Document q3kqYb2EnQYaO7JZnQzYmy935

FILE NAME: National Safety Council (NSC) DATE: 1936 Oct DOC#: NSC061 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION: Transactions of the NSC - 25th National Safety Congress 2 5 tl N ational Safety Congress NATIONAL SAFETY COUNCIL, I n c . ATLANTIC CITY, NEW JERSEY OCTOBER 5 to OCTOBER 9, 1936 Ambassador, Chaise, Ritz-Carlton Hotels and Atlantic City Auditorium IM4, NMnl Maty lac. Safety Council/ Inc. HONORARY MEMBERS' AA sA s|>oA AciaI <tnil oA nt * ojk Mf II r >o n> aa. nh d* . Robert W . Campbell Arthur W illiams Lew R. P almer SC atiMeMe*l EL. l emmctrr* icjb .ai .l v ETT*n gmm>ineers OFFICERS (1936-1937)' - ; Dr. 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 Coun< H on. H arold' G. H offman, Vice-President for Public Safety Albert S. Regula, Vice-President for Engineering A. V. Rohweder, VicerPresident for Industrial Safety R. T. Solensten, Vice-President for Membership Albert W. W hitney, Vice-President for Education W . E. W orth, Vice-President for Finance and Treasurer. W. H. Cameron, Secretary and Managing Director EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE (1936-1937) George J. A dams, Paper and Pulp Section C. M. Allen, Metals Section C. B. A uel, Past President J. I. Banash, Past President C. W. Bergquist, Past President H arold S. B uttenheim, The American City Magazine W. H. Cameron, National Safety Council, Inc. i Robert W.- Campbell, Past President Robert I. Catun, 'Aetna Casualty & Surety Company Lewis A. DeBlois, Past President C. W. Dempesy, Food Section Marcus A. Dow, Past President D. D. F ennell, Consulting Engineer Dr. H art E. F isher, Chicago Rapid Transit Company R. B. F ortuin, Lehigh Valley Safety Council C. W. Gibbs, Mining Section J ohn B. Gibson, Western Electric Company H arry Guildert, The Pullman Company H on. H arold G. H offman, Governor of New Jersey 4 OFFICERS A N D DIRECTORS, Continued E. C. H olden, J r., Marine Section H arry J. K elley, Wood Products Section W alter G. King, Past President W m. C. K noelk, Milwaukee Safety Commission J ohn E. Long, Past President T hos. H. MacDonald, United States Department of Agriculture E. J. Mehrrn, Portland Cement Association W. J. Melville, Chippewa County Safety Council I. W. Millard, Industrial Gloves Corporation H arold L, Miner, E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Company E. J. O 'Brien, J r., Louisville Safety Council Lew R. P almer, Past President C. E. P ettibone, Past President A lbert S. Rgula, Industrial Relations Counselors, Inc. Lt. Col. H enry A. Reninger, Past President A. V. Rohweder, Duluth, Missabe & Northern Railway Company D. L. Royer, ASSE-Enginecring Section George E. S anford, General Electric Company Charles B. Scott, Past President Carl L. Smith, Cleveland Safety Council C. W. S mith. Standard Oil Company (Indiana) W alter D ent S m ith, Delaware Safety Council R. T. Solensten, Elliott Service Company C. P. T olman, Past President George G. Traver, Chicago Safety Council Robert R. W allace, Worcester Safety Council Dr. C. H. W atson, American Telephone & Telegraph Company A. W. W hitney, National Bureau of Casualty & Surety Underwriters W. E. Worth, International Harvester Company Arthur H. Young, Past President DIRECTORS (1936-1937) George J. Adams, Paper & Pulp Section C. M. Allen, Metals Section Nelson R. A nderson, Seattle Traffic & Safety Council Frederick Archer, Child Education Section A. L. A rmstrong, Chemical Section J. I. Ban ash, Consulting Engineer J ohn J. Barada, Publip Utilities Section E rnest W. Beck, United States Rubber Products, Inc. C. W. Bergquist, Western Electric Co. D avid S. Beyer, Liberty Mutual Insurance Co. Clifford M. Bishop, Brooklyn Safety Council 5 OFFICERS A N D DIRECTORS, Continu'! E. F. Blank, Jones & Laughlin Steel Corp. C. F. Bokxenhacen, Kenosha Safety Council S. D. Boyd, York County Safety Council A. W. Breeland, Petroleum Sertion F. S, Bbown, Standard Accident Insurance Co. S. W. Burchiel, Automobile' Club of Rhode Island H arold S. Butten heim, The American City Magazine P eeston D. Cau.u k , Baltimore Safety Council W. H . Cameron, National Safety Council Robert I. Catun, Aetna Casualty & Surety Co. M. A. Clark, Automotive and Machine Shop Section H. H erbert Corson, Safety Department, Nashville Chamber of Com merce. . i:. ..... . ../ : ;V, F rank E mery Cox, Berkeley Traffic Safety Commission' Robert W. Crowther, Springfield, Massachusetts Safety Council i J. E. C ulliney, Bethlehem Steel Co. Lewis A. D eBlois, Consulting Engineer J ay E. Decker, Mason City Safety Council C W. Dempesy, Food Section J ames B. Douglas, Philadelphia Gas Works Co. Dr. Louis I. D ublin, Metropolitan Life Insurance Co. D. D. F ennell, Consulting Engineer Donald A. F inkbeiner, Toledo Safety Council Dr. H art E. F isher, 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. Fortuin, Lehigh Valley Safety Council Alexander F oster, J r., Quarry Section C. W. Gibbs, Mining Section J ohn B. Gibson, Western Electric Co. H arry Guilbert, The Pullman Co. I saiah H ale, The Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway Co. , Major Bolling H . H andy, Richmond Safety Council D. T. H arrington, U. S. Bureau of Mines R. G H aven, Vehicle Fleet Section i 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 Morris E. H urley, Eastbay Safety Council M ajor Norman A. I mrie, Columbus Safety Council E dwin A. Kayser, St. Louis Safety Council T homas P. Kearns, Industrial Commission of Ohio tc. Co. i9'W' ,y ,: k h i-- O FFIC ER S A N D D IRECTO RS, CooSm i! K. T. Kexjxr, Detroit Industrial Safety Council Harry J. Kelley, Wood .Products Section Taos. L Kjlucy, Paterson Safety Council J. M. Kerrigan, Robber Section Wm. C. Knoilx, Street & Highway, Traffic Section C L L.aFountaine, Great Northern Railway Co. A. H. Lauo, Madiion County Safety Council J. E. Long, TheDelaware 4 Hudson Railroad (Corporation W. R. Loyd, Safety Div. Birmingham Chamber of Commerce , L . T.M cAsrBux,Peoria,IUiooiiSafetyCotadI Taos. H. MacDonald, United States Department of Agriculture Miller, McCuntocx, Traffic Audit Bureau T. H. McKinney, Retired F. W. MATtON, Minnesott Safety Council James R. May, Elizabeth Safety Council EL J. Mekrxn, Portland Cement Association W. J. MxivnxE, Chippew* County Safety Council I. W. Miuard; IndustrialGlove Corporation E. M. Millir, Employees Publication Section James K. Miller, Grand Rapids Safety Council Harold L. Miner, E. I. duPont de Nemours & Co. R. B. Moley, Industrial Accident Prevention Association Ernest Murphy, Albany Safety Council E. J. O'Brien, Jr., Louisville Safety Council ' George C. A. Opp, The Detroit Edison Co. Geo. O'ppenheime*, Kansas City Safety Council Lew R. Palme*, The Equitable Life Assurance ` Society of the United States W ilson Palme*, Meat Packing, Tanning & Leather Industries Sec tion A, E. Park**, Transit Section David A Patton, Newark Safety Council Mrs. G. M, Pelton, Evanston Safety Council Charles W. Pendock, Safety Division, Milwaukee Assn, of Com merce C. E. Fettuone, American Mutual Liability Insurance Co. Gen. George B. Pillsrury, United States Engiueer Office Arthur PomaroK, Hudson County Safety Council Albert S. Regula, Industrial Relations Counselors, Inc. Lt. Col. H enry A Reninger, Lehigh Portland Cement Co. A V. Rohweder, Duluth, Missabe & Northern Railway Co. D. L. Royer, ASSE-Enginecring Section G. E. Saneobd, General Electric Co. Henry C Schaptner, Erie Safety Council Karl G. Schoepeler, Rahway Safety Council 1 Wl ---7M "J\ f4|fco'liite kiV,a'ifeKS& 1-v- mi &&> OFFICERS A N D DIRECTORS, Continued t H arry A. Schultz, United States Steel Corp. E arl S. S hartzer, Utica Safety Council Gen. J ohn H. S herburne, Massachusetts Safety Council Dr. L. A. S houdy, Bethlehem Steel Co. E rnest L. S imonds, New Haven Safety Council Carl L. S mith, Cleveland Safety Council C. W. S mith, Standard Oil Co. (Ind.) E dwin C. Sm ith, Blackstone Valley Safety Council W alter D ent S mith, Delaware Safety Council W . A. S now, Construction Section R. T. S olensten, Elliott SetVice Co. P. E arl Spitzer, Contra Costa County Safety Council -V E. C. S pring, Lansdale, Pa. George R. Stephens, Safety Bureau, Buffalo Chamber of Commerce Arthur M. T ode, Consulting Marine Engineer H arold M. T oombs, Refrigeration Section Geo. G. T raver, Chicago Safety Council W. W. T rench, Schenectady Safety Council W. D. T urbeville, San Antonio Safety Council R obert R. W allace, Worcester Safety Council Dr. C. H. W atson, American Telephone & Telegraph Co. H arry M. W ebber, 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 W. H. W inans, Union Carbide & Carbon Corporation E. W. W irth, Rochester Safety Council . ' H arry W ise, Sr., Chattanooga Safety Council / J. M. W oltz, Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co. f W. W. W ood, Steam Railroad Section W. E. W orth, International Harvester Co. v ,E. J. Zauft, Safety Bureau, Duluth Chamber of Commerce E arl W. Zimmerman, Safety Div. Syracuse Chamber of Commerce G. L. Z wick, St. Joseph Safety Council 8 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, ahd Chief Surgeon, Chicago Rapid Transit Co., Chicago, who presided, introducing the speakers. The Lesser Known Facts About Common Occupational Diseases By DR. ROBERT B. HUNT Medical Advisor, American Mutual 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 type 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. j 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 be 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 in 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 118 Twento-fifth National. Safety Congress^ and symptoms of' lead poisoning. But imagine the surprise of that supposedly cured person when years later, perhaps following some type of infectious disease or the excessive use of alcoholic bever ages, he awakes to find that he suffers the aches and pains and paralyses of an acute lead poisoning. As the body fluids alter lead that it may be deposited, so may those fluids attempt to de-lead the body, and too rapid absorption may pro duce the original disease with all its dis comforts. One can readily see, then, that in some cases investigation of previous occupa tions is quite necessary to determine the original contact with lead. Heating of molten lead causes a black scum of lead suboxide to. form on its sur face, and the heat from the metal dis burses the fine powder into the air. Hence, in the process of smelting ores such as zinc, copper and silver, mixed with lead, we find a rather high lead poisoning rate. . . . Those engaged in the manufacture of lead wire and cables, batteries, glass, pottery and rubber industries, plumbers and users of dry colors offer their share of lead poisoning. Probably the greatest source of lead poisoning may be found among those who sandpaper, scrape, chip or burn lead paint, for the dust and fumes caused by those activities are rather rapid in their action. Such workers may become in capacitated in a few days because the inhalation of lead dust causes the maxir mum amount of absorption into the blood stream in the minimum space of time. Chromium Chromium is a metal widely used as a foundation for colors, and dusts from its various salts may produce lesions Of the skin and mucous membranes of the nose. Chromium plating by electrolysis may cause fumes which are similarly irritat ing. Although chromium poisoning does not usually cause death, the number of days of absence from work on account of incapacity which it causes is gradu ally increasing. Other Aletal The most efficient portals of entry of foreign substances 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 and 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-ftime fever. ``Brass chills'* and "spelter shakes" ffrom .zinc are names applied by the lay people to such diseases. The terrific heat ap plied to some of our common metals and alloys by 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 Dnat .Twenty-five per cent of all workers exposed to high concentrations of inor ganic dust are expected to develop changes within their lungs due to that agency. W e are at a loss to explain why the other seventy-five per 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. e ' -st ) ion oy i carry minute inca'gaged r and cloyed 1 the dust metal shipconoccafever. from eople api and sufincam'lity leers nor elop tfl are rk, oap laklcts oplicun- ose rtz, ex- m- the ;utal :nt innd lot ;to in ns Occupational Diseases 119 Although the actions of various dusts differ within the body, the exposure to asbestos fibres, present in the 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 such 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 from his dusty occupation. BenxcS-Betumne Benzol is a distillate of coal tar used 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 fliction may be the first indication of such unauthorized use. Benzol is extremely poisonous, enter ing either 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 alters the character of the blood; hemorrhages are common; it may cause death. The fumes from benzol are heavier than 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 w;hen their bodies are 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 on 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, thinners 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 the removal of adhesive plaster. Due to the non-flammability of car bon tetrachloride, it is used in fire extinguishers. 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 the low ceiling of 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 ,120 ~Tffi?nly-fifth National S afety Congress leum distillation arc frequently combined with those from coal tar to form valua ble chemical combinations. They have been placed on the market so rapidly that medical science has been unable to determine their physiological effect upon the health of man. We have known that some of these chemicals are capable of creating changes in the liver, and only recently in a city in Massachusetts one of these newer products caused the death of two employees and a battle to retain life among two others. Carbon Monoxide You remember the adage, "Where there is smoke, there is fire." We might add to that, ' `Where there is fire there is carbon monoxide." This odorless but poisonous gas may occur in any industry or in any home, but the poorer the ventilation the better the chance of producing physical incapacity, v Since the advent of the motor car, whose exhaust pipe may pour forth as high as 6% of carbon monoxide, we are all exposed to that gas, particularly in crowded cities. The ordinary passenger car liberates about two cubic feet per minute, and one can readily estimate the physical damage that may be done if such a motor is allowed to run within the doors of a poorly ventilated garage or shop. Fortunately, serious cases of such poisoning are not common among those employed in public garages, but many of those employees are likely to complain of headache and faintness at the end of a day's work, especially in colder weather when doors and windows remain closed. In the steel industry, where gas is used as the heating agency in the blast fur naces, care must be used to provide proper ventilation. Within the mines, workers are warned to allow enough time following blasts for the escape of this gas. Being a colorless, odorless and taste less gas, quick of action within the hu man body, the manifestation of the very first symptom may be too late to save a workman from partial or total incapacity or perhaps death. Because the exposed person suffers first from motor paralysis, he may be unable 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 o r 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. .j 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 skitt and undergo much physical suffering and sometimes death. 