that you should use the third person approach. You are talking about "it," and we begin to talk with your Fred or your Jim- If he is doing the wrong thing, if he is doing something con trary to the way he has been instructed, and you know you have the best standard prac tice available, you approach him and say: "I notice, Fred, you have been doing your job this way. Go ahead, do another and let Rubber Section 675 me watch you." Fred turns out another piece of work. Then you take him to one side and say, "Fred when I worked on that job (or when So-and-So was working on that job) I was taught to do it this way. Now, . ju are doing it like this. Now, one or the other of these two methods is the better--I am not sure which one is. Let us try it the other way," and he goes through the process doing it the other way. Then you start to make a comparison. You got this result and you got it in this length of time. This took a little longer. This didn't require quite so much material. This took a bit more, and you compare them. Usually Fred will look up and say, "Well, Boss. I have been doing it wrong all the time. That other way is right" Then you do the gracious tiling, the thing that everybody admires you for doing as a leader of men; before you leave him you summarize that contact. "AU right, now, Fred, we have decided we arc going to do this and this and this because--" "Is that right?** "That is right, Boss. I am going to do this and see that this is taken care of." "That is fine." "Wc will have this licked, won't we, Boss?" Then don't leave abruptly there, even though you feel fine and all glowing within, because you are not ready to leave ycL Now, you want to step out of that dual role of yours, you want to get back to the original role of the production-minded foreman. I know what is in your mind--"modern production methods don't give time enough to do that" Gentlemen, that is the bunk. You arc going to take that time for a little human engineering now, when it only amounts to a few minutes at the most, or you are going to find eventually the buildup of that resistance and grievance until the pressure gets so high it spreads out and you have to take from one to three to five to seven weeks to sit down and try' to Iron it out. All the big things start little. Let us take care of litem while they are small and keep everybody sweet and happy. We are executing a plan, and when we get away from that man we write out in our little book the summary of that contact; and again we are the production-minded foreman and we have created the atmosphere to leave him. and we do that with a smile and wc summarize the contact. Over in St. Louis last month I gave thi* same presentation ot this personal analysis, and the next morning before l had left the hotel the telephone rang and a man says, "Mr. Horrocks?" I said, "Yes." He said. "Welt, I just called up up to tel) you what a blankety blank blank blank liar you arc." f said. "Well, that is interesting- It helps keep my feet on the ground. VVhat is the matter?" He said, "I tried your personal contact out. It doesn't work. It isn't worth a damn." I said, "TcU me about it. I am interested." He said, "I went into my de partment this morning and 1 went up to a fellow 1 have been having a lot of trouble with and I said, 'Good morning, Robert' with a smile on my face. Do you know what Robert said to me?" I said, "No, 1 would be interested in knowing." He re plied. "The sour puss looked at me with a fishy eye and said, *What the hell arc you trying to pull off?* " That foreman didn't know how* much he told me in just a few sentences, but he doesn't belong in foremanship. or at (east he doesn't belong in that old job; and I rec ommended that he quit that job and go and get a position somewhere else where they didn't know him quite so well. You know you can't overcome the natural suspicion that builds up over many months of fear and mishandling. It dams and holds back the flow of generous impulses of man to man. The only thing that puis fear out of the hearts and minds of individuals is con fidence, and it doesn't take a group of men very long to have a nickname for you. In fact a group of Boy Scouts is pretty good medicine for anybody who has a quelled head. I bet you wouldn't go out on a weekend camping trip without u good name to suit you by the time you got back. You can't fool men very long. I f you arc serious and you have a generous attitude toward men, they know* it in a remarkably short time. You can't kid them, much less can you pull woo2 over our own eyes and kid yourself. These problems that I have brought to your attention are the problems that are in the minds of .men. They* are not only con scious of the danger of the mechanical hurts to their fingers and their bodies. They arc conscious of the hurt that is within their souls, the unanswered question in their minds, and that is your human engineering <576 29th National Safety Congress problem. You roust be conscious of those questions and you must answer them to their satisfaction. That means a little more responsibility, it means a little more work, a little more study, a little more devotion on your part, but if you and I don't assume that greater respon sibility who will? -Are they to be sheep without a shepherd, or arc they going to begin to give you the confidence you deserve when you deliver the goods? Who have they except you to reach up to and say, "Give me?" You are the one who makes those contacts day after day and hour after hour. Personnel directors cannot do it. You can, and you will measure up. So we all now salute these men who pio neered and blazed the trail in these twentyfive years of safety education and training. Go back to your individual plants, where on the bridge of that ship of yours there is one mind, the general manager who charts the course. Only one hand can be on the wheel of that ship and when the order comes down it is for you and I to say, "Aye, Sir," and do our part A two-fisted policy, you please. One that reaches up to management for help and inspiration and a little lift; and another that readies down and catches hold of some that don't have hope and that think there is more danger around them in the darkness than really exists, and they need the steady, up lifting influence of the foreman who is danger conscious. Go on then, fully conscious of the dangers around you, but unafraid, not stepping back but confronting every issue and handling them as a man, a leader of men, welcoming for the sake of oar countries and civiliza tion, the opportunity to give the highest that you can possibly give. Man owes it to his fellow men to be his own best sell. Safety in Original Design By R. A. NORTH Chief Engineer, Parrel-Birmingham Company, Inc., Antonia, Conn. The significance of safety is differently in terpreted by almost every department in an industry. Unfortunately, too often the pro duction manager's angle, as interpreted by the purchasing agent, is the only one that is relayed back to the designing engineer at the time new machinery is being considered. The builder of that new machinery' is for ever damned by those other individuals who have to live with and operate it, but who had little or nothing to say regarding its purchase. Let us consider what is brought to lluS mind of the safety engineer when he hears the expression "Safety In Original Design." Presumabty* he will immediately think of in built operator protection. Are all belts and gears properly covered? Are safety trips, automatic finger guards, dual hand controls, and safety- stop buttons provided and prop erly located? Toda> most people take it for granted that gears and belts will be guarded, but there is a wide difference of opinion beyond this. Mam- dangerous points arc left un guarded because of frequent adjustment re quirements. The production man will say these are hazards of the job, "No guards to hinder production-" The safety man's answer will be, "No production schedule is worth a life--cover it up." Much money has been spent designing and providing protection for this type of place only to find, a short time after the machine is installed, that this protection has been discarded, lying on the floor as a dirt catcher or a tripping hazard. Selling another machine later, the vendor is asked to omit this piece and reduce the price. The machine is so built and shipped, and the builder severely criticized by the safety department for sending io a machine without adequate safety protection. At the time of attempting to make a sale of a new machine, we have been the inno cent side-line spectator at arguments be tween production men and safety- men over just such details. Often the machine can he built either way, and usually in-built safe ties cost money, so it becomes a management decision as to whether a lower capital cost with a higher accident hazard, or just the reverse of this, is what that management wants to buy. Rubber Section 677 Some concerns arc so safety-minded that they have gone to the other extreme and demanded in-built operator safety* to the point where it is nearly impossible to oper ate the unit. They have seen what could be done with the fully automatic machine, and have attempted to apply these principles io other units which are manually coatrolled, but their analysis was not sound. If the op which can be quickly changed tor another complete sub-unit. Production goes along as usual and maintenance is performed in anotlter room with no "breakdown" puh behind it. so that extreme care can be taken to do the best possible repair job. This is fine for small machines but become.* costly and impractical on the heavy type of equip ment many of us are familiar with. eration cannot be made automatic, rt is be To help the repair man, many manufac cause operator brain-control is required, and turers have provided certain aids for him in the requirement of brain-control should, at designing their equipment, and we have been least, insinuate discretion. This being so. the told by the purchasing man; "Take it off; machinery' builder must be allowed to expect that must make an additional machining the use of that discretion in the operation operation. What win be the price reduction of his unit. Full and automatic protection if you omit it?" costs money--brain control and discretion Safely factors in design are necessary for also cost money; hence it is a management decision again as to which pocket they want to pay that money from, and that question can usually be answered by an operations analysis to establish definitely the amount of brain or operator control required to property* process the product. But what about the maintenance man? The machinery builder used to hear a lot about accidents to productive men. Within recent years these reports are seldom beard in the design department. `However, wc do hear of occasional maintenance man acci dents, and it is time we gave this individual a little attention. Analyze it a minute. Repair* arc irregular and occur at long intervals. Why spend money to provide protection for the repair man? Everyone knows his job is hazardous anyway. Take that amc money and cut another half minute off the production schedule. With the increased speed wc will need increased guarding for the safety of ihe operator, and what have we done? four reasons; 1. Uncertainty of ultimate usage or appli cation. 2. Uncertainty of design calculation-.. 3. Uncertainty' of materials. 4. Emergency or accidents. Too much equipment is sold today without the designer knowing exactly what the cus tomer is going to do with it. There arc several reasons tor this, many T think un necessary, but still they exist The customer is rearranging his plant and he knows he needs additional equipment and want* U> order it so that it will be delivered at thr time he is making his changeover; but his plans have not progressed to the point where he is sure where He will place, or what product he will work on the particular unit m question. He will order a general purpotc machine, or give a very broad set of speci fications with the hope that when his plans are complete, the new unit will serve his purpose with a minimum of change. The designer probably knows this ami is In the olden days maintenance was easy inclined to do one of two things; make that because everything was out in the open unit heavy enough to do anything it may be where you could get at it Today It is diffi called upon to do in the future, in which cult. if not impossible, even to inspect yoar case he knows his price will be high but his equipment to say nothing of overhauling it machine will not break down under abnor There arc so many guards and covers to mal loads. Or, he mfiy take a chance so remove that the repair man either wants so as to keep his price low and design for the much time for a repair that the production lighlot load application he dare, hoping, to department will not give him the machine squirm out ot a failure with the alibi that and it runs until it falls apart; or he tries the customer was not specific. *n "how was to make a repair by removing half of the I sup|x><cd lo know?" covers and either makes a poor repair, This latter case is usually fairly well pro worse titan none, or gets hart doing it. tected because of the safety* factors he must Designers of certain clashes of machinery u*e in His design in any case, so the unit have met this obstacle by making sub-units will probably pull through, although its life 678 29th National Safety Congress may he short and its efficiency may be low. The first case, however, may also have a low efficiency, and if it is actually put on a light load application, it will have a very low eco nomical efficiency. which creates an undue overload. Tempera ture control apparatus failures are not un common, and yet the stresses resulting from heat and load combined are impossible to calculate. Some most peculiar accidents occur A little more time and effort on the {art from electrical causes, and either electrical of the user before placing his orders will or mechanical overloads result. True, these usually enable him to give the designer a are emergencies or accidents, and are not definite picture of what the unit is to do. in. the usual specifications; but in one form Many times a new product has been devel or another, accidents happen daily and wc oped and the re-arrangement or new unit is cannot afford to have machine failures with occasioned by this new product. In develop every one of them. The design factor of ing this product, the equipment user has safety is again your protection against these ihc means in his own plant to prove out ex frequent potential shutdowns. actly the ideal sire, power requirements, 'in-rial equipment requirements, etc, before ordering the new unit. This data would give iht.- designer a much better opportunity to know how far he can go with safety factors and how effectively he can build in operator protection. The best guarantee against frequent re quired maintenance interruptions is rigidity and perfect alignment originally, and suffi cient and proper lubrication always. Most managers agree with this statement but they turn right around and ict any third rate mechanic care for this alignment and lubri Iii making design calculations there are cation problem. Small machines may be de '<>mc things that cannot be figured. There signed to be self-contained and self-aligning. are others which can only be approximated Large, heavy machinery must be erected nod. of course, there are many which can and aligned in the field. Much of the orig I*c computed accurately, provided the orig inal design safety in heavy* machinery is inal information upon which the design is predicated op the assumption that an expe l>:cdicatcd is reliable. The unreliability of rienced heavy machinery mechanic wiQ erect, risiinal information is the greatest reason maintain and repair it; yet our experience factors of safety on design calculations. has shown that die mechanics in some plants Materials arc still uncertain but wc know are not at all familiar with the problem of a ureat deal more today than we did ten liandling heavy* machinery. year- ago on this subject- Processing methods The training of productive workers re have improved, control methods have been developed, and wc laiow better how to use tl;o<e materials which are available. Many ceives much attention today, but most man agements just "hire another repair man." Proper installation, inspection, lubrication, i icw materials _ have been developed, too, and repairs when necessary, will materially within this period, but still there arc vmcer lengthen the interval of time between re tainties, and we arc forced to play on the pairs, and hence reduce this accident hazard -afe side far enough to cover these uncer as well as keep units on the production line tainties. Wc have improved foundry tech- longer; but few managers realize that theold- niqur and forge shop technique, hut there time mechanic who could do this work does arc residual stresses in all processed ma not grow on every bush and must be terial and even with the best of control, trained or made today. there still exist many natural casting, forg ing and welding hazards which arc ulti mately protected against only by the use *i a factor of safety. 1 fee! that real safety in original design can only be obtained by a closer coopera tion between the purchasing agent, the pro duction manager, the plant engineer, and the Of course, we are always faced with the safety engineer before they discuss thdr emergency and the accident--the unpredict problem with the equipment designer. able. Sometimes this is in the normal course uf production, occurring from a temporary loss of production control. Cold stock is in troduced into a warm machine. A feed is lo*f. or over-feeding occurs. Something is inadvertently dropped into the machine. The buyer invariably concentrates his at tention on the production guarantee and the mopey saving features; all too often this is the production manager's point of view, too. The plant engineer is concerned with the space occupied and whether he has to Rubber Section 679 pipe water or steam to and from the unit, and how* big an electrical connection must be brought in. The safety man may not hear of the unit until it is installed, when he will be asked to survey it and specify what addi tions the plant engineer must put on to give adequate operator protection. All of these questions can be answered with a degree of intelligence by the ma chinery builder directly in proportion to the degree of specificness given him by the ulti mate user. The designer can give you con siderable if you will give him all of the facts. When you who Itave the data ask him to do the guessing and steer a middle course between your own variously different departmental ideas, you will get a hodge podge machine as a result; and yet the builder who knows best how safely he can trust his materials and the degree of safety in his calculations, knows best how* far he can go in providing the oihcr dements of safety you may desire to have incorporated without jeopardizing the production require ments, thereby giving the. maximum eco nomical in-built safety in the original design. TUESDAY LUNCHEON SESSION October 8, 1940 Alter the luncheon, the session was called to order by J. T. Kidney, Manager, Em ployees' Service Division. The Goodyear Tire it Rubber Company; Akron, O., who presided as Toastmaster. The report of the Nominating Committee was presented and officers elected, as listed elsewhere in this record. The final feature of this session was the presentation of awards in the Rubber Section Safety Contest. Presentation of National Safety Council Awards in the Rubber Section Safety Contest Outstanding facts in the contest were pre sented by Mr. Gilbert E. Teal, Safety Su pervisor, Naugatuck Footwear Plant, U. S. Rubber Company, Naugatuck, Conn., as fol lows : The Rubber Section has conducted annual six months* contests since 1932, and last year the contest period was extended to include a full year's experience, instead of the Jan uary to June period originally in effect. Starting with 25 units in the contest in 1932, the enrollment has gradually increased, and in the contest year just ended 30 partici pant* were entered in the contest. These entries, representing 39,534 em ployees. worked a total of 75,969,153 man hours, during which 389 reportable injuries occurred. This indicates that at least one injury occurred for each 102 employees rep resented. The Frequency rate was 5.12 ac cidents per million man-hours worked, which is a new record for the Rubber Section eonte>t. Previous years' records varied from a high of 10.08 in 1937 to tfte low* of 5.76 in the 1932 contest, when lack of definition and understanding probably resulted in fewer accidents reported. Other years since 1932 show frequencies of 9.64 in 3933, 6.43 in 1934, 6.29 in 1935, 6.47 in 1936, 10.08 in 1937, 6.62 in 1938-1939, and 5.12 this year, a best record for the contest ever made. There was a 13 per cent improvement over the 1938-1939 <year for all entries. Large plants showed 22 per cent improvement, but small plants showed a 40 per cent increase in accidents over the previous year. Fre quency for the large plants in Groups A & B was 4.67 while Group C & D reported 875 accidents per million man-hours. The 1940-41 contest year will show u how well our house is ip order. We have a new record to beat now. We will be getting more orders, due-to Government defense programs. Wt will be hiring more new- men, not as highly qualified as our previous per sonnel. We will be transferring women to jobs formerly done by male employees. We will work more at night under artificial il lumination which may or may not be ade quate. Conservation of man power and human <>so 29th A Qtlonal Safety Congress resources during the coming year is our con tribution to National Defense. Plant expan sion. heavy hiring of untrained men. and increased production put us on the spot. Even with some of the cards stacked against us. let us try to set a new record again next year. The awards in the contest were presented in the name of the National Safety- Council by Mr. }. I. Banasb, Consulting Engineer, and Past-President of the National Safety Council. The awards consisted of handsome Bronze Plaques depicting an eagle in flight and the Universal Safety Emblem, which were given to each of the winners o\ first place in the contest; and Certificates of Merit, each a lettered scroll, which were given to winners of second and third places. In the lists below, winners of first place urc indicated by the numeral (1), and win ners of second and third places by the nu meral (2) and (3) respectively. Group A S' 3 1. U. S. Rubber Co., Naugatuck Footwear Plant, 8,155,327 hours, 5 injuries. 2. U. S. Rubber Co, Indianapolis Plant, 2,532,311 hours, 3 injuries. 3. Dominion Rubber Co., Ltd., St. Jerome Plant, 2,381,026 hours, 3 injuries. Group C & D 1. Van Cleef Bros., Chicago, Ilk, 387,113 hours, 0 injuries. 1. Cotlyer Insulated Wire Co., Providence Plant. 224,404 hours, 0 injuries. ). Canadian Lastex Co., Ltd.. Montreal, Que.. Canada. 221,074 hours. 0 injuries. 1. W. H. Salisbury & Co.. Inc., Chicago, IJL, 129,971 hours, 0 injuries. TUESDAY AFTERNOON .SESSION October 8, 1940 The Placement of Accident Responsibility By PAUL VAN CLEEF Van Cleef Brothers, Chicago, Illinois Whenever an accident happens the first question that arises is: "How did it hap pen ?" That may only be answered by an investigation. In that way the direct and indirect causes will be discovered If it were a street accident involving automobiles, the subject of traffic rules not observed may be mentioned first. Then the condition of the participants and their training. What were their social backgrounds? As well, the con dition of the street will be considered, and perhaps (he location of adjacent obstacles to clear view, such as other cars, buildings or sign>. Perhaps mechanical warnings fur nished by the city were out of order, or a. rule of the road enforceable in one place in applicable in this. The extenuating circura.'tances reach back far into society's organ ization. When wc speak, therefore, of the place ment of accident responsibility, we are deal ing with a subject of many ramifications. It is of interest to look at our present na tional, state and local viewpoints regarding this important matter. In such a itudy, one can observe to what an extent the safety movement, inaugurated over 25 years ago in this country, has developed. Broadly speaking, accident prevention oc cupies three fields--the home, industry, and the public. Naturally each of these calls for activities of a different sort. Therefore, the agencies may vary'* Fundamentally, they all take the same forms such as education, en gineering practices, and laws. If we reach back to the broadest interest we find the Federal Government devoting a great deal of effort to accident prevention. The Honorable Frances Perkins. Secre tary' of Labor, speaking before the National Safety Council last year, laid particular stress upon this. She stated that the Fed eral Government had an obligation in this direction. The U. S. Department of Labor has been charged with the responsibility to assume leadership in the cause of safety. It Has "established a special unit as a service aid in developing better safety' and health tfubber Section 681 standards and to aid and promote ` their branches of government line up? Their in adoption by management and by the State." terests seem primarily centered on public The Federal Government is the largest em safety' which is admittedly an important ployer of labor and thus has definitely em enongh field in which to accomplish good. barked in this form of safety work. Strange to say, many of these units are To carry out such objects, a Federal In terdepartmental Safety* Council was organ ized to act as a clearing house for safety programs. Madam Perkins referred to three more interested in the collection of fines for infractions of law rather than in an effort to control traffic for the ultimate benefit of the individual. In Chicago, the City Council safety' promoters--education.cagimciiag and enforcement Thus she epitomized what she has a committee interested in reducing traf fic casualties, a traffic court radios a part of conceives as the government's responsibility . its proceedings and a Keep Chicago Safe in helping to preserve the gorermoent's Committee is headed by Mayor Kelly him worker* against personal injury. Ooe of the best visual evidences of this b the danger self. Here may be observed a sense of re sponsibility whose example may well be fol flags used by WPA workers surrounding many jobs. lowed by many other cities and towns. Other notable examples of safety consciousness are the cities of Cleveland, Kansas City What is the position of our stales in rela and Worcester which won the awards of tion to this subject? Most of the states have the National Safety Council for the best established laws pertaining to the compen safety records. There is a growing sense of sation of workers who suffer injuries, and responsibility in every part of the country in some no autoist is allowed to drive a ear toward improving safety records. who doesn't carry insurance. These acta in dicate that the state appreciates its respon sibility in the elimination of accidents, for Let us take a look at non-political di visions of our life, perhaps best defined as the payment of money for damages is al ways a deterrent force. The effective way economic and social, which are undertaking the solution of ottr personal injury prob to lean) of the progress which states make in the safety movement would be to trace lems. Foremost, above all stands the Na tional Safety' Council of which wc are a statistically each state's improvement in the field over a period of years. This much is part, and next the numerous local city coun cils. These groups have no enforcement true that since 1917 the total accident rate powers. They must, therefore, exercise all in this country has steadily decreased by their efforts through educational channels. states. But it is not possible to state whether The>' cannot make regulations. They only the states' governments are to be directly suggest ideas for the promotion of safety credited with this gam. and stimulate a constant interest in it These bodies represent a sense of respon As far as automobile safety records are sibility' which stems directly from those concerned, the winning of the first award whose personal activities create safety prob by the state of Minnesota in 1939 must be directly attributed to the great efforts made lems. The industrialist; the plant manager, the fleet owner, the safety supervisor and by it under the inspiration of Gov. Stassen. the worker himself constitute the backbone In Illinois the Department of Labor takes of these agencies. Just who among these a live interest in industrial safety'. It has a groups should be held most accountable for corps of efficient inspectors who make fre improving the record has always been a quent and regular contacts with companies debatable subject throughout the state who are imbued with the idea not only of enforcement, but of helpfulness. This bureau has done much to reduce the hazards of occupations and ap parently has a fine realization of its share in promoting accident prevention. No doubt other states have equally good records and industry owes such institutions its very best cooperation in fostering all of their activi ties. Possibly a glance at <he record first will .show how we stand in regard to solving the safety* problem, then wc may consider what other people think, suggest how to go about producing a better record and draw a final conclusion. Let us look at the industry which caused the largest number of deaths in 1939. Wc find that 4,200 agriculture workers were killed while at work. These deaths made up 27 per cent of all occupa Where do the cities, towns and other tional accident fatalities. While this repre- <580 ?9th National Safety Congress resources during the coming year is otir coniribution to National Defense. Plant expan sion, heavy hiring of untrained men, and increased production pot os on the spot. Even with some of the cards slacked against us, let us try to set a new record again next year. The awards in the* contest were presented in the name of the National Safety Council hv Mr. J. I. Banash, Consulting Engineer, and Past-President of the National Safety Council. The awards consisted of handsome Bronze Plaques depicting an eagle in flight and the Universal Safety Emblem, which were given to each of the winners of first place in the contest; and Certificates of Merit, each a lettered scroll, which were given to winners of second and third places. In the lists below, winners of first place are indicated by the numeral (1), and win- tiers of second and third places by the nu meral (2) and (3) respectively. Group A & B 1. TJ. S. Rubber Co^ Naugatuck Footwear Plant, 8,155,327 hours, 5 injuries. 2. U. S. Rubber Co., Indianapolis Plant, 2,532,311 hours, 3 injuries. 3. Dominion Rubber Co., Ltd., St Jerome Plant, 2.38*1,026 hours. 3 injuries. Group C & D 1. Van Clc Bros., Chicago, III., 367,113 hours, 0 injuries. I. ColIyer Insulated Wire Co.. Providence Plant, 224,404 hours, 0 injuries. ]. Canadian Lastex Co., Ltd.. Montreal, Quo., Canada, 221,074 hours, Q injuries*. 1. W. IT. Salisbury & Co., Inc., Chicago. Ilk, 120,971 hours, 0 injuries. TUESDAY AFTERNOON SESSION October 8,1940 The Placement of Accident Responsibility By PAUL VAN CLEEF Van Cleef Brothers, Chicago, Illinois Whenever an accident happens the first question that arises is: "How did it hap pen?'* That may only be answered by an investigation. In that way the direct and indirect causes will be discovered. If it were a street accident involving automobiles, the subject of traffic rules not observed may be mentioned first. Then the condition of the participants and their training. What were tlicir social backgrounds? As well, the con dition oi the street will be considered, and fX;rhap5 the location of adjacent obstacles to clear view. >uch as other cars, buildings or 'ijm?. Perhaps mechanical warnings iuruiriicd by the city were out oi order, or a rule of the road enforceable in one place in applicable in this. The extenuating circum stance- reach back far into society's organ ization. When vc speak, therefore, of the place men: of accident responsibility, we are deal ing with a subject of many ramifications. It ) of interest to look at our present na tional. tate and local viewpoints regarding this important matter. In such a study, one can observe to what an extent the safety movement, inaugurated aver 25 years ago in this country*, has developed. Broadly speaking, accident prevention oc cupies three fields--the home, industry, and the public. Naturally each of these calls for activities of a different sort. Therefore, the agencies may vary. Fundamentally, they all take the same forms such as education, en gineering practices, and laws. If we reach back to the broadest interest we find rhe Federal Government devoting a great deal of effort to accident prevention. The Honorable Frances Perkins. Secre tary of Labor, speaking before the National Safety Council last year, laid particular stress upon this. She stated that the Fed eral Government bad an obligation in this direction. The U. S. Department of Labor has been charged with the responsibility' to assume leadership in the cause of safety. It has "established a special unit as a service aid in developing better safety and health Rubber Section 681 standards and to aid and promote their adoption by management and by the State." Tlie Federal Government is the largest em ployer of labor and thus has definitely em barked in this form of safety work. To carry out such objects, a Federal In terdepartmental Safety Council was organ ized to act as a clearing house for safety programs. Madam Perkins referred to three safety promoters--education, engineering and enforcement. Thus she epitomized what she conceives as the government's responsibility in helping lo preserve the government's workers against personal injury. One of the best visual evidences of this is the danger flags used by WPA workers surrounding many jobs. What is the position of our states in rela tion to this subject? Most of the states have established laws pertaining to the compen sation of workers who suffer injuries, and in some no autoist is allowed to drive a car who doesn't carry insurance. These acts in dicate that the state* appreciates its respon sibility* in the elimination of accidents, for the payment of money for damages is al ways a deterrent force. The effective way to learn of the progress which states make in the safety movement would be to trace statistically each state's improvement in this field over a period of years. This much is true that since 1917 the total accident rate in tills country has steadily decreased by states. But it is not possible to state whether the states' governments are to be directly credited with this gain. As far as automobile safety* records are concerned, the winning of the first award by the state of Minnesota in 1939 must be directly attributed to the great efforts made by it under the inspiration of Gov. Stassen. In Illinois the Department of Labor takes a live interest in industrial safety. It has a corps of efficient inspectors who make fre quent and regular contacts with companies throughout the state who arc imbued with the idea not oofy of enforcement, but of helpfulness. This bureau has done much to reduce the hazards of occupations and ap parently has a fine realization of its share in promoting accident prevention. No doubt other states have equally good records and industry- owes such institutions its very* be*t cooperation m fostering all of their activi ties. Where do the cities, towns and other branches of government line up? Their in terest? seem primarily centered on public safety which is admittedly an important enough field in which to accomplish good. Strange to say, many of these units are more interested in the collection of fines for infractions of law rather than in an effort to control traffic for the ultimate benefit of the individual. In Chicago, the City Council has a committee interested in reducing traf fic casualties, a traffic court radios a part of its proceedings and a Keep Chicago Safe Committee is headed by Mayor Kelly him self. Here may be observed a sense of re sponsibility whose example may well be fol lowed by many other cities and towns. Other notable examples of safety consciousness are the cities of Cleveland, Kansas City and Worcester which won the awards of the National Safety Council for the best safety records. There is a growing sense of responsibility in every part of the country toward improving safety records. Let us take a look at non-political di visions of our life, perhaps best defined as economic and social, which are undertaking the solution of our personal injury prob lems. Foremost, above all stands the Na tional Safety Council of which \vc are a part, and next the numerous local city coun cils. These groups have no enforcement powers. They must, therefore, exercise all their efforts through educational channels. They cannot make regulations. They only suggest ideas for the promotion of safety and stimulate a constant interest in it. These bodies represent a sense of respon sibility which stems directly from those whose persona? activities create safety prob lems. The industrialist, the plant manager, the fleet owner, the safety supervisor and the worker himself constitute the backbone of these agencies. Just who among these groups should be held most accountable for improving the record has always been a debatable subject. Possibly a glance at Jhe record first will show how* we stand in regard to solving the safety problem, then wc may consider wtt other people think, suggest how to go about producing a better record and draw a final conclusion. Let as look at the industry which caused the largest cumber of deaths in 1939. We find that 4,200 agriculture workers were kitted while at work. These deaths made up 27 per cent of all occupa tional accident fatalities. While this repre- 682 29th National Safety Congress sems an average for all industry, taking into consideration the numbers employed, agriculture compares unfavorably with some other employments. Manufacturing, of which we arc a part, for example, includes 22 per cent of all workers but contributes only per cent of all occupational deaths. source of trouble and are at the head of ihc compensation list. An American Standard Cause Code anal ysis of 1,000 cases submitted by the N. S. C. found that an unsafe act was found in 87 per cent of the cases and a mechanical cause in 78 per cent. The most important Apparently machinery accounted for many deaths in agriculture, showing that some where along the line insufficient thought and unsafe act was unnecessary exposure to danger, including 26 per cent of all cases. Lade of knowledge or skill was the personal attention were being given by the proper cause found in 48 per cent of the accidents. authorities to this vital subject. I do not Improper attitude was indicated in 31 per know whether the XJ. S. Department of cent and only 3 per cent in bodily defects. Agriculture has even concerned itself with it- Do the various state bureaus issue bulle tins to fanners on the use and care of machinery and the avoidance of accidents? Of course the causes of agricultural acci dents are manyfold and vary by states, but it Is probable that lack of training and ad vice is due to a lack of needed agencies for spreading more education for the prevention of accidents. A much greater sense of responsibility On the other hand, numerous companies throughout the country have perfect rec ords, that is, without a lost time accident. The best no-injury record in American industry, compiled by the National Safety Council, is an honor roll to be proud of. Many of the country's leading industries arc represented. It is hard to realize that any company, for example, could accumulate over 11 million injury-free hours. U cer tainly raises the question of how it could appears in the industrial field. The best evi dence is the constantly improving record. Except for 1932 and 1933, the year of 1939 had the lowest death total for occupational accidents since 1928. The rubber industry was near the top of the 1939 list both as to frequency and severity among industries with relatively few injuries or days lost. Since 1926 the frequency rate has de be accomplished. What is the marvelous force behind such a record or similar ones? Who assumes responsibility for the preven tion of injuries? Do these firms rely on the workers among the rank and file? Perhaps the foremen or supervisors carry the banner of safety- Some will credit management. It was Tom M. Girdlcr, chairman. Re public Steel Carp., speaking to the Metals clined a total of 69 per cent. Most of the Section of the National Safety Council at decrease occurred prior to 1932, and from the 25th Congress, who said he recognized 1933 to 1937 there was little change. Io 1937 the rate index was 39. In 1938 it dropped and in 1939 to 31. the great problem of safety, knowing that in it there can be no dissenting voice. Mr. Gitdltr, by the way, credits the steel indus In 1939 the severity rate was only half as large as in 1926. Much to my regret, 1 understand that in 1940 there is an in creasing trend toward accidents. This no doubt is due to the hectic state of present affairs. When calm returns to the country \\c will again achieve better records. try with providing the leadership and the initiative in the safety movement- As early as 1907 the Association of Iron and Elec trical Steel Engineers appointed a safetycommittee. Later in 1912 it passed resolu tions to organize and guide a permanent body devoted to the promotion of safety to human life in the industries of the United Every known cause of accidents must States and out of this came the National come under the scrutiny ol those interested Safety Council. in accident preventioa Not alone must guards be provided for equipment Reports of State Labor Departments or Industrial Commissions indicate that injuries due (o handling objects made up 24 per cent of all compensated cases. Manufacturing showed that this source of accidents came first with a total of 2d per cent Falls are a prolific There Is no question but that some com panies have splendid safety records because of the leadership shown by management. One could select many examples of this, but take only a few. Writing in 1937 on the subject of "A Faying Proposition,** Laramot du Pont, president of du Foot Company, considered that human interest was a worth Rubber Section 683 white motive justifying die safety effort. His company'* Oid Hkfcoty Plant secured the II million mam horn record mentioned. The inspiration most unwtCr came from the top. The General Motor* Corp. is an other example oi rim can be accomplished in leading an imlaj trj' record. When the Cots of pmnJtiue, web a* mzrws etc., fell to 48 per cent, to uk* departnartit im provement was 80 per can. Mr, Thomas S. Hammond, president of Whiting Corju, Harrer. Illinois, wrote in the Executive Service Bulletin of April 1940 an interesting article on "Personalizing Fisher Bod*' Co. made an outstanding record for the amonoUe industry. u ^ Mr. Sloan who personally sponsored their safety Accident Prevention.