Document EmqeQdyoa2ZzNo2XmrBn8NR8b

1957 National Safety Congress This it sheer gain, but these laws still focus on doing something (or the man who has met with an accident, rather than on driving full steam into eliminating causes for accidents. When a ship is sinking, then the whole weight of responsibility rests on manning the life boats and getting the pas sengers and crew off the vessel. When an auto has gone hurtling off a thruway then the weight of moral responsibility is to rush medical care. Rut neither life boats nor ambulances are the full measure of moral responsibility that rest* upon us today when ships still sail the high seas and cars ride the highways. Our moral sense has grown up beyond that level nt moral satisfaction. In its modem con cept moral responsibility stresses preventing the worst from happening on the oceans andI on our reads rather than being content with picking up the pieces after Die worst has happened. Total security is a goal that is beyond our reach, but great progress can be made when men of competence and good will and devo tion join together to help each other in every way possible to promote safety mea sures against accident hazards. The symbol of this step is, I suppose; the National Safety Congress itself. It stands for moral responsibility toward these hazards at its best, for our deepest responsibility toward the victim of accidents is to see to it that all is done to keep him from becoming a victim. And that is a worthy cause for all of us, wherever wc are--in labor and in management, in educatioc and in govern ment.^ f LABOR'S STAKE IN SAFETY by A. J. HAYES international president; International Association of Machinists; trice president, AFL-CIO, Washington, D. C I don't intend to stay within the limits of this title because ! ant certain little new in formation could be said about "Labor's staler in Saicty, It is obvious that no one rnuld have a greater stake in industrial -;itetv than the men and wemen who are the direct victims of industrial accidents. To an employer -- matters of industrial <afcty. occupational disease, accident pre vention and workmen's compensation---arc all tied up with economic considerations. They are important insofar as they affect-- anil can be made to reduce--insurance costs, training costs, and material costs. But these are all money costs--cash costs--costs that are measured in dollars and cents. To a worker, on the other hand, an in dustrial accident is a matter of something that is even more tangible than money. It is a matter of a man's blood, bones and sinew--of tragedy, suffering and sorrow. And sometimes, in fact, more than SO times a day--on every working day--it is a mat ter of life itself to someone, somewhere, in this country. 16 That is why I say that labor's stake in safety is pretty obvious. Therefore I will touch upon aspects of the subject that are not often discussed--aspects that are some what controversial. Perhaps they are not discussed because they are controversial. ETHICS IN SAFETY Since my views and public statements on the "corruption in unions" issue have been as frank and honest as I an make them. I see no reason to be any less candid in staling my views about matters of indus trial safety. I assure you, however, that f am not injecting controversy for its own sake, but because these are matters that con cern the men and women who run the daily risk of being injured, diseased or killed on their jobs. Safety--and accident prevention--have an ethical aa well a an economic vide. I think none of u*--whether we represent labor or management -- would disagree with certain basic ethical principles in the field of indus trial safety. We would all agree, for ex- Labor Safety imple. that the objective of industrial safety ibould be the preservation of human life ind the protection of human health. We mould further agree that an employer has a moral responsibility to protect his workers against disease, accidents, mental stress and infections from the conditions of employ So we finally got factory laws--and work men's compensation--and an organized effort to make mines, factories and mills safer places to work. But of all the legislation aimed at this objective, workmen's compen sation was the key. For until emplc. . were made directly and financially respon sible for the results of workers' accidents, ment We all profess to agree that human life is not cheap; that man is not something to be sacrificed^ to a machine. .And yet, these ethical principles are not always applied in day to day life nor are they self-enforcing. In practical application they come into con they had no economic reason to prevent accidents. The whole pattern and fabric of our industrial safety program throughout the nation rests entirely on how good and how effective our workmen's compensation and our occupational disease laws are. flict with individual economic interests, and ECONOMIC REASONS thus must be enforced either through group Oh. of course, you can point to manyaction, or by society as a whole through other good economic rationalizations for in political action. dustrial safety. You con say industrial ac As rule, society does not move as fast cidents add all kinds of direct and indirect as the need would indicate. We all know, com to production. You can point to the for example, that the first industrial revolu cost of hiring and training a new employee, tion had run its course for more than 100 of equipment damaged in a work accident, years before society got around to adopting of the time lost by other employees when and enforcing rules and regulations of in dustrial safety. For more than 100 years industrial workers were given no legal pro tection against