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 are 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 ved t Kvfiod, gas may Tiage. wing of is ex- lains in i' punci battle ncies of of the draggle enee of ommon >es are resultamong overed germs ethods hides, t time, bristle spore much e' . -n > gaged death hands :sult. sions, enues vould t all Early later l the and body .1 an lurer ! my ! the nest iical the Jrer Occupational Diseases ~ 121 should be held responsible for the ills produced by the use of his product and unless lie 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 ot 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, and 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 vigiiatjee 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. TEMPLER Medical Director, Corning Glass Works, 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 observation 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 are all familiar with the results obtained in decreasing the 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 life 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 by 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 tn. 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 physical1and roent genological examination should be made of all employees engaged in industrial processes where there is a potential if 122 Twenty-fifth National Safety Congress not actual;exposure to excessive concen trations of silica in the atmosphere." , Naturally in the early work of industry, only basic materials were used, ingredients had not arrived at a state of development and complexity, when intricate chemical compounds and other toxic materials were even known of, much less used. At the present time over 500 materials are listed which can, under certain conditions, cause industrial disease and the list is by no means complete, inasmuch as experimental work is being done .by the personnel of practically every plant or industry to im prove or enlarge its manufactured products by taking advantage of the great amount of knowledge science has given us. Industrial examinations are of two kinds. First, the pre-employment ex amination, Awhich consists of a very care ful history, not only of the family, but also of the previous occupations with length of service in each, previous health and illnesses and present habits. Naturally such a history is of no value unless truth fully given and a reasonable amount of time must be taken to acquire details, which are often vague' in a workman's mind or considered by him to be unim portant. The physical examination, of course, varies with the type of industry, and should be given with the knowledge of what the man's exact occupation is to be, and by a physician familiar with the industrial processes in which he is to be employed. In this way selected employ ment can be obtained for men who have some basic disqualification for one job, but which 'does not impair, their ability for useful employment and the conserving of health in another. The physical examination must be thorough. It should include all methods of determining a latent disability of one that is already, present. Many examina tion forms are available from insurance companies or other health services, which have been designed entirely for industrial work. It has been the experience of men interested in this work, that all the special senses of the body must be tested as well as the measurement of motion in all joints. The cardio-vascular system is of great importance as is the respiratory and gastro-intestinal tract. Re-examination and periodical checks, because 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 ho complaints, or who are 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 to age, sex, color and 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 industry are equally important. The employee will be more productive, receive higher wages and 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 be 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 common cold, lagrippe, cough, sore throat or skin irritation. Such observations should be I in nw ^ear fho feel plain ts, ic sub- which ir their :nt and re the : of a iployee ing no lustrial Such : have ariety. lassify id nathese m ains ealthy great ustry. lunity vious; lustry e will vages r Cv. rking con ed to eptic, cable rs to have rd is, few rning r 20 usts; ition difalso j :riod emtperendlinaapthey less, raon skin I b e .' O CCfipa{fotigl Diseases....... " ' 123 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 ampunt 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 are 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 pre- employment examination and periodic re examination without mentioning some of the objections to it. If a man has a dis ability, he naturally 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 thati 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 pre employment 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 work, that no fair-minded person can fail 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 employment in any occupation coming within the purview of this article to undergo a medical examina tion." This statement is in a paragraph labeled, "Prevention of Silicosis and Other Dust Diseases," and the logic of it is entirely non-understandable, 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, 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 land 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 the 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, are 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. 124- Congfess TM ~ W hat Can the Engineer Do to Eliminate the Hazards of Occupational Diseases? By REU EL C. STRATTON Supervising Chemical Engineer, The Travelers Insurance Co., Hartford, Conn. If I were asked, "Can the engineer pre- While the problem confronting indi vent the majority of occupational disease vidual safety engineers varies according cases" my answer would be, "yes." Ob- to the industry, there are certain funda- viously, with the exception of those mentals common to all such problems diseases brought about through a sudden which provide a workable basis upon or accidental contact with a poisonous which an occupational disease prevention material or a virulent disease-producing program may be developed. Once these organism, if the exposure were controlled fundamentals are set in motion toward a by engineering technique, then there safe working environment, continuance is would be no occupational disease. much the same whether the engineer is The engineer must rely upon the engaged with a large organization or with medical director to place individuals a small one. The fundamentals follow this capable of working in hazardous occupa- sequence: tions and to assist him in controlling < (1) An occupational disease inventory these individuals through periodic physical '* required. examinations when the men are exposed (2) A plan for correction of the ex- to occupational disease hazards; but theposures shown by the inventory requires engineer alone is responsible for reducing development. / generation of harmful substances and for (3) A concentrated attack upon the the control of employees' contact with major exposures first, following through processes using harmful materials. until all are corrected or eliminated. The ascribing of many and new occupa- An inventory of all materials used in a tional diseases to industrial environment plant will astound the average engineer, has produced a problem for him. The He will find many items about which he engineer generally works with materials may have little or no knowledge. He which he can see, but the study of in- may be confronted with items he had not dustrial disease control may require the recognized previously, even though he has handling of invisible materials. It is a been associated with the plant perhaps common fault to focus attention upon one many years. When this inventory is corn- object to such an extent that others of plete, he should card index it, placing equal importance may thereby be. rele- against the name of the material the health gated, to obscurity. Today safety' en- hazard associated with it both from a gineers and industrial hygienists are con- material and a process viewpoint. Such centrating their attention .upon diseases a card index should contain the corn- caused by the inhalation of dust, but I ponent parts or constituency of com- do not believe the safety engineer is war- pounds. ranted in confining himself to the preven- Process exposures should be studied in tion of diseases caused by dust alone. His conjunction with hazardous materials, consideration should extend to include all Assistance in compiling such data may be materials produced in any manner that obtained in the bulletin "Occupation they may cause an effect upon a worker. Hazards and Diagnostic Signs," prepared The question of whether a material exists by Dublin and Vane of the Metropolitan as a gas, a vappr, or a dust is but one of Life Insurance Company, and in a publi- particle size and chemical make-up. cation of the United States Public Health He must not forget that many such Service, Public Health Bulletin No. 210, diseases are produced by exposure to "The Potential Problems of Industrial vapors and gases as well as to dust, and Hygiene in a Typical Industrial Area in that the control of these industrial diseases the United States." may be brought about by the application In addition the engineer should obtain of certain fundamental principles common ali available information upon the ma te all. terials he is required to study. New r -onn. r indi:ording fundasblems upon ention these rard a nee is eer is with * this ntory e ex pires the ough in a neer. h not has laps om:ing alth n a uch omDm- 1 in als. i be lion red Un bliilth iis. rial j in lin laiw Occupational D iseases ________________ _________ ____ __ 12$ . ... _ chemicals, solutions, dusts, degreasing agents, condensation products, paints, lac quers, dyes, abrasives, and other products 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 determine 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. Housing. One of the most important considerations in attempting to control oc cupational disease is housing. Whenever practical, any hazardous manufacturing process should be separately housed and isolated; every effort should be made to arrest harmful substances--dust, vapors, or gases--at their source of generation. Buildings should be so constructed that accumulations of dust may be avoided. When physical separation of depart ments is required, such physical divisions should be dust or vapor tight. Floors should be tight to prevent transfer of materials to floors or departments below. The engineer should give study to the complete enclosure of machinery or process units as individual units and, if so required, vent each one separately. The transfer of hazardous operations into the open air does not always eliminate the danger; in fact, it may increase the number of workers affected. Process Revision. To reduce transpor tation of materials and exposure to harm ful substances it is desirable to have all processes mechanically continuous and, if 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 same 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 material created large amounts of dust 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 could be harmlessly expelled from the sack prior to filling. Study led him to suggest and.iapply the use of a collapsed paper bag which contained little or no free air. The problem was solved. Dust generation was practically eliminated by this simple change. Many hazardous processes in ordinary manufacturing opera tions may be cured in like manner if the engineer exercises his ingenuity. Ventilation. Proper ventilation is of paramount importance in the control of any occupational exposure. Most of the chief occupational diseases other than dermatitis arise through the inhalation or the ingestion of foreign material. If ven tilating equipment can reduce the concen tration of contaminating materials to a safe limit, the problem is solved. The en gineer should study each process sep arately and ventilate each separately. It is seldom wise to rely upon general ven 126 Twenty-fifth National Safety Congress tilation. Instead, high velocity ventilating apparatus should be installed, functioning as closely to the point of generation of the harmful substance as is possible. Individual machines should be 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 U3e it. Sanitation. Clean washing facilities and toilets should be provided. Lunch rooms should be not only clean but also well lighted and attractive and should be un der the supervision of the plant physician. Scientific Teats. Up to this point the engineer has Ideduced that an exposure exists, and from accumulated data has devised his means of prevention. How- i ... ever, the engineer interested in ascer taining not only exposure but also effi ciency of control should realize control cannot be 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 has 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 be 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 be Operat ing, but industrial disease exposure varies within plants and certainly varies between different manufacturing establishments, even though they may produce a ljke product or article. ADJOURNMENT ConstructionSection Officers 1935-36 General Chairman--W. A. Show, Associated General Contractors of America, Inc., 1329 "E" Street, N. W., Washington, D. C. Vice-Chairman for 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. R owe, W. L. Johnson Construction Co., Hicksville, Ohio. Vice-Chairman for U. S. Engineer Department--Major E luott V andevante*, C. of E., Office of the Chief of Engineers, Washington, D. C. Vice-Chairman for Building Construction--Chester W. W right, Wright & Kremcrs, Inc., Niagara Falls, N. Y. Secretary--Robert McK inley, General Accident Fire & Life Assurance Corp., Detroit, Mich. ' Hews Letter Editor--G. O. Griffin, bravo Corp., Neville Island, Pittsburgh, Pa. Engineering Committee Chairman--E. N. Goldstine, San Francisco, Calif. Membership Committee Chairman--T homas 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. Austin, Detroit, Mich. E . N . Goldstine, San Francisco, Calif. J ohn R ussell, J r., 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. Reigixuth, C. W. Blakeslee & Sons, New Haven, Conn. Vice-Chairman for Highway Construction--F. I. Rowe, W. L. Johnson Construction Co., Hicksville, Ohio. I'ice-Chairman for U. S. Engineer Department--M ajor E lliott V andevantek, C. of E., Office of the Chief of Engineers, Washington, D. C. Vice-Chairman for Building Construction--C hester W. W right, Wright & Krcmers, Inc., Niagara Falls, N. Y. 1 Secretary--Robert McKinley, General Accident, Fire & Life Assurance Corp., Detroit, Mich. 241 242 Txvcnty-fifth National Safety Congress ..... ..................................... - N a t's Letter Editor--G. 0 . Griffin, Dravo Corp., Neville Island, Pittsburgh, Pa. Engineering Committee Chairman--T homas Soule, Industrial Indemnity Exchange, San Francisco, Calif. Membership Committee Chairman--F. J. Crandell, Liberty Mutual Insurance Co., Boston, Mass. Posier Committee Chairman--S. M. Lauderdale, Civilian Conservation Corps, Washington, D. C. Program Committee Chairman--V. P. A hearn, National Sand 8c Gravel Assn., Washing ton, D. C. | P-Micity Committee Chairman--W. P. Conn, "The Constructor," Washington, D. C. S' atistics Committee Chairman--C. H. Black, Stone & Webster Engineering Corp., Boston, Mass. Past General Chairmen-- W. F. Austin, W. E. Wood Co.. Detroit, Mich. E dgar N. Goldstine, Consulting Safety Engineer, San Francisco, Calif. J ohn R ussell, J r., Public Service Electric St Gas Co., Newark, N. J. The first session was called to order by General Chairman Wc/ton A. Snow, Associated 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. GRIFFINSafety 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 different." We aren't different! 