Document zz44y6wozV34mNp6JgyjeLR97

220 Txeenty-first Congress--Xctiona! Safety Council In a study of 2Ji22 accidents, an accurate determination was made of the length *i service <i those injured It wa* iound that those who had liern employed rate month or less were being injured at the rate of 160 j*er month jrt 100 employee*. Thi* ttirt mean that 160 accidents were caused per month, hut lliat they oc curred at tltc rate of 160 i*rr month I. Those who had liern employed for three months had accidents at the rate oi 70 jct momh j*r 100 employees. Those who had Urn employed from three to eight months had a rate of 16 accidents per month lr 100 employees: and those whose experience ranged from eight month* to one year had 12 accidents j*cr month jxt 100 employers. After the first year, the rate dropied rapidly. For those employed from one to five years, it was 15 accidents per year j*rr 106 employer*. For those employed fruati live to leu year* it was 11 accidents per year per 100 employees. Those who had MTved from ten to twenty years suffered 5 accidents per year ]ier 10(1 cnt|iloyet*. and those who liad Uth employed from twenty to thirty year* made tltc Iwst showing f'l alJ. u;ih a rate oi /*n)y .1 accidents f*-r 1ft) employees. Ailer fhirt.r years of service, the rate ttiok a idightly upward trend. Another nude showed the relation of what might It called the labor recruiting rate to the accident frequency rate, t T)n not confuse the term Halmr recruiting*' with the terra 'labor turnover/') In iIm* study referred ta the lota) number of employees increased gradually from A4f at the Iwgiiuiing to 590 at the end of the (icrtml. One would naturally think that the numlwr *( accidents would follow fairly closely the total manlier of employee* exposed to the- hazards of the plant. Such was not tlte case. Instead, accidents liap|iened with the greatest frequency during the months when conditions required the hiring of the largest mimficr of new employee*, and a drop in those months during which there was also a drop in tlie numler of new enqil*yees hired. `RiBln now. the very r<mntrttdaMr rftort* of the industries to keep as many a* jKeisildc if tlteir i*eople employed may result in the assignment of men to work which is new to them and for which they are not fitted and lead to accident*. When business picks up. and it most certainly will, there will lie a great deaf of shuffling around until things Ik-come stabilized. All of those classes of employees that have Iwen termed new will lie entering our jdants in large numbers. If it is possible to devise way* and means of preventing injuries among them we should gel busy and formulate <*ur programs now and l*r ready to tackle the problem as soon as it arises." The careful >W-rt;on of cmiiloyees is all mqiurtanl. Employee selection sltould he exercised in the plant haring hut a handful of worker* no less thoroughly than in one Haring thousand*. The principle* involved are precisely the same. Every selected employee should measure up to (he physical, mental and moral requirement* of the job for which he is lured. It follow* that all of those who have the responsibility of hiring nwn should examine themselves carefnllv to determine if they are fully familiar with the job requirements. Physical examinations prior to employment are desirable. They should not he undertaken with the idea of excluding sulmomtal applicant* from employment alto gether. but to ascertain what particular work each one can do whit the maximum of safety for himself and the minimum of risks for the employing company. There may he some who object to physical examinations, hut these objections are based usually on the belief that industry w*ilf take an unfair advantage of the workmen through information obtained from the examinations. Just as soon, however, as it is demonstrated that the examinations are not living made for an ulterior purpose hut to fit the men to jolis at which they* will he safest and at the same time most likely to succeed in a financial way, the objections will cease. Closely allied with the determination of* physical fitness is the question of mental qualification*. Modem emphivmcnt technique include* many different kinds of tests. >uch tests should It as brief as possible and actually suitable for tlte puno*e for Food Section 221 which they arc intended. namely, the detection of certain speritir rinrancritics ami qualifications. Any tests that arc unduly lung and fail to give ininrmatiun that can not be obtained otherwise will drirat their own purpose. There is room for a Ini of common sense as well as leclujind skill in employee selection which, if it means anything, sltould It fitting employees to their jobs. Oi no less importance arc mural qualifications. It is tint suggested that industry should perform tlte function* of a Sunday School c/r (hat cmphnwcnl manaiters should try to give a moral rating to each applicant for employment. It is obvious. IkiWcvcT. tltat one who makes untruthful statements, or is evasive rather titan straightforward in answering questions, or fs known to disregard accepted standard* oi conduct, catuuit It given a task that requires individual initiative and the accept ance of a measure of personal responsibility, Moreover, such a person will not team up well with hi* fellows. He cannot be counted on for modi help in bettering your accident records. "VVlien an applicant is accepted fur employment a contraa of hire cither expressed or implied has been made. It is assumed, on die one hand, tint the employer lia* examined the qualifications of the applicant and has found them satisfactory, and on the other, that tlte applicant has familiarized himself with the condition* under which he frill work and has considered them acceptable. What an opjwrtunity to start a man off right so far as accident prevention is concerned! The applicant is in a reerptive frame of mind. Now is the lime to explain the safety objective* of the company, and the part he will be expected to jdav in this effort if he becomes a member of the organization. This is a dignified and important part of tlic employ ment program. Time spent on h will be justified by die results." Discussion: Mr. Prnuty emphasized that it is well to liavc a re-examination of a man's physical fitness when he returns to work after an absence, even though he is an old employee. Also the foreman should realize his rcsjionsibiUty in the matter and not assume tltat the nun can do the work as lie formerly did. The discu&siuu developed also that in a certain plant a man who was found to have a communicable disease sued the plant doctor on the basts oi ''privilege communication." The plant ill question now has all applicants for position* sign waivers before physical exami nation takes place. Report of the Nominating Committee Will Cooper. Stevens Hotel, Chicago. Chairman oi the Nominating Committee, then prtsenled the riimittee`* report and officers were elected for tlte ensuing year as follows: General Chairman--Htsav J. Minefa. Tlte liordvn Conqianv, New York City. / 'icc~Chairtuan--Fraxk A. Hasse, Corn Products Refining Company, Chicago. Secretary and Sncs-LcUcr rfiW--J. J. Zeitnex, Cuniiueiital Staking Company, New York City. Engineering Committee Chairman--). }. Lvo.vs, John F. Jelkc Company, Chicago. Membership Committee Chairman--Robert Flexinc, Kellogg- Company, Bdule Creek, Mich. Faster Committee Chairman--Tiioma* SritutiUAit. Wagncr-Taylor Comjiany, Phil adelphia. Program Committer Chairman--\V. C. WasiibCbn*. Sheffield Farms Company*. Incu. New York City. Puhiteity Committee Chairman--Rmi K. Caiie. A. E. Staley .Manufacturing Com pany, Decatur, IIL Statistics Committee Chairman--T. A. Sciiexocl, rremirr Malt Products Company, Peoria, 111. Members of Large-- VViujam F. Babbett. Horn and Hardart Baking Company, Philadelphia, \Y. P. Bell, California and Hawaiian Sugar Refining Corp- Crockett. Calif.