the risks and hazards of in dustrial employment. an accident occurs. But I will throw them all right back to you and say that these considerations were present long before we had industrial acci dent programs--and that it wasn't until ac Here and there; a lone individual employer cident prevention was reinforced with work might attempt to provide decent and health men's compensation and occupational disease ful working conditions for his workers. But legislation that employers really became on the whole, the story of factory employ safety conscious. ment in the 19th century--and through the So it seems that the thine that counts early 20th century--was a pretty ghastly here is how good our workmen's compensa one. tion and occupational disease legislation f don't need to go into the details that are indicative of the cold indifference with which human life was held in American mines and factories. Suffice to say, it did not seem to natter how many men, women and children were killed or crippled in the course of a day. There were always more waiting at the gates the next morning--driven by raw poverty to plead for a chance to jeopardize really are. And that's a good question l I've spent my whole adult life in the labor movement As a matter of fact I was projected into it by the very thing we are talking about here today--an industrial accident I went to work at 17 years of age because my father was totally disabled by a work in jury--an injury that eventually killed him. thexr tires and limbs. In the coarse of many years of studying SOCIETY IAOUGWT CHANGES and dealing with the problems of my union --which are. of course, the problems of the The point I am getting at, of course, is members of my union, I realized that our that change--when it came--was not the result of any regeneration of moral and ethical conviction on the part of employers. It came rather because society as a whole was thoroughly revolted. It came because the American people were finally shocked enough to correct a condition that had pre vailed--and grown worse--for 100 years. present system of workmen's compensation and occupational disease legislation is com pletely and wholly inadequate to meet the needs of our complex industrial society. I am not alone in that conclusion. There are, in fact, many men in the labor move ment today who feel even more strongly 17 WT National Safety Congress than ( do--men who are firmly convinced I that workmen'* compensation has been a I gigantic swindle on the American worker. ' This nation has tried to deal with a Mate legislature. In fact, the inspection *erv. ice in such states is not only understaffed, but the staff is underpaid, tartrained and technically unqualified to do a competent national problem by having 48 seperate. con flicting-- and in a sense -- competing state statutes. .Lnd there 'is no doubt but that workmens compensation is one kind of labor legislation that states use to compete with one another to attract industry. In fact, whenever we go into the state job in a field tliat needs a high degree of competency. But as bud as (he siumliow in workmen's compensation and factory inspection may be, (he situation in occupational disease cov erage verges on the criminal. .And this is a matter of more than just poor legislation. legislatures to get improvement or expan It is incredible to dunk that m the second sion of existing laws, we invariably meet half of the 20th century 20 Mates still either employer counter*arguments to the effect (fiat any further improvement in coverage or benefit structure will shove industry into the waiting and sympathetic arms of states which are more concerned with payroll*-- titan with the people on those payrolls. have no coverage or limited coverage of occupational disease. But the greater problem is that there is too little understanding of the nature and complexity of occupational disease. The range and source of occupational disease in SAFETY INTBtEST LACKING Certainly the health and safety of the nation's work force should not be a pawn in any state's bid for new industry. But that is just what it is under a system that allows Mississippi or Arkansas or Georgia to compete for industry by offering low workmen's compensation benefits and a mini mum of safety regulation at the plant level. Why should an employer pay $40 a week for a temporary total durability in Illinois-- when he can go to Arkansas and pay $25 a week tor the same injury? The situation in workmen's compensation legislation is so bad, in fact, that the Secre tary of Labor, Mr. Mitchell, although speak ing for an administration (hat normally fol modem industry is practically limitless. None of the ways by which man make* a living is completely free of some hazard to physical or mental health. The risk of oc cupational disease grows greater every day as industrial processes become more and more dependent upon and saturated with toxic dusts, fumes, vapors, gases, acids and alkalies. Every' day thousand* of workers arc ex posed to everything from arsenic to mercury poisoning, from benzine compound* to mag nesium poisoning, from sulphuric add to chromium poisoning. Thousand* have no physical or legal protection whatsoever against the chemicals and poisons that are slowly killing them. lows a hands-off polio1 in State legislation, has been constrained to speak out and to plead with the slates to bring (heir laws into line with modem conditions. But because employers can play off one state against another in this matter, the re* ulu have been somewhat negligible. There UNAWARE OF RISKS In fact, many are not even aware of the risk. They will find out what it is too late. In many states they will also find out that they have