Document gax1ajqVo93xEw6EBZwVgbzn3

FILE NAME: National Safety Council (NSC) DATE: 1936 Oct DOC#: NSC164 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION: Excerpt - Transactions of the NSC - 25th National Safety Congress 25th M afm nal Safety Cmgiress NATIONAL SAFETY COUNCIL, I n c . ATLANTIC CITY, NEW JERSEY OCTOBER 5 to OCTOBER 9, 1936 Ambassador, Chelsea, Ritz-Carlton Hotels and Atlantic City Auditorium Copyright, 1936/ National Saltty Council, Inc. I#* W 1 si T HE Transactions of the T w enty-fifth National Safety Congress, 1930, are published by the National Safety Council in two volumes. This, the first, contains the general, the special subject, and the Industrial Section sessions. The second volume contains the ses sions of the Child Education, H om e Safety, Street and Highway Traffic and Vehicle Fleet Sections. All industrial members of the Council automatically receive Volume I. Volume II is sent to members be lieved to be interested chiefly in the sessions it covers. Other Council members, however, may obtain it upon request. Many members have found it worth while to distribute copies of the Transactions to supervisors, foremen, and others in an administrative or supervisory position who may make practical use of them for reference purposes. The following quantity prices are quoted on extra copies: 1 to 10 copies of the large volume, $1.50 each; 11 copies or more, $1.25 each; copies of the smaller volume. 50 cents each. fe TH E Transactions are published as a condensed record of the proceedings at the National Congress. The papers of each session or division of the Congress have been edited carefully to eliminate extraneous matter and to abbreviate the less essential portions because of space limitations. Thus the material herein presented is not a verbatim report of all the speeches presented at the Congress, but rather an abridged version made as com pact as possible, yet without injury to the technical aspects of any address. The original manuscripts are on file in the Council's Bureau of Information, where they are available for additional reference. Where illustra tions were sent by the speakers to the Council, these also are on file. The National Safety Council at its Congresses seeks to eliminate from discussion matters which are not perti nent to the aim of the Congress or which are contrary to Council policies. It cannot accept responsibility for the views expressed either in the papers presented or in the discussions based upon the papers. NATIONAL SAFETY COUNCIL, I n c . 20 North Wacker Drive C h ic a g o Council Officers and D irecto rs...................................................... . 4 Council Purposes and P olicies.......................................................... 9 A nnual M eeting of M em bers............................................................ 11 A nnual B an q u et..................................................................................... 31 Subject Sessions-- E x h a u st S y ste m s.. . ................................................................... 37 F ire P rev en tio n ............................................. .1............................... 53 Industrial Health--American Association of Industrial P hysicians and S urgeons........................................................ 61 In d u strial N u rsin g ......................................................................... 69 In d ustrial Safety L ec tu res.......................................................... 79 In ju red W orker, T h e ................................................................... 99 M aintaining In terest in S a f e t y . . . . ........................................ 109 O ccupational D iseases.................................................................. 117 Safety Belts ........................................................................... 127 Safety Equipment 141 Safety E xchange ........................................................................... 151 S afety Fundam entals for B eginners........................................ 159 Safety T raining ................................................... 171 A eronautical S ection. _......................................................................... 181 A. S. S. E .--E ngineering S ection........ ........................ 191 A utom otive and Machine Shop S ection.. v.................................... 197 Cem ent S ection...............................................i ..................................... 205 Chem ical Section....................... ..................i...................................... 223 C onstruction S ection...................................'. J..................................... 241 F ood S ection............................................................................................ 253 M arine S ectio n ......................................................................................... 269 M eat Packing, T anning and L eather In d u stries S ectio n ........ 287 M etals S ection........................................................................................... 299 M ining S ection....................... 319 P aper and P u lp S ection....................................................................... 347 P etroleum S ection................ 361 P ow er P re ss S ection................ 395 P ublic U tilities S ection........................................................................ 405 Q u arry S ection.................................. 425 R efrigeration Section............................................................................. 443 R ubber S ection....................................................................................... 461 Safety E quipm ent S ection................................................................... 483 Steam R ailroad M eeting...................................................................... 489 T extile S ection....................................................................................... 501 T ra n sit S ection....................................................................................... 503 W ood P roducts S ection....................................................................... 517 Index ....................................................................................................... 531 Safety Council, Inc. HONORARY MEMBERS A ssociation of I ron anti R obert \V. C ampbell A utimir W illiam s . Lew R. P almer S teel E lectrical E ngineers O FFICERS (1936-1937) Du. C. H. W atson, President D. D. F ennell, Vice-President for Public Relations Dr. H art E. F isher, Vice-President for Health J ohn B. Gibson, Vice-President for Community Safety Councils H on. H arold G. H offman, Vice-President for Public Safety A lbert S. R egula, Vice-President for Engineering A. V. R ohiveder, Vice-President for Industrial Safety R. T. Solensten, Vice-President for Membership A lbert W. W hitn ey, Vice-President for Education V W . E. W orth, Vice-President for Finance and Treasurer. \V. H. Ca.mf.ron, Secretary and Managing Director EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE (1936-1937) George J. A dams. Paper and1Pulp Section C. M. A llen, Metals Section C. B. At;el, Past President !i: ! J. I. B an-ash, Past President 1 C. W. Bergquist, Past President ' H arold S. B uttexhkim; The American City Magazine W. If. Cameron, National Safety Council. Inci Robert W. Campbf.ll, Past President Robert I. Ca tun, Aetna Casualty & Surety Company Lewis A. D eBlois, Past President C. W. D empesy, Food Section Marcus A. Dow, Past President D. D. F ennell, Consulting Engineer D r. H art E. Fisher, Chicago Rapid Transit Company R. B. Fortuix, Lehigli Valley' Safety Council C. W. Gibbs, Mining Section J ohn B. Gibson, Western Electric Company , H arry Guilbert, The Pullman Company H on, H arold G. H offman,1 Governor of New Jersey 4 J O FFIC ER S A N D D IR EC TO R S, Continued E. C. H olden, Jr., Marine Section H arry J. K ellf.y, Wood Products Section W alter G. K inc, Past President Wxt. C. K noelk, Milwaukee Safety Commission a J o h n E. E onc, Past President \ Titos. H. M acD onald, United States Department of Aericulture E. J. M ehren, Portland Cement Association W. J. M elville, Chippewa County Safety Council I. W. M illard, Industrial Gloves Corporation H arold L. M iner, E. I. du Pont dc Nemours & Company E. J. O 'B rien, J r., Louisville Safety Council L ew R. P almer, Past President C. E. P ettiione, Past President A lbert S. R ecula, Industrial Relations Counselors, Inc. Lt. Col. H enry A. R eninger, P ast President A. V. R oiiweder, Duluth, Missabe & Northern Railway Company D. L. R oyer, ASSE-Engineering Section George E. S anford, General Electric Company C harles- B. S cott, Past President C arl L. S m it h , Cleveland Safety Council C. W. S m ith , Standard Oil Company (Indiana) W alter D ent S m it h , Delaware Safety Council R. T. S olensten, Elliott Service Company C. P. T olman, Past President G eorge G. T raver, Chicago Safety Council R obert R. W allace, Worcester Safety Council D r. C. H. W atson, American Telephone & Telegraph Company A. W. W hitn ey , National Bureau of Casualty &Surety Underwriters W . E. W orth, International Harvester Company A rthur H. Y oung, Past President D IR EC TO R S (1936-1937) George J. A dams, Paper & Pulp Section C. M. A llen, Metals Section N elson R. A nderson, Seattle Traffic & Safety Council F rederick A rcher, Child Education Section A. L. A rmstrong, Chemical Section J. I. Ba n a sh , Consulting Engineer' J ohn J. Barada, Public Utilities Section E rnest W. B eck, United States Rubber Products, Inc. C. W. B ergquist, Western Electric Co. D avid S. B eyer, Liberty Mutual Insurance Co. Clifford M. B isho p, Brooklyn Safety Council O F F IC E R S A N D D IR ECTO R S, Continued E. F. Blank, Jones & Laughlin Steel Corp. C. F. Borkenhagen, Kenosha Safety Council S. D. Boyd, York County Safety Council A. W. Breeland, Petroleum Section F. S. Brown, Standard Accident Insurance Co. S. W. Burchiel, Automobile Club of Rhode Island H arold S. B uttenheim , The American City Magazine P reston D. Cai.i.um, Baltimore Safety Council \V. II. Gam m on, National Safety Council ^ R obert I. C atlin, Aetna Casualty & Surety Co. M. A. Clark, Automotive and Machine Shop Section H. H erbert Corson, Safety Department, Nashville Chamber of Com merce F rank E mery Cox, Berkeley Traffic Safety Commission Robert W. Ckowther, Springfield, Massachusetts Safety Council ' J. E. C ulliney, Bethlehem Steel Co. LF.wrs A. Df.Blois, Consulting Engineer J ay E. Decker, Mason City Safety Council C. \V. Dempesy, Food Section J ames B. Douglas, Philadelphia Gas Works Co. D r. Louis I. D ublin, Metropolitan Life Insurance Co. ' D. D. F ennell, Consulting Engineer W D onald A. F inkbeiner, Toledo Safety Council D r. H art E. F isiier, Chicago Rapid Transit Co. H oward B. F onda, Burroughs Wellcome & Co. (U . S. A .) Inc. W illiam F orsyth, Superior, Wisconsin Safety Council R. B. F ortuin, Lehigh Valley Safety Council A lexander F oster, J r., Quarry Section C. W. G ibbs, Mining Section J ohn B. Gibson, Western Electric Co. H arry Guilbert, The Pullman Co. '"-...Isaiah H ale, The Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway Co. M ajor Bolling H . H andy, Richmond Safety Council D. T. H arrington, U. S. Bureau of Mines R. C. H aven, Vehicle Fleet Section G. T. H ellmuth, Chicago, North Shore & Milwaukee R. R. Co. C has E. H ill, New York Central Lines H on. H arold G. H offman, Governor of New Jersey E. C. H olden, J r., Marine Section F rederick B. H unt, Cement Section P. G. H unter, Power Press Section M orris E. H urley, Eastbay Safety Council M ajor N orman A. I mrie, Columbus Safety Council E dwin A. K ayskr, St. Louis Safety Council T homas P. K earns, Industrial Commission of Ohio O F F IC E R S A N D D IR ECTO R S, Continued K. T . K eller, Detroit Industrial Safety Council H arry J. K elley, Wood Products Section T hos. L. K elley, Paterson Safety Council J. M. K errigan, Rubber Section W m . C. K noelk, Street & Highway Traffic Section C. L. L aF ountaine, Great Northern