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 Fails to a different level........................ Machinery .............................................. Vehicles ............................................ . Falling objects ...................................... Using hand tools................................... Stepping on or striking against objects Electricity, explosives, h e a t ........... 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 Construction Section distribution of the cases (nearly all com pensable) 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 are 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. i 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 good; 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" to live up to. ' They knew they weren't different; they! just went ahead andi 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 eration besides that of heavy construction. We build boats, operate a barge line, and a sand and gravel company, besides fabricating steel, installing machinery and handling contractor's equipment. The types of accidents reported by these vari ous subsidiaries diffffcr very little. Tow boat or construction job, machine shop or gravel yard--they alt report falls, cuts and other injuries in about the same pro portion. However, there re some queer ones. One day last week we had a man fall out of his berth and crack a rib; and in the other case a spider bit the pilot. Recently, on one of the dam jobs a man was hurt because he didn't understand the foreman's order. The foreman had just had all his teeth out. All books and theories on safety say that accident severity cannot be con trolled. In general, I agree, but I feel that it can be controlled to a greater ex tent on construction work than on many other types. Most severe accidents in construction can be attributed to certain types of occurrences which can be guarded against fairly completely; by this I mean prevention of long falls by special types of scaffolding and railings, and the reduction in falling of material by the close inspection of mechanical equipment. To a very great extent, this has 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 sup posedly all fair safety men insist that if a temporarily injured employee is unable to return to a regularly established job on the day following his injury, he should be kept at home'and recorded as a lost time accident. How the case is recorded is of little interest to me. It is my contention that on construc tion work you can improve your severity rate and do everyone concerned a favor by keeping the injured man on the job. In this way, you can keep control of him and of his injury, be sure he receives ade quate treatment and reduce his suffering and loss of wages. If you don't do this, you frequently lose control of the case entirely and have a simple seven-day in jury turn into an expensive one with long disability. To get back to our real subject, the program which, in my opinion, would ma 244 Twenty-fifth National Safety Congress ter ally improve accident records in the construction industry is that which other industries have been using for so long. Briefly, 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. Assistant Medical Director, Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, New York City With a possible single exception, there is but one dust disease and one dust causing that disease with which the con struction industry is concerned. The disease is silicosis and the dust causing it is dust containing free silica (SiO*). 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 impinger, the results being expressed in millions of particles per cubic foot. In order to estimate the hazard, we must know the number of particles and the percentage of i silica, because a dust con taining 100 per cent pure silica would' be more harmful than one containing SO per cent silica. When we know the amount of dust-- in terms of averages--the amount of .sil ica, and the extent of exposure, we are in a position to evaluate the seriousness of the hazard. We know that silicosis is a chronic disease, taking usually years to develop, and as we see it in American industries, causing little or no disability unless there is superimposed upon it an infection. This infection is most often tuberculosis, to which the individual with silica damaged lungs is very susceptible. The more severe the silica damage, the more apt tuberculosis is to develop. We do not as yet have permissable or safe standards of dustiness. There is such an 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 on 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 are 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 are 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 processed which involve considerable amounts of dust, wherein lies the possibility of a health hazard. There is no silicosis without silica-- free silica. So right off, the manufac turer or industrial company has the first clear-cut index of the potential harmful ness of a dust which may be causing concern to him or his employees. Does Construction Section 245 it contain free silica in appreciable lished industries. Where a tunnel is be amounts? ing constructed in a highly silicious What is an appreciable amount? Prob rock, the dust hazard looms very large. ably in excess of S per cent. At least, It is similar to hard rock mining and that is well on the conservative side. , everything conspires to make the cpn- Non-silicious dusts may be a nuisance or trol of dust difficult. It is interesting: to an annoyance to employees or to neigh note that tunnel work in various parts of boring communities, but they are not the world has been followed by similar concerned with silicosis. If the employer experiences. does not know whether a dust to which The report of the Director General of his employees are exposed contains silica Public Health for New South Wales in --that is the first thing for him to deter Australia, 1924, details an investigation mine. Should he find that the dust does concerning ventilation and sandstone dust contain free silica, in a determined per present in the air of certain sewer tunnels centage, then the next step is to ascer in Sidney. Apparently there was an ex tain the amount of such dust present in cessive amount of silicosis and tubercu the air where his employees work. losis among these tunnel workers. We are frequently asked whether dust A report of the South African Institute arising from gypsum, cement, lime, for Medical Research, April, 1935, details marble, talc, rock wool, mineral wool a severe silicosis hazard among sewer and many other substances, may cause tunnel workers in South Africa. silicosis. We say to the inquirer, "You We are justified in concluding that tun know the materials you are working nel work calls for extraordinary precau with. Do they contain free silica?" He tions' for safety and health with a super may reply, "No," or "Only a trace." The vision of the health of tunnel workers conclusion then is obvious. There is no comparable to that followed in other in silicosis hazard. dustries. Grinding or pulverizing sand, The type of process in which the dust gravel, and other highly silicious materi is generated is of great practical import als are processes that need very careful ance., If the process is conducted in a control and supervision. confined place, with poor ventilation, it The control of the dust hazard .is an is apparent that the hazard is much more engineering problem and in the main de dangerous than if it were in the open air, pends on an effort to entrap the dust at because in the confined place, the work its point of origin by using water, or man gets a much bigger dose of silica. ' suction exhaust systems, or both. Once Recently I saw some X-ray films of the dust is in the air, reliance h placed brick masons. These masons handled upon further use of water, and on dilu only fire bricks--made from a highly tion of the silica .dust by increased ven silicious material -- and' they were em tilation and on protecting the individual ployed in lining kilns and furnaces. by a suitable mask or respirator. The Their films showed well developed sili United States Bureau of Mines now cer cosis. Their job consisted in breaking up tifies respirators that are safe for silica the worn-out lining in furnaces and build dust. The use of respirators should be ing new ones. They were continuously restricted to exposures which are inter exposed to a highly silicious dust in a mittent or temporary. very close, confined place. The same Where ventilation equipment designed material could probably be handled in to remove dust from the air is installed, other types of construction work with its efficiency should be checked from time little or no hazard. to time by dust counts, using the stand The mention of close and confined ard impinger method. As with other places brings !to mind tunnels, about protective devices, there is always danger which there has recently been much agi that this sort of apparatus becomes tation. Without going into details con greatly impaired or useless because' of cerning this subject, the lesson to be failure to maintain it properly. learned is clear. The digging of a tun I mentioned an exception to the state nel is not a permanent undertaking in ment that only free silica dust will pro any locality but the work should be safe duce disease of the lungs. This excep guarded as in more permanently estab tion is asbestos, a magnesium silicate. 246 Twenty-fifth National Safety Congress The inhalation of asbestos dust produces a condition of the lungs similar to sili cosis. The pathology is quite different and the appearance on X-ray films is distinct from silicosis. Asbestosis ap 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. A matter of great concern to the em ployer is what disposition to make of cases of silicosis among, his employees. If active tuberculosis ilPpresent, it is to the interest of the individual and his fel low workmen that he be removed from his occupation and given proper care. If infection is not present, there will be little or no disability and the employer should protect the individual from further ex posure through methods suitable to the situation involved. The important item to remember is the nature of the material and the process in which it is employed. 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 ly serious and calls for energetic and comprehensive measures of control and continued medical supervision of the men. Dust samples should b etak en frequently and the men should be examined fre quently s o , that serious disease will not occur. Physical Examinations of Construction Employees on Public Works Programs By L. M. DEARDORP Superintendent of Construction, W. L. Johnson Construction Company, Hicksville, O. If there ever was a time when em ployees on Public 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, PWA, the U. 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 W PA or ganization to the extent that all semi skilled and common labor are furnished only from relief lists. In the majority of cases those unfortunate individuals who are still on relief are there only by reason of a mental or physical deficiency. They have done very little work during the past five or rix 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. Our 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 his first important preliminary, instructions is to talk to the doctors in >the vicinity of the project and explain to them the problem which we face 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 ifldings have been very interest ing on the various projects as the follow ing facts will testify. Construction Section. 247 On one project where 85 men were ex amined 20 of these were rejected for these reasons: Three hernias. One leakage of the heart. One evidence of intemperance and a large tumor on shoulder. One very nervous; heart trouble; throat irritation; bad teeth. One deaf in right ear. One High blood pressure. Two with only one eye and too old. One with defective hearing. One with bronchial asthma. One with lumbago. One with frail makeup; bronchial trou ble; bad wrists, illiterate. One partial stiffness in left elbow joint. One anaemic. Two general makeup bad; unalert, men tally and physically. Two too young for construction work. One too old and too frail for construc tion work. Another project in Ohio got under headway in June when the weather was extremely hot. The project superintend ent contacted the Regional Employment Center from which the labor was assigned. The Employment Center was advised as to the nature of the work, that only men fit physically and mentally could be ac cepted, that each man would be physi cally examined by a competent physician before being accepted. The Employment Center gave us wonderful cooperation. Men from relief rolls were first called to the Employment Office for an interview before assignment, and only such men as could show they were physically fit and able bodied were assigned to our project. On one requisition for 30 laborers, the Employment Center called to their office 100 men who were on relief. Seventyeight men reported. Of these, the Em ployment Officer turned down 74 because of old age or physical disabilities. Four of these 100 men were assigned to our ` project; 3 reported for work. Of these three, one was disqualified by physical disability, and one was discharged after being on the job four hours.. For the following three weeks there were many rejections, which included those rejected by the physician and many others who had come to the project with no intention of attempting to do a day's work. In fact about 60 per cent of those examined and found physically fit were not mentally inclined to do hard labor. We would first send an applicant to the foreman for a day's trial work, and if he showed an inclination to work he was given a physical examination. If not, he was discharged and we were saved the trouble and expense of an examination. About the first of July a number of contractors were finishing their projects and releasing their labor. The Employ ment Center transferred those men who had a relief status to our project and dis continued sending us men from the un employed ranks. Our number of rejec tions then fell from over 70 per cent to around 10 per cent. There is a certain moral effect in carry ing on physical examinations in that they give the nfan who is employed a feeling that he is just a trifle superior to the gen eral run of people who are available, and this feeling is revealed in the interest which he takes in his work and the build ing up of morale on the project. The matter of physically examining a number of employees on a Public Works Project is much more expensive than in any other industry due to the regulation that semi-skilled and common labor do not become a part of the contractor's or ganization, but are only on the present project and the contractor must build a complete new organization from skilled labor on down when; he moves on to another project. Another advantage in physical examina tions is evident when you notify the Em ployment Center that the men will be subjected to a physical examination. The Employment Center is much more par ticular. We have found the Employment Service interested in the physical exam inations and they have given us every reasonable cooperation. We have heard no .objections from the employees, organized labor, or the public with reference to our method of doing this phase of our business. We, there fore, urgently recommend that every con tractor-employer adopt physical examina tions for his employees. We consider our adoption of physical examinations for con struction employees another steppingstone along the road of safety and a non accident year of road building. 