** This coming from the bead of a very prominent organization is a dear example of responsibility accept contests and tints indicated where in his company a Sense of responsibility was placed. Early in the last decade various du Pont plants began to have long no-accident rec ords and Mr. Irene* du Pont, then presi dent, agreed to recognize personally any record made by a plant of the company which equalled or bettered a rather remark able one which a certain plant had ac complished, which again shows the influence of management. in 1935 a contest for finding and elim inating unsafe practices and the uncovering ance, He believes it desirable- that if note worthy improvements in accident records are to be made, efforts must be directed down a path leading to individual response of every person in his organization. The result was 1,426,607 man-hours without a lost time accident "This accomplishment was due to a recognition that, from management or ownership down, the responsibility* for fin gers, eyes, toes and the body remaining un harmed was on each and everyone in the company.* What a fine record and what a fine spirit are combined ( and remedying of unsafe conditions was Maintaining interest in safety is part of held in all of the da Pont plants. Dn Pont the educational pba and subject to that operates more than eighty plants. sense of responsibility necessary to keep M. L. Wurman, plant manager for Bayuk up a good record. Cigars, Inc, Philadelphia, stated. "Unless I would tike to consider me more case of management assumes responsibility and par this type. If we take the opinion of W. E. ticipates actively in the cause, the industrial Mitchell, vice-president and general man safety movement will never reach its ulti ager of Georgia Power Company, who mate goaL Management must insist on speaks for executives, be believes that man safety.** This firm realized through in agement should take the lead in carrying juries that something must be done. They out a program of safety work. He feels felt that supervision was the key to their such a program must not be of the spas problem. But here is a somewhat different view. Mr. R. H. Cabell, president of Armour & Company, was quoted in National Safety Nexvs of Jane 2938 to the effect that fore men are held accountable for safety just as much as for output. He stated further that experience has shown that safety education alone is effective only up to a certain point. Nevertheless, he pointed out that when vig orous executive action is added to educa tion the accident rate in a plant drops sharply. Another example of where the head of a company shows hi* interest is in the article by E. G. Seubcrt, president of the Standard Oil Company (December 1936 National Safety News) which company has had or ganized safety for 20 years and has won many award*. Accidents -were reduced 96 per cent in the manufacturing department. modic type but of continuing force. Since the staff will reflect the policy of the company all the way down the line, it will be just a* consdcotiott*. He is convinced that management must meet with the committees and must actually lead all employees in the activities taken to prevent accidents. Quot ing from Mr. Mitchell, "The foreman is the key-man in any safety* program, but he will never truly enter into it, nor sell his men on it, unless the superintendent, local, district and division managers and the main office supervisory staff, dear up to the general manager and president are also thoroughly -sold on the worthwhiteness of the plan. Therefore a sane program must be organ ized front the top down.** Very* interesting is this attitude expressed by Mr. Mitchell. "It is my bdief that in getting at the causes of accidents, manage ment must assume a social responsibility 684 29th National Safety Congress Cor the welfare of its employees." So his company seeks to alleviate employees' per sonal worries. It provides benefits in case oi sickness or accident, annual medical ex aminations, makes loans to employees pos sible and so on. This considerate and broad minded policy reduced accidents sharply after its adoption ami justifies his company's liumanitariamsm. to carry' out a good safety program with sufficient time allowed for the purpose. He himself-is charged personally with organiz ing the program and is supported morally, if not actively, by his company's officials. However, l believe his work would be more effective if his superiors were to participate in the safety program. If possible he should Why arc we so interested in the matter oi the placement of accident responsibility? Do secure such interest in some direct manner. U would emphasize the quality of his work. There are many ways to do this, such as u*c wish to punish those who seemingly bv presenting trophies, coming to meetings shirk it? No doubt we are groping for of committees of employees and talking for reasons to reinforce the efforts made. Waste is to he avoided and no avenue is to be left clo>cd that will lead to a greater sense of tins responsibility, ft is that hope that through an appreciation of responsibility the accident records may be improved. fn the rubber group, one of the best evi dences of a sense of responsibility, is tire safety. He should not overlook the bene ficial effects which the personal contact of employees on behalf of safety gives to any safety program. A representative rubber company believes that there is a close relationship between plant safely and sanitation. If plant condi tions are hygienic and pleasant, then saie presence at the Congress of so many rep resentatives of this industry. They come here to iearu frotti one another ami from the other industries what the latest thought is. They are ready to give from their own cxj>enences urliatcver help they can. The splendid record of this industry as a whole conditions are also promoted. For this rea son it ftps a committee in each field. The membership of these committees includes the physician, an office force rcprerentaiive, de partment managers, chief of plant police, personnel manager and subcommittees com posed of foremen and workers--a very ami of the numerous companies with out standing records should prove an inspira tion to this Congress. For none of these achievements could be established without the wholesome sense of responsibility* so ncco.->ary in the reduction and prevention of accidents. I am sure that in every case where a safety record has been maintained on high level, management will be found .supporting wholeheartedly every plan or ef fort made to safeguard the lives and health of the workers. There, also, will Ik* found workers entirely in sympathy with manage ment. Beyond there will be discovered the families who encourage the workers to share with management the desire to make their plants safe places to work. Can such a democratic arrangement. Thus it is obvion* that no clement concerned with safety* is overlooked, a very' important consideration where there is a desire to distribute the responsibility widely. The plant superin tendent in this case has immediate charge of all the safety activities. In another company the vehicle tor direct safety action is entrusted to a committee composed of the foremen of several depart ments. At all meetings of this committee they have as guests two foremen, super visors or executives. These men take an active part in the meetings and their views, opinions and recommendations are always considered. combination be beaten? Another company places the responsibility I corresponded with several of our lead ing members in the belief that a knowledge ot the attitudes of the various parts of their organizations would add to our informa tion. The responses were wholesome and very interesting. for the prevention of accidents with the general plant safety* committee through the management which builds the entire pro gram around the foremen and supervisors. The program is first presented to their ex ecutives, which include the general man ager and five division heads. This program A personnel director of a moderate sized is presented to the supervisory* force for company, in writing to me about the good execution. safety record of his company, stressed the fact that competent leadership is required I would like to name one of our group that went almost 800 days without a lost Rubber Section 685 time accident for 1.600.000 man-hours. In tills company every important safety notice is signed by the vice-president m charge of production. This aan has appeared on the safety platform and is 100 per cent behind the plans of his So do safety work. His company reaches all employees, as soon as hired, with a safety talk. The National Safety Council booklets arc given to them. Regular plant iaspcctiom. supervisors and workmen's safety committees, thorough in vestigation of all anridtiwt constant check up of plant conditions and ttse of workmen to preach safety are jtut a few of the many agencies used to actuate the safety work. If there is a desire to understand the real cause of accidents, the myriads of agencies, governmental, state, city, public and private which exist should be of prolific help m accomplishing this. When the causes are understood, the responsibility may be placed. It is apparent that the placement of respon sibility for accident prevention is not simple. Docs it reside as a whole in society? Is oar economic structure at fault? Are we so rich, for example, that the very abundance of automobile represents a danger? Are there social differences which make people indifferent to the welfare of others? Wherein can these elements be corrected? Has any thought ever been given to the increase in life period on our accident prob lem ? The other day a police officer m Evanston *vas penalized because he insisted tltat an elderly woman observe the traffic rules. It was comical to read about it, yet it has its serious implications. In 1900 the life expectancy at birth was 48 years. In 1920 it was 54 years. In 1940 it will be 65 years. In 1900, 13.7 per cent of the popula tion was over 45 years old, whereas, today 202 per cent have reached that age. The percentage of those past 65 has risen from 41 per cent in 1900 to 63 per cent today. With aging comes a greater expectation of leisure and an increasing problem of sup port. In industry* remains a growing body of older people- What is industry* going to do about these people? Will the government be able to keep them oat of harm's way? Will the aged Increase or diminish our ac cident problem? Here is an underlying sit uation that must be considered in connection with the placement of accident responsibil ity. It is upon us now. just as we see this stage in our study of the broad question, we can look further backward to the good old days before in dustry came to the fore; when society was largely agricultural. I suppose in ancient days when the shove) and scythe or sickle were the chief implements of the farm, accident records were of little concern. To day with the highly mechanized equipment on every farm, the story is different. Pos sibly we should blame Galileo for this. From his brain sprang physical science, both theoretical and applied, and from this came modern industrial civilization. Would it he fair to blame him? Our association is with increased life, with increased mechanization, with a faster tempo of human activity. - Just as Galileo started a world to thinking, we are con fronted today with a society so integrated that the least of us has a responsibility be cannot shift The burden of accident pre vention confronts each and every one. Public Opinion Frowns on Recklessness By LAWRENCE H. SELZ President, Lawrence H. Sciz Organization, Chicago, 111. As publicity experts, it is the job of my thinking on the subject-or to bring the sub organizatkn to be specialists in interpreting ject into conformation with public opinion. and sliaping the thought processes of the Now it seems to me, as a pnblic opinion public to the accomplishment of certain ends. specialist, that your various groups have The objective might very well be to sell - begun to apply these principles rather suc traffic safety completely and irrevocably to cessfully in the job of selling traffic safety the country at large. to the public. More and more public opin In any case, our methods arc the same. ion is beginning to frown on the reckless We first find out "what people already think" citizen. and thro proceed either to reshape mass Time was when publicity on behalf of 686 29th National Safety Congress safety consisted primarily in keeping the to the ucw tactics that are being ued to {act< about accidents of any sort--their sell traffic safety. number, cause, and results--in the forefront of public attention. A good job has been done in keeping aware of these deplorable accident facts, and the public shudders as It thinks about these things, Today the traffic policeman is, to a far smaller degree, an enemy in the motorist's mind. One of the biggest things that has happened to bring him closer to the public he must supervise is the fact that policemen I say "shudders*' advisedly because your have been stationed at grade school cross campaign for safety, and I mean of any ings in communities through the nation. *-.rt--irainc. industrial, and domestic--for From earliest childhood, now, the police a long time wa built primarily on one emo man is becoming a friend and protector, tion--that of fear. You have been depend rattier than an antagonist and someone to ing on this one things--fear of sudden and iooL violent dcaih--to lower the number of ac cidents. It's true that there is no stronger basic instinct in human nature than that of self-preservation, but il's also true that this instinct operates most effectively only in an emergency. It has always been my belief that a His attitude, too, has changed. Instead of the old "Where d'ya think yer goin*?**, he now takes a much more civil tone m his ex planation of why you are being given a warning or a ticket 1 think all of you can well afford to ask yourselves whether yon are taking the attitude in your plants of the safety campaign based solely on the negative attitude of fear is sharply limited in effec tiveness. It fails to marshal an actively ap proving public opinion to hack up your ef forts. You are attempting to coerce people into being careful under threat of death, in stead of making them uvmf to be careful under pain of forfeiting the esteem of their fellowmen. It is only when you get public opinion to frown upon recklessness that you enlist full and complete support to cut down the acci dent rate. old-time policeman or the modern police man. Arc the employees trying to fool you or are they trying to cooperate with you ? Are they afraid of you or do they realize that you are there solely to protect them from their own mistakes? One of the most attractive characteristics of young people is their lack of fear. You will find it hardest of all to sell safety* to the young on the basis of fear of accidents. Hut once w let them think that it is not "smart" to violate safety rules, once let them realize that they will be in disgrace with During the time I woiked on the daily their fellow citizens if they do. and they newspapers In the 1920`s, each of the metro will be old on safety 100 per cent. This is politan newspapers had a rule that never a point which is becoming more and more should a woman be shown smoking a ciga- important in modem safety publicity. rct. it is only seven years ago that the first movie came out showing a respectable woman actually smoking a ciguiet. The first ad which carried a picture of a woman with a cigaret caused tremendous conster nation. Dul can this great principle--mobilizing public opinion against anti-social reckless ness--be applied in other kinds of safety campaigns--industrial safety drives, for in stance? I believe that it can. with good results. Yet today you will f'i *J at church socials Now I would be the last to disparage the in the smallest and mua prudish towns in patient and valuable industrial research and America that the dignified matrons in those engineering that have done so much to elimi communities think nothing whatever of nate the causes of accidents in our factories. smoking while they discuss the gossip of The dangers of the penultimate hour of the the day. I cite this only to explain how social shift, the protective devices that have been altitudes may change in a short space of devised, the training in working motions to time. - avoid accidents have all played a valuable Will a similar change take place, 1 won role. der, in the public attitude toward the acci But in the very effort to make machinery dent offender whose recklessness endangers and equipment "fool-proof," laudable as it the life and property of others? I think we is, do we not too often neglect the human can trace the beginning of such a change element? No matter how you train them. Rwbber Section 687 men are not machmn If safety rok* are handed down in the tons of an order "from the front office," without the workers* un derstanding or carixg, what kind of coopera Dr. Alvin Johnson, of Yale University, has expressed this tendency by saying that, "Discipline bv consent is rapidly displacing discipline by dictation." tion can we expect? It is my firm belief that safety efforts m industry will faff short of the mark, unless we succeed in creating widespread sentiment among the employees themselves that con demns recklessness as anti-social. Just as today's powerful automobile brakes are of no use if the driver fails through drunkenness or poor judgment to use them, so all the safety devices in the world will not prevent industrial accidents unless the workers exercise the proper pre cautions and understanding. It may seem simpler and quicker to draw up a set of safety regulations based on the findings of industrial engineers, put them into effect by executive order and trust to safety inspectors for their enforcement Un doubtedly, this procedure can be followed where management is not interested in sell ing the idea of safety to employees. But as we have already pointed out, this would mean sacrificing the great power of public opinion among the employees themselves to bring the careless and reckless worker into line. How can "public opinion" among the It may take more time and trouble to workers be built up against recklessness? Naturally this is a question that must be solved in detail by each individual factory* and shop. But it seems dear that education and discussion can play an indispensable part in any such process. Education brings home the causes, frequency and conse quences of accidents. Discussion among em ployee groups, properly directed, can be relied upon to bring many suggestions for arouse this public opinion on behalf of safety within the plant, but you will be well repaid for your effort just as the reckless driver and traffic taw violator is increasingly frowned upon by fellow motorists, so the worker who neglects safety precautions will be frowned upon and rebuked by his fellow* employees. When tempted to "take a chance," he will be restrained by Ins fear of "what people will think." eliminating safety hazards, some of which may be new; but, most important, it will get the workers themselves to thinking about safety*; it will help build up a sentiment within the plant against recklessness and taking chances. Is not the individual who takes chances in the factory often as great a hazard to his fellows as the drunken driver is on the highway ? Again the same old principle works. The fellow who is too lazy to use protective de vices, or thinks it is "smart" to take chances, will be little moved by a set of regulations. He may even take delight in evading safety inspectors, as some people seem to delight in parking near a fire plug if they can "get away with it1' Our century* < gearing itself for a great defense effort. Industry has vital tasks (o perform in building up our preparedness. As the wheels of industrial plants turn faster and faster in response to the needs of our defense program, undoubtedly considerable numbers of new workers are going to be drawn into the factories. To train this new contingent of our indus trial forces in the basic principles of safety constitutes both a responsibility and an op portunity. From the first we can accustom them to the idea that carelessness, reckless ness and chance-taking are frowned upon both within and without the factory*. We con inculcate a sense of social responsibility to avoid accidents. But let him once realize that his fellow workers condemn his carelessness, and he will mend his ways pretty quickly. Inci dentally, that is why it is so important when conducting a safety effort in a factory to try and draw into the administration of it men and women who have the respect and ad miration of their fellow-employees. In doing so, we shall be following the principle that has already proved its worth in the drive to make our streets and high ways safer---the principle that people are moved not only by fear of personal injury or death, but even more by the positive de sire to win praise and avoid condemnation from their fellows. 688 29th National Safety Congress Dermatitis in the Rubber Industry By DR. W. E. OBETZ Medical Investigator* Division of Safety and Hygiene, Industrial Commission of Ohio, Columbus, O. To those of us who are interested in in dustrial claims and compensation for dis ability and medical expense. It seems that a large percentage of skin diseases are indus trial. investigators, however, advise us that only from 2% to 20% of all skin diseases are occupational in origin. When occupa tional diseases are classified, it is found that about 65% of all claims filed are due to occupational skin diseases. fn the rubber industry, dermatitis has long been known to be one of the prevalent occupational diseases. A few years ago, and perhaps. even yet to some extent, rubber poisoning, rubber itch and rubber dermatitis were frequently reported by employees and attending physicians wherever skis irritation was found to exist More recently, however, physicians are required to give a more ac curate description of the cases they treat, and the reports filed are usually more in clusive and give a much better idea of the conditions under treatment. Previously, much of the dermatitis in the rubber industry was attributed to hexaraethylene-tetraxmne, commonly spoken of as hex or hexa. More recently, the use of this chemical has been eliminated or it has been so combined with other chemicals that its irritating action has been greatly reduced. It is said that if this chemical is combined with sufficient amounts of sulphur, a reac tion occurs in which a non-irritating com pound results. If, however, some of the hcxamethylene remains uncombmcd or re mains in an acid reaction, formaldehyde and ammonia are liberated, thus accounting for the irritation of the skin that results from contact. It has been found that persons who have an acid reaction of the perspiration are more subject to hexamethylene dermatitis tlian those having an alkaline reaction. Baring an opinion upon the experiences of those who have treated dermatitis and written articles upon their cooelusions, it is probably advisable to consider all of the chemicals and compounds used in the rubber industry as being capable of producing skin diseases in persons who happen to be sus ceptible. Reports that have come under out observation have shown that not only robber compounds but even soap stone, talc, var nish, lacquers, ink used for stamping and the soap used m the wash room were found to be responsible for dermatitis. In this day of allergic reactions resulting from so many common household articles, even such as foods, spices, flour, sugar, etc., it is not sur prising to find persons who arc allergic to almost anything. It is generally accepted, however, that the accelerators, anti-oxidants and stabilizers arc the most frequent offenders in the produc tion of dermatitis. Some of our industrial physicians, however, seem to be of the opin ion that'solvent such as gasoline, naphtha, benzol, carbon tetrachloride, etc., are the most frequent causes of dermatitis in those cases coming tinder their supervision. Classification of Causes To understand the mode of action by which these causative agents produce skin disease, it is well to give a classification of causes. The classification given by Dr. Schwartz is very complete and helpful, as follows: 1. Physical agents--such as bums, scalds, extreme cold, friction or trauma. 2. General irritants--substances which will irritate any skin. Included in this list arc the strong acids, alkaline, corrosives and solvents. 3. Specific irritants--those which do not affect every individual but may react on hypersensitive persons. Under this clas sification, <) Oils and greases--lubricating oils, vegetable oils, etc (b) Dyes and dye intermediates. Various analine dyes, some of the solvents used iu dyes and their products. (c) Explosives--T. N. T., fulminate of mercury, etc (d) Rubber compounds, including the accelerators, hexamethylene, etc. (e) Plants---ivy, sumac, pvrethrum, primrose. Rubber Section 689 (f) Biologic agents. These are divided into 1. Parasitic insects, such ^ as may cause grain itch, straw itch, etc 2. Bacterial infections; anthrax, glan ders, erysipelas. 3. Fungus infections occurring among those who handle fruits and vege tables. 4. Ringworm infections occurring in barbers, wool sorters, fur man ufacturers, and swimming pool at form may be caustic tn their action, such as lime or cement, or they may simply pro duce a mechanical irritation by friction and also tend to plug up the normal openings of the skin sometimes with infection. The fat solvents, such as naphtha, gasoline, benzol, carbon tetrachloride and washing powders dissolve the natural oils of the skin, leaving it dry* roughened and sometimes covered with minute cracks or fissures which form an ideal surface on which secondary infec tions may develop. tendants. Plant poisonings such as ivy, sumac and Skin Lesions primrose usually produce water blisters in persons who arc susceptible. Some of the allergic reactions produce similar skin le The skin which forms the protective cov sions. Various parasites, such as grain itch, ering of the body is usually soft and pliable. jiggers, ticks, etc., burrow into the sltin Il contains oil glands which secrete an oily usually leaving a small pimple at the point substance, sweat glands which produce the of entrance. Bacterial infections are quite perspiration that aids in temperature con often secondary and it is interesting to note trol. nerves and nerve endings which are in that pus producing organisms have been strumental in perfecting our sense of touch found when bacteriological examinations or feeling, and hair follicles from which the have been made of crude rubber. Fungus hairs on the surface of the body protrude. infections and ring worm quite often pro Tn addition to its Secretive function, the skin duce small water blisters between the toes is also absorptive and has the ability to take or the fingers and these blisters rupture, up or absorb solutions or emulsions and leaving raw excoriated surfaces beneath. possibly some dusts which come in contact with the skin. An example of this is the rapid development of analine poisoning after some analine dye is spilled upon the clothing, or a pair of shoes which has been dyed and is worn before the dye has thor oughly dried. In medicine, some drags arc given by being rubbed into the skm m oint ment form. When the skin becomes diseased. Che le gions are usually ooe of four classifications, either macules, papules, vesicles or pustules. In common phraseology, (hi? means that the skin may be red tn the form of a rash, may have small pimples raised on the surface, may have water blisters, or may have small blisters containing pus. In industrial dermatitis, irritating dust or solutions such as acids, alkalies, plating solutions, etc., produce a redness of the skin which may become more extensive as the contact continues. Sometimes such a condi tion is complicated by a bacterial infection. Oils and greases are sometimes irritating, but more often produce small pustules by plugging up the pores in the skin with oil or grease that contains bacteria The result is oil folliculitis, or what is commonly called "'oil boils?' Dusts or chemicals in powder Allergic skin, reactions may result from internal or external causes. Certain foods wilt cause an outbreak of urticaria, com monly called hives. It has been said by some writers that much of our eczematous der matitis is allergic in origin. In such cases the skin lesions are not always typical, and the causative agent is difficult to determine. In a recent article commenting upon al lergic reactions. Dr. Sulzberger makes the following statement. ''Given a sufficient de gree of susceptibility to sensitization or a sufficient concentration of exposure, every potentially allergic substance can, on occa sion, sensitize; and thus become the com petent producing cause of a dermatosis. In other words, the older concept of poisons or irritants which was originally the basis oi most compensation law's, led essentially to a listing of certain substances as reconized causes--to a list which included, mainly, known primary poisons or irritating sub stances." It is evident, therefore, that many of the substances to which employees may become sensitized following either short or pro longed exposure are not necessarily poisons or irritants. Such substances are called aller- 690 29th National Safety Congress genic or, a* Dr. Sulzberger calls them, sen sitizers. Another quotation from the same article gives this information. "The present day concepts of allergy as a relatively common and basic factor in the production of occu pational dermatosis leads to the conclusions, first, that no list of substances will prove adequate to encompass all the possible causal agents; and, second, that many allergic der matoses will be attributable not to any one cause or factor but to a complex mechanism, a motley interplay of various causes and factors, some constitutional and hereditary and some accquired, some local and some systemic, some of occupational and some of item-occupational nature. "This conclusion shows that it is necessary for the industrial physician to be on the alert for remote causes of the questionable cases arising in industry*, and it is possible that the sensitizing substances may be en countered in the home and, therefore, the condition would be non-industrial, Such sonindustrial exposures could be due to dies, cosmetics, toilet articles, insecticides, cloth ing, paint, varnishes, plants, soaps and -imilar substances." protected by the use of appropriate clothing. Suitable medication, such as lotions, oint ments, etc-, arc usually prescribed by the attending physician, and in some instances, the u?e of the x-ray for treatment has been found very beneficial. Claims Filed in 1939 In Ohio* most of the smaller plants en gaged in rubber manufacturing are covered by state fund insurance, white several of the larger plants are self-insurers. In the state risks, a total of 41 claims are filed during the year; 18 of these claims were for industries engaged in rubber manufac turing other th&n tins or tubes. Seven of the 18 claims showed a toss of seven days or over, but the total time lost from all of thc*c claims was 179 days. In II claims there was no loss of rime. From plants engaged in the manufacture of tires and tubes, 23 claims were filed in which there was a loss of rime in 22 totaling 237 days, and no lost rime in 11 claims. Tt is evident, therefore, that there was very' little loss of time as a result of dermatitis and that in 22 out of 41 claims, medical expense only was involved. Treatment The treatment 02* industrial dermatitis re quire*. first, titat a definite diagnosis be made by a competent physician in order to <>e certain that the disease is industrial and to rule out non-industrial cases. In a large plant with 1,000 or more employees, it is >nly reasonable to expect that there would be many cases of non-industrial dermatitis. In one such plant, 29 doubtful cases of skin U*ea?e were encountered during the first i\ months of this year and were referred a dermatologist tor a diagnosis. The rcj-orts submitted show that many various skin lipases were encountered; these included keloid, tinea infections, folliculitis, erythe mas, psoriasis, seborrhoea, urticaria, and other non-industrial diseases, as well as a few that were found to be the result of i-ontact at work. If the disease is found to be'of industrial origin, then an effort should be made to de termine the cause in order that it may be removed. In this, individual patch tests arc quite often of value. The employees should lie removed from contact with the offending substance by a change of employment or The claim in which the longest period of disability occurred was that of a young woman who was wrapping inner tubes with wax paper. The exact cause of her der matitis was not determined, but she had several recurrences and the attending ph>*irian seemed to be of the opinion tliaf heat was a factor. Id another claim a man lost nine days because of a dermatitis which re sulted from contact with varnish used in vamisliing tubes. Another man lost 20 day* because of a dermatitis resulting from the ue of glycerin. After the cause was de termined, the man's employment was changed and be returned to work. In some of the large-rubber plants where thousands of employees are in daily contact with various chemicals and rubber com pounds. mild cases of dermatitis frequent!)' occur and are treated at the plant hospital with no loss of time from their work. One of these plants has not had a compensation case of ?kin disease in three years. In many instances a change of employment is all that is necessary if such can be arranged. In another plant in which individual case rec ords were available, it was found that \(& cases of *.kin disease were treated during 1939. In only two o these was compcnta- Rubber Section 691 lion awarded for a loss of more than seven days. In this group of employees were 123 males and 46 females. In most instances the skin disease was attributed to contact with some of the rubber compounds. A summary of the claims shows that robber compounds were given as the cause rn 100 claims, tube stock was mentioned m ric claims, rayon cord stock in five, and various chemicals, oil. paint, tape, etc., were mentioned in IS claims. From the stand point of age of the employees it is found that only one case was less than 20 years of age; 28 were between 20 and 29; 69 between 30 and 39; 45 between 40 and 49; 23 between 50 and 59, and 3 were 60 or more. It is evident, therefore, that age ploys little or 00 part in the development of industrial skin disease and in this particular plant, the age of greatest susceptibility was between JO and 39 years. It seems safe to conclude that there are occupational hazards in the rubber industry and char there are many cases of industrial '4cm disease developing from contact with various chemicals and compounds used in the manufacture of rubber products. Most of these cases are very mild, requiring treatment but causing very little if 2ay loss of rime while under treatment. A small percentage of these cases are of such sever ity that the employees are disabled usually from several days to a few weeks and are, therefore, entitled to compensation. The period ot disability seems to depend largely upon whether or not the employees can be given different work, thus avoiding contact with the offending chemicals. A few* of the cftNCS have shown a tendency to recur if the employee is returned to the same type of work without adequate protection. Prevention The prevention of industrial skin dis ease* is dependent largely upon several factors. I. Efficient methods of handling chemicals. It is frequently observed that the handling of chemicals, especially in mixing rooms, is accomplished m such a way titat there is a great deal of unnecessary exposure of the workers. This is true not only in regard to the causes of dermatitis, but also such poi sons a* lead, arsenic and cyanides. In the manufacture of batteries, red and yellow lead compounds arc used and it frequently happens that these materials can be iound scattered far and wide over the entire mix ing room and pasting departments. In order to be efficient, mixing rooms - should be equipped with bins or containers from which materials can be removed as nearly mechan ically as possible with very little, if any, handling of materials or exposure of the employees. The old method of scooping materials from a barrel with a scoop or shovel .should not be tolerated. 2. Good Housekeeping. This includes keeping the mixing rooms and also the work rooms as free from dust, chemicals and de bris as possible. Proper spacing of equip ment together with suitable means for handling materials is a great help in keeping the workrooms clean. The uses of vacuum cleaners wherever possible is a great im provement over the old fashioned brush or broom method of cleaning. Tn some types of employment, concrete floors which can be washed with a hose are of great advantage. 3. Control of Dusts and Fumes or Vapors. Whenever possible, it is advisable to control the contamination of air by dust or fumes at the source at which they are generated. Sometimes one machine or operation is re sponsible for the liberation of dust or fumes which penetrate through an entire work room. The enclosing of such a machine, with possibly an exhaust to the outside of the building, completely removes such a hazard. Sometimes an exhaust hood over a tank is sufficient to remove all irritating vapors in the area. 4. Personal Hygiene. When employees are engaged in many of the operations in indus try, it is impossible for them to keep clean while at work. It is necessary, therefore, that washrooms should be provided for their convenience. If a washroom is to serve its real purpose it must be large enough to ac commodate the number of people by whom it is supposed to be used and be so equipped and maintained as to be. acceptable to the employees. In many of our industrial plants, small, dark, dirty, inconvenient washroom* are provided and then the managements wonders why they are not used. Personal cleanliness for the removal of irritating dusts, solutions or greases is one ot the most important methods of preventing industrial dermatitis. The frequent removal of these irritating substances from the skin can do much to prevent skin irritation. In order to 692 29th National Safety Congress accomplish a satisfactory degree of personal h\gicne in the average plant, it is necessary to have suitable washing facilities and to educate employee to the benefits to be de rived by persona] hygiene and in this man ner secure their cooperation. 