no right to compensation under the occupational disease law. I wonder howsou tell a man who has contracted carbon is no indication that the remedy wilt ever tetrachloride poisoning, for example, that catch up-with the need, until there U broader lx isn't entitled to benefit* under the occupa recognition 'hat industrial accident* arc a tional disease law because the legislature of national problem--one that * truly solvable hi* state hasn't seen fit to recognize that only on the national level. carbon tetrachloride poisoning is an occupa The lack of a strong and equitable work men's compensation system leads to a cor responding bek of interest in enforcement of safety codes and regulations. In many Hates the Bureau of Factory Inspection-- by whatever name it goes under--is little more than a sop to the conscience of the tional disease? t recently rend a statement to Uie effect tliat "the scope of occupational disease is s4 almost beyond calculation** and "it cornel, in fact, unpleasantly close to being the major public health problem of our time."* 18 Labor Safety If that U so--and l for one am inclined to Micvc it--it .is tragic commentary on our tune--cat the ethics of a business community that lias done so little about it It is even more tragic in view of the fact that we are now entering a new phase m our industrial development---a phase of such sweeping change that some commentators have re ferred to it as a new industrial revolution. Think of that--we are entering a new in broken down under the stress of life in * complicated, impersonal and highly indus trialized society. But we don't know howmuch more stress people can take, or what effect automation will have on a worker's nervous system. At what point doe* the human mind crack up from sheer loneliness, lack of contact with fellow workers, from iminlemapted repetition and brainwashing boredom? dustrial revolution without ever having fully f am not just tossing questions out at mired the problems that attended the old random here. AH of the things I am talking one. * t wonder if it will again take us 100 years io make even a decent start on the health and safety problem* that will arise out of about--from workmen's compensation and occupational disease to radiation and mental distress--have * valid relation to industrial health and safety--and arc proper subjects automation and atomic energy. These prob of labor interest. lem* are not a part of a distant tomorrow hut arc already a part of the world today. Now more than 1,500 industrial plants are LOOK FOR DANGERS For safety i* a broad term. It is defined using atomic materials in one form or as: (1) the state or condition of being another--in 1,500 establishments American fe; (2) freedom from danger or risk; workers are already exposed to the hazards of atomic radiation. Can we say the sure laws in existence today--indeed can we say chat any system of state inspection and compensation -- are adequate to care for the workers who will Ret leukemia or bone cancer because of exposure to atomic radiation ? and (3) freedom from injury. Safety means freedom from any kind of danger, risk or injury. When we apply that definition to industrial condition* we must think in term* of hidden dangers as well. We must change our attitude toward oc cupational diseases--go out looking for them instead of trying to pretend they don't exist DON'T KNOW PROTECTIONS Personally, 2 feel somewhat discouraged about the prospects. How can the states protect and care for victims of industrial radiation when they Itavcn't vet learned to protect and care for victim* of occupational diseases that have been prevalent for genera tion*? We need only look at silicosis *nd pneumoconiosis to sec the failure And iailure to provide adequate treatment and compensation for these dreadful dust diseases *s paralleled by the failure of industry to finance program* of research that would lead to thdr prevention at the source of exposure. Related to the problem* of occupational disease and radiation is another matter that has received almost no attention in industry, or implying if they- do exist, that they have no relation to industrial cause*. I am not exaggerating when I say that industry' ha* taken a "head-in-the-sand" at titude up to now. It ha* tried to cover up occupational diseases rather than to isolate, prevent and care for them. Tliere ha* been . little research--cither governmental or private--in the field. The Public Health Service spend* lets than one cent for each worker each year on the pre vention of occupational diseases. The Na tional Institute of Health, which ha* made hundreds of research grant* during the past three or four years, ha* made le* than half a dozen m the field of occupational health, There is an iron curtain of seerecy .tround this whole subject. or in government. That is the matter of Nut only doe* industry fail to support mental disease. Wc already know enough next subsidize research in occupational dis about automation to know tliat it will throw ease*. itself, but men who have tried to do worker* into a lonely and eerie world in independent research find tliat it Is virtually habited by monster mechanical devices. impossible to get facts, information, or co We also know that our mental hospital* operation from the people in industry who arc already crowded with people who have are in a position to help. Worse still, if a 19 1957 Kaliana] Safely Congress research project does tend to show a cor relation between employment and disease, the authors find it is almost impossible to (t their work published or distributed. The result is a deplorable lack of informa tion about occupational disease. We are years behind other countries in this