248 Twenty-fifth National Safety Congress t WEDNESDAY MORNING SESSION October 7, 1936 Round Table Discussion R. J. Rcigeluth, vice-president, C. W. Blakeslee & Sons, New Haven, Conn,, presided at the general round-table dis- cussion which comprised the Wednesday morning session of the Construction Section. THURSDAY MORNING SESSION ' October 8, 1936 Safety in Building Construction By CHRISTIAN J. JENSEN Supt. of Construction, M, B. Markland Contracting Cci., Atlantic City, N. J. Construction work must be planned so that both the workers and public will be protected from injury, that there will be no damage to adjoining properties, and that there will be no failure after the job is completed. In one case one person was killed and several were injured when a reinforced cinder. concrete slab failed and collapsed about 1fifteen years after it was built. This was caused by the chemical action of elements in the cinders that corroded the galvanized steel reinforcement. Many buildings have floor and roof slabs of cinder concrete with no reinforcement but the high rib steel lath on which is laid a three inch thick cinder concrete slab, and although there may be no fail ures with loss of life, this in my opinion is ; unsafe construction. Cinder concrete should not be used in building construc tion except as a .fill over properly rein forced stone concrete. A{ the start of a job we erect enclo sures and to that extent protect the pub lic. Then we begin construction. To protect the worker it is the employer's duty to supply sound, good lumber for scaffolding. When a scaffold is built, it must be properly braced, because even good lumber will fall if it is over stressed. On many jobs it is necessary to build temporary elevators for hoisting mate rials. These are subject to many stresses, and it is important not only that the lum ber be of very good quality but also that the men doing the work be intelligent and experienced. On one job a man was rid ing down on an elevator, and the engineer thought it would be a good joke to frighten him. The elevator started at high speed and was suddenly stopped near the ground, but the joke vas a tragedy as the sudden stop dislodged the cathead, which fell and killed the rider. If the elevator had been properly built there would have been no accident-- though that does not excuse the opera tor, who was guilty of involuntary''man slaughter. When raising material from one eleva tion to another, great caution should be taken to use good rope. If rope is ex -- Construction -Section.................." ......... ....... "" ....... 249 posed to the weather it deteriorates and very often an apparently good rope will fail. But accidents have happened when construction was done with good mate rials and workmanship because an in competent man has tied unsafe knots or given an improper signal for hoisting or lowering a load. AH floor openings and wells should be enclosed with proper guards--there should be absolutely no boards or planks on which men walk that do not have proper bearing. Another cause of accidents in construc tion work is improper construction of ladders and ladders not fastened to their top bearing. It is not always possible to fasten a ladder at the top. but in that case it can be braced near the bottom. There are jobs where it is impractical to keep electric wires out of .reach of the workers. The Atlantic City Convention Hall was of that type. Most of the power used was electric, and as some of the equipment was not stationary, the wires were of necessity so placed that they could be speedily moved. A laborer had a habit of reaching up and taking hold of the wires and he, in addition to a general warning to .all men, was particularly warned that he must not touch the wires at any time. He replied that there was no danger, as the wires were insulated. A few days later, when the wires were wet, he again grasped one and received a shock from which he died, although tests made failed to find any current ex cept at the terminals. The Ohio Plan of Organization and Mode of Attack Against Construction Accidents By THOMAS P. KEARNS Superintendent, Industrial Commission of Ohio, Columbus Nationally the construction industry stands twenty-sixth among the thirty industrial classifications in accident fre quency. Considering the past experience of some other groups which have progressed far along the path of safety, such a record might hot offer much discouragement to safety advocates,, were it not that prog ress in accident prevention in construc tion work is being made so slowly and in some respects has grown worse. There is no tenable alibi for this posi tion. The industry has its dangers, but the normal hazards encountered by con struction workers are no more pronounced than those of workers in other groups. Yet iron and steel, rubber, cement, utili ties, railroads and other groups with comparable dangers are constantly dem onstrating that accidents can be pre vented. Why? Simply because they have gone at the work of prevention in telligently, persistently and in a spirit of cooperation. It is not a question of initiative, genius or application. Men in the construction field are just as intelligent as those of other groups. In fact, the skilled crafts men upon whose services the modern contractor depends probably enjoy the highest standard of literacy of any of these groups. The very nature of their work demands a high order of intelli gence. The construction industry holds its present rating in relation to safety simply because it chooses to. It has never, either nationally or along state lines, taken safety seriously enough to hurdle a few barriers of prejudice, take up the work of accident prevention methodically and give it consideration equal to that directed toward production and profits. The experience of other groups has been that it is a long, hard battle to reach a point where accident records can be viewed with any degree of satisfaction. Construction has no right to expect a special dispensation that will improve its record and lower its rates over night. There is no mystery about the causes 250 _ Twenty^fifth. National. Safety .Congress-- ~ of accidents in the construction field. In Ohio and I think in other states six principal causes contribute to at least 75% of our accidents. In order of acci dent frequency these are: handling: ob jects, falls of persons, stepping upon or striking against objects, hand tools, fall ing objects and hot, corrosive and poi sonous substances. Industrially operated motor vehicles and machinery are close up and, if the tendency of the past few years continues, the former will soon gain a foothold among the "Big Six," as it has in Ohio industry as a whole. Not one of these accident causes af fords an insurmountable obstacle to safety. The majority of them are com paratively easy to eliminate because they can be traced largely to lack of proper selection, direction and supervision, espe cially the latter. Intelligent work assign ments, rigid inspection and supervision and good housekeeping will do away with a large percentage of construction acci dents. The primary responsibility for accident prevention rests with the employer. As a matter of moral duty and economic prudence he must provide safe working conditions, safe equipment and enforce safety methods and safe practices. Many individual firms are demonstrat ing that construction jobs can be done without accidental death or injury. We have in our state a number of construc tion firms engaged in both building erec-; tion and public work that have com pleted large operations without a disabl ing injury, and some have gone a year, eighteen months and even two years without a reportable injury. These firms have no monopoly on safety ideas or safety systems. They simply preach and practice safety and reap its rewards. . Two methods are open for the advance ment of construction safety--arbitrary en forcement of safety regulations, and safety training of organized educational safety work. _ Safety education as a means of pre venting accidents in industry, is a theory of comparatively recent origin, but it is fundamentally sound and has long since passed the experimental stage. As a matter of fact, this is the principal method used in most states today, and in some it is the only method. Inspection and the exercise of its at tendant enforcement authority have, with out doubt, served a very useful purpose. They have been the means of eliminating innumerable hazards f r o m industry, thereby preventing much loss of life and needless suffering. The installation of safeguards is essen tial to the success of any safety program: First, because an unguarded hazard is a constant menace to every worker, re gardless of how well trained or how careful he may be, owing to human fal libility; Second, because it is impossible to ob tain the cooperation or support of the workers, so essential to the success of the safety program, unless and until the em ployer has given a tangible demonstra tion of his interest in their protection and welfare by supplying the necessary mechanical safety appliances. One of the primary steps in safety ed ucation is the adoption of standard, prac tical and comprehensive codes of specific requirements providing the greatest meas ure of protection to workers. This is essential for the proper guidance of the employer as well as the enforcing authorities. The Construction Safety Code of Ohio, generally recognized as one of the finest mediums of its kind, was developed to its present status with the constant objective of fair, equitable and workable, require ments, fashioned along the -lines of safe standard practice. Added to these stand ards is the permissible alternative of "equal or better" substitution. A con dition below these standards is not only poor construction but obviously danger ous. Ever since the organization of the divi sion of Safety and Hygiene we have con centrated efforts toward the improvement of the accident situation in the construc tion industry. Originally we devoted our attention to survey of jobs for the detection of acci dent hazards, urging of compliance with regulatory provisions and personal con tact with contractors and their employees. While this was productive of good re sults, we soon found that attempting to contact all operations was impracticable. Several years ago we conceived the idea of supplementing this effort with a cam Construction Section 251 paign along state-wide lines to unify the construction forces through a competitive safety contest of all construction inter ests, dividing them into groups according to hazards as represented by premium rates paid for state insurance. At one time more than 800 concerns were en rolled in this contest. This campaign has been carried on continuously, but up to the present time we have had no really outstanding results, largely because of indifference and lack of cooperation. The enrollments in the campaigns, com pared with the strength of the industry in the state, were comparatively few and the exposure represented only a small proportion of the man-hours worked. With a few notable exceptions we were not getting the support we should have had from the larger concerns, and with out their interest it was extremely diffi cult to enlist the support of the smaller concerns, where indifference to safety was even more pronounced. However, even in the face of these discourage ments, we have managed to make head way, not so much in aggregate gains against accidents as in the stimulation of safety, spirit among the leaders of the movement, to many of whom the division owes a debt of gratitude for the time given at their own expense in an endeavor to inject more life into it. Having received evidences of safety's value to their own experiences, they were willing and even eager to go along with any plan that gave promise of results to their col leagues. During the early months of 193S we made a very careful study of the accident experience of the construction industry, and the analysis revealed that notwith standing the prior depression years when there was practically little work, the in dustry's experience had not materially improved. We decided, therefore, to call together outstanding leaders of the con struction industry for a full and frank discussion of the problem. The meeting was held in October, and a committee of three was appointed to select representa tives of all branches of the industry and affiliated bodies. Early in the spring of 1936 another meeting was held and the "Ohio Construction Council for Safety and Compensation Insurance" was or ganized. The council consists of 17 mem bers representing 17 branches of the in dustry and organized labor, each council member having an alternate in case of his absence or inability to attend. From the council an executive committee was organized consisting of seven men who are the executive officers of the organiza tion. Permanent committees have been es tablished under capable leadership, con sisting of (1) accident prevention, (2) rates and standardization, (3) legislative, (4) safety codes and regulations, (5) pub licity and propaganda and (6) member ship. A 10-point program has been outlined as the. immediate objective of the organi zation. It consists of the following: A concerted, state-wide program to re duce accidents by adherence to safety rules and regulations; to see that injured employees get proper medical care; thereby hastening the period of rehabili tation ; to insist that all employers amen able to the fund pay their premiums and hold certificates of coverage; to urge leg islation requiring building departments of cities to have coverage certificates filed with plans and specifications; to urge similar requirements by federal, state quid county authorities; to have architects in corporate these provisions in publje' and private contracts; to educate the public to the economic levies they assume through failure to abide by these require ments; to check up on the qualifications of physicians to prevent cases of maling ering; to urge centralized procedure in the investigation and hearing of claims to obviate the expense of employers and claimants traveling to the state capital and to enlist the support of all construc tion interests in cooperative, accident prevention work, the handling of compen sation insurance and other major prob lems confronting the industry. The council is strictly a non-profit or ganization, its officers serving without remuneration. The membership dues are a minimum of $1 per year per company or organization and this money is used purely for the expense incidental to or ganization activity and publicity. The program will be extended into every section of Ohio as rapidly as it is possible to organize the fourteen sub divisions established for the state. 252 Twenty-fifth National Safety Congress ...... In each industrial center, therefore, will be set up a local or district ConstructionSafety Council composed of representa tives of the employer and employee, who shall be selected by and through employ ers' organizations and employees' organ izations. In each center will be held ed ucational and instructive meetings to ac quaint both employer and employee with the seriousness of the accident situation and to instruct them in the proper method of promoting plans for safety contests. These meetings will also emphasize the proper manner in which to construct, erect and use the temporary facilities, safeguards and devices commonly found on every construction job. Where heretofore the safety efforts have been largely directed by the employ ers, under the present plan joint action of both employers and employees is be; ing pursued. It is felt that, since safety rewards are mutually beneficial, safety activities should be a matter of mutual responsibility. We believe this method is the only logical approach to the prob lem of safety in the industry. . How well it works out will be made more apparent when the activities of the council are more thoroughly co-ordinated, which should be early in the coming year. One feature of the new Ohio campaign that makes it predestined for success is that the industry is not satisfied with a position of entire dependency upon state agencies. The leaders of the movement have approached their problems in a business way. The entire plan of organization is to create a medium by which and through which the industry will control its acci dent frequency and which will further serve as a counseling body between the industry and the Industrial Commission on all matters pertaining to accident prevention. ADJOURNMENT 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 line. 