5. Protective Clothing. In many opera tion* where employees are subjected to vari ous dusts and solutions, protective clothing is of great importance If the hazard cannot be removed by ventilation then gloves, aprons, hoods, masks, respirators, boots and leggings are protective devices which are >ometime$ very helpful. In many Instances the use of a rubber apron and a pair of long rubber gloves have entirely eliminated der matitis from a plating operation. The appli cation of a protective ointment to the ex posed surface of the body is o{ benefit in some types of work. This ointment forms a coating over the skin which helps to main tain the norma! excretions of the skin and .tml also protect it from the irritating effects of some caustic allcali or acid. There is also the advantage in proper cleansing of the kin m that the ointment is usually solu ble when soap and water arc used, taking with it the accumulations with little or no skin irritation. In many plants (he use of ;he*e protective ointments has met with inurh success. u. Mt'dical ExomuioixoH. Pre-employment examinations for the proper selection of em ployees is becoming more popular, especially in our large industrial plants. By this means, employees can be.selected for work for which they are physically and mentally cap able. From the standpoint of industrial der matitis, care should be taken to eliminate those who show evidences of skin disease. It has been said that light complexioned per sons are more susceptible to sltin irritations than those with dark complexions. A person with dry. scaly skin should not be subjected to solvents, or one with an oily skin should not be subjected to work in which additional oil or grease would be encountered. Per sons with certain diseases, such as diabetes, should not be employed where there is dan ger of skin irritation. Periodical medical examinations are also of benefit in detecting early cases of skin disease or evidences of any unfavorable reactions to any of the haz ards to which the worker is subjected. In summarizing, there are three point* which seem to stand out as being worthy of special emphasis. First, the careful selec tion of employees to be placed in occupa tions where skin disease is likely to develop. Second, the maintenance of good housekeep ing and adequate ventilation throughout the plant. Third, the benefits to be derived from personal cleanliness on the part of all em ployees as a prophylactic measure in the prevention of skin diseases. Discussion of Dermatitis By DR. J. NEWTON SHIRLEY Medical Director, Arrow Mutual Liability Insurance Company, Newton, Mass. A few of the men here can look back at the problems confronting the doctors and executives of the industry when "rubber itch" appeared with the advent of organic accelerators m the early teens. More have had some experiences with rubber rashes developing in the mid and late twenties, as ilie chemists developed newer and better ac celerators, antioxidants and coloring mate rials in the process of producing more and better rubber product* at a price where the public could buy them. In more recent years, the rubber industry Iras taken up the manufacturing of plastics, where the chemists have and are developing Synthetic resins in almost numberless quan tities. All these have their value in the in dustry but we may have an increasing prob lem in dermatitis and health control with the use of these materials. Let us glance over the past. The industry has been susceptible to all types of occupa tional dermatitis common to any industry. Dr. Louis Schwartz has listed them under the following major classifications of causes: 1. Mechanical Friction Pressure Trauma If. Physical Heat Cold Water Electricity Rubber Section 693 Sunlight Roentgen ray and radium III. Chemical Acids Alkalies Plant poison* (organic compounds) IV. Biological* Bacteria Fungi Animal parasites In Tcfering to dermatitis in the rubber indu.it wc usually refer to those cases caurcd by the materials under Class III. Class 1 deals largely with cases coming from handling materials and tools and wc might mention as examples: The callouses formed from shears used by trimmers. The callouses from knives in the hands of mill men. The wearing away of the ends of fingers of shoe makers where they have to pull over the edges of stock, or the picking up of stock from the table. Our time study men with the methods men have been able to render considerable assistance in prevent ing ihexc by making slight changes m the methods used. Gas* U deals with the hazards incidental in the manufacturing processes and should Ik: capable of adjustment if the condition is recognized. Here we can suggest the burns from handling molds, presses, vukanizers, etc. The maceration of the skin of the hands of those men required to work in water for long periods at a time. Several years ago, one company installed an x-ray unit to in>pect heels for the washers inserted in them. The men doing this work, not realizing the hazard, found they could make faster time using their hands for moving the heels along rather than using the stick supplied for that purpose. Before supervision discovered it. several cases of x-ray burns had developed. A slight change tn the method was intro duced preventing the recurrence of the haz ard* and the process if HO longer a danger ous one. Class TV deals with skin infections from bacteria, fungi and animal parasites. These conditions are common to all types of man ual labor and are of importance in the rub ber industry only tn so far as they are com plications of cases developing in the other three classes, especially in Gass UI. Let me call your attention to one possible condition which has developed and can come up at any time. The industry' has many processes where the work progresses from one em ployee to another. If a case of contagious disease is present, this may be carried from one employee to the next. I doubt if this often happens but it has been claimed from time to time. Here we are hetped by the employee, for often we have one come down and say, "I am aTrait} to work alongside of Bill; his hands are all broken out/' Cases of contagious skin disease should be kept out of work until they are cleaned up. Gass III deals with the materials nor mally considered as the cause of Industrial dermatitis in the rubber industry. Begin ning in the early teens, the chemistry ot rubber advanced by leaps and bounds. With this progress came "rubber itch." The chem ists were primarily interested in producing rubber products that were good. Labor problems were some one else's hcadaclies. Lost time and insurance costs soon caused :> change and other compounds were developed to replace "hexa," the one outstanding cause of dermatitis at the time. In the twenties, the chemists made more and more progress in the chemistry of rubber and developed more and better organic compounds used in speeding up the vulcanization of rubber and giving a better end product. Some of these materials were capable of producing derma titis and were only known by the trade name. Increasing cases o dermatitis and a growing tendency for the employees once developing a dermatitis to be more sus ceptible to these materials caused the indus try to become dermatitis conscious. The Rubber Section of the National Safety Council,began a study of the mate rials used in the industry. Under the careful guidance of Dr. L. J. D. Healey the various materials were listed with particular refer ence to the health hazards of each. Tend encies to produce dermatitis were carefully noted. The results of these studies appeared about 1931 in the Industrial Safety Series of the National Safety Council. More re cently, Dr. Louis Schwartr has made a sur vey of Industrial Dermatoses for the l*. S. Public Health Service. His findings and suggestions arc to be [ound in U. S. P. H. Bulletin No. 215. These references arc of great value when confronted with an un explained case of dermatitis tn the mill. At about the same time the Ruhber Sec tion began a survey of the compounding ma terials, the manufacturers of materials used, cspeciallv accelerators and antioxi- 694 29th National Safety Congress dams, began to look ai the effect of these compounds on the employees. This work was done primarily by animal experimenta tion with some patch testing. The Haskell institute operated by du Pont is the out standing development in this line. to the mill room, where the various in gredients are worked into a common mass or stock. The mill man comes into contact with alt the various ingredients as he adds them to the batch on the mill. Where the mate rials are weighed out in paper bags, care It is now common practice for the manu will prevent this material from getting on facturer to place in the hands of the buyer, his hands or gloves. He will then have to information as to the hazards presented by touch the materials only after they have the use of this particular compound. You been mixed on the milk can also go to the plant chemist today and While many cases of dermatitis did show get from him information as to health haz up in the mill room during the early days of ards of the various materials used. This was organic accelerators, we rarely see one now. not possible ten years ago unless the mate A factor which has been of considerable rial was highly dangerous to use. Tliey importance in the reduction of dermatitis in formerly knew little about dermatitis unless the mill room, is the introduction of the they happened to he one of those individuals enclosed mixing methods. Where the open who were susceptible and had developed method of mixing is in use. the null apron dermatitis in the process of making up a has materially* reduced the contact of the compound formula. worker's hands with the stock in process. The many places where dermatitis may viccnr in the rubber industry* covers prac tically every' job, but perhaps some attempt The use of the dipping tank to cool the stock as it is taken off the mill may* intro duce a hazard but I have failed to sec any*. >hould be made to say something about the We then 'come to the stock bins where various jobs. compounded stock is kept before wanted. The receiving department firet gels the materials as they come into the plant. Here ive And exposure to any dusty compound, particularly if there has been damage to the container. Dermatitis of the hands, arms and legs' have been noted here. The compounding room is Usually the next department in line Here the materials are weighed out. The usual procedure being to put the more bulky materials into large compound pans. The less bulky* compounds arc weighed out into small pans or paper lut*-. Here the material has to be handled i>\ hand, usually using a scoop or even a large spoon to handle ingredients used in -mall amounts. Gloves may be worn as a protection but care is the most important item. It is usually true that the more dan gerous materials arc used in the smaller amount-. Fortunately, this type of work is done by a fairly good class of help. These small amounts must be accurately weighed if the resulting stock is to he satisfactory. This tcuer class of VaboT is expected to have the ability of using a little more care thau the rough labor batching the bulky compounds. Care and cleanliness are the two big items in safely handling powders capable of causing dermatitis. Fr'm the compounding room we progress The men working in this department come into contact with all stock in process. The talc, whiting or other dusting powder maypick up materials from the stock which can cause dermatitis. We do not sec it today. In the calendar room die stock passes through the cracker men for breaking up or directly to the mill men for warming previous to use on the calendar. AH these operators are subjected to the dusting powder or the rags used to keep the various layers of the stock separated. The exposure is maximum but the incidence of dermatitis today is negli gible. In the cement house, the compound stick.** arc worked up on the mill and in chums to make the cements. Exposure is to the com pounded stock and to the naphtha or other solvent. The operators handle the stock and then come into contact more or less with the cement which may' be spilled onto the sides of the containers or machine. In the spreader room, tlie workers handle the stock an semi-liquid form as it is taken from the container and placed in front of the spreader knife. I believe the tendencytoday is to do all this work with a scoop or spatula and a dean worker has little real cause to be covered with the spreader mate rial. Here a hazard is introduced when the men use naphtha or other solvents to re move the spreader material from the hands. Rubber Section 695 An element of heat is here also important as the heat from the steam coils is always present. The next operation is usually* the cutting room. Today mechanical methods have been so far introduced that we rarely see any dermatitis here. The men do have to handle the stock and book it in some case but dusty stock books are now out The preparation room is next m line, here tlc preliminary operations' of assembling a *hoc. tire or other product takes place. The various parts are all handled by hand, taken out of books, the various steps of work done and replaced in books or other con tainers. Some operations, as in making canvas rubber footwear, an operation is made in the stitching room. The parts are here handled from books or other containers, stitched and replaced on some type of con tainer. There is little hazard here save one will notice that the passing of the needle through the material does cause a dust. This du>t j* composed of cotton, compounded rubber, dye. etc A case of dermatitis has hero known to arise from the mechanical actwjn of the dost caused in this operation. .Voucher has been traced to the dye used in the fabric being stitched. The making room is another place where all mmiab are handled largely by hand. Dermatic** w31 appear here if there is a <anv for dermatitis. In the inspecting and packing of goods dermatitis its not expected. Here the product i in tbc coodStioo it will be worn by* the consumer. I regret to say that dermatitis ha* occurred here in days gone by. The aeK was apparently a product containing; a dermatitis causing accelerator. Fortunately the product was not worn next to the skin. I.ct t* follow the procedure where a case of occupational dermatitis is suspected. Rarely do we show much interest if it is the nr-i case, but when several cases appear, capwiaHy if lost time develops, wc at once start anion. Wc refer the case to a com petent dermatologist for an opinion and pos sible treatment- We carefully investigate the -work the employee is doing. Wc list all the materials handled. We go back to the chem ist in checking these materials, especially as to the ingredients in the compound and to possible by-products of processing. Wc dratv our concfusions if possible. We may resort to patch testing. This is not always a safe procedure and should only be done by a physician. Samples of the various stocks arc taken and tried on the patient or on other persons. Special com pounds of the stock, made by omitting one or another of the ingredients are patch tested. Even the separate ingredients may give results. These tests arc made carefully under as near working conditions as pos sible. The best part of the body to be used * is considered to be the flexor surfaces of the arms. The tests are carefully watched and are allowed to stay in contact with the skin of the person being patch tested for wliat appears to be a longer time than one would expect to be necessary*, always check ing die tests at intervals, for fear an early marked reaction may occur. These tests arc not entirely harmless. A recent scries of tests on a suspected material put one man in the hospital for ten days and another out of work for three days. In fact, a marked positive reaction may cause a lot of worry- If a positive finding is made, what can be done? 1. Replace the causative agenr if possible. Such a .remedy can only be made by the plant chemist in cooperation with the pro duction department. All rubber compounds are made up only after weeks of testing. A change in one material will require cer tain additional tests to insure the same end results. 2. Where a change of material is not pos sible, a change in the method of handling the material may be worked out The dust}* stock books of former days are now miss ing. The bloom' formerly seen on rubber stock is now absent because of improved compounding methods (the bloom \% indi cation of an excess of some ingredient). This bloom often carried to the surface ma terial which is the cause of a dermatitis. Modem mechanical processes have removed many of the manual operations which for merly contributed to rashes/ 3. Where a change of material or method is not possible, a selection of workers may help but protection of the workers is more important About 20 per cent of all workers will show reaction to materials which cause a dermatitis, but only about 2 per cent will show reactions which are troublesome. It has always been contended that blondes are more susceptible than brunettes. In many plants, negroes are used in the compound- <59* 29th National Safety Congress mg rooms as they are less susceptible to the rashes. The dark skin races appear to be resistant to determatitis causing materials. In cases where the vapor or gas given off is a cause, ventilation will help. Protective clothing and gloves may be worn on some jobs. The use of protecting creams is being tried. This should be watched with great care. A cream may collect and increase the strength of the material causing the msh. paper is well worth the time it takes to read it. Reference has been made to plastics and plasticisers. Up to the present time, I have had very little to do with these materials but I hear a little here and a little there. Many of these materials are synthetic in origin and when not properly handled and used may cause dermatitis. The use of a bland cream during non-work ing hours may improve the skin to the point where it may better resist the disturbing material. A factor of increased sensitization has been mentioned in connection with derma titis from organic accelerators. Patch test ing has done considerable to bear out this Cleanliness, an ideal for all health haz ards, is just as important in the rubber In- contention. A person who has been slow* in giving a reaction to the first test, may later become hypersensitive to the materials used. rustrv for protection against dermatitis as In fact, some workers have been forced to any element. This refers to the cleanliness give up the line of work they are doing be of the machine, the workroom and the worker. In connection with this reference to cleanliness, your attention is called to the cause a return to work causes an immediate recurrence of the rash, usually in an ag gravated form. paper presented by Drs. Klauder and Gross at the Health Service in Industry* Section a year ago which appears in the Transactions of the 28th National Safety Congress. The Variations of reactions in varying seasons may be noticed. We often see a little epi demic of rashes in the spring where the same people have worked for months on the same material ADJOURNMENT Steam Railroad Section Officers 1939-1940 General Chairman--E. L. Henry, Chicago & North Western Railway Co., Chicago. III. Vice-Chairman--D. G. Pmixirs, Wabash Railway Co., St. Louis, Mo. .Secretory and News Letter Editor--*P. F. Buckle, Chicago, Burlington 8c Quincy Railroad Co., Chicago, 111. Program Committee--J. R. Tenney (Chairman), Western Maryland Railway Co.. Hagers town, Md. P. F. Buckle, Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad Co., Chicago, III. O. F. Gnakmkces, Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Railway Co., Joliet, 111. Membership Committee--Robert Scott (Chairman), Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Co., Wilmington, N. C. A. O. Beck, Canadian National Railways, Montreal, Quc., Canada. F. A. Bogue, Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railway Co., Chicago, III. Statistics Committee--T. H. Carrow (Chairman), The Pennsylvania Railroad, Philadelphia. F. Rl Bradford, Boston & Maine Railroad, Boston, Mass. D G. Phillips, Wabash Railway Co.. St. Louis, Mo. Contest Committee--C L. LaFountaiX'L (Chairman), Great Northern Railway Co.. St. Paul, Minn. L. R. P.ulmer (Secretary), Equitable Life Assurance Society of U. 5., New York City. T. H. Ouutow, The Pennsylvania Railroad, Philadelphia, Pa. A. V. RottWEDot, Duluth, Missabe 8: Iron Range Railway Co., Puluth, Minn. Robert Scott, Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Co.. Wilmington, N. C. P.oster Committee--L. J. Benson (Chairman), Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad Co., Chicago, III. G. H. BlaKemore, Norfolk & Western Railway Co.. Roanoke, Va. \Y. F. Lotgren, Chicago, St Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha Railway Co., Si. Paul, Minn Safe Practices Pamphlet Committee--T K. Gaf (Chairman), Chicago. Burlington & Quincy Railroad Co., Chicago, III W. J. FlaNnigan, Northern Pacific Raiway Co., St. Paul, Minn. F. A. Bogue, Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railway Co., Chicago, III Nominations and Elections Committee--W. C. Shelves* (Chairman), Union Pacific Rail road Co., Omaha, Ncbr. M. T. Fulton, Kansas City Southern Railway Co., Kansas City, Mo. H. A. Daake, Erie Railroad Co., Cleveland, Ohio. Health Committee--Dr. I. S. Cutter (Chairman). Chicago & North Western Railway Co.. Chicago, IIL Dr. Harvey Bartle, The Pennsylvania Railroad, Philadelphia, Pa. Dr. A. \V. Walker, Southern Pacific Railway Co., San Francisco, Calif. Officers 1940-1941 Geueral Chairman--J. R. Tenney, Western Maryland Railway Co., Hagerstown, Md. Vice-Chairman--O. F. Gnadingek. Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Railway Co., Joliet, TIL Secretary and News Letter Editor--J. E. Long, The Delaware & Hudson Railroad Corp., Albany, N. Y. Program Committee--P. F. Buckle (Chairman), Chicago, Burlington Sc Quincy R. R. Co.. Chicago. Ill F. A. HocUK, Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Co. Chicago, 111. 697 698 29th National Safety Congress J. M. Guild, Union Pacific Railroad, Omaha, Ncbr. Membership Committee--Robert Scott (Chairman), Atlantic Coast Line R. R. Co., Wil mington, N. C. A. V. Rohweder, Duluth, Missabe & Iron Range Railway Co., Duluth, Minn. Statistics Committee--T. H. Carrow (Cltairman), The Pennsylvania Railroad, Philadelphia. F. R. Bradford, Boston & Maine Railroad, Boston, Mass, D. G. Phillips, Wabash Railway Co., St. Louis, Mo. Contest CamtniUee--C. L. LaFountaine (Chairman), Great Northern Railway Co., St. Paul, Minn. 1.. G. Bentley, The Chesapeake & Ohio Railway Co.. Richmond, Va. G. W. Ei^tk, Jr., Baltimore & Ohio R. R. Co., Baltimore, Md. L. R. Palmer (Secretary), Equitable Life Assurance Society of U. S., New York City, j. J. Suavely, New York, New Haven & Hartford Railway Co.. New Haven, Conn. Poster Committee--L. J. Benson (Chairman), Chicago. Milwaukee. St. Paul & Pacific R. R. Co., Chicago, lit C. H. Blakemore, Norfolk & Western Railway Co., Roanoke, Va. \V. R. Lofcren, Chicago, St. Paul. Minneapolis & Omaha Railway Co., St. Paul, Minn. So/e Practices Pamphlet Committee--T. K. Gage (Chairman), Chicago, Burlington & Quincy R. R. Co., Chicago, 111. \Y. f. Flan.nigan, Northern Pacific Railway Co., St Paul, Minn. (*,. C. Jeffems, Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway System, Chicago, III. Nominations and Elections Committee--H. A. DaaKe (Chairman), Erie R. R. Co.. Cleve land. Ohio. M. T. Fulton, Kansas City Southern Railway to., Kansas City, Mo. E. L. Henvy, Chicago & North Western Railway Co., Chicago, 111. Health Committee--Dr. I. S. Cutter (Chairman), Chicago & North Co., Chicago, III. Western Railway Hr. Harvey Barile, The Pennsylvania Railroad, Philadelphia. Pa. TUESDAY AFTERNOON SESSION October 8,1940 The opening session of the Steam Rail road Section was called to order by the Chairman, E. L. Henry, Superintendent of Safety, Chicago & North Western Railway Company, Chicago, who presided. He* outlined briefly some of the activities of the Section during the past year, and took the opportunity to mention the work of many Standing Committees. He then intro duced J. R. Tenney, Supervisor of Safety, Western Maryland Railway Company, Ha gerstown, Md., Chairman of the Program Committee, who assumed the Chair. Mr. Tenney iotroduccd the speakers. The Effectiveness of Grade Crossing Protective Devices from the Viewpoint, of State Authorities By WARREN HENRY Assistant Chief Engineer. Illinois Commerce Commission, Springfield, III. The an of grade crossing protection has made rapid advance in the past few years and 1 believe it Is fair to say that the state of public opinion on this point has advanced fully a. much. It was not long ago for in stance that a major obstacle to progress in this field seemed, to some of us at least, the prevalence of what was often called the claim agent point of view, that is an undue emphasis upon legal liability rather than on public safety. Another very persistent mental attitude. Steam Kailroad Section 699 which I think is definitely on the way out, is that we are only concerned with giving highway users and especially automobile drivers a fair warning, that he may avoid getting hurt or killed on a crossing, and that it is no concern of the public authority whether the driver obeys or disregards warnings so given. Right here is a division between the liability and the public safety point of view. Very possibly the victim of an accident (and he may be only one of the victims) has been so negligent as to be chargeable with tlic disaster. It may have been his fault, but the occurrence was by no means his own affair and the business of no one else. There has been altogether too abundant demonstration of the fact that it is quite impossible for axiyone to drive an automobile into the path of or against a railroad train on a crossing without injuring-, or at least trespassing upon, the rights of others. Trains have been wrecked many times by such a proceeding and both passengers and mem bers of the crew killed or injured. A collision recently occurred in which a fast train struck a small truck at a grade crossing adjacent to the business district of a centra] Illinois city. The streets were full of people. The truck was totally demolished and the two occupants killed. The motor of (he truck was thrown through the sir and crashed violently against the side of a hotel. Can there be any doubt that the guests and occupants of this hotel who were thus en dangered. as well as numerous other people in the vidnity had an ioterest in the transac tion or that regardless of who was at fault, the public safety had been gravely endan gered ? Another thing which is somewhat of a stumbling block is a confusion between oc currence of accidents and public safety. Members of the public can be in very grave danger without an accident actually happen ing. The practical importance of this lies in the common disposition to regard the ac cident record at a particular crossing as the criterion and measure of hazard. Not that the accident record can be. disregarded al together; but where w are working funda mentally for the public safety the major emphasis should be upon producing condi tions that accord with safety rather than upon remedial measures designed to meet certain combinations of events. The primary purpose of grade crossing protective devices is to promote public safety, that is to reduce the exposure of the public to conditions of hazard. In that fun damental view there should be no difference of opinion between state authorities and anyone else, railroads or others who are dealing with this problem. The factors which make for effectiveness or non-effectiveness are not all mechanical ones. Many of them are human factors, and arc not as readily subject to control as are the mechanisms employed. The fact that there arc human factors, however, is not a matter that can be disregarded, and more over it does not follow that human factors may not be dealt with, anticipated, studied, and, to some extent, controlled. This is a very essential aspect from the standpoint which 1 am endeavoring to pre sent. From this standpoint we are not so much concerned with what ought to happen as with what does generally happen; not de pending so much on what a motorcar driver ought to do as what the ordinary* human being is likely to do; not dealing with a theoretical personage, who is at all time- vigilant, watchful, alert and has his mind on what he is doing, but rather with the com mon ordinary* run of mortals who are sub ject to shortcomings, frailties, lapses and infirmities which are the comon heritage of mankind and also of womankind. An accident occurred near the outskirts of a small city in western Illinois at the crossing of a minor, gravel surfaced local street, with the tracks of a main line rail road. The crossing was marked only by regulation crossbuck signs and it was not such a crossing as would usually be pro tected by gates or signals. An oncoming train would be clearly visible for a distance of something like a mile at all points along the street within some 300 feet tram the crossing. The driver of the car was a local rcsidenL Accompanied by Ins'wife and their four children he was on an ordinary neigh borhood errand, shortly after one o'clock in the afternoon. They stopped at a house near the crossing, where a neighbor joined the party and then the car proceeded firM to make a right angle turn onto the graveled street, some 220 feet from the crossing, and then to drive this 220 feet to the crossing in full view of an approaching local freight train. It seems quite impossible that the 700 29th National Safety Congress automobile could have attained any consider able speed in this short distance. The train was a local freight which seldom exceeded 40 miles an hour in speed, and at this par may also explain the infrequency of the in attention type of accident on crossings pro tected by the better forms of automatic or manual gates. Here the thing to see is di ticular moment was slowing down for the next slop. The day was clear, the surface of the road nas dry, ami the automobile seems to have been in good condition. Whatever may be the explanation, the fact is that the automobile proceeded onto the crossing in the path of the approaching train, was struck squarely, and the collision resulted in the deaths of all seven occupants. For our purpose here, we may assume that what happened was the driver's fault, that he was negligent in not observing the train and bringing his car to a stop. rectly in the path of travel, the very place where the driver's eyes are normally focused. Let us notice this point carefully. Cross ing signals and gates are not always pro vided to warn people of trains they cannot see. Quite often the trains they warn against are in plain sight, yet experience shows the wisdom of providing the signals or gates nevertheless. Actually what vtc arc doing here is dealing fairly effectively with that human factor of inattention, by providing something that is no more visible than the train but is less likely to be overlooked. Even so. here arc seven people killed, four oi them children, and each man of the train crew endangered. The public authority i* properly concerned, but what can we do about it r It is no answer to condemn the dead driver. It is a real problem when we have situations, thousands of them in fact, where a very brief lapse of attention, or distraction, a thing common enough to all nun, may produce such a tragedy. A* a matter of fact crossing accidents ap parently chargeable to lapse of attention are very common, far more so, in my observa tion, than those In which intoxication are involved N'or does education seem to help here. In another accident where the facts were very similar to those narrated, the oc cupants ut the car were two college profes-r> and a physician, a professor at the wheel. Perhaps, as an ultimate goal, the concep tion of having all highway crossings either separated or protected is sound, but there U a major obstacle in the way. Automatic flashing light signals installed according to our present standards in this state cost from about $2,500 a crossing upward, and the various forms of barrier and manual pro tection are still more expensive. The crossing where this accident happened was a minor crossing, so-called. There arc thousands of them, country' roads, residen tial streets in cities and villages, carrying light traffic but locally necessary to the pub lic. Some of them can be eliminated per haps. but a large number must still remain. iVo funds are available to install our present relatively expensive types of crossing pro tection at these minor crossings, and there might be ground to question the justification One of the things we can do about it, at least in many situations, is to make it less likely that the hazard will escape attention. Suppose, for instance, that crossing signals were installed at the crossing just described. Would it be logical to assume that this par ticular driver, having failed to see a train in plain sight, would likewise fail to see the signals? The answer lies in the fact, that the signals arc located in or near the natural tocus of a driver's attention, whereas the train, seen in time, is not. of the expense if the money were available. Nevertheless one of these minor crossings was the scene of the shocking tragedy de scribed, and that was no isolated cose. In die aggregate these crossings account for a very substantial portion of the grade cross ing casualties. Here is the problem in this field which I believe is now farthest from solution. What can be done about the numerous minor crossings? The art has not yet produced, or at least brought into general practical This may explain why crossing signals, use, any crossing protective system that is installed on so-called wide open crossings, reliable, effective and practically usable for do actually reduce hazard and accidents, even though an alert driver might see any oncoming train in ample time. The signal these situations. Our present protective de vices arc appropriate for major, but not for minor crossings. Here is a challenge is overlooked less often than the train, to the engineers and technicians, a very real mainly because it is in the field of view. This need which so far has not been met. Sit'd>u Railroad Section 701 The problem should not be ignored, or lightly dismissed as the concern only of each offending driver who gets hurt. It is actually a widespread situation of public hazard, for which we have not yet a satisfactory solu tion. In the present absence of any mechanical apparatus suitable to be installed at the minor crossings we seem to be depending upon two things: first the caution and alert ness of die highway user in discovering the approach of a train on his own account; and second the audible warning that may be given to him by the whistle, siren, or bell on the train. One practical thing that often can be done is to improve the local conditions. Remov ing brush, weeds and unnecessary foliage or other obstruction in the vicinity of a grade crossing are safety measures ami properly considered here. Consideration to unneces sary obstruction of view at a grade crossing should likewise be given where any buildings or structures are to be erected on railroad property. We were, for instance, much con cerned a short time ago because metal bins tor the .storage of corn and grain were placed adjacent to grade crossings at nu merous locations in this state, transforming fairly open crossings to blind crossings. When attention was directed to this matter it seemed that no one had given a thought to the safely of the crossings involved. At a number of crossings safety lias been greatly improved by so-called day lighting, that is by removing embankments or mounds of earth in such fashion as to make a fairly open crossing out of a blind crossing. Here is another safety measure or method of a uon-teehmeal nature. At a residential street crossing lately a fast diesel powered train struck a grocery truck which the driver, a young lad, had left standing with the rear end on or very close to a main line track while he delivered goods to a house nearby. We found that the only vehicular approach to three dwell ing houses adjacent to the crossing was over a driveway, the full width oE which was twelve feet or less from the rail, too close to clear a train, and the track was on a curve at that; a piece of foolishness not chargeable to the grocery boy. The whittle or siren on the engine seems to be our only present practicable warning- device foi minor crossings. This type of warning has its limitations, especially in the winter when the doors and windows of auto mobiles and trucks are closed but there may be room for development here. I have made a number of trips on locomotives of fast trains for the purpose of observing the situ ation at grade crossings as viewed from the engine cab. Nothing is more impressive than the extent to which the whistle or siren is obviously the main reliance as a high speed train rushes through small villages, where there are usually several blind and unprotected crossings, as well as at other places where the interval of time between the tram becoming visible to a highway user and it reaching the crossing is a matter of seconds or even a fraction of a second. It may also be worthy of note that in the above described accident where the seven people were killed the car approached from the fireman's side, the engineer could not see the car, and the fireman was busy with his fire. While the statutory' whistle signals seem to have been given, there was no whistle warning directed to the immediate situation. The whistle or siren is a practicable and fairly effective device that docs materially aid in the v-dution of the minor crossing problem, and to my mind this audible signal merits more attention and study than it ba received Leaving the minor crossing and its prob lems for the time being, the more important and heavily used crossings arc generally protected cither by some form of barrier protection, that is a gate arm or arms, by automatic signals* or by a watchman. Some times combinations of these are employed Tt is not mv purpose to describe mechanical details but rather consider their effective ness from the viewpoint I am presenting and this especially involves consideration of this human factor. In the effectiveness of any type of gate, whether automatic or manually operated, the coordination of the raising and lowering of the gate with the arrival of the train is most important. A common fault with the older manually operated gates was the tendency of the operator to wait too long and allow the train to get too dose be fore his gates were down, whereas with the newer forms of automatic gates the track circuits must be worked out carefully in order that the gates are not permitted tr> re main down an undue length of time. 702 29tJt National Safety Congress At a crossing near Chicago where re cently an installation of automatic short arm gates was made there was much report of automobiles running around the gates. Investigation shoued that a suburban Sta mm was located within the limits of llic cir cuit both east and west of the crossing and that no special provisions had been made tor trains which stop at those stations. A -cries of checks at the crossing established the tact tliat with these local trains the gates -would be down as much as two to three minutes before the arrival of the train at the crossing, that there was much viola tion of the gates during the early part of this interval but practically none when the train was within 20 seconds or less of the crossing. There was also practically no vio lation with respect to through trains where the operation of the gates coordinated prop erly with the train. The effectiveness of this installation was therefore much im paired by failure to realize how the public will act under the conditions brought about. Unduly long pre-warnings and so-called ial>e indications have been more common and flagrant with the flashing light signal and the complacence with which some people -cem to view this situation indicates much <ii a disregard for the very important human factor in ihc effectiveness of aJ] >uch de vices. Tlic conclusion which needs emphasis is that the effectiveness of crossing protectivedevices depends upon human factors. We >hou!d never overlook this fact. Warnings, for instance, sliould be placed as close a> practicable to the normal focus of vision of drivers of approaching vehicles. This inci dentally is one of the outstanding advan tages of the modem barrier type of protec tion. Good maintenance and good illumina tion are highly important because of their effect on the human mind, higher visibiliiy ami attention getting value. Proper coordi nation of automatic protective devices with trains, avoidance of unduly long pre-warn ings and of so-called false indications may be much more important a factor in effec tiveness than is generally supposed, due to the favorable or the adverse influence, us the case may be, upon the driver's reaction. The practical safeguarding of the minor crossing remains the problem in which prob ably the least progress has been made. \Yr have a very, serious problem of public safety here and the effectiveness of the measures and derices we can practically use at this lime >s undoubtedly much lower tlian with respect to the more heavily traveled major crossing*. Effectiveness of Grade Crossing Protective Devices from the Viewpoint of the Railroad Engineering Dept. By W. M. POST Signal Engineer, Pennsylvania Railroad, Philadelphia, Pa. Tlic only measurement we liave of the ciU'Cliveness of work done to reduce acci dents at highway grade crossings through out the country is the Interstate Commerce Commission statistics. The number of such accidents declined from 4.49 per million irain jiile-s in 1950 to 4.12 in 1939. Meas ured in terms of the number of automobiles registered, accidents declined from 183 per million in 1930 to 113 in 1939. Expressed in terms of chances of an acci dent ; in 1930 a motor vehicle bad one chance in 5,500 of being involved in a grade cross ing accident, while last year the chance was one iu 8.800. This improvement is. of course, gratify ing; however, when we consider the vast amount of effort that has been made to re duce accidents at highway grade crossings wc are disappointed that tliere has not been greater improvemenL Protective devices at grade crossings con sist of advance and crossbuck signs to mark the crossings, audible and visual signals to give warning of an approaching train, and Rates ami other barriers across the highway. The question under discussion is the effec tiveness of these protective devices. This subject, of course, includes what can be <kme to make them more effective. The railroad engineers believe that they have done much to make these devices ef ficient, distinctive and easily understood. The real difficulty' is to make nil drivers n- Stearn Railroad Section 703 derstand that they must be governed by these protective devices and that they must not pass over railroad crossings until it is known that they can do so safely. Protec tive devices are merely an aid for the driver. The responsibility for his own safety rests with him. The number of highway crossings equipped with automatic signals has increased rapidly during the years since the advent of the au tomobile. There were about 23,000 cross ings protected by signals in 1939. The num ber of crossings protected by signals, gates and watchmen in 1939 was about 32,500. Approximately 190,000 grade crossings were protected by fixed signs only. 1. C. C. statistics show that for an equal number of crossings there are three times as many accidents at crossings protected by signals, gates and watchmen, as at crossings protected by signs only. Of course, the more dangerous crossings and those haring heaviest highway and train traffic arc the ones which arc protected by signals, gates and watchmen. However, these figures arc significant and indicate that intensive efforts should be made to secure increased obedi ence to warning signals and other protective devices. Much has been done to make the motor vehicle driver realize his responsibility, but much remains to be done. The enactment into taw, and enforcement of the law by all of the States, oi Section 102. Article XIII, Act V, entitled "Uni form Act Regulating Traffic on Highways," prepared by the Na tional Conference on Street and Highway Safety, .ould go a long way toward making protective devices at grade crossings effec tive. "... Whenever any person driving a vehicle approaches a railroad grade cross ing. the driver of such vehicle shall slop within 50 feet but not less than 10 feet from the nearest track of such railroad and shall not proceed until he can do so safely when; "(a) A clearly visible electric or mechan ical signal device gives warning of the im mediate approach of a train; "(b) A crossing gate is lowered, or when a human flagman gives or continues to give a signal of the approach or passage of a train; **(c) A railroad engine approaching within approximately 1,500 feet of the highway crossing emits a signal audible from such distance and such engine, by reason of its speed or nearness to such crossing is an im mediate hazard; "(d) An approaching . in is plainly vis ible and is In hazardous proximity to such crossing." In 1937 six states had suclt a law, or one Minilar, with a penalty, and seven states had such a law without a penalty. There should be a penalty ami rigid enforcement il the law is to le effective. The Public Utilities Commission of the ' Stale of New Jersey has a staff of Inspec tor* whose duties are to go over the slate and check automobiles passing over grade crossings. They are dressed as civilians but have authority to issue summons to drivers who violate the taw. \\ hilc primarily it is the obligation of public authorities to bring about obedience to railroad grade crossing protective devices, the railroads, through the Association of American Railroads and railroad employees working as individuals, often on their own lime, have done much work with the public through their safety advertising and educa tional campaigns. Wc arc all familiar with the liorror picture poster* of grade crossing accident^. Talks on precautions which should !c taken at grade crossings have been given liv railroad men before schools and civic bodies all over the country. Railroad engineers have made an impor tant contribution to the effectiveness of grade crossing signs and signals by years of com mittee work in their associations to estab lish standards for Railroad Highway Grade Crossing Protection. These standards are contained in a bulle tin published by the Joint Committee on Grade Crossing Protection, and i-stictl to the railroads by the Association of Amer ican Railroads as recommended standards. These standards have also been adopted by the National Association of State Highway Officials and by the National Conference on Street and Highway Safety, and arc published in their joint Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Streets and Highways. These standards have also been approved by the American Standards Asso ciation. Before these committees of railroad engi neers started work to bring about uniform ity'- about 20 years ago, there were many different kinds of signs and signals. After much debate, the following was adopted as 704 29th National Safety Congress requisite for highway gTade crossing signals is shown in the Manual on Uniform Traffic and has governed generally throughout the Control Devices for streets and highw&vs. country for the last 18 years: The sign is a metal disc 30 inches in diame "An electrically or raechamcally-opcrated ter, yellow background with a black border signal used for the protection of highway and a diagonal black cross with black letters traffic at railroad hiehway grade crossings MR" in each side quadrant. The border and shall present toward the highway, when in- letter* "RR" arc shown outlined with re titrating the approach of a train, tlie appear flector buttons. Money spent for the more ance of a horizontally swinging red light, extensive use of advance zvorning signs tcith or swinging disc" reflector buttons, in my opinion, would con Uniformity of signals was, of course, tribute much to safety at grade crossings. the first step required to familiarize auto mobile drivers with the meaning of the warning signal. There are more than 40.