Document EmmGwK8MgdOp73Y2wnwO51pN

FILE NAME: National Safety Council (NSC) DATE: 1966 DOC#: NSC193 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION: NSC - National Safety News - Discussion Period What's Bugging You? 1966 A'tilionu! Safety Congress self and his follows, w ho uses hi edge, tools, and safety equipu ; 'as knovvi- host of Ids ahilitv. cat to tlie O u r departm ent has continual It may he however, that we a symptoms rather than causes. V e attacking l have said, begun to explore have, as and true cause o f industrial ace: ' e nature it is apparent that legislation, seats since and Rood intentions do not in emulations, solve the dilemma of rising aeci.i aienisclves do, however, provide ns with a ears. They f ideas, statistics and operation * * 3 '"io'"nas wwiitthh oonlirr oodtl,u'r provinces .m,| `'"'nines. U>. IKU fJ/e first 'e lu st recently chhhJmI v { tw o m in..ist,veriss' ss.ali'-e*te- oosnitle tiz i where representatives of trade iih im i, agemlent, and governmine'"n't1 h' avelinnt,,imnm ei th er to re-exainine ideas generatili I,* dividual researeh. W e have, as well, ,, we hope precise, fram ew ork : gal, and host and key participant at the remit lifcfj'f within. W ith our study, we Is ;<. "lnTat0 national Labour Organisation M.in|>( * to define the industrial accident a ' t only Conference, which discus-wd in some ` o f the chief participants, hut t ' fee role the international aspects of -airly , ' in some m easure to anticipate the f ee aide and preventive teelmiipu 'In. *'M| legislate, not only for this peri arare and All of there anticipation o f the developm ents : s but in ;md emploi .overnmvut, tiKitMuni)^ industrial climate. 1 mild it are new industrial iatotv-share the respoii-.ibilnv Lf every prevention hody is, asrae-v wt:.r.: we. as As government 1ss<m| w ards the day when w e can no rising fo employed. W e are assured by in: rager he anv ; eomic m ore adopt at defining it legisl.it' management gore adept in 'lirfv as a method '"O,:., J planners that the advent of technology ( auiomation. n y -ticated and emploie f enhancing the hai. learn t< ' I Ilf relegate the industrial w or yon . will ibnni-m s pr use li: I, buttons and perform ing i t s 'ailing ive may yet aided for their nun pi..ic.(t.i^ (ions for three hours a dur monir, _ mne- loan o u r cu hacdut fosirtmuautlia' sn that w d , Ira"iif D ur chief aim at tin proach. (A . --iiu.in I' 'vorkers alive micut _ keep .-cu-iit ansili r y, 1 cannot r u-n . -, ,,i irnves. I l o w n e r . Lick mg until a day gether, earefi hut l know that h iir. ti>. I1'-'s ,J'aii two I might pcr cent of note ; since ``mv automated, f teel no "Ur ;-:rv is hchave 1uinv iy select our (iiestii.u. nd ili Ihe area y and with proper "mot* lor t! ioh re-training Course. iinincd e need arrive at f otir responsibilities, m- mil soiilm1Ti1o, ns tha1t less,.,, eventually ;<"P industrial (,n[ an,| I, .iiu) .!, ni, ;4- ry/oecs-s-y' Are penalties provided for ** fe ly codes in the various ju ris- B w S 0 ttto d ly sufficient to act as a d eter- v violation of codes ? ' `. 0 (ft****! I would ssaayy no thev are lOTflcnt, The aammoouunntt a company has Hi fMttUjff (f'*f -* safet-y code violation is no prMfjl Irt et as a deterrent. However ||y I* more o f ~a deterreint than an til Cilllld be imposed. O f course, the it/ ivtty to have adequate puh...... . i..s. t( *# I (Ini that is out of the ordinary Wl M contractor that was fined $.!( | violation, which was the maxiimin fa# that foilhi be imposed. L ater, the con liiM o f K M leaiCU l[iIKviUf fmilie lin e w a s 111,11111 .injured to the adverse publicity from tl Hlftyapfri, and that he would have imi< h# * 1 paid a $3,000 fine than experieti' if Aerator: In the province of Ontari' $h m the eirciiiiistanccs constitute an o' AKfinst the Industrial S afety Act an 4-a (idrnsr occurs consistently, every pel * iif employer who fails to comply wit it fini-moiis of the regulation, or the d fwtliHtit of an inspector, or the eonditioi 4 HI Approval permit is subject to a lit d Mtd more than $1,000 for each day < '4 violation or to imprisonment for in * Ilian 12 months for each day of ii DISCUSSION PERIOD -- WHAT'S BUGGING YOU? f Dr, Van Atta: In school I was taugl It la not the nature o f the (>enaity hi Certainty that the penalty will lie in; f**rd that encourages compliance. O u r mai fudilrm tn this country is not the peunlt llw fact that most of the people wli Delegntes who .utended the lalior were asked to suimiit w ritten qucstii eerning safety problem s w ithin th.vir of operation, or questions that liera crated by the safety sessions th at th. tended during the Congress week, written questions w ere reviewed an sw ered by a panel o f safety experts. ramis <'"11..reas een a t"lese an- / '/ J/c /V Safety, | , :u. y U,nu F. Lara ii, I nos n-i Engineers, \ y "national L nion ,,i Opcl.ll"1 W lhig, 'bington, J). C .. John I, United ; 'r5 .Safety and Iheailh I'n ' . . 