R ailw ay Co. A. H. Lauer, Madison County Safety Ccvncil 1 J. E. Long, The Delaware & Hudson Railroad Corporation W . R. Loyd, Safety Div. Birmingham Chamber of Commerce L. T. M cA rthur, Peoria, Illinois Safety Council Tuos. H. M acDonald, United States Department of Agriculture M iller M cClintock, Traffic Audit Bureau T. H. M cK f.nney, Retired F. W. M atson, Minnesota Safety Council J ames R. M ays, Elizabeth Safety Council E. J. M eiiren, Portland Cement Association W. J. M elville, Chippewa County Safety Council I. W. Milliard, Industrial Gloves Corporation E. M. M iller, Employees Publication Section J ames K. M iller, Grand Rapids Safety Council H arold L. M iner, E. I. duPont de Nemours & Co. R. B. Morley, Industrial Accident Prevention Association E rnest M urphy, Albany Safety Council E. J. O 'B rien, Jr., Louisville Safety Council George C. A. O pp, The Detroit Edison Co. Geo. O ppenheim er, Kansas City Safety Council L ew R. P almer, The Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States j W ilson P almer, Meat Packihg, Tanning & Leather Industries Sec tion A. E. P arker, Transit Section D avid A. P atton, Newark Safety Council Mrs. G. M. P elton, Evanston Safety Council C harles W. P endock, Safety Division, Milwaukee Assn, of Com merce - a C. E. P ettibone, American Mutual Liability Insurance Co. Gen. George B. P illsbury, United States Engineer Office A rthur P otterton, Hudson County Safety Council A lbert S. R egula, Industrial Relations Counselors, Inc. Lt. Col. H enry A. R eninger, Lehigh Portland Cement Co. A. V. R oiiweder, Duluth, Missabe & Northern Railway Co. D. L. R oyer, ASSE-Engineering Section G. E. S anford, General Electric Co. H enry C. S chaffner, Erie Safety Council K arl G. Schoeffleh, Rahway Safety Council O FFIC ER S A N D D IRECTO RS, Continued H arry A. Schultz, United States Steel Corp. E arl S. S iiartzer, Utica Safety Council Gen. J ohn H. S herburne, Massachusetts Safety Council D r. L. A. S iioudy, Bethlehem Steel Co. E rnest L. S imonds, New Haven Safety Council Carl L. S m it h, Cleveland Safety Council C. W. S mith, StandardJDiLCo, find.) E dwin C. SiWmr, Blackstone Valiev Safety Council W alter D ent S m ith, Delaware Safety Council W. A. Snow, Construction Section R. T. Solensten, Elliott Service Co. P. E arl S pitzf.r, Contra Costa County Safety Council E. C. S pring, Lansdale, Pa. George R. Stephens, Safety Bureau. Buffalo Chamber of Commerce A rthur Mi T odf., Consulting Marine Engineer H arold M. T oombs, Refrigeration Section Geo. G. .Tracer, Chicago Safety Council W. W. T rench, Schenectady Safety Council W. D. T urbeville, San Antonio Safety Council Robert R. W allace, Worcester Safety Council D r. C. H. W atson, American Telephone & Telegraph Co. H arry M. W f.brer, Retired E. T. W hiter, Western Pennsylvania Safety Council \S. E. W hiting, Liberty Mutual Insurance Co. A. W. W hitney, National Bureau of Casualty & Surety Underwriters T. A. W illson, Accident Prevention Equipment Manufacturers' Sec tion T. A. W ilson, Textile Section ' -AV. H. W inans, Union Carbide & Carbon Corporation E. W . W irtii, Rochester Safety Council H arry W ise, S r., Chattanooga Safety Council J. M. W oltz, Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co. W. W. W ood, Steam Railroad Section W. E. W orth, International Harvester Co. E. J. Zauft, Safety Bureau, Duluth Chamber of Commerce E arl W, Z immerman, Safety Div. Syracuse Chamber of Commerce G. L. Z wick, St. Joseph Safety Council Ce The fund; tional Safet human life, continuous c tion that is to all types rectly or in citizenry. It non-sectarian filiations. S it has won r< institution. Inseparabl the Council' conditions ai eases in Ante Today thcr senting ever many of the are 400 forei ship include firms, individ chambers of organizations dusfrial concr companies, t the railroads automotive i sanding impo trial field. The history ing story, is In brief, the Congress wa Association <. Engineers in a result, the organized in year with for first year tii 971. -cntion k> statiscctly. Get statis' show you where -pauses it. 1 can stimulate because deep man honestly beood as somebody bow it. he meeting is ad- I Occupational Diseases FRIDAY MORNING SESSION October 9, 1936 The session was called to order by the chairman, Dr. Hart E. Fisher, Vice-President for Health, National Safety Council, and Chief Surgeon, Chicago Rapid Transit Co., Chicago, who presided, introducing the speakers. The Lesser Known Facts About Common Occupational Diseases By DR. R O B ER T B. H U N T Medical Advisor, American M utual Liability Insurance Co., Boston Probably the leader in the parade of industrial diseases is an acute or chronic inflammation of the skin which we call dermatitis. This disease may present it self in any tjpe of shop, factory or foun dry. Any paste, powder, gas or liquid which comes in contact with the em ployee's skin, even the water supplied by the town in which he lives or works, may be the potential cause of such a skin disturbance. The wide diversity of causes together with the varying susceptibility of differ ent individuals makes the problem of control difficult. Much investigation is under way to determine why one person may be sus ceptible to a certain substance while an other is not. It has been proved many times that a poisonous substance formed within the body has been able to prolong the action started by some external influ ence. A printer developed a marked dermatitis from ink which persisted for two years. Finally food tests were made and showed that he was susceptible to lettuce, which, when removed from his diet cleared the skin. He returned to his usual occupation without a return of symptoms. The poisoning of allergic substances is usually an accumulative process. It takes time to produce a manifestation of dis ease, but let any other substance cause the disease, and the irritating food may be of sufficient strength to magnify its action. All cases of dermatitis cannot he cured by eliminating offending foods, but fur ther investigation along these lines may give us a clue with which to lessen the loss of time from work and the discom fort now produced by industrial derma titis. Lead Metals The distribution of lead poisoning is quite extensive. The skin of the body is a protective covering, and as long as it remains in tact it does a good job except ir. the case of tetraethyl lead, which is used in blend ing gasoline and which is readily absorbed through the skin, having a tendency to create changes in the nervous system. The effect of other forms of lead, through that avenue of entrance, is practically nil, which explains the extremely low poisoning rate in typesetters, painters and others who continually come in contact with metallic lead. Lead in any form, introduced through the mouth, acts rather slowly when com pared with the inhalation of lead dust or fumes. However, no matter what the portal of entry may be, lead is acted upon by the body fluids and so converted that it may eventually be deposited with in the bones. Those bony safe deposit vaults may retain their lead contents for days or for years, and if the exposure is removed, may also free the employee of all signs x n t x-jiith A ain inif .Safety Jonyn'Ss symptoms of lead poisoning:. Rut me the surprise of that supposedly person when years later, perhaps ving; some type of infectious disease o excessive use of alcoholic bcvo.r- hc awakes to find that he suffers dies and pains and paralyses of an lead poisoning;. As the body fluids lead that it may be deposited, so those fluids attempt to de-lead the . and too rapid absorption may prothe original disease with all its disirts. >: can readily sec, then, that in some investigation of previous occupais quite necessary to determine the al contact with lead, uing of molten lead causes a black of lead suboxide to form on its surand the heat from the metal dis; the fine powder into the air. . in the process of smelting ores as zinc, copper and silver, mixed lead, we find a rather high lead iug rate. se engaged in the manufacture of vire and cables, batteries, glass, r and rubber industries, plumbers ors of dry colors offer their share poisoning. ably the greatest source of lead ng may he found among those ndpaper, scrape, chip or burn lead or the dust and fumes caused by divides are rather rapid in their Such workers may become inted in a few days because the 3ii of lead dust causes the maxiiiount of absorption into the blood in the minimum space of time. m limit is a metal widely used as a an for colors, and dusts from its salts may' produce lesions of the mucous membranes of the nose, m plating by electrolysis may lies which are similarly irritatliough chromium poisoning does Uy cause death, the number of absence from work on account icitv which it causes is graduasing. tnls ost efficient portals of entry of ihstances into the body are the nose and mouth. The smaller the dust (the size of smoke particles for example) the greater the speed of absorption by the blood. Fumes from hot metals carry not only poisons but numerous minute dust particles. This explains the inca pacities occurring among those engaged in acetylene and electric cutting and welding. When men are so employed over a prolonged period of time, the constant inhalation of fumes ami dust might produce symptoms of the metal upon which they work. In the ship building trade, particularly in the con struction of metal ships, we find occa sional c a s e s of metal-fume fever, "brass chills" and "speller shakes" from zinc are names applied by the lay people to such diseases. The terrific heat ap plied to some of our common metals and alloys L>y acetylene torches produces suf ficient fumes to cause a temporary inca pacity in 24 hours. Permanent disability from such causes is rare, however. Diseases Due to Dust Twenty-five per cent of all workers exposed to high concentrations of inor ganic dust are expected Ibo develop changes within their lungs due to that agency. We are at a loss to explain why the other seventy-five tier cent are not so affected. Mining, quarrying, foundry w o r k , grinding, sandblasting, abrasive soap manufacturing, asbestos work, the mak ing of emery and carborundum products and many other occupations offer op portunities for employees to inhale mic roscopic dust particles and create a foun dation for possible future incapacity. We are interested particularly in those men who work with sandstone, quartz, flint, granite, and sand, because they ex pose themselves to silica, and the chem ical changes between that dust and the body fluids, in the presence of tubercu losis, may and usually do lead to a fatal ending. It is safe to say, in light of our present knowledge, that the action of other in organic dusts is much less virulent and incapacitating. That, 'however, does not allow us to lower the vigilant methods to improve dust control and protect em ployees, because all dusty occupations are- potential trouble makers. Occupa/iouai Oismscs 1 i-J. Although the actions of various dusts differ within the body, the exposure to asbestos fibres, present in tiic weaving and grinding of dry asbestos material, offers another type of dust which may cause fatalities among workers. The organic dusts from cotton, silk, wool, tobacco, flour and similar sub stances are practically harmless. Such dusts rarely reach the lungs but may cause irritation of the windpipe and larg er air tubes and result at the most in a mild bronchitis. The factor which should be borne in mind, particularly when dealing with silicosis and asbestosis, relates to the progression of such disease. When changes occur within the lungs as a re sult of the presence of sue1.