- 000.000 automobile drivers in the United States and the task of having them all un derstand that horizontal alternately flash ing red lights, or a swinging disc, is a warn ing that a railroad train is aproaching is not a* easy as it would seem. This led the Railroad Engineers to add to the flashing light signal the sign in reflector buttons-- Tlie effectiveness of the advance warning sign and the crossbuck sign depends on their being easily and plainly visible to the ap proaching driver. Their location sliould be given careful consideration. They should be kept well painted so that they can be seen, especially when illuminated at night by the automobile headlight Where reflector but tons arc used they should be kept in good reflective condition. "STOP ON RED SIGNAL" and to the The floodlighting of crossings is receiv swinging disc signal--"STOP WHEN ing considerable attention. A long freight SWINGING," or, as an alternative for both train passing over a grade crossing at night types of signals, the word --"STOP"--in presents a hazard unless the crossing is vertical red letters Syi inches high, illumi plainly marked. Floodlighting illuminates nated when a train is approaching. the crossbuck signs and the cars while they The bulletin showing the recommended standards for highway railroad crossing sig nals also shows recommended standards for the well known crossbuck sign located at ilie crossing. This sign consists of two blades six feet long crossed at fifty degree angle* where manual or automatic protec arc passing over the crossing. Floodlights should give additional protection at some crossings, particularly where there is a short, steep grade approaching the crossing w here the automobile headlights may oot be very effective in illuminating the warning signs and the cars oo the crossing. tion i? not provided, or two blades four Feet long crossed at right angles where manual or automatic protection is provided. The word--"Railroad" is painted on one blade and ''C^ossing,, on the other and is sugges tive of a grade crossing. The bulletin pro vides that the letters "Railroad Crossing" may be either painted with black letters on a white background or the letters may be outlined with reflector buttons, in which case the letters are painted white and the Tackground black. During 1939 there were 545 accidents at grade crossings caused by automobiles run ning into the side of trains during the night, and 51 such accidents during the daylight hours; more than ten tiroes as many at night with fewer cars at night on the road. These I. C. G statistics do not include the cases where the automobiles ran into the side of the train near the head end, as such cars may have been trying to beat the train. T think these figures indicate the need for careful study to determine where reflector- The u?c of reflector buttons on the cross- ized advance and crossbuck signs, or flood buck signs is a rather recent development. lights should be provided to reduce acci There is no doubt that the effectiveness of dents of this kind. crossing protection can be improved by the more extensive use of reflector crossbuck signs to better mark the crossing at night. The effectiveness of the automatic high way grade crossing signal likewise depends on its location bring such that it can be Railroad advance warning signs, in prac easily and plainly seen. Generally, the sig tically all cases, are installed off the railroad nal should be located close to the highway, property. The recommended standard design about 15 feet from the center line of the Steam Railroad Section 705 nearest track as indicated in the boQetm showing recommended standards. Uniform ity In location is desirable, as the driver forms a habit of looking for the signal at that location. However, in exceptional cases it may be necessary to place the signal on a cantilever over the highway. Needless to say the signal itself should be arrestive. Both the flashing light signal and the wig-wag fulfill this requirement The appearance of motion in these two signals, flashing light or swinging disc, is hi itself arrestive. The light intensity has been improved in recent years so that it is safe to say a mod ern highway crossing signal can easily be seen if the driver i$ reasonably alert The recommended standards now provide that signals shall be placed on each side of the tracks and that they shall shine in both di rections along the highway. This double signal, or gateway effect sets up a warning * hich can hardly be overlooked. The signal to the left of the driver and on the far side of the railroad also serves to warn a driver of a train approaching on another track when the train for which he has stopped has passed. Operating conditions on railroads often make it necessary for trams to stop within the circuit that controls the crossing sig nals. Many drivers are impatient at this delay even though it is only necessary for them to stop and not proceed over the cross ing until it is known that they can do so safely, the same as they should do if there were no signals. The serious feature of this is that some drivers may assume, when ap proaching a warning signal, that the train has stopped on the circuit or is approaching slowly, and disregard the signal To afford protection to the driver having this attitude of mind is difficult Railroad engineers have tor some time designed the controlling cir cuits so that the unnecessary flashing will be reduced to a minimum by providing cut outs when trains are pulling into sidings or standing at stations. The unnecessary flash ing, however, cannot be entirely eliminated. Some railroads have a rule somewhat sim ilar to the following:-- "To avoid unnecessary operation of auto matic highway crossing signals, switches must not be left open, nor cars left standing on the main trade longer than necessary within operating limits of such signals. When shifting movements are made in the vicinity of a highway crossing protected by highway crossing signals, or when tram is stopped, thereby operating the signals un necessarily. every effort must be made by trainmen to avoid delay to highway traffic. When it is safe for vehicles or pedestrians to cross the tracks, the trainmen will say *all right' and beckon to cross." When considering the effectiveness of grade crossing protective devices improve ments in the engine whistle should not be overlooked. These whistles are better and more penetrating than they were several years ago* The Standard Code of the As sociation of American Railroads provides that the whistle be two long, one short and one long sound, to continue from the whistle post until the crossing is reached, instead of two long and two short blasts sounded at the whistle post as was the case formerly. While these methods are helpful, we can not ignore the fact that a driver, when stopped at a crossing signal, if a train does not pass after a reasonable time, must then take the same precautions he would if there were no signal; namely, look both ways, listen for the engine whistle and proceed only when he knows it is safe to do so. The driver who takes chances must be made to understand that he must never assume that there is no train approaching when the warn ing signal is- being displayed. This should be brought about by the enactment of laws, enforcement of laws and educational activi ties. Because of that trait of human nature to take chances by disregarding warning sig nals at grade crossings, much thought and study is bring given to the barrier type of protection. The earliest type of grade cross ing barrier is, of course, the crossing gate operated by the crossing watchman. Considerable work has been done during the last few years to make manually oper ated gates more effective af night by improv ing the lighting on the gates. Oil lamps have been improved and electric lights have in many cases replaced the oil lights. Reflect ing devices have been placed on gate arms with good results. Many gates have been run through and broken, no doubt because of poor lights on the gates. While much has been done to improve this condition, much remains to be done. There should be one adequate electric or oil light, and at least one additional light, or one or more reflect- /uo 29th National Safety Congress ins: devices on the fate or gates on each side of the crossing. During recent >ears there have been quite a number of installations of crossing gates controlled by track circuits and without gatemen; known as the automatic crossing gate. The earlier installations provided gates over the entire width of the highway and when trains were stopped on the controlling circuit or when the controlling circuit was out of order, highway traffic was stopped until >omeonc opened the gates. There was also the risk that a car might pass on to the crossing when the gates were raised on the approach side but due to an approaching train the gate on the leaving side might have descended. The gate on the leaving side was therefore designed to swing away from the crowing, so that the motor vehicle could push the gate and proceed off the crossing after which the gate would swing hack in place. There was the possibility, however, that the driver would not know* this, and lccomc confused. The most recent development with regard to the automatic gate type of barrier is the 'ingle arm. which when in "down** position \* across the half of the highway on the ap proach side of the crossing. This type of state is meeting with considerable favor, and there- arc more than 650 gates of this type in -ervjce. It has the good feature of having no obstruction on the leaving side of the crossing. While it is possible for the driver to go around the end of the gate when it is down, the effort and hazard of turning out against the highway traffic probably causes most drivers to wait until the train has passed. This gate arm serves to hold an automobile after a train has passed when there is a train approaching on another track. The dashing lights on the left and far side of the crossing help to do this but there is no doubt the gate does it more effectively. These gates are generally equipped with three red lights shining in both directions along the highway. The light nearest the lip is steady burning and the other two alternately. These gates are provided as an adjunct to the standard highway crossing signals which are used to give a prelimi nary warning to stop highway traffic before the gates are lowered. The gate arms are light and if broken can be replaced easily. They are painted the standard white and black stripes. Several installations of barriers are de signed to stop vehicles which disregard the warning signal. One type is known as the "Auto Stop.'* It rises from the highway pavement on the approach of trains and is designed to so engage the wheels of auto mobiles that they "will be stopped before they read) the crossing. The stopping device is placed about 75 feet from the crossing. Another type known as the "Highway Guardian" is a gate which raises and lower.-* the same as the ordinary* crossing gate. It is strongly constructed of metal members in the shape of a bow with a steel cable con necting each end forming the string of a bow. or the cliord of an arc When (he gauis lowered, it engages a pin connected to a horizontal piston. The piston i> pan of a device consisting of a long horizontal cylin der filled with oil, with piston Ilead and piston designed to permit the barrier to travel about seven feet against a retardation caused by the oil flowing through a re stricted port from one side of the piston head to the other. An automobile disregard ing the warning signal will engage the cable across the bow and will be brought to a yielding stop. Each of these types of harriers includes automatic signals to provide a preliminary warning to stop highway traffic before the barriers start to obstruct the highway. Bar riers which are designed to engage the ve hicle to stop it are, when in position to stop highway traffic, across the entire highway. Like the earlier automatic crossing gates they stop and may congest the highway traf fic when out of order, or when a train is Standing oti the controlling section. When they engage a vehicle they may cause some damage. Further experience, however, may prove their use is warranted in some loca tions, particularly where there arc neither station stops nor switching. About 86 per cent of the grade crossings in the United States are protected by 'fixed signs only. Additional protective device.- arc provided at the remaining 14 per cent be cause of the greater density* of traffic, or in some cases because of physical conditions at the grade crossing. Motor vehicles, unless the driver takes chances, must approach the 86 per cent of grade crossings protected onh by signs, prepared to stop, look both ways Steam Railroad Section 707 and listen for the engine whistle, and not proceed over the crossing until the driver knows he can do so safely. When motor vehicles approach grade crossings where -ignals, watchman or bar riers are provided and no warning is being given, the driver generally assumes that no uain i* approaching and drives over the crossings without reducing speed materially. If the crossing is equipped with signals, and they indicate that a train is approaching, the careful driver will stop and not proceed over the cros-ing until either the train or trains have passed or until he knows he can do so -afely. A small percentage of drivers, prob ably not more than 5 per cent, do take chance* and pass over the crossing against the warning signal without ascertaining that they can do so safely. The percentage of driver* who take chances is probably about the same at crossings protected hy signs mh, as at crossings protected by additional protective devices. Thi- leads me to dunk that probably sig nal- and other protective devices are more effective in facilitating highway traffic over (he crossings than they* arc in providing ad ditional safety. To further reduce the num ber of grade crossing accidents both at the 86 per cent of crossings protected by signs only, and at the 14 per cent protected b\ special protective devices, all concerned should concentrate on the small percentage of drivers who take chances. The most important step which ran l*e taken. 1 think, is the enactment into law by all of the -talc.- with a penalty clause of Scr. 102. Act XIII, See. V, referred to and quoted earlier in this paper and provisions made for enforcement of this law. Educational activities should be continued and intensified. A suggestion along thi*. lim* is that a leaflet, showing pictures of ern--ing signs and signals with a few hrit-iK stated instructions as to what precaution* a driver should take before crossing a rail road, be enclosed with each automobile learners permit, or that this ill formation K included in the learner's Manual. Efforts should be continued and ttilensified to designate grade crossings plainly bv properly located, well painted and main tained advance warning and crossbuck sign*, equipped with reflector buttons where neces sary. Signals and barriers should Ik- further improved for use at heavily traveled erod ings. and where installed should he properly located and uetl maintained. The Public Aspects of Grade Crossing Accidents By D. H. BEATTY Superintendent of Safety, Southern Railway System, Washington, D. C. The public--130.000.000 strong--of thi*: country of ours, with it*: thirty million motor vehicles traversing our Federal and State highxray*. embodies many various types of people- Each group has its set way and definite belief, and when the<e set notions conflict while driving upon die highways, accident, death and injury' often occur. The Xaiiona! Safety Council informs us there were 93,000 accidental deaths in 1939. that 32,600 involved the motor vehicle, and within this number is included the 1,398 which occurred at highway-railroad grade crossings. A*, in other studies, we must call in our analyst-, our engineers, our teachers, our law enforcing agencies that we may present the truth, construct helpful preventives, pro claim correct motor vehicle usage, and seek law enforcement whether the law infraction* arc in metropolitan, urban or rural artaand have justice, relative to punishment and damage cost, wisely administered. Willi the ever increasing number of motor 'vehicles and their uses, wc have concurrently the demand for greater and smoother high ways free from impediments to traffic and safe as the engineer can.construct. In thi* pliasc we find the rail and highway inter sections, the majority of which were in ex istence before the coming of the motor ve hicle. Other grade crossings have been con structed to meet some expediency- and with full sanction of state or city authorities The problem now is how can these occa sional hindrances to highway traffic flow be eliminated or traffic warned and controlled, that death and destruction will not occur at these intersections. 70S 29th National Safety Congress Great amounts of study and research We need front the state greater police super have been given in the past, and even now vision to insure respect for theU signal in -corps of engineers, representatives of Fed eral Government, State Government and of the railroads are seeking a remedy. In the dications and render to the user of the high way and to the railroad greater protection; both are taxable identities and protection is past it has cost the railroads hundreds of guaranteed. thousands of dollars, but since 1933, the be ginning of Federal Program of Elimination of Hazards at Grade Crossings, the expense of elimination and protection has been more wisely allocated. Under this Federal under taking and up to the end of 1940 there will have been 3^68 crossings eliminated by reparation or relocation and at over 2,000 other crossings protective devices have been installed, and the furtherance of this work continues. We are not unmindful, as we keep within this special cycle of the safety work, that in 1939 there were only 3,476 crossing ac cidents involving casualty, but records will disclose that for every one with casualty there were approximately three others with out casualty, totaling perhaps 14,000 crossing accidents. These, when enumerated as re lates to the total motors registered, indicate that only one motor vehicle in every twentytwo hundred ever experiences any accident Great as is this undertaking of grade difficulty at a highway-railroad grade cross crossing separation, the fulfillment of a ing, yet if this type of motor accident is to single objective is not always 100 per cent be lessened and accidental deaths prevented, acquired, for in some instances, after over the Public must acknowledge and assume its pass or underpass has been constructed, the responsibility in the premises. grade crossing still remains doe to perhaps the diminution in property values or for political Teasonb; hence we often observe highway traffic using the old artery instead of the by-pass, when to use the new would require only the shortest deviation from a straight line and without any traffic delay. In many communities there are several -Ircct grade crossings when far fewer would -uitice to carry the maximum traffic flow. In such localities traffic survey study should be made and unnecessary* crossings elim inated. It is far more consistent to "pinch'' a few of our neighbors than take the life of a single one. We of the Safety Departments and Oper ating Divisions of the railroads know from the studv of crossing accidents that we--the Public--must consider preventive devices other than physical ones such as crossing eliminations and visible or audible signals. Attention must be directed to the education of the drivers of the thirty million motor vehicles on the highway, enforcement of taws as to conduct of driver and speed- of highway traffic at grade crossings; obedience Many efforts in this direction have been undertaken and are now in existence. Wc have various state safety organizations, in dustrial safety councils, automobile clubs, school instruction, radio activities. Safety Section of the Association of American Railroads and the National Safety Council, which through its many diversified con tacts in featuring greater safety still has unfathomed opportunities to reach the at tention of the motoring world. All of these efforts have proved helpful, but the Public must search further, for we are advised America's highway traffic toll for the first six mouths of 1940 was 1,040 greater than for the same period last year. We should be more thorough in our school safety educational instruction: wc must not forget the minor of today is the driver of tomorrow. Wc should divorce the thought that "ft cannot liappen to me"; wc must realize that traffic laws, signs and sig nals apply to everyone alike, and we should continue to urge equal recognition of and obedience to them. to signals at rail and highway intersections, Speed and inattention on the part of auto placed there through Federal or State drivers cause many mishaps oa our high funds--tax money. We, the Public, must be way, likewise do these two factors enter awakened, even though the form of awaken into every crossing accident. Last year, ing may seem drastic; to the realization that numbered among the 3,079 collisions be signs and signals placed on our highways tween trains and motor vehicles, 1,096 were are the rules of the road, govern the con caused by the motor vehicle running into the duct and speed in restricted areas and really side of the train. In some crossing accidents mean what signs indicate and laws specify. we have trains derailed with casualties to Steam Railroad Section 709 passengers and train crews and with prop erty loss to the railroads of thousands of dollars. No better way seems apparent to awakeu some drivers to their responsibilities in crossing accidents than to charge them with the damage involved. Pinching the "pocket book nerve" seems to awaken the "obedience nerve" and to create mental alertness. We know tourists motor millions of miles every year, we know that well established motor bus and freight truck fleets traverse miles and miles of our highways, crossing and recro&sing railroad tracks at grade; bat don't lose sight of the fact they ate seldom in a crossing accident, nor is it the heavily used crossing--a study for elimination---that is generally involved. It is the car or truck locally owned and operated and the driver who has crossed and recrossed the railroad many times and is fully acquainted with die complete layout. The serious accidents oc cur at crossings little used and cm roads in the second and third grouping. Instructors and patrolmen need not go far from the site of the crossing to find those who shoold be contacted, instructed and governed. What is the Public's aspect of this situ ation? Speaking, as wc do, for the whole unit and bound as we are through mutual and business undertakings, we should cir cularize to a more extended degree the crossing poster published each year by the Safety Section of the Association of Ameri can Railroads; as representatives of the Steam Railroad Section and as individual, railroad members of the National Safely Council we should request far more ex tensive crossing accident prevention activities in all of the diversified contacts by the National Safety Council in industry and public relations as it ties in so closely with highway and prevention of accidental casu alties; we should urge the states to install only the signals and protective devices recommended by the Joint Committee on Grade Crossing Protection of the Associ ation ot American Railroads which have been approved by the Bureau of Public Roads, the American Standards Associa tion. tiie American Association of State Highway Officials, the National Conference an Street and Highway Safety and the National Association of Railroad and Util ities commissioners, that uniformity in pro tection may be maintained for the benefit of the whole. We should request the states to enact into law, having an appropriate penalty clause. Sections 102, 103, 104 and 105 of Article 13, Act 5 "Uniform Act Regulating Traffic on Highways" of the National Conference on Street and Highway Safety. These sections deal with the handling of highway traffic at railroad grade crossings. We can, and wc are welcome to, extend our safety educa tional efforts through addressing school as semblies; we should approach civic dubs, state, county and city managements for greater or more frequent police survey and police protection: we should seek to have the burden of expense of accidents assessed against the party at fault; we should urge alt of our employees and members oF tlieir families to set an example of safe driving on the highway through obedience to signs, signals and other mandates, and teach how to cross railroad tracks m safety. Remem ber. we--railroad employees--arc over a million strong and with this number of safe drivers oa our highways we will convert others to the ways of safe practices whereby lives and property will be saved. Wc should make periodical inspections of the crossings and maintain them in sound and serviceable condition. Crossing sign* and protective devices are being efficiently maintained; the Public can assist through removing obstructions to view wherever pos sible. Railroad men are sounding crossing sig nals and are protecting when they switch over crossings.. We must continue super vision as relates to these agencies. We are informed through the Interstate Commerce Commission that fpr six months this year there have been 884 killed and 2,181 injured in crossing accidents as against 680 killed and 1,846 injured in 1939. The number of accidents lias increased by 326. or 2031 per cent. Inattention and speed are the two evil- the Public must govern, and we and our u->\> dates back on our properties are definitely a part of the Public. Let us then keep aliw and pursue more vigorously through every agency* at our command our efforts in this humane undertaking--the saving of life and limb, the elimination of accidental casual ties. 710 29Ih National Safety Congress Enforcement as a Factor in Grade Crossing Safety By LIEUT. F. M. KREML Director, Safety Division, International Association of Chiefs of Police, Evanston, III. I wish to compliment you men of the rail grams. On these programs, the railroads road industry. The fact that you have come should spend more time, money and effort here today from all parts of the country to than ever before. devote an entire afternoon to a discussion of crade crossing accidents indicates a wbole- .-omc attitude on your part and augurs well `or the success of programs aimed at the re duction of these accidents. From the enforcement standpoint in this problem of reducing grade crossing acci dents, selectivity must be the theme--just as it must be the theme in the general plan of traffic law enforcement. The police profession also recognizes the jrade crossing accident problem and stands svady to cooperate, realizing of course that enforcement is not the only answer. The ideal combination to reduce grade No police department in tite country is sufficiently staffed to have men patrolling all of the streets every hour of the day. Therefore, it is a question ot assigning men to those sections of the city where the crossing accidents, in my opinion, is the greatest number of accidents are occurring-- >ame as for any other type of accident at the times of the day that experience in -ituation--get the best practical engineering dicates accidents are the most prevalent-- protection; seek to educate the public m the with instructions to the men to be on the importance of observing whatever protective lookout for those violations that have been measures are provided--be they warning causing the most accidents. signals, crossing gates or some other means, and finally, an efficient and aggressive en forcement program for those who won't be educated. Cities throughout the country* have learned that selective enforcement pays--in lives saved and injuries prevented. Police have learned that their efforts can be much more The main responsibility, as I see it, lies productive when they concentrate on the with public officials, who must give this trouble spots instead of scattering their problem their closest attention because of efforts. In* severity of it, and with you railroad ;veop!e, who, as pioneers in the safety field, .-hould be interested in doing everything you can to raise the general level of safety through engineering, education and enforce ment. Translated into the grade crossing acci dent problem, selective enforcement may mean the assignment of motorcycle officers to areas including grade crossings with bad records for certain hours of the day; it may result in a special educational program Ftom the engineering standpoint, it is directed at certain driver faults that have important that protective measures be com been observed, or it may mean the installa plete. For example, at a number of bad tion of extra protective devices or a system intersections, it is not enough that warning of pre-signalling some distance back front devices be placed only at the grade crossing. the actual crossing. There are some crossings where drivers djould be warned as much as 300 yards Sack, to give them plenty of time to stop. Warning signals and protective devices One of the prime functions of the traffic police is the enforcement of the traffic rules and regulations. The police must see that the laws are obeyed. But the work of the should be practical. Crack-pot contrivances police in traffic safety is much broader than that arc apt to cause collisions as serious the mere enforcement of the law. as those they are trying to prevent arc prac tically useless from a safety standpoint. Some of the most sterling citizens will break traffic laws if they think they can get The number of chance-takers on the away with it. Therefore; one of the major road--a* evidenced by the number of grade functions of law enforcement officers is crowing accidents each year--indicates a to instilt m the public a sense of obedi r.al need for intensive educational pro ence--a general wholesome respect for the Steam Railroad Section 711 traffic laws, a* well as the other laws \vc have that make this a civilized country. In this sense, the work of the police is edu cational. The police would like, in ever}* cafe, to get obedience to the traffic laws and ?(> good driving practices without ap plying penalties. Unfortunately, this cannot be done always. We all know that in cases of disobedience to rign- and signals at grade crossings, the result* to non-cooforming drivers are often tragic. Enforcement is a definite factor in grade crossing safety for this reason. Ob servance of stopping lights, crossing gates and signs at grade crossings requires the same sort of driver obedience that other traffic regulations do. We are particularly concerned abvut tltc grade crossing accident problem in rural area>, as most state police organizations, which are responsible for rural traffic safety, arc so pitifulty undermanned that they are unable to cope with these and other enforcement problems in liter nanwr they should. I think l can speak for all traffic law en forcement bodies in saying that the police are anxious to cooperate with the railroads and other agencies in every way possible to solve this joint problem of grade cross ing accidents--and it is Indeed gratifying to know that \vc have such outstanding leaders in the field of safety as the railroad men to work with in this project. WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON SESSION October 9. 1940 Trespasser Accidents--Panel Discussion Pretidin*-. P. F. BUCKLE Superintendent of Safety, Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad Co., Chicago In this program we will deal principally with one phase of the railroad safety prob lem which, over the years, has perplexed railroad managements, railroad officers and employees generally*. Wc will attempt to point out some of the difficulties in dealing with this problem and bope to offer you some ideas as to how it may, in some part at )cat, be solved. 1 shall not take time here to present de tailed statistics on the subject, bur I should like to read to you the opening paragraph of (hat splendid Statement on Trespasser Casualties in Steam Railway Accidents, pre pared by the Bureau of Statistics, Interstate Commerce Commission, last April. This is known as Statement 4018 and is available to all railroads. "The average annual number of trespasser casualties (number killed plus number in jured) in railway accidents in the |>eriod 1925-1939 was 5.248 compared yith 9.969 for a like number of years 1900-1919. Thi* represents noteworthy reduction; how ever. the number reported by the railways in 1939 cmstixuted 54.9 per cent of the fatali ties and \Z2 per cent of the injuries sus tained by all classes of persons In railway accidents involving train operation in that year, indicating that this particular field is still an important one for accident preven tion work." I would recommend that all railroad of ficers interested in abating the trespass evil obtain a copy of this statement for it can be used to excellent advantage in presenting the subject to employees and outside groups. Dr. M. O. Lorenz, Director of the Bureau of Statistics, I. C. C., when at St. Paul last June said; "It may be saichof the trespasser accident problem, as of the grade crossing problem, that you (the railroads) are not primarily responsible. It is the victim's own fault if he is injured while malting un authorized use of your property, but cer tainly the trespassers are not organized and the public will concern itself with the prob lem onlv if stimulated to do so. THE DRIVING FORCE MUST COME FROM THE RAILROADS WHOSE PROPERTY IS INVADED BY TRESPASSERS." 712 29th National Safety Congress Dr. Lorenz lias been most sympathetic and considerate in his desire to be of as sistance to the railroad industry in dealing with all ot Its accident problems, and we are grateful to him for his help and the inspiration he has given us. The following appeared in the last report of The Committee on Trespassing of the Safety' Section. Association of American Railroads: "IT IS BELIEVED THAT THE MAN AGEMENT OF EVERY RAILROAD IN THE COUNTRY MUST HAVE THE DESIRE TO ABATE THE TRESPASS EVIL IF ANY SUBSTANTIAL PROG RESS IS TO BE REALIZED IN THIS ENDEAVOR." Chairman Buckle then introduced the various Panel speakers, who delivered the following individual papers: The Public's Responsibility in the Railroad Safety Problem By F. G. GURLEY Vice President, The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Company, Chicago The public's responsibility may be de scribed as a conception by the people or the community at Urge concerning a phase of human relationship rejected by the first son of man, for it was Cain who, according to the Book of Genesis, aLskcd scornfully and resentfully: "Ain I my brother's keeper?" In an ambition to achieve civilization often has accepted that responsibility and un questionably we would be nearer a true civilization if it were recognized more fre quently. The genus public usually accepts or re jects responsibility of the nature here con sidered through some ad of Government Our Constitution grants to Congress the power "to regulate commerce with foreign nations, and among the several states, and with tlie Indian tribes.