respect. One expert in this field said that research in pneumoconiosis in this country is 25 years behind that of Great Britain. SECRETS PREVAIL IN INDUSTRY Industry actively opposes objective re search and free interchange of information on occupational diseases because it is more afraid of the possibility of paying compensa tion benefit* than it U that workers will die from lade of proper information and ade quate precaution. Here are specific examples that wilt illusstratc this point. There is some medical evidence that the chemicals used in the dye industry and in the manufacture of synthetic rubber cause or contribute to cancer of the bladder. In fact, one of these--amine--is so dangerous that it has been outlawed for all industrial uses :n Britain since 1951. But efforts to prove, publicize and restrict the dangers of this deadly arid have hit stubborn resistance in this country. The large chemical companies haw refused to find out if amine does contribute to cancer of the bladder and have stroogly resisted in dependent research into this problem. Much the same situation bolds true in the asbestos industry. There appears to be de rided after-effects on workers who produce asbestos in that there is a marked correla tion between asbestos employment and lung cancer. Here again, the industry has been traditionally reluctant to cooperate in a full scale scientific study of this curious correla tion, This reluctance to do research ia health hazard* recurs in industry after in dustry. -DOCTORS OFTEN IIASEO But even worse when workers do succumb to cancer of the bladder or the lung, or to some other equally horrible diseases, we arc treated to the spectacle of company doctors who testify that the disease couldn't possibly have been caused by their employment. Doc tors are supposed to be above reproach is our society. But as a tabor official I have known of too many cases in which company 20 doctors have testified against workers and for management in occupational disease cases even though they knew their testimony was biased. It should not surprise us that doctors can be unobjective tn these cases where their testimony is bought and paid for. We have only to look at the wide-spread difference of opinion among doctors as to the effect of cigarette smoking to see that tbtir testimony can sometimes be something less than truth ful. Most doctors who arc not ia the pay of cigarette companies are convinced by all the scientific evidence on record that cigar ettes undoubtedly contribute to lung cancer. But the doctors go the payrolls of the to bacco companies either deny that cigarettes contribute to lung cancer, or at best main tain that there is not yet enough proof. As we contemplate these conflicting views among professional men--sad as we thought fully study the reluctance of iudmuy to be honest about this matter of occupational disease---we cannot help but wonder whether the lust for profits has node many men for get the real pnrpoae of fife What is the real purpose of fife? Is it production and profit--or the wefl-being of the mSridtnJ? If there is ccc&et between the two. do we sacrifice prodocrioa and profit or the well being of the individual? The ethical answer is obvions. Bn the practical methods of reaching the logical ethical ooodurion are more ritffrnfr _ FEDERAL ACTS Nffi We could make a start by enacting cc*nprehmtive federal workman's compensation and occupational dbeaae k|iibfion to take the place of the chaos that results from having 4* different state systems. But I have no hopes for sodx a constructive ap proach ia the foreseeable future. I am afraid the insurance lobby, and the employer groups that profit from weak administration are too strong for us at this time. So well just have to make that one of our long range objectives. But there are some things we can do right now. We can try to have programs set up in the National Institute of Health and in the Public Health Service which would recognize the importance of occupa tional disease--and which would put the re search effort in this nation on a par with that of other civilized industrial nations. Labor Safety If we cannot get decent factory inspec tion from the state goverment, then we in the labor movement must resort to self-help. Many unions are thinking in terms of col lective bargaining clauses which would re quire the employer to adopt the safety jtandards set by the American Standards Association as the minimum acceptable in the shop. LAROR HGHTS FOR SEIF We are also prepared to bargain for more supplemental injury benefits when the com pensation provided by sate laws is not ade quate to sustain a worker and his family. Although our efforts will directly benefit only the 17 million organized workers, per haps they will release new pressures that anil eventually result in improved legisla tion benefiting alt workers. The American labor movement has but cne purpose-one reason for existence in .American life--to serve and protect Ameri can workers. There arc times when we make ourselves pretty unpopular because we keep looking for the things that arc wrong with American industry and American society. I may have offended industry men with this indictment of the ethics and morals of our business community. But I would be derelict in my duty and false to my trust as jut elected officer of one of America's greatest unions if 1 did not say frankly and candidly that we in the labor movement are not satisfied with present legislation relating to industrial health and safety, workmen's compensation and occupational diseases. In a sense this is a great challenge to the National Safety Council--a challenge that can be met only if alt facts are squarely faced. If we tn the