-dusts, nature forms scar tissue to heal such lesions but may fail to stop when the job is finished. As a result, the continuation of that heal ing process may lead to such structural changes within the lungs that partial or total incapacity may 'follow months or years after the employee has been re moved Iroiu his dusty occupation. Benzole-Benzene Benzol is a distillate of coal tar user! extensively in industry. It is an essen tial ingredient in the manufacture of ex plosives. It is an excellent solvent for grease, oils and cements, and because of that property it is important in many phases of the rubber and cleaning indus tries. In the manufacture of shoes ben zol may be an ingredient of the dressing applied to the leather and of the cement which fastens the heels and soles. Not only in the shoe trade but in other branches of industry where employees work with gummy, sticky material, the workers soon learn of the solvent and cleansing action of this liquid and use it freely for that purpose upon themselves. The subsequent outbreak of skin af flictions may be the first indication of such unauthorized use. Benzol is extremely poisonous, enter ing cither through the nose or mouth or absorbed through the skin. Its action within the body is varied and may pro duce a multitude of signs and symptoms. The bone marrow becomes affected which in turn ahers the character of the blood; hemorrhages are common; it may caus.e death. The fumes from benzol are heavier'(hart air and lie near the floor, which is an im portant point in the engineering prob lem of ventilation. The members of the benzene group are absorbed through the skin, and more cases of poisoning are found when men perspire than when their bodies arc cool. Probably the answer to that is that the fumes may solidify as they cool and the powder may settle on the skin. The sweat oti the body may dissolve this dust so that it is more readily absorbed through the increased surface blood supply. Chlorinated Hydrocarbons This group of petroleum derivatives has been known to science for years but during the past decade its advance into the industrial field has been widely dis tributed and most important. Led by carbon tetrachloride and its chemically associated members, it has furnished in dustry with refrigerants for ice chests, excellent solvents for rubber, wax, oil and grease, thiuners for lacquers and a very fine household necessity for. the re moval of spots from clothes. Hospitals have been using it more and more for tlu^ removal of adhesive plaster. Due to the non-flammability of car hop tetrachloride, it is used in fire ex tinguishers. The rapid evaporation pro duces fumes which may smother a small blaze, but we must not forget that ex cessive heat of the actual fire may bring about combustion sufficient to produce such biproducts as hydrochloric acid and phosgene gas. Like its associated mem ber, chloroform, it may produce sleep when inhaled by an individual, and only 1/350 of an ounce in a quart of air is necessary to produce such action. That thought must be remembered when a large quantity of those liquid products is spilled on the floor, perhaps accidentally. Action should be started at once before the liquid gasifies, and employees should be notified to keep their heads up to avoid tile low ceiling o. gas. Chemists have developed and intro duced to industry many new products, the basis of which is the chlorinated hy drocarbons. These derivatives of petro- nn distillation are frequently combined tii those from coal tar to form valua chemical combinations. They have en placed on the market so rapidly it medical science has been unable to termine their physiological effect upon health of naan. We have known that me of these chemicals are capable of ating changes in the liver, and only ccntly in a city in Massachusetts one these newer products caused the death two employees and a battle to retain among two others. Carbon Monoxide You remember the adage, "Where :re is smoke, there is fire." We might 1 to that, "Where there is fire there is lion monoxide." This odorless but poisonous gas may 'ur in any industry or in any home, but poorer the ventilation the better the nice of producing physical incapacity. Since the advent of the motor car, lose exhaust pipe may pour forth as ih as 6% of carbon monoxide, we are exposed to that gas, particularly in wded cities. The ordinary passenger - liberates about two cubic feet per nute, and one can readily estimate the vsical damage that may be done if :h a motor is allowed to run within the >rs ot a poorly ventilated garage or ip. Fortunately, serious cases of such :soning are not common among those ployed in public garages, but many of ise employees are likely to complain headache and faintness at the end of a 's work, especially in colder weather en doors and windows remain closed, n the steel industry, where gas is used the heating agency in the blast hir es, care must lie used to provide per ventilation. Within the mines, kers are warned to allow enough time wing blasts for the escape of this ring a colorless, odorless and tastegas, quick of action within the hubody, the manifestation of the very symptom may he too late to save a kman from partial or total incapacity icrhaps death. icausc the exposed person suffers from motor paralysis, he may be de to help himself or even to warn others' of the danger. Even if removed from the poisonous gas at that period, the damage actually done by the gas may result in permanent physical damage. Infection The skin is a protective covering of the body against infection and is ex tremely efficient as long as it remains in tact, but allow it to be broken or punc tured, introduce bacteria, and a battle ensues between the offensive agencies of infection and the defensive powers of the body. The winning of such a struggle may determine the presence or absence of incapacity. Infections a r e common throughout industry, but two types are particularly prominent -- infection result ing from anthrax and infection among meat packers and fishermen. Many of our fur, hair or wool-covered animals may contract anthrax. The germs of that disease defy the ordinary methods of sterilization and may linger on hides, bristles or hairs for long periods of time. Tanners, wool sorters, and hair or bristle Workers may introduce the anthrax spore beneath their skin and undergo much 'physical suffering and sometimes death. 1 Infections are frequently found among meat and fish packers and those engaged in deep sea fishing. Although death rarely occurs, the loss of fingers, hands and nasty septic wounds arc the result. Punctured wounds, cuts, abrasions, burns and scratches are potential avenues of entrance for bacteria which would seem to be waiting everywhere at all times for such a break in the skin. Early medical treatment might often save later surgical interference, not to mention the accompanying discomfort, incapacity and perhaps the loss of an essential body part. Summary I feel that the time has come when an employer must demand of a manufacturer the answers to two questions: 1. How will your product affect my business ? 2. How will your' product affect the health of my employees? That employer is entitled to honest answers based upon sufficient chemical and physiological examinations of the questionable product. That manufacturer ' A Y : , ' '/. i f n i J > . should be held responsible for the ills produced by the use of his product and unless he can guarantee its safety, it has no place in industry. Too many lives have been lost or jeopardized by too little knowledge of a product's action upon those who handle it. The incidence of lost time due to ill ness and injury in industry has been greatly lessened by the many agencies working along lines of safety. When in dustry has been made fool-proof by the substitution of non-toxic preparations for those now found to be harmful, ai d when each employee is imbued with the idea that constant thoughtfulness and care are most *necessary for the maintenance of health and happiness, then, and not un til that idealistic stage has been reached may vigilance and perseverance to main tain and preserve health, limb and life be lessened. Pre-Employment Examination as an Aid to the Control of Industrial Diseases By DR. W. C. TEM PLER Medical Director, C om ing Glass W orks, Corning, N. Y. We may well ask whether or not phy sical examination is of any value to the world at large, rather than limit the dis cussion to the control of industrial di seases. In the conservation of life and health much progress has been made in the eradication or control of such diseases as occur in epidemic form, as well as that type of disease which is not truly epidemic, but occurs in such frequency that general health programs are neces sary. Much has been done to control such disabling illnesses as heart disease, arterio-sclerosis, kidney disease and dia betes; and something has been accom plished in the control of morbidity, which tends to, at least, make people happier through good health, even though an in creased span of life is not gained. Physical examination has played a large role in accomplishing these things, be cause it was through physical examination and physical observations that investiga tors were led to exert themselves to find a remedy for the cause of such condi tions. Small-pox is no longer prevalent, due to such observations, which led to its control by vaccination. Malaria and yellow fever have been brought largely under control, and knowledge is now available in the control of venereal di seases, if the proper physical examination and laboratory methods are used to arrive at a diagnosis. We arc all familiar with the results obtained in decreasing the f death rate due to tuberculosis. In fact, in the treatment of all epidemic-type diseases that have so far been eradicated, the examination of patients to determine the severity of symptoms and the im provement has been of foremost value. Knowing that the average span of lif^ has been increased eight years in the last quarter century and assuming that the above mentioned factors have had some bearing on it, could we decry the value of physical examinations for the general population ? If we know that examinations made by insurance companies and their associating examining institutions, the clinics run b> the United States Public Health Service, and the great mass of physicians, who all carefully examine their clientele, have been of value in the control of disease, may we not assume that examinations In industry will help control the incidence and extent of industrial disease, particu larly when the life expectancy of 'in dustrial workers is less than that of the general population? In fact on April 14, 1936, at the Na tional Conference on Silicosis and Similar Dust Diseases, called by the Secretary of Labor, Dr. R. R. Sayers of the United States Public Health Service said, "Pre liminary and periodic physical and roem genological examination should he madof all employees engaged in industrial processes where there is a potential i j n " ,io/uu o a jciy congress 7? actual exposure to excessive concenions of silica in the atmosphere." '-'aturally in the early work of industry, y basic materials were used, ingredients i not arrived at a state of development I complexity, when intricate chemical npounds and other toxic materials were II known of, much less used. At the scut time over 500 materials are listed .ch can, under certain conditions, cause istrial disease and the list is by no ins complete, inasmuch as experimental rk is being done by the personnel of ctically every plant or industry to imve or enlarge its manufactured products taking advantage of the great amount knowledge science has given ns. ndustrial examinations arc of two ds. First, the pre-employment cxillation, which consists of a very carehistory, not only of the family, hut > of the previous occupations with gth of service in each, previous health 1 illnesses and present habits. Naturally I; a history is of no value unless truthy given and a reasonable amount of e must be taken to acqui._ details, :ch are often vague in a workman's id or considered by him to be unimt;,nt. The physical examination, of irse, varies with the type of industry, 1 should be given with the knowledge what the man's exact occupation is to and by a physician familiar with the ustrial processes in which he is to be doyed. In this way selected cmploy:it can be obtained for men who have ie basic disqualification for one job, which docs not impair their ability