** Railroads as the great carriers of com merce among the states are the nation's most regulated industry. Hundreds upon hundreds of Federal law's, rules, and regulations con trol various phases of their operation, in cluding the hours employees may work, and prescribe the details of their facilities and equipment, especially cars and locomotives. Each of the states has entered the field of regulation in varying degree. Hundreds of men arc employed as supervisors and in spectors to insure compliance with these requirements. A high proportion of all this is in the name of public safety. Some ardu ous obligations have been placed upon the railroads to promote safety. Our Government thus has recognized a responsibility, but I believe it Is fair to say that in this recognition the railroads, their officers and employees, have been saddled with more than their proper share of the problem, and that the pari of the public which is represented by individuals outside of railroad employment and by divisions ot Govemmedt and Governmental departments has not always made its full contribution. The primary purpose of a railioad is to move people and commodities from one place to another expeditiously. Some ex posure to hazard and discomfort is inciden tal to ait)' such accomplishment, but never theless the railroads accept the task of doing it safely and comfortably. Their reputation and financial success necessitate that This latter is influenced tty liabilities imposed upon American railroads to a greater degree than upon other forms of transportation in this and foreign countries and also upon the high seas. Perhaps I should use the phrase '`com parative safety." The cold hard fact is be ing forced upon us by events told in news paper head lines that this earth does nor know* absolute safety. In striving for a high degree of com parative safety, it appears proper first to focus attention on our passengers who en trust themselves to our care and to our em ployees. Surely that is our primary job be cause these are the only people who have to be on railroad property when trains are in motion. The booklet, "Accident Facts," published by the National Safety Council reveals that last year 93,000 people met accidental death in the United States. In 1939. 597 railroad employees and passengers were killed, of Steam Railroad Section 713 which 32 were passengers, a high percentage of those being the result of one very un fortunate aod unusual passenger train de railment. The 1939 record is undesirably high, (any number is undesirably high), yet compara tively speaking it was only .64 per cent of the accidental deaths. Considering the mil lions of passenger miles and the millions of employee man hours associated with millions of moving vehicles and machines, that is a good comparative record- It was made possible by two tilings. First, a safe and sound transportation plant--there is none better in this world. Second, by a system of operation governed by definite rules and the use of discipline to enforce those rules. I want to emphasize definite rules and en forcement through discipline, because those are the outstanding shortcomings in dealing with the problems of this section of the National Safety Council. I refer now to the perptexing and somewhat neglected problem of the trespasser. Those 597 deaths I discussed a few min utes ago are not all of the accidental deaths which occurred in connection with steam railroad operation in 1939. The total as given by the Interstate Commerce Commis sion Bureau of Statistics is 4,699, and of that total 2,424 or 52 per cent were tres passers and another 1.519 or 32 per cent were killed in grade crossing accidents. These two groups account for S4 per cent of the total. In neither arc rules, or shall we say laws, as definite as they should be, nor is there adequate discipline or law en forcement. This is especially true of the first group. For many years the public did not mani fest much concern about the hazards of grade crossings nor did it accept its obvious responsibility for accidents which continued to increase somewhat in proportion to auto mobile registration. Fortunately, however, that viewpoint has changed materially and more adequate protection as well as the actual elimination of grade crossings, largely at public expense, at the traffic intersections with the greatest volume have been carried forward vigorously in recent times. Dis cipline, although not yet what it should be, has improved. The highway traffic officer is alert and energetic. In 1939 deaths in grade crossing accidents were 56 per cent of the 1929 fatalities due to the same cause. In other words, the loss of life now is about half what it was in 1929. But in the trespasser group we find prac tically oo improvement in the past ten years. The number killed in 1939 was surprisingly close to the record of ten years ago. Why is that? What is the public's responsibility and what should be done about it? For one thing there should be universal recognition and acceptance of the fact that for every right there is an obligation. We Americans talk a lot about our rights, but not enough about our obligations. The fact that my neighbor has the right to own prop erly means I have an obligation lo respect it By- the literal meaning of the word, a trespasser is one who has not kept his obli gation and has violated the rights of an other. In contemplation of this, the sign "No Trespassing" hangs across the rail roads' right-of-way all the time. Because of" the great dangers always present, by the very* nature of the business, the entire public as well as the carrier has a vital interest m preventing trespassers from causing delays in service, loss or damage to property, in jury or death to passengers, railroad em ployees, or to the trespassers themselves: but has the public established adequate nile< about trespassers which it enforces by po licing and discipline? It is not unfair to answer negatively. Not only is that true but other laws, for one reason or another, have been so inter preted that some of us think undue burdens and liabilities are placed upon the owners of railroad property and the trespasser escapes his normal and proper obligation. I have referred to the liabilities of the railroads for freight shipments. We arc liable in case a shipment is lost or stolen. For a good many years the American people have been accustomed to jteeing itinerants on freight trains. These are commonly called "hoboes." Most of them will not steal from railroad cars, but some will and do Some of these freight train riders are pro fessional thieves and to the extent they arc successful In their ambitions we fail in one of ours, namely, the delivery of goods prev iously entrusted to us, and which failure be comes a legal liability. Because the normal law enforcement offi cers cannot, or at least do not, protect us 7)4 29th National Safety Congress again>t the evil of ibis form of trespassing, we o the railroads employ police officers of our own. They have difficult jobs and J want to express my gratitude and apprecia tion tor the perfectly fine work they have done and are doing. They must look over these hundreds of trespassers with an ap praising eye. If you think it isn't "some job'' to distinguish the harmless hobo and the thief, try it some dark night in a rail road freight yard. If the railroad police officergucsse* wrong hy taking a professional thief for a harmless Hobo his family often issues a notice a few days later reading: "Please omit flowers." it on the other hand he guesses wrong the other way and takes protective action against *omc one who later establishes him self a* a trespasser who is stealing a ride, both this police cancer and his employing comjiarA find themselves in a lot of trouble. The fact that lie should not lave "tropassed" and the further fact iltat ttad be nt4 violated his obligation to rr*j-ct tlic right of the |'roj*T!\ owner, thm tictrr could liaw ih-rr: am :rublv. ar twt kluin* kept clearh :n mind \ *v Tiumib. ago Ms-. \pfarlUte C**xrt -o-ia'ncd a ludecaettt t*r tJ.Q'Q m favor '>' a man who w* walking along a rmder ;>*th unde? a vtadact wbrrv railroad ezawere wurkatg no the lirsdge These lifted guard rail up, 4w>uted ' out U Iuw.** and drojrpcd the piece of off*-- }t struck and moored a trespasser. Tlic i\.urt held that it wa* f*r a jury to Uuth whether the railroad wa* twgligcm i 'iT^rpnig tins heavy object without excr- more care. The pathway trodcr the bridge lad been used by mam jcuj>lc in the ;a-t c*cn though it wa* entirely on privatr prnj^ru. lim.rtunatt-h, court* are becoming morv oid more liberal in thdr altitude toward trc-pa*-eTr who arc injured and now nearly every ease becomes a "question of fact for flic jury " judgments running into many thousand* are upheld because the evidence 1- --aid to -show that "the trespass was wil fully and wantonly injured." A trespasser was on a train or on a right-of-way. un lawfully; he was indifferent to his own safety and. therefore, became injured; yet under these derisions it is held (hat we have made his status lawful because, in tlic view oi the court and jury, under the facts and circumstances of the particular case, some railroad employee did a little more, or did a little less, than the court or jury thought was proper and lawful. Conse quently, the railroad companies are required to pay out not only the actual damages which a jury derides should be awarded, but in many cases a Urge additional amount as punitive or exemplary* damages. When the public, functioning through it* legislative bodies and its courts, does not accept a proper respect for the rights and obligations which 1 have mentioned it has not met its responsibility, in my judgment. Rather it has issued a left-handed invitation to trespass and the invitation is being ac cepted. .lust a year ago we had a train wreck which caused the death of two of the train crew, injured a third, derailed and sma-Jied up eleven loaded freight cars. Three girN wlio lived nearby were returning boenc from church one Sunday morning. One of tbcxn put a spike lengthwise on the nil, and a few minutes later a bag freight tram wa* derailed, two men killed and thousands of dollars of property damaged and destroyed A< w e think about what we might ask the public to do. we should never k>*-e tight of iIht basic philosophy of rights and obliga tions. A knowledge of how aaotbo country look* at these things should be helpful In England the law, gtscrailv -pcaknsg. ajipcar* to be the same as m this ccxmiry regarding railroad trespasser*. The ire*paster comes on tbc railroad** property at lus own risk; there is no dm> on tbc rail road to look for him. and when hi* prc-oirv is unknown, no doty is emed to him. After he is known to be on the premise*, the rail road may not wilfully injure him. Rut. -o far as can be judged from the reported case*, there is a vast, difference in the rela tion between the trespasser and the courts. Apparently the trespasser i a defendtnt in England most nf the time, while he is alniovt always the plaintiff here. The volume of trespass bugaiioo which railroads are required to defend in the United States is large, arid the judgments ht favor of trespassers arc frequent and ex pensive; in England trespasser litigation is practically nonexistent and a judgment in favor of the trespasser is a rarity. In England the by-laws of a railroad, which apparently resemble the ordinary Steam Railroad Section 715 rule* ami regulations in use here, have the force and effect of a statute; therefore, whether the trespasser knows about them or not, the law presumes that he docs know and he if bound Ijy them. Every' time that a person tre>pa>ses on a railroad right-of-way in England--after he is given a first warning--he is subject to a fine of 40 drilling*. He cannot go acro-s ex cept at an authorized crossing. Evidently litis law is enforced, and consequently wholesale trespassing is almost unknown there. Tlic reason tor all this mat U- in the dif ferent public attitude existing in England toward railroad companies and property rights at large. In England there i* more of an acceptance of an obligation to re-ixi't the right* of projwrty. I *i>oke about the trespasser* who Meal rule* on freight trains. These arc among the largest of the trespasser groups. Our law* prohibit railroads from giving and in- .livtduaK from accepting free passenger tran*iortaiion. except in certain circum-taacc*. the largest single exception being railroad employee* 11 these trespassers instead of seeking a ride on a freight train presented themselves at a railroad ticket office and asked for tickets it would be unlawful to furnish the tickets, even if the railroads desired to do so and, of course, they would not desire to give away the only thing they manufac ture; namely, transportation. But for some reason peculiar to American psychology in some instances the activities of law enforc ing officers encourage rather than discour age trespassers riding on freight trains. You are familiar with the practice of local police officers "rounding up" undesirable tran sients, escorting them to the railroad rightof-way at a time when a freight train is due to depart, and suggesting that they "get out of town." \\ hdc iron) the standpoint of a particular community we cannot deny that the ridding of the community of questionable characters is desirable, a real appreciation by law* en forcing officers of the rights and obligations of a railroad should result in the local law enforcing agencies choosing some other method of ridding the community of these undesirable*. Inadequacy of Law Enforcement as a Solution to the Trespass Problem By W. I. SPITLER Chn Special Agent, Chicago, Indianapolis and Louisville Railway, Lafayette. Ind. :zh~: -tair- a man is not a trespasser >. -adrt-tad property the first time his unu arramrd pre-cnee there is discovered. He mo4 W directed to leave and becomes a !rr-pa.*>cf unjv when he has refused to obey that reqtaot. or has obeyed it and comes onto tbr prttperty a second time. The use of imdar force on the part of the officer must Sc avoided, for a battered bum can bring about a -oh story in a newspaper and repre sent* 2 fiotcmia) law* suit. Such suits are expensive to the railroads to defend, and the defense is too often unsuccessful--not becau*c of weak defense but because of the sympathetic attitude of the public toward trespassers upon railroad property. That re sponsibility. the risk of personal harm, and the possibility of retributive action on the jein of the trespasser, such as cutting an air ho<e or throwing stones, restrains other employees from taking an active part in at tempting to control people who trespass. Most laws prohibiting train riding state that the offender must be seen getting on or off of a moving train or car. When some unauthorized person is seen getting onto a passing train, the officer who see* him N confronted by a situation wlterein he is damned if he does, and damnpd if lie doesn't. Should he direct the person to gel off of the train in motion or attempt to put him off. and should the offending person be in jured in the process, the policeman has be come the proximate cause of the injury and has created a liability against the company. Should he ignore the offense, he has given tacit consent and thereby created a certain responsibility on the part of the railroad company for the safety of the trespasser. To handle such a situation property, the 716 29th National Safety Congress officer, himself. must get on the moving train and ride until it stops or until tile tres passer gets off before making the arrest. Even then, the offender, seeing the officer and sensing the situation, may run over the cars or to* to get off and in so doing suffer aii injury. In such a case he would plead that the threatening appearance and actions of the officer made hint fear bodily harm and thereby try to make the officer the proximate cause of the injury* Not very good legal grounds, to be sure, but having a certain appeal to the sympathies of a jury- The professional bum, or transient, as 'ociologists euphemistically call him, is not a great menace to safety or to the property of the railroads. He is merely a person too defeated by life or too indolent to want the responsibility for the care of any personal property. He does, however, make a screen for the activities of the professional box car robber. The officer may run him off of the property, but frequently the town marshal herds him back, with orders to get on the train and get out of town. The most effec tive way to discourage his presence is to give the railroad a reputation for making it hard for him, for the word passes from jungle to jungle that this road is easy and that road is tough. To create such a repu tation. all employees must cooperate with the protective department and not abet the bum. I do not mean by physical violence. Just a constant prodding cadi time lie is seen on the property so that his rest* and his reveries are disturbed and he can find no peace of mind on that railroad. The presence of the Jukes and Kalikac families in the neighborhood of railroads is the source of our greatest trouble. It is on our properties that the multitudinous off spring of these omnipresent families grow up to a fecund breeding age in the firm be lief that railroad tracks and yards are their natural sources of fun, coal, scrap metal and targets upon which to to* out their throwing arms. The laws of our land*and the interpretations placed upon those laws encourage them in that belief. They swarm upon us, and the responsibility for their safety is largely ours. Nor can the railroad officer by his lonely efforts protect these sociological weeds from injury. Other than hound dogs and jalopies, these people have no property, and they sec no reason for re specting that of others. The tendency of the times is to build up that disrespect in their minds and to encourage them to be profes sional poor folk and pampered wards of a beneficent go\emment. The generally accepted inetliod of han dling these young trespassers by railroad protective forces is first to apprehend a few of them. That sounds simple, but any police man ran tell you that it requires consider able guile and patience. Speed and agililv arc all on the side of the trespassers, and any kid can find cover in any house along the tracks. One lucky day, the officer cap tures a squirming and profane boy, de mands to know his name, address and school, and as many other names as can be wormed out of the lad. With this list the officer calls at a variety of places, including some vacant lots, and asks for people named on Uie list. Ia those instances where the names and addresses match, the weary offi cer leaves a warning, sometimes verbal, sometimes written, and sometimes both. In some homes he meets with a kindly and co operative spirit on the part of the parents, but not always. If he can prove damage to the company property done by the child and collect the value thereof from the lather, he has accomplished a miracle. The father takes charge of the discipline and in those circles spanking is not a lost art. In no cam shaft the railroad policeman administer a needed spanking, however, even though the parents inrite him to do so--and that invita tion lias been extended upon occasion. The school plays a big role in preventing such trespass and, in many cases, the most important role. Through the leaching of safety and self respect in the schools, many children have been taught to stay away from railroads. School is not always in session, however, and prowling groups of boys may forget those lessons during vacation. Each group has a leader, and the wise officer wins the influence of that leader in keeping alive the safety rules taught in schools. Varying degrees of cooperation between railroad policemen and school authorities arc in existence. Some roads maintain officer- who speak at school assemblies with gratify ing results. The important thing is to keep trespassing upon railroad property From becoming a game between the boys and the railroad offi cer, in which the boys have all the advan tage. Some roads furnish idle ground of their own as play grounds for the children. Steam Railroad Section 717 where that is possible, making an agreement that if the children arc permitted to play there they will stay away from tlie tracks and buildings. Legal departments may raise a question of liability, but on the whole the risk is less than when the boys prowl the property. In some cities, houor groups such as Junior G-men, Junior Firemen and bi cycle club* are organized, where the privi lege of wearing a badge is accorded the in dividual for respecting the law. After all, our juvenile trespass problem is a result of unoccupied boyhood. Anything the public docs to control these young lads helps us, and anything we do helps *he public. I pre fer the modem approach winch inspires the boy to be good rather than the old method of making it amusing to the boy to be mischtcvoti*. Of course there will be a few who will respond to none of these influences. Father Flaimagan says there is no such thing as a bod boy; I believe he knows more about the subject than anyone else for he has de voted a lifetime and splendid talents to the work of interesting boys in constructive ef fort. There is, however, but one Father Flaraiagan. and we less talented persons at tempting to cope with the problem are cer tain to find a small percentage of boys who must He made wards of juvenile courts. This is a last resort and should be done as much to protect the boy from becoming a criminal as to protect railroad property. You have all heard the movement in Buffalo described at other meetings. It is certainly a splendid effort and shows what can be accomplished by enlisting the active interest of a large number of people. A situation in Denver shows how such a thorough and systematic application of prin ciples can succeed. In August, 1933, one road in that city handled 387 juvenile cases. By (his plan of warnings, appeals to parents and to schools, and finally to juvenile courts, by maintaining card files of all of fenders and following through on each case, they have now* icduced the number of ju veniles handled to some 50 or 60 per month. That is a notable reduction, but the prob lem is still alive. Railroad protective forces must have the help of other employees. Members of other departments must help by giving informa tion of trespassing to the police officer and refrain from supplying the trespasser with information about the police. In the past, some employees have been sympathetic to the trespasser, though not fighting on his side. At times I have felt like calling some of them fifth columnists because of the na ture of their activities. I do not ask that other employees handle situations on their own initiative, but 1 do ask that they give the police departments intelligent Informa tion and assist with moral support in every way possible. Roadway departments are re quested to keep fences in repair, materia) collected at places where they arc not an invitation to the public to help themselves, and to eliminate attractive nuisances to chil dren wherever possible. Yardmastcrs are asked to store cars in more protected spots wherever possible. Company coal and idle cars are so frequently placed where they will be convenient for coal and brass thieves and in such far removed locations that it is a physical impossibility for the protective departments to watch them. Alt employees should cooperate to give the road a reputation for not permitting trc5j>assing. Much trespassing is done by force of habit. We require the help of parents, schools and all civic authorities. The test of the successful railroad police man lies in his abitity to secure all this co operation, rather than in his toughness and belligerency. How to Enlist the Support of School Children in Accident Prevention By LIEUT. HARRY E. MEYERS Joliet Fire Department, Joliet, III. I have been affiliated with safety work continuously since 1938 and have received splendid cooperation from the city adminis tration, grade and high schools, churches, civic clubs and various lodges. So far dur ing this year, we have lectured to over 25,000 adults and children and we have ap peared before 206 civic clubs, including P. 718 29th Xat tonal Safety Congress T. A. organizations, and 150 school organ izations. However, X believe that safety education must receive its start in the home. Exclud ing the professional hobo, I do not believe that people trespass with the intention of doing wrong; they trespass in an effort to see and learn for themselves. I, myself, have driven twenty miles many times dur ing the summer months just to watch the Zepliyr go speeding along the rails. ' during my lectures in the schools tm the subject of safety along the railroad rightof-way. boys would come to me and tell me that they were not trespassing just because they wanted to do something that was for bidden them, but that they merely wanted to -ee the Zephyrs or other Mreamliners. 1 believe the younger generation x looking for enlightenment. Laws can be legislated but without interpretative lectures and the sup port and good will ox the public, they will I* of no avail. There are about 15,000 children in the dty I am proud to represent. In the spring of 1933, our traffic accident situation in the City of Joliet had reached a new high. Because m this, something had to be done to protect tle lives of our children. The idea came to me that since wc have Boy Scouts and vari ous school organizations for children, tve should also have a Junior Firemen Council for the purpose of instructing our boys o,* >afety. This would also be a step toward the promotion of fire prevention. The response to this idea was instantan eous and the Junior Firemen Council was -oott organized. The members are between the age* at 9 and 17, and in order ;t be eligible must come, recommended by their teacher. This, of course, tends to promote better scholarsltip and industry on the part of the child as well as good conduct. Each member is given a red and white uniform and a badge. One night each week, weather permitting, the Junior Firemen hold a meet ing at which time safety in the home, ut the school and on the streets is discussed. Avid enthusiasm was displayed and a fcv years after its organization, the membership totaled over 3,500. Other cities learned or this new* movement and similar councils were organized. The Junior Firemen help to redact loss due to fires by cooperating with the local fire department. They also promote general safety. Most of the members are Safety Patrol boys whose duty it is to escort chil dren across streets at busy intersections. Good fellowship is promoted by holding picnics, shows, lectures and programs. In 1936, the Joliet Community Safety Council was organized and it was soy privi lege to be chairman. Since then, we have given a scries of weekly radio talks. Due to our untiring efforts, wc have not had a child fatality tor the past one and one-half years. We, the citizens of Joliet, feci very proud of this record and are .striving to maintain it in the future. I firmly believe that with the proper co operation of the various school, civic and industrial organizations, wc can make every child safety-conscious and thereby promote greater safety within our cities. The Railroads' Anti-Trespass Program By JOE E. MASKELL Passenger Conductor, Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad, Beardstown. 111. 1 want to take you back to your school days--imagine yourself back in a grade .-chool room, and I will give to you just what l have given to thousands of pup:l> in the past two years. Boys and girls, we have come to ask you to help us railroad men solve a very' serious problem--we need help to prevent people from getting hurL This really puis us t* thinking, doesn't it? Right at this moment you are wondering to yourselves, "How can we boys and girls be of any assistance to you railroad men?" Being a railroad man myself, I can make this point very easy to understand for I am speaking to you from years of experience. Every' year many hundreds of people arc killed or injured while on railroad property and hundreds of these are young boys and girls like yourselves. On the Burlington Railroad alone in the past few* months, a number of folks lost their lives and many Steam Railroad Section 719 others were injured because they failed to realize the danger of walking on railroad tracks or being in railroad yards. None of you boys and girls want to be hurt, nor do you want to hurt anyone else or see them hurt; but 1 want to tell you how some young folks were hurt while they were on Burlington railroad property. A little hoy 6 years old had been sent on an errand to the grocery store; on his way home, reaching the railroad track, he sat down on the rail probably to rest. The little fellow failed to notice a fast passenger train approaching and before the engineer could bring his train to a stop the boy was killed. Some time ago at a small town on our own division, a group of small boys were plajing in the railroad yard. They climbed to the tup of some box cars and were run ning over the tops of them--one of them fell between the cars, his head struck the drawbars and he was seriously injured. Year* ago. while I was in charge of a train between Centralia and Beardstown, a group of young boys attempted to hop the train to take a short ride. One of them fell under the wheels and lost a leg. I felt so sorry for him as time passed. I would watch him when passing through that town. He was a cripple for life--no longer could he enjoy playing baseball, football, basket ball or tennis as His playmates did--he had to be content to sit on the sidelines and watch others enjoy themselves. Wasn't this a terrible price to pay for a short ride? A short distance from where I live on another railroad last summer, two httle girls, three and five years old, were on their way to a store and on reaching the railroad a freight train was stopped on the crossing. Instead of waiting until the train pulled over the crossing, as they should, they attempted to crawl under the train to the opposite side. While they were doing this, the train started and the younger of the two was killed. A mother and her two small children were kilted a short time ago while attempting to walk across a railroad bridge. They prob ably thought they could cross the bridge before a train arrived, which was the wrong thing to do for trains and engines can be expected on railroad tracks at any time and it is very* hard sometimes, to tell how fast (hey are moving. So won't you please remember this and never play or walk on railroad property? If you have any friends who do this, ask (Item not to do it. If you have to cross a railroad always be sure to stop, look both ways, listen and do not cross until you know the way is clear. Never step on top of the rail for when they are wet. icy or frosty one might be injured in falling; and remember in stepping over the rail to step well over it, for on the inside of each rail there is a three-inch opening which must be there for the flange of the car wheels to travel through. The reason I ask you to step well over the rail is to guard against the danger of gelling the heel of your shoe eaughl be tween the rail and the crossing platik. Only a short time ago this very thing happened to a little girl near where I live. A train was approaching, but fortunately a man heard tier cries; he rushed to her aid and saved her life Never crawl under crossing gate* that arc down for they have been lowered to protect you. Never run to get over a cross ing ahead of a train for you might stumble and fall. Always remember tf you have to run to get across, you haven't time to cross safely. Never take a short cut across a railroad yard or tracks. So many times engines are switching cars to different tracks you might step out of the way of one and into the path of another. Remember, danger is always lurking there and where you may least ex pect it. Never play around the railroad stock pens or molest the gates; they* are kept hooked back to insure safety to the trainmen who might have work to perform at that point. Ofttimcs I see boys and girls standing on overhead bridges to watch trains pass under; tlu> too is dangerous. Many times I lave noticed them throw objects down onto the train; please do not do this; you arc liable to injure someone. To place even the smallest objects on rail road rails is very dangerous not alone to the one doing it, bpt it might be the cause of hurting and even killing a lot of people. Wc have a great many motor cars on the rail roads which are being used in line of duty by our officers, supervisors and track men; so never, no never, place anything on the rails for you might be the cause of injuring someone. If you hear or know of anyone who does this, won't you please get word quickly to a railroad man, your parents or 720 29th National Safety Congress someone else? This will give us an oppor tunity to explain to them, as I have to you, how dangerous it is to place any object on the rails and you will be helping tis to pre vent what might otherwise prove to be a serious accident. A short time ago, as we were leaving a station, a boy about 10 years, old placed a stone in his slingshot and shot at the train, missing a window by about three inches. Now if the stone bad struck the window, it would have been broken and passengers probably injured. So never throw or shoot at the trains. We said ar the beginning we didn't want to get hurt nor hurt anyone; so can't you understand now how easily you can help ns to prevent people from getting hurt? 1 would like to know how many of you are really going to help us by promising us you are not going to play on railroad property-, or its the railroad yards. We want to thank you for your attention and we will appreciate your help so much in preventing people from getting hurt *** It is of course understood in speaking to a group of high school students, one must come up to their level We talk to them on the dangers of trespassing, also careful driving, going into the grade crossing situa tion thoroughly, explaining to them the dif ferent signals lo be found at our railroad crossings and how the electrical signals oper ate. I relate to them some of my experiences in regard to grade crossing accidents, in which I have been involved through no fault of my own. and how easily grade crossing accidents can be avoided if only drivers will accept our signals. How the Public and Authorities Can Aid in the Railroad Safety Program By ELIZABETH BALES Assistant Director of Colorado Safety Council, Denver, Colo. The urge to wander unrestricted is de- mental and all of the signs waiting in the paint shop and a doubled number of enforce ment officers cannot curb it without the co operation of the public. The public demand for more and better traffic signs and control, the increase in rail road crossing signals, the hundreds of thou sands or dollars spent on underpasses may increase safety, but they also relieve the individual of the necessity for considering his own protection. One look at the traffic fatality record will show how little attention is paid lo signs by motorists. If every re quest for critical speed signs were acted upon our land would bristle like a porcu pine. In the minds of many people a sign is a panacea and will automatically correct trespassing, speeding and right of way vio lations. The average American is apathetic toward conditions unless he is directly challenged or liis emotions aroused. He little realizes that a large slice of his insurance is invested in railroad bonds. What affects the railroads affects him, though indirectly. Payment for trespassing fatalities is a raid on the treas ury and for humanitarian reasons and to keep intact that vague something called good will, is assessed as a matter of coarse. The strong have always cared for the weak and in the minds of too many people the rail roads stand for wealth and strength. There are wa\; to get to the public through aroused en otion, which is the last analysis is just a new application of modem advertising. Entertain Mr. Public with the hope that some education and information will stay with him. A railroad show oa the air never fails t bring comment from youngsters. There is something arresting in the sound of a train whistle that gets all of ns. It is equally effective over the air. It is entirely possible that the same methods that are being nsed to correct atti tudes in the motorist will be effective in con trolling the trespasser. After all, the traffic problem and the trespass problem are blood brothers. In both situations we have fool proof equipment balanced with the frailties of human brings. The irresponsible high school boy with a folded handkerchief in his pocket who expresses himself through speeding and impudent .driving is very Kke Sfcowi Railroad Section 721 the boy who uses his sleeve. They both defy authority; but scrape off the top layer and they look just alike. They both have a natural response to entertainment. Radio entertainments . . . rip snorting; shun banging dramatizations, designed to ap peal to the imaginations of all listeners arc being aired in our state once a week. They are written with an eye to the basic causes for accidents. Irresponsibility, drinking and driving, bad temper, and trespassing have been painted in lurid colors. The gray is highlighted with a small amount of gore for emphasis. The railroad man is fortunate to belong to one of the glamour professions. In the eyes of the average small boy he is a hero. Not when he places himself on the boy's level, for Instance while chasing him through the yards, but when as an engineer riding high in his cab or sitting behind a desk with a train model before him. We play up that glamour in our shows, believe me. Let me go on to another type of educa tional entertainment The marionette show has a basic appeal. In Colorado a troupe of Safety marionettes will go on tour this fall. The company will include a railroad engineer, a courtesy patrolman, a city po licemen, and a mother and child. The first drama will be on trespassing and will be presented before school groups. The things that are seen are more easily remembered and visual aids are an accepted part of edu cation. Gangs have been a part of boy life from the year one. Organized gangs for good citizenship arc newer. The Colorado Safety Council has played on this tendency in the bicycle dubs that are in full swing in oar state. Thirty thousand boys and girls have pledged themselves to good citizenship gp the streets and in the schoolrooms. The foundation of these clubs is knowledge of law and conformation, to the rules of the road. Ownership of a bicycle is not a pre requisite and any child is admitted who passes an examination on his fitness to oper ate a bicycle and his proper conduct. Parades of decorated wheels and the re ceipt of a diploma for passing certain tests keep interest alive. Sponsorship is delegated to service organizations in each community. The Y. F. W., the Wiseman's Club, the Junior Chamber of Commerce, and others are encouraging a spirit of rivalry between towns. The goal of the Colorado Safety Council is to have every child in Colorado as a member by the end of 1941. The Junior Police Sand and Association is another organization of which we arc proud. Some of the band members are smaller than their instruments but they can swing a march tune equal to Sousa's band. Some of the members have undoubtedly been kept from corrective institutions by the helping band of the "cop ori the beat" who has steered the boys into this gang of good citizens. There is no class distinction. The boy from capitot lull is accepted to commadestup without question. Sgt. Nevin, who is director, has bad a great deal of experi ence with boys. His first contact with tres passers was in the railroad yards in Denver. The trespassing problem in Denver had grown acute and in the juvenile court Judge Stanley Johnson was alarmed. He called In railroad agents and city police to consider what might be done. Sgt Ncvin expressed his interest and was assigned to the court to cnoccntrate on trespassing. He and Judge Johnson worked out the following plan with the railroads. As a boy was caught trespassing he was not booked through the regular channels but his offense was listed on a slip of paper with his name and address, his age^ his school, and the names of his parents. The parents were sent a letter asking them to appear with the boy or girl for questioning. Sometimes more than 60 boys and girls were crowded into the courtroom at the Friday sessions. If they did not appear a radio car was sent for them. The interviews were private and each case was considered sepa rately. Most of the parents were anxious to sec that their children did the right things. It was impressed upon them that the first case was not an official booking, but a repetition would bring a detention home commitment. A boy who had lost his leg while crawling under a freight car, often sat in on the in terviews. The conversations between the boy who had been injured and the child who might be were a powerful influence for good. Though in our state the.crime of tres passing automatically calls for a delinquent classification, the method used of making the first offense unofficial kept these young people from starting a criminal record. Many cities have a Crime Prevention Bureau and 722 29th Notional Safety Congress a juvenile division. -In such cities such a plan is worth considering. We do know that it worked in. Denver. The&e aie examples of what is being done. The possibilities arc limitless. In every one o) these otganuatians there is room for the representatives of the railroads. The time has come for the railroads to reach out and let the scrawney little trespasser know rail roaders as men, and for you railroad men to know the trespasser for the scared, be wildered and often vicious creature that he i>. Only that can you hope to make ati itn pression on the trespass problem. The railroads can give a helping hand to those people who aTe backing playgrounds beyond the tracks. When a boy's eyes are turned away from the tracks to a basketball field or a ball park that he has helped to build, though the material has been stolen from the road for the purpose, the tres passer is less likdy to use the tracks as a playground. Bands and clubs to provide constructive' work and materials with which to build will cost much less in the long run tlian jayment for deaths that occur on railroad right of way. When the motorist has a valid reason for conforming to regulations and the trespasser has been given a new respect for government and industry through understanding, killing without fatted will be stopped. U may be (hat the breakdown of our social structure has advanced too far to be corrected now. It may be that increasing dependency* on the strong by the weak will devour all of u. I hope not. In the meantime every po-*ibIe method that we can devise should be used to build decent and law abiding citizens. It is a social problem not a police problem ami should be attacked from that premise. ADJOURNMENT Textile Section Officers 1939-1940 General Chairman--E. A. Roberts, American Mutual Liability Insurance Co,, Atlanta, Ga. Vice-Chairman--E. M. Salley, American Enka Corp., Enka, N. C. Secretory and News Letter Editor--Frances Bethuxe, R. N., Firestone Cotton Mills, Gas tonia, X. C. Engineering Committee Chairman--R. B. Wickham, West Point Manufacturing Co., West Point. Ga. Health Committee Chairman--M. F. Trice. North Carolina State Board of Health, Raleigh. X. C. Membership and Publicity Committee Chntr$intn--\Y. R. McCai.i.um. South Carolina Imlu*- irial Commission, Columbia, S. C. Program Committee Chairman--W. L. Powell, Xortb Carolina Industrial OunmU.dou. Raleigh. X. C. Safe Practices Pamphlet Committee Chairman--X'orman F. Hines, Ludlow Manufacturing & Sales Co.. Ludlow, Mass. Committee on Cooperation with Trade Associations. Chairman--Tr. H. Shuforo, North Carolina Department of Labor, Raleigh, N. C. Visual Education Committee Chairman--W. B. Weaver. Marshall Field & Co., Sprav, X. c. Members at Large-- I. E. Beroekt, Johns-Manvillc, Manrillc, X'. .1. B. R. Brown. Columbia Mills. Inc., Roscland. Chicago. 