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. W here 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, and 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 arc known, the more certainly can possible remedies be applied or preventive measures taken. In 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^naturally many theories were advanced that later scientific work has modified qr dis placed. However, not always hVs the correction been as widely and thoroughly disseminated as was the original theory; this condition, perhaps, has led to some confusion in the minds of many who have not followed too closely the evolution of knowledge in this field. Claraiflcation 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 to 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 313 Ability of Dusts to Cause Injury It has 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 (SiOi). 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 adult 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 stage of disablement except through limiting or preventing further exposure to silica dust. Nor has medical science found a way to prevent tuberculosis from being super imposed upon silicosis, except through control of contact The course of silicotuberculosis is chronic and is very diffi cult to influence by treatment, according to phthisiologists. Medical Control. As a basis for intelli gent determination of the physical fitness of a man for a job in a dusty trade, physical examination, with stereoscopic roentgenograms of the chest, is necessary. Along with this study goes, naturally, the preparation of an occupational history with detail as to the exact nature of previ ous work and of exposure to industrial dust--not n valueless recording of occu pations as ``laborer," "machinist," etc. Dr. Sayers, of the U. S. Public Health Service, has developed a method of secur ing information for a proper occupa tional history; among others, Cummings, of Saranac Laboratory, also has worked out a useful history blank. Standards have been developed for the diagnosis of silicosis. There is also a suitable technic for taking roentgeno grams of the chest in order to bring out the characteristic lung changes. From the considerable amount of work that has been done, it is possible to fore cast with a reasonable degree of accu racy the silicosis potentiality of various dusts. Periodic physical examinations, includ ing roentgenograms, are essential if em ployers are to be enabled accurately to learn the effect of individual exposure and intelligently to transfer affected work men to lower dust concentrations before serious injury has been done, or to work out a system of rotation where indicated as desirable in order that exposure may be intermittent. Such examinations are helpful also in showing the efficiency of engineering control methods. The ability to place responsibility' in case of claim for injury is no small part of the value of such initial and periodic examinations. Asbeatodis. Clinical experience has shown that the inhalation of a sufficient amount of asbestos dust causes a serious type of fibrosis, which is not accompanied . 'V.'.<C \>.'-'W H ' ' ' 314 by an unduly high incidence of tubercu tions in air are recorded gravimetrically losis. as milligrams per cubic meter. Others Other dusts and silicate compounds so far studied produce, at most, only a mild non-progressive reaction in the 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 (as silica, where size is a factor in de termining dangerous particles),' are given by count. Neither method gives the whole'story, but in both cases it may be possible to secure the information neces sary for the purpose. In one of the reports referred to eartier, there occurs this statement: "There is mortality from occupational disease, to serve as a basis for effectively focussing the efforts to study and control dust dis eases of the lungs, are non-existent.' In concluding this section, the follow no doubt in the mind of anyone familiar with the present dust-sampling and dust estimating methods that they will be amended and changed from time to time. At the present writing we would advise ing quotation from a court decision in the use of the simplest possible procedures Wisconsin is pertinent (Schaefer v. In where dust control alone is in question. dustrial Commission, 265 N. W. 390 If one wishes to obtain values which can (Supreme Court, February, 1936)): be compared with published data, it is ". . . It will be necessary to distin generally necessary to copy with consid guish carefully between medical or patho erable care the technic used in the origi logical disability and actual physical in nal case. This is another way of admit capacity to work. The medical experts ting the annoying fact that results by apparently ignore this distinction, and so increase the difficulty of arriving at a just result under the law." 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 Preventive Engineering served by determining accurately ex It would be needless repetition to dis otrnelmy eelyxcudseensfoer dsuucsht dcaotnaceisnttroatisohnosw--tthhee Ifill cpuhsasseisnofa dtuecsthnciocnatlr'owl.ayAltlheinteenrgesinteederianrge skeptic that the workplace is much dustier referred to "Industrial Dust," by Drinker than it should be. . . . and Hatch, which deals comprehensively "It is probable that any sampling pro with the subject; U. S. Bureau of Mines cedure which fixes concentrations in fl >; Information Circulars 6840 and 6848, by groups 100 per cent apart is sufficient and Harrington and Davenport, a review of that the results of any attempts to come literature on "Prevention of Dust Dis closer to the concentration at the moment tl.*jl, eleatsines"2;17U, . bSy. BPulobolmicfiHeledalatnhdSeDrvailclaeVBalulel, orafnsgaems psluinchg aarse0s-5im, 5p-l1y0,m1is0l-e2a0d, i2n0g-.40,Tehtuc.s, hi on "The Determination and Control, of suffice for dust control." Industrial Dust"; Report Z9 of the Amer As dust particles in the lungs are of ican Standards Association; and to the pthaerticolredeorveor f101mmicircornosn,, duwsitthcornatrreollyfoar U. S. Bureau of Mines for a list of ap proved protective devices. ` hygienic reasons should be aimed at parti- It may be said that, in general, the : cblreesatihnedtheansdizereratanigneedf.ounAdgatoinhagvueotbineegn: ethneginneeceerisnsgaryspeeqcuiaiplimstecnatntoanmdeewtiltlhedecvoisne ". . . if one could avoid use of the dusts ditions specified to him. But the setting othfe1dmusict rownhiochr lpeassssoesr eax3c2lu5d-emethshemscfreroemn, otifonlimisitnsotohf ispebrumt itshseiblpehydsuicsitanc'sonrceesnptorna nearly all dust diseases would be elimi sibility. The engineer is concerned with nated." keeping dustiness to or below the limits Dust Elimination at present considered satisfactory. Obviously, it is better, when possible, Methods of Determining Dust Some dusts (as lead) are determined by chemical methods and the concentra to purchase equipment already supplied with exhaust hood, rather than to have to worry to fit one to equipment not de signed to be hooded. Thus the responsi- 1 Metis Section 315 bility for potential efficiency is upon the manufacturer. There is available comparatively little information upon which to base the scien tific desig;n 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 8.5 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 quartz 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 with135 per cent quartz content is often quoted from the Vermont granite studies of the U. S. Public Health Service. Some metal-mining companies have gone further, setting the maximum of permissible dustiness at 5 million particles per cubic'foot. Certainly, there is a degree of air clean liness that is safe, from the standpoint of concentration of harmful dust. But the engineer may find himself in the position of practically being forced to control any dust, harmful or otherwise, if he would protect his employers against suits at common law and the possibility of award of damages to men who have breathed dust containing little or no free silica. A dusty workplace is difficult to defend in court. Neither courts nor compensation boards, and certainly not juries, have seemed to be greatly impressed with a low silica dust count in an otherwise dusty atmosphere. Quoting from one of the reports re ferred to: "Each state is a unit--a sover eign--and it handles its. problems in its own way. Uniformity is lacking, although of course the statutes of many states are similar. The courts of the various states follow such precedents as appeal to them; consequently, on any important question, there is likely to be a divergence of opin ion among the courts, and often the courts fall into two or more'groups, each group following a different theory with respect to the same legal problem." Workmen's Compensation Acts Workmen's compensation acts have been passed i n . 46 states (all except Arkansas and Mississippi)* and the Dis trict of Columbia. These acts are com pulsory as to private employers in 15 states and elective in 31 states. Insur ance to cover the risk is compulsory in seven states. A state fund, out of which compensa tion is paid, is maintained in 18 states; in two of these the employer may, by proving financial responsibility, carry his own risk with limited contribution to the state fund for the expense of administra tion; in It more of this group of states the employer is not required to avail himself of the privileges of the state fund and may provide compensation otherwise.. In 28 states there is no provision for a state compensation fund. Administration of the compensation act is vested in a commission, board, or single . -V- 316 Twenty-fifth National Safety Congress commissioner in 40 states; in six states the acts are administered by the local courts. Again from the report: "The guiding principle in the early acts was the award ing of compensation for accidental injury, meaning thereby traumatic injury." (Traumatic means of or pertaining to a wound or wounds.) "In those years, the importance of disability due to occupa tional disease was not generally recog nized. It however became increasingly apparent that `injury' might be suffered gradually, and that the result of such gradual breaking down of the strength and resistance of the employee was more serious in many instances than traumatic injury. Courts therefore, in some states, wrestled with the problem of construing `injury' so as to include disease and bring disease within the compensation acts." In one state a diseased condition is compensable under jthe act if caused by the negligence of the employer. Occupa tional disease is compensable, to some extent, in 16 states and the District of Columbia; in five of these states silicosis is not included among the compensable diseases; in one stale silicosis is the only occupational disease made compensable. There is a legal obligation on the part of the employer to provide a safe place to work, and usually the matter of ventila tion is featured. The mining laws ap proach uniformity as to air quantity and as to equipment for mechanical ventila tion. The right, at common law, to recover for occupational disease due to negligence of the employer, is important. In three states it has been held by the courts that the right never did exist; in three states the right is extremely doubtful; in 12 states it probably exists, although there is some doubt; in 12 other states, the right seems well settled, but is limited in eight of this group; in the remaining states and the District of Columbia, no court de cisions can be found which decide the question as to whether or not such com mon law right exists. It should again be noted that occupational disease, is com pensable in three states in this last group. "With the adoption of Occupational Disease Acts, new medical problems arise and more adequate provision is required for medical examination and treatment. This is especially true with respect to dust diseases, which call for diagnosis by skilled specialists experienced in that field." Examination Before Employment 1. Under Compensation Acts: The New Mexico Act contains a provision re quiring the workman, at the time of his employment, or thereafter at the request of the employer, to submit himself to an examination. The New York Act of 1936, covering silicosis and other dust diseases, provides, in the opening paragraph: "It is hereby declared to be the policy of the legislature of this state, in enact ing this article, to prohibit through every lawful means available, any requirement as a prerequisite to employment which compels an applicant for employment in any occupation coming within the pur view of this article to undergo a medical examination." The North Carolina Act, effective March 26, 193S, contains a provision re quiring examination both prior to employ ment and from time to time during em ployment. In the compensation acts of no other states were found provisions with respect to examination prior to the time of em ployment. 2. Under Other Statutes: Five states (Louisiana, Maine, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania) have statutes requiring physical examination before an employee is permitted to work under compressed air or in caissons. Examination During Employment The five states mentioned in the pre ceding paragraph require periodic exam inations during the course of employment under compressed air or in caissons, Missouri statutes provide for examina tion, as often as once a month, by a com petent licensed and reputable physician, of all employees who come into direct contact with certain poisonous agencies or injurious processes. Three states (New Jersey, Ohio and Pennsylvania) require employers to cause to be examined at least once a month, employees engaged in any work or proc ess exposing them to lead dust, lead fumes or lead solutions. 'It - 5 , - 1 Metals Section 317 I Examination After Claim for Disability Arise No two state acts contain identical pro visions, but in all (including the District of Columbia) that have compensation acts, there is provision for physical ex amination after claim for disability arises. In five states (Kentucky, Massachu setts, New York, North Carolina, and West Virginia), definite recognition has been given to the importance of some sort of medical board composed of spe cially qualified physicians and surgeons, and charged with the duty of diagnosing occupational disease and of advising the administrative board or commission with respect thereto. The laws of these five states are quite different and should be studied separately for details, but in each occupational disease, including silicosis, is compensable. The importance of roentgenograms in any thorough physical examination for pneumoconiosis is well known. This im portance is recognized in the Acts of New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, and West Virginia. Medical Treatment In the 17 states (including Maryland) in which occupational disease- is, to some extent, compensable, the acts usually en title the claimant to a limited amount of medical, surgical, and hospital care, meas ured in money cost or length of time covered by treatment. These points were raised in the dis cussion following the addresses: 1. How much time is required for completing a training course? Mr. Davison said that the training course in their plant ordinarily covered a period of one and one-half years, but that some students completed it sooner. The time' required depends upon the individ ual. 2. Is it advisable to limit the number of students per teacher? Ten students per instructor is a good ratio. 