useful employment and the conserving Valth in another. : e physical examination must he rough. It should include all methods determining a latent disability or one : is already present. Many examina- forms are available from insurance ipanies or other health services, which been designed entirely for industrial . It has been the experience of men rested in this work, that all the special ;cs of the body must be tested as well he measurement of motion in all joints. cardio-vascular system is of great artance as is the respiratory and ro-intestinal tract. ^-examination and periodical checks, use of particular industrial hazards, must be correlated as to time spent in the hazard, although a period of one year is, perhaps, proper for persons who feel in good health and have no complaints, or who arc not working in toxic sub stances or with other materials which would under some conditions impair their health and usefulness. The objectives of pre-employment and post-employment examinations are the same, that is: the establishment of a physical standard in which the employee can pursue his trade or labor, having no discomfort or ill effect due to industrial exposure to harmful products. Such products and materials are, as we have mentioned, of great number and variety. Attempts have been made to classify workmen as to age, sex, color anil na tionality. Whether or not any of these classifications are of value, it still remains that the primary effort is to have healthy workmen and the benefit is of as great value to the workman as to the industry. The benefits of individual and community good health are numerous and obvious; and the benefits of good health to industryare equally important. The employee will be more productive, receive higher wages hnd be happier. The labor turn-over rate because of poor health will be lowered as will the costs of insurance. The working personnel will be more efficient and con tented. and will dislike to be exposed to the overt acts of people who are epileptic, insane or who disregard communicable disease, and will use their endeavors to work safely among hazards they have been taught to respect. The harmful exposure to each hazard is, of course, different, ranging from a few days as, for example, an acute poisoning from toxic gases, to that of 15 or 20 years in some of the less toxic dusts; therefore the period before re-examination for each class of employee will be dif ferent. However, individuals differ also and it is hard to state a definite period which may be satisfactory for each em ployee in a single class of hazard. Super visors can often he of great value in send ing employees out for physical examina tion whenever there is a change in ap pearance or work ability, or when they have been off on account of some illness, such as those self-diagnosed as commoncold, lagrippe, cough, sore throat or skin irritation. Such observations should be 7 Uccuf'utionai D isai ms considered, where there is not a full-time physician, and they are of the greatest value in the early determination of a susceptibility to or the beginning of an industrial disease. We are fortunate in having had a large amount of research work done on in dustrial diseases, until at the present time, materials from acetaldehyde to zinc are listed, together with the processes in which they arc used and the symptoms which they cause, and an estimate of the amount of exposure in nearly every case necessary to produce symptoms. It is really not too much of a problem for an interested physician to accumulate a sup ply of such knowledge, particularly when he knows the processes involved during the manufacturing procedure of his in dustry. It thus becomes relatively a routine matter of observation, together with examination for specific signs or symptoms at the time of the periodical re-examination, to obtain some degree of control of the hazard. We cannot discuss the benefits of preemployment examination and periodic re examination without mentioning some of the objections to it. If a man has a dis ability', he natural)*' is anxious to keep it to himself, and in some cases we find that the workman is disinterested to a point that he would rather not know of a disability even though he has it. Cer tain social groups regard each man as entitled to employment whether he is physically fit or not, on the assumption that industry hires labor, not health, and that rejection because of physical dis ability' causes a class of artisans to become prejudiced against and become charity cases. It is also alleged that the quality' of medical service in industry is such that the results of examinations are mis leading and of no value. Another objec tion is voiced by labor unions, it being claimed that pre-employment examina tions are used to discriminate against labor union workers or members. Many labor leaders realize, however, that preemployment examination and periodical check-ups are the only means of prevent ing disability from certain industrial hazards. Competent and honest medical service renders all these objections quite impotent; for if an endeavor is made to properly place employees, such a small percentage is finally rejected, and that percentage is so obviously unfit to .w..rk, that no fair-minded person can fad to see the justice of it. These objections, however, are being noticed by legislative bodies, and in one State a law is in force which says: "It is hereby declared to be the policy of the legislature of this State, in enacting this article, to prohibit through every law ful means available, any requirement as a pre-requisite to employment which com pels an applicant for eniploy'rncnt in any occupation coming within the purview of this article to undergo a medical examina tion." This statement is in a paragraph labeled, "I'revention of Silicosis and Other Dust Diseases," and the logic of it is entirely non-undcrstandable, even though at the present time there is no lawful means available to enforce the stated policy'. If physical examinations are of benefit to the population at large, they certainly' must be to the industrial workers, who may be exposed to special hazards; periodical check-up examinations are necessary in any hazardous work or trade.Q in order to protect the workers as well as the industry; and the benefits to the workers of proper and fair-minded ex aminations, in all ordinary cases, outweigh the objections. I have purposely omitted any' reference to the economics of pre-employment and periodic re-examination, which apply either to the individual or the industry. However, one of the great public health problems of today is the question of tfie cost of medical care. If industry assumes some of this cost by periodical examina tion in connection with the prevention of industrial disease, it relieves the individual of this responsibility and allows more room in his budget for the care of his family. The benefits to industry, of course, arc those of a better personnel and a lower rate of insurance. This rate, due to industrial disease hazards, is in many States very high and the logical conclu sion is that the real remedy lies in the prevention of industrial disease by any method, one of which, I believe, is pre- employmnet and periodical examinations. 9 , , ........... j i ijecy Congress What Can the Engineer Do to Eliminate the Hazards of Occupational Diseases? By R E U E L C. S T R A T T O N Supervising Chemical Engineer, T he Travelers Insurance Co., H artford, Conn. If I were asked, "Can the engineer pre- While the problem confronting indi ent the majority of occupational disease vidual safety engineers varies according ases" my answer would be, "yes." Ob- to the industry, there arc certain funda iously, with the exception of those mentals common to all such problems iseases brought about through a sudden which provide a workable basis upon r accidental contact with a poisonous which an occupational disease prevention \aterial or a virulent disease-producing program may be developed. Once these rganism, if the exposure were controlled fundamentals are set in motion toward a y engineering technique, then there safe working environment, continuance is ould be no occupational disease. much the same whether the engineer is The engineer must rely upon the :edical director to place individuals ipable of working in hazardous oecupa- engaged with a large organization or with a small one. The fundamentals follow this sequence: ons and to assist him in controlling (1) An occupational disease inventory lese individuals through periodic physical is required. xaminations when the men are exposed (2) A plan for correction of the ex > occupational disease hazards; but the posures shown by the inventory requires ugineer alone is responsible for reducing development. eneration of harmful substances and for (3) A concentrated attack upon the :e control of employees' contact with t major exposures first, following through rocesses using harmful materials. until all are corrected or eliminated. The ascribing of many and new occupa- i An inventory of all materials used in a onal diseases to industrial environment ; plant will astound the average engineer. as produced a problem for him. The He will find many items about which he ngineer generally works with materials may have little or no knowledge. He Inch he can see, but the study of in- may be confronted with items he had not isirial disease control may require the recognized previously, even though he has indling of invisible materials. It is a been associated with the plant perhaps mimon fault to focus attention upon one man}' years. When this inventory is com bject to such an extent that others of plete, he should card index it, placing ;ual importance may thereby be rele against the name of the material the health nted to obscurity. Today safety en- hazard associated with it both from a ueers and industrial hygienists are con- material and a process viewpoint. Such utrating their attention upon diseases a card index should contain the com used by the inhalation of dust, but I ponent parts or constituency of com >not believe the safety engineer is war- pounds. nted in confining himself to the preven- . Process exposures should be studied in on of diseases caused by dust alone. His conjunction with hazardous materials. nsideration should extend to include all Assistance in compiling such data may be atcrials produced in any manner that obtained in the bulletin "Occupation y may' cause an effect upon a worker, Hazards and Diagnostic Signs," prepared he question of whether a material exists a gas, a vapor, or a dust is but one of rticle size and chemical make-up. by Dublin and Vane of the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, and in a publi cation of the United States Public Health He must not forget that many such Service, Public Health Bulletin No. 216, leases are produced by exposure to "The Potential Problems of Industrial pors and gases as well as to dust, and Hygiene in a Typical Industrial Area in it the control of these industrial diseases the United States." ly be brought about by the application In addition the engineer should obtain -ertain fundamental principles common all available information upon the ma terials he is required to study. New Occupational Diseases i_ chcmicals, solutions, dusts, degreasing the open air does not always eliminat agent, condensation products, paints, lac the danger; in fact, it may increase th quers, dyes, abrasives, and other products number of workers affected. . too numerous to mention are being placed upon the market daily, and the average engineer's knowledge of their possible effects upon health is slight. Academic research determining the effect of these new materials upon humans is progressing slowly, and serious injuries may be sus tained in industrial application long before the toxicologist is able to determine the properties of the material and the maxi mum permissible amount to which a worker may be exposed. In seeking this information it is essential to determirfe in so far as possible the maximum per missible amount of contaminants which may