labor movement could count on your assistance in the fight for better legislation and more research on both the state 2nd federal levels we might, to gether, make this a far happier, healthier and safer nation in which to live and work. GOOD COMMUNICATIONS HELP SAFETY by etOROC SCRIVEN public relation, director. United Rubber, Cork, Linoleum & Mmtic Wortor* ot America, AFL-CIO, Akron, Ohio Oar tg-ntr3tin% has been safety minded ior many year*. The record 00 that score `peaks for itself is a loud and dear manner. The results of our efforts, tn cooperation with enlightened managements, tell the story of bow we have seen the number of acci dent* reduced is the plants in which our members work. I shall not go into specific figures on frequency rates and such. 1 don't suppose any of you would dispute the flat statement that good communications help safety. But I'd like to try and give you some of the techniques, the how and the why of that statement. First, let's do a little word analyzing. I certainly don't want to sound like the pon tifical professor lecturing his class on sematic*. But when we say good in our topic, "Good Communications Help Safety," we immediately infer that there is another kind besides good. And there certainly U. I think there is a lot of bod and fuzzy com munications going on <zi all fields. Within the subject matter at hand, I would say the word good means that type which gets some concrete reaction and re mits. In the United Rubber Workers, we think our coramuntcatious have been good because we have the results to show for it. MUST HAVE RECEIVER Now for the word communications in the phrase. You can't have communications-- the good type that is--unless someone is sending the message and someone is re ceiving it. I was in the Air Force in World War II, and I served as a radio operator in the Pacific aboard a 8-29 Superfortress. When I sent a message and no one received it, I didn't have communications. I was 21 1957 Saticmai Safety Congress juft talking to myself, and that wasn't x reason for it Anything short of that enlightening and certainly was of no prac isn't going to get through and U a waste of tical value. time. You've got to get through or you aren't communicating. Even with good communi cations--yes the best--you must remember that the transmission of ideas and advice is just a pan of helping to promote safety. The pamphlets, booklets, posters and news paper stories that we use in our safety work in the United Rubber Workers must meet the test of completeness, clarity and, most important of all. carry the reason, either You can't have good safety unless you directly or implied, for doing or not doing have safe conditions--no matter how good something to promote safety. I'm afraid your communication system is So that's there are times when we alt write or draft why we must keep in mind that good com messages that are dear to us, but are vague munications is an aid to safety and just in mass appeal. doesn't bring about safety automatically if proper safeguards are not taken in the first place. (ood communications then basically gets the word out to encourage us all to do what wc should do. Remember, the word has to he heard to have a chance of doing any Bond. In some recent issues of the United Rubber Worker, the official moothly pub lication of our union, featured in a promi nent spot, and boxed so that it caa be easily cut out. is a list of "do*" for workers when filing injury compensation claims. This i* a mass communication effort in helping safety. What are some of the ways of getting that word out--and in a manner that there PRAISE HIGH RECORDS i a good dance that tl will be listened to? Another recent issue of our paper carried HI try to omlme some of the ways that a story concerning the setting of X new the United Robber Workers has found to safety record by one of our local unions in be most effective. the East. It pointed up the tremendous rec Our union U considered as one of the tabor unions which pioneered well-estab lished safety programs, and l believe some nf our rommunkation techniques have been ord, comments by company and onion offi cial*. and named the committee members and the work they did in helping bring about this record. big help mates m our efforts- So, I'd like to talk a little bit about: mass towmonkatiwu. individual and/or selected group com munications. the dudtha technique, accident follow-up communication*, onion du*t and Our United Rubber Worker is profabl* out nxat effective toast emmunkation spring board for gening across our safety message. Your noon or company paper can do the saute. institutes. f think posters are effective too. I par MASS COMMUNICATION F>r<. considering the broad subject of mas* communication* as it applies to safety. I think it might be proper to point out you can't expect anyone to do something or not da something unless you dearly and con cisely tell him what to do or not to do. ticularly like the "right way" and the "wrong way" illustrations on afety posters and literature. Another effective technique is to mut in a few household hints with a safety message so that youll appeal to a wider audience--the whole family, wc hope. Often overlooked is the fact that posters can be placed in places besides the company By that I mean that dear and proper bulletin board or m the union hall. I'm direction is the responsibility of the sender-- thinking particularly that posters in a cof you as the safety man--in this business of fee itiad of restaurant near a plant can be communication. You've all no doubt heard effective. that one of the biggest complaints that em ployees have about bosses is that instruc tions are not dearly given. 