3. Which gases present the greatest harzards in welding? Silicon gases are the most harmful. The risk, however, has largely been over come by manufacturers of welding sup plies. THURSDAY MORNING SESSION October 8. 1936 Metals Section Safety Contest Two hundred and two units were reg istered in the 1936 Contest of the Metals Section. During the Contest period 267,792 employees worked 561,788,579 man-hours with an average frequency rate of 8.030, a decrease of 4 per cent from the 1935 rate of 8.354. Ninety-five units completed the Contest with a fre quency rate below the average, and 8 per cent of the units finished with per fect records. Nineteen plaques and eight certificates were awarded in the Contest. The plaques were presented by John B. Gibson, Publicity Director, Hawthorne works, Western Electric Company, Chi cago, and Vice President for Community Safety Councils, National Safety Council, as follows: Steel Mill Division, Group A--Conti nental Steel Corporation, Kokomo Divi sion, Kokomo, Indiana, 4,141,806 man hours, 12 iniuries. Public Utilities Secfion i Officers 1935-36 Gnrai Chairman-- Roy M. Godwin, Philadelphia Electric Co., Philadelphia, Pa. Vice-Chairman for Telephone and Telegraph Interest*-- W . P. E lstN, American Tele phone and Telegraph Co., New York, N. Y. Vice-Chairman for Gas Interests-- John J. Barada, The Laclede Gas Light Co., S t Louis, Mo. Vice-Chairman for Electric Interests--W. H. Brown, Northern States Power Co., Minne apolis, Minn. Secretary--H. A. Ptolemy, Public Service Co. of Northern Illinois, Chicago, 111. Mews Letter Editor-- R. B. I nman, The Philadelphia Gas Works Co., Philadelphia, Pa. Engineering Committee Chairman--W, H. M ulligan, Hydro-Electric Power Commission of Ontario, Toronto, Ont., Canada. Health Committee Chairman--Da. Hakt E. Fisher, Chicago Rapid Transit Co., Chicago, 111. Membership Committee Chairman--C. H. Dinsmore, Wisconsin Power & Light Co., Madi son, Wis, Program Committee Chairman--H. W. L ueck, Commonwealth Edison Co., Chicago, 111. Publicity Committee Chairman--Ray A. Edwards, San Diego Consolidated Gas and Elec tric Co,, San Diego, Calif. Statistics and Contest Committee Chairman--C. L. H ichtower, United Gas Co., Houston, Texas. Visual Education Committee Chairman--E. P. Durfee, Consolidated Gas Co. of New York, . New York, N .Y . Special Representatives-- W. A. Buchanan, Appalachian Electric Power Co., Welch, W. Va. (E.E.I.). M. T. Caster, Lincoln Telephone and Telegraph Co., Lincoln, Nebr. I. L. Gilrert, Michigan Bell Telephone Co., Detroit, Mich. J ames D. H all, Atlantic City Electric Co., Atlantic City, N. J. A. A. Klxnge, Public Service Co. of Colorado, Denver, Colo. W. T. MdVAY, Consolidated Electric and Gas Co., New York, N. Y. (A.G.A.). E. P. Noyes, Central Maine Power Co., Augusta, Maine. H. E. Shew, Appalachian Electric Power Co., Blueheld, W. Va. P. K. Stiles, Compania Cubana de Electricidad, Maximo Gomez (Antes Monte) No. 1 --Apartado 1715, Habana, Cuba. Councilors-- S. Beaumont, The Peoples Gas Light Sc Coke Co., Chicag G B. Boulet, Wisconsin Public Service Cora., Milwaukee, Wis. Light Co,, Dayton, Ohio. E. J. Kreh, Philadelphia Co., Pittsburgh, Pa. W ills Maclachlan, Electrical Engineer, Toronto, Ont., Canada. B. B. McCulloch, Bureau of Safety, Chicago, 111. Grooge Opt, The Detroit Edison Co., Detroit, Mich. F. M. P im a , Illinois Bell Telephone Co., Chicago, 111. G J. R utland, Texas Power Sc Light Co., Dallas, Texas. J. L. Vandbgrift, The Chesapeake and Potomac Telepl H. F. Webb, West Penn System, Pittsburgh, Pa. H. M. W ebber, Illinois Bell Telephone Co., Chicago, 111. 406 .... _ ......7 n r n / y - fifth N atlam i.Safety Congress Officers Elected for 1936-37 General Chairman-- J ohn J . Barada, T h e Laclede G a s L ig h t Co.. S t. L o u is, M o . Vice-Chairntan for Telephone and Telegraph Interests-- \V . P. F.lstun, A m e ric a n T e l e phone and T elegraph Co., N ew York, N . Y. Vice-Chairman for Gas Interests-- E. P . Durff.f., C onso lid ated E d is o n Co. of N . Y . ( Inc.. New York, N, Y. Vice-Chairman for Electric Interests-- W m. H . Brown, N o r t h e r n S ta te s P o w e r Co., M in neapolis, Minn. Secretary-- :H . A. P tolf.my, P u b lic S e rv ic e Co. o f N o r t h e r n Illinois. C h ic a g o , 111. .Veu-s Letter Committee-- K. B. I nman, Chairman, T h e P h il a d e lp h i a G a s W o r k s Co.. P h ila d e lp h ia , P a . C hari.es S. Bowden, O h io P u b li c S e rv ic e Co., A llia n c e , O h io . J ames D . H all, A t l a n t i c C ity E l e c t r i c Co., A t l a n t i c C ity , N . J. E . R . K ropp, U n i o n E l e c t r i c L ig h t a n d P o w e r Co., S t. L o u is, M o. Engineering Committee-- W . H . M ulligan, Chairman, H y d r o - E l e c t r i c P o w e r C o m m is s io n Ont., Canada. A . A . Klinge, P u b l i c S e r v i c e C o. of C o lo r a d o , D e n v e r, C olo. P aul R. K uh n , P e n n C e n tra l L ig h t & P o w e r Co., A lto o n a , Pa. J ohn P . McCann, N e w E n g l a n d P o w e r A ssn ., B o s to n , M a s s . W . J . McVay, C o n s o l i d a t e d E l e c t r i c a n d G a s Co.; N e w Y o r k , N . of Ontario, Y. Toronto. Health Committee Chairman--Dr. H art E . I f i s h e r , C h ic a g o R a p i d T r a n s i t Co., C h ic a g o , Visual Education Committee Chairman-- C. I.. H ightower, U n ite d G a s S y stem , H o u s to n , Texas. Publicity C o m m itte e Chairman-- R. S. M etzger, T h e T o le d o E d is o n Co.. T o le d o , O h io . Membership Committee-- H . W . L u e c k , ( C h a i r m a n ) , C o m m o n w e a l t h E d i s o n Co., C h ic a g o . 111. H arry Berman, C o n s o li d a te d G a s & E l e c t r i c C o., B a l t i m o r e , M d . M. T . Caster, L in c o ln T e le p h o n e a n d T e l e g r a p h Co.. L in c o ln , N e b r . E. P. Noyes, Central. M aine P ow er Co.. A ugusta, Maine. E . A . R ust, E r i e C o u n t y E l e c t r i c Co., E r i e , P a . H . E. SiiF.pn. A p p alach ian E lectric P o w e r Co., Bluefield, W . V a. R. Steele, O k l a h o m a G a s a n d E l e c t r i c C o m p a n y , O k l a h o m a C it y , O k la . P . K . Stiles, C o m p a n ia C u b a n a d e E le c tric id a d , H a b a n a , Cuta. Program Committee Chairman--C. H . Dinsmore, W is c o n s in P o w e r & L ig h t Co., M adisoi W is. * Special Rcprcscnlalii'cs-- W . A. B uchanan, A p p a la c h ia n E le c tr ic P o w e r Va. (E. E. I.) C harles J. Gkkvf.rt, C h a i r m a n . A c c i d e n t P r e v e n t i o n C o m m i t t e e , Association. Co., W elch, W . American Cas Councilors-- E . S. Beaumont. T h e P e o p le s G a s L i g h t & C o k e Co., C h ic a g o , 111. C. B. Boulet, W i s c o n s i n P u b li c S e r v i c e C o rp ., M i l w a u k e e , W i s . G . A . Doeller, T h e D a y t o n P o w e r & L i g h t Co., D a y t o n , O h io . Roy M C Godwin, P h i l a d e l p h i a E l e c t r i c Co., P h i l a d e l p h i a , P a . E. J. K reii, Philadelphia Company, Pittsburgh, Pa. W ills Maclachlan, E l e c t r i c a l E n g i n e e r , T o r o n t o , O n t., C a n a d a . B. B. McCulloch, B u r e a u o f S a fe ty , C h ic a g o , 111. George O pp, D e t r o i t E d i s o n C o m p a n y , D e t r o i t , M ic h . F . M . P epper, I l lin o is B ell T e l e p h o n e Co., C h ic a g o , 111. C. J . R utland, T e x a s P o w e r & L i g h t C o m p a n y , D a lla s , T e x a s . J . L . V andegrift, T h e C h e s a p e a k e a n d P o t o m a c T e l e p h o n e Co., W a s h i n g t o n , D . C. H . F . W ebb, W e s t P e n n S y s te m , P i t t s b u r g h , P a . - Public Utilities Section - . - - -- .................... 4 0 7 - TUESDAY MORNING SESSION October 6, 1936 T he first session w as called to order by General C hairm an Roy M. Godwin, P hiladelphia E lectric Co., Philadelphia, Pa., w ho welcomed the delegates, o u t lined the activities of the Section d u rin g the year and called attention to the c o m m endable w ork of the various standing comm ittees. Modern Methods of Conducting Safety Meetings By R. P. BUCHMAN General Plant Employment Supervisor, Ohio Bell Telephone Co., Columbus, Ohio E ach of us has his individual concept as to the purpose of safety m eetings. Som e m a y co n stru e' them as educational in one w ay or another. H ow ever, varied as they h ave been in their m akeup, the vast m a jority have utilized som e form of an em o tional approach and their chief contribu tion has been to sell the idea of safety to the em ployees of our organizations. T o o m uch em phasis, I believe, has been placed on "selling" safety. I do not m ean to discount the value of attitude: I fully recognize its im portance. B ut the chief d a n g e r is th at too often w e regard m o ti vation as an end in itself, w hen in reality it is, a t its best, solely a m e a n s to a n end, only a foundation stone to an effective accident prevention program . F u rth erm o re, I believe that there iare decidedly m ore people in o u r o rg an iza tions w ho are sold on the idea of safety than w e realize. I believe that the m a jority of our employees, particularly our supervisory employees, have bought, hook, line and sinker, the idea of the desirabil ity of safety and they sincerely w an t to conduct their w ork operations free from accidents. I also believe that a large m a jo rity of these m en find them selves, to th e ir ch ag rin , in th e e m b a rra s s in g posi tion of not k now ing how to do som e thing which they earnestly desire to do. T h e ir deficiency lies not in inspiration, b u t unfortunately in education. E very football coach appreciates the psychological value of inspiration, but he also realizes that as a basic necessity for a w inning team his players m u st know how to block, tackle, punt, pass an d e x ecute their plays w ith m eticulous preci sion. T h e re is a d irect a n a lo g y b e tw e e n a w inning football team and the real p ro b lem w hich faces us in our accident p re vention w ork. W e can spend too m uch tim e an d effort in stim ulating o u r people to do som ething to prevent accidents and too little tim e and effort in teaching th e m h o w to d o it. E sse n tia lly o u r jo b is o n e of adequate training. T h is v iew p o in t is fu rth e r s u p p o rte d if we correctly analyze the relationship of safety to the overall production job. W e can agree that the essential considera tions in those m an ag em en t functions which are concerned with doing the job safely are no different from those con cerned w ith securing the product for w hich th e in d u stry is organized. E x pressed m ore briefly, w e can sim ply state that production efficiency an d safety are inseparable. T h a t 's a n o l d i d e a , o n e w h i c h p r a c t i cally everyone subscribes to today. U n fortunately, however, m any of us either do not understand the significance of that principle in its practical application, or d eep in o u r h e a rts w e do n o t a g re e w ith it. In support of this statem ent m ay I point out that m any of us are still in clined to m easure the seriousness o f an accident in te rm s o f the seriousness of the physical injury suffered by the em ployee. F o r ex am p le, if an e m p lo y e e falls from a step-ladder and suffers no appreciable injury, how diligent and ex h a u s tiv e is o u r in v e s tig a tio n o f th a t a c 408 -Twenty-fifth -National Safety Congress-!..- cident? Sometimes not even an accident report is prepared. If a report is pre pared, how seriously is the accident re garded by the line supervisory organiza tion and even by the safety organization? Aren't we inclined, at least at times, to say to ourselves, "Boy, that might have been a bad one, but thank God we were lucky." There would be a vast distinc tion in our concern between the case just illustrated, as contrasted with an identi cal case in which the employee broke his neck. This tendency must be interpreted as a failure to understand or at least recog nize the difference between an accident and an injury. As a consequence we many times fail to make the necessary distinction between the basic cause of the injury and the basic cause of the acci dent. We think in terms of symptoms rather than in terms of the disease itself, and too often our efforts are directed to the prevention of injuries rather than to our basic problem--which is the preven tion of accidents. A clear understanding of this funda mental is the very keystone of a sound accident prevention program and a lack of understanding may prompt us to in stitute remedial measures which treat the effect rather than the cause. From an accident prevention standpoint the basic cause of the accident is the important con sideration. > Assuming that we accept this philos ophy and develop a list of basic accident causes, we would find them quite similar to those developed by Mr. H. W. Hein rich and set forth in his article entitled "The Origin of Accidents," in the July, 1928, issue of the "National Safety News." In our lists the following would repre sent some of the basic causes: _ Faulty Instruction, Inability of Employee, Poor Discipline, Poor Housekeeping and Im proper Planning. Now what does all this have to do with safety meetings? Assuming that the eli mination of our basic accident causes is essentially a training problem, it would appear logical that, to the extent that safety meetings can be utilized, they should at least be so designed as to em ploy an effective teaching process. This appears particularly true when we analyze our training need. We find that .a major portion consists of the training of our supervisory employees in their re sponsibilities, and that such training in volves intangibles and abstractions which require the exercise of judgment and reasoning ability which cannot be cared for by hard and fast rules o r formulas. The best teaching method which best meets the requirements for this type of supervisory training is what is known as the "Conference Process." It is not my intention to discuss the theory or the mechanics of the confer ence process in detail. I merely propose to high-spot some of the features of the conference process and indicate the field of its usefulness. It is not the mysterious, complex and highfalutin teaching procedure which some would have you believe. On the contrary, it is an easy, natural process which admirably meets the requirements of good teaching. It is founded on definite principles of group thinking, and its administration requires the use of techniques adapted to those principles. These requirements need not unduly concern us, however, for most of those in supervisory and administra tive positions do possess those personal characteristics which predicate success in leading group discussion. Our problem, therefore, finds a ready solution in teach ing the prospective leaders the basic prin ciples, and giving them some training in conference technique. Essentially, the conference process is a type of teaching in which ten to fifteen people enter into a discussion under the guidance of an instructor, usually called a conference leader, who has formulated the discussion outline and presents pre pared cases for discussion. It is an in formal flexible method which bears little relationship to formal classroom teaching and stresses the factor of judgment in application rather than memory. There are two features of the definition just cited which warrant emphasis. First, that the