Document zey57rjYJ9roJ8wNVR2Kd08B

464 Twenty-second Congress--National Safety Council 5. Switch engines way freight* and switch ran* (faring industry svitdting where it is necessary to shove cars by a fori(ding where there are alleyways where trucks and automobiles might be parked too close to the track, should be prohibited unless a member of the crew walks in advance of the movement to protect. In 1932. 6 persons were killed and 1JM2 injured while operating locomotives. \Vc most again call attention to che fact that many of these injuries doe to operating focomoliTc* arise through failure to comply with operating rules and the general regulations. Men injured operating locomotives are generally doing something that they should not do. In 19A2. 71 persons were killed and 284 injured when coining in contact with Axed structures. Men arc wally injured by fixed structures on account of for getting their tocaikm. generally coupled with looking backward or rather looking in a different directtest than the tram or car is moving. Of course, if the fixed structures can be conveniently rooted, it should be done, but frequently this is im possible. The remedy then is to get an employee, first, to bare in his `mind all these non-clearance points, and second, in switching movement always face the way tn which the car is moving. In 1932. 1390 persons were killed and 911 injured throogh being struck and run over, not at public craMncc Xarly all of them come under one of the fol lowing three heads: (aSttre to look before stepping .no the raflroad track; walking on the railroad track or foal of the track where possible to walk elsewhere: walking ton close to the end of a car in a tire yard. It is all the more regrettable that we have so many men lolled in this manner when we remember that this class of accidents can probably be more easily reme died than any other. Of coarse, the remedies, briefly stated, would he as follows: always took hnth way* before stepping on the raQrnad track: never walk on the railroad track or foul of the track when it is passible to walk elsewhere: never go within ten feet of the end of the car in a live yard. Anr raihrad man will ted you that these three ronedics are proper and reasonihlr things to do. They all know of the large number of men being lolled by their violation, then naturally, the question arises why do men continue to do these things, knowing that they are wrong, knowing that every time they violate one of these three rules, it is merely a matter of chance that they arc not killed or in jured. The answer is "hahjL- Maintenance of Way Accidents -- Their Cause and Remedy By G. C. WENDLING Division Engineer, Louisville ft Nashville Railroad, Louisville. Ky. The speaker said in part: The key note of our safety endeavors Has been the development of an interest in the safety situation in the minds of our foremen. Wc started with this idea and our experiences have strengthened us in our belief. If he goes safely, then the safety of the png is assured, and he will go safely if he is hdd strictly accountable for the actions of bis men and is given die proper training --by means of various pertinent printed natters: by instructions and by the example of his supervisor. Iris roadsnasters. his division engineer and his superintendent. Without the moral sojtport he receives from these men above Hun, all the printed matter wc could send him would ava3 nothing; hence our first necessity was the Safety Section ARA--Steam Railroad Section NSC 465 guaranteeing of this interest on the part of superintendents, division engineers, readmasters and supervisors. And rralizing that the same principle prevails with them as with the foremen, that they would not reflect the attitude of the men above them, went to the top, to our president, aod secured from him a statement which served as a key note for the building up of our safely organization. We then laid out our campaign under two headings, primary safety, and secondary safety. Under the heading of primary safety came the general policies designed to affect the *""** of our workers, such as the development of the proper morale, creating in a man the desire to improve his record, and the development of a spirit of interest and a spirit of competition between the various units. Under the head ing of secondary activities came the actual preventive measures to he taken on the ground, proper supervision, proper reports to be made when injuries -occurred, in structioa of the men as to the safe way in which to perform their various operations. supervision of tools, the inspection of equipment: in other words, the removal of the causes of injuries. One of our first moves was the preparation of a book of rules on safety. Our foremen were instructed to make these rules the warp and woof of the pattern of their daily fives: they wore to know the rules and teach them to their men. They were instructed that at the noon hour they should have the men get out their books and they should discos* with them the rules: that before starting out every iiffrnni they, should remind the men of the necessity for working safely through Ae day. They should, in * gwAl work was to he done, go over with their men the precautions that should be taken in performing the work: they should, tn case injuries occurred, point out to their men the violation that caused the injury; they should impress the men with the fact that the rules were made ftr their pro tection and for no other primary reason; that to work safely does not mean to work slowly, our experience having proicd that just the reverse is true. * In some cases we have been forced to resort to discipline and in my opuriun h n these cases that are helping us to go forward in our campaign of education and enforcement. The day of the heavy hand is passed, but the day of right ts still with us, and H is certainly the right of an employcr to insist that after be has provided his employees with the proper equipment and conditions with and under which to work, that these men perform their work m.a proper and safe manner. The problems offered by the imfingcrcr* were virtually solved by insisting that every nan who was injured promptly report his injury to the foreman, who fol lowed up all the details. So for I have dealt with our general problems: but I want now (o go into details regarding the specific causes of injuries occurring in the track department. A detailed analysts of the injuries occurring during a typical period showed that while injuries were divided among 18 causes, more than 50 per cent of the total was chargeable to one caose handling of raff and ties; 65 per cent of these while han dling rail and 35 per cent while handling ties. One of the roost important steps toward improving this condition was in ar ranging for oar new rafl loaded on flat cars instead of in gondolas. This alone removed one of the principal sources of accidents. A dose study of the situation proved also that a lack of supervision was rcspansfolc for a large portion of these injuries and we are insisting that supervision be given to all matters pertaining to the handling of rails and that all movements be made according to signals. The same principles are applied to loading, unloading, carrying and piling of ermsties.