Document 70m4rnNjOLea04mdzNJddBRR6

426 Turtity-prsi Congress--National Safety Council mediate superior. It ajijiears tliat one oi the first requisites in creating tlie projier morale among workers is to insist that the foremen carry on their duties with such honesty and with such sincerity of purpose that no jjolicy of safety of the company can be misunderstood- Instruction and supervision must be clean-cut and sincere. Proj*r instruction is not that which neglects to make certain that those who are to jxriorni the actual tasks of work know absolutely how h is to be done in safety. Nor is projier stqicrvision that which falters, even for a moment, to countenance unsafe practices. There is an almost untouched possibility in the development of the homely atti tude of even the unskilled and unlearned workman for his job. The development of this attitude through sincere and sympathetic understanding will lie found demon strated when the worker presumes to raise his head and offer a constructive criti cism. There is a vast amount of usable horse sense among tlie uneducated workers doing routine work of the average shop which has been throttled, because an cxfircssinn of opinion has not l*vrn encouraged, or ii encouraged, the employee failed to sec that any attention was given to the idea. Contests and campaign.' luivv a very definite place in the program of building safety morale. Accident jircvemion program? have a tendency to get into a rut or to grow stale unless stimulated from time to time: and it is very important to the successful continuance of the safety program to hold occasional contest? or rallies or whatever you choose to call it. to re-stimnlate tlie safety activities and to return tliem to their logical jiositum of imjiortance. Contests or campaigns of this diameter should be designed first to improve the physical conditions of the work place: but the major portion of tlie prpram must t>e designed to create additional saietv morale among the workers. We lurlievc that if by some means we can build the ]>r|>er morale in cur shops we will reach the ]*oim where the employees will feel tliat they have more than a ink paving a certain wage. They will take pride in the organization. They will feel that they must endeavor to help the fellow worker. They will believe that their comt^any drj*ends on them. They will realize that the success of the saietv prfcrani is assured by their loyal interest, their support and hitellicent work. Exhibits of Lantern Slides At this point in the program two special features were introduced where large numlKTS of lament slides were nsed to illustrate tlie subjects. The first, entitled "Stripping and Erecting Locomotives." was given by J. W. Lemon. Superintendent of Sliojjs. Missouri Pacific Railroad. The second feature entitled. "Tackling the Worst Hazards in the Car Depart* ment." was given by \V. R. Dunbar. Divisional Car Foreman. Delaware & Hudson Railroad. Uoth these talk outlines, accompanied by Iirici introductory remarks, may lie found in the et:ipMv jiroovtling* of the Safety Section, a? published elsewhere. Safety to Employees While Handling Locomotives By L. LaFOUNTAINE General Safety Supervisor. Great Northern Railroad The fi*caker said in pan: In order tliat we may fully appreciate the fre<[uency of accidents due to ;hi cause, as well a? know our ex|*erience in the past* here are the figures on number of employers on duty killed and injured over tlie past five* vear pcrk*d. 1927. killed 22. injured 4.467: l`S. killed 1.1. injured 3.402: 1929. killed 17. in jured kilh-d 17. injured 1/09: 1>31, killed 6. injured 1383. Safety Section, A.R,,4.--Sicam Railroad Section, NS.C. 427 This shows a decrease of 69 per cent in tlie numlier of fatalities and personal injuries in ly31 as compared with 1927. The year 1931 compared with the pre vious year shows a decrease of 65 jer cent in fatalities and 28 per cent m per sonal injuries. Our accomplishments during this |*eriod in bringing alxnn such a substantial de crease in number of personal injuries from this cause should be highly pleasing to everyone. However, practically all of the accidents coming under this heading are preventable accidents, and regardless of the numlier of such personal injuries, our best efforts are challenged until they are entirely eliminated. Among the 35 classification? showing the causes of accidents to employees while ojxTating locomotives, we find that injuries due to employees falling from engine r lender are the most prevalent, in tact, account for over 50 per cent of all fatalities and 25 per cent of a!] injuries. We apirreciatr that there are two essential reasons why it is necessary tor employees to go up on the tenders of engines--one to take water, and the other coal. The first thing to lie considered is the method to lie employed in getting on and off the tender. With the advent of the larger locomotives, h has of course been essential to increase the capacity of the tank in a like projwrtkra, which lias made them a great deal higher than the old engine tender, and because of the increased height injnry to employees hy slipping or falling from them ha? proved more serious. The vestibule cabs which arc coming into more general use. also tlie design ot front ends of modem tender? and the winter curtain? which are qnitc ttniform on all railroads, all seem to makr access t the top of the tender from tlie engine cab less inviting. The method requiring tin* fireman to gel dou*n out of the engine from the gangway and go up to the top of tlie tender from a laiklcr at the rear, is in my judgment the projier and safest method and should lie given consideration by all railroads. Tlie rear of all engine tenders should lie equipped with a proper designed ladder at each corner of tlie lender. A jiroficr designed ho-k should he standard equipment and carried on each engine to enable firemen to reach* standpipes in urder to swing it over tender of engine or hack into place when finished taking water, so that he will not lie at any time placed in a ;x>sction which might cause him to lose his halancc and tall from the tender or engine. The top of the water cistern should I* kept free from all materials which might result hi stumbling or falling accidents. On oil burning locomotives oil cisterns should l>e cleaned regularly and a slight coating of sand thrown on top oi the oil cistern to prevent engine men from slijiping when walking over the cistern. This is particularly important during winter months. Engine men should also use care to see tliat there is no oil on the bottenn of their shoe? before going on top of a tender, since a slipping accident may easily result. It has been my experience that most of the fiersonat injuries from taking coal Have been due to the employees slipping while putting the old style coal shed pockets hack into place or due to slipping or falling while returning to the cab of engine after taking coal. The newer design of coal sheds haslargely eliminated the first hazard mentioned. It is to be understood that the rope or chains used in nuuifrtilatmg the coal pockets are to be properly maintained at all times. The practice of any employee going hack over the tender of the engine for the purpose of measuring water, etc. while engine is running athigh speed should be discouraged. The frequency with which employees go out on tlie running board of engines while running is. I believe, in a large measure the outgrowth of conditions of a iormer time when this was apparently necessary. These conditions have largely passed away, due to the development and improvement of modem engines. There is only one solution for the elimination of this class of accidents, and that is by the adoption and enforcement of the role, now m effect on one of our railroads, which forbids men from petting out on framing hoards of locomotives while in motion, except that where a helper engine is cut in ahead of tlie caboose toward rear end