111. .1. T. Brow`n, E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Co.. Old Hickory. Torn. John b Burger, W. ). Dickey S: Sons, Inc.. Oelta, Baltimore Co.. Md. H. R. Corv, Beacon Manufacturing Co.. Swannanoa, N. C. Charles H. Eajmes, Lowe!) Textile Institute, Lowell, Mass. Arthur S. Johnson, American Mutual Liability Insurance Co., Boston, H. McKelvie. Merrimack Manufacturing Co., Huntsville, Ala. * Frank E. Morhi*. Liberty Mutual Insurance Co., Boston, Mass. *T. A. Wilson, North Carolina Industrial Commission. Raleigh, N. C. Officers 1940-1941 General Chairman--W. B. Weaver, Marshall Field & Co, Spray, X. C. Vice-Chairman--Frances Bethune, Firestone Cotton Mills, Inc., Gastonia, N. C. Secretary and News letter Editor---John J. Burger, W. J. Dickey & Sons, Inc., Oella, Md. Engineering Committee Chairman--*E. A. Roberts, American Mutual Liability* Insurance Co.. Atlanta. Ga. Health Committee Chairman~{To be announced.) jhra6rr^i/ and Publicity Committee Chairman--W. L. Powell. North Carolina Indus trial Commission, Raleigh, N. C. Program Committee Chairman--W. R. McCallum, South Carolina Industrial Commission, Colombia. S. C. Safe Practices Pamphlet Committee Chairman--Norman F. Hines, Ludlow* Manufacturing & Sain- Col, Ludlow*, Mass. Tw flemml Cbiimun 723 724 29th Xatiotial Safety Congress Committee on Cooperation with Trade Associations, Chairman--F. H. Shuforu, North Carolina Department of Labor, Raleigh, N. C Visual Education Committee Chairman--H. McKelviz, Merrimack Manufacturing CoHuntsville, Ala. J. E. BuJtcer. Johns-Manvillc Corp., Manville, N. J. B. R. Brown, Columbia Mills, Inc., Rosdand, Chicago, 111. J. T. Brown, E. I. du Pont d Nemours & Co., Old Hickory, Term. H. R. Cory, Beacon Manufacturing Co., Swannanoa, N. C. Arthur S. Johnson, American Mutual Liability Insurance Co., Boston, Mass. W. H. Monroe, Alabama Department of Industrial Relations, Montgomery. Ala. ''Frank E. Morris, Liberty Mutual Insurance Co., Boston. Mass *T. A. Wilson, North Carolina Industrial Commission, Raleigh. N, C. 'Put General Quirmu TUESDAY APTERNOON SESSION October 8,1940 The opening session was called to order by the General Chairman, E. A. Roberts, District Engineering Manager, American Mutual Liability Insurance Company, At lanta, Ga., who presided. The Chairman briefly commented upon activities of tbe Sec tion during the past year, and mcnliooed the work of many Standing Committees. Officers of the Section for the coming year were formally elected, as listed else where in this record. The Chairman then Introduced the first speaker. Methods of Developing a Competitive Safety Program By PHIL J. MONROE Mooresville Cotton Mills, Mooreaville, N. C. The methods 1 am going to tell you about to our plant io conduct classes in First Aid. have been used successfully* in our plant We asked for volunteers and had enough This plant is the type that started out as a for two large classes. These men and small unit, and, In expanding, new buildings women were given certificates, and were put were built and consequently are scattered in charge of the first aid cabinets. Their over a large area. We employ approximately Certificates were in force for two years, 1.500 employees. It is a complete plant from and after that time it was necessary to re the picker room to the sanforized product take the course to renew them. This time We had no specific program in our plant . we gave those who had made the most prog when I was put in charge, and we were ress in their safety program the choice of having injuries every day. The general man class they would like to attend; thereby ager instructed me to use every method I showing them they were being given special could think of to educate our employees to consideration in appreciation of their as understand that a safe worker is a good sistance. worker, and to sell safety to them so they* would see the benefits to themselves as a re sult of having no injuries. To do this I solicited the aid of the North Carolina In dustrial Commission. At one of the statewide safety conferences held by the Industrial Commission, one of the speakers called for a discussion after his talk, and we got the idea of having a "Safety Slogan Contest" in our plant. We One of the first things the Commission distributed literature to the effect that wc did was to send one of their representatives would give a $10 prize for the best safety Textile Section 72> slogan pertaining specifically to our plant, and S3 for the next best. We were pleas antly surprised at the fine response. The judges cbosc the slogan "More Safety for Moor Workers'* for the first prize. At tbe beginning of our safety drive we baji attractive bulletin boards put up in each department. These are all-purpose bulletin boards, bat we sec that notable safety post ers are displayed it all times and are changed frequently. To arouse a competitive spirit, we knew wc would have to Have some method to show the employees how they* were pro gressing. We designed twelve small signs {one for each department} which had an at tractive display of our new slogan and also the lettering-: "This department has worked ............... day*s without a lost time accident." We designated the secretary of tbe safety committee to sec that these signs were changed each day. If no accidents had hap pened he added a day, and if they had a lost time accident, it was necessary to start over. As interest began to grow, we thought it would be a good time to offer another prize. This time J contacted the manager of one of the theatres in Mooresville, and we worked oat a plan, whereby', for a small amount of money, he offered us tickets to give to each employee in a department that would go a month without a lost-time acci dent. Along *wilh this we got a short pic ture dealing with different phases of safety atwl first aid. We made this offer to our workers for three consecutive months. We found this created more interest than any of our other contests since each individual re ceived a certain benefit. Trophies and cash awards have a certain appeal, but with the theatre ticket, each member profited as much from his efforts as another. Some time ago there was a serious acci dent in our weave room. One of the loom fixers reported to our head loom fixer that ooe of the belts was off the pulley and he wanted to go to the basement to put it back cm. Tbe bead loom fixer told him to wait about ten minutes until he could go to tbe supply room and he wonld go with him. He waited about five minutes and decided he would go alooe. When he got down there, instead of stopping the motor, he proceeded to put the belt on with the pulley running. The belt caught his hand and jerked him into the wheel and tore bis arm off. It was a miracle he was not killed. This led me to look up any plant rules that wc might have. I found that we had 10 rules or suggestions to lead our personnel along safe paths. They were Car too inade quate ; so we decided it would be profitable to draw up a complete set of rules and suggestions and see to it that each worker knew them. I asked the superintendent of each depart ment to submit any rules they thought neces sary to have in their department. These rules were printed in a little book which we made attractive, and placed in the hands of each worker. When a new employee is signed up by the personnel department, he is given one of them and is instructed as to its purpose. After these booklets had been in their hands for several days, I posted a notice on the bulletin boards to the effect that someone was coming through the mil! to test them on a group of the rules, and if they could give them from memory* and had their bock with them, they would be given fifty cents. (More-or-less on the order of a man on the street broadcast). I gave them a week to learn the rules, and one morning 1 set out with my fifty-cent pieces. It was surprising how many* had learned the rules. Of course, 1 could not ask them all, however, I tried to ask as many* as time would permit, I gave away about $25, and we fed it was welt worth the money. These rules have been one of our best safety assets. I have been in charge of the safely pro gram for five years, and it has been my en deavor to have something new every three months to further oar safety educational program. I have found the workers reactvery favorably to contests, and at present we arc ranking high in the Statewide Tex tile Safety Contest Tbe last form of- competition wc have, tried is in the form of five electric signs about 3x4 feet in size. Their two lace sides are glass ami there arc three sticks of neon on the inside to light them. The twelve departments of the mill are listed. It is ruled off according to months with a line also for last year's totals. Each month the number of accidents a department has is listed. These signs are placed at the most 726 29th A alianat Safety Congress conspicuous places. All lettering is on the inside except the figures which are put on each month; this makes it possible to scrape them oft at the end of the year, and start over. If for any reason we fail to get the mouth's record up on time, the employees begin to ask how they are getting along. We have had only one lost-lime accident since fast December. Just one word more about our educational program. We have safety* meetings at least once a month in each department of the mill. These meetings include the superin tendent of the department and his overseers and second hands and others if he sees fit. They discus* all hazards that need climi-* nating and any other data that will be help ful They report any minor or major acci dents that have occurred during the month prior tn the meeting and have the injured attend the meeting so he can explain the accident fully. Periodically the general man ager and the superintendents meet to discuss our safety work. Each problem is gone over thoroughly, and every* otic in an official ca pacity in our organization cooperates fully in this work. As a result of this program we have re duced our lost-time accidents from 29 through September 1939 to 1 through Sep tember 1940. Wc have also cat to a min imum our minor accidents that do not cause* lost-time, but require a physician's attention. Our insurance rate has been lowered to such a`degree that I hear very little about it from 1 the treasurer. While educating our workers to be safety conscious both the workers and the mill have gained both materially and fi nancially which, after alt our ultimate goal. A Competitive Safety Program that Is Working By RALPH I. STURTEVANT Manager, Shelton Looms, Rocky Blount., N. C. S-v<ral years ago I was transferred from Jersey to our plant in Rocky Mount, W C. Mv superiors brought to my attention he fact that the safety record of this plant '.k< far from being an enviable one and that I take steps to improve it This -afciy record was a surprise lo me ;t< n>r southern plant was by far the most Todt-rn and up-to-date plant of our comchain. The looms and machinery* were '( the most modern type, being amply guarded and protected by safety appliances. The plant's records indicated, however, hat i here had been a number of injuries, nanv oi them resulting in lost time. In :no-t of the recent injuries there seemed no particular cause other than carelessness, cither on the pan of the injured employee r his fellow-worker. I found a number of ra-c-i where an employee did not report an accident until infection had set in, and there were no details as to bow the injury' occurred because the employee could not recall exactly what Itad taken place. The plant's safety program consisted of lacking up safety porters and the giving of -afeiv talks approximately once a month, mostly by representatives of our insurance carrit-r-. 1 was led to believe that moq oi the foremen and employees considered them selves safety-minded and that the safety talks were boresome. Xone of them, not even the foremen, seemed to understand that safety was an important and vital part of their job. I derided that the best thing we could do would be to start from scratch, to issue instructions outlining the policy that ! wished carried out. much in the same manner as you would do when instituting a new manufacturing policy or procedure. I called a special meeting of the foremen for the express purpose of informing them that in addition to their regular manufac turing responsibilities (hey would be respon sible to me for carrying out the new pol icies in regard to safety practices. I lad published on the bulletin board a notice informing all employees that effective at once every employee was to report all in juries, whether scratch, cut of bruise, re gardless of how* slight, to their foreman for first-aid treatment. I also invited the employees to offer any suggestion that the> might have for reducing accidents or im proving working conditions and hazards. The plant at this time employed approxi mately 125 people and we did not have a Textile Section 727 nur>c. all the firct-aid work being handled by the foremen. AU accidents of a serious or would-be fcriot&s nature that took place 1 had written up in detail, omitting die injured employee's name (although this was always known by the other employees), ex plaining how and why the accident occurred and pointing out bow the injured employee might have avoided ibe accident. \\V followed this system for approxi mately six months, and although wc did not Milier a lost-time accident during the period, we still had a number of accidents which > were due entirely to carelessness. There were still some cases where an employee sustained a small scratch which he thought in-significant and did not report it, and two or three days later turned up with att in fected wound. I hiring thi< |>triod my foremen and a mitiilx.*r of the employees had become quite intere-ted in our drive for a better safety record and ! believed the time ripe for the launching of a >afcty contest. 1 Itad read a great deal about different types of su'eti contest*, but had not been able lo find one that I thought would create the interest 1 desired on the part of my em ployees One day f overheard conversation regarding the relative merits of (he Duke and Carolina football teams that developed into -iich an argument that it gave me an ideX I figured that if I could divert some oi the feeling and interest my employees had tor football into safety channels I would have a most successful safety pro gram. Therefore. 1 instructed the safely com mittee to pick eight men from among the employees whom they believed to be safetyminded and who, in their opinion, would make good leaders in a competitive safety contest. We then divided the employees of the mill into eight equal groups, assigning a group to each oi the eight men selected by the safety committee tor leaders. T put m a hat the names of eight colleges, including Duke and Carolina, and had each leader draw from the hat the name that would be aligned to hi* group. We then laid out a schedule of games between the various teams, each game last ing for the period of one week. The scor ing wa- recorded as follows: One point to be -cored against a team for each injury reported by one of its members. If the injury called for a doctor's attention three points were charged against the team, and ii the injury resulted in lost time five points were charged against the team. Tins contest started off rather mildly hut due to the fact that any team would give its right arm to wallop Duke or Carolina inter est sort o "perked up" a bit. The different team captains started making personal con tacts with the various members of their teams, requesting them to be careful so that they either could defeat tiic particular team they were playing or so that they would not be defeated themselves. This contest ran for ten weeks and so far as interest in safety is concerned I got a full 100 per cent support from practically every employee. As a matter of fad I created more in terest than 1 really* desired, for in a number of cases the fact that this was a safety contest was overlooked and any means was used to win. When the content was over a number of reports were passed in to the effect that certain ones had sustained minor injuries and had not reported them because if they had done so their team would have lost that particular game. As there were no rules to govern these complaints this contest ended in more or less of a compro mise among the first three or four leading teams, with the understanding that from the experience gained we would set up a new xt of rules and start a new comcrt. At a meeting held for this purpose we decided to hold a contest based upon base ball games instead of football games, with the same eight. teams participating, using the following rules: 1. AH contest teams arc to follow Pied mont League Baseball Schedule. 2. Report of any scratch, bruise or lacer ation lo be scored as one point. X Report of any scratch, bruise or lacer ation requiring doctor's care shall score three points. 4. The team scoring the least number of points in each day's game shall he the winner. 5. Failure of any participant to report an injury one hour after the occurrence of accident shall be counted as a forfeit of that day'.* game. (Should an injury occur shortly before close of shift it will also be counted a forfeit if it is not reported before clo<e of shift)- 728 29th National Safety Congress 6. Tn case of a tie game in the mil! con tent the winner of the game will be de cided by the corresponding Piedmont League game of that day. 7. No gatne.- will be played on Saturday or Sunday regardless of Piedmont League Schedule. 8. Tn case no game Is scheduled in Piedmom League no game will be played in mill contest 9. If a double header is played In Pied mont League the teams in contest will play tor two points. Should contest teams tie the outcome of ]caftue game is to decide the winner. 10. Regardless of whether teams arc scheduled to. play, a record will be kept of all points scored against each team. To each member of the team compiling the smallest score will be given a monthly prize of a coca cola. 11. The contest will last for duration of regular Piedmont League Schedule. (This docs not include play-off games at end of season). 12. The teams in first and second place in the standing (based upon percentage) at the close at season will win barbecue sup per*:. This contest developed a keen rivalry among all the teams and enabled the Caromouni Division to build up a most enviable -attty record. Approximately two years ago operations were sharply increased in my plant and because of more pressing work T did what a great many other mills have done, that is put aside and in a sense ig nored safety in favor of what I at that time thought was more pressing and important. I will be frank and admit that this was a mistake. I found out within a very short time that you cannot stop your safety programs and at the same time increase your personnel from approximately 150 people to 350 people and obtain a good safety record. In a very* few months my severity rate had increased two-fold and I found that* as I had neg lected my interest in safety* work the men under me had done the same thing. In a manner of speaking I was back to prac tically the same point that I had started from approximately two years before. This time, however, I was confronted with another problem; due to the increased amount of work that our plant was nowdoing a corresponding increase in my time for supervision was necessary. I found that I could not devote anywhere near the time to safety promotion that I had prior to the increase in persocmeL After studying the situation I recommended that a nurse be installed in our plant in order that I could resume the contests that because of lack of time, I had stopped. My recommendation was approved and approximately one year ago we installed a nurse in our plant not only to give first-aid but to carry on and promote safety contests. THURSDAY AFTERNOON SESSION October 10, 1940 Textile Safety Through the Plant Nurse By FRANCES BETHUNE Plant None, Firestone Cotton Mills, Inc., Gastonia, N. C. Given a management thoroughly in sympa thy with her job and being blessed with en thusiasm and interest in her work, together with sound technical training, there is no limit to the ways in which an industrial nurse can be of help to a textile plant's safety program. Each time an employee contact* the nurse an opportunity presents itself for her to gain his confidence and create good will, which is the first step in selling him on any program she may be interested in for his welfare and safety. If the employee is re porting to the dispensary with a newly re- Textile Section 729 ccived injury', it is of prime importance that the nurse show a genuine interest by giving him adequate care, by taking a complete history of how and where the accident hap pened, and by giving him specific instruc tions as to further treatment. He will leave the dispensary with the thought in mind, "That nurse knows her business." If an employee stops at the first aid room for treatment of minor ailments, such as a headache for which he requests a `"couple of aspirin," or perhaps a dose of soda to relieve indigestion, the nurse by giving him a cordial welcome and taking an interest in his simple ailment may discover the cause of his trouble, or encourage him to see his family physician and receive an early diag nosis of some trouble that may within a short time become seriobs and greatly im pair bis health. Most industrial nurses could tell you of numerous cases where the em ployee did not realise be was headed tor trouble when he told the story of some simple ailment, while the nurse, being trained to recognize early symptoms, saw the dan ger and was able to warn him in sufficient time to arrest his case and bring about a complete recovery. On the other band, the employee will some time go to the nunc with the story* oi severe gastric disturbance and he will express a fear of going to the doctor, for be is afraid to find out what is wrong. Perhaps the nurse can suggest a change in diet that will clear the trouble up shortly and at the same time make a safer worker by removing the dread from his mind, making him more comfort able and at the same time building up the feeling of good will between the worker and the nurse. The nurse has a 24-hour job where plant safety* is concerned. This is especially true where the folks who operate die mill ma chinery live In a village adjacent to the plant In this situation the nurse receives innumerable oportunitics to be of service, create good will, and gain the confidence of the employees. Once the people figure the nurse is "all right'* they take it for granted that she is a nurse, diagnostician, osteopath, pharmacist, in fact they consider her a specialist along most any medical line. This is line, especially if the questions they ask are taken into consideration. All of this gives the om-se a chance to educate the peo ple will) regard to proper diet, sleep, and Clothing. It presents her with chances galore to obtain the good will of the plant em ployees. in plants where the management maintains dean, healthful conditions (and the manage ment which is interested in promoting safety does this), the nurse can further the safety program greatly by her efforts with regard to the personal cleanliness of the employees. She can be of great assistance to the various production departments m their efforts at good housekeeping and orderliness. Where women are employed it is often easier for the nurse to suggest the proper type of clothing than it is for a department foreman to do >L If she feds it is neces sary, the nurse may instruct the employees oa personal deadlines* both oo the job aqd off it Proper clothing oa the job and clean liness are first class aids to safety. The nurse may not be of a mechanical turn of mind and ouy not have even a speaking acquaintance with the intricacies of the various and sundry machines in the plant and yet be of considerable assistance to the management m helping to maintain the machinery in a safe operating condition. She asks each injured employee how* he ob tained his injury*- If the employee's version involves the point of operation; jf he says a nut or a bolt was missing, or a washer dropped off, or a collar slipped on a shaft, she notes this. Then she reports this condition to the proper authority. The matter is care fully checked; if the employee's statement is correct, the particular machine is repaired before it is started again. All other machines of the same type or land are inspected at once to prevent recurrence of the same type of injury. On the other hand, if the nurse learns from the employes that some action of his resulted in the injury, she notes the fact. She reports to the department foreman what she has learned. He analyzes the situation and is thus able to take steps to prevent other accidents of a similar nature. In a good many plants the nurse is cus todian of the safety bulletin boards. She changes the posters and keeps the various department safety records up to date. Tn plants where a safety committee functions she attends and takes part in the meetings. She is often the main spring m the plant safety program. 730 29th National Safety Congress in ordtr to furnish the nurse with new idea* and additional facts or information ai>out safety, the nurse is often encouraged to become affiliated with the local or dis trict safety councils. The meetings of these organizations indicate what other people arc doing to solve problems similar to her'*. .She meets iop!c whom she would not othcr\w*c contact and from them assimilates ideas which she may later be able to put to good u<c. These outside safety activities furnish her with ammunition to use in connection with her part in increasing or maintaining the effectiveness of the safety program in her own plant. Through nurses' societies and as-H*ciaiions she keeps her professional knowledge up to date. The nurse maintains contact with the city, fniiiuy and state health departments and work* in conjunction with these agencies, ily making use of the various services which they proride she keeps posted at all times as to the liest methods of promoting public health. Id North Carolina the Department of ludti-trinl Hygiene does a great deal of work along preventive lines and is truly a boon to a plant nurse and to a plant which is gen* uinclv interested' in maintaining healthful working conditions for its employees. This department studies occupational diseases and liazards and develops methods of their pre vention. This department also issues infor mation from time to time regarding correct clothing and diet The plant nurse, by work ing liand in hand with members of this de partment. is enabled to reduce many types of accident hazard to a minimum. Textile safety through the plant nurse may be considered from another angle, that of dollars and cents. From the employee's standpoint it may be said that he receives prompt treatment at the time of the accident and adequate and considerate treatment dur ing convalescence. Chance of infection is reduced to a minimum and the employee is back on his job in the least possible time, often with no lost lime. The employee ha* lost little or no money in wages, and con versely the management, through its insur ance carrier, has saved tlie services of a skilled employee and kept its insurance charges at a low rate. Eliminating the Causes of Textile Accidents By JOHN J. BURGER Secretary, Safety Committee, W. I. Dickey & Sons, Inc., Oella. Md. I would like to take you with me on a hypothetical trip through our mill so that you can sec just what procedure and methods arc being used. It is a woolen mill that we are viewing, but the safety ideas arc applicable to any textile plant. We will follow' the same route as the ma terial. that is, from raw stock to finished good5. Our first stop is in the yard at the loading platform. Here we meet Donald, and ask him what methods he is using to eliminate the causes of accidents. His an>wr is direct and to the point. "Good Housekeeping is the solution to 90 per cent < The problem," he says. Looking around wc note that raw stock ;uii| machine parts received that day have been placed in an orderly manner on the platform awaiting delivery' to the warehouse within the next hour. Donald points to the protecting rail around the coal pit, and the ordvrlj stack of bagged waste on the other side of the dean, well kept yard. We also see a separate shed marked, ACIDS--DAN GEROUS, a simple method for isolating a hazardous material. We notice that the men are all wearing the proper type safety shoes and gloves as they go about the work of trucking material from the freight car onto the platform. As we leave Donald, we notice his accident record board which reads: "This Department has gone 420 days without a lost time accident" Donald las really driven home the lesson of good house keeping and personal protection. Our next stop ts in the dye house, which is presided over by Otis, who has come Up from the ranks and knows dyeing and its hazards. Replying to our question, his an swer is: "Advance planning and personal protection for my men." He points out that proper production requires advance planning and safely is no exception to this idea. Teaching men to have the proper respect Textile Section 731 for the liazards of their jobs goes a long way toward the promotion of safety. Ad vance planning teaches them what equipment to have in order, ami what piotectivc cloth ing To wear. Wc sec the men wearing gogalcs and rubber gloves and aprons as iItcv feed acid to the dye bath. They arc al*o wearing the proper type shoes for the job. Otis tells us that there have been acci dent* in dye houses where men were burned when splashed with hot water or add, but since his men have been taught to realize the danger involved, accident causes of this type have been eliminated. Rack strains also were quite prevalent until classes in the proper methods of lifting were conducted. The men now know that the correct way to lift, is to keep the back vortical, lifting with the strong musdes of the legs, and not putting the strain on the weak muscles in the small of the back. The}' nljw> know* that there is a limit to the amount anyone can lift; too much weight causes muscle strain. Advance planning by the foreman and hi* men has taught them the danger and the corrective methods to employ. Out next stop is in the mixing and pick ing department, where wc meet Bill. Bill is a Scotchman, and keenly appreciates the value of a man who still has the use of both hand* and all ten fingers, because the picker room i a dangerous place In which to work. Rill iy bus>* right now. which gives us a chance to look around before he joins us. We notice his safety record on the wall Mating that the "Department has gone 523 days without a lost time accident." Right above it we see the bronze plaque presented to the department for haring the best safety record in the mill for the past year--with out any kind of an accident. Wc conclude that Bill must have some patent method to produce such excellent re sults. Asking Bill for the answer, he re plies ; "Every morning before starting work. I call my men together and say to them: 'Remember, our safety record, keep it clear today.'" Bill tells us that his method is to constantly remind his men that safety is a vital and important part of their everyday work routine. He has instilled in his men a wonderful sense of safety consciousness that certainly has produced excellent results. By his personal actions and habits, Rill is demonstrating daily to his men that hi* atti tude toward accident prevention is whole hearted and sincere, and he expects all of his men to follow his example. Going Uriahs, brings us to the carding department where we find Joe, who is an oldtimcr in the carding game. He tells us that education in his opinion is the best pre ventive method. Joe explains that due to the peculiar construction of a woolen card, it is very difficult to guard the machine ade quately. Therefore emphasis should be placed on the education and training of the work ers, and not on live guarding of the cards. After the men have been thoroughly trained they will automatically do the safe and right thing. Man failure will be much less than if they did not have the benefit of this training. Pressing Joe for more details of his educational methods, he tells us that it consists of four steps. Pour Steps in Safety 1st step, is telling the man how to do the job in the safe way and in simple language. Telling him very slowly, so he can grasp the idea, and repeating the instruction over and over again if necessary. 2nd step, is to show him how to do the job m the safe way. He retains knowledge better if he sees as well as hears how- the job should be done. 3rd step, is to test him out. letting him go on his own under the overseer's watchful eve. 4th step, is to check him, to be sure he understands, and. is following the Instruc tions as given. The point is stressed, that .safety is as important a factor as production and quality. As we leave the carding department, wc >ee large signs hanging from the ceiling naming the men not to place their hands on any moving machine part. Joe is using the signs as an added precaution. We now enter the spinning room where Harold gives us his views on the subject A little psychology, plus the reporting of all minor injuries, seems to be this man's method to eliminate the causes of accidents. In the past, the department has had to contend with lost time accidents due to infection. Several cases where workers were troubled with splinters and cuts, but did not think it necessary to report their Injury. Since then. 732 29th Natwnal Safety Congress all the wooden wagons and trucks iiavc been replaced with metal wagons and the cause of accidents in this respect has been elimi nated. Furthermore, all minor injuries are now being reported immediately and given first aid. We observe that all the girls are wearing neat work uniforms. When we ask Harold how he accomplished this, he tells us that the use of a little psychology illustrating how the wearing of a work uniform gives a girt a neat appearance, did the trick. A photograph of one of the best looking girls in the room in an oat of date dress and another photograph showing Iter in a neat uniform of pastel shade, has proved to be the answer to the problem of getting girls to wear the uniform. Weave Room Methods Our next stop is in the weave room, where vve meet Jack, the overseer of weav ing, who tells us: "Well guarded machinery and good housekeeping are my methods.*' Looking around we see that all the looms have individual motor drives, the gears on the motors being completely covered. It is impossible for any one to get clothes or fingers caught The shuttle guard on epeh loom is also in good order, so that if a shuttle docs flv out its danger will be greatly minimized. We also note the complete absence of bobbins on the floor. Jack tells us he accom plished this by personally picking up a bob bin, now and then, and without a look or a word of reproach, handing the bobbin to the weaver An illustration of the power of suggestion. Thus we sec the elimination of the causes of falls, strains and bruises. As wc leave, we see the trucks and boxes of filling yarn in orderly arrangement on the spare floor, leaving the main aisle open for the trucking of the woven doth oat of the department. Our last stop is in the maintenance de partment, where we meet Howard, the mas ter mechanic This man is an engineer. He says: "Engineering is my natural and best method to use." In the past the maintenance department was troubled with accidents be cause of poorly guarded saws, emery wheels, etc. Since these machines have been properly guarded thee accident causes are elimi nated. Wc observe the circular saw and sec the proper guard for both fiat and tilted tables. Also the emery wheel is equipped with a shield, and goggles are provided for tlie use of the men. The balance of the machines are equally well guarded. Howard tells us that since the machines have been taken care of the men have developed a more progressive attitude toward safety. Engineering, having eliminated the causes, has in turn created a favorable psychological effect on the worker. There hasn't been a serious lost time accident in this department tor a long time. Management** Part Now, let us step into the office for a min ute or two and see what method the man agement is using in doing its part. Wc find that management is the spark and motivating force behind all the different methods wc have observed in our trip through the mill. It has accepted, and is meeting the responsi bility* of providing a clean work place and safe machinery. It is completely sold upon the necessity of approving expenditures for guards and equipment. There have been accidents where the cause has been a Jack of knowledge on the part of the worker. The management is overcoming this by' conducting safety meetings, so that operating dangers may be discussed and cor rective practices and methods instituted. Departmental safety meetings are being held, and on company time, to supersede the previous general meeting. The idea being to decentralize the safety activities and re sponsibility and give every one in the de partment an opportunity to express his views on the subject. The group thus has the chance of analyzing and improving the safe practices of the department. It also has the responsibility of developing new regulations. Some of these methods, while perhaps Indirect, have been valuable in the training and development of orderly-mindcdness of the employees. Finally, by the personal appearance of the owners and superintendent at the depart mental safety meetings, the management in dicates its sincerity and gives its approval to the methods employed to eliminate the causes of accident*. Textile Section 733 Accident Prevention Through First Aid By RAMONS 6. EATON AaaUtant Director, First Aid and Life Saving, American National Red Crow, Washington, B. C. There is much talk in this country today of preparedness for any eventuality. In this connection National Unity and National Safety become almost synonymous terms with National Defense. Certainly, it would be not unfair to state that no group of citi zens of the United States is more conscious of the true meaning of these terms, as they apply to the welfare of our nation, than you who have a responsibility for the day-by-day safety of oar people. On every hand we see all ports of our na tion becoming unified in the task of mobiliz ing moral, economic and material resources. Industry, labor, education, medicine, journal ism, Government, the armed forces--every phase of national life--has geared its mo mentum to the transcendent need of unified endeavor. And standing as a great sentinel of light on the intematioaa] horizon and a* bulwark of strength at home is the Amer ican Red Cross. Because of the long-time, carefully planned development of its peace time program, the Red Cross stands pre pared with services geared to fit the pattern of need of all forces. Practically every Red Cross service has some bearing on the preparations now being made for our National Defense, and these services also are capable of being expanded farther for actual war conditions if this be comes necessary* As we study this large question of Red Cross Preparedness for National Defense, it is apparent that Red Cross First Aid training is to play a major part in all that is done. Particularly we must begin now10 expand services to industrial groups if wc are to aid in offsetting the increased fre quency and severity of accidents because of the speed with which industry* must enlarge for defense production. You are well ac quainted with the aspects of this situation from the safety engineer's view, so I will confine my presentation to that phase of accident prevention which is accomplished through first aid training. Fortunately, to Red Cross, we have had a long experience in this phase of industrial safety, (fating bade to 1909 when Dr. ML J. Shields b<pn first aid instruction in the coal mine areas of Pennsylvania. Thropgh the years, industry has learned to recognize the value of first aid training and to look to the American Red Cross for authoritative guidance in this field. Un fortunately, at rimes, there has been a fail ure to recognize the dual rote of first aid In industrial safety planning. Accident preven tion through first aid training is accom plished, not only as a secondary act follow ing the accident, to prevent death or in creased severity of injury, but as a first effort in the actual prevention of the acci dent It is extremely important that this dual role of first aid be recognized if full utilization Is to be made of this type of train ing m a program of safety education, and if we are to do our maximum job of quickly assimilating this great mass of new workers, often unskilled in safe practices, into a nor mal industrial safety program. To assist m this effort, which U common to most industry today, I would like to show: first, how important first aid training is to any well-planned safety program; sec ond, some of the actual results in decreased accident frequency and severity rates when first aid is included m the safety program; and as a conclusion, what your Red Cross is prepared to do on this problem, making first aid training available to men and women in industrial occupations, whether it be normal peace-time work, or that geared to defense planning or actual war. We frequently speak of the three E's of Engineering, Enforcement, and Education in highway safety planning, and I believe tliat we can welt adopt and use them here today in attempting to plan for a lessened accident rate m the textile industry. En gineering has played. its part in design of building: and machine, in designing mechan ical safeguards for everything from floors and stairways to machinery. Engineering, without enforcement of regulations for use of equipment and machines, and good daily habits and practices about the plant prem ises. could play but a small part in prevent ing accidental injury and death. These two 734 29th National Safety Congress together can do much; but without educa tion, which means appreciation and under standing, no safety program can hope to function to a successful end. Education ts the link tiiat binds all part* of the program together, and with it coma that undefinablc, and poorly named sntaen- giblc. which we call a "saictj- cecnow- ness.'