Document omZkaE2pX7ppjDyRGdJE6jB57

FILE NAME: National Safety Council (NSC) DATE: 1965 Dec DOC#: NSC042 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION: NSC - National Safety News - Wire from WA - 1965, The Year of High Visibility for Safety ' t ^ E f l i i i f E F t 1 & v aiaig ^iig i^ ;;, " i b a e ^ t 'i- Z f SW m m m K mi V ^ js r % i"!.' mV.' S j mr SfidsgfiSi'.-.-v RflW * fp ftp te ll Tl.i-'-V1^:':-.. r Krftt'* ysIfpv, fifppips .a..ss. Si t lii |r jt SS it t jjE ^1;'i SisSs;~' ^vy.-. |,\,,1''\ vi "&S m t r no PS!lsSi;|l i PLAINTIFF'S s EXHIBIT illliliilS i from W ashington mSF A report of federal activities that relate to safety 1(sf toy H A R R Y N. R O S E N F IE L D , N S C W a s h i n g t o n C o u n s e l 1965, the Year of High Visibility for Safety T h is has been the Year of High Visibility for Safety in Washington. Unprecedented sa fe ty in te r e s t in both le g isla tiv e and ex ecu tiv e branches has narked an exceed- ingly busy anc. active year. Con' gress has enac :ed a great deal of safety-related legislation and still more is on the program for consid eration next yen. Some of this new legislation may portend new ap proaches to safety. These new laws may develop r.ovel conceptions of the a llo catio n of responsibilities among the various levels of govern ment, on the oi .e hand, and between government ard the private safety sector on the other hand. Thus, 1.1965 represents a high-water mark "in safety not only for what devel) oped in Washington during the year, " but also for what these develop"ments could mean for the future of : safety in America. Industrial Congress took final action .in a . variety of industrial safety areas (such as pipelines, federal service or maintenance contracts, water pollution and solid waste disposal) and initiated action in many other fields. Labor standards-- Congress also closed a gap in the laws by legislat ing labor standards, including health and safety, for the only remaining category of federal contracts to which such standards did not apply; to wit, c o n tra c ts (in excess of $2,500) the principal purpose of which is the furnishing of services ( National Safety Hews, December 19G5 to or performing maintenance ser vices for federal agencies. Service employees are defined as guards, watchmen, -and any person in a recognized trade or craft, or other skilled mechanical craft, or in un skilled; semiskilled, or skilled man ual labor occuption. HR 10238, PL 89-286 requires that service maintenance work shall not be per formed under unsafe or unsanitary conditions where those working con ditions are under the control of the c o n tra c to r or subcontractor. Ad ministrative authority is given to the secretary of labor. ICC authority-- Statutory author ity was given to the Interstate CQitimerce Commission for safety regu lation of all in te r s ta te pipelines other than those carrying water and gas, and for the enforcement of laws relating to the transportation of combustibles and explosives as they pertain to such pipelines (HR 5041, PL 89-95). ' Water Quality Act-- The Water Quality Act, S 4, PL 89-234, es tablishes a federal Water Pollution Control Administration within the Department of Health, Education and Welfare; provides- grants for research and development and for construction of sewage treatment works; and authorizes the establish ment of federal standards of water purity on interstate waters where states fail to establish such stan dards by June 30, 1967. Solid wastes-- S 306, PL 89-272, establishes a national program of assistance to states, local govem- ments, and industry for solution of the solid waste problem; provides' for long-term research programs;'1 and authorizes a four-year expend! ture of $92V5 million for these pur poses. The secretary of the interior: is given . responsibility over; prob~; lems of solid wastes resulting- fromextraction, processing, or utilization of minerals or fossil fuels, and. the secretary' of health, education, and welfare is given jurisdiction over all other aspects of the-program. Coal mines---Other bills, received, approval from) oner House of. the.Congress .and- will .remain,; pendingin the other when the second,session of the 89th, Congress-meets ,in. 1966::. -HR 3584) would:. .- 'A "1;-Extend the Federal Coal'-Mme: Safety Act to mines employing: fewer, than fourteen persons underground,,.:- 2. Authorize- $500,000 for a fed-.-: eral-state program of coai-mme safe-.