exist in a work place without causing an occupational disease. Armed with this information, the en gineer is in a position to locate properly in his own plant the process and the operation in which the exposure may exist. The engineer should study together with the plant physician the length of employ ment of exposed individuals and they should jointly determine the normal ex pectancy or average length of employment for the specific exposure. From such data may be developed a factor of safety, and the maximum allowable period of em ployment in certain areas may be assigned. Naturally this study should be focused upon the more hazardous locations first, and when these are corrected, attention turned toward minor conditions. Process Revision. To reduce transpor tation of materials and exposure to harm ful substances it is desirable to have aIi processes mechanically continuous and, it possible, enclosed. When this cannot be accomplished, suitable physical divisions should be provided. The engineer should consider the substitution of wet processes for dry processes, providing at the sam< time for the disposal of the moist col lected material in a safe place. He should consider the substitution of automatic operations for hazardous hand work or machine work. A change of abrasive material will often reduce the quantity of dust produced. I can cite an example of how a little thought can cure a hazardous machine operation with little or no expense: A plant producing a finely pulverized materia! created large amounts of du.st in bagging the material, using porous sacks. This high concentration of dust, not neces sarily toxic, inconvenienced the workers. The cost of ventilating the department would have been prohibitive. By careful study the engineer determined that the fall of the material into the sacks forced the air out through the interstices of the material, carrying with it a quantity of the pulverized product. His problem, thus, was to provide a means whereby this air couid he harmlessly expelled from the sack prior to filling. Study led him to Housing. One of the most important suggest and apply the use of a collapsed considerations in attempting to control oc paper bag which contained Tittle or no cupational disease is housing. Whenever free air. The problem was solved. Dust practical, any hazardous manufacturing generation was practically eliminated b> process should he separately housed and this simple change. Many hazardou.isolated; every effort should be made to processes in ordinary manufacturing operaarrest harmful substances--dust, vapors, tions may be cured in like manner if the or gases--at their source of generation. engineer exercises his ingenuity. Buildings should be so constructed that Ventilation. Froper ventilation is 01 accumulations of dust may be avoided. paramount importance in the control oi When physical separation of depart any occupational exposure. Most of the ments is required, such physical divisions chief occupational diseases other than should he dust or vapor tight. Floors dermatitis arise through the inhalation or should be tight to prevent transfer of the ingestion of foreign material. If ven materials to floors or departments below. tilating equipment can reduce the conceit The engineer should give study to the tration of contaminating materials to complete enclosure of machinery or safe limit, the problem is solved. The en process units as individual units and, if gineer should study each process sep so required, vent each one separately. arately and ventilate each separately. 1 The transfer of hazardous operations into is seldom wise to rely upon general ven 126 Twenty-fifth National Safety Congress tilation. Instead, high velocity ventilating apparatus should he installed, functioning as closely to the point of generation of the harmful substance as is possible. Individual machines should he so equipped if possible. Baffles may be in troduced to prevent air stream disturb ances or to increase the intake efficiency at the nozzle. Down-draft systems should be preferred for the collection of dust or gases of high specific gravity. Even after the installation of exhaust systems, the engineer must study--the _ type of maintenance required to keep them operating at peak efficiency. Noz zles should not be permitted to become covered nor moved out of proper posi tion. Exhaust piping must be kept dust tight. Blower efficiencies must be con stantly checked to insure that intake ve locities are proper. The best ventilating system is a false protection if it does not function properly or if it is so poorly maintained that it falls below its designed rating. The engineer must exercise ex treme care to provide a clean source of replacement air for the work place. He may find it necessary to install filtering and heating devices. The engineer must study the proper disposal of the collected or expelled material to be positive it will not drift back into the work place. Employee Protection. While the pri mary engineering means of protection against possible occupational diseases should be mechanical correction, the en gineer will find instances where even the best systems must be supplemented by individual protection. He must carefully study such exposures to provide the high est efficiency of protection, yet obtain a device easy for the operator to wear con tinuously. When the engineer has been successful in obtaining such a device, he must educate workers to use it. Sanitation. Clean washing facilities and toilets should be provided. LuncE rooms should be not only clean hut also well lighted and attractive and should be un der the supervision of the plant physician. Scientific Tests. Up to this point the engineer has deduced that an exposure exists, and from accumulated data has devised his means of prevention. How ever, the engineer interested in ascer taining not only exposure hut also effi ciency of control should realize control cannot he fully effective nor the efficiency of any protective device determined with out scientific tests. Assumption, guess work, unscientific procedure or apparatus have no place in an engineering program. The engineer must test each step unless it lias been previously proved, carefully cal culating in advance to avoid false protec tion. He must be familiar with dust counting, air sampling, and chemical analysis tech nique, having such determinations made by established and proper methods. If such tests are beyond the scope of his ability or equipment and if the engineer considers such tests absolutely essential, then his executives should permit him to obtain experts qualified to make such sur veys as his problem may require. The need for an accurate engineering approach to any control measure cannot be over emphasized. Conclusion. Every engineer realizes control of any industrial disease expo sure is divided, part of such control fall ing within the jurisdiction of the indus trial physician and part within his own engineering province. Medical knowledge is invaluable in the detection of early symptoms and in the administration of suitable preventive treatment. The en gineer should gladly obtain the services of an industrial physician to make a study of the plant, to assist in the classi fication of the hazardous operations and working locations. By such coordination he will speed control of the exposure. Each Individual occupational disease exposure must be studied, analyzed, and controlled individually. While general data may be available upon common ex posures, the solution can he found only in individual treatment. Such exposures cannot be compared to ordinary safety engineering efforts. A 'circular saw is a circular saw wherever it may he operat ing, but industrial disease exposure varies within plants and certainly varies between different manufacturing establishments, even though they may produce a like product or article. ADJOURNMENT dent to 25 ecently de- nplication Ja hydro- 'tfctor for M cr.er. Ind. Enp. M.S.A. Com- . M utual Lab10064, J u ly 8, nation to Air* . Medical Corps, `'edical Bulletin, 't A ircraft, S. erson. Instrui pp. 283-28$. er and A larm , K. \V. F revert, ot Mines T P - `ii M onoxide in Francis. Ind. 6. p. 226, 1934. M. Continuous Factory M utual ort No. 9759, Paul, L. C. deau of M ines '.:itab le for DeA. B. H ooker, rs. B ureau of < (or D etecting and Ex- Mines T P - i Monoxide on !'. M. Seibert, ii M ines T P - ilzing Mice and and to A tm osP. V ant, F. A. it. Berger. Bu- >ey of a U tility and G. S t. j . 109. 1931. Construction Section Officers 1935-36 General Chairman--W. A. S now, Associated General Contractors of America, Inc., 1329 "E" Street, N. W., Washington, D. C. Vice-Chairman far Heavy Construction and Railroad Contractors--R. J. R eigeluth, C. W. Blakeslee & Sons, 58 Waverly St., New Haven, Conn. Vice-Chairman for Highway Construction--F. I. Rowe, W. L. Johnson Construction Co., Hicksville, Ohio. - -------- _ Vice-Chairman for U. S. Engineer Department--M ajor E lliott V andevanter, C. of E., Office of the Chief of Engineers, Washington, D. C. Vice-Chairman for Building Construction--C hester W. W right, Wright & Kremers, Inc., Niagara Falls, N. Y. Secretary--R obert M cK inley, General Accident Fire & Life Assurance Corp., Detroit, Mich. News Letter Editor-- G. 0. Griffin, Dravo Corp., Neville Island, Pittsburgh, Pa. Engineering Committee Chairman--E. N. Goldstine, San Francisco, Calif; Membership Committee Chairman--T iiomas Bentley, The A. Bentley & Sons Co., Toledo, Ohio. Poster Committee Chairman--R. A. S now, Carolina Power & Light Co., Raleigh, N. C. Program Committee Chairman--V. P. A hearn, National Sand & Gravel Assn., Munsey Bldg., .Washington, D. C. Publicity Committee Chairman--W. P. Conn, Editor, "The Constructor," Washington, D. C. Statistics Committee Chairman--C. H. Black, Stone & Webster Engineering Corp., Boston, Mass. Past General Chairmen-- W. F. A ustin, Detroit, Mich. E. N. Goldstine. San Francisco. Calif. J ohn R ussell, Jr., Public Service Electric & Gas Co., Newark, N. J. Officers Elected for 1936-37 General Chairman--W. A. S now, Associated General Contractors of America, Inc., Wash ington, D. C. Vice-Chairman for Heavy Construction--R. J. R eigeluth, C. W. Blakeslee & Sons, New Haven, Conn. Vice-Chairman for High-way Construction--F. I. R owe, W. L. Johnson Construction Co., Hicksville, Ohio. Vice-Chairman for U. S. Engineer Department--M ajor E lliott V andevanter, C. of E., Office of the Chief of Engineers, Washington, D. C. Vice-Chairman for Building Construction--C hester W. W right, Wright & Kremers, Inc., Niagara Falls, N. Y. Secretary--R obert McK inley, General Accident, Fire & Life Assurance Corp., Detroit, Mich. 242 l 'wenty-pjill National S a fe ly Loin;; es.< News Letter Editor--G. O. G riffin-, Dravo Corp., Neville Island, Pittsburgh, Pa. Engineering Committee Chairman--T homas Soui.k, Industrial Indemnity Exchange, San Francisco, Calif. Membership Committee Chairman--1~. J. Crandei.l, Liberty Mutual Insurance Co., Boston, Mass. Poster Committee Chairman--S. M. Lauderdale, Civilian Conservation Corps, Washing ton, I). C. Program Committee Chairman--V. P. A iik.arn, National Sand & Gravel Assn., Washing ton, 1). C. Publicity Committee Chairman--W. P. CoN'.v, "The Constructor," Washington, D. C. Statistics Committee Chairman--C. H. Brack, Stone & Webster Engineering Corp., Boston, Mass. Past General Chairmen-- W. F. A ustin-, W. E. Wood Co., Detroit. Mich. E dgar N. Goi.dsti.nf.. Consulting Safety Engineer, San Francisco, Calif. J ohn- R ussell, J r., Public Service Electric & Gas Co., Newark, N. J. The first session was called to order by General Chairman W clton A. Snow, As sociated General Contractors of America, Inc.. Washington, D. C., who presided, outlining the activities of the past year and commending the work of the various committee chairmen. Addresses were given as follows: Construction Safety Ain't Different By G. O. G R IF F IN Safety Director, Dravo Corporation, Pittsburgh, Pa. The construction industry in 1935, out of 30 major industries, ranked twentyseventh in accident frequency and twentyninth in severity; and the only excuse that was ever given is, "Well, we're dif ferent." We aren't difTerent! It's just an alibi. The cement, quarry and public utilities industries contain many hazards similar to those of the construction in dustry, yet each has a superior accident rate. The following table gives a percentage Type of Accident All types Handling objects Falls to the same level. Falls to a different level Machinery Vehicles Falling objects Using hand tools Stepping on or striking against objects Electricity, explosives, heat................... Harmful substances ............................... Other ....................................................... Per cent in Construction Industry 100.0 25.9 9.5 8.7 12.0 10.9 8.7 7.6 5.6 3.6 2.1 5.4 Per cent in All Industries 100.0 26.8 9.6 14.9 7.5 6.0 11.1 7.9 6.5 2.7 2.6 4.4  .','_k c s t v T T tsia ju a s iffla A 11 ; i distribution of the cases (nearly all compensable) covered in recent one-year re ports from Illinois, New York, Mary land, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. These reports cover 224,661 injuries in all industries and 40,620 injuries among construction company employees. Is it not remarkable how nearly equal these percentages arc for most types of injuries? In only four instances does the difference in percentage exceed 1 per cent. 