1 think it's that way in using communica tion toots In safety work. The message must be dear, complete and there must be Remember, basically we're idling safety and one of the tools of idling is a program of constant and consistent reminding That brings us to our secood point--that of indi vidual and/or selected group commtmication*. 22 Labor Safely Here, for the most part, I want to deal with the safety committee in a plant. In the rubber industry, we have a number of joint labor-management safety committees. Many of our committees made up of union representatives hold regular meetings with management representatives for the purpose of discussing safety problems that ^nsc within the plant. Our policy is that <>ur safety committee* should be authorized other on a joint basis with management or on their own to make safety inspection trips throughout the plant. A good exchange of information between union and management goes a tong way towards helping promote afety. That'* good communications. INDIVIDUAL. LIMITED MESSAGES We liavc also found it advantageous to have minutes kept of safety committee meet ings. Copies of these minutes can be pro vided to members of the committee and the business of handling safety problems cart be expedited. That's another example of good communications. Perhaps one of the most important jobs of ilie afet>* committee should be to help promote an educational program on a joint basis with management to point up the im portance of the safety program. Everyone like* recognition for a job well tone. That's why a good awards system of ximc type can be developed on a joint labormanagement basis or a local union level to ive recognition to the department or divi sion of the plant with the fewest accidents. I know this is a familiar technique to many of you. but t want to point out that it U an effective communications technique loo because the word is passed through defwrtmcnt*, thus stimulating others to reach this award goal. In another phase of selected group com munications, t believe it is important that tlie safety committee members become ac quainted with the state division of safety regulations or codes and the division of the state labor department which has the authority of enforcement of safety regula tions or codes to find out how these state agencies can help their local union further their safety program. The checklist technique--the third point in this discussion---dovetails to a great ex tent with the work of the safety committee. \ good safety inspection guide should be given to the local union safety committee to make sure that certain items are looked into at each inspection made by the safety committee. I like to compare this with the checklist that an airplane pilot uses before take off. He doesn't take a chance on remembering everything that should be checked. He and his co-pilot take checklist in hand and go down a list of dozens of items to make sure that all is right before take off. A safety committee should follow a com plete checklist. This. too. is a form of good communications helping safety. Such a check list--which guards against memory lapses, oversights and provides a complete recordshould include such points as housekeeping, material handling methods, adequacy of space, points of operation, guards, mainte nance. handttools. floors, platforms, stairs, railings, cranes, hoists, elevators and rail ways. Other points should include electrical equipment, eye protection, other personal protection equipment dust, fumes, gases, vapors and mists, pressure vessels, other ex plosive hazards, oiling methods, chains, cables, exits, yards, roofs, roadways and any other items peculiar to a particular operation. ACCIDENT FOUOW-UP I have listed accident follow-up communi cations as a fourth point because f hdteve that we can Icam from mistakes. But t be lieve we can only team from those mistakes if we discuss them and--in short communi cate. The purpose of accident investigation is to discover hazardous conditions and prac tices so that further accidoits from similar causes can be prevented We attempt to tell --communicate, if you will--our members in safety work how to investigate accident* thoroughly to find how and why the acci dent happened and how and why it could have been prevented and can be prevented in the future. Often, in investigating an accident you will find an allied hazardous condition that will enable safeguards to be taken before' it is too late. We flatly say, as a pan of good communications in safety, that the safety committee should completely investi gate every accident and follow up fhe in vestigation with action. Keeping the lines of 23 Xatienat safety Congress communication open between union and man agement make* this follow-up possible. As * further part of setting the word out --or communicating with our safety committeonen. we fcoduct classes and clinics, which U the fifth and final point of this discussion. At onr compensation and safety clinics some time is spent in off-the-job safety, such as on the highway, in traffic, md in the home The intcroaiKra) Union has a library of vafety films used by local union safety com mittee* as well as at our clinics. We try m bring in outside speakers such as safety division, department head* and state factory division inspectors to give our safety com mitteemen a better understanding of how best to do their job*. Our committeemen -- and this ts again showing die value of communication*--at tend dty and state safety conference* as well as the President's Conference on Occu pational Diseases and the National Safety Congress. Incidentally, a good number of our local unions are affiliated with the Na tional Safety Council, Labor Conference, and we had more