-, ty education, 3. Direct the secretary of the in.. terior to make a one-year study on federal regulations of small coal mines-. The House approved this bill, as has the Senate Labor Subcommit tee, but the matter is still pending in the full Senate Committee. In 1960, legislation -to the same gen era1 end passed the Senate but not the House. In the appropriation voted to the Public Health Service. HR 7765, PL 89-156, Congress doubled the additional amount re quested by the President for expan sion of clinical research on allevia tion of coal miners' pneumoconiosis and associated respiratory, diseases. -- Turn page 81 Mineral indnsl ies -- The House approved- HR 8!)89',' as amended', " for a program of systematic inspec tion'of, and for federal health and safety standards in, the metal and nonmetallic mineral industries. The secretary of the interior would be authorized to delegate enforcement authority to any state submitting a plan for the eni orceinent of state standards which are "substantially as effective" as tie federal manda tory standards. The bill also 1) requires annual reports of accidents, and 2) authorize: expansion of fed eral programs of mine safety educa tion and training. No action has been taken in the Senate. ,, WaJsh-Healey oroposals--Among "the large number of executive ac tivities on safety, several'relate to pending proposals on "the Walsh-Healey-'-health aid safety ' regula tions. The secret try-of labor issued an order: -p- 1.' Stating that it is his policy to consult with state commissioners of labor and other appropriate officials concerning the arrangements for car rying out the ff deral responsibility for occupational : afety, 2. Establishing an Ad Hoc Safety Program Advisor; Committee to "ad vise the secretary of labor concerning the responsibilitie: of the Department of Labor in the safety field and those occupational safety programs and pol icies on which advice is requested." The'twelve-member committee is - irrth e process "o: formation. Tm i fie If ever there has been a hot item ' iff Washington, :l was traffic safety ..this year. There have been almost continuous congressional hearings, . a considerable i mount of congres sional action, ami a wide variety of administrative activities. Federal-Aid 'Highway Program-- This year is th : 50th anniversary of the Federal- hid Highway Pro gram (in these fifty years, the fed eral government authorized an ex penditure of $41% billion). There is some cause for thinking that the second half-cenlury may have got ten off to a new start. For example, SJ Res 81, PL 89-139, the so-called Baldwin Amendment, provides that beginning January 1, 1968: "Each state sh iuld have a highway safety program, approved by the sec retary [of commerce], designed to re duce traffic';accidents.'arid- 'deaths," in-:. juries and"' property "damage resulting therefrom, on highways on the fed eral-aid system. Such highway safety programs should be- in accordance w ith u n iform standards approved by the secretary and should include, but not be lim ited`to, provisions for an effective accident records system, and measures calculated to improve driver performance, vehicle safety, highway design and maintenance, traffic con- tol, and surveillance of traffic for detection and correction of high or potentially high accident locations." This new law also states "the sense of Congress" that the secre tary of commerce shall report to the Congress every other year be ginning January 1968 "his estimates of the future highway needs of the nation." In signing this bill, the President said: "It' recognizes the primary responsibility of the states' for highway safety and at the same time acknowledges the federal gov ernment's responsibility to lead and coordinate." ..... And in another law, Congress ac cepted an amendment by Senator Ribicoff (D., Conn.) which author ized an appropriation of $500,000 for the study and coordination of traffic programs authorized in the Baldwin Amendment (see.S 2084, PL 89-285). MV air pollution -- S 306, PL 89-272, which has been.already re ferred) to in a different ^context, is called "Motor .Vehicle Air Pollu tion. Control Act."' It-requires the secretary of health, education, and welfare to prescribe practical ex haust standards for new motor vehi cles, and forbids interstate com merce to noncomplying vehicles. The law also provides extensive re search authority and a four-year' authorization of some $4 million for what the House committee called "a nationwide attack on the motor vehicle p o llu tio n p ro b le m ." Al though no statutory deadline is set for the emission standards, the De partment of Health, Education and Welfare advised Congress it in tended to apply them to the 1968 model cars. Highway Beautification BUI -- After v ig o ro u s debate, Congress passed the Highway Beautification bill, S 2084, PL 89-285 providing for federal standards on penalty of 82 11 loss of 10 per cent qt theftaVa federal highway1funds tos!amfff[ which the secretary of com m ll determines has not made provisra for effective control of the and maintenance of billboards'^ " signs on the interstate and prim! road system. Under the law: 1. Billboards are to be remove by 1970, from an area 660 feet the highway, with exceptions for col mercial or industrial areas; 2. The secretary of commerce : bold hearings in each of the 1 states before the standards beet) effective therein. Crusade for Safety D ay . ' gress passed a concurrent , lution (HC Res 4 4 8 ) v a s k ^ President to issue a prbcfaiw designating Nov. 26, 1965;flf" sade for Safety Day totre3tiSl accidents;-"" L L ite S t High-speed ground tranf| tion-- The secretary. ofklcOT" was authorized by S- L 5 8 8 ||| 220, to undertake researchiffde opment, and d e m o n stra tip :m high-speed ground tra n sp o rt and to collect national trans||jj tion data and statistics. year, $90 million authorizamS voted. While initial einph^ffi be. on railroads, the secrelaH dicated motor vehicle transf would also be mvolved...fi "|| ................ ,,.(isJSL Pep pUl regiihdion 4v enactment .is i:R 2. which amends the.'.Eooag Cosmetics Act. to~ssaii|jj| controls over certainAdrugs! iug goofballs an d .p h jg g g sold at truck stops to-enaf dnvmg hours than perm|Ke| ICC. The commissionkha Congress "that the .m rius^p drugs creates a grave th re a p way' safety." jfjf Ribicoff's committee:rrj|||f were held on other 'b ffip ||j jects in the traffic safbty|i newly-organized Subcorr|p| Executive' Reorganizaffoffp Senate Committee on. Go.V^ Operations, under Senate; coff's chairmanship, held|j| hearings on how the fedora ment is organized :intig and on a "long-rsuage".^ the effectiveness of exjjij|| safety programs and P i i National Safety News, Ije s s e |p r tment"i'de fe n d the c | | major Aj jjifacturers. gf;tefld to t the natioj to be a - executive " automobi . ging its I t: apparent I f national [safety. . |rtional pol: i t o the sta libave no JRobertiF. feesied at Sgutomobh R east one)] ^ISftcyL' r.esearc! r Among p o ll's com |are the-ffoi 1. Shoui [agency ene: fcafety acth have alway ^eventually fe r a l bighv tjjgether and ffment of Cc [Standards;;; Roads, whe y-2. Shouk feral stands' i|iead o f 50 KsticsJsqts jff|'. 4. What;, ^Theljcor. imanufactur Sative, mdffi find to-rep gdustry subs' Igrep arafion lative progr; Efy's efforts Etive safety, fp : accident p a rc h , and gjolltsion [c %ciar]." | Tire peri Jearings w Commerce ' Senator Ha 11643, introd |p . , Wis.) a this bill wot ijafety and ational Safety nesses1: included1' senators, ': govern-' jnent departments, and' agencies', | | | snd the chief executives of the four jnajor American automobile manu facturers. Ribicoi: stated 1) "I in tend to be a crusader on safety on the national basis. I expect someone to be a crusadei for safety in the executive b ra n d "; 2) "I feel the automobile industry has been drag ging its feet on safety"; 3) "It is apparent that we have little if any national policy re g a rd in g traffic safety. . . . To say that our na tional policy is tc leave traffic safety to the state and orivate sector is to have no nations! policy." Senator Robert F. Kennedy (D., N.Y.) sug gested at these hearings that the p :automobile manufacturers spend at least one per cen; of profits for safe ty research. targe Among the issues Senator RibigcoiFs committee has been exploring are the .following: 1. Should then be. a single federal agency encompassing all federal traffic Esafety activities? {His own answer: "I have always felt, and feel now, that eventually we shell draw all the [fed eral highway] safety- programs to gether and place them in the Depart ment of Comraerte, in the Bureau of Standards, and the Bureau of Public Roads, where I think they belong.") .. 2, Should ther: be a uniform fed eral standard foi motor vehicles in stead of 50 state standards? pay 3- How good are our accident sta'saVtistics? | i 4. What cause s_traffic accidents? j t The conunittie asked the auto ^manufacturers to develop a cooperdative, industry-wide plan for safety land to report hack on it. The infdustry subsequently announced "the ^preparation of plans for a cooperl.ative program to expand the indusjftry's efforts in tee field of automoptive safety, particularly in the areas of accident prevention, safety re search, and problems of the second [collision [occupant collision with gear] f. Tire performance standards -- Hearings were held by a Senate gf-Commerce S u b c o m m itte e , under ^Senator Hartke (D., Ind.), on S ||T 643, introduce), by Senator Nelson J CD., Wis.) and tine other senators. I f This bill would ;et minimum federal BfcSafetv and periormance standards -- Turn page 'National Safety News, December 1965 `What Are We D o ing?" Howard Pyle told a National Safety Council staff meeting early this year that at no time in the his tory of organized safety has the problem received as much visibility as in these days. Many informed people believe that the voluntary safety movement has been largely responsible for this visibility. For years it has been crying out in the wilderness, so to speak, about the need for action by state and local governments, and for industry's su p -. port of the voluntary safety move ment. Suddenly this cry has been heard and now the voice is out in the land. Visibility is here. What about viability'll Will .the voluntary safety movement and the -nonfed- eral sector in traffic safety be able to retain their leadership now that we have achieved high safety visi bility? In this connection perhaps there is