'The construction industry had 6 per cent more accidents due to. falls to a different level, and 2 per cent more due to falling objects, than the average for all industries.- Construction work had 4 per cent fewer accidents due to machin ery and 5 per cent fewer due to vehicles. It would appear, therefore, that the solution to the problem, the reduction of construction accidents, could be accom plished by the use of the same methods that other industries have used so suc cessfully. Actually, the best safety records known to the National Safety Council for con struction 'work were not, as one might expect, made by contractors, but by the construction departments of an oil re finer, a manufacturer, and a public util ity. The Norco Refinery of Shell Pe troleum Corporation holds the best rec ord with 1,929,478 man-hours operated without a disabling injury. DuPont's Penn's Grove plant has a record nearly as g o o d ; and the construction depart ment of the Indianapolis Power & Light Company has the third best record. These outfits didn't have any tradition of "a man a floor" or "a death for so many hundred thousand dollars worth of work'1 to live up to. They knew they weren't different; they just went ahead and did it. They had the safety programs of the parent corporation which were not built in particular for construction work, but which apparently functioned very well. I have heard this same excuse in my own company many times. But last year we were rather fortunate in having one job hang up a record of about 125,000 man-hours without a disabling injury. That's nothing to write home about, but it sure was a help when the boys on the other jobs began the old "We're different" story. Our company has several fields of op- `J eration besides that of heavy construction We build boats, operate a hargs "lira and a sand and gravel company, besitb. fabricating steel, installing machinery u handling contractor's equipment. t; types of accidents reported by these van ous subsidiaries diffffer very little. To boat or construction job, machine sho or gravel yard--they all report falls, cm and other injuries in about the same uro portion. However, there are some qtieci ones. One day last week we had a ma fall out of his berth and crack a rib;.a." in the other case a spider hit the pilo' Recently, on one of the dam jobs a mar was hurt because he didn't understam the foreman's order. The foreman Inn. just had all his teeth out. All books and theories on safety sa> that accident severity cannot he con trcdled. In general, I agree, but I fc that it can lie controlled to a greater ex tent on construction work than on man other types. -Most severe accidents i: construction can he attributed to certain types of occurrences which can be guarded against fairly completely: b> this I mean prevention of long falls b> special types of scaffolding and railing and the reduction in falling of materia by the close inspection of mechanic, equipment. To a very great extent, thihas been done and the records show it. I am about, however, to suggest some thing which may be quite controversial All rules for safety contests and sti; posedly all fair safety men insist that if . temporarily injured employee is unalTto return to a regularly established joi on the day following his injury, he sheul, be kept at home and recorded as a last time accident. How the case is recordo-' is of little interest to me. It is m y contention that on construe tion work j'ou can improve your seven:, rate and do everyone concerned a fav. by keeping the injured man on the joi In this way, you can keep control of hit., and of his injury, be sure he receives ade quate treatment and reduce his sufferim. and loss of wages. If you don't do tluT you frequently lose control of the ca.-i entirely and have a simple seven-day " jury turn into an expensive one with Ioi disability. To get back to our real subject, tfi program which, in my opinion, would ma 244 T w r n i y - f i j tii ;W itio ita l S u j i ' t y < aiujrcss terially ini [rove accident records in tire construction industry is that which other industries have been using for so long. IJrielly, a program based on adequate accident records, consistent inspection and maintenance of plant, a complete medical program and the principle of supervisory responsibility, cannot help but succeed. Dust Diseases As They Affect the Construction Industry By A. J. LANZA, M. D. A ssistant Medical Director, M etropolitan Life Insurance Company, New Y ork City With a possible single exception, there is but one dust disease and one dust causing that disease ivith which the con struction industry is concerned. The disease is silicosis and the dust causing it is dust containing free silica (Silk)Dusts containing silica in combined form have not been shown to cause disability or disease, with the exception of asbes tos, which is a silicate. The outstanding facts with regard to silicosis have often been detailed and will be only briefly summarized here. The dust must be in a fine state of subdivi sion to reach the lungs. The particles which do the damage are less than ten microns in diameter. In this country, the amount of dust in the air at any loca tion is determined by the standard meth od elaborated by the United States Bureau of Mines and the United States Public Health Service, using the impingcr, the results being expressed in millions of particles per cubic foot. In order to estimate the hazard, we must know the number of [articles and the percentage of silica, because a dust con taining 100 per cent pure silica would be lore harmful than one containing 50 per ccrit silica. When we know the amount of dust-- in terms of averages--the amount of sil ica, and tlic extent of exposure, we are in a position to evaluate the seriousness jf the hazard. We know that silicosis is 1 chromic disease, takjig usually years to develop, and as we sec it in American ndustrics, causing little or no disability inless there is superimposed upon it an nfection. This infection is most often ubcrculosis, to which the individual with ilica damaged lungs is very susceptible, .'he more severe the silica damage, the norc apt tuberculosis is to develop. We do not as yet have pcrmissablc or safe standards of dustiness. There is such ail extremely wide variation of in dustrial processes and environmental fac tors that any elaborate system of stand ards would be impracticable; but a simple workable standard is highly desirable. There is a rough standard, which is based largely oil the work of the Public Health Service, of ten million particles of dust per cubic foot. This is a convenient tar get to shoot at when dust control meas ures arc undertaken in an industrial plant. That is not to say, however, that a threshold of ten million particles of a highly siliceous dust is safe. This stand ard was based on exposure to granite dust, containing about 35 per cent pure silica. The construction section of this Con gress embraces many types of industry and a multitude of processes. It is not practicable, therefore, to present a com plete scheme of all the hazards in these industries. We can, however, attain our object in a sufficiently satisfactory man ner by considering first, materials, and second, the processes in which these ma terials arc used. The construction indus try uses enormous amounts of certain well known materials. Lime, gypsum, cement, sand, occur to everyone's mind when you mention construction. Many of these substances are used in processes which involve considerable amounts of dust, wherein lies the possibility of a health hazard. There is no silicosis without silica-- free silica. So right oil, the manufac turer or industrial company lias the first clear-cut index of the potential harmful ness of a dust which may be causing concern to him or his employees. Docs  ------------ L-.J -------- Construction Section 4. it contain free silica in appreciable amounts? What is an appreciable amount? Prob ably in excess of 5 per cent. At least, that is well on the conservative side. Non-silicious dusts may be a nuisance or an annoyance to employees or to neigh boring communities, but they are not concerned with silicosis. If the employer docs not know whether a dust to which his employees are exposed contains silica --that is the first thing for him to deter mine. Should he find that the dust does contain free silica, in a determined per centage, then the next step is to ascer tain the amount of such dust present in the air where his employees work. We are frequently asked whether dust arising from gypsum, cement, lime, marble, talc, rock wool, mineral wool and many' other substances, may cause silicosis. We say to the inquirer, "You know the materials you are working, with. Do they contain free silica?" He may reply, "No," or "Only a trace." The conclusion then is obvious. There is no silicosis hazard. The type of process in which the dust is generated is of great practical import ance. If the process is conducted in a confined place, with poor ventilation, it is apparent that the hazard is much more dangerous than if it were in the open air, because in the confined place, the work man gets a much bigger dose of silica. Recently I saw some X-ray films of brick masons. These masons handled only fire bricks--made from a highly silicious material -- and they were em ployed in lining kilns and furnaces. Their films showed well developed sili cosis. Their job consisted in breaking up the worn-out lining in furnaces and build ing new ones. They were continuously exposed to a highly silicious dust in a very close, confined place. The same material could probably be handled in other types of construction work with little or no hazard. The mention of close and confined places brings to mind tunnels, about which there has recently been much agi tation. Without going into details con cerning this subject, the lesson to be learned is clear. The digging of a tun nel is not a permanent undertaking in any locality hut the work should he safe guarded as in more permanently estab lished industries. Where a tunnel is h r ing constructed in a highly siiicioi, rock, the dust hazard looms very farge It is similar to hard rock mining aim everything conspires to make the con trol of dust difficult. It is interesting to note that tunnel work in various parts o: the world has been followed by similar experiences. The report of the Pircctor General of Public Health for New South Wales m Australia, 1924, details an investigation concerning ventilation and sandstone dust present in the air of certain sewer tunnels in Sidney. Apparently there war. an ex ccssive amount of silicosis and tubercu losis among these tunnel workers. A report of the South African Institu ' for Medical Research, April, 19.55. details a severe silicosis hazard among sewer