conference process is designed for relatively small groups; second, that it is best adapted to subject matter in which the question of judgment in application outweighs the mere memory of a fact or procedure. Many people have formed an unfavorable opinion of the conference process because they have had the pain- r fir ieir reingr inwhich it and cared tnulas. i best ype of iwn as ss the :onferropose of the c field x and which n the rocess ments les of ration ted to s need most iis*-->'! ;si .a blem, eachprinng in t is a ifteen r the ailed dated preh in little thing tit in lition First, d for it is rhich ation ict or td an rence jpain- Pitblic Utilities Section 409 fui experience of having participated in someone's attempt to apply that method to situations for which it is not designed. However, when properly applied in the area of its usefulness, no method is nearly so effective in stimulating and guiding an organization in the realization of its ob jectives. The process employs a developmental approach and definitely promotes organ ized group thinking. A group is directed through the same reasoning process so that each individual in the group experi ences the same thought processes and, therefore, arrives at the same conclusions. Accordingly, it substitutes group conclu sions for the old form of individual dom ination. Conclusions, therefore, are most likely to represent the best judgment con tained in the group. Thus, the probabil ity of those conclusions being enthusias tically adopted and appropriate action based on those conclusions being cooper atively engaged in, is measurably en hanced. This does not in any way de stroy the authority of the operating ex ecutive, nor relieve him of his responsi bility for final decision within his juris diction. The discussion, if well conducted, has either reinforced his position or pointed out the weaknesses contained in it. In addition, this promotion of group thinking definitely solicits all points of view as represented by the experience background of the group. This not only affords an opportunity to reconcile con flicting viewpoints, but it recognizes and takes advantage of the fact that in any group of experienced people the aggre gate knowledge and judgment of the group is always in excess of and superior to the knowledge and judgment of any one individual in the group. Thus, this process taps a vast reservoir of knowledge and ability of which we in industry have failed to make the most effective use. In spite of our progress in recent years we still make niggardly use of that tre mendous power for good represented by the experience of our forces. In every level of our organizations there is still too great a tendency to do too much thinking for subordinate levels, and too little guidance of the thinking process of those groups. Given the opportunity and responsibility for effectively utilizing their talents, our forces will experience the thrill and romance which comes from helping to solve the problems of industry, and their accomplishments may far sur pass anything wc might hope for even in our wildest flights of imagination. Some of you may feel that the majority of safety meetings with which you have had anything to do have been designed and conducted as educational meetings, and that they have been exceedingly ef fective. To the extent that these meet ings have employed the principles and techniques of the conference process. I shall agree with you whole heartedly. However, it has been my experience that most of our safety meetings of the past have employed some form of the lecture method. This method using, as it does, an informational approach, is recognized by all teaching authorities as a relatively ineffective teaching process. It is true that the conference process has its limitations and there are certain situations which lend themselves solely to a lecture method. Accordingly, I do not mean to convey the impression that no appreciable amount of good can be ac complished by the lecture method. The question is one of relativity and, inas much as we are interested in the most ef fective overall job, good sense dictates that we choose the most effective method. Briefly, what are some of the charac teristics of the lecture method which de tract from its effectiveness? First of all, there is no way of knowing whether any body in the audience is paying attention to what the speaker is talking about. Minds are prone to wander. One indi vidual may be thinking about what he did last night; another about his engage ments for tomorrow. A dozen and one causes may be responsible for inattention, but the fact remains that this inherent characteristic of the lecture method is ever present and always constitutes a po tential cause of ineffectiveness. The technique of the conference process defi nitely eliminates this weakness. As a second weakness, the lecture method affords no opportunity to deter mine whether the audience agrees with the viewpoint of the speaker or, worse still, whether it even understands him. While these deficiencies may be partially overcome by discussion following the lec- 410 A itm/ v-fifth National Safety Congress "1aT "W ?^ll"are'iiiniflar with their inade quacy to m ake satisfactory am ends for the dam age already done. T he confer ence process docs not possess this w eak ness. These and other characteristics of the lecture m ethod m ay develop an attitude of disagreem ent, and even belligerency, on the part of the audience to the conclu sio n s re a c h e d b y th e sp e a k e r. T h is is a serious m atter w hen we realize th at the prim ary purpose of o u r m e e tin g s is to develop a co-operative attitude tow ard certain objectives and unanim ity of opinion as to the procedures w hich should be followed in o rd er that those objectives m ay be realized. T he Conference Process th ro u g h its principles and techniques elim inates these w eaknesses. Responsibility for Accidents T he series of ten-m inute talks on "T he Responsibility for A ccidents" was intro duced by C hairm an G odwin with the fol low ing rem arks: It m ust be clearly understood that the accident we are a b o u t to discuss is a h y pothetical one. T h e first three speakers have prepared their rem arks in such a m anner as to supply the fourth speaker w ith material he can use to show that m anagem ent, supervisors and w orkm en all m u st have a p art in the responsibility for accidents. F o r this reason anything they m ay say m ust not be construed as criticism .of the m an ag em en t of their re spective companies. T h e accident we have selected for dis cussion is a v ery e le m e n ta ry o n e a n d w a s chosen because it w as the ty p e of acci-' dent that could occur anyw here: A service crew , consisting of o n e line m an .and a helper, w ere engaged in ru n ning a service to a new house. T h e helper set a portable ladder against the house wall, and the linem an started to clim b the ladder. W hen he w as part w ay up the. ladder, it b roke and th e linem an fell to the ground. A n investigation`revealed that the sidcrail of the ladder w as split; that the com pany did not buy ladders to specification; that no routine of inspection w as used by the company. C hairm an Godwin then introduced the speakers. Responsibility for Accidents--Why the Management Is Not Responsible By H. A. PTOLEM Y Safety Supervisor, Public Service Company of Northern Illinois, Chicago T h e m an ag e m en t is occupied w ith w eighty m atters of policy and the guid ance of an organization beset on all sides by econom ic upheaval and political un rest. T he m anagem ent has hired super visors an d is p ay in g th e m to a tte n d to the d etails of o p e ra tin g th e c o m p a n y , a n d it m ust depend prim arily on the trained w o rk m an to w ork safely. L adders, for exam ple, are in good con dition w hen received; w e w ant good lad ders, and after they are received their safe keeping is delegated to the m en. L ad d er specifications in in d u stry are not ordinarily m ade for each separate operation; these would m ake cost pro hibitive, and today cost is very im portant. In addition, a specification will not g u a r antee that a ladder will not break. W e expect those w hose duty it is to buy good ladders. T hey have never questioned the cost of ladders nor ordered that the s to U ^rd iity of should jectives igh its s these d was acci-' linerunidper louse :Iimb y up i fell ta led ;piit; *s to the lot icir ate rojnt. ar to ?er |ed Public Utilities Section .............. ------------- -* 444-. the purchase of cheap ladders. There fore. if cheap grades of ladders are bought and used by our own men who are trained through a safety organization, how can the management be blamed when a lad der breaks with a man who handles the ladder and should, for his own safety, inspect and satisfy himself that it was safe for him to climb? As far as an inspection system is con cerned in an accident like this, what in spection could be more thorough than one made by the man who is going to trust his life and limbs to a piece of equipment? If the man who was injured on the ladder did not think it was unsafe for him to use, how could he expect any one making a routine inspection to con demn it? Management expects super visors to train their men in safety habits and to maintain equipment in a safe con dition. If we see management spend money in training supervisors, I believe you will agree with me that we should expect a return; likewise when men are trained under supervisors in safety. Inspection of ladders should be a part of everry opera tion they may perform. Workmen should inform the manage ment if the proper type of ladder is not available for a job or if a defect is noted and cannot be repaired. A new ladder will be ordered. The management, as a member of the National Safety Council, can obtain and provide the men with safe practice pamphlets and safety instructions cards on ladders. The management has foremen who have the responsibility of caring for the tools for their work. The foreman, or the one delegated to be in charge of cer tain jobs, must take enough interest in his job, his safety, as well as the safety of those working under his direction, to see to it that tools, appliances, and meth ods are proper and safe. The management must and does put dependence in employees and expects them to do their part toward the success of the company for which they work. , Responsibility for Accidents--W hy the Supervisor Is N ot Responsible By JAM ES D. HALL Safety Director, Atlantic City Electric Co., Atlantic City, N. J. As I have every reason to believe that what I am about to say on this subject will cause my dismissal, I may as welt get it off my chest. The investigation of this ladder acci dent has clearly shown the inescapable indictment of the management in that it did not compel its purchasing department to buy ladders according to the stand ards set forth in the National Ladder Safety Code, and also in that no routine of inspection had been set up for us of the field to follow. W hy wasn't this done? I 'll tell you why. The management says it is bowed down with the troubles of the stockhold ers, public relations and politicians, and that it must trust its under-dogs to take care of petty details. This may be true for all I know; `..sey don't take me into their confidence, But it does seem to me that the board of directors should find its management incompetent for not having provided one of the most import ant departments in its operation to take care of this detail--a safety department, with a competent head. If the management is too busy or is unconcerned about the safety of its men, then it is certainly up to it to delegate that phase of the job to someone else who can set up a system of routine in spection of equipment, and who can spe cify what types of ladders should be bought, not leave the job to a lowly supervisor to whom the purchasing de partment wouldn't listen. It is physically impossible for me to inspect personally each piece of equipment used by the line and service crews. It is 412 Twenty-fifth National Safety^ Congress strictly up to the men using this equip ment to insure their own safety by de termining the usability of the equipment to which they are trusting their lives. If each man doesn't look out for himself it will require a supervisor for each man and someone to keep the supervisor from getting hurt. My men all know that I will order new equipment for them at any time they need it in spite of the fact that I am likely to catch the devil from the stores department for being extravagant But what did this crew do? It tried to use a broken ladder. I didn't know any thing about the condition of th at ladder. If the men knew it was broken, why didn't they patch it? Responsibility for Accidents---Why the Worker Is N ot Responsible By M. E. MACKEY Safety Inspector, Philadelphia Electric Co., Philadelphia, Pa. You either do not know or do not care about the problems with which the or dinary workman is faced. Your chief in terest is to justify and protect your own jobs. My opinions may appear dogmatic and harsh, but they are based upon intimate knowledge of the working conditions under which many of my friends have been injured or killed. It is one thing for you to base your opinions on the broad perspective of na tional statistics and to observe, with satisfaction, that the frequency rates are decreasing from year to year. It is quite a different thing for me to see my friends in agony or in death because someone was too busy or too indifferent to see that they were properly equipped, prop erly trained or properly supervised to do their work safely in the presence of well known dangers. Try to imagine yourselves in the per sons of workmen. By so doing you will be able to recognize and correct the con ditions which are causing our accidents. The two gentlemen who have presented .the alibis of the management and the supervisors have proved that they have much to learn concerning accident pre vention. If the distorted picture which they have presented to you is the true reaction of management and supervision to the problem of providing safe work ing conditions for me and my fellow workmen, then there is little hope of making much further progress in that noblest of all work--the prevention of physical and mental anguish for our fel low men and women. I prefer to think that both management and supervision have been so absorbed in certain parts of their work, and so blind to the limitless possibilities for human happiness that rest in the hands of those in authority, that they have not yet realized the full truth of the axiom.-- authority and responsibility are insepar able. I will repeat the story of this accident: A service crew, consisting of one line man and a helper, was engaged in run ning a service to a new house. The help er set a portable ladder against the house wall, and the lineman started to climb the ladder. When he was part way up the ladder, it broke, and the line man fell to the ground. An investiga tion revealed: 1. The side rail of the ladder was split. 2. The company did not buy ladders to specification. 