encouragement in the resolution of the G o v e rn o rs ' C o n fe re n c e adopted on July 29, 1965, in Min neapolis proposing a national con ference of state and local govern ments "to define and clarify areas of traffic safety responsibility and to determine the most effective pos sible courses of action with respect to priority needs and financing." Such "a conference can make a real-"' ity Of the observation by Chairman Hearst of the President's. Committee on Traffic Safety, that i Con-" gressional action in the matter of standards . . . should also prove to be a very real stimulus to action." In its present mood, Congress might very well accept the results of such a conference as a guide for future federal legislation on highway safe ty. In any event, all eyes will be on this conference and on its recom mendations. The ball is in its hands, either to be fumbled and lost, or to be grasped firmly and carried over the goal line. For answering questions about viability of the safety movement, you may find some help in the re- marks of two distinguished senators. Senator Kuchel (R., Calif.) told the Senate: "If the careful balance between federal and state relations and the principle of federalism is to survive in the United States, each of the 50 states of this and must be concerned not merely with states rights, but with states responsibilities." In a speech elsewhere on "Whith er State Government: Responsibil ity, or Oblivion," the California senator also said: . the survival of the federal concept depends on just how effec btiivlietliyes tihne thsteatceosmmingee-tdetchaedier.'.r.es.p.o-nTshie -T point.is-that with, a progressive s ta te ^ J * ^ administration .the job can be handled and the burgeoning growth of the fed eral government contained. . .......... "To succeed, -the states must step- P forward and assume the responsibility, of government; .otherwise, they will lese the power to govern. . . . They must begin to take that step today. . . -- Congressional Record, Sept. 23, 1965 (daily ed.), P- 24352. The second senator is Senator Elartke (D., Ind.) who told the fol lowing story ' on the floor of the Senate: - - . - :" "There is a story heard in Wash ington that on e. of our' government officials was remonstrating with a member "of7aif~ iron:-'curiam IgovenF" ment that little interest was'taken-with 'r r the number of persons dyinf I nutrition in that country. The iron curtain n a tio n a l lo o k ed our man.: straight in the eye and said something: like this: `But what are you doing1 about your traffic accident death tolls? They are as much a product- of your economy as our starvation is of ours.b "Yes, what are we doing? .. . Congressional Record, Sept. .8, 1965 (daily ed.), p. 22242. It is reasonable to think that at least part of the answer to the ques tion on the future of the safety movement will come as we answer the questions raised by these two senators: 1. Are we beginning "to take that step today?" 2. "What are we doing?" 83 mmm W arn w o r k e r s # S,3DO V O L T S with STONEHOUSE SIGNS KEEP AW AY K M ilH DO NOT USE OH ELECT!11CAL F IR e:S Electricity Is an invaluable aid to Industry, but it takes constant warning with Stonehouse ELECTRICAL HAZARD Signs to teach workers to safeguard themselves from injury. Ail Stonehouse Signs are designed and manufactured to accomplish this purpose in the most effective manner. They are of the highest quality workmanship and materials and comply fully with American Standard' ................. Specifications. Hundreds of different stock-worded'-accidentprevention signs are available for prompt shipment. Usually the same day your order is received. Write today for our free, full-color, 64-page catalog, plus information about custom-printed signs to meet your specifications. i S s i i a s a. systemror nrm ?aiding-; ing, Support was voiced; 1 era! Trade Commission, the G Services Administration, a n d ' APL-CIO. The National Tire p | f ers and Retreaders A sso ciatio n ^ tiffed for minimum p e r f o r m e standards through federal lef tion. Opposition to S 1643 'in jis f present form" was expressed byline Department of C om m erce preferred an initial period of tary approach. The interstate Vehi'lfl- cie Equipment Safety Commissiaiv|| organized in 1963 by compact u n ^ der the Beamer Resolution adopt ni ' by C o n g ress in 19 5 8 , testified against the bill and in favor off lowing time for its own tireysE regulations to work. T h e.R u b l Manufacturers Association alspf* posed the bill and urged YESC. approach, be. tried [first position was alsowoiced byThi__ tomobile Manufacturers Association which outlined its own ..sevens? tire safety program. Subc9_mm}| Chairman Hartke commented::'1.!^ plain fact is there appears to. be" common acceptable agreement- what is a safe tire." Senator Magnuson (D., Wash 'V chairman of the Senate Comfni,.c;i.|j.j'| Committee, introduced S 266~i,..