tunnel workers in South Africa. We are justified in concluding that tun nel work calls for extraordinary precau tions for safety and health with a super vision of the health of tunnel workers comparable to that followed in other in dustries. Grinding or pulverizing sand, gravel, and other highly silicious materi als are processes that need very careful control and supervision. i The control of the dust hazard is an engineering problem and in the main deipends on an effort to entrap the dust at its point of origin by using water, or suction exhaust systems, or both. Onn the dust is in the air, reliance is place., upon further use of water, and on dilu tion of the silica dust by increased ven tilation and on protecting the individual by a suitable mask or respirator. The United States Bureau of Mines now cer tifies respirators that are safe for silica dust. The use of respirators should he restricted to exposures which are inter mittent or temporary. Where ventilation equipment designed to remove dust from the air is installed its efficiency should be checked from time to time by dust counts, using the stand ard impinger method. As with other protective devices, there is always danger that this sort of apparatus becomes greatly impaired or useless because ot failure to maintain it properly. I mentioned an exception to the state ment that only free silica dust will pro duce disease of the lungs. This excep tion is asbestos, a magnesium silicate. ( 246 Tieenty-fifth National Safety Congress The inhalation of asbestos dust produces infection is not present, there will be little a condition of the lungs similar to sili or no disability and the employer should cosis. The pathology is quite different protect the individual from further ex and the appearance on X-ray films is posure through methods suitable to the distinct from silicosis. Asbestosis ap situation involved. parently does not predispose to tubercu losis and in this country has not been shown to cause much disability, though a few deaths have been recorded. In the manufacture of construction material, as bestos is usually combined with other substances which, by reducing t h e amount of asbestos in the dust, tend to mitigate the hazard. ---- -- . The important item to remember is the nature of the materia! and the process in which it is e nployed. Consideration of these two items will enable the employer to ascertain whether a silica hazard is present and to act accordingly. Again let me emphasize that where workmen are exposed to a highly silicious dust in confined places, the situation is extreme A matter of great concern to the em ly serious and calls for energetic and ployer is what disposition to make of comprehensive measures of control and cases of silicosis among his employees. continued medical supervision of the men. It active tuberculosis is present, it is to Dust samples should be taken frequently the interest of the individual and his fel and the men should be examined fre hi low workmen that he be removed from quently so that serious disease will not his occupation and given proper care. If occur. $h{ 5 - I ii I5 !i)i Physical Examinations of Construction Employees on Public Works Programs By L. M. DEARDORF Superintendent of Construction, W. L. Johnson Construction Company, Hicksville, O. If there ever was a time when em ployees on 1'ublic Works projects should be given physical examinations before per mitting their names on the payroll, it is now. Any contractor who secures a Public Works project with the Highways, l'WA. the Ik S. Engineers, or any of the other department of the Federal Government is required, as a part of the labor regula tions, to submit a requisition for his em ployees to the National Reemployment Service. The National Reemployment Service is dominated by the WPA or ganization to the extent that all semi skilled and common labor arc furnished only from relief lists. In the majority of cases those unfortunate individuals who are still on relief arc there only by reason of a mental or physical deficiency. They have done very little work during the past five or six years and are pretty thoroughly demoralized mentally; physi cally they have permitted their bodies to be run down about like an old paver that has been standing alongside the road for a corresponding period of years. <hir procedure in carrying out physical examinations for our employees is as fol lows: The contract having been award ed. and the superintendent assigned to the project, one of hi* first important preliminary instructions js to talk to the doctors in the vicinity of the project and explain to them the problem which we taco in securing competent physicallyable workmen. If the M. D. shows any sympathy in our problems and troubles, we negotiate for mass examination of the employees. The price paid for the exam ination is from $1.00 to $2.50. The findings have been very interest ing on the various projects as the follow ing facts will testify. 312 Twenty-fifth National Safety Congress to think, inability to draw a personal les son from the experience of others, overconfidence and a desire to make good on the job. These can only be overcome by careful and systematic handling on the part of the supervisor. His is the respon sibility of putting over to the worker the value and advantages resulting from a close observance of rigid safety inspec tions. Systematic Organized Safety Effort There should be little need to make a plea for more concerted action along this tine. As safety men, we know how eas ily the small employer could be put out of business as the result of even a few accident losses. The larger employer, as well, cannot afford to overlook the situa tion--his losses, through waste of time, money and materials, will seriously affect his profits and hold his company up to the public as a very inefficient organiza tion. The ever increasing cost of com pensation insurance will undoubtedly be a factor in forcing more consideration for well organized safety work. Personally, I emphasize the side of humanity above the dollar and am satisfied from long ex perience that where humanity rules, the profits will be satisfactory. Where a real safety program is followed, without doubt efficiency and economy of the highest or der will also prevail. The Present Status of Control of Dust and Fumes in Industry By H. B. MELLER Managing Director, Air Hygiene Foundation of America, Inc.; Head, Air Pollution Investigation, Mellon Institute of Industrial Research, Pittsburgh, Pa. The problem divides itself naturally into medical, preventive engineering and legis lative phases, ami includes consideration of the responsibilities of employer and employee to each other and .to the public. It is axiomatic that, in case of physical disorder, impairment of function or dis ability, the more thoroughly the cause and course of action are known, the more certainly can possible remedies be applied or preventive measures taken. Tn the diseases or affections under con sideration, there are facts upon which pre ventive methods are based, and upon which further studies now in course or contemplated are, at least in part, predi cated. During the development of the present state of knowledge of the influence of some air contaminants on health, natu rally many theories Avere advanced that later scientific work has modified or dis placed. However, not always has the correction been as widely and thoroughly disseminated as was the original theory; his condition, perhaps, has led to some confusion in the minds of many who have lot followed too closely the evolution of mowledgc in this field. Classification of Dusts There are available different published classifications of dusts. Included in such classifications are dusts, the exposure to inhalation of which are, or are likely to be, occupational. Those that are inher ently toxic when inhaled or otherwise ab sorbed and which cause systemic poison ing, include lead, arsenic, mercury, man ganese. Examples of dusts which have the ability to penetrate the deep lung tis sues and to be retained there are quartz, flint, chert, asbestos, talc, coal, iron, clay, slate, and other types of rock dust. Attention here will be centered upon this last group and upon pneumoconiosis, the general term used lo designate lung conditions caused by dust. Silicosis, which is caused by the inhalation of free silica, has been prominent recently in the public press, sometimes in a way that made mis understanding possible, if not probable Aside from silica, many of the insoluble mineral dusts may bring about slight changes in the lung tissues, which may be demonstrated on the roentgenogram if there is silica in the dust that is inhaled. As far as is known today, most of them are relatively or entirely harmless. Metals Section O Ability of Dusts to Cause Injury It lias been established that the poten tiality of silicious dusts to cause lung damage is, with few exceptions, depend ent upon their content of free silica (SiO:). The development of silicosis de pends, therefore, upon the concentration of dust containing free silica in the air breathed. In other words, the total amount of free silica breathed and re tained seems to be the primary factor; the length of time necessary for a suffi cient accumulation is important, but less so than the total load. Silica occurs also in chemical combina tion in silicates. Some of these com pounds have been proved to be relatively harmless to health, some are still in the realm of doubt, and one--asbestos--may cause the industrial disease called asbestosis, which is the result' of lung damage similar to, but not identical with nor as serious as, that produced by free silica. Importance of Particle Size. The size of dust particles in the air which an indi vidual may breathe is important. Not often are particles larger than 10 or 12 microns found in the deep lungs, except in the case of asbestos dust, where fibers as long as 200 microns have worked their way down lengthwise. Uncomplicated Silicosis. Silicosis, un complicated by an infection, is more of an impairment than a disability. It is not seriously disabling until it reaches an ad vanced stage, and does not of itself greatly shorten the life of a silicotic. Silico-Tuberculosis. When a silicotic dies, the immediate cause of death is usu ally some type of intervening lung infec tion. It is not known just why the pres ence of silica in the lungs increases sus ceptibility to tuberculosis, but when an adtdt with silicosis is exposed to tuber culosis, an active infection may occur, re gardless of the previous state of health. It is thought probable that silica dust can reactivate healed tuberculous lung lesions of the adult type; how long after such lesions have healed the reactivation is possible is not certain. Exposure of silicotics to tuberculosis or of tuberculous individuals to silica dust is serious and should be avoided. After silicosis has become well estab lished in the lungs, medical science has not found a way to arrest the progress of the silicotic process toward the of disablement except through 'uVlitt. preventing further exposure to silica : Nor has medical science found a wa:. prevent tuberculosis from being -, i. imposed upon silicosis, except thn control of contact. The course of sii tuberculosis is chronic and is very dr cult tc influence by treatment, accord: to phthisiologists. Medical Control. As a basis for in gent determination of the physical fi: of a man for a job in a dusty t" . physical examination, with stereo:: roentgenograms of the chest, is neces - . Along with this study goes, naturally, preparation of an occupational hiswith detail as to the exact nature of pr ous work and of exposure to indu.