* No maitcr aim the Type of peocraun i feci >afc in s3>mj: that wrtil the mdrvufrsa* worker feds a kmc id rct.un>Uht> for the -safety and cfl-bcww oi fa Wtiow mar., no -safety effort wtf hr tewh Mrfc--rhri Only whoi a u orkef t% "ftiretdbwu *>**?iiiM**" will Lhjfi rcspunribtlttx W* facraptad wui >omt- effort lie made In h**: t. ptcNn tb* mi-take, faiw **c|> or cafekao act wImci. mean- hurt tor h*mwli or, monr >omctm<r -!-. It i. tin- unwi wlcfa ~arr -uch tan)mg cluuir m acc<Uwt r*fcr> b** nr>i aid training tmrodiwuwd ttm* *u yriWr ui^e good -afct> Xuriung m %W mmd of tlic average man or stap wm roha- -i2L* tltv tragic resuho of acodrts more than a knowledge ot the horrible tnjprir- mid the method- of <Vath. which are their results. First Aid training, then. ght us two avenue- of attack cm an acodent problem m a plant. Fir-t Aid care rendered at the scene j an accident, which might entail no more than pro|*T transportation of an injured |Krr-on, may mean decreased severity of the injury or even the saving of life. To assure iJii- proper care, there -bould be universal training of employees, because where on the plant property the grim reaper will strike no int can know. Every employee must be trained to respond to the unforeseen cmerittney. Though a plant may have the finest of emergency rooms, nurses and a staff of doctors on duty at all hours, a simple injury might become serious and even cause death because of the improper handling of the in jured victim by well-meaning, but untrained fellow employees, ignorant of what to do in an accident emergency'. First Aid training dispels such ignorance and (lie helplessness and confusion which follows In its wake. The person trained in first aid knows what to do, and, more important, in some situa tions, what not to do until the doctor arrives or the victim is properly transported to the emergency room or hospital. Today in industry there is as much con cern for the health and safety of the worker off the job as on. Whatever advantages there are in first aid training in the plant arc but increased many times in the more terri fying accidents on our highways and the lesser-known accident situation in the home. In giving your employees the opportunity of Jaxswing first aid you are equipping them fur a safety job after the whistle blows. \oqt job. then, is not alone a safety job; >t art improving the social and economic pMMQioo of the man or woman, for accidents r* nut co-tly alone in human suffering and death, bet in money mod disruption of nor mal Irvine as welL V- valuable as first aid training may be : providing emergency care for the inurrd. tin- it- of secondary importance in ihr brtwi humanitarian view, when such inoHW ** properly evaluated as a means of pmKatiBs accidents. Increasingly we are ri-rurmn reports from industry* targe and -bowing how first aid instruction has Imm toOowcd by a lessening of lost time due u* ancidciifs and, further, that first aid teamed employee* are meeting with far inter rodent*, at work, on the highway and at home, than those who have not had ibr benefit of such instruction. There are good reasons tor this: first, accident prevention is admittedly the pri mary aim of every* Rod Cross First Aid course, and instruction is largely directed to that end. planned where possible, for the group under instruction; second. First Aid instruction carries with it a visualization of causes and consequences of accidents which develop an "accident awareness** which is so necessary to the acceptance of an "accident responsibility." While this last is a term not generally in use, I believe it can be adopted to good advantage in safety educa tion. Being impressed with the possibility of grave results from even minor injuries and the consequences of more serious ones, the employee is a more willing recipient of all phases of the safety program. In dealing with imaginary accident situations he find? himself thinking in terms of accident causes and prevention in a positive way. A recent letter from the safety* engineer of the Elk Tanning Company at Ridway. Pennsylvania, is most enlightening. He tells us that In the last year before including first aid instruction in their safety program, the frequency rate per million hours wc'ked was 146.5 and the severity rate 32.2. This Textile Section 735 Severity againM lol time s1mx*> that 31,860 days of lost time were charged again** the record. The total cost for medical and com pensation during the year was 531.903JJX- During the next several years tbor entire logging crew completed a minimum of the Standard First Aid course The 1939 report .-hows the followtag: a frequency of 58 accidents per amttou hours worked and a severity rate of 1 Li This trvcrwy rate how ocd> day* 1m rime acaio*3 31.- F60 m 1930 and a cwm h only $L9*2-QQ A -unitar w* tiAr *s the osril peratioct lotkKfclug FtfJ fd truntt Its (930 tlw frrqortwy raw (44.5 with * -events *>i 73 \* <m Jwfrr l^e, tW- <ru plover- 1iaw with4 Wm4 time acodenc. Hr furthrt TW cm- pan a- a uliwk -4mm- *hmV bai'it*' accident-, and nr firsnl-y Wbr> that the teaching of Fir-t Awl ** rite iumum iac jnr tn bringioc ikw tWr n.riufti*w ** A report from a wwmhWt of our -taff 1*114if a vi-it n the Foruiuan Woriu mills ar lV<aic. Nn* Jersey Hr t told hjr the -atrt\ <i._ imcnt dbrrt that their itmrdi -bowed a i.^CTea-e in k>4 time accidents of 45 per cent since <taurtc Frrvt Aid training. A very interesting report from the Repub lic Sieel Company at Buffalo, New* York, ^hovvs a little different approach, but >s most emphatic in it* implications. In this instance 350 mm were selected for training. Not one mart in this group has suffered a lost time accident since the Standard First Aid course was given. At the time of this report, these men had gone for almost three years with out an accident. The following quotation is taken from a letter received from E. M. Belcher, Director of the Insurance Division of the Texas State Highway Department at Austin, Texas: "First Aid training in the Department was introduced simultaneously' with a general comprehensive program on January 1, 1938. \Vc consider the First Aid training to be the basis of the general program. Just what part First Aid training had in the reduction of accidents would be impossible to say, but we do know* that such training has incal culable values. "During the month of January. 1938, the first month of the program, we had one acci dent reported state-wide for each 3,085 man hours work. In December, 1938, twelfth month of the program, w*c had one accident reported for cadi 15,000.09 man hours work. For the entire twelve months of 1938 w liad one lost time accident for each 28,140 man hours work. For the first six months of 1939, being the thirteenth to the eight eenth months inclusive since the inaugura tion of the program, we had one lost rime accident reported for each 46,243.9 man iKKjr* work. These figures we believe, will give you a good idea of the effectiveness of nor program.** The Red Cross trained, during 1939. over 350.000 persons in First Aid. This work *a- carried 00 by 21,610 instructors operat or through local Red Cross chapters. At rhr present time there are 3.700 Red Cross \-haptrrs, covering every city and county in the l*tuted States. These chapters stand rraih to serve you m planning first aid traimnte in your industry. The Red Cross plan of operation is to train and qualify in-Tractor* in yocr own organization to carry* n your instruction program. The training i- brought to the men selected from your Ittant bv Doctors and Lay members of our National Staff. The Red Cross courses con sist of a Standard Course of twenty hours and ait Advanced Course of ten hours which i- generally given some time following the completion of the Standard Course. These two courses may* be given for certification only by qualified instructors who arc med ical doctors or laymen who have completed the Instructor's Course of thirty hours. To secure the services of the Red Cross hi thi< work you should get in touch with your local Red Cross chapter which will aid you in every* way possible and communicate your needs to the Area Offices or to Na tional Headquarters If you have trouble securing the needed assistance, you may write direct to our Area offices at 1/09 Washington Avenue, St. Louis. Missouri; Civic Auditorium, Larkin and Grove Streets, San Francisco, California; or to National Headquarters, American Red Cross, 17th and D Streets, N.W., Washington, D. C. I urge that you investigate the possibilities of this service in your community. In many instances you will find active, well organ ized First Aid programs in operation. In others yours may be the spark to inaugurate a much needed service in your city* or town. In any case, you can know that your Red Cross stands ready to serve you in this work as it stands prepared to serve the entire na tion in any hour of emergency nr need. 736 29th National Safety Congress Safety Successes in the Textile Industry Are Recognized By S. C. HXCKOK Employment Manager, Pacific Mill*, Print Works Division, Lawrence, Mass. Safety success has been very slow to be recognized in the Textile Industry, and there are still many mills, both North and South, which go on the old theory that no matter what you do there will be about so many accidents, and money spent on a safety cam paign is little short of wasted. Such con cerns, however, are now very much in the minority, I am glad to say. There arc many obvious places where safety success m the Textile Industry are recognized. The thought had occurred to me--why not ask some of these people for a statement and get their reactions at first band? First. I wanted to know what my own company thought about our safety efforts, so I wrote the general superintendent of the Print Works, ocr selling boose in New York; and oar publicity agents. The results were spontaneous and I think most inter esting. Here is the word received from our general superintendent; The General Superintendent "Of course, any textile company recog nizes with pleasure a consistent reduction of accidents in its plant, but in our own case at the Pacific Print Works in Lawrence, we have a special Teason due to the phenomenal reduction in accidents since 1936, which showed 62 lost time accidents, to 1939, when we had only 3, with a stretch of 2,003,000 hours without an accident "This pleases us first from a practical mill point of view, as the reduced premiums arc helping reduce the cost of finshing our cloth---a saving of nearly $5,000 on oar premium is like finding a golden nugget in these highly competitive times. Secondly, we are pleased because of the splendid .reaction of our employees to our safety campaign. They are constantly becoming more and more safety minded, and are working the safe way because they realize that when a worker gets hurt he loses more than anyone else, in time, money, pain, and perhaps loss of earning capacity. "Therefore, the bond between the worker and the management may be happily strengthened by the safety education the management supplies, for both are working to die same end---fewer accidents. ul have not scratched the surface ui the various angles that might be brought out showing how safety success Is recognized by the management, but these two points seem to be highlights.* I agree that the surface was not scratched. I think you will agree that a mill like ours with a reputation for Safety, will be a cleaner mill than the average. It will also be guarded from a mechanical point of view in every way possible and, therefore, the employees will take a greater pride in keep ing their production as near 100 per cent in quality and quantity than in a less careful milk Next, from oar selling organization I re ceived the foliowing: The Selling Organization "EfScaexxy and sincerity in manufacturing form the' necessary background for success ful selling. A product is only as good as the raw materials and skill which go into it; and those intangible ingredients are as im portant as any other basic material. "One very important measure of the sin cerity of a manufacturer and of the ef ficiency of his plant is the safety record which he compiles- For a good safety rec ord bespeaks care in manufacturing, inter est in employee welfare, ability to secure cooperation ms between labor and manage ment, pride m performance and esprit de corps throughout an entire organization. "With the knowledge that these invaluable Safety Factors exist at the plant, the sales department can work with greater confi dence and greater enthusiasm; the advertis ing department can do its job with increased assurance that the company is the kind that will back up every justifiable claim that it makes for the product.* In connection with this we had several fashion editors, very important people m their line of work, visit our Print Works with our public relations counsel a few months ago. and it was interesting to me that while they were extremely interested in Textile Section 737 our processes and in our finished products, both their beauty aod variety, that as they saw various safety information in the plant lhe\ started asking questions about safety and upon hearing of our record established in 1939, they were just as much interested in this phase a* they were in the mill pro duction. The next statement came from our insur ance company. From the Insurance Company "The Liberty Mutual Insurance Company tin* always recognized the economic waste, to av nothing of the suffering, incident to accidents. We believe that it is one of our important functions as an insurance com pany to assist our policyholders to reduce thi< waste and suffering. For the most part, the managements of our policyholders' companies recognize that accidents are a form of inefficiency and poor management am! cooperate with ns to the fullest extent in plans and work to minimize accidents. Through this cooperation many splendid records of accident reduction have been made which, in turn, has produced for man agements savings in lowered insurance costs which can be classified as direct, and other savings such as keeping field men on the job. lack of disruption of production, the prevention of spoilage of material, etc., which can be classified as indirect savings. "The success of this work depends upon wcuring the cooperation of many people, in cluding the rank and file of employees. We believe that when the supervision and the employees of a plan have made progress that it is good business for recognition to be given to the progress which has been made. To assist ocr policyholders, wc have a sys tem of awards for outstanding accomplish ments in accident prevention. When wc awarded the Pacific Mills Print Works Di vision a bronze tablet last December for having completed 2,000,000 man hours with out haring a lost time accident and your cooperating by holding a luncheon for ex ecutives and overseers to memorialize the occasion. H was not only for the purpose of giving recognition for work which was done well, but also for the purpose of stimulating all concerned to continue the good work and strive for a betterment of the present rec ord. "In 1918 there were 19,640 machine acci dents tabulated by the Massachusetts Indus trial Acvideu ward. In 1938, tltere were 4,201 such accidents. The machine guarding efforts have unquestionably paid big divi dends. "I might mention One other point. In tbe early days, the insurance companies led many employers to believe that they them selves could prevent accidents for tbe em ployers like the Irishman played the violin by main strength. It soon developed that without the cooperation of managements, it was difficult to make satisfactory progress. Ihiring the past ten years, the progressive insurance companies have developed a plan to assist their policy-holders in making los* prevention an integral part of management and better results arc being obtained/* We now come to the recognition of safety success by our own community, and it seemed to me that the Ma>or was the best fitted to give an opinion. The City of Law rence, Mass., has a population of some 85.000, of whom nearly 18,000 arc employed in various textile mills when things are going well; therefore, the Mayor of such a town ltould be well qualified to give an opinion or this subject. Mayor Griffin is a young man; a keen business man; and 1 knew tltat his views would be interesting. The Mayor of Lawrence "Safety consciousness in industrial opera tions is just as important to our city as safety with motor and pedestrian traffic, al though all too often this is lost on our citi zens not directly connected with our mills. "The backbone of the community is its host of mill workers, and when we of the city government see the management of the mills starting safety campaigns and through these and other safety* mediums consistently reducing the accident records until they ar rive at outstanding successes as many of our mills have done, there is a feeling with me of gratitude, for I recognize this safety success, first in lessened pain and agony to the workers themselves, and more consistent pay for the benefit`of their families; sec ondly, I recognize h from the practical view of my job Mayor, for with greatly less ened accidents among our residents, the drain on the City* Treasury for needy fam ilies is lessened. **1 am proud to note the increasing safety records that our Lawrence Mills are produc ing. They have certainly kept ahreat of the 738 29th National Safety Congress times in the installation of safety devices, and in making their employees safety con scious." The Mayor covered the vital points, 1 think, however, there is one small angle he might have mentioned, in the fact that the worker is much more contented in a plant with an outstanding recod for safety, and a contented worker is usually a more con tented citizen. From the Governor of Massachusetts came the following statement: The most important people who recognize the success of safety in the textile industry, X have saved until last. These are the em ployees themselves. 1 had a contest as our plant and offered a cash prize for the three best answers to this question. The remit* were interesting and most xoccessfuL For the purpose of this paper 1 am giving the best combined ideas of the three winners as I see them. The Employee's Point of View Message from the Governor "Textile mills are one of our very impor tant industrial groups in Massachusetts. It is a reasonably safe Industry for the worker, occupying ninth place in 20 manufacturing groups, on the basis of accident frequency and severity' last year. This still leaves an opportunity, however, for further plant safety work." The Governor of our state is a very busy man, and I appreciated very much that he took the time to send me even this short statement. Let me try to amplify it a little. Ninth place in 20 manufacturing groups is not good and not bad---but the base rate for finishing plants in Massachusetts in 1957 was $1.62 per $100 payroll. Through the better experience of this group as a whole, the base rate for the State in 1940 was $1.26 per $100 payroll--nearly 25 per cent reduc tion. which is certainly encouraging, and I believe that the safety work in all of our finishing planks is being given more and more consideration. I know tlrat the state also takes a real Interest in accidents through its Labor and Industries Hoard. Our local representative never fails to look into any serious accident and he Has been equally interested when we have made long records of man hours worked without loss of time. The state angle, however, as stated, be comes more a record of statistics than one in which the human element is uppermost. "As an employee of the Pacific Mills Print Works, l realize that the success to safety ox this mill applies and means more to me than to any other person, department, or community. It is a very vital factor in my life and in the lives of my family. From the mill point of view, an accident while un fortunate, can be paid for with cash and that is the end of it But when I have an accident, it may mean my very life. Every time I take a chance with safety Tin gam bling, and if I gamble too often. I'm bound to lose, by the law of averages. "Suppose I only get a minor injury and am home only two or three days. I've lost more than l can afford because my wages arc not large enough to miss even that short time without feeling It. Then, there is the physical pain I must endure. If f lose a hand or an arm, a leg or an eye. I not only have the pain to bear and money to lose, but 1 have permanently decreased my earning power with Its effect on ray fam ily and my own mental anguish. "No sir, I think the finest thing my cm-* ployers have ever done for me and all my fellow employees is to try to make us safety* conscious and to practice safe methods in everything we do. With posters, contests, literature, and safety measures of all kinds constantly, before us, it makes for a better feeling between the bosses and employees, and makes us feel that they have a real in terest in oar physical well being as well as for the product we produce.'' ADJOURNMENT Wood Products Section Officers 1939-1940 Cnvrol Chairman--J. C. \Vii.son, Lumbermens Mutual Casualty* Co., Chicago, Ilf. Secretory--*M, C. Goodspeed, General Electric Ca. Erit, Pa. -Vetrs Letter Editor--Omxj.es H. Jokes, Bittunmoo* Casualty Corp^ Chicago, III. Enfettering Committee Chairman--James G. Ajjmuci*. Berst-Forstcr-DJxfield Co,, Platts burgh, N. Y. Health Committee Chairman--A. D. Hiwui^ Employers Mutuals, New York, N. Y. Membership Committee Chairman---Locts Grsna. Dierks Lumber & Coal Ca, Kansas City, Mo. Poster Committee Chairman--O. M. Sv.ooos, Jostyn Manufacturing & Supply Co., Chicago, I1L PrVogr*am Committee Chairman--O. C. Boclcav, RCA Manufacturing Co., Inc., Camden. Publicity Committee Chairman -F. A. Pouocz. Lumbermens Mutual Casualty Co., Chi cago, IIL Safety Instruction Card Committee Chairmen--Thomas SusmsY, Potlatch Forests, Inc., Lewiston, Idaho. Statistics Committee Chairman--Will D. Jxaooxs. British Columbia Lumber & Shingle Manufacturers Am, Vanoocnrer. B. C, Canada Trade Association Cooperation Committee Chmrmrm--D. J. Mitulav. The Huber Manu facturing Cow Marion, Ohkt Members at Lairg*-- *R. G Ban, Lumbermens Mutual Casualty Co, San Francisco, Calif. *F. W. BbaUV, Employers Mutuals. Wmin. WU XL F. Caidwell. Moore 4k Merttrin. be, Shreveport. La. *E_ Ross Fmua, Grand Rapids Safety Comdk Grand Rapids. Mkh. *Ha*ky Guucst, The Pullman Got, Gnaga, DL "Rccascd JosttSg The Surty Manufacturing Col, Chicago^ DL HaJBKT J. Kuixv, Amman Seating Co, Grand Rapids-. Mich. J. H. Lee, liberty Mental Insurance Co* Rockford. IE *\Vauh Sl Pajbce. Aetna Casualty L Sweety Co. Hartford, Conn. J. A. PujtDY. Michigan Mutual l .'abfiry Go. Detroit. Mich. *G. E. Sakpocxx, General Electric Co. Schenectady. X. Y. *H. E. Scat. The Bmrtfwkk-BabtColtwkr Ca. Chicago. IIL Officers 1940-1941 General Chairman--O. G Boileau, RCA Manufacturing Co., Inc, Camden, N. J. Vice-Chairman in Charge of Program--James G. Aumucu, Bersf-Forster-Dixfield Co., Plattsburgh, N. Y. Secretary--*M. C Gooosrxxo, General Electric Co, Erie. Pa. News Letter Editor--Charles H. Jokes, Bituminous Casualty Corp,, Chicago, 111. Engineering Committee Chairman--S. T. Dxbsoale, The J. G. Brill Co., Philadelphia, Pa. Health Committee CAairmow--A. D. Hubsakjo. Employers Mutuals, New York, N. Y. Membership Committee Chairman--Louis Glazek, Dierks Lumber & Coal Co., Kansas City, Mo. 'Put General Chairman 739 740 29th National Safety Congress Poster Committee Chairman--O. M. Swaxson, Joslyn Manufacturing & Supply Co.r Chicago, III. Publicity Committee Chairman--Paul V. Black, Workmen's Compensation Exchange, Lewiston, Idaho. Safety Instruction Card Committee Chairman--Thomas Shlray, Potlatch Forests, Inc.. Lewiston, Idaho. Statistics Committee Chairman--Will D. Jenkins, British Columbia Lumber & Shingle Manufacturers Assn., Vancouver, B. C., Canada. Committee on Cooperation with Trade Associations, Chairman--D. J. Murray, The Huber Manufacturing Co., Marion, Ohio. Members at Large-- *F. W. Braun, Employers Mutuals, Wausau. Wis. R. F. Calpwiuj., Moore & Merklein, Inc., Shreveport, La. *E. Ross Farra, Grand Rapids Safety Council, Grand Rapids, Mich. Harry Gujiaest, The Pullman Co- Chicago, 111. Roland Jones, The Surty Manufacturing Co., Chicago, III. Harry J. Kelley, American Seating Co., Grand Rapids. Mich. J. H. Lee, Liberty Mutual Insurance Co, Rockford. 111. Walter S. Paine, Aetna Casualty & Surety Co,, Hartford. Conn. J. A. Purdy, Michigan Mutual Liability Co., Detroit. Mich. *0. E, Sanford. General Electric Co., Schenectady, K. Y. *H. E. Seely, The Brunswick-Balkc-Collcndcr Co., Chicago, III. 'I'fi-ii General Cbatrtofcn MONDAY AFTERNOON SESSION October 7. 1940 The opening session was called to order by the General Chairman, J. C. Wilson, Vice-President, Lumbermens Mutual Cas ualty Company, Chicago, who presided. In his opening remarks the Chairman outlined briefly certain activities of the Section dur ing the past year, and mentioned the work of various Standing Committees. Officers of the Section for the coming year were elected, as given elsewhere in this record. The Chairman then introduced the first speaker. Safety in Lumber Remanufacturing Operations A Panel Discussion The members of the Panel were as fol lows : George Gibson, Leader, Wood-Machine Department, The Pullman Company. Chi cago. S. J. Owen, Jr., Engineer, Bureau of Prisons, Department of Justice, Washington, D. C. V. I. Calkins, American Seating Company, Grand Rapids, Mich. K. N. Searles, General Safety Supervisor, American Car & Foundry Co., New' York City. O. M. Swanson, Personnel and Safety Di rector, Joslya Manufacturing and Supply Company, Chicago. (The following record of these discus sions is provided by M. C. Goodspecd. General Electric Company, Erie, Pa, Sec retary of the Wood Products Section); Question 1. What type of hand protection is suitable for men handling lumber? Why? This question was first discussed by Mr. Calkin. He suggested that pads, leather or canvas, with either a thumb hole or both thumb and finger holes, were in general the Wood Products Sectioti 741 best type ot protection. These pads can be swung out of the way leaving the bare hands for special work much easier than can gloves he taken off and on. Tt -was pointed out in the general discussion that several types of these pads can be purchased and have been found very satisfactory. It was also pointed out that old inner tube* cut to proper sire and with thumb holes make very* satisfactory pads. Question 2. Is there any personal protec tive equipment that will protect abdominal injur** due to kick-backs? II o*sion kd by Mr. Gallon. There is no definitely satisfactory personal protec tive equipment against kick-backs. For some work heavy leather aprons are desirable. In the discussion it was pointed out that a metal reinforced apron type of protection i* used for some work. It was also very defi nitely emphasized by several speakers that in case of an accident of this type regardless of the apparent amount of injury, (be victim should be hospitalized and held lor ob servation at least twenty-four hours, and it the physician has any real suspicion of in ternal injury an immediate operation is de sirable. Fatal results after injuries of the above type have been materially reduced by immediate cXpTo jtflry operation. Question 3. Are goggles essential for ma chine operators and others in the woodroom ? Why ? This question was discussed at consider able length. It was the consensus of opinion that face protection has dot been used as much as it should be; that the hazard of flying parts, both splinters and dust, in wood operations is greater than generally appre ciated. Proper face protection should he much more general and more rigidly en forced. Question 4. What kinds of wood will cause trouble from dermatitis? Question 5. What can be done to minimize the dermatitis problem? There was considerable difference of opin ion as to the kinds of wood or Tather the type of dermatitis that appears when han dling wood. It was agreed that probably other causes are frequent and the wood gets the blame. Attention was called to the paper which was presented on this subject and published in the proceedings of the 26th Congress. Vol. I. pp. 71-76, by Schwartz. Question &. What conditions cause exhaust systems to break down or to operate in efficiently? Discussion of this question brought out three definite points of interest: (a) The exhaust system to be effective must be properly designed. Too frequently this is done by inexperienced workers and the system is never efficiently operated. (b) Systems correctly designed and in stalled for a definite job frequently have additional equipment added to them which they are not suited for and hence from then on they are inefficient due to improper condi'ion?. (c) Proper maintenance including cleaning out ami method of operation t$ absolutely necessary. Qaeslum 7. Can circular saws be operated safely after being drilled to stop cracks? Question 8. Does improper sharpening cause saws and knives to operate unsafely? Why? How? This matter of drilling circular saws to 'top cracks whs rather briefly discussed. Some say `Yes'* and some say *No.M The type of saw, method of operation, material, depth of cut and other factors all enter into a derision. This subject was fully presented in a paper that was published in the trans actions of the 28`h Congress, Vol I, pp. fW6-703, by A. L- Uhl. It is agreed that im proper sharpening and the operation of dull tools is a hazard. There are no tools more susceptible to abuse from the above causes than are woodworking tools. Question 9. What type of hammer can be used most safely for driving nails? The type of hammer for driving nails seems to be a matter of personal opinion without any general agreement. The job and local conditions and what the man was "used to" seem to be determining factors. In con nection with this discussion, the'hazard of flying nails and the necessity of wearing eye protection wherever nailing is being done and m the immediate vicinity (20 or 30 ft. radius) was discussed Tbe flying nail is a hazard not only to the nailer but also to anyone in his vicinity. Some companies are enforcing the use of eye protection by every one in these areas at all times. Increasing this practice was urged. 742 29th National Safety Congress Question 10. What is the best procedure for providing first-aid to injured workers? The quest iou of first aid procedure brought a very general discussion with no general agreement because there are so many factors to be considered, both local condi tions and State laws. It was agreed defi nitely that the best possible first aid equip ment and personnel should be provided. Re garding the personnel, it was. agreed that the more persons who could be equipped with a Red Cross First Aid training, the fewer number of accidents would occur and the better care accident victims would re* ceive. Man)* companies arc providing first aid instruction for employees. This does not in any way supplant but rather only supple ments the regular doctor, nurse, dispensary or field first aid organization. WEDNESDAY AFTERNOOX SESSION October 9,1940 Joint Session with the Paper and Pulp Section The full report of thi* session will be found on page 56 of this volume. ADJOURNMENT Safety Exposition Exhibitors EXHIBITION HALL-STEVENS HOTEL Alphabetical List of Exhibitors of Industrial Safety Equipment Ajax Hand Brake Co., Chicago, 111. Hand Brakes for Railroad Freight Equipment. Aluminum Ladder Co., Tarentum, Fa. Aluminum Ladders, Scaffolds and Gangways. American Abrasive Metals Co., Irvington, N. J. Safety Flooring, Treads, Stair Treads, Abrasive Paint. American-LaFrance-Foamite Corp., Elmira, N. Y. Fire Protection Equipment American Optical Co* Soathbridge, Mass. Head and Eye Protection Products, Safety Clothing. Arutien, Inc., Chicago, III Emergency Ambulances and Stretcher Equipment Bausch ft Lorpb Optical Co., Rochester, N. Y. Safety Goggles and Safety Lenses. Bear Manufacturing Co., Rock Island, 111. Motor Vehicle Inspection and Correction Equipment. The Boyer-Campbell Co., Detroit, Mich. Industrial Safety Equipment. The Bridgeport Device Co., Bridgeport, Conn. Gray Torn Tradian Splints. Stewart R. Browne Manufacturing Co., New York, N. Y. Safety and Special Purpose Lights and Lamps. Brown Shoe Co., St.' Louis, Ho. Industrial Safety Shoes. R. H. Btthrke Co., Chicago, XU. Safety Equipment for Construction and Maintenance. Burroughs Wellcome ft Co. (U.S.A-) Inc, New York, N. Y. First Aid Kits and Medical Equipment. Cambridge Rubber Co., Cambridge, Mass. Safety Soles for Shoes. Chicago Eye Shield Co., Chicago, IU. Head and Eye Protection Equipment H. Childs ft Co., Inc., Pittsburgh, Fa. Industrial Safety Shoes. The Cleveland Overall Co., Cleveland, Ohio. Safe Industrial Work Clothing and Uniforms. Columbus McKinnon Chain Corp., Tonswands, N. Y. Alloy Steel Sling Chains and Safety Hoists. Continental Casualty Co., Chicago, IU. Industrial and Automotive Accident Prevention Service. M. E. Cunningham Co., Pittsburgh, Pa. Safety Steel Stamps and Tools. 743 744 29th National Safety Congress Davis Emergency Equipment Co., Inc^ New York, N. Y. First Aid and Industrial Safety Equipment. Dockson Corp* Detroit, Mich. Head and Eye Protection Equipment. The C. B. Dolgc Co., Westport, Coon. Floor Finishes, Disinfectants, and Hand Soap*. Dugas Engineering Corp* Chicago, lit. Fire Extinguishing Equipment. Duo-Safety Ladder Corp., Oshkosh, Wis. Safety and Fire Ladders. Eagle Signal Corp., Moline, ill. Traffic Signals and Controllers. Eastman Kodak Co* Rochester, N. Y. Cameras and Photographic Equipment. Elliott Service Co., New York, N. Y. Promotion of Safety and Efficiency Employers Mutual Liability Insurance Co., Wausau. Wis. Workmen's Conpduauoo. Fire and Casualty insurance. Fairway Laboratories, Inc* St. Louis, Mo. Salt Tablets and Dispensers. Finnell System, Inc* Elkhart, Ind. Electric Floor Uajnteance Equipment and Compound-.. Franklin Research Col, Philadelphia. PaFloor Maintenance Material*. The General Fire Truck Corp* Detroit. Mich. Fire Extinguishers tod Allied Prodact**- Great Stuff Products Co* Inc* West New York. N J. Industrial Hand Soaps. Protective Creams. Piq>eDm. Harley Davidson Motor Co* Milwanker, Wis, Police Motorcycles and Related Equipment. Henney Motor Co* Freeport. UL Ambulances and Specaliwl Motor Vehicles. Hild Floor Machine Co* Chicago, 111 Industrial Floor Cleaning Equipment. Holcomb Safety Garment Co* Chicago, in. Protective Clothing. Hoof Products Co* Chicago. UL Motor Vehicle Speed Control Governor* and Brake Eyes. Hynson, Westcott A Dunning. Inc* Baltimore. Md. Mereurochrome First Aid Antiseptic. Thanti Lnaoafws. Indian Motocycle Co* Springfield, Mass. Police Motorcycles and Equipment. Industrial Gloves Co* Danville, IU, Industrial Safety Clothing. International Business Machines Corp,. New York. N. Y. Electric Accounting Machines. Time Recording Devices International Chain and Manufacturing Co* York. Fa. Lug-Reinforced Tire Chain*, International Shoe Co., St- Louis. Mo. Hy-Test Safety Shoes. Safety Exposition Exhibitors Jumtrite Manufacturing Co., Chicago, 111 Safety Cans and Fittings, Electric Safety Lanterns. Karel First Aid Supply Co* Chicago, ILL Industrial First Aid Supplies, Hospital Equipment. Keystone View Co* Meadville, Pa. Visual Safety Tests. Walter Kidde ft Co* Inc., New York, N. Y. Fire Extinguishing Equipment. 'll)* Kimball Safety Products Co* Cleveland, Ohio. Safety Clothing and Industrial Goggles. The KneUley Electric Co* Toledo, Ohio. Traffic Signals. The Thomas Laughlm Co* Portland, Maine. Wire Rope Fittings, Drop Forgings, and Chain Fittings. Walter G. Leggc, Inc* New York, N. Y. Floor Polishes and General Floor Maintenance Compounds. Lehigh Safety Shoe Co* AUentown, FaLeather and Rubber Safety Shoes. Lightfoot Schultz Co* New York, N. Y. Toilet Soaps for Indukrial Washroom Use. The Lima Cord Sole and Heel Co* Lima, Ohio. Non-Slip Soles and Heels. Lumbermen's Mutual Casualty Co., Chicago, 111. Automobile. Compensation and General Casualty Insurance. Macwhyte Wire Rope Co* Kenosha, Wis. Wire Rope, Braided Wire Rope Slings, and Allied Products. The Martindale Electric Co* Cleveland, Ohio. Stretcher Cots, Safety Road Signs, Respirators for Non-Toxic Dusts. Masury--Young Co* Boston, Mass. Materials for Finishing and Maintaining Safe Floors. Thom McAn Safety Shoe Co* New York, N. Y. Thom McAn Safety Shoes. B. F. McDonald Co* Lot Angeles, Cal. Industrial Safety Equipment. Medical Specialties Co., Indianapolis, Ind. Harger Drunkometer. Metropolitan Life Insurance Co* New York, N. Y. Life, Health, Accident, Pension and Group Insurance. Mifburn Co* Detroit, Mich. Protective Creams for Prevention of Occupational Sktn Diseases. Mine Safety Appliances Co* Pittsburgh, Pa. Safety Appliances and First Atd Materials. National Conservation Bureau, New York, N. Y. Safety Education, Traffic Enforcement and Industrial Material. National Safety Council, Inc., Chicago, 111. Posters. Bureau of Information, Research and Education Division. National Society for the Prevention of Blindness, New York, N. Y. Services and Education Materials on Preventing Industrial Eye Injuries. G. H. Paclcwood Manufacturing Co* St. Louis, Mo. Safety Hand Soaps for Industrial Plant Use. 745 746 29th National Safety Congress Panther-Panco Rubber Co., Inc., Cbeliei, Maas. Safety Soles and Heels. The Patent Scaffolding Co., Chicago, 111. Safety Ladders and Scaffolds. Phenex Products, Inc,, Wilmette, IU. Antiseptics and Germicides for First Aid Use. The Phister Manufacturing Co., Cincinnati, Ohio. Fire Extinguishers and Allied Equipment. Protectoseal Co., Chicago, I1L Safety Cans, Drum and Barrel Fittings. Pulmosan Safety Equipment Corp., Brooklyn, N. Y. Industrial Safety Products. Pyrene Manufacturing Co., Newark, N. J. Fire Protection Equipment. Reece Wooden Sole Shoe Co., Columbus, Neb. Wooden Sole Safety Shoes, Boots and Sandals. Rose Manufacturing Co., Denver, Colo. Industrial Safety Products. Ruemelin Manufacturing Co., Milwaukee, Wis. Welding Fume Collectors, Exhaust Fans, Cloth Type Dust Collector.*;. Safety Clothing and Equipment Co., Cleveland, Ohio. Industrial Safety Clothing. Equipment and Supplies. Safety Engineering, Alfred M. Best ft Co., Inc^ New York, N. Y. "Safety Engineering," Insurance Publications and Report*. Safety First Shoe Co., Holliston, Mass. Safety Shoes. Safway Steel Scaffolding Co., Milwaukee, Wis. Safway Steel Scaffolding Equipment. W. II. Salisbury ft Co.. Chicago, 111. Linemen's Rubber Protective Devices. Sanearoo Electric Co., Springfield, 111. Tachographs and Safety Flashers. The Sanitary Institute of America. Chicago, 111. Sterilized Industrial Wiping Cloths. Sarra, Inc., Chicago, IU. Slide Films, Photosonnd. E. JX Sawyer, Chicago, 111. Yielding Cable Barrier Gates. A. Schrader's Son, Brooklyn, N. Y. Pneumatic Power Press Safety Control Devices. SeLlstrom Manufacturing Co., Chicago, 111. Industrial Safeguards zor Head and Eye Projection. Shell Oil Co,, Inc., St. 