3. No routine of inspection was in vogue in this company. The second and third items of the in vestigation plainly reveal that the man- Public Utilities Section 413 >% G agement was entirely oblivious to the would be backed up if he refused to use fact that its employees had to meet and defective equipment. ! s overcome hazards of this kind in their This routine would have prevented the !t every-day work. It had not established accident because an inspection of the e the practice of buying to specification and ladder by the lineman just prior to its had not developed a system of inspection use would have revealed the defective of equipment which is known to deter side rail and he would have taken steps iorate with time, use and exposure. to have the ladder replaced. The first item determined in the inves It is neither fair nor desirable to ex tigation was that the side rail of the lad pect linemen to assume the duties of a der was split. This fact in itself is of no supervisor. For an organization to op importance as far as accident prevention erate smoothly and efficiently it is neces is concerned. In the natural order of sary for authority to be delegated to events it is to be expected that the tools some men and for the rest to obey their and equipment with which we work will orders. The management and supervis wear out. The important thing is that ors are jealous of their authority and re no organized effort was made to prevent sent any assumption of authority on the this' klineman from using a defective ladder. part of the men. dination. They call it insubor The management had failed to provide This is what makes men hesitate to any means of assuring itself or its em complaint regarding their working con ployees that satisfactory equipment was being purchased. It had failed to develop ditions. They are afraid of losing their jobs. They know that they are expected a system of inspections whereby defective to get work done in the shortest possi or worn out ladders would be automat ble time and at the least possible cost, ically repaired or destroyed. It had and that if they complain about unsafe failed to impress upon, the supervisors conditions and equipment it will be con ( the necessity of training employees to be on the lookout for such warning signs strued as an excuse for not producing more work. So men will work under as the split side rails of ladders. It had failed to make the employee understand conditions which they know are not right simply because they cannot afford to be that he should report defective equip out of work. Each man's job is just as ment and ask for something safe to use. important to him as the president's job As far as this accident is concerned, is to be president. The lineman who was the failure of management is complete. injured in this accident was doing just The outstanding factor of the super what he had been led to believe was ex vision in relation to this, accident is the pected of him--to get along the best way entire absence of any sense of responsibil he knew how with the equipment which ity. - The true cause of this accident was had been given to him. not the fact that the ladder was defec Although authority cannot be separated tive. The defect may have developed so from responsibility, neither of these is a recently that no routine inspection would guarantee of ability. ' Both management have caught it and the ' foreman would and supervision must equip themselves not have had a chance to detect it. The so that they are capable of leadership in real ,causes are the facts that the man its truest sense, and they must then es agement had not set up a system to train tablish a routine of working methods employees to seek and report defects, and which is dictated by past experience in that the supervisors had failed to teach accidents. the men these fundamental safe working My advice to management and super habits: visors is just this -- go over your work 1. To inspect their tools, materials and see for yourself the conditions that and equipment before using them. exist. Get closer to your men and get 2. To report defective tools, materials their viewpoint I t certainly means a and equipment and have them replaced. great deal in helping to clear up this ac 3. To assure the employee that he cident situation. 414 Twenty-fifth National Safety Congress Responsibility for Accidents--Who Is Responsible? By E. J. HANLON Supervisor of Safety, The Peoples Gas, Light and Coke Co., Chicago W e all know th at each of the parties rep resen ted in this p ro b lem h as definite responsibilities, a lth o u g h few , if any, were discharged. Each can be charged with contributory negligence; the m an agem ent for lack of a m ore rigorous safety program ; the forem an^/or not de m anding approved ladders: and the w orker for using a defective ladder. Each of the speakers has outlined the duties and responsibilities of each party re p resen ted in this pro b lem . All w ere ably defended, but it seem s to m e that we should consider the weaknesses of each a rg u m e n t in the o rd e r of their p re s e n ta -tion. Management--H. A. Ptolemy "T h e ladders, w hen received, a re in good condition; we w ant good ladders, and after they are received, the safekeep in g of th e la d d e r is d e le g a te d to th e m e n ." W e know, that each individual has specific duties. A good organization d e pends upon this function, but a haphazard m ethod of delegating the safekeeping of the ladders to th e m e n will resu lt in n e g l e c t o f e q u i p m e n t . E v e r y b o d y 's b u s i n e s s is n o b o d y 's b u s i n e s s . T h i s is a s p e cific duty of the supervisor and n o t the men. " In addition a specification will not g uarantee that a ladder will not break." It is true th a t a specification will n o t g u a r a n t e e t h a t a l a d d e r wil.l n o t b r e a k , b u t it, is e q u a lly - t r u e t h a t b u y i n g a c c o rd in g to sp ecific atio n s is in d icativ e of careful buying. T h e careful b u y er will get the best of available m aterials, and th e b u y e r w ho is lax o r indifferent will find th a t the m aterials in his e q u ip m e n t will be those w hich the careful b u yer would refuse. "T he m anagem ent has never ques tioned the cost of ladders nor ordered the purchase of cheap ladders." If it is tr u e th a t m a n a g e m e n t h a s n e v e r questioned the cost of ladders, then this is the single exception to the rule. In the past several years, every other item of expense has been checked and rechecked to reduce expenses so th at oper- ating com panies could rem ain solvent. T h is e c o n o m y is still p ra c tic e d in s o m e c o m p a n ie s a n d is re s p o n sib le f o r th e u n safe condition of tools and equipm ent. T his tendency can be held in ch eck by safe practices and m e th o d s of routine in spection initiated by the m an ag em en t and enforced by the supervisors. ! "As far as the establishm ent o f an in sp e c tio n s y s te m is c o n c e rn e d , w h a t in spection could be m ore thoro u g h than one m a d e by th e m a n w h o is g o in g to tru s t his life a n d lim b to it?" T he story of this accident w hich, al th o u g h it is h y p othetical, is the c o u n te r part of accidents w e are all en co u n terin g is d ire c t p ro o f of the fallacy of th e thought that the best system of inspec tio n is th a t w h ic h d e p e n d s u p o n th e m a n w h o is g o in g to use the e q u ip m e n t. If any one of you gentlem en thinks the w o rk m en in y o u r co m p an ies w ould dare to assum e authority w hich h as not been specifically given to them , th e n you are so far from the hum an elem ent that you cannot even see the problem , much less its solution. " M anagem ent cannot supply an inspec tion service as efficient as th at w hich can be rendered by a safe' w orkm an." T he m anagem ent can, and in m any cases does provide an inspection service. T h is service is not o n ly v alu ab le in th a t it u n c o v e rs defects in e q u ip m e n t, b u t it tends to educate m en to look for defects and encourages them to report them . " I t is for th e w o rk m a n to in fo rm th e m anagem ent of .unsafe ladders being used." T he very thought of a w orkm an in form ing m anagem ent of a defect in equip m e n t is so a b s u rd th a t it d o es n o t even w arrant the tim e to laugh at the idea. "T h e m a n a g e m e n t is n o t re s p o n sib le a fte r it p u rc h a se d a good lad d er fo r th e m en to use." If yo u th in k the m a n a g e m e n t is n o t responsible after the ladder has been pu r chased and given to the men to u s e read the com pensation law of y our state. Supervisor--J. D. Hall "A s I have every reason to believe that Public Utilities Section 415 w hat I am about to say on this subject w ill cause m y dismissal." T h e fact th at this gentlem an has full expectation of losing his job on account of his criticism of m anagem ent indicates th a t th e re is g rav e suspicion of th e sin cerity of m anagem ent and of its w illing ness to accept its share o f the w ork and responsibility for preventing accidents. " In th a t the m anagem ent did not co m pel its purchasing departm ent to buy ladders to specification." A lso: " B u t it docs seem to m e that the board of di rectors should certainly find its m an ag e m ent incom petent for not having pro v id e d o n e Of th e m o s t i m p o r t a n t d e p a r t m ents in its operation to take care of this detail--a safety departm ent, w ith a com petent head." . T h is is certainly an a c c u satio n of w h ich m any m anagem ents m ay be guilty. But insofar as approaching m anagem ent w ith ideas for reducing expenses and im prov ing service, th e su p e rv iso r is in a fa r different position from the w orking man. If the m anagem ent refused to take its natu ral place as a leader in the field of . a c c id e n t p re v e n tio n , it is still p o ss ib le fo r the supervisors to form safety com m it tees and to proceed w ith the w ork until such tim e as m anagem ent recognizes the value of the w ork and offers its support, " It is physically im possible for m e p er sonally to inspect each piece of equip m en t used by the line and service crew s." T he responsibilities of. the supervisor m ay be listed as job training; planning the job; ordering m aterials; proper plac ing of m en ; instruction in first aid and safety, and many, m any others. H e m ust know thoroughly the job of supervising and m anaging the w ork under his direc tion: m ust have a practical know ledge of each operation that he supervises; m ust know how to train his m en; m ust know the hazards of the job and .the safety precautions necessary for safe produc tion; and m ust see that each man invari ably w orks safely. If he can't live up to these qualifications, then he should re linquish his job as supervisor. " I f t h e l a d d e r w a s b r o k e n , w h y d i d n 't they patch it?" T h is is certainly a stupid v iew p o in t for a supervisor to take. P atched ladders are m ore dangerous, because of the false security, than they were before they were patched. Workman--M. E. Mackey " I t is quite a difficult th in g for m e to see m y friends in ag o n y o r in death b e cause som eone was too busy or too in different to see that they w ere properly equipped, properly trained or properly su p ervised to do th eir w o rk safely in t h e \ presence of well know n dangers." This w orkm an has soured on every body. H e speaks in no u ncertain te rm s of the agony of his fellow w orkers, y et he doesn't suggest a rem edy, simply b e cause his m in d is in o n e chan n el of thought. D o n 't t h i n k f o r a m i n u t e t h a t t h e m a n agem ent isn't concerned w herever th ere is th e p o ss ib ility o f a n a c c id e n t. T h e y w ant to know the facts and will tak e steps to rem edy the condition. Pew m en will w o rk in the p resen ce o f d a n g e r. T h e y j u s t a r e n 't b u i l t t h a t w a y . O n e o f the responsibilities of the w orkm an is to su g g est im provem ents^ in m e th o d s a n d practices and cooperate w ith his forem an in elim inating u n n e c e ssa ry jo b h a zard s. In m y opinion this w as not done. " I prefer to think that both m anage m ent and supervision have been so a b sorbed in certain parts of their w ork, and so blind to the limitless possibilities for h u m a n happiness th a t rests in th e h a n d s of th o se in au th o rity th a t they h a v e not yet realized the full tru th of the a x iom-- authority and responsibility are in separable." A uthority m eans "a right to com m and or act." Responsibility m eans "that for w hich o n e is a c c o u n ta b le ." T h e s u p e r v iso r a c ts a n d is a c c o u n ta b le for e v e r y thing under his jurisdiction. H e know s a ls o th a t th e p re v e n tio n of a c c id e n ts is an inseparable part of his routine duties and that it has not been divorced fro m the other responsibilities of his job. B ut he cannot be expected to wet nurse each em ployee under his direction. T h e w o rk m an w ho shirks responsibility and fails to cooperate w ith his supervisor cannot stand blameless for unsafe conditions. "T hey had not established the practice of buying to specifications and they had not developed a system of inspections of equipm ent." T hese responsibilities are a function of the safety division, w hich in m y opinion did not exist in this com pany. T h erefo re, in th e a b sen ce of a safety director, th e s e i t i '! i i !\ ; t. #. I Ii r 416 Twenty-fifth N ational Safety Congress^ responsibilities fall on the shoulders of the supervisory force of the operating personnel. W h ile it is tru e th at th e su pervisory force failed to correct these un safe conditions, we can't get aw ay from the fact that the w orkm an knew these conditions existed, yet he failed to check the condition of the ladder as a protec tio n to h is o w n h id e. T h e r e f o r e , h e is as m uch to blam e for the accident as the m anagem ent or supervisor. " T h is is w h a t m a k e s m e n hesitate to m ake complaints regarding their w orking conditions. T hey are afraid qf losing their jobs." T h a t s t a t e m e n t is a b s u r d . *1 c a n 't r e call a single instance w here an employee suggested the correction of some unsafe c o n d i t i o n t h a t it w a s n 't g i v e n c o n s i d e r a tion by the proper authorities. It is good business for m anagem ent to listen to em ployee suggestions because it m e a n s sav ing money. Let us not lose sight of the fact that m a n a g e m e n t is in terested in th e m o n e ta ry as well as the hum anitarian side o f this problem . Conclusion T h is p ro b le m is h y p o th e tic a l a n d m u s t be considered from this standpoint. T he responsibility for th e accident is div id ed because of the set-up in this co m p an y . T he supervisory forces should assum e the greater part of the responsibility because of th eir key position in the a ccid en t p re vention program . In a well o rganized com pany these conditions w ould not exist. Following the addresses win again rem inded the tile discussion w as based hypothetical accident, and Chairm an Goddelegates that upon a purely that the argu- merits of the speakers w ere likewise hypothetical and w ere not to be con strued as criticism of them anagem ent of their companies. THURSDAY MORNING SESSION October 8, 1936 Data on 1935-36 Safety Contest, Public Utilities Section In the absence of C. L. H ightow er, U nited Gas System, H ouston, Tex., Chair m an of the Statistics and C ontest C om m ittee of the Section, the data on the 1935-36 S afety C ontest w ere presented by Sectional Chairm an Godwin. Mr. G odwin said in part: T h e r e is o n e p o in t I w o u ld like to stress-- that instead of the consistent d o w n w a rd tre n d of accid en ts fro m 1928 to 1933 th e re has been a definite u p w a rd tre n d since 1933. It is the d u ty of every m e m b e r of this Section to do his utm o st to tu rn this trend dow nw ard during the present contest. O u r C on test is divided into six g ro u p s: 1. a -- C o m b i n a t i o n G a s a n d E l e c t r i c C o m panies hav in g ov er 500 em ployees, b-- Com bination Gas and Electric Com panies hav in g u n d er 500 em ployees. 2. a-- E le c tric C om panies having over 500 e m ployees. b-- E lectric Com panies having u n d e r 500 em ployees. 3. a-- G as C o m panies h aving ov er 500 em ployees, b-- Gas C om panies having under 500 em ployees. T h e w in n in g c o m p a n y in eacu g ro u p is the com pany having the lowest frequency rate, and w here tw o or m ore com panies are tied for first place w ith a zero score,