'oeoni Wii ornkceers of Ainrt"* taiiad a), T '.ru to , Canada; t'harlci 1 Greene, Director. Industrial Safety, Ih-.tii-t *** violating regulations will not he penal M rtgardlcss of what the law says. Thi prolialiiy because we do not have enotig iI*Cti)rs to cover the areas. Moderator: There are far loo many acci Hil# involving liigh voltages which cans Will, electrocutions, and falls from hig; HKil. These accidents occur to electrician! Presiding O fficer: Jo h n Ii. Kumpcl, Safety and Compensation Representative. United Rubber W orkers, A kron, Ohio. "t tu h m ih ia Minimum W age and hid" tori S afety Board. W ashington, D. C .; M"'d Van Atta, P hD .. Deputy Director. Oilier/ ifltmen, and other craftsmen above the ag dO who do hazardous work. Few of dies *W timers will admit the weakening of tliei M oderator: Jacob Gold, Safety Engineer, Bureau of Labor Standards, U S. Depart m ent of Labor, W ashington, D. C. 38 Occupational Safety, I3tireau o f Labor Stand' anls. U.S. D epartm ent o f Labor, Wasltitiit' ton. D. G V ictor E. Whitchousc, Ss/rt? D irector, International Brotherhood of KlfC< trica] W orkers, W ashington, D. C. PIP, failing eyesight, weak heart conditions . . i f t tendency to experience dizziness. W S * tjflt believe that a compulsory medical ex IjjgMwuOn is the answer, but there must b, olution. Perhaps workers over 6( ij*' prohibited from working in higl E?S- ` Labor Sessions places anil assigned to other challenging work. Mr. ll'h it,h o u se : A man 60 years old is not really the criterion. We in the Inter national Brotherhood of Electrical Workers have many examples of men 25 to 30 years of age who have a heart condition, are epileptic, or sutler some other problem. It is true that some of the IBI'AV locals have agreements with the contracted company which require a man of 50 and over who shows evidence of gaining weight or suf fering from some health problem he trans ferred to a less hazardous job. On the matter of physical examinations, the men within the local union can schedule periodi cal examinations with their own persona! physicians. .Mr. Burch: I am opposed to pre-empl<>yment physical examinations as a condition of employment, hilt 1 am not against physical examinations. I think the point in this question is an important one and that ra that we must he our brother's keeper. Mo-t unions have negotiated health and welfare plans, and these should include at hast a n nual physical examinations. Of coiir.-e, li <re is nothing stopping an individual from s, A mg Ids own personal doctor periodically; in fact he will probably discuss his job more freely and the type of work that he per forms with his doctor. After the personal doctor advises the individual about his physi cal ability in relation to performing his job, it is up to the w orker to decide whether he will continue or not. In other words, we should inform ourselves about our own physi cal condition and how it applies to our job. Mr. Greene: In this case, there is a ques tion of one person being a hazard to other persons on the job. f know of two or three instances where physical condition of a worker caused injuries to others. In anotiiei instance, a chronic drunk was directly re sponsible for the severe injury of three other persons. Both management and labor knew of this man's illness, hut neither related it to his responsible job. I am in agreement that compulsory examinations are not the answer, but there is a joint labor-manage ment responsibility to get together and decide when a person may be a hazard to other workers because of his health. IWaderator: Do you think that unions and management should work together in writing or changing a safety rule book? 39 1966 Xationiil Safety Congress must contact the local union officials before lie visits a plant and must take tlie local's appointed