-v dust--not a valueless recording of o. pations as "laborer," "machinist," Dr. Sayers, of the U. S. Public Her Service, has developed a method of sc.ing information for a proper occutional history; among others, Cunrnir of Saranac Laboratory, also has w oout a useful history blank. Standards have been developed for diagnosis of silicosis. There is ais suitable technic for taking roentgc grams of the chest in order to bring the characteristic lung changes. From the considerable amount of u that has been done, it is possible to f cast with a reasonable degree of ai racy the silicosis potentiality of var. dusts. Periodic physical examinations, inch ing roentgenograms, are essential if ployers are to be enabled accurately learn the effect of individual expo and intelligently to transfer affected v. men to lower dust concentrations be serious injury has been done, or to out a system o^ rotation where indh as desirable in order that exposure be intermittent. Such examination: helpful also in showing the efficientengineering control methods. The ability to place responsibility case of claim for injury is no small of the value of such initial and p c examinations. Asbestosis. Clinical experience shown that the inhalation of a stifin amount of asbestos dust causes a sv type of fibrosis, which is not accompa- .14 . J'uvtUy-flftu S a m nal S ii/t'ly (. ohiji <ss by an unduly high incidence of tubercu losis. Other dusts and silicate compounds so far studied produce, at most, only a mild mm-progressive reaction in tbe lungs, provided there is no significant amount of free silica in their composition. While not serious clinically, such conditions may give rise to considerable litigation. Adequate statistics on morbidity and mortality from occupational disease, to serve as a basis for effectively focussing the efforts to study and control dust dis eases of the lungs, arc non-existent. In concluding this section, the follow ing quotation from a court decision in Wisconsin is pertinent (Schaefer v. In dustrial Commission, 265 N. \V. 390 (Supreme Court, February, 1936)): ", . . It will be necessary to distin guish carefully between medical or patho logical disability and actual physical in capacity to work. Tbe medical experts apparently ignore this distinction, and so increase the difficulty of arriving at a just result under the law." Preventive Engineering It would be needless repetition to dis cuss in a technical way the engineering' phases of dust control. All interested are referred to "Industrial Dnst," by Drinker and Hatch, which deals comprehensively with the subject; U. S. Bureau of Mines Information Circulars 6S40 and 6848, by Harrington and Davenport, a review of literature on "Prevention of Dust Dis eases"; U. S. Public Health Service Bul letin 217, bv Bloomfield and DallaValle, on "The Determination and Control of Industrial Dust"; Report Z9 of the Amer ican Standards Association; and to the CVS. Bureau of Mines for a list of ap proved protective devices. It may be said that, in general, the engineering specialist can and will devise the necessary equipment to meet the con ditions specified to him. But the setting of limits of permissible dust concentra tion is not his but the physician's respon sibility. The engineer is concerned with keeping dustiness to or below tbe limits at present considered satisfactory. Methods of Determining Dust Some dusts (as lead) are determined bv chemical methods and the i oncenlra- tions in air arc recorded gravimctrically as milligrams per cubic meter. Others (as silica, where size is a factor in de termining dangerous particles), are given by count. Neither method gives the whole story, Init in both eases it may he possible to secure the information neces sary for the purpose. In one of the reports referred to earlier, there occurs this statement: "There is no doubt in the mind of anyone familiar with the present dust-sampling and dustestimating methods that they will be amended and changed from time to time. At the present writing we would advise the use of the simplest possible procedures where dust control alone is in question. If one wishes to obtain values which can be compared with published data, it is generally necessary to copy with consid erable care tbe technic used in the origi nal case. This is another way of admit ting the annoying fact that results bv one method are usually not comparable to those obtained by another method." In another place, the report says: "It is very doubtful if.any useful purpose is served by determining accurately ex tremely dense dust concentrations--the only excuse for such data is to show the skeptic that the workplace is much dustier than it should be. . . . "It is probable that any sampling pro cedure which fixes concentrations in groups 100 per cent apart is sufficient and that the results of any attempts to come closer to the concentration at the moment of sampling are simply misleading. Thus ranges such as 0-5, 5-10, 10-20, 20-40, etc., suffice for dust control." As dust particles in the lungs are of the order of 1 micron, with rarely a particle over 10 microns, dust control for hygienic reasons should he aimed at parti cles in the size range found to have been breathed and retained. Again quoting: ". . . if one could avoid use of the dusts of 1 micron or less or exclude them from the dust which passes a 325-mcsh screen, nearly all dust diseases would be elimi nated." Dust Elimination Obviously, it is better, when possible, to purchase equipment already supplied with exhaust hood, rather than to have to won y to fit one to equipment not de signed to be hooded. Thus the responsi- Mcldl.i Secti "II l)ility for potential efficiency is upon the manufacturer. There is available comparatively little information upon which to base the scien tific design of hoods. The Preventive Engineering Committee of Air Hygiene Foundation includes in its recent report a table of minimum air velocities to cap ture certain industrial dusts (for use in granite cutting, grain elevators, paint spraying, sand pulverizing and electric welding). For protective equipment such as dust respirators, air supplied masks, sand blast helmets, and goggles, very complete in formation is available, because of the work of the U. S. Bureau of Mines, the Bu reau of Standards, and the American Standards Association in preparing and issuing specifications to be met if the equipment is to be used under conditions where approval is necessary. Of course, all agree that, where possi ble, dust should be controlled at the source, and protective equipment used where this action cannot be accomplished. Permissible Dustiness There are various figures that have been and are being used as guides to permissi ble dustiness where free silica is present. It should be noted that many of the data were not determined as the medical re quirement. but as being attainable in good practice and apparently satisfactory from a safety standpoint. In South Africa the figure is 1 milli gram per cubic meter (or 300 particles per cubic centimeter, or approximately 8.S million per cubic foot). Dr. Lanza found in 1917 in the Joplin, Mo., district that, with good engineering practice, a figure of 1 milligram per 100 liters of air could be attained.' The U. S. Public Health Service, in its study in the anthracite region of Pennsyl vania, found that 50 million particles per cubic foot with 5 per cent cpiartz in the coarse dust and 10 million particles per cubic foot with 35 per cent quartz were apparently satisfactory and often were attained. The figure of 10-20 million particles per cubic foot for granite dust with 35 per cent quartz content is often quoted from the Vermont granite studies of the U. S. Public Health Service. Some metal-mining companies hav- gone further, setting 'the maximum . . permissible dustiness at 5 million p.trticl . per cubic foot. * , Certainly, there is a degree of air clear: lincss that is safe, from the standpoint u. concentration of harmful dust. But tie engineer may find himself in the positio of practically being' forced to control an . dust, harmful or otherwise, if lie wou! protect bis employers against suits common law and the possibility of awe of damages to men who have brcatln dust containing little or no free silica, dusty workplace is difficult to defend b court. Neither courts nor compensate, boards, and certainly not juries, hav- seemed to be greatly impressed with low silica dust count in an otherwi- dusty atmosphere. Quoting from one of the reports re. ferred to: "Each state is a unit--a sove: eign--and it handles its problems in r own way. Uniformity is lacking, althou*. of course the statutes of many state- ar- similar. The courts of the various stair follow such precedents as appeal to then consequently, on any important quests there is likely to be a divergence of op: ion among the courts, and often t: courts fall into two or more groups, ear group 'following a different theory wit- respect to the same legal' problem." W orkm en's C om pensation A cts Workmen's compensation acts ha been passed in 46 states (all exce; Arkansas and Mississippi) and the Di trict of Columbia. T h ese'acts are con pulsory as to private employers in I. states and elective in 31 states. Insr.r ance to cover the risk is compulsory : seven states. A state fund, out of which compens tion is paid, is maintained in 18 sta t in two of thes.e the employer may, ' proving financial responsibility.-carry..! own risk with limited conti ibution to ii state fund for the expense of admini-tr. tion; in 11 more of this group of statthe employer is not required to ava himself of the privileges of the state fir and may provide compensation othenviIn 28 states there is no provision for state compensation fund. Administration of the compensation a is vested in a commission, board, or sing Steam Railroad Meeting WEDNESDAY MORNING SESSION October 7, 1936 The Steam Railroad Meeting of the National Safety Congress was called to order by Chairman W. W . Wood, Superintendent of Safety and Welfare, The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company, Baltimore, Md., who presided, welcoming the delegates and introducing the speakers in turn. Safety in Construction and Maintenance From the Viewpoint of a Chief Engineer By G. H. PARIS Chief Engineer, Chicago & Illinois Midland Railway Co., Springfield, 111. Accident Bulletin No. 103 of the I. C. C. reports, table No. 55, shows casualties by classes of employees and other persons for non-train accidents. For the 10-year period 1924-1934 the casualty rate for the maintenance of way department was greater than the rate for ail employees on duty. For example, in 1930. this casualty rate was 11.07 while for all employees it was 9.36. In 1934, for maintenance of way .employees it was 8.06 while for all employees it was 7.04. In 1930, 70 roads out of 162 had rates in the maintenance of way departm ent below the average for their group. In 1934, 62 roads out of 158 were below the average. This means that less than onehalf of the roads have casualty ra^cs in the maintenance of way department bet ter than their rates for all employees. In 1930 the spread between the lowest and the highest rate for the maintenance of way departm ent was from 0 to 77.92. In 1934 the spread was from 0 to 89.11. This shows lack of uniformity of results and it is plain that the maintenance of way department has a safety problem. Its casualty rate is too high and' this rate is too widely divergent as between the different carriers. Now what about the nature of the ac cidents that go to make up- the casualty rate? The four principal causes of injury are: 1. H andling rail, ties, timber, etc. 2. Falls. 3. Using hand tools, jacks, etc. 4. M otor and hand car accidents. Why cannot employees handle rail, tics, timber, etc. safely? Is it because of im proper methods, improper tools and equipment, poor quality of men, too much haste without regard to safety, or what? The m ajority of injuries are to hands and feet. Take the handling of creosotetreated ties for example. These ties may come loaded in flats, gondolas, box or stock cars, They are slippery if freshly treated, so this hazard is added to that of picking them up and throwing them out of the car. The elimination of injuries can only come through careful instruc tions as to exactly how the tics should be picked up, the assignment of the correct number of men, and their proper place ment so they will not foul one another. This is true not only of the men in the car but also those on the ground.