Document aR60ZyN602kzXXYmbqoBy2me

420 Turntx-first Congress--National Safety Council Safe Versus Unsafe Switching Practices By P. F. NEFF Inspector of Safety, Pennsylvania Bailroad The sjwakcr said in part: Let us first pet a common understanding oi what an unsafe practice is. Many safety men have anidea tchal it is bat a great many oi them halt a hard time trying to tell you why it is. W hat is considered an unsate method hy cme jersun nay not lie fo considered by another, therefore reasonable grounds for a conclusion should be given. Here is my conception: An unsafe practice is the i>erionnancc of an act wherein the method employed to pirioi m h indicates tlic person is failing to use every |>recaution necessary to avoid an accident of any nature. . The reason, therefore, may In- due to the following causes: (1) mobility to an ticipate the consequences of such a failure; (2) ignorance of the proper precautions to take: *3) having acquired the habit of performing it that way; (4) failure to receive proi*er instructions in the method to be used; (5) iaflureto understand previous instruction? given: <61 if understood, iailare to comply "with the instruc tions. either willfully, jihvsical inability, or material detects. The why oi an unsafe practice has many angles of apjiroach. none of which can lie ignored ii the practice is to be eliminated. (The sjicakcr then showed a large number of lantern slides illustrating specific instances where unsafe practices were employed hy workers on the railroads.) Report of Committee on Train Accidents By GEORGE H. WARFEL Assistant to the Vice-President. Union Pacific System Alter showing a numlicr >>i tables giving cumtarable figures on the various types of train accidents over a period oi ten years extending from 1922 to 1931 inclu sive. the ]*eakcr said m part: Head a:wl rear c<*Jlisinn? Itavc always been the most spectacular oi railroad acci dent'. 1 luive wondered whether ir not we saictv men actnally realize tliat head and rear collisions have 1>ecn reduced more notably in the last ten years than in anv otlier jeriod and have leen reduced more notably than any other class oi accidents. We have a reductin of 65 per cent in ten years for all collisions, and 75 Ikt cm*, in ten years for head and rear collisions. There if another tyjic ! accident, however, which I Ivlicve wlien all is said and dmv. o>uld l*e r.n**t definitely held up as a true index of safety performance on railroad*. As a measure >f safety work, derailment scents to lie composed of the vitv vsfiiice "t accident jtrovmti*n work. One of tile factors undoubted!} con tributing t* a reduction in derailments is the increase in average length and average <1vd freight train?. Tlic average length of all freight trains ofieratcd lus in creased 25 per cent, and the average sjiced of all freight trains has increased 33 ]kt cent in the last ten-yrar i*crif*d. Nevertheless we have had a reduction in the tita! nmrlnT : derailments ot 05 per cent. If the Safety >er.ion ever nrcded substantiathei of their claims for lltc hnprovc- jwm uanie in tin* operation oi railr<ad. <uI>siantiation of their casualty rates and ihrir rvivrmcif ier>*n> killed and injured, this record on derailment should certainly give tacking t every safety man in the country. N'cvenht-ir-i*. we arr }rha|* inclined to he over enthusiastic alout our 1931 jcrf**nnanee. We lave always lwn engaged in a military movement. wc might say. in a:: aggressive attack carelessness and ttp*jn accidents. Since 1923, a iv.'ndiT!-.:! campaign has i*ecn waged. Our flying squadrons, and these arc the Safety Section, A.R~4.--Steam Railrocd Section, NS.C. 421 railroads whose rates have been greatly reduced, have advanced to iar distant positions and h has been largely through the advance oi these occasional squadrons that the average of our performance has been so greatly improved. We have made some new steps in 1931, and there is a thing we haven't taken into consideration: The ground that we have traveled over in this last year in pressing this salient forward, (to use an old illustration) was much easier ground to work over than it has been in preceding years. Whenever the business of this country begins to really improve, whenever the business of our railroads begins to really improve, when the intensity oi our traffic begins to concentrate again, we are not going to have such pleasant figures to look at as we are looking at today. On many railroads there will never be again the fraction ot the percentage oi velvet man-hours that we have had in the past Great numbers of clerical forces have been reduced, consolidations have been made, and I doubt very seriously whether wc will ever see again the organizations that we had on railroads three or four or five years ago. Furthermore, this easy ground that wc Itavc gone over has Itad tlte result of making us possibly over confident, and it 1933. or this last year oi the "33 by *33" sltould develop a wonderful conic-hack, wc will have much more difficulty in coming in here with a reduction comparable to 1931 and 1932. Wc should be consolidating our positions now. Wc should be bringing up all the rear troops of education and enlightenment and pressure tliat we can. and pet the nucleus force that we now have on railroads so thoroughly trained and so thoroughly imbued that they will carry out this safety program. There is no greater mistake wc can make than to let our enthusiasm wane, let the enthusiasm of our men want now in this easy ]*crkx! of our campaign, because tlicre is going to be a counter attack. The Economic and Other Values of Safety By 0. H. PAGE General Superintendent. Atlantic Coast Line Railroad The speaker said in part: Sometimes we Itear lltc question. *WIat about this safety movement; What does it mean: What arc you trying to accomplish:** \\ fth the greatest pride, wc may answer tliat question hi language and figures oi accomplishment on American railroad?. In 1923, tlicre were killed on the American railroads 2,056 employees and 147.936 injured. Quite an appalling situation. In 1930, those figures had been reduced by methodical means of safety to Q72 killed and 33,107 injured, a reduction oi a little over 77 jicr cent. Again I mention with the greatest pride tliat tlte railroads oi this country have reduced passengers killed hy railroad accidents, all classes, from 229 in 1920 to 41 in 1931--82 ]rr cent. A meat packing concern iotmd by the application oi safety methods that they could cut down their cost ier payroll for cadi $100 from $125 to 33c in three years, a reductum of 73 i*r cent. It has been found by a stone com|iaiiv in its K-rations tliat by the application of safety methods, $62,000 a year has Ixxn saved. One of our leading railroads has paid particular attention to safety work and h is shown tliat in 1923 that railroad paid out fur personal injuries $432,000. Itm in 1931 that sum had been reduced to $135,000, a saving oi about $300,000. or 69 per rent. I have watched this safety movement very carefully and as J went afom attend ing the different safety meetings 1 always tried to leave the thought indelibly im pressed upon the employees. "This is yuur movement, something started and carried on iu your behalf. V*m arc tlte greatest beneficiary.** And the response to that api*cal lias been fine and noble.