than JO delegates from widely-scattered local unions attend the Congress,.dh ROLE OF THE U. S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR IN OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY fey S. J. lUTCHR supervisor, safety & union branch, Bureau of Labor Standards. U. S. Dept, of Labor, Washington, D. C The Lr. S. Department of Labor has the responsibility for fostering the welfare of the nation's workers. This has been done in the past and is being Jww me---both di rectly and indirectly: large variety of technical and promotional activities dedicated to the etiimiauon and control of hazardous working conditions and the development and use of safe work methods. Directly it is being done through assist ance to tabor urban* at the national and international level in suggesting safety or ganization plans aad programs; through safety training courses for union repre sentatives and safety cocmnhtce members; through research and the preparation of promotional and educational publications. Indirectly it is being done through train ing state factory inspectors to do a more thorough and comprehensive job of inspec tion to provide safer work places; through special industry safety programs promoted through state agencies and operated through both labor and management to reduce work injuries in specific industries in certain states; through support of improved work men's oonpauatioB lows; through assist ance to states in the development of safety standards and codes; through participation on committees developing and revising American Safety standards; and through a While many of these activities are carried on in terms of service* to ocher groups and agencies which arc an thr firing line and are directly inpmiMe {or accomplish ments, the Bureau of Labor Standards is proud of it* supportiag rote in helping to supply many of the services which result in <afer working eondmen* for the working men and women of America. The Labor Conference offer* another common meeting ground oo which those agencies and group* having facilities and personnel available may make these services known and make arrangements for their use. As always, the Btirau of Labor Stand ards is prepared to assist not only state agencies, employers aad unions, but al*o groups such as the Labor Conference ta the promotion of safety. Fundamentally, this conference is concerned with three step* of safety promotion: organisation, planning, and implementation. 24 Labor Safety Tiie organization is now well established; wc are, at this moment, in the process of planning; The Bureau of Labor Standards lias the field staff to assist in implementing the projects of this Conference. HELD STAFF Our field staff consist* of regional safety consultants who service state, federal, mari time, union and industry activities within their area*. While there will be certain litnitatons of time, personnel, and funds, through this staff the Bureau wilt be able to allot lame of these men to the field work with key officials in these activities: TTouimp--Conducting safety training courses for key union personnel in se lected location*. Such courses have been conducted for the steel workers, auto worker*, rubber workers, machinists, and several others, two courses having been given in Arkansas and Iowa this month. OrgomsoSion--Assisting in the develop ment of plans and action in the organiration of safety committees and safety activities at the national, international, and state central tevcL /Verne/tow--Developing and assist in con ducting promotional safety programs for selected industries as is now bring done for the construction industry in Pennsylvania. Kentucky, and Minnesota. Publirolioit*--Conduct research and de velop material for helpful publications. .As an example of the type of publica tions that may be developed, here (dem onstrating) is a "Union Safety Guide" which explains the procedures for es tablishing safety committees, from the International to the Local level. It also gives examples of polio- and types of safety clauses used In union contracts. While the Department of Labor cannot provide sufficient copies of such publi cations for total distribution, the mate rials can be eompited and prepared for re-printing by your unions, the Labor Conference, or any other group. The Bureau of Labor Standards is a Federal agency established to be of service to State Labor Departments, employers, and unions in the promotion of worker safety. It is our policy and our desire to provide these servicesfWbcre they arc requested and where they will do the most good. The Bureau has a field staff to conduct safety training and to assist in organizing safety committee*. The Bureau can aid in the development of promotional methods and materials, and ran prepare material for publication. However, it is necessary that you make your needs known. Tell us what you want, and we will make every attempt to provide you with the services and materials to make your programs active and successful.^* NORTH DAKOTA TAKES SAFETY TO THE SMALL COMMUNITIES by t. M. RYAN commissioner, Workmen's Compensation Bureau, Bismarck, N- D. We all have had our troubles at times trying to put over our safety program but I think we should say with the Poet, "When things go wrong, as they some times will. When the road you're trudging seems att up hill. When the funds are low and the debt* arc high. And you want to smile but you have to sigh. Whco care is pressing you down a bit. Rest, if you must--but don't you quit." Industrial safety in N'orth Dakota is de pendent largely upon the plant inspection program of the Workmen's Compensation Bureau and the various safety education and training projects of community safety 25