\'` a follow-up to S 1643, The newihill'hi provides for: .......cpip| 1, Immediate adoption, as "inter...i r ^ minimum safety standards," , of,1?; A il SAFETY iouAt p eiK ftlT liS ; if CIRCLE 55 ON READER CARD 84 National Safety News, December 19|j Nations tire safety regulation issued' this, year ' ;.-by the-VESC; 2. Revision of si ch intrim stan dards by the secretary of commerce A ier two years, and thereafter, to the extent necessary, inc luding maximum permissible loads; 3. A research program to develop more comprehensive safety standards, . . .fine RiWcofriiearmgs on.. tii;y automobile industry used the ( ISA's seventeen items as a checklist of proposed standard items for new cars avaiiable to the general public. Seat belt standards-- The Depart ment of C o m m erce promulgated revised standards for seat belts, :upon "the' 'C onfess national policy,: the princpe! tained in the Action Progra* Highway Safety." The goveinl also resolved to invite the N a t S League of Cities, the U.S. Coni ence of Mayors, and the N atia||$ 'iV Association of Counties to joint *<1* retreading standards and a tire grad mandatory in 1966, and issued an sponsorship of a national conference \r ing system. Advisory C o m m ittee R e p o rt on "to define and clarify areas of traffi Tire marketing practices-- Early this year the Federal Trade Com mission held hearings on tire mar keting p ra c tic e s and on, among Transportation Research calling for a several-million dollar annual high way safety research and develop ment program. safely responsibility and to detel mine the most effective possible'! courses of action with respect 21 priority needs and financing." other things, tire safety and tire size. No final action has been taken. FTC hearings -- T h e F e d e ra l Trade Commission held hearings on M arin e The Interstate Commerce Commis tire safety and loading, to which PL 89-121 (HR 7954) co nfor| sion called on the, manufacturers reference has already been made, our statutes to the Conventiqri|- "to devote their maximum attention and is now conducting a prelim S afety of L ife at Sea (L:onJfj|$ to the stresses imposed by present- inary inquiry on automobile adver 1960). And PL 89-191-" ( H R ^ d'av loading oractnes and the sus-' tising that deals with speed. gives p rim a ry oblig atio n y tcM stained high speed of heavy vehi- lesC - _C c un-, 1; Am .Siifety devices fen fcdcuil vehicles -- The Executive Establishment has also been very busy on traffic safety. "The General Sendees Administra Bureau of Public Roads -- The Bureau of-Public Roads has been active in a variety of ways, includ ing: 1. Its spot-improvement program for eradicating dangerous road con Coast Guard Tor marking.,ob'slpaf tions in navigable- watersmLpI The U.S. Department o fl-U aH amended its regulations on-, slurf repairing, shipbuilding, . andyST breaking, on threshold level..Valu tion issued specifications and'stan ditions; and held h e a rin g s on p ro p o se d g 'Lj dards for seventet n safety devices 2. A nationwide study of continu amendments to its longshoring sii;;1: v iy I for federal automotive vehicles, to be effective Sept. 28, 1966, under the Roberts bill, I E 88-515. Some of these were already standard on .production models; others were al ready available to all customers as o ptional extras. GSA also an nounced its intent: on to revise sevyral of these..stancards .before their -effective, date and' to- consider- addi-, tional safety standards- GSA spoke, dof-the program'as oart of'the federal ''government's "obbgation to set a . national standard for the public ing road needs for twenty years in the future; 3. An accelerated and coordinated research and development program. Department of Commerce-- The Department of Commerce recently established an in te ra g e n c y task force which, is currently formulating plans for an accelerated action pro-' gram. According to. the .department,. the recommendations "will soon be. submitted to the President. " Governors' Conference-- The na tional Governors' Conference called ty and health regulations. Public c'j@ Power lawn mowers -- Senatcy Magnuson (D., Wash.), Chaitniar^ of the Senate Commerce Comimttecj said that "self-regulation in " |f power lawn ro.ower industry appea to have lagged behind the;, nee ^ it" and instructed'the"Senateffcon mitteeY staff to: monitor thermd try's .p ro g re ss' in raisingnsaii standards. "Should th e a la rm ir volume of accidents . continuesji abated through this year,"'-tiieiSe ator warned, "then the Commerc. ." .. nil, Committee will be prepared to d'e ,riS velop legislation. . . Government Mission Safety-70-- Intramural! the federal government has steppe up its internal safety programt/Th - I :' President launched "Mission Safetj 70," directing all federal operatior "to reduce their injury frequenc rate 30 per cent by 1970." T t chief executive said that "the- -ix cidence of injury to federal civilia employees is no better today tha it was ten years ago and direct cos) to the Government have risen nearly 50 per cent." 8fi National Safety News, December 19J| Nations