Document gad6mw7D1ZQx40Og6e9RVOpn3

44 Twenty-second Congress--National Safety Council \Wnt wc really octO is a strenglhroing of the tcdnkal side oi the compensation mu tu keep pace with the increased factual tndcrttaodaig regarding the occupational diseases. Hus docs not merely refer to the Court* themsetas but should begin with the pruurulgathm of accurately worded compensation sets which dorty define the dircasq fur which compensation is to be raid. Compensation t should be assisted by boards of technical experts composed of engineer a appointed by the deans of the various engineering schools and of physicians appointed by the dans oi the recognized medical schools. The engineers selected should have a very com* plctr knowledge of factory conditions and the field of vailDalion. and the physicians should be experts in the field of industrial hygiene and occupational dt**. It is only with the aid of such highly specialized boards, or their cqtriraloiu, that the cumjmtsatioa commissioners may be able to do complete justice to both sides in thoe highly technical cases. It is the belief of the speaks- that employers and cm* [Joyces alike would benefit greatly from the establishment and use of such boards. In order to hasten the establishment oi this system employers arc justified in ap pealing to their legislatures with this end in view; certainly such a leghiznate demand should receive the hearty support os aQ concerned. Frequently one is asked, what should be done with those claims which arc based on IhtVr or no real evidence of injury to the worker but which are merely reared by sume very enterprising attorney? Such claims are, I have been told, becoming very common of late and constitute a real problem to tndcstry. It is obvious that the compensation advisory boards suggested earlier will, as soon as they are formed, serve the future as a healthy bulwark against this type of baseless claim and 1 venture to predict that few such cases would be favorably acted upon by a board of real experts in this field. At the present lime factory officials should employ the very best legal talent available and should reinforce such legal talent with *hntfat and medical experts thoroughly versed in the field of silicosis. Many have been lost hy a failure to bring to bear the requisite technical aid required to prove the ma-cxistcncc of a hazard. Here is an excellent example of a in which money may be saved m the aid by increased expenditures. We now arrive at the final steps in the control of this problem, the physical and X-ray examination of the worker. Every factory shoald have pre-employment and routine post-examinatioas. It seems obvious that the burden of the health of the worker should not be placed im the plant w ithout the privilege of the pre-e-.ipJoyment cxamiiulkn. How on industry be legitimately expected to hire a worker "in the bUnd~ as to his or her physical condition and then a day later be expected to fh-Mdrr the harden of the worker's health? By repeated physical examinations it- is possible to discern the faint early deviations from normal health if any take place. In this imnner the employer would be forewarned very early W any workmen showed hmg changes suggestive of early sQjcosts. The routine rattastrial health i^ a bread scale throughout the. major portion of American industry would constitute a public health procedure of major significance. By hs means a very large propor tion of the population would be aided in the prevention of the degenerative diseases of middle life which today constitutes sud) a real ADJOURNMENT TWENTY-SECOND ANNUAL SAFETY CONGRESS NATIONAL SAFETY COUNCIL Falls of Persons THURSDAY AFTERNOON SESSION October 5, 1933 The special session devoted to discussion of problems arising through falls of persons was oiled to order by \V. & Paine, manager. Engineering amt Inspection Department. Aetna life Insurance Company. Hartford. Connecticut, who presided. Chairman Paine welcomed the delegates and immediately introduced the first speafer- Ladder Accidents and Their Prevention -- :* % By F. I*. HURLBUTT Manager, Patent Scaffolding Cow Chicago, IIHocss The speaker satd in pan: In discussing ladder accidents, let us divide our st&jeel into three divisions: CD selection; (3) care or maintenance; and (3) proper use. I can think of no piece of plant equipment in which there is the opjawturaty to buy either safety or accidents dm there is in ladders. Basically, no ladder b better the poorest piece of stock used in hs construction. Only well scavmrd. straightgrained woods should be used. For extension and string ladders, the rails should be of spruce. Douglas fir, Norway pine or long leaf yellow pine. Because the last named is somewhat heavier, it b not as desirable as the others. Rungs of oak. ash or hkkory are by far the best, and here grain b all important. To assure straight grain, the best rungs are band split in distinction to the ordinary machine turned rung. The secttonal size of side rails must vary with the Irogth of the laddrr. and likewise the diameter of the rungs must van- with, the width of the ladder between the ride rails. But in no should the diameter of the rung be less than Ijf inches, nor the tenon less than ft inches. A genuine safety measure on extension ladders b the use of automatic locks, instead of the old fashioned gravity locks. All hard ware should be of malleable iron or mild steel. No cast iron fittings should be permitted. Much discussion has been indulged in over the question of whether rung towns should extend fuDy to the side rails or only to within a quarter of an inch. My experience b that where the tenons do not go all the way through the rails, suefa ladders retain their rigidity better and do not get wobbly as soon as ladders which hare the reds completely bored through. Also, moisture is less likely to get at the tenon of the rung and cause rot. 45