'Louis, Mo. Oil Producers and Refiners. Shcperd Safety Shoe Corp., Chicago, 111. Safety Shoes. A. Smith ft Son, Inc., Philadelphia, Pa. Reeves Stretchers and Canvas Specialties. The Spencer Turbine Co., Hartford, Conn. Industrial Vacuum Cleaners and Dust Collection Equipment. Standard Safety Equipment Co., Chicago, 111. Industrial Safety Equipment. Steel Scaffolding Co., Inc., Evansville, Ind. Steel Scaffolds, Trestles, and Accessories. Safety Exposition Exhibitors Stoncbouse Signs, Inc., Denver, Colo. Accident Prevention Signs and Tags. The Strauss Co., Pittsburgh, Pa. Safety Hats and Safety Belts. Sugar Beet Products Co., Saginaw W. S., Mich. Industrial Skin Cleansers. The Surty Manufacturing Co., Inc., Chicago, 111. Point of Operation Machine Guard'. Talking Sales Pictures, Inc., Chicago. 111. Film Strips, Slide Films, Sound Movie*. Traffic Eye. Inc., Indianapolis, Ind. Vehicle Speed Control Devices. Trimout Manufacturing Co., Roxbury (Boston), Mass. Safety Steel Pipe Tools. U. S- Hoffman Machinery Corp., New York, N. Y. Portable or Permanent Piped Vacuum Cleaning Systems. U. S. Junior Chamber of Commerce, Chicago, 111. Educational Campaign for Traffic Safety Lighting. Wghlcrt Products Corp., Brooklyn, N. Y. Industrial Safety and Fire Protection Equipment. Weaver Manufacturing Co* Springfield, III. Automotive Testing Equipment. WeUbach Traffic Signal Co., Chicago, I1L Power and Battery Operated Flashing Traffic Signals. West Disinfecting Co., Long Island City, N. Y. Products for the Promotion of Industrial Sanitation. Wiesman Manufacturing Co., Dayton, Ohio. Power Press Guards and Guide Pin Covers. Williams Jewelry and Manufacturing Co., Chicago, HI. Safety* Trophies, Awards, Safety and Service Emblem*;. Willson Products, Inc., Reading, Pa. Personal Protective Device*. 747 INDEX Accident Suiiuid: Fuuluacilttl Cln<ft of Acci dent*. Panel Discussion, 91-105. Practical Use* of Accident Co*t DaU in the Safety Pi*|iH (Dr*^tr), 564-569. Practical Utej of Accident Con Data In tie Safety Progran (Grant). 563-564, 566-569. Adam*. O.: Water Utility. 644-646. Aeronautical Section: Minute*. 285-300. Ofliccn, 285., . Aeronautics: Copilot ifaltriil and Training (Bryns). 395-196. (Proposals for Safe Regulation of Charter Op erator (Whitney), 292-294. KrjwUwon of che Charter Operator (Lederer), 288-292. Training Krthusio for Safe Air Transport Operation (Healey), 297-299. Training Vtcknda for Safe Air Transport Service (Smith).! 299-300. Uniform Airport Traffic Control (Btrry), 235- Bctbune. F.: Textile Safety Through the Plant Nurse, 728-730. Boardman, J. L.: What Should a Mine Safctv lutxcior Look Fort 516-519. Boncsteel, Brig. Getv C- H.: Safety and War. 15-17. Boughncr, C. A.: What the Foreman Can and Cannot Do for Safety, 253-257. Braun. F. ft*,: Review of 1939-40 Accident Experi ence, 557-562. Breweries: Safe Practices in Refrigeration of Breweries (Ricman), 663-665. Brown. A. L: Spontaneous Ignition and lit Control, 82-86. Bryan. O.: Copilot Material and Training. 295296 Building Maintenance Session: 47-62. Bunref, J. J.: Eliminating the Causes of Textile Accidents, 730-732. Bums: Why Can a Small Electric Burn Cau>c Death When Large Boms from Flame* Do Not! Panel Diacusoioo. 385. "Aflci the Whistle Blows'*: Contests and Co operation. Panel Discussion. 186-187. Coo[rtian with Public Officials. Panel Dis cussion. 193-196. The valet* of After-Work Safety Lectures. Panel Discussion. 187-189. The Value of "Off-Duty** Safety Programs. Pane! PUcwaoioo, IU-185. Agricultural Safety Session; 29-46. A.S.S.E,-EnxiDeenng Section: Minutes, 301-304. Oficen. 301*302. Anderson. K. H_: Interest of Rural Youth Organicatioou m Farm'Safety. 41-42. Anneal Meeting of Members, 11-26. Aprons: See Clothing. Armstrong, T. O.; Ask the Employee. 492-495. Automotive and Machine Slop Section: Minute*. 305-318. Officers,.305-306. Automotive and Machine Shop--Power Press Sec tions: Joint Session, 313-318. Bale*. .: How the Public and Authorities Caw Aid in the Railroad Safety Program, 720-722. Banquet, 27-28. Barber. M. L: Xuiridoa for Industrial Work ers, 148-laO. Bates. G. J.: Correcting Unsafe Practices Through Methods Study. 6306J3. Bawden. A. A.: Safety Accomplishment* During the Past 25 years an Old Timer, 522-52/. Beaty, I). H.: The Public Aspects of Grade Crossing Accidents, 707-709. Bedale, F. E.: A Course of Training Foremen for Safety Work, 499-502. Belts--Safety: Important Factors in Testing Safety Bells 247-2S0. Safety Belt Anchors--Design, Quality, Place- moot and Maintenance (Manes), 245-247. Safety Belt Materials (Soutar). 2S0-2S2. Berman. H. H.: Coal Bunker Case. 646-647. Betray 3hj. ) Uniform Airport Traffic Control. Oidman, R. M.: The Problem of Underground Service Station Tanks. 614-620. Cameron, \V. T.: Standardizing State Industrial Safety Requirement*. 115-117. Cement and Quarry Section: Minute*. 319-326. Officer*. 319-320. Cement Industry: Analysis of Cement and Quarrv Industry Accident Experience (UeGoret, 32(>- Creeling a Safe Working Force. Panel Di-. ctiuion, 325-326. Pbyiical Control of Accident Hazard*. Panel DtsciUAioo, 323-324. Chain*: Chain Block and Chain Inspection. Panel Discussion, 392-J93. Chemical iodostry: The Safe Disposal in Chem ical Plants 'of Empty Containers Including Tanks. Drums, Cans, Bottles, Ga* Cylinders, iSicmsmled Eqnipocat, and Old Pipe Line, (Jones), 341-346. The Use of Rubber and Rubber Compound* in the Chemical Industry (True). 328-333. Chemical Section: Contest. 336-338. ' Minute*. 327-351. Officers. 327-328. Child Safely: How to Enlist the Supi^ort of School Children >a Accident Prevention (Mv. era), 717-718. Clarke. J- O.: Safety Requirements of the Fed eral Food, Drug and Cosmetic "`Act, 377-381. Clothing: Aprons and Gloves for Employee* Using Cutlery. Panel Emission, 439. Persona! Protcv- - Equipment Suitable for Men Handling Lumber. Panel Discussion. 740-741. Safety Shoes. Panel Discussion, 437-438. 440. Safetv Shoes for Wood Handlers, 580. Coal: Coal Bunker Case (Berman), 646647. Colleges and Univerritie*: interest of Agricultural 4_olleg*s in Farm Safety (Ubaunn), 42-45. Commercial Fleets: See Dnrtn and Driving. Committees: Safety Committees. Panel Discus sion, J54-157. 749 750 29th National Safety Congress rnii'.tructMn Industry; Tie Maintenance of First Aid Units for Compressed Air Workers (Reguarth), 367-371. Organizing a Steel Erection Job for Safety (Hazard). 354-356. Safety Features in the Construction of Hiwassec Dam (Walter*), 372*374. Safety Fays Dividend* (Cowper and Locher), 363-367. See aim SbiffbuildiDr. Construction Section; Minutes, 353-374. Officers, 353-354. ComtHt: Chemical Section. 336-338. A Competitive Safety Program that i* Working 45iurteva&(), 726-726. Marine Section. 425-426. Metals Section. 461-463. Methods of Developing a Competitive Safety Program (Monroe >, 724-726. * Paper and Pulp Section, 581-533. Petroleum Section, 622-634. Plant Safety CC ontests. Round Table Discus>ion. 584-588. Presentation of the Edward Benton Frits Memorial Trophy, 582-583. l*ub!fc Utilities Section: 649-650. Rubber Section, 679-680. . Safety Contests, 160-162. Contusions: The Control of Sprains and Strain* . (Wittmer). 121-125. Conveyors; Safe Handling of Bulk Materials (Robertson), 554-557. < Orbitt, W. A.; fwessons from Safety Experience, _ 647-649. Conner, I. \V. and Locher, H. O.: Safety Fays Dividends, 363-367. 7 ( rants: Analysis of a Locomotive Crane Accident. Panel Discussion, 92-97. Electrical Hazards of Overhead Traveling Cranes (Schlossberg), 199-203. C>lmdcrs: The Safe Disposal in Chemical riant* of Empty Containers Including Tank?, Drums. Cans, Bottles. Gat Cylinders, Dismantled Equipment, and Old Ftp* Lines (Jones). 344. D Dairy Products: Seellilk and Dairy Products. Darns: Sec Construction Industry. Davidson, Dr. M.: Industry's Obligation to More Adequately Protect tbe Worker's Eyesight, Eaton, R. S.: Accident Prevention Through First Aid, 733-735. Economics of Safety: An Executive Looks at Safety (Xaglcr). 638-641. Safety Pay* Dividends (Cowpcr and (.ocher). 363-367. Education of Workmen; A Course of Training Foremen for Safety Work (Bedalc), 499-502. Methods and Techniques. Panel Discussion. 261-276. The Training Program- Panel Discussion, 263- Electrieal Equipment: Hazards and Proper Mainte nance of _ Portable Electrical Equipment (Shepard), 346-351. EleccttrriiccaaJl lIoncduusstry: S"ee Public UtUib'ea Electricity: Effect of Electric Current. Panel Discussion, 388-389. Elevators: Elevator Problems, 57-41. Employee*: Ask the Employee (Armstrong), 492- Enlisting Employees in the Accident Prevention Program. Panel Discussion. 600-6)0, Merit Rating Systems, 267-269. Methods of Midmainrog the Interest of Man agement and Employees. Panel Dbcusrioti, 151-154. Employees--Training: See Education of Workmen. Employees* Publications: How Large Should a Plant be Before it Has a House Organ? Panel Ductusfoo. 545*386. Engineering: Coroctiag Unsafe Practices Through Methods Study.(Bates), 63P-4H Safety in Original Design fXorih), 676-679. Engineers: Coafestious a CruiiHiig Safety Engineer (Goldttidt). 360-363. See also Supervisor*. Erickson, T. A.: Minnesota 4-H Oak Safety Program, 39-41. Executives: Sett Management. Exhibits: Safety Exposition Exhibitor*, 743-747. Eye Protection Session: 63-77, Eyes: Defective eyesight as a Contributing Cam-e of Accidents, 76-7/. Eye Examination Program. 66-67. In What Operations and Occupations do Eye Injuries Occur Most Frequently? 68-69. New Concepts of Visual Performance is In dustry (Kuhn), 129-131. Visual Amity and Job Placement, 75-77. See also Goggles. Davis, H. G.: \Vork of the Farm Equipment Institute in Farm Safety, 34-36. Derby, W. N.: Safety Education and the Traininr of Seamen, 418-420. Dermatitis: See Health Hazards. Detectors: See Gases Discipline: Panel Discussion, 451-455. Door*: Swinging and Revolving Doors in Public Buildings, 50, S3, 56-57. Draper, J. A.; Practical Uses of Accident Cost t Data in the Safety Program, 564-569. Drivers and Driving: Analysts of a Truck Driver Accident Panel Discussioa, 101-103. Are Women Worse Drivers than Men? 396. The I-C.C. Drivers' Log. Panel Discussion. 384-355. What is Speeding? Panel Discussion, 395-396. Drums: See Tanks and Drama. Dugpan, J. J.: Accident Prevention Through Periodic Test and Inspection of Machinery and Equipment, 333-336. Dusts: Dust Cleaning Equipment. Panel Discusslon, 387-388. .Maximum Allowable Concentrations of Danger ous Dusts and Gases (Hamilton)^ 110-114. Pulmonary Diseases in ihe Mining Industry (Sayers), 530-54S. F Falls--Persons: Percentage of Women having Ac cidents, Compared to Men. S3. Slippery Floors, Rugs and Mats as Accident Cans** in Public Buildings, 50-54. Farm Safety: Farm Accidents--Why They Occur and Who is Responsible for Corrective Action (MohJer), 29-33. ' Governmental Interest Crory), 37. Farm Safety (Me- Interest of Agricultural Colleges Safety (Lehmann), 42-45. Farm Interest of American National Red Cross ia Farm Safety (Thrash), 37-39. Intercut of Rural Youth Organizations in Farm Safety (Anderson), 41-42. Minnesota 4-H Clubs Safety Program (Erick son), 39-41. ^ Work or the Farm Equipment Institute in Farm Safety (Davis). 34-36. Work of the Illinois Agricultural Association in Farm Safety (Seagraves). 33-34. Fatigue: Fatigue and Its Relation to Occupational Disease- Panel Discussion, 169-172. index 751 Federal Departments: Tbe Coast Guard Reserve-- A Safety Organization (Waescbe), 409-411. Safety Aoinbci of the U. S- Army Engi neers--Problems and Proposed So!utionj.'(VandcwanwT). 490-402. Fire Cnatrsl and Prevention Session: 79-90. Fire Protection: Dost Otstinz Emtnpmert. Panel Diseaseon. 387-388. Experience with the Water Spray for Fighting Oil Fires. Panel Discussion, 383-384, 386. Industrial Fire Drills, 390-392. PmzxtMat to be Takes by Users of Hand Fire Extinguishers (Lange), 86-90. SpMtaatmt Ignition and Its Control (Brown), 82-86. '* Effccliveness of Grade Clearing Protective De vices from the Viewpoint of the Railroad Engineering Department <Pt). 702-707. Enforcement as a Factor in Grade Crossing Safety (Krand), 710-71. The Public Aspects of Grade Crossing Acci dents (Beatty). 707-709. GrannUa. E. IL: Safety in tbe Manufacture of Leather Glove*. 412-435. Grant. E. E.: Practical Uses of Accident Cost Data in the Safety Program. 563-564. 566*569. /Griftn, G. O.: Hazards of River Transpotunion, / 407-406. Guards: Safety in Original Design (North), 676679. What Fires of Utt Year Have Taught Us (Fleming). 79-82. \VVro and VVbeK and if So, What Fite, Reg ulations are Needed for Producing Fields? (Prwszang). 593-600. Specify the Safeguards (Thiede), 307-309. Gurley. T. C.: The Public's RuiensibUit)' tn the Railroad Safety Problem, 712-715. Gymnasiums: Floors in Gymnasiums, 53-54. First Aid: Accident Prevention Through First Aid (Eason), 733-735. CWuj First Aid Training as an Aid in Promoting Accident Prerctmou (Fisher), 119-121. Fisher, Dr. H. E.: First Aid Training as aa Jud in Promoting Accident Prevention, 119- H Fletoung. T. A.: What Fares of Last Year Have Tanghi Us, 79-82. Floors: Slippery Floors. Rugs and Mats as Accident: ^iCauses in Public jfeitdiiip, 50-54. What Types of Floor Surfaces Tend to Mo ducc Slipping. Panel Ducmrion, 440-441. Food: NtrtritMm tor Industrial Warkera (Barber), 146-lSCL Food Industry: Eliminating Accident Hazards in Soybean Processing (Sckwasctnan), 381-382. Experience witk the Water Spray for Fighting OQ Fires. Panel Duemrioo, 383-384, 386. Safrty Ecqturemcnts of the Federal Food Drags and Coonetie Act (Oarkv), 377-381. Food Sectiou: Minutes, 375-396. Officers, 375-377. Foremen: A Conroe of Training Foremen for Safety Work (Bedale). 499-S02. How Convert the Foreman? 274-276. What the Foreman Can and Canoi Do For Safety (Bonghncr). 253-257. Sec also Sopemaorv Foundries: See Metal Industries. Fuel: See Coal. Fundamental Causes of Accidents Session] 91-103. Hamilton, Dr. A--' Maximum Concentration.* of Dangerous Industrial Dusts and Gases. 1 lb114. HandHag Materials: Safe Handling of Bulk Ma terials (Robertson), 554-557. Safe Handling of Unit Materials (Long}, 352- SS4, 5S6-S57. Hazard, W. A.: Organizing * Steel Erection Job for Safety. 354^$b. Head Protection: What Protective Equipment Should be Worn to Prevent Head Injuries Panel Discussion, 435-436. Healey. T, J.: Training Mechanics for Safe Ai; Transport Operation, 297-299. Health Hazards Cleaning Gasoline Storage Tauk> Used for Leaded Gasoline (Lewis), 595-598. Dermatitis in the Robber Industry (Obctr). 688-692. Dhcutim of Dermatitis (Shirley), 692-696. Fatigue mad Its Relation to Occupational Dis ease. Panel Discustion, 169-172. Health Hazards in Spray Printing. Panel Discussion, 165-169. The Heart sad Heart Disease in ludastry (Mil ler), 144-147. Lead w Industrial Processes. Panel Discussion, 174-177, 18i; The Maintenance of First Aid Units for Com pressed Air Workers (Requarth), 367-371. Gaeljcus. A. K.: Light---Antidote for Accidents. 125-128. Garbutt, W. C.: Phracal Requirements---Expense, 405-407. Gases: Advantages That Have Been Gained Doe to eke Invention and Use of Methane De tectors (Zorn), 527-530. Maximum Allowable Concentrations of Danger ous Dusts and Gases (Hamilton), 110-114. Gloves: Safety In the Manufacture of L-ufcrr Glove* (GranxuM), 432-43S. See also Clothing. Maximum Allowable* Concentrations of Dan gerous Industrial Dusts and Gases (Hamil ton), 110-114. Protection for Welders, 180-181. Pulmonary Diseases in the Mining Industry (S*yro>, 330-548. Should Occu(tianal Diseases be Considered as Industrial Injuries? Panel Discussion, 178-180. Skin Affections. Panel Discussion, 177-173. 181. The Toxic limits of Common Solvents, rand Discuadjoa, 172-174, 176-177, 181-182. Traumatic Neurosis (Pollock), 135-139. Health Service in Industry Session: 119-128. Henrie, H. U: The Necessity of Active Par Goggles: Docs a Deposit Charge for Goggles Tend to Keep the Mm from Using Them? Panel Ducuums, 457-458. Mining Experience, 71-74. ticipation of Management in Safety Work, 508-511. Henry, W.: The Effectiveness of Grade Crossing Protective Devices from tbe Viewpoint of The Pro and Con of tbe Compulsory Goggle Rule, 69-72. See also Eye*. Gold*tine, E. K.: Confession* of a Consulting Safely Eopoccr. 360-163. Governmental Safety Service in Industry Ses sion:^ 107-117. State Authorities, 698-702. Hiekok. S- C.: Safety Successes in the Textile Industry Are- Recognized, 736-738. Home Safely: Home Safety Inspections. Panel Discnssioa, 192-193. HoxTOCb, A C.: Getting Safety off the Defen sive. 672-676. Grade Crossings: Tbe Effectiveness of Grade Croatia* Protective DDeovfiiccews from dthie Viewpoint of State Authorities (Henry). 698-702. Hospitals: What are the Common Cause* of Accidents la Public Buildings and How CVn They be Corrected? Panel Discussion. 49-62. 752 29th National Safety Congress HoteL: What arc the Common Causes of Acci dents- in Public Buildings and How Can They he Corrected? Panel Discussion, 49-62. See also Public Buildings. Ilouie Organa: See Employict' Publication*. Housekeeping: Plant Housekeeping. Round Table flfecusaiou, 588-589. Safriy Stunts That Hare Helped Maintain Good Housekeeping. Panel Discussion. 443. Stumble Costs Two Finger*. Panel I>icu<ion. 460-483. Ilulhert. Dr. H. S.t Psychology and Safrty. Lectures. 209-243. Human Element: See Personal Factors. HtirlHutt. F. L.: Ups and Down?; Some Facts AT-out Ladders. 358-360. K a. oaie rraettee* tn Ketngcraiion .. of Breweries. 663-66S. Krcml, Lieut. P. M.: Enforcement as a Factor n Grade Crating Safety, 710-711. Kuhn. Ilr. H. S.: New Concepts of Visual Per formance in Industry*. 129-131. L I Ice: See Refrigeration. Icc Cream: Sec Milk and Dairy Products. Imiu.-Mrta! Nursing Section: 179.150. industrial Relations: Ask the Employee (Ann-trong), 492-495. HmjJoyee Welfare Systems, 163-164. lu-t-rcilon: Accident Prevention Through Periodic Te-t and Inspection of Machinery and Emtio. (Duggan), 333-356- i ham Block ana Chain Inspection. Panel Dis cussion, 392-393. How Safety Inspections Prevent Accidents Storey), 416-417. I'.irfcinc and Inflection of Employees* Cars. Panel. Discussion, 189-192. Pret-c-nting Power Press Accident* Through Periodic Machine Inspections (McDonald), .HW-311. What a Mine Safety Inspector Should Look for in Bituminous Coal Mines (Lfadley). 520-522. * What Should a Mine Safety Inspector Look For? (BotrdouD), 516-519. What Should an Anthracite Mine Safety Inl<ctor Look For? (Peterson), 511-516. Insurance: Accident Prevention Through the Eyes of^ an* Insurance Executive (MacDonald). hivc-tissuon of Accidents: 254-256. Accident in Plate Mill. Panel Discussion. 471- Accident on Coal Bridge. Panel biKusjioit, JR6-491. .V Coupling Accident. Pam! Discussion, 483. Fundamental Cause* of Accidents. Panel DJscu->ion. 91-103. The Safety Supervisor's Part m the Investi gation of Accidents (ZcilinRer). 257.259. Stminjr Machine Accident. Panel Discussion. *77-4$0. ."'iimblc Costs Two Fingers. Panel Discusinn, 480-483. (.adders: Ups aod Downs; Some Kact> About Ladder* (Hurlbott). 3S8-360. '"$--, iHHa. nWd .F: irPereEcaxutitniognusishtoersb,e taken 86-90. by User.* l-e Gore. I. F.: Analysis of Cement and Quarry Industry Accident Experience, 320-323. I.cad: Cleaning Gasoline Storage Tanks L'kJ for Leaded Guolise (Lewis), 593-598. l-**titer Industries: Safety in the Manufacture of Leather Gloves (Ctmtiiu), 432-435, Leather Industries Section: See Meat Packing. ` Tannlur and Leather Industries Section. Ledbetter. R. C.: Hazards of Car Icing and Their Elimination, 660-663. Ledener,Jf.: Regulation of the Charrer Operator. 288-292. l*v, J. U.: The Use of V*oaI Aids in Accident Frcvedtiou, 278-280. Lee. Cora. JL C.: Train Seamen for American . Ships, 423-425. Lehmann, E. \V.: Interest of Agricultural Col leges in Fans Safety, 42-45. l-cwii, O. B.: Cleaning Gasoline Storage Tank* Used for Leaded Gasoline. 593-598. Lifting: The Control of Sprains and Strain* (Wittmer), 121-125. i-ighting: Light--Antidote for Accidents (Gact- jens), I25-IZ8. Undley, J. L.: What a Mine Safetv Inspector Should Look for in Bituminous Coal Mines. 320-522. Linemen: Lessons from Safety Experience (Cor bitt), 647-649. lagging: See Wood Products Industry. A.: Safe Handling of Unit Materials. Me 3iaeDonald, R- R_s Accident Prevcation Through the Eyes of an Insurance Executive. 620-622. MacEachern, Dt. M. T.: The Industrial Nurse's Perspective. 14P-143. McCrory, S- H-: Governmental Interest in Farm Safety, 37. McDonald, T. C.: Preventing Power Pr<*> Acci dents Through Periodic Machine Inspections. 309-311. McLean. F. R.: The Effects of Legislative Trend* on Safety. 610-614. J >. V.: ImiHjnant Factors in Testing Safety Belt*. 247-250. Jci!c. C- L-: The Safe Disposal in Chemical Plants of Empty Containers Including Tanks. Drums. Cans. Bottles, Gas Cylinders, Dis mantled Equipment, and Old Pipe Lines, 341. 346. Ic ic-. J. E.: What Do We Actually Know About kof Toting? 502-507. M Maintaining Interest in Safety; Maintaining Safetv Interest in the Small Plant (Wilson), 463-466. Methods of Maintaining the Interest of Man agement and Employees. Panel Discussion. Index 753 Promoting Safety Coosapossess Among Lumber ing and Logging Operators. Panel Discussion. 374-576. Maintxmisg Interest n Safety Session: 151.164. Maintenance: See also BuBdrag Maintenance. Management: CuiMinim Oar Greatest AssetMan Power (Mrtcbcu). 18-26. The Education of Ship Owner* in Safety (Martinson). 403-484. Executive Looks at Safety (Nagler), 638- Management and Fiufey-- Responsibility in the j?reredrioc of Tlrwaal Injuries (Miner), Management's Mnp auaibfljty for Safety (Rohrcr), 628-638 Methods of Manurnmag the Interest of Man agement and Tmylojiii i Panel Ditcvuioi The Ncceanty of Active Participation of Man ).agement tn Safety Work (Home), 508-511. Minn. L: Safetv Belt Anchors--Design, Placement ud Maintenance. 2*S- Marine Industry: The Const Guard Reserve-- A Safety Organ,rrafioa (Wa&chv), 409-411. The Education of Skip Owner* in Safety (Martinson). 402-48*. The Future Safety of the American Merchant Marine (PemriallL 428423. Hazards of River Tramyornrion (GriSn), 407408. How Safety laiprcawa Pimw Aradrms (Storey), 4I6-JI7. Kapok Jacket* tme Kner Work. 481. Safety Education aaf the Trotting of SSceamen < Derby), 418-120. Safety tn Skip Dnka a*4 CswpHwiiwn 4 Vickcry). 412-416. Train Seamen (w Amt mean Ship* (Lor), 423- Marine Section: Coauest. 425-426. Minute*. J97-426 Officers, 397-399. Martinxm, (1: The ShKadm of Ship Onocr* in Safety. 402-40*. Maxell. J. EL: TW liSrmdf Anti-Traspaj.* Program, 718-726. Meat Packing Inrfnraijt Apron* and Glove* for Emfdoycc* Uda( Cutlery. Fmd Dwimien. 439. Safety in HandSag Live Stock (Smhb). 428431. Safety 1 the Meat Packing aod Tanning In dustries. Panel PiirmriMi 435-444. Shipping Accident*. Panel Dtaetution, 439-441. Meat Packing. Tanging and Leather Industrie* Section: Mmtrtc*. 427-444. Officer*. 427. Mercantile Establishment*: What are the Common Cause* of Accidents in Public Bmtdion and How Can They be Corrected? Panel Dis cussion. 49-62. Metal Industrie*: Accident in Plate Mill. Panel rtiscturioo, 471-477. Accident ou Coa) Bridge. Panel Disnuxon, 488-491. Accident Prevention in the Steel Industry (Tower), 458-461. Analytic of a Steel Plant Accident. Panel Discussion, 97-101. Hot* to Build a Safety Program for tbr Small Foundry (Rentxchlcv), 467-470. Safety an Operating Problem. Panel 'Discus sion, 471-491. Slitting Machine Accident. Panel Disctueioa. 477-480. Metal* Section: Contest. 461-463. Minutes, 445-195. Officers, 445-447. Meyer,. Lieut. 1L .: How to Enlist the Support of School Children in Accident Prevention. 717-718. Milk aod Dairy- Products: Safe Practices in Dairv^ aod Ice Cream Plants (OuondJ, Miller, Dr. J. R.: The Heart and Heart Disease m Industry, 144-147. Miner, E. S.: "How it Happened." 642. Miner. K. L.: Management and Employee Re sponsibility in the Prevention of Personal lojunc*, 338-341. Mining Industry: Advantage* That Have Been Gatned Due to the Invention and Ue of Methane Detector* (Zorn). 527-530. Goggle Experience in the Mining Industry. 73- The Necessity of Active Participation of Man agement in Safety Work (Heturle), 508-511. Pulmonary Disease* In the Mining industry (Sayers). S30-548. * Safety Accomplishment* During the Past 33 Years by an Old Timer (Bawden). 522-527. What a Mine Safety Inspector Should Look for in Bituminous Goal Mine* (lJndfey), 520-522. Wht Do We Actually Know About Roof Testing? (Tone*), 502-507. What Should a Iliac Inspector Look For? (BoardraaaL Sl(>-519. What Should an Anthracite Mine Safetv In>T>cCtoc Look For? (Peterson), 5)1-516* Mining Section: Minutes, 497-548, Officers, 497-498. Minor Injuries: The Control of Sprain* and Strain* (Wittmrr), 121-125. Miteheil, W. L: Conaerviug Our Greatest A> et--Man Power, 18-26 Moblr, J. C.: Farm Accident*--Why They Oc cur and Who is Rcvpontibtc for Corrective Action, 29-33. Monroe, P. J.: Method* of Developing a Competi tive Safety Program, 724-726 Mom*. F.: Why Should We Prevent Accidents in Public Building*? 47-49. Motion Picture*: See Visual "Education. Motor Vehicle Industry: Accident Prevention Measures (Mould)t 311-313. 313. Municipal Employees: See Public Employee*. M Nagler, K. B.; An Executive Looks at Safety, 638-641. National Defense: Conserving Our Greatest As set--Man Power (Mitchell). 18-26 Safeguarding Manpower fuf Greater Produc tion (Zimmer), 107-110. Safety and War (BodmwI), 15-17. National Safety Council: Directors, 5*8, 14-15. Executive Committee, 4-5. Honorary Members, 4. Nominating Committee Report, 14-45. Officer*, A. 27. President's Annual Address (Stllwell), 11-14. Purpose* and Program*, 9-10. Resolution* Committee Report, 25-26. Noise: .Effect of Factory Noise in Regard to Fannie. 171. North.^ R. A.: Safety in Original Design, 676- Nurses: The Industrial Nurse** Perspective `(Mac. Eacbern), 140-143. Nutrition for Industrial Workers (Barber}, 148-1*0. Textile Safety Through the Plant Nur*c (Betbune), 728-730. Nurse* Session: See Industrial Nursing Session. 754 29th National Safety Congress O Obetz, Dr. \V. E.: Ikrautitis in the Rubber In riustry, 686-692. Occasional Disease Session: 165*182. Off-theTob Accidents Session: 183-196. Office Buildings: What are the Common Causes of Accidents in Public Buildings and How Can They be Corrected? Panel Discussion. 49-62. Organization: Enlisting Employees in the Acci* dent Prevention Program. Panel Discussion, 600-610. Organising a Small Group. Panel Discussion, 394-395. Organintuc a Steel Erection fob for Safety (Hazard), 354-358. Photographs: The Practical Application of Pho tography to Safety (Wagner), 277*278. Physical Defects: Eyv Exzmmatiso Program, 66- 67. Physical Examinations: Follow-Up of Findtnxc on. Physical Examinations (Sander), 131-133. Physical Ftiretoztieia- Standard Requirements --Eapeoses (Garbutt), 495-407. Pipe Line*: The Safe Disposal in Chemical Plants of Empty Containers Including Tanks, Drums, Cans. Bottles, Gas Cylinder*. Dis mantled Equipment, and Old Pii>e Lines (jToocs), 346. Plant Transportation Session: 197-207. Plays: Mr. Pro and Mr. Coo Discuss Safctv. 65S-657. Plrakj J. J.r Just What is the Safety Super visors Place In the Operating Organization? 259-260. Packing Industry: See Heat Packing Industry. Paint: Health Hazards in 'Spray Painting. Fane! Discussion, 16S-169. Paper and Pulp Section: Contest, 561*583. Minutes, 549-590. Officers, 549-551. Paper and Pulp--Wood Products Sections: Joint Session, 569-581. Paper Industiy: Nip Hazards, S59-563. Practical uses of Accident Coat Data in the Safely Program (Draper), 564-569. Practical Uses of Acadent Cost Data In the Safety Prooram (Grant), 563*564, 566*569. Review of 1939-40 Accident Experience (Braun), 557-562. Safe Handling of Unit Materials (Long), 552* SS4, 556-557. Safety from Woods to HilL Panel Discussion* 572-581. See also Wood Products Industry. Parking: Parking and Inspection of Employees* Cars. Panel Discussion, 189.192. Pearsall, C. H- C.; The Future Safety of the American Merchant Marine, 429-423. Personal Factors: Effect of World Unrest. Panel Discussion, 393-394. How Does Personality Affect Your Accident Record? Panel Discussion, 384, 389-399. Human Behavior and Safety (Schaefer), 313* 318. Mental Hygiene and Individual Differences Com plicated oy Divided Loyalties and the Un usual Stresses of the Times (Hulben), 228* 235. Mental Hygiene of the Industrial Worker (Halbert), 219-227. Mental Mistakes Which Cause Factual Acci dents (Hulbert), 209-219. Personality and its Modifications--Habit Pat* terns. Adult Education, Its Techniques and Its Limitations (Hulbert), 236-241. Peterson, C. A.: What Should an Anthracite Mine Safety Inspector Look For? 511*516. Petroleum Industry: Accident Prevention Through the Eyes of an Insurance Executive (Mac Donald), 620-622. Cleaning Gasoline1' Storage Tanks Used for Leaded Gasoline (Lewis). 593-598. The Effect of Legislative Trends on Safely (McLean), 610^14. Enlisting Employees in the Accident Prevention "---------a*. Panel Discussion, 600-610. l he Problem ol Undergroiund Service Station Tania (Cadtaan), 614-620. When and Where, sod if so. What Fire Regu lations arc Needed for Producing Fields? (Prussia?), 598-600. Petroleum Section: Contest, 622-624. Minutes, 591-624. Officers, 591*592. Protective Devices from the Viewpoint of the Railroad Engineering Department, 702- Posters: Safety Poster*--Their Development and Use (Woodbury). 280-283. Power Press Section: Miautes, 625-633. Officer*. 625-627. Power Pres*--Automotive and Machine Shop Sections: Joint Session, 313-318. Power. Presses; Accident Prevention Measures (Mould), 3)1-313. Analysis of a Punch Press Accident. Pane! Discussion, 103-105. Preventing Power Press Aecidcats Through Periodic Machine Inspections (McDonald). 309-311. The Safeguarding of Fast Punch Presses (VoltBjer), 6z7*62g. Printing Industry: Health Hazards in the Prmt_ log Industry, 175-176. Prizes: Sec Rewards. Prussing, G. F.: When and Where, and if so. What Flrv Regulation* arc Needed for Pro ducing Field*?S98-60G. Psychology: So* Personal Factors. Psychology and Safetyt Lecture* (Hulben), 209243, Public Buildings: What are the Common Carnes, of Accidents in Public BusIdinrs and How Can They be Corrected? Panel DUcunrimi. 49-62. Why Should we Prevent Accidents in Public Boddings? (Morns), 47-49. Public ^Ewployoes: Water Utility (Adams), 644- Public Safety: Cooperation with Public Official*. Panel Ducudooi 193-196. Sec also "After the Whistle Blows.** Public Utilities: Conserving Our Greatest JUKI__ Man Power (MhehelJ), 18-26. Lessons from Safety Experience (Shores), 642* Mr- Pro and Mr. Con Discuss Safety. 655-657. Public Utilities Section: Contest. 649-6&0. Minutes, 6JS-657. Officers, 635-637. Publicity: Effect of World Unrest. P*nd Dis cussion, 393Public Opinion Frowns on Recklessness (SeJc). 685-687. Punch Presses: See Power Presses. Purchasing: The Controlling Factor Wheo Pur chasing Safety Equipment. Panel Discussion. Q Quarry Industry: Analysis of Cement and Quarry Industry Accident Experience (LeGorcY, 320323- Quarry Section: See Cement and Quarry Section. Index 755 Qotincl. E. <*.: Sale Practice* In Dairy and 1c* Cream Plants, 666 666. Questionnaires: Ask the Employe* (Armstrong), 442495. "Tnt* or FL^?" Ibad Discussion. 447-458. Railroads: How the Public and Authorities Can Aidin the Mlmd Safety Program (Bales), 720-722. How- to Enlist the Swfctt of School Children in Acodene Pimtiowi (Mayers), 727-718. Inadequacy of Law gafsvcsmrnt As * Solanos to th Trrmeit Pisllim (Spkler), 715-717. The Public's icgmslilty in the Railroad Safety Problem (GmWy), 712-715. The Railroods* AaO-Trocsn Progiaat (Maskell), 728*720. Trespasser Accident*. Find Pincwaieu, 711-712. See also Grad* CrsMiagi Refrigeration Indnecry: Hazards of Car Icing and Their Flinvn n (Ledbetter), 660-663. Safe^ Practices in Ice Plants (Wright), 667- Safe Practices in itfriiuuimi of Breweries (Kferman). 663*665 RoSES"S4ffi,": *hma- "***- KoUcUcr. P. L: How to loM a Safety Pro gram foe tW Sml femdrjr, 467-470. Reqoartb. Dc. W.: The Maisteoutt of First Aid Vuit* for Cmyruod Air Workers, 367- 371. Research: Xew flwiwn of Science (Thomas), 303-30*. Resolutions, 26. Responsibility: Bamraen aad Employee Sc- spoctriMfity in the Prevention of Personal _ Injuries (Stine*). 336-34L * Management's Itgnoiffty for SafctyfRobrer), 628-630. The Placement of Acbdqt Reqmabilinr (Van- 0**f) 698685. r ' Rcsttsdtaoon: Pol* Ton Brw citation Dnrdtp- mrau (Smith)* 651-655. Rewards: Drawing of Prow Swecpmakes. SS4. See also CuwScsta. Robertson. T. F.z Safe Handling of Bulk Ma terials. 554-557. Rohner,^ P. JL: Mmaimtaf'i Responsibility for Safrt^628630. Robber: Uac of Rubier ad Robber Com- 3p2o8u-n3d3*3. `B ^ 328-333. Industry (True), Rubber Ilondut_s_t_r_y_:___P__t_r_m__m__i_n_ii b the Rubber Zn- dtwuy (Ohcts). 688692. Duowow of IWrmihris (Shirley), 092495 Rubber Sceboa: Csstfcw. 679680. Minutes, 671-696. Officer*. 471-672. Rule Bosks: Safety Kstc Booh*, 157-160. Safety Belts Snow: 245-252. Safety Directors: See Engineers; Supervisors. Safety Stone*: Safety Scowls Thai Have Helped Maimmn Good HoomImping. Panel Discus- Safety Sagmiieee* Srmiio: 255-260. Safety Treating Srsam: 261-276. Sander. Lft. O- A: Pottsur-Up of Finding* on 570,, Phvnkal Flramiaarieoi, U3-I55. Saws: Dncanim on Fewer Sow*, . 538 548Sayers, Dr. tL NnaucT Disease* in the Muting fa inwry* - . Schaefer. V. G.: Human Behavior and Safety, 313-318. SfhlftHbtft V. E.: Btdrical Hazards of Over head Tnniiag Cranes, 199-203. Schwarcmam, Dr. A.: ITomeiating Accident Haz ard* to Soybean Proem nig. 381-587. Seagnvca, C. M.: Work of the lUinoi* Agri cultural Association in Farm Safety, 33-34. Sciz, L. H.: Public Opinion Provm on Recklessness, 685-687. _ Service Stations: The Problem of Underground Service Station Tanks (Cadman). 614-620. Shepard, R. B-: Hazards and Proper Mainte nance of Portable Electrical Equipment. 346- Ship-btitiding: Safety in Ship Devize and Con struction (Victory), 412-416. Shirley. Dr. J. N.: Dbonmn af Dermatiii*. 692696. Shoes: See Clothing Shores, T_ L: Lomoi from Safety Experience, 642-644. Silicosis: See Dust*. Sldn Affection*: See Health Hazards. Small Plants: How to Build A Safety Program for the Small Foundry (Rcntschlcr). 467478. Mrintriring Safety Interest in the Small Plant (Wilson), 463-466. Smith^H*! R.: Safety in Handling Live Stock, Suti R. j.: Training Mechanics for Safe Air Transport StrvKtilM-lOO. Smith, w. R. t Pole Top Rezusatabon Devel opments, 6S1-6SS. -Solvents: Health Hazards in Spray Printing. Panel DumiiIw, 165-169. The Toxic Limits of Common Solvents.* Panel Discussion. 172*174, 176-177. 181-1B2. Soutar, A. S: Safety Belt Materials, 258*257. Soybeans: EtinisadM Accident Hazards in Soy bean Procuring 7Sehwarcmaa>, 381-162. Speed: What is Speeding? Panel Discussion, 395- 396. Spitler, W. L: Inadequacy of Law Enforcement as^a Solution to the imptw Problem. 7t5- Spontaneous Inntieo: Spontaneous Ignition and Its Cootn>T(BreB), 82-86. Sprains: The Control of Sprains aod Strains (Wittmer). 121-125. Spray Painting: See Prim. Standards: Standardizing State Ictitattriri Safety Requirements (Omum). 115*117. Sutc, Requirements: Staodardiriuc Sute In- dtutrliu Safety Prgnimim ata (Cameron). 11S- Stcam Railroad Scctioo: Musutc*. 697-72?. Officers, 697-698. Steel Industries: See Meta) Industries. Stitmcll, Col. John: Annual Address, 11-14. Stores: See Mercantile Estahffthmenu. Storey, Capt. W, W.r How Safety )n*i>ections Prevent Accidents, 416-417. Strains: Sec Lifting. Sturtevaat, R. L: A Competitive Safety Program that is Working, 726-728. Suggestion Systems: Handliog Suggestion*, 163. Supervisors: Getting' Safety off the Defensive (Horrocki). 672676. Just Viliat * the Safety Supervisors Place in the Operating Organization? (Plxak), 259* 260. The Safety Supcrrisot's Part in the InveMlga lion of Accidents (Zcilinger), 257-259. Tanto and Drums: Cleaning Gasoline Storage Tanks Used for Leaded Gasoline (Lewis), 593-598. The Problem of Underground Service Station Tanks (Cadraan), 614-620. -.tv--v o-r mojir orfranitationaj p ra c tic a l 756 29th National Safety Congress TI>c Safe Dispotal in Chemical Plants of Empty w mem. and Old ripe Litfcs (Jone*), 341-346. Tanninu Industry: Safety in the Meat Packing and Tanning Industrie*. Panel Discussion. 435-4-14. Tanning Section: See Meat Packing, Tanning and Leather Industries Section. 'fcfi-i'honc and Telegraph: Lessons front Safety Experience (Corbitt), <547-1549. Textile Industry: A Competitive Safety Program that i5 Working (Sturtevant), 726-728. Eliminating the Causes of Textile Accidents (Burger), 750-732. Method* of Developing a Competitive Safety Program (Monroe), 724-726. .safety Successes in the Textile Industry are Recognized (Hickok), 736-738. Textile Safety Through the Plant Xurte (Bcthune). 728-730. Textile Section: Minute*, 723-738. Officers. 723-724. Tliiede. C\: Specify the Safeguards, 307-309. Thomas Dr. P.: New Horizons of Science, 303304. Tltrurii, R. \V.: Interest of American National Red Cross in Farm Safety, 37-39. TooU: Hazards and Proper Maintenance of Pnrtahle Electrical Equipment' (Shepard), 346JM. Tower. \\\ S.: Acddent Prevention in (he Steel Industry, 458-461. Traffic; See Parking. Traumatic Ncttrou* (Pollock), 135-139. Trc^jia^^mq: See Railroad*. Truck*--Hand: Industrial Hand Trucks--Their Safe Construction and Use (Ziolkowtid). 197- 199. Safe Handling of Unit Materials (Long), >52-554, 556-557. ^ Truck*--Power; Industrial Power Tracks--Their Safe Use and Operation (Woolievcr), 203207. Power Truck Operators. Panel Discussion. 4-12- 441. 444. True. O. S.: The Use of Rubber and Rubber Com pounds in the Chemical Industry, 328-333. "True or False'* Questionnaire: 447-45S. u L* S. Coverr.mrnt: See Federal Department*. Waescfae, Rear Aden. JL R.: The Coast Guard Reserve--A Safety Organization, 409-411. Mifntr. C. L: The Practical Avpliaiio* of Photography to Safety. 277-276. Wagons: Tati Lights for Wagons. Pane) Discus sion, 386487. Wallers, J. E-; Safely Features in the Construc tion of Hivrassee Dam, 372-374. War: See National Defease. water Works: Water Utility (Adams), 644-646. Welding: Protection for Welder*, 180-181. Whitney, O. J.i Proposals for Safe Regulation of Charter Operator, 292-294. W'ilson, L. C.: Maintaining Safety IntercM in the Small Plant, 463-466. Wiitroer, Dr. jf. IThe Control of Sprains and Strains. 121-125. Wood Products Industry; Camp Fitilitici from Safely Standpoint. Panel Discussion, 572- Discussion on Power Saw*. 570. Facilities for First Aid in the Camp, in the Field and During Transportation. Panel Dis cussion. 373-574. Has the Mechanization of Woods Operation any Effect on Acddent Experience) Panel Df~ radoo, 376-577. Hazards Involved in Felling Operations, 578579. Personal Protective Equipment Suitable for Men Handling Lumber. Panel Discussion. 740-741. ^ Promoting Safety Consciousness Among Lumber ing and Logging Operator*. Panel Discus sion. 574-576. Safe Methods of Loading and Unloading lap, 580-581. Safety from Wood* to Mill, Panel Discussion. 572-581. Safety in Lumber fUmanofacturiog Operation*. Panel Discussion, 740-742. .Safely Shoes for wood Handler*. 580. Wood Product* Section: Minutes. 739-742. Officer*. 739-740. Wood Products--Paper and Pulp Sections: Joim Session, 569-581. Woodbury, E. I.: Safety Posters--Their Devel opment and Use, 280-28J. U'ooliever. C. E-: Industrial Power Trucks--Their . Safe Use and Operation, 203-207. W right, AV. B.: Safe Fnrtiot in Ice Plant-. 667-669. \au Ctecf. P.: The Placement of Acridem Re sponsibility, 680-685. Vandevauter, JL.: Safety Activities of the U. S. Army Engineer*--Problems ami Proposed So lution*. 400-402. Vickery, Com. H. L: Safety la Ship Design and Construction, 412-416. Visual Education: The Use of Visual Aida in Accident Prevention (Lee), 278-280. I'i-ual Education Session: 277-283. Collmtrr, \V. A.: The Safeguarding of Fast Punch Presses 627-628. Zeilinger, A_ FL: The Safety Supervisor** Part in the Investigation of Accidents. 257-259. Zimmer, V. A.: Safeguarding Manpower for Greater Production, 107-110. Ziolleowald, C. S.: Industrial Hand Tmck^--Thcir Safe Construction god Use, 197-199. Zorn. J. H.: Advantage* Thai Have Been Gained Due to the Invention and Use ef Methane Detectors, S27-530. v$uSr; A ' ?< f U S. t\2* ?i | ft | >. i* 5 s' ft. ? pC ** i a 2. 3 & S--ns's f" Aiks N ^sHfer CSSS. SU sS?H sr 5 n; &?sS fv. J r Ik* m l s"? ss. 3 5 a gr ^ -4 aT2 a2.n<ipa-- fnh *=-3sP^ < r?rs ; )eatJ of 'Jttulu* WINTHROP W. ALDRICH HOWARD COONLEY BENJAMIN F, FAIRLESS WILLIAM 8, PARISH WALTER 8. GIFFORD E* ROLAND KARR2KAK THOMAS 1. PARKINSON ALFRED P. SLOAN, JR, THOMAS J. WATSON CHARLES E. WILSON NATIONAL SAFETY COUNCIL IMCMKUTU 20 NORTH WACKER DRIVE C HICA0O COL. JOHN BTOWELL, PmUat W. H. CAMERON) Uuutfm Dinar January 17, 19b! NED H, DEARBORN EiHnthm I. W. MILLARD Fintmct and Trtaturtr WALTER S, PAINE Industrial Safety LEW R. PALMER CvsmunUy Council: and Puttie Relations A. V. ROHWEDER Ham Safety R. T. SOLENSTEN Membership LESLIE J. SORENSON Pubtie Safety TO MEMBERS OF SEE NATIONAL SAFETY COUNCIL Gentlemen: The Transactions of the 29th National Safety Congress and Exposition, held in Chicago last year, iiame&iately reflect one of the test Congresses in the Council's history. Sere are countless Ideas and suggestions frets a record number of sessions which have directly affected the safety work of many organirations; practical methods that work! Safety experts have given much time and effort to bring this valuable information to you for oonstant reference and application. I think you will agree that others in your organisation should have individual copies. They are available at cost: 1 to 10 copies of Volme I, $2.00 each; II or more copies, $1.75 each, F.O.B. Chicago. Copies of Volume II (Traffic, Commercial Vehicle, Transit, School, and Home Safety) are available at 75^ each. Ubo the form below in ordering extra copies. Sincerely yours, WHCiMDC Mr. Cameron; eron Director