representative with him during his tour of the plant. In addition, the factory inspectors in the Province of Ontario carry a warrant with them and, if they are opposed by the em ployer, the inspector uses the telephone to call the local magistrate. A policeman is dispatched to the plant to serve the warrant oil the person obstructing the inspection and has the person removed from the premises until the inspection is completed. Moderator: is there a standard clearing louse that records a complete lo t ol radia tion exposures to workers handling radio active materials? V'r. I 'an A tt n : Not in the United States, uniortnnately. T here was a hill introduced in the last l ougress, but Ui ingress did not act on it. W e have high hopes that it will be handled during the next Congress, al though we understand that there is consid erable opposition to this lull Irum manage ment sources. .'[ederator: IIow can we get management to I'orrect tinsate conditions promptly.' Mr. !\e e d n o : 1 can only give you an il lustration of what happened in 11if city of Hamilton. Ontario. I was conducting .semi nars in Hamilton when one of the crane operators in the plant called me at my home. H e informed me that the wheels on the crane had become so worn that the electric shoes that pick tip the electricity had dropped to where they were striking stud holts, caus ing them to fall to the floor below. I called the hop tun-man and he admitted that the condition was unsafe. I then plumed the Director of the tlntario industrial S a m e llraneli and lie sent an inspector within .55 minutes. The inspector was in ila- piant for Id minutes. He. shut down the entire plant. Management was then obligated to living in a contractor to replace the crane wheels. The plant was shut down for two shifts. Mr. (./rente: W e have a way of getting tilings done also; however, it is sometimes rath er kite. W h en we. receive a complaint we send an inspector to the location. Usually the condition existed for some time before we receive the complaint. It has bothered the worker, and he lias probably complained 42 to various people but he doesn't contact g| until the condition gets serious. Mr. Gold: f think it must he app.itfm that the answ er to this ipicstinn depend It) a large measure on the geographic,, Arr:l () which the plant is located. Some states have fine laws which will take eare of the* things if you push (hem. However, i,thr; states are ((iiite lax ami backward. Mr. Kunit'el: If you believe you are \wut, ing in a hazardous situation and fee! morally certain that you are right in your brlirl, then you should refuse to work on u, |, operations until they can be examined |,v proper and qualified authorities to deleriiiinc if the conditions need correcting. Mr. 1'otreh: f endorse what John a.tyi, but I would like to add that union xtrrn.uli earies geographically. A lot will depend iipeii the knowledge and guts of the local budn agents. Motlerutor: W hat arc the effects of a bestos dint ? /V. I 'an . tt to : B r e a t h i n g excessive amounts of asbestos dust over a period el 25 to .15 years, depending upon ihr aim not ami the person, will re-lilt ill -iiortness ei breath, euviilaiorv and heart problems, and the person will probably die of heart failituIn addition, you will probably get no asistanee from workmen's eompi-nsatieii. ii you are tinder most jurisdictions, fh.il o the classical picture of ashestosi.s. Hut. m the last few years, wo are discovering that asbestos is a rath er prolilie producer ot a variety of cancers of the lung and sur rounding tissues Asbestos is a skin;:-.' bidcrista), like a needle, and it works imo the tissues and promotes cancers. One. variety is appearing in rather sub-tautial numbers among asbestos workers it has always been there, Imt now it is hr'ginning to be diagnosed. This is a subject about which we don't know nearly as much as wc thought we did 20 years ago. I might say that excessive amounts of asbestos diet is only enough to constitute a slight lia/e in the air. The situations in which asbestos is used are highly deserving of compelen! professional assessment. Moderator: II o w can unions get such professional assessment in cases where they feel tlie plant hygienist or medical per sonnel are not competent? Labor Sessions ' Pf. y n Attn: Then; arc several highly Dilificd physicians in the country who will as consultants. Also, some state labor Apartments have personnel who ran inoni(iif asbestos operations :ui<l render opinions. (Comment from the Hour) -- I >r. Van Attn, you mentioned you can't met compensation (f asbestos disabilities in most jurisdictions. The law has changed in most jurisdic tion! in the country during the last few ywr* so that yon may he able to sue the Mistruction company, the architects, and en gineers who built the plant without proper ventilation. This can be considered for full recovery for the wrongful death of a work er Or for injuries. This is a very important ItrW area of protection for workers, not only to get damages where there has been Usability but to prevent the continuation o( the condition in tlse future. Moderator: W h at services o r aid should be given or offered to local unions from the lately staff of an international union? Mr. Burch: The safety director should develop training programs, or at least out lines, for use by local union safety personnel. He should supply materials (posters, decals, technical data, etc.) and act as a research consultant in safety and health matters. l i e iliould answer questions received via letter or telephone. He should gather statistics, which requires the cooperation of local unions. The international union safety director liottld represent his union members .and (be trade union movement as a whole, on the various committees that write standards itml codes which will effect the work of the union's members. The United States of America Standards Institute, the Society of Automotive Engineers, and the Society of Mechanical Engineers are examples of or ganizations that have these types of com mittees. Previously, participation !>v union rep risentatives has been minimal and vve an doing our best to change (his situation. Thi. Is one of the most important activities tha Safety personnel of international labor or Bmdzations call undertake. T h ere are plent; of openings but labor hasn't sought rep Itsentation. When labor does become a par of these committees, it has been my ex yvisence that labor representatives are wel jne and offer valuable contributions. Mow we come to the really important role of the international union safely depart ment and that is lop management support. I lii:- is very important; however, it is also essential that the man on the job support the sat et y activities, loo many local unions still otter only lip service to accident pre vention. Until local union leadership pit-lies accident prevention, the man ott (lie job will continue to he unconcerned. Mr. 'hitehouse: Let us not overlook the fact that many international labor organiza tions do not have a satety director or satetv department. For them, the first thing they can do is establish such u dcpai tment and staff. (Comment from the lloor. by Joseph Leo nard) --The Longshoremen's union installed accident prevention activities in the Interna tional L'nion office and made it mandatory that each local should have a satetv p ro gram. That was lour years ago. To this ii.iv, I have to carry a bat when I visit the vari ais locals in order to get these fellows moving. 1 do not believe that the International Union office can do much until the local u nio n are willing to accept it and upport it In addition, the rank am! tile member- i.m-t provide support to their local union olticers. Mr. K um fel: O ur international Union has conducted many safety and compensation clinics throughout the l idled State- and Canada over the past sM years. \ \ e cave fairly good success in attracting local union people to attend these clinics for three or four days at a time. Moderator: Docs the District of Columbia have the right to make it's own satetv o Ls through it's appointed commissioners, or are the satety rules ol the District enacted by the (.'tigress of the United States? Mr. Greene: T h e District, flip ugh :t Minimum Wage and Industrial Safety Board, has the right to make safetv codes. They handle ail of the investigations and conduct the hearings necessary to develop these codes. This privilege comes from th.ngrcssiotial legislate>n. Moderator: I low do vve sell satety to our union members ? Mr. Gold: I believe that you must estab lish, within your members, a desire